IT IS GENERALLY RECOGNIZED THAT COMPATIBILITY IN ADOPTION DEPENDS ON A SOUND EVALUATION OF THE ADOPTIVE PARENTS AND OF THE INFANT AND THAT THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILD ARE SERVED BY EARLY PLACEMENT IN A PERMANENT HOME. EARLY ASSESSMENT OF THE INFANT, ON WHICH PROPER PLACEMENT IS DEPENDENT, MUST BE PRIMARILY PREDICTIVE. HOWEVER, EXISTING INFANT…

The Draw a Person: Screening Procedures for Emotional Disturbance (DAP:SPED) is a projective technique used in the initial assessment of children suffering from emotional problems, and unlike most projective techniques, features sound psychometric development. (Author)

Evaluated was the ability of an abbreviated test battery, given at the beginning of kindergarten, to predict reading group membership at the end of the second grade for 132 kindergarten children. (BD)

A system of testing children for educational disabilities, first known as "Graphogestalt" and later as "SCREEN", has been discredited by responsible evaluators but is still offered to teachers and endorsed by some government experts. (JD)

Studies of variables predicting familial breast cancer (N=59) were analyzed to develop screening recommendations for women with nonhereditary familial breast cancer present. The pooled relative risk (RR) and cumulative probability were used to estimate risk. Data and conclusions are presented. Recommendations for screening and counseling are…

To examine the potential of classroom teachers as primary screening agents for learning difficulties, 197 kindergarten children were assessed on 6 measures. Best predictors of grade 1 achievement were the Metropolitan Readiness Tests and the Myklebust Pupil Rating Scale, both of which can be administered by teachers. Contains 22 references. (SV)

Describes a geriatric wellness program in which social work practitioners played a major role. Compared results of a telephone screening test to detect depression with the clinical judgment of social workers. The screening instrument proved effective in assessing a population with a high rate of major depression. (RJM)

Data on the early prediction of learning problems was summarized by a meta analysis of 58 studies reporting correlations between measures administered in kindergarten or first grade and later reading achievement. The best single predictors of achievement were attention-distractibility, internalizing behavior problems, and language variables.…

Reasons for the literacy problem on college and university campuses and the role of higher education in confronting this problem are discussed. Many young people today lack English skills necessary for holding a job, and students entering college are deficient in basic language skills. Some educators feel that college admission standards should be…

This packet on vocational assessment is one in a series of materials for use with career ladder students in the Middletown, Connecticut, Public Schools. Career ladder students are those ranging from the mentally retarded to the high-risk dropout in the regular education program. The document first explains the nature and purpose of vocational…

This manual is intended to assist assessment and teaching personnel in assessing and developing instructional plans for special needs students from early school to independent living and employment. It contains 10 chapters. The following topics are discussed in the first nine chapters: the purpose of career assessment; ethical issues…