The shortage of autism specialists and lack of culturally sensitive autism assessment tools are helping to perpetuate racial and ethnic disparities in autism identification and treatment. Using DisCrit as a framework, this quantitative study examined the utility of one autism assessment tool, the Social Responsiveness Scale, second edition (SRS-2)…

This study examined the internal structure of the Scales for Assessing Emotional Disturbance-3 Rating Scale (RS), a teacher-completed RS developed to measure emotional disturbance (ED). As defined in U.S. law and regulations, ED involves five characteristics or patterns of behavioral and emotional maladaptation. RS data obtained on a sample of…

The Academic Behaviors and Skills of College Students (ABS-C) Scale is a measure that assesses in- and out-of-classroom behaviors and skills that may be affecting current academic standing. The measure inquires for self-perceptions of why college students may be having difficulty in courses. The ABS-C Scale demonstrates promising utility as a…

The identification of children at-risk for reading problems can be costly and time-consuming. Previous research has indicated that teachers are relatively accurate in assessing children's overall reading ability. This study investigated the accuracy of kindergarten and first grade teacher rating scales in predicting children's reading…

The second edition of this essential handbook provides a comprehensive, updated overview of the science that informs best practices for the implementation of response to intervention (RTI) processes within Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to facilitate the academic success of all students. The volume includes insights from leading scholars…

A functional screening and identification system for behavior problems among preschool children, ages 3 through 5, was assessed with 2,853 children from regular and special education preschool and kindergarten classrooms in 8 states. The Early Screening Project procedure was found to provide reliable, accurate, and cost-effective screening. (SW)

The recent influx of students with disabilities into postsecondary education has generated a concomitant increase in the demand for psychoeducational assessments that include a measure of cognitive ability, either to identify ability-achievement discrepancies or to rule out alternate or comorbid diagnoses. The most commonly recommended cognitive…

Authentic assessment is a growing alternative to conventional testing. This research-to-practice article describes a framework for implementing authentic assessment. The R-E-A-L framework shows how roles, equipment, assessment tools, and location can be incorporated into early childhood practices.

The inclusion of young children with disabilities has remained a function of the Head Start program since its inception in the 1960s when the United States Congress mandated that children with disabilities comprise 10% of the Head Start enrollment (Zigler & Styfco, 2000). Standardized, norm-referenced tests used to identify children with…

The response to a previous article by Mardell-Czednowski and Lessen notes the lack of common criteria for evaluating technical adequacy of assessment instruments used with handicapped children and stresses the need to evaluate instruments with the specific populations to which they are administered. (DB)

Voice range profiles (VRP) were analyzed according to 11 frequency, intensity, and morphological characteristics for 94 typical children and 136 children with vocal fold pathologies (ages 6-11). Normative data are presented showing marked differences between the groups. The use of the VRP Index for Children for screening is discussed. (Author/CR)

This study examined effects on 62 elementary students with learning disabilities undergoing triennial reevaluation of the change from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised to the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Third Edition. Results indicate changes in the correlation with Woodcock-Johnson--Revised Tests of Achievement…

A study of 20 children (ages 3-6) with autism and 20 children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) examined the validity of a Dutch version of the revised Psychoeducational Profile (PEP-R). No differences were found on the PEP-R developmental subscales, but on the pathology subscales children with autism showed more severe behavior than…

In order to locate optimal cutoff scores for detecting developmental delays, the Brigance Screens were administered to 408 children (ages 21-48 months) along with a criterion battery measuring achievement and intelligence. The Receiver Operating Characteristic analyses were then used to locate optical cutoff scores for each form of the Brigance.…

The review examines five measures designed to assess autistic symptomatology: Rimland's Diagnostic Checklist for Behavior-Disturbed Children, the Behavior Rating Instrument for Autistic and Atypical Children, the Behavior Observation Scale for Autism, the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, and the Autism Behavior Checklist. Available studies of…