In this study, 46 normal and 39 developmentally handicapped intermediate-grade students were administered the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, the Matrix Analogies Test-Short Form, and Draw A Person: A Quantitative Scoring System, in order to probe the utility of the latter two tests in screening for mental retardation. (Author/PB)

The investigation examining the effect of kindergarten experience on the performance of children on the Bankson Language Screening Test suggested the need for different sets of language test norms for children with and without kindergarten experience. (Author/DB)

This paper reviewed the psychometric properties of the DSM-III-R (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual III, Revised) criteria for autism. Results indicated that the criteria had, on average, very good sensitivity but much lower specificity. It is concluded that the DSM-III-R criteria act more like screening criteria than diagnostic criteria.…

The validity of using an analysis of patterns of performance on the Meeting Street School Screening test versus using the composite cutoff score for identification of learning disabilities was analyzed for 1,377 first graders. Use of subtest scatter predicted later learning disability placements less accurately than chance. (Author/DB)

The paper reports data from four studies using the Language Development Survey (LDS), a screening tool for the identification of language delay in two-year-old children. The LDS was found to have excellent sensitivity and specificity. Prevalence data using the LDS are reported, comparing three different severity cutoffs. (Author/DB)

The study compared the results of the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI) Screening Test with the Denver Developmental Screening Test-Revised and with the full-scale BDI for 30 handicapped and 35 nonhandicapped children, all aged six months to six years. Major differences were found between the tests and populations identified for follow-up.…

Regular education students (n=81) and students with serious emotional disturbance (n=81,) were matched on age (7-13), gender, race, and intelligence. They completed drawings which were scored using the "Draw a Person: Screening Procedure for Emotional Disturbance." Students with emotional disturbance scored significantly higher than did…

The Autism Behavior Checklist was evaluated with 94 autistic and 63 nonautistic subjects. Although the two groups differed significantly in ratings of pathology both false positive and false negative diagnostic classifications occurred. The test appears to have merit as a screening instrument but should not be used alone to establish a diagnosis…

The evaluation of a parent-completed screening system, the Infant Monitoring Questionnaires, found: 86 percent to 91 percent agreement between classifications of infants made using standardized tests and the questionnaires, low under-screening and over-screening rates (0 percent to 11 percent), high inter-observer and test-retest agreement, and…

The use of multidomain instruments for screening or diagnostic purposes with handicapped infants and preschoolers is reviewed. Purposes of assessment and criteria for instrument utility are presented. Five multidomain screening tools and three multidomain diagnostic instruments are reviewed with respect to their validity, reliability, and utility.…

A standardization sample for the Boston Naming Test was established. Means, standard deviations, and ranges of performance in accuracy and latency were established for age and grade for 357 kindergarten through grade six subjects. It was concluded that the test is an efficient and valid screening measure of students' word finding skills.…

The study comparing the differential validity of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale raised questions concerning the ability of the K-ABC to discriminate among at-risk preschoolers functioning in the lower ranges of cognitive ability. (Author/DB)

This study examined the internal validity and reasons for false positives for the Ten Question Screen (with and without probes), used by community workers in developing nations to assess type and severity of disability. Results support the use of the screen but only if paired with measurements of hearing and visual impairments. (DB)

This study evaluated use of the Ten Question Screen (TQ) to identify disability in a 2-stage population-based survey of 5,478 children aged 2-9 years in Clarendon, Jamaica. Findings indicated varied sensitivity by different subgroups (age, gender, and disability) and an unacceptably high false positive rate. (Author/DB)

Two cohorts of children (ages four and five, n=700) were screened with the Fluharty Preschool Speech and Language Screening Test. Results suggest that the Fluharty is too insensitive for screening programs aimed at identifying preschool children with language disorders, although it appears to have promise for the identification of children with…