Presents data on the High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire, a 27-item checklist for completion by lay informants when assessing symptoms characteristic of Asperger syndrome and other high-functioning autism spectrum disorders in children and adolescents with normal intelligence or mild mental retardation. Reliability and…

Discusses how the Guckenberger v Boston University case illustrates the interaction of the psychometrics of ability differences with the concept of learning disability and with the sociopolitics of schooling and society. Urges a more inclusive definition of learning disability which abandons aptitude-achievement discrepancy requirements and a more…

A counseling-skills course for 11 health professionals, covering family-counseling skills and child-management techniques, was evaluated over a 10-month period. Findings regarding perceived counseling ability, knowledge of counseling theories, value of the course, and trainee's self-concept are presented. Supervision and evaluation research issues…

Discusses what children with developmental language disorders should be called, how they should be defined, and how we might differentiate children with specific language impairments from other children with developmental language disorders. The lack of congruence between clinical and research constructs is discussed. (Author/CR)

This study examined the accuracy of teacher (N=51) assessments in screening for reading disabilities among Grade 1 students of English as a second language (N=249) and as a first language (N=120). Results indicated that teacher rating scales and nominations had low sensitivity in identifying reading disability in either group as determined by a…

A study involving 570 individuals with mental retardation developed the Screening Tool of Feeding Problems, an assessment designed to identify feeding problems presented by persons with mental retardation, and thus facilitate the process of identifying who would benefit from some type of behavioral or medical intervention. Psychometric data are…

This article raises four issues in the education of students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders. These are: (1) misidentification, (2) diagnostic omission of comorbidity, (3) psychopharmacologic under treatment, and (4) misunderstanding of developmental psychopathology. (Contains references.) (DB)

This study compared differences in preschool children (n=201) clinically diagnosed with specific language impairments (SLI) who were and were not identified through standard psychometric discrepancy criteria. A combination of mean length of utterance, percent structural errors, and chronological age was found to be more useful for predicting a…

A study of Hans Christian Andersen's diaries from age 20 to age 70 found that his mean error spelling percentages are equal to contemporaries, but between 2 and 15 times lower than individuals with dyslexia. A structural analysis indicates that the proportion of plausible/implausible errors match those of normal achievers. (Contains references.)…

Describes an Italian patient with Asperger disorders, Neurogenic Diabetes Insipidus, and Primary Empty Sella. His response to vasopressin treatment suggested a concomitant presence of primary polydipsia. Implications of the observed concurrence of these rare disorders are discussed in relation to diagnosis and pathogenesis. (Author/CR)

A survey of 218 learning disabilities experts found only 30 percent believed IQ-reading achievement discrepancy should be a marker of reading disability. Over two thirds selected three markers: reading achievement, phonemic awareness, and treatment validity. Over 75 percent believed exclusion criteria should remain part of the definition with…

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 article discusses the causes of tinnitus, sound or noise in the ears or head without any external stimulation. Classification of tinnitus, the essentials of medical evaluation of a patient with tinnitus, essential test procedures, and current concepts in the management of tinnitus are addressed. (CR)

This review summarizes subject selection and diagnostic procedures documented in 142 empirical articles published between 1993 and 1997. Although most researchers reported use of standard diagnostic criteria in classifying subjects, numerous studies did not report diagnostic methods and there was often a lack of specification of inclusion and…

This article discusses the inclusion of high functioning individuals in the learning disability category. It argues that extending services to individuals without significant academic impairments may deplete resources for others in greater need, distort the normal processes by which individuals select careers, and diminish the credibility of the…