A replication study compared 86 petition students who received course substitutions for the college foreign language (FL) requirement with 40 nonpetition students who fulfilled the requirement by passing FL courses. Findings indicate more than half of all the students did not meet criteria for learning disability classification. (Contains…

This article discusses nutrition problems in people with intellectual disabilities, the need for nutrition risk screening, and the development of the Nutrition and Swallowing Checklist in New South Wales. The checklist ensures carer involvement in identifying risks and an interdisciplinary approach to the assessment and management of nutrition and…

A French study of 136 children (ages 20-139 months) with developmental disabilities investigated the reliability and validity of the Revised Behavior Summarized Evaluation Scale (BSE-R) in evaluating autistic behavior in children with developmental delays. The BSE-R was found to be useful for progressive recording of the evolution of patients…

Discusses the cognitive characteristics, neurobiological bases, and language and reading abilities of individuals with hyperlexia. A study of 12 children (ages 7-13) with hyperlexia is summarized that illustrates the dissociation between decoding and comprehension and the limited use of meaningful context to aid decoding. (Author/CR)

This article synthesizes articles discussed as part of the research symposium at the 24th International Conference on Learning Disabilities on October 11, 2002. Topics include translating learning disability research to practice, identification of learning disabilities, special education and postmodernism, and the response to treatment model.…

A study investigated 136 toddlers from 112 families with or without a history of specific language impairment (SLI). SLI was found to aggregate in families; the average rate in families affected with a family history of SLI was 32%, with significantly more boys reported as having SLI than girls. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This article describes recent efforts to develop a reading diagnostic analysis to be used in conjunction with curriculum-based measurement for informing teachers how to refocus their instruction to address individual needs. A detailed example with data charts and student reports shows application in one second grade class. (Contains references.)…

This study investigated birth risk factors for school-identified specific language impairment among 244,619 students. Very low birth weight, low 5-min Apgar scores, late or no prenatal care, high birth order and low maternal education were associated with high individual-level risk, and low maternal education and unmarried mothers were associated…

Behavior states and related developmental and medical variables were observed for 34 infants with severe cognitive and multiple disabilities for their first four years. Findings demonstrated emerging state profiles consistent with those found among older populations in previous studies. Results suggest the need for specific, early interventions…

A study examined the validity of the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS) with 119 children (ages 3-10) with strict DSM-IV (Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV) diagnoses of autism. The GARS consistently underestimated the likelihood that children would be classified as having autism. Limitations of ratings scales and of the GARS…

Analysis of data on 1,404 young children with hearing losses indicated that 80% of the children were identified via informal hearing-screening procedures, such as parental suspicion and referral. Auditory brainstem response technology provided the lowest mean identification age. The study concludes that formal screening programs are not locating…

This paper presents a diagnostic procedure in which a child's possible perceptual/cognitive problems and learning style are carefully documented to create a profile of the child's auditory and visual mode strengths and weaknesses. The profile created is intended to integrate the components of the educational evaluation into a meaningful whole.…

The Reiss Screen for Maladaptive Behavior, an instrument used to identify persons with both mental retardation and mental health problems, was evaluated with 89 Dutch adults having mental retardation. Reliability and validity of the scale and relationships with subject characteristics were examined. (Author/DB)

The validity of the schizophrenia subscale of the Psychopathology Instrument for Mentally Retarded Adults (PIMRA) was evaluated with 65 adults having mild to moderate mental retardation as well as either schizophrenia, depression, or no psychopathology. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted, as were interrater reliability analyses.…

This article considers implications of two British government initiatives for training teachers of children with sensory impairments or severe learning difficulties. The first is the draft Code of Practice which provides guidelines on the identification and assessment of pupils with special educational needs. The second is an Education Bill which…