This reprint (from a 1961 article) and excerpt (from a 1977 paper) recommend definitions of various terms in the field of mental retardation, such as subaverage, organic retardation, and functional retardation and argue that incidence and prevalence estimates of mental retardation vary so remarkably and change so frequently to fit certain…

Simultaneous recordings of auditory brainstem and middle latency responses were obtained in both vertex-ipsilateral and vertex-contralateral derivations in 22 children, ages 8-12. For specific recording conditions, the latencies of middle latency responses differ significantly between children with and without learning disabilities, offering…

This commentary offers a rationale for reprinting an 1866 essay by J. L. H. Down (EC 610 641) in which Down's syndrome is delineated and a clinical description of "mongoloid idiocy" is provided. The article deplores the dehumanizing ideology that has changed its terms over the decades but has persisted in practices of marginalization and control.…

Over 2,500 preschool children were screened for emotional and behavioral problems using the three-state, multiple-gating procedures of the Early Screening Project (ESP). Significant differences were found between children who did and did not exceed the ESP's normative referral criteria. Results suggest the ESP procedures can minimize both the time…

A study involving 11 elementary and 9 middle schools illustrates how office discipline referrals can be used to indicate the status of school-wide discipline, and how schools can use the information to modify their universal interventions for all students and their targeted interventions for students with severe behavior problems. (Contains…

A study examined the validity of the Screening Tool for Autism in Two-Year-Olds (STAT) as a stage 2 screening instrument in a clinic-based sample of two-year-olds with autism (n=12) and with nonautistic developmental disorders (n=21). Results provide preliminary support for the utility of the STAT as an early screening of autism. (Contains…

This article reports on the development of the Health and Secondary Conditions Surveillance Instrument Monitoring and Promotion System for use with adults with developmental disabilities. Results of a pilot survey with 119 individuals illustrates how survey data might be used to improve systems of services and supports for this population.…

Diagnostic criteria for autism and background characteristics used by 937 Indian psychiatrists, psychologists, and pediatricians were examined. Generally, the three professions agreed about the characteristics most necessary for a diagnosis and these characteristics were in line with standards of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (III and IV).…

The Hartnett, Nelson, and Rinn 2004 study indicates that diagnostic confusion between ADD/ADHD and giftedness exists, and that research on medication practices is warranted. Mika disagrees, saying that there is no empirical evidence of misdiagnosis of gifted children as having ADD/ADHD. We disagree with Mika's logic, and describe evidence that…

Accommodations to standard test administrations are granted on many tests for students who have one or more disabling conditions. In some instances, students' scores from these nonstandard administrations are "flagged" to caution those who interpret the test score that the test was not administered under typical conditions. The practice of…

Background: Current changes in care philosophy and diversity in care arrangements caused the need for a new estimate of the number of people with intellectual disability (ID), based on recent data. Previous estimates were based on client registrations, which was thought unreliable at this time. This manuscript studies the question how many people…

Any figure given for the prevalence of dyslexia must depend on how the word "dyslexia" is defined. There is no point in defining dyslexia as "poor reading"; what is of scientific interest is the syndrome specific to developmental dyslexia, as described by Critchley (1970) and others. Difficulties arise in determining the…

The Responsiveness to Intervention (RI) model for diagnosing learning disabilities has been proposed as an alternative to previous definitions. Given the importance of reliable and valid assessment in the instructional process, assessment must be a crucial aspect of any RI approach. Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) has been discussed in previous…

We respond to the comments of Batsche, Kavale, and Kovaleski (this issue), on Response To Intervention (RTI) and learning disabilities. Historically, discrepancy between IQ and achievement has been used by many as a criterion for identification of learning disabilities. Recently, RTI is considered as a practice for identifying consistent and…

Because of the increasing number of people with disabilities, counselors of all specialties and theoretical orientations will be called on to provide services to clients with disabilities. The authors present a brief overview of 4 major models of disability to provide an introduction to the varying definitions and causal and responsibility…