The likelihood of benefit is fundamental to decision making about newborn screening. But benefit is construed in different ways by different stakeholders. This article begins with a review of benefit as considered historically by various expert panels and organizations. We then show how 78 conditions fared when experts recently rated them on…

With growing knowledge about the role of genetics in health, genetics education for health care professionals has taken on increasing importance. Many efforts are under way to develop new genetics curricula. Although such efforts are primarily the responsibility of health professional schools and professional societies, the public health system is…

Communication difficulties in multicultural clinical settings can be exacerbated by translators, but their actual impact on medical decisions has not been systematically evaluated. This study sought to determine the influence of translators participating in clinical encounters in which English-speaking clinicians offered amniocentesis to…

Much has been written in recent years about advances in assessment technologies designed to aid decision making in the juvenile justice system. Adoption and implementation of this latest generation of actuarial tools, however, have lagged behind their development. Assessment in juvenile justice exemplifies the "science-practice gap" that…

Community psychologists have a long-standing interest in promoting systems change to improve the lives of individuals and communities. To more fully illuminate a multilevel model of those factors involved in the promotion of systems change, the current study examined individual- and organizational-level characteristics related to health care…

The objective of this study was to develop a screen assessing domains in at-risk and substance-using adolescents. The Adolescent Domain Screening Inventory (ADSI) consists of four subscales: school, family, community, and individual or peer. A convenience sample of 6,661 youths was employed. Analyses included concurrent criterion validity, known…

Wilder Research, in conjunction with the Invest Early leadership team and staff, is conducting a longitudinal and cost-benefit evaluation, documenting and assessing implementation of Invest Early and outcomes for the service system, families, and children. In the short term, Invest Early aims to improve children's school readiness by improving the…

The United States lacks uniform popular definitions of "literacy," remediations, or consensus for national standards. Factors beyond the control of educational and political structures continually modify and dominate discussions of illiteracy and strategies of remediation. In most advanced cultures, alienation and functional illiteracy…

A review of ethnographic research investigated issues associated with regional or dialectal language use, particularly the use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in the special education classroom, and noted the implications for research and classroom practice. Research with speech/language pathologists is under way to develop a…

It is proposed that a major obstacle for intermediate-level learners of English as a Second Language is the transition from thinking in the native language to thinking in English, that this transition must be made before proceeding from the intermediate level, and that it should begin as early as possible in language training. Early in-class…

This study examined the communicative competence of 89 international teaching assistants (ITAs) based on evaluations by undergraduate students. The study was developed to answer two questions: (1) whether the Oral English Proficiency Test, administered by professionals in teaching English as a second language, is a valid instrument for screening…

The Early Screening Inventory-Revised (ESI-R) is a brief developmental screening instrument that is individually administered to children from 3 to 6 years of age. It is designed to identify children who may need special education services in order to perform successfully in school. The ESI-R is intended to assess the child's ability to acquire…

Most of the 150 tests cited in this bibliography are geared to the elementary secondary level. There are some for adults and college students. The instruments are basically achievement tests that assess competence in fundamental skills basic to learning or everyday functioning such as reading, mathematics, and language skills. Many of the tests…

This study investigated the use of the Draw-a-Person: Screening Procedure for Emotional Disturbance (DAP:SPED) with students enrolled in classes for children with emotional disturbances (ED), learning disabilities (LD), or cognitive disabilities (CD). The DAP:SPED was administered to 39 students in a large urban area in eastern Wisconsin and to 31…

This paper examines issues related to the screening and assessment of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities or at risk for disabilities, from families of various cultural and linguistic backgrounds. An introductory section outlines issues of cultural and linguistic competence and provides definitions of key terms. Interviews are…