A pilot test of 700 students in grades three, four, and five, investigated the reliability of curriculum-valid mathematics survey tests. The development of the test and the taxonomy of curriculum analysis that was beneficial in test construction is described. Results indicate the effectiveness of the test. (CR)

Reviews current research on brain-behavior relationships in disabilities of arithmetic and mathematical reasoning from both a neurological and a neuropsychological perspective. Defines developmental dyscalculia and the developmental importance of right versus left hemisphere integrity for the mediation of arithmetic learning and explores…

This article is designed to help professionals and parents learn and grow as they work together for the children in their charge. It discusses the levels of awareness parents have about the disability of their child. These include the ostrich phase, special designation of the disability, normalization, and self-actualization. (Contains…

This article discusses what is meant by minimal hearing loss (MHL), summarizes issues associated with MHL, and describes instructional modifications for children with MHL. Environmental modifications and signal-to-noise enhancing technology are addressed, as well as challenges to identifying and helping children with MHL and symptoms of MHL.…

The Passage Comprehension portion of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised/NU was administered to 63 adolescents. Protocols were rescored using the following ceiling criteria: five consecutive errors, five errors in six consecutive responses, and five errors in seven consecutive responses. A strong relationship was determined among scores…

This article discusses using cross-language transfer as a diagnostic tool for identifying reading difficulties of language learners. It is argued that if children have enough exposure to and instruction in their first language, their skills and insights can be assessed and compared to skills and insights in their second language. (Contains…

This article takes a critical look at methods used to identify learning disability (such as use of ability/achievement discrepancy formulas and medical/neurobiological diagnosis) and presents an alternative method that adds assessment of the psychological processes of memory and learning to current practices of assessing intelligence and…

A survey of 52 directors of adult basic education (ABE) programs assessed the prevalence of students with learning disabilities (LD) in their programs; definitions of LD currently in use; diagnosis of LD among ABE students and extent and type of training for instructors about LD. Results are summarized and recommendations made for service…

The Child Behavior Checklist and related forms were completed for 171 boys referred for school-based assessment resulting from academic and/or behavioral problems. Adolescents consistently underreported behavioral problems relative to parents and teachers regardless of subsequent diagnosis. Implications of these discrepancies in school-based…

Native Hawaiian preschoolers (n=172) received a battery of tests that included pure-tone audiometry, tympanometry, acoustic reflectometry, and pneumatic otoscopy. Approximately 15% of children failed a majority of the tests. Results are discussed in comparison to other indigenous groups at risk for middle ear disorders and hearing loss.…

This overview of recent developments in redefining attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder summarizes articles about assessment instruments and procedures and identifies important issues, including the construct of hyperactivity as it relates to attention, classification systems, and the lack of technical adequacy of many assessment instruments…

This article analyzes how the dominant image of reality in the field of learning disabilities is derived from the diagnostic model. The article proposes an alternative, normative conception of education that emphasizes the importance of caring, social relatedness, and community participation. (Author/DB)

This column offers two articles: one on problems in identifying students who are gifted and learning disabled and recommendations for working with this population; a second article describes a resource program for students in grades six through eight who are gifted and learning disabled, involving collaboration through weekly team meetings. (SW)

This study evaluated the effectiveness of using the Observational Checklist of Conversational Skills to facilitate early teacher referral of 37 primary-level children suspected of having language problems and 37 age-matched peers. Twenty-five of the at-risk group scored at least 1.5 standard deviations below the mean; 27 were subsequently referred…

This article addresses the advantages, disadvantages, and possible solutions to increased administrative problems posed by five proposed new categories of behavioral disorders: (1) attention deficit disorder, (2) traumatic brain injury, (3) fetal alcohol syndrome, (4) prenatal substance abuse, and (5) fragile X syndrome. (DB)