A widely used preschool screening test, DIAL (Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning) was revised and restandardized on a national sample of 2,447 children. The rationale for the test construction and test standardization are discussed and the establishment of norms in the form of cut-off points are described. (Author/CL)

Scores of elementary school students referred for special education on the Clinical Evaluation of Language Functions (CELF) were compared to rating of language specialists. CELF tests did not consistently identify children requiring therapeutic help nor those with language deficits. CELF scores also exhibited considerable variability. (Author/CL)

Compares the Stanford-Binet, Ammons Full-Range Picture Vocabulary, Columbia, and Wechsler-Bellevue tests and determines that an extended completion test can be used as a quick screening device to distinguish educble mentally handicapped from trainable, and to distinguish levels of mental retardation. (MB)

The author cites issues involved in defining learning disabilities and suggests that it is a subcategory of underachievement. He summarizes his ongoing attempt to identify underachievers in kindergarten through a regression-referenced approach. (CL)

The basic assumptions underlying the development of early identification procedures for at-risk children are reviewed. The effectiveness of screening measures designed to identify educationally "at-risk" children is critically examined. It is concluded that there is a general lack of evidence for the usefulness of such instruments. (Author)

The article describes a vision screening program in Manitoba to identify high-risk children. Organizational strategies, instrumentation, and results of a study of the effectiveness of the screening process with 732 children are detailed. (Author)

Data showed high reliability for all nine syntactic structures and total screen scores. Reliability remained high when results were examined for different hearing loss categories. There was a significant decrease in scores across these hearing loss categories but a marked increase in the discriminating power of the screens. (Author/CL)

An approach to prekindergarten screening of learning disabled students is explained to probe six areas of development: gross motor, perceptual motor, auditory perceptual, speech and language, visual motor, and social/emotional. (CL)

Mass screening of school-age children for ventilatory function was shown to be a useful approach for the detection of obstructive pulmonary disease. (MM)

A descending version of K. Hattler's Lengthened Off-Time (LOT) Bekesy test was administered to 24 hearing-impaired adults and 30 normal-hearing adults. The Descending LOT test substantially increased screening sensitivity relative to LOT test identifications, because of larger intertrace gaps. (Author/JDD)

This report presents blood pressure norms for 18- to 24-year-old White college students, as well as data on the prevalence of high blood pressure for this group. Results were obtained from voluntary blood pressure screening of 1,660 men and 953 women. (IAH)

The article describes a process used by one school system to identify gifted three- to five-year olds. The process has been operational for five years and involves both screening (i.e., education of the public, general screening, and individualized screening) and formal evaluation (i.e., comprehensive evaluation and the evaluation report).…