Data from 664 students referred for special education evaluations were used to create Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) short form. Used short form during 3-year reevaluations of 35 learning-disabled students. All short form deviation quotients fell within students' Full Scale intelligence quotient range. No student was…

Examined the effectiveness of a nonbiased computerized language screening test, the Kidtalk Interactive Diagnostic Test of Aptitude for Language Knowledge (KIDTALK), in differentiating children on basis of diagnostic category but not ethnic/linguistic background. Found a significant difference between scores of the language learning disabled and…

Describes the Dyslexia Early Screening Test (DEST) and the Cognitive Profiling System, both normed and designed to be administered to children four years and older. Reliability and validity of the tests are discussed, as well as their use to identify children at risk before they fail. (Author/CR)

Relations among instruments used in community mental-health services for people with developmental disabilities were explored with 284 individuals. Correlation coefficients were evaluated for statistical significance and effect size for subtests of the Reiss Screen for Maladaptive Behavior, the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, and the Adaptive…

Explores the role of culture in assessment and the challenges of cultural dynamics and family issues relative to six areas of assessment: the target of assessment, the setting, the methods, the personnel, the uses, and the fusion of assessment with intervention. (CR)

Discusses the importance of screening infants and toddlers for social-emotional problems and the benefits of using parent-completed questionnaires in the screening process. Six screening tools that rely on parent report, including three experimental tools, are reviewed. Additionally, challenges to screening for social-emotional disorders are…

A study investigated the mental health needs of 127 British adults with intellectual disability by using the Psychiatric Assessment Schedule for Adults with a Developmental Disability (PAS-ADD). Results showed that there was a good deal of unmet mental health need and there is difficulty in targeting services to those who need them. (CR)

Shares findings from past and current research into Down syndrome and makes suggestions for future research. The contributions of medical, genetic, and psychological research are reviewed, along with findings relating to the neuropathology of Down syndrome, prenatal screening for Down syndrome, life expectancy, and obstacles to learning. (CR)

To test the validity of brief measures of intelligence and explore how well these instruments relate to academic performance, the WPPSI-R, the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Scale, Draw-A-Person: Quantitative Scoring System, and the K-ABC Achievement Scale were administered to 50 kindergarten and first-grade children. Results indicated all measures…

The Draw a Person: Screening Procedures for Emotional Disturbance (DAP:SPED) is a projective technique used in the initial assessment of children suffering from emotional problems, and unlike most projective techniques, features sound psychometric development. (Author)

A study assessed the cross-cultural psychometric characteristics and validity of a multiple-gating screening procedure used by the Early Screening Project (ESP) to screen and identify 126 children at risk for behavioral problems in Head Start centers. Results indicate that the ESP was effective in identifying children exhibiting serious behavioral…

This article summarizes some of the limited research on early language screening of at-risk children. Results of the review indicate the vast majority of literature related to this area dealt with speech as opposed to language screening. Further investigation of formal and informal screening methods is urged. (CR)

The lower percentage of Black and Hispanic students in Gifted and Talented (GT) programs is due to multiple causes, including failure to be nominated, the grade in which students first are nominated, the qualities that constitute the GT program, information considered during the screening process, and the use of national norms. These five issues…

Accurate, early screening is a prerequisite for indicated interventions intended to prevent development of externalizing disorders and delinquent behaviors. Using the Fast Track longitudinal sample of 396 children drawn from high-risk environments, the authors varied assumptions about base rates and examined effects of multiple-time-point and…

The purpose of this research was to establish the concurrent and predictive validity of the Phelps Kindergarten Readiness Scale, Second Edition (PKRS-II; L. Phelps, 2003). Seventy-four kindergarten students of diverse ethnic backgrounds enrolled in a northeastern suburban school participated in the study. The concurrent administration of the…