This article provides a review of current practices and tools used in the proactive screening of behaviorally at-risk students within the context of schooling. While there are many obstacles to the early detection of vulnerable students, some recent developments have helped make educators more receptive to early identification and prevention…

Compares the discriminant validity, for general psychiatric screening, of an abbreviated 168-item administration of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory with that of the standard 373-item short form. Also provides new and improved equations for converting scores from the shorter form to equivalent MMPI clinical scale scores. (RC)

To determine which children in the Head Start program may have vision problems, Head Start teachers and staff do vision "screening." This booklet demonstrates how to do the screening using the Snellen "E Chart." Trouble signs that the test administrator should be aware of are listed, and vision scores are explained simply.…

The effectiveness of the FKSN (Finding Kids with Special Needs) device is supported with statistical data obtained from a screening program and validation survey conducted in 30 Wisconsin school districts. (SBH)

Screening for learning disabilities in preschoolers. (DAG)

Little information on preparticipation screening exams of physically or mentally disabled athletes exists. This report includes the results of 176 preparticipation exams. Suggestions are made regarding effective screening methods. Improvements in the design of consent forms to better help physicians and parents understand the athletes' special…

Use of the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI), a new instrument for assessing chemical dependency, was tested on 376 college students. The SASSI showed significant promise in discriminating between nonabusers, moderate abusers, and severe abusers. The need for an instrument impervious to social desirability effects is discussed.…

Clinical techniques for visual screening of infants that are not used in routine pediatric examinations include optokinetic nystagmus, preferential looking, and visually evoked potential. Greater use of such techniques might increase success of nonsurgical remedial intervention. (CL)

Studies four groups of infants with iron deficiency but without anemia in an attempt to discover behavioral signs that can be used to index high-risk probability for iron deficiency. Solemnity in well-attached infants is suggested as a clinical sign to indicate the need for biochemical screening for iron deficiency. (AS)

Factor analysis of the Gifted Student Screening Scale (GSSS) indicated that it is appropriate for use with both gifted and nongifted students. Cross-validation using discriminant analysis showed that the GSSS stably differentiated gifted and nongifted students. Cut-scores for identifying students for further testing for gifted programs were…

The paper argues that the poor predictive validity of many preschool screening tests can be traced to heavy reliance on traditional psychometric approaches. Both theory and data are presented to illustrate the efficacy of an approach featuring active cognitive development. (Author/CL)

In a follow-up of 208 boys, the 16 who scored low on a prekindergarten screening battery, but were satisfactory readers four years later, were compared with 13 others low on both prekindergarten and reading measures. Fourteen of the good readers, but only one poor reader, were classified by criteria consisting mainly of biographical variables.…

This article describes the logic and assumptions on which health risk appraisals (HRAs) are based and offers recommendations for appropriate use of HRAs with school-age children. Specific ways to optimize the instructional benefits and to minimize the shortcomings are suggested. (MT)

Explored the effect of scoring the entire K scale on the Faschingbauer Abbreviated MMPI (FAM) scales (N=1,258 normals; 1,181 psychiatric inpatients). The latter increased the correlation between abbreviated and standard sales by amounts proportional to the degree of K-correction, suggesting a cost-effective means of improving the FAM. (Author/JAC)