The Public Schools of Brookline, Massachusetts are operating a pilot program to assist families during the first five years of a child's life. The multidisciplinary program, entitled the Brookline Early Education Project (BEEP), aims to help each child obtain optimal physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development. The program begins at…

Compares intelligence and achievement test results from learning disabled (LD) and normal Mexican American high school students with those of Anglo LD and normal students. No differences in performance IQ between Mexican and Anglo LDs. Suggests language proficiency or sociocultural factors, not learning disabilities, cause differences. (Author/TES)

Factor analysis performed on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) for 252 subjects (ages 6-16), who were mentally handicapped, slow learners, or learning disabled, identified 3 factors: verbal-conceptual, perceptual-spatial, and distractibility-short-term memory. Findings suggest that the factor example can be used to…

The Processing Speed Index (PSI) was first introduced on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale, Third Edition (WISC-III; D. Wechsler, 1991), and little is known about its clinical significance. In a referred sample (N = 980), children with neurological disorders (ADHD, autism, bipolar disorder, and LD) had mean PSI and Freedom from Distractibility Index…

This study examined agreement rates between identified strengths and weaknesses in shared abilities and influences on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC). Sixty-seven students in the first through seventh grades referred for learning disabilities (LD) evaluation were…

Intended to encompass individuals in need of special treatment, teachers, and areas of knowledge relevant to either or both groups, the text discusses the following subjects: the nature of reading; the nature of learning difficulties; the development of reading instruction in the United States; the development of instruction for children with…

This very brief paper summarizes 20 major findings of research on 3000 gifted children over 19 years at the Gifted Development Center (Denver, Colorado). Among findings are: (1) there are more highly gifted children than previously recognized; (2) when one child is gifted, the chances are great that all siblings are gifted; (3) second children are…

Subgroups based on differences in Verbal IQ/Performance IQ patterns of 65 learning disabled boys (grades 3-6) were examined through peer nominations of popularity, rejection, behavior problems, and teacher ratings. Those whose Verbal and Performance IQ scales were approximately equal were most often rejected by peers and were perceived as more…

Developmental and criterion reading and writing measures were administered to 300 primary-level students, revealing that elimination of IQ in the definition of learning disabilities would dramatically affect who is identified as learning disabled. A two-stage assessment model analyzing absolute criteria without IQ and relative criteria with IQ is…

This study examined the utility of Wechsler's Deterioration Index, which compares short- and long-term memory capabilities. Three studies with a total of 120 children (ages 6-14) found that the index did not predict learning disability status but did distinguish children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder from nondisabled children.…

Results of applying different aptitude-achievement discrepancy models for test scores were compared for 150 second, 150 third, 150 fourth, and 130 fifth graders in several school systems in the Southeast who had been referred for psychoeducational testing for learning disabilities to determine whether different groups of students were identified…

This study investigated the relationship between measured intelligence and discrepancies existing between actual achievement levels and projected achievement levels in mildly handicapped resource room students in Arkansas. Twenty-seven students had been identified as learning disabled and 19 as mildly mentally retarded. Subjects each received…

A study examined the identification of distinct subgroups of learning-disabled young adults based on their ability to generate written language. Two subgroups of learning-disabled college students, the language strong/visually weak (N=22) and the visually strong/language weak (N=10), were identified based on evaluation of 32 essays. Subjects were…

The future of school psychology is predicted to depend on two major issues: (1) how well professional societies resolve their conflicting problems, and (2) how well school psychologists learn to provide useful solutions to the present and future problems of schools, teachers, and pupils. (CTM)

The use of regression equations to predict the expected achievement levels of five- and six-year-old children on the Wide Range Achievement Test are discussed. Problems are found in identifying underachievement for children in the lower primary grades. Implications for the early identification of specific learning disabilities are described.…