Validity of the Woodcock-Johnson tests of cognitive ability: A comparison with the WISC-R in LD and normal elementary students

The study addresses the external validity of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability (WJTCA) in learning disabled (LD) elementary school children by controlling for two methodological errors Woodcock identified in previous studies: (a) Intellectual ability range was restricted for both normal and LD samples to counteract an artificial inflation of mean WISC-R scores without concomitant effect on WJTCA scores, and (b) the WISC-R was readministered during data collection. In addition, normals were used as controls for LD students. WJTCA scores were correlated and compared with WISC-R scores and reading achievement test scores in 20 normal, 20 mild-to-moderate LD, and 20 severe LD third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students. Results indicate comparability of mean WISC-R and WJTCA Full Scale scores in the normal sample, but manifest a significantly lower WJTCA Full Scale scores in the LD samples, despite a strong degree of correlation between the two tests in each sample. The significant linear trend of increasing mean WISC-R/WJTCA discrepancy across the severity of LD strongly suggests that the lower WJTCA scores in the LD samples is a function of the instrument's achievement emphasis and refutes the possibility of systematic error in the WJTCA norms. Results suggest that the WJTCA's achievement emphasis jeopardizes its validity for assessing and classifying LD students within the currently accepted and mandated ability-achievement discrepancy model of specific learning disabilities.     

The pattern of exceptionality across domains in learning disabled children

The purpose of this study was to examine the intellectual, academic and behavioral competencies in learning disabled and normally achieving children. Fifty-eight pairs of children (LD and non-LD) in first, second, and third grade were administered the WISC-R and the PIAT; were observed with the SCAN Observational System in their regular classroom; and had teachers who filled out the Classroom Behavior Inventory. Results indicated that the LD children performed l less well on the WISC-R and the PIAT. There was no evidence of greater variability within the LD children nor was there a different pattern of performance in comparison to normally achieving children. The learning disabled children were consistently rated by their classroom teachers as displaying less desirable classroom behavior. The Observational System SCAN corroborated these results, indicating that LD children were more off-task than non-LD children. These result suggest that we re-examine the definition of learning disabilities in the public scholl to put more emphasis on behavioral indices and to refocus the interpretation of test scatter as an index of learning disabilities.     

Learning Disabilities and Psychosocial Adjustment: A Critical Review

Research is reviewed that assesses the extent to which difficulties in psychosocial adjustment are characteristic of broadly defined learning disabilities (LD) and of specific patterns of academic and neuropsychological assets and deficits (Rourke & Fuerst, 1991; Spreen, 1989). Overall, a majority of children and adolescents with LD are in the normal range of peer acceptance and socially competent behaviour. Some measure of difficulty in these social assessments is observed in approximately one third of children and adolescents with LD, compared with 10 to 15% of non-LD controls. Similarly, internalized emotional symptoms of depression and anxiety are assessed as somewhat higher for individuals with LD than for non-LD controls but are within the normal range of scores. Externalized emotional behaviours, specifically aggression, delinquency, and hyperactivity, are problematic but these too are at subclinical levels. In the few studies that examine psychosocial adjustment for subtypes of LD, there is some evidence that individuals with nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD) are at much greater risk for personality disturbance and behaviour problems. That the psychosocial adjustment of individuals with reading disabilities is within the range of non-LD controls remains to be convincingly demonstrated.     

Learning disability and hyperactivity: Deficits in selective attention

Differences in performance on a variety of cognitive measures and differences in patterns of ability between learning disabled (LD) and nonlearning disabled (non-LD) children were examined. Younger and older LD and non-LD children were administered tests of central and incidental learning and selective attention. Teacher ratings of classroom hyperactivity were also examined. LD children, particularly the younger ones, performed significantly more poorly than non-LD children on both attention/memory tasks. Performance on the two tasks was consistently interrelated for the non-LD children and less consistently so for the LD subjects. Hyperactivity was also related to poorer performance on the cognitive measures. Results are discussed in terms of components of selective attention.     

Social sensitivity in adolescents and adults with learning disabilities.

This study investigated social sensitivity and self-concept in students with learning disabilities (LD) and their non-learning-disabled (non-LD) peers. Thirty students each from public junior and senior high schools and a community college participated in the study; at each grade level, half were identified as learning disabled and half experienced no learning problem. Students were individually assessed in 30-minute interviews for their accuracy in interpreting the thoughts and feelings of actors in tape-recorded stories depicting two adults in happy angry, anxious, and sad interactions. A questionnaire assessing four dimensions of self-concept in learning situations (motivation, task orientation, problem-solving ability, and class membership) was also administered. LD students at all grade levels were significantly less accurate at interpreting social situations than were their non-LD peers, and had significantly lower self-concepts. These results support the need for remediation efforts specifically aimed at social skills for overcoming social deficits in adulthood.     

Communication Deviances and Clarity Among the Mothers of Normally Achieving and Learning-Disabled Boys.

The main purpose of the study was to reexamine the association between maternal communication deviances and learning disabilities in children. In this study, we adapted and extended the procedure used b Ditton, Green, and Singer (1987). A two-part experimental task was used: one in which the child could not request any clarification of mother's insruction, and another in which the mother and child could communicate. Both communication deviances and the clarity of mother's communication were analyzed. The subjects were 60 mother-child paires in which half of the children had learning disabilities and the other haalf were normally achieving children matched for age and parents' SES. The dyads were vedetaped in a laboratory setting. The mothers o f learning-disabled (LD) children were found to give less exact instructions and to present more ambiguous messages to the child than the mothers of non-LD children.     

Assessment of Reading and Learning Disabilities A Research-Based Intervention-Oriented Approach

Assessment practices for children with learning disabilities (LD) in reading are driven by the three primary components of the federal definition of LD: discrepancy, heterogeneity, and exclusion. This article reviews the implications of these three components for the assessment of children with reading disabilities and other forms of LD. We propose a rationale and procedures for more efficient approaches to the identification of children as learning disabled in reading or at-risk for these disabilities that are aligned with research on reading disabilities and other forms of LD. This approach emphasizes the assessment of academic skills and their components in an effort to develop intervention plans. Intelligence tests are not necessary for the identification of children as learning disabled and do not contribute to intervention planning.     

A multisource exploration of the friendship patterns of children with and without learning disabilities

Friendship patterns of 117 children with learning disabilities (LD) and 115 children without LD in Grades 4–8 were examined. In comparison with children without LD, boys with LD had fewer mutual friends, children with LD had more friends with learning problems and more younger friends, and children with LD in Grades 4–6 had less stable relationships. With regard to friendship quality, children with LD reported higher levels of conflict, lower levels of validation, and more problems with relationship repair than did children without LD. The findings were discussed in terms of factors that have been found to enhance friendship such as proximity and similarity, and the social skills difficulties that have been associated with learning disabilities.     

Identifying children with learning disabilities: When is a discrepancy severe?

Identification of children with learning disabilities is based on the notion of a significant discrepancy between ability and achievement. Current federal guidelines do not specify the extent of such discrepancies but indicate they should be “severe”. Local education agencies have adopted criteria suggested by professionals or formulated their own operational criteria for identification of learning disabled children. In this research, we examined the extent to which identification as learning disabled is a function of the criteria used to define “severe discrepancy”, and the extent to which different classifications would result from use of different criteria. A school district made identification decisions for 51 students referred because they were experiencing academic difficulties; they found 24 students LD. The school identification decisions, based on application of a severe discrepancy on the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery, did not correlate with decisions based on application of the federal definition. Implications for decision-making practices are discussed.     

Standard Score Comparison 2.0: Second-generation learning disability regression software

As states increasingly adopt actuarial models to aid learning disability (LD) identification, microcomputer programs are being used to accurately measure the primary LD criterion: severe discrepancies between IQ and achievement. First-generation programs offered little flexibility in regression parameters and user-defined options. This paper describes Standard Score Comparison 2.0 (SSC 2.0), a second-generation regression program that calculates multiple discrepancies, and provides options for Type I error rates, SEM confidence levels, correction for multiple comparisons, and the cut-off value that defines severe discrepancy. Application of SSC 2.0 to non-LD areas and potential features of third-generation software are discussed.     

学习不良鉴定的能力-成绩差异模型

对能力-成绩差异模型的研究进行分析将促进学习不良鉴定研究的发展。文章在简要回顾了能力-成绩差异模型产生的历史背景和发展情况的基础上,重点介绍了能力-成绩差异模型当前的研究状况。已有的研究表明,能力-成绩差异模型在理论基础、效度、信度等方面都存在较多的争议。未来的研究应该努力构建支持能力-成绩差异模型的理论定义,完善现有的操作定义;同时补充其他的鉴定标准,建立更为有效的鉴定程序     

Abstract categorization ability as a predictor of learning disability classification

Based on a theoretical analysis of the type of cognitive processing that should be sensitive to population differences, this study evaluated the diagnostic validity of a task measuring abstract categorization ability in six-, seven-, and eight-year-old learning disabled (LD) and non-LD peers. This research is part of a project, the major goal of which is the development of a cognitive-based preschool screening test for the early detection of children who may subsequently fail in school. Diagnostic validity is being evaluated within the context of the research strategy we have adopted. Data are presented that demonstrate that the component of abstract category knowledge that best discriminates LD children from non-LD peers, is knowledge of how members of abstract categories differ from each other. This is consistent with a priori predictions from theory.     

An Investigation of Date of Birth in the Incidence of Learning Disabilities

The literature on the epidemiology of various handicapping conditions reflects the interest that researchers have had in the possible role of seasonal variations as correlates of the incidence of specific disabilities. This study investigated the possible relationships between individuals' month and season of birth and their subsequent identification as learning disabled (LD). Birthdate records of 583 LD and 7911 non-LD students in grades K-12 were compared to determine whether monthly or seasonal patterns unique to LD students existed. Non-parametric statistical analysis of the data indicated non-significant differences in birthdate patterns between these two populations. Discussion focuses on the need for caution in presuming the validity of a birthdate effect.     

The selective attention of learning-disabled children: Three studies

Three studies were performed to assess the selective attention of learning-disabled (LD) children. In the first study, 10 LD and 16 non-LD children were given the Speeded Classification task. LD children sorted cards more slowly than non-LD children, and children in both groups had trouble ignoring irrelevant information. Non-LD children became more accurate across trials, while LD children did not. In the second study, one group of 13 LD children was taught to accompany their Speeded Classification sorting verbally in an attempt to improve their performance; the other group of LD children (n=12) received no such instruction. The experimental group, however, showed poorer performance across trials compared with the control group. In the third study, the children from Experiments 1 and 2 were given the Central-Incidental Learning task. Older children learned more central memory items than younger children and, LD children learned more incidentally than non-LD children.The authors would like to thank James Merola, Lisa Hart, Donna Woods, and Leonne Paquette for their assistance in this project, and the headmaster, director, teachers, and staff who were so helpful. Parts of this paper were presented at the 1982 meeting of the American Psychological Association.     

Perceptual and conceptual variants of the oddity task as a predictor of learning disability

This paper compares LD and non-LD peers on eight variants of the oddity task. This study is part of a larger programmatic research effort aimed at the development of a screening test to detect preschool children who currently pass existing screening tests but, nonetheless, subsequently experience school failure. The theoretical orientation of this approach is to assess active, ongoing cognitive processing ability. The oddity task, which can be structured to assess such processing ability, was evaluated in the present study as a potential component of this screening test. Consistent with a priori predictions, the data resulted in strong group and developmental differences. Oddity performance increased over age, with the non-LD children performing consistently better than their LD peers at each age. Perceptual and conceptual factors were manipulated across the oddity variations, and both factors contributed to group differences. These results were discussed in relationship to early diagnosis and prognosis for learning disabilities that might result from deficiencies in abstract processing ability.The authors would like to express their thanks to the schools, teachers, and students who participated in this study. This research was supported in part by the Mailman Foundation and FDLRS/MAILMAN, a specialized university center of the Florida Diagnostic Learning Resources System, funded through State General Revenue appropriation to provide multidisciplinary evaluation services in exceptional student education programs.     

Test of the definition of learning disability based on the difference between IQ and achievement

A learning disability is commonly defined as a discrepancy between IQ and achievement. This has been criticized for identifying too many children as having a learning disability who have high IQs and average academic achievement. Such overidentification as actually occurred was assessed in 473 referred children (8-16 years, M= 10, SD=2) with normal intelligence. Learning disability was defined as a significant discrepancy (p<.05) between predicted and obtained achievement in reading, mathematics, or written expression on the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test. Predicted achievement was based on the child's WISC-III Full Scale IQ. Overidentification was considered to occur when a child scored at or above age level in reading, mathematics, and writing but still had a significant discrepancy between predicted and obtained achievement by virtue of a high IQ. Learning disability was diagnosed in 312 (66%) of the children. There was no overidentification because all children had one or more WIAT scores below the normative level for their age, i.e., < 100. Further, only 7% of the children were identified with a learning disability based on a WIAT score in the 90s. These children had a mean IQ of 123 and were rated by their teachers and parents as having learning problems.     

Defining severe discrepancy in the diagnosis of learning disabilities: A comparison of methods

Given the significant increase in the number of students identified as learning-disabled (LD) and the growing concern about the overidentification of LD cases, attention has been focused on methods for determining a severe discrepancy between ability and achievement. Two such methods (a z-score discrepancy and a regression procedure) were compared by means of two different cutoff procedures on scores for 236 LD referrals. These results were then contrasted with a policy dictating that the lowest-achieving of those referred be considered as LD. Each student was evaluated with an individual intelligence scale and an achievement test. The results indicated that the regression procedure identified fewer students than did the z-score method. When the percentage of identified children is held constant, the methods were similar with respect to the types of errors made (false positives and false negatives). Data indicated that selecting the lowest-achieving students would have yielded about the same percentage of correct decisions, as defined by the multidisciplinary team, as did the two discrepancy methods. The policy implications of these findings are also considered.     

小学学习不良儿童言语交际策略理解水平及其发展特点

采用言语交际策略认知结构访谈故事情境,考察了小学3~6年级学习不良儿童言语交际策略理解水平的发展以及言语行为对其策略理解的影响。被试为两所普通小学儿童,其中学习不良117名,一般儿童124名。结果表明：学习不良儿童言语交际策略理解水平在总体发展上显著落后于一般儿童,但滞后仅存在于意图表达间接程度较高的暗示策略上。其次,在不同言语行为类别上发展趋势不同。对于礼貌请求策略,学习不良儿童不存在显著年级差异,而一般儿童则表现出随年级的增长而逐步提高的趋势;对于委婉应答策略,学习不良儿童存在显著的年级差异。     

Response to intervention: are the Emperor's clothes really new?

With the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 2004, Response to Intervention (RTI) was officially introduced. Unlike the discrepancy model, which determines eligibility in special education with a discrepancy between achievement and ability, RTI was designed to provide intensive instruction to students in the general classroom as soon as difficulties in acquiring requisite reading skills are detected. The proposed goals of RTI include the improvement of reading achievement and the identification of students with learning disabilities (LD). Although RTI holds promise for the former goal when certain conditions are met, the latter goal is more elusive. The Component Model of Reading (CMR) is described in the current paper as an alternative to the discrepancy model and RTI. CMR, which consists of three domains, evaluates a poor reader's performance multidimensionally, so the most appropriate instruction for the reader can be designed to ensure reading success. Empirical evidence of CMR is presented.     

The regression equation method of determining academic discrepancy

This article discusses the regression equation approach to quantifying academic discrepancy, which is an aspect of most generally accepted learning disability definitions. The concept of regression toward the mean and its relevance to determining underachievement is presented. Variations of the expectancy formula and IQ-achievement difference approaches fail to fully consider regression effects and therefore will produce the serious identification errors of including too many children with above-average IQs and too few with below-average IQs. The parameter estimation variation of the regression equation approach is advocated as the best method for quantifying the academic discrepancy aspect of learning disabilities.