Analysis of the piat with Anglo and Mexican-American children

This study analyzed the utility of the PIAT when administered to separate samples of Anglo and Mexican-American children using the WRAT and WISC-R as comparative measures. Thirty-one Mexican-American and 31 Anglo-American children were matched on the basis of sex, age, SES, educational placement, and reason referred for psychological assessment. All children were administered the PIAT, WRAT, and WISC-R. Partial intercorrelations (CA held constant) among the PIAT subtest raw scores and subtests of the WRAT purporting to measure the same construct were performed. Adequate concurrent validity was found for the PIAT Mathematics, Spelling, and Reading Recognition subtests for both Anglo and Mexican-American children. Analysis of subtest means and concurrent validity between ethnic groups showed general equivalence with the exception of WISC-R Verbal IQ means, which was significantly lower for the Mexican-American group. Implications for assessing Mexican-American children are discussed.     

The children of Mexican-American migrant workers: A population at risk?

The present study assessed intellectual, academic, and emotional strengths and weaknesses for a group of Mexican-American children of migrant farm workers. In order to test the vulnerability hypothesis, the test profiles of these children were contrasted with those of two groups of black children with similar demographic makeup. The children of one group (Clinical Black) had been referred previously for a psychological consultation while the children of the other (Nonreferred Black) had not. Across dependent measures, between-groups contrasts tended to describe the scores of the Migrant children as similar to those of the Clinical Black children and significantly below those of the Nonreferred Black children. The findings suggested specific intellectual, academic, and emotional vulnerabilities of the Migrant children and demonstrated the need to develop ameliorative programs for these children.The authors wish to thank the staff of C & Y, University of Virginia Hospital, especially Ms. Deborah Johnson and Ms. Suzanne Canale, whose cooperation and assistance made this project possible.     

A cross-cultural comparison of the developmental items of five ethnic groups in the southwest

A population of 3,067 Mexican-American, Pueblo Indian, Navajo Indian, Black, and Anglo elementary children were administered the Draw-A-Person for norming and comparison against the existing Koppitz scoring procedure. A significant number of items for each of the five ethnic groups changed categories with final score interpretation affected. A significant difference in percentage of items drawn by the five ethnic groups was also found, as were regional differences on certain items.     

Predictive validity of the WISC-R with Mexican-American children

The reliability and predictive validity of the WISC-R was investigated with 46 Mexican-American children. Approximately a year and a half after the administration of the WISC-R, scores on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) were collected. Internal consistency estimates for WISC-R subtests and composites were found to be comparable to those reported in the WISC-R manual. Correlations between WISC-R subtests and those of the ITBS ranged from modest for verbal subtests to mild when performance subtests were used as predictors. The best single predictor proved to be that of Verbal IQ, which accounted for some 40% of the variance in future achievement when measured by the ITBS. It was concluded that the WISC-R meets minimum requirements of reliability and predictive validity with Mexican-American children.     

The relationship between auditory recall and dysfluency in young stutterers

This study examined the relationship between auditory recall and dysfluent behavior in children. Subjects were 11 stutterers and 11 nonstutterers, ages 4.9–11.10. The Auditory Sequential Memory subtest of the ITPA and the Auditory Attention Span for Related Syllables subtest of the Detroit Test of Learning Aptitudes were administered to both groups. Results indicated that scores on the ITPA were not significantly different. Comparison of the group's scores on the DTLA were highly significant with the control group's scoring 35 months higher. After 6 months of therapy, six children in the experimental group were fluent. Posttests revealed no significant differences on the ITPA. On the DTLA, the experimental group's mean scores significantly increased by 13.9 months. The gain in auditory recall of meaningful material substantiated the hypothesized relationship between auditory recall and dysfluency. This relationship was not viewed as causative of stuttering; data were interpreted as evidence that increased fluency allows children to use previously suppressed linguistic data.     

Adaptive behavior inventory for children: The need for local norms

This study investigates the need for local and/or separate racial-ethnic group norms on the Adaptive Behavior Inventory for Children (ABIC). A random sample of 420 children from the Corpus Christi (Texas) Independent School District, was stratified according to gender, age, racial-ethnic group (Black, Mexican-American, and Anglo), and low or middle socioeconomic status. The parent of each child was interviewed with the ABIC. Results indicated a need for local norms for only the low SES Mexican-Americans.     

Evaluation of the validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Third Edition comprehension and picture arrangement subtests as measures of social intelligence

Clinical lore suggests that the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Third Edition (D. M. Wechsler, 1991) Comprehension and Picture Arrangement scores may be used as indices of social intelligence. This study evaluated this supposition by comparing these subtest scores with mother- and teacher-reported social functioning in 142 children with ADHD and 30 control children. After general intelligence was partialled out, the Comprehension subtest related to some aspects of social functioning, but the clinical significance of this was limited. The Picture Arrangement subtest was unrelated to social functioning, once general intelligence was controlled. These findings were consistent across study groups.     

Postural control in children with and without neurofibromatosis type 1

Previous research has evaluated the motor proficiency of children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and found delays on the balance subtest. However the balance subtest was found to have low sensitivity for identifying balance impairments. This study examines the differences in postural control between children with NF1 and peers with typical development using a force plate. A single limb stance test on a force plate was completed for all participants. The force plate variables, center of pressure maximum distance in the anterior/posterior direction (COPmax A/P) and center of pressure velocity (COPvel A/P) were compared between groups. The NF1 group’s performance was significantly poorer than the control group in both COPmax A/P (p = .01) and COPvel A/P (p = .01). When separated into specific age ranges, only the children in the NF1 group between 5 and 12 years of age demonstrated statistically significant differences in the COP variables. The COP variables for the 13- to 18-year-old group were not significantly different. These results indicate that young children with NF1 have poor postural control. However, postural control appears to improve with maturation.     

Factor analysis of the McCarthy scales for groups of white and Mexican-American children

Factor analyses of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (McCarthy Scales) were performed on separate groups of Anglo (N = 186) and Mexican-American (N = 126) children to determine the comparability of underlying structures and to examine the construct validity of the McCarthy Scales for each ethnic group. The subjects, ranging in age from 5.6 to 7.6 years, were randomly selected from school enrollment rosters and stratified by age, sex, and ethnicity. A principal component analysis produced three factors for the Anglo as well as the Mexican-American groups. Examination of the coefficients of congruence indicated a close similarity among the matching factors. Additionally, the factors which emerged for the Anglos and Mexican-Americans corresponded to the scales constituting the McCarthy Scales. The results of the study provide evidence for the construct validity of the McCarthy Scales for children of two ethnic groups.     

Confounding effects of individualism in children's cooperation — Competition social motive measures

The exact nature of cooperation — competition differences among children has remained obscure because the effect of individualistic motivation has important but unanalyzed influence on the frequency of cooperative and competitive responding. In order to clarify the nature of cultural differences in cooperation — competition, a novel social motive game was developed that provides distinct cooperative, competitive, and individualist alternatives. The measure was administered to 120 fourth-through sixth-grade Anglo-American and Mexican-American children of lower- and upper-middle-income levels. Consistent with previous research, Mexican-American children were generally more cooperative than Anglo-American children. Contrary to previous conclusions, however, individualism, not competition, was the strongest social motive among children, and Anglo-American children were generally more individualistic but not generally more competitive than Mexican-American children. Culture findings challenge both the methods and the results of previous cooperation — competition studies.The present research was partially supported by a University of California Intramural Research Grant No. 5-538404-19900-5. The authors are grateful to Jan Allison, Allen Binegar, and Robert Green for their assistance in the data collection.     

Reliability and predictive validity of the WISC-R with native-American Navajos

The reliability and predictive validity of the WISC-R was examined with a sample of 40 Navajo children. Internal consistency reliability estimates of WISC-R subtests as well as composites were found to be low for the Navajo subjects as compared with the reliability coefficients reported in the WISC-R manual. Correlation coefficients between the WISC-R subtests and those of the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) were low. Only the Block Design subtest correlated significantly with the WRAT-Spelling. The predictive validity of the WISC-R IQ scales was similarly found to be very low. Considering the nature and size of sample, cautions in generalizing these findings to other native-American populations are recommended.     

Sur la différenciation des aptitudes cognitives de l'enfant

Data from the standardization sample of a French intelligence scale for children aged from 4 to 9 years (Échelles Différentielles d'Efficiences Intellectuelles) were examined to verify the ability differentiation hypothesis. The whole sample (n = 574) was divided into three age groups (4–5, 6–7 and 8–9 years) and multisample confirmatory factor analyses were performed. Results showed that correlations between subtests, factor loadings, correlation between factors, and residual variance of subtests were similar across age groups. This finding doesn't seem to be the consequence of a sampling bias or a positive correlation between age and reliability or variability of subtest scores. Like results of other recent research on this question, it challenges the hypothesis of a differentiation of abilities during childhood, at least when studies are conducted with intellectual composite scales applied to unselected samples of participants.     

The social adjustment, academic performance, and creativity of Taiwanese children with Tourette's syndrome

The purpose was to describe the social adjustment, academic achievement, and creativity of 127 Taiwanese children with Tourette's Syndrome and a control group of 138 Taiwanese children with typical development and reports of the parents of both groups. The Tourette's Syndrome group had significantly more disruptive behaviors than the controls; most parents reported their children with Tourette's Syndrome had high academic achievement although the children scored significantly lower than controls on the Elaboration subtest of Creative Thinking.     

A Delineation of Schizophrenic Language and Thought in a Test of Imagination

The preferences between father and television and between mother and television for the children of Mexican-American migrant farm laborers (N = 164) between the ages of three and 21 were measured by using a series of questions involving two alternatives in a structured interview situation. Both parents were found to be significantly (p < .01) preferred over television by their children. However, groups of children were shown to differ in their preferences for parents versus television as a function of age.     

The role of verbal and nonverbal memory in the Family Pictures Subtest: Data from children with specific language impairment

This study examined the contribution of verbal and visual memory to performance on the Family Pictures subtest of the Children’s Memory Scale. This subtest purports to assess declarative memory functioning in the visual/nonverbal domain. A total of 115 nine-year-old children participated in this study. Fifty-eight had specific language impairment (SLI), whilst the remaining 57 were typically developing (TD), with no history of language difficulties. Results showed that the children with SLI, who had intact declarative memory for visual but not verbal information, obtained significantly lower scores on the Family Pictures subtest when compared to the TD group. Regression analyses revealed that across the entire sample, individual differences on the Family Pictures subtest was best predicted by a measure of verbal working memory. These results question whether the Family Pictures subtest can be considered a measure of visual memory in pediatric populations. These results have implications for the interpretation of scores on this subtest regarding the nature of the types of neurocognitive difficulties children may exhibit.     

Neuropsychological Abilities of Preschool-Aged Children Who Display Hyperactivity and/or Oppositional-Defiant Behavior Problems

This study focused on gaining a better understanding of the neuropsychological abilities of preschool-aged children who show elevated levels of hyperactivity and oppositional-defiance. It examined the performance of children aged 48 to 67 months on tests of attention/executive function, language, memory, and sensorimotor abilities, as measured by the NEPSY and Conners' K-CPT. Two hundred thirty-seven children were divided into four subgroups based on mothers' report of behavior using rating scales and a diagnostic interview: hyperactive only (HYP), oppositional-defiant only (OD), hyperactive and oppositional-defiant (HYP/OD), and nonproblem. Children in the HYP/OD group scored significantly worse than nonproblem children on four of nine subtests on the NEPSY, including one test of executive function, one test of language comprehension, and both tests of short-term verbal memory. However, only the test of executive function (Statue) showed significant predictive power, and, while specificity of this subtest was good, sensitivity was poor. On the K-CPT, a continuous performance test, children in both the HYP and HYP/OD groups performed worse than children in the OD and nonproblem groups. When the NEPSY Statue subtest and the K-CPT were used together, overall predictive power was .74. Results suggest that neuropsychological deficits can be observed among preschool children with hyperactivity, particularly when comorbid oppositional-defiance is present; however, moderate predictive power suggests that these tests should be used in conjunction with other methods of assessment.     

Teachers' perceptions of children's sport learning capacity predicts their fundamental movement skill proficiency

The intrapersonal mechanism that drives and explains individual differences in motor development is still a relatively underexplored area of research. In this study, we set out to determine whether in teachers' perceptions, higher sport-learning capacity (SLC) is associated with the level of fundamental movement skills, and the changes therein over 24 weeks in 7-year-olds. We assessed 170 children from eight primary schools in the Netherlands twice (T1, T2) in 24 weeks, using a tool to assess their FMS in applied settings (Platvoet, Elferink-Gemser, & Visscher, 2018). The schools' eight PE teachers used a digital questionnaire to score their perceptions of children's SLC (Platvoet, Elferink-Gemser, Baker, & Visscher, 2015). Based on their SLC, each child was then placed in the low (n = 33), average (n = 107), or high SLC-group (n = 30). We used a MANOVA to examine group differences, with the four subtests as dependent variables. The results revealed that regardless of SLC-group, children improved their FMS over 24 weeks (F(4,163) = 10.22, p < .05, Wilks Lamba = 0.800). An interaction effect was found for FMS assessment and SLC-group (F(8,326) = 2.23, p < 0,05, Wilks Lamba = 0.899). The children in the average and high groups improved more on the moving sideways subtest than those in the low group (p < .05). The MANOVA showed a main effect for SLC-group (F(4,163) = 4.69, p < .05, Wilks Lamba = 0.804). The average and high groups outperformed the low group on the measurements for walking backwards and moving sideways (p < .05). The high group also outperformed the low group on jumping sideways at both measurements, while the average group only achieved this at T1. The high group scored better on jumping sideways than the average group at T1 (p < .05). No differences in proficiency were found between the three groups on the hand-eye coordination assessment (p > .05). In sum, we found an association between children's SLC and level of FMS and changes therein; this was especially pronounced in children with a lower SLC, who had a lower proficiency and improved less on the subtest moving sideways.     

WISC-R Subtest But No Overall VIQ–PIQ Difference in Dutch Children with PDD-NOS

VIQ–PIQ differences have been studied in children with autism and Asperger syndrome but have not been studied in a separate group of children with PDD-NO, although, PDD-NOS has a much higher prevalence rate than autism and deficits in communication and social interaction are severe. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) was administered to 100 children, aged 6–12 years, with PDD-NOS (n = 76), autism (n = 13), and Asperger syndrome (n = 11). PDD-NOS was diagnosed using explicit research criteria. No overall differences between VIQ and PIQ were found in PDD-NOS and autism. Peaks in the subtest scores on Information, Similarities, Picture Arrangement, and Mazes, and troughs in the subtest scores on Comprehension, Digit Span, and Coding were demonstrated in children with PDD-NOS. Their score on the Freedom from Distractibility factor was lower than the scores on the Verbal Comprehension factor and the Perceptual Organization factor. Children with PDD-NOS seemed to have a similar VIQ–PIQ profile as children with autism, and on the subtest level children with PDD-NOS showed some similarities to children with Asperger syndrome or autism. It was not possible to distinguish PDD-NOS from autism or Asperger syndrome by using IQ scores.     

Subjective social status and intergroup attitudes among ethnic majority and minority children in Portugal

A measure of subjective social status (SSS) was examined among high (White), and low (Black and Roma) ethnic status children in Portugal within a developmental design including 6–8‐year‐old and 9–12‐year‐old children. White children favoured their in‐group over the Black and Roma out‐groups on the SSS measure, social preferences and positive as well as negative trait attributions. Generally, the Black and Roma showed equal SSS, preferences and trait attribution for their in‐group and the high status White out‐group, but not the other low‐status out‐group. With age White children generally demonstrated higher SSS for Black and Roma, preferred them more and attributed more positive traits. For low‐status groups, an age effect was found only for Black children who preferred the Roma more with age and attributed more positive traits. Changes on preferences and trait attribution depending on age‐group were mediated by SSS. It is concluded that minority group's SSS does not parallel the objective status hierarchy but, rather, is a dynamic reorganisation of group's relative positions serving strategies to cope with their minority condition.     

Motor and cognitive proficiency of learning disabled and normal children

Motor and cognitive skills of learning disabled (N = 32) and normal (N = 32) boys were compared on the Modified Lincoln-Oseretsky Motor Development Scale and on the WISC-R Vocabulary and Block Design subtests. Eight learning disabled and eight normal boys were tested at four age levels from 8 to 11 years. All boys were of normal intelligence. Motor and cognitive skills of the learning disabled boys were significantly below those of the normal boys and below those of the normative group. Chronological age was not a significant factor in relationship to either motor or cognitive skills. Intercorrelations indicated that in the learning disabled group Block Design, but not Vocabulary, was significantly related to motor scores at the 8- and 9-year ages. These results suggest that a common factor relating to perceptual-motor coordination and efficiency may be involved on the Lincoln-Oseretsky and Block Design subtest for young learning disabled children but not for older learning disabled children or for normal children.