Recategorized WISC-R scores of learning disabled Navajo Indian children

WISC-R subtest scaled scores for 192 learning disabled Navajo Indian children were recategorized according to the system recommended by Bannatyne (1974), and subsequently analyzed using a one-way repeated measures analysis of variance. A Newman-Keuls Multiple Range Test was also conducted to determine significant pairwise comparisons. Results indicated that, as a group, the subjects failed to demonstrate the Spatial>Conceptual>Sequential pattern predicted by Bannatyne (1974). Implications for use of Bannatyne's system with learning disabled minority children are discussed.     

Recategorized WISC-R scores of learning disabled children and differential diagnosis

This study analyzed WISC-R profiles along a three-factor approach (Spatial; Verbal-Comprehensive; Attention-Concentration), as suggested by Bannatyne (1968) for purposes of differential diagnosis. The WISC-R profiles of 278 school-verified learning disabled children were compared to those of four other groups: Educable Mentally Impaired (N = 141), Emotionally Impaired (N = 67), Otherwise Impaired (N = 61), and Nonimpaired (N = 294). The total sample was drawn from the State of Michigan public schools. Statistically significant differences were found between the learning disabled group and the other four groups on WISC-R subtest scores. Further analysis revealed that 36% of the learning disabled and 32% of normal children exhibited this WISC-R profile. Analysis of WISC-R profiles of Spatial→Verbal→Attention was not useful in differential diagnosis among the five groups. The results are discussed in terms of the limited utility of a three-factor analysis of WISC-R subtest scores for the purpose of differential diagnosis.     

Stability of WISC-R scores in children with learning difficulties

Student records of 130 children with learning difficulties who had been tested twice were examined to determine the stability of WISC-R scores over time. There were significant losses in Verbal IQ and Full Scale IQ. Subjects in the above-average IQ range had greater losses in Verbal IQ and Full Scale IQ and greater gains in Performance IQ than did those in the below-average IQ range. Children initially tested before age 8 had a significant IQ loss, but those tested after age 8 maintained a constant IQ. The WISC-R is most frequently administered to children with learning difficulties. Results presented here suggest that the IQs in this population are not as stable as was previously thought, and this may provide a rationale for the periodic readministration of the WISC-R.     

Format changes in reading achievement tests: Implications for learning disabled students

It has been seen that children's scores on reading achievement tests vary not only with knowledge of content, but also with the differing formats of test items. Teachers working with learning disabled children or children with attention problems may wish to choose standardized tests with fewer, rather than more, format changes. The present study evaluated the number of format and direction changes across tests and grade levels of the major elementary standardized reading achievement tests. The number of format changes varies from one change every 1.2 minutes on the Metropolitan Achievement Test Level E1 to one change every 21.3 minutes on the P1 level of the Stanford Achievement Test. Teachers may wish to take this evaluation into account when considering use of standardized reading achievement tests for their students.     

WISC-R patterns for learning disabled children at three SES levels

WISC-R and socioeconomic status (SES) data were collected on 122 learning disabled (LD) children who had been assigned to self-contained LD classrooms. The children were divided into three groups on the basis of family SES: high, middle, and low. Three questions were explored: (a) Is there a relationship between SES and IQ test scores among LD-labeled children? (b) Is the pattern of subtest scores independent of SES level? (c) Is the Verbal-Performance IQ test score discrepancy independent of SES level? Results supported affirmative answers to all three questions. Discussion centered around the implications of these results for future research on the utility of the WISC-R for diagnostic purposes.     

Factor analysis of WISC-R scores for children identified as learning disabled,educable mentally impaired,and emotionally impaired

The WISC-R scores for groups of children identified by school personnel as needing special education services were factor analyzed according to type of classification. WISC-R factor loadings were obtained for the scores of children labeled Learning Disabled, Educable Mentally Impaired, and Emotionally Impaired, as well as groups labeled Other and None. Overall, results show the WISC-R to be factorially similar for all groups, with two principal factors emerging which correspond to the Verbal-Performance structure of the test. Significance tests among mean scale scores and IQ scores yielded few meaningful differences across groups.     

Referral reasons for learning disabled students

Referral information for 269 LD students in grades one through five was examined. Referral reasons were classified according to three major types: (a) academic, (b) behavior, and (c) academic and behavior. These major referral types also were analyzed according to particular concern (e.g., reading deficits, attentional problems, etc.). The results indicated that the majority of students were referred for either academic (42%) or both academic and behavioral (41%) reasons; referrals initiated solely for behavior problems accounted for only 17% of the total. The grade level analysis revealed that academic concerns were less likely to be noted in the first and fifth grades, and that the number of referrals diminished as grade level advanced (51% of the sample was diagnosed by second grade). Referral statements within each major referral type tended to be general, as opposed to specifying particular concerns to be explored in the evaluation. Preservice and in-service training recommendations are given.     

WISC-R factor structures for diagnosed learning disabled Navajo and Papago children

WISC-R factor structures (Principal Factor Analysis-Varimax rotation) were compared for previously diagnosed samples of learning disabled Navajo and Papago children. Both two- and three-factor solutions were analyzed, utilizing coefficients of congruence. Both groups were similar in terms of proportion of common factor variance accounted for by a general factor, and the Verbal-Performance distinction was demonstrated in both groups.     

A comparison of WISC-R and stanford-binet intelligence scale classifications of developmentally disabled children

WISC-Rs and Stanford-Binets were administered to 50 children with developmental disabilities referred for comprehensive evaluations. Although the two IQs correlated highly and significantly, it was found that 54% of the children received different classifications using the two instruments. Thus, testers should be aware that different classifications of intellectual level may be derived for the same child depending upon which test is used.     

Use of the WISC-R with a learning disabled population: Some diagnostic implications

A group of 41 learning disabled children in Hawaii, aged 6 to 151/2, were tested on the WISC-R. Two main questions were explored: (a) Do the separate WISC-R tests assess “g” for learning disabled children to the same degree that they do for normal children? (b) Is there significantly more scatter among the tests for learning disabled than for normal youngsters? The answers to these questions were interpreted in terms of their diagnostic significance.     

Cognitive processes underlying WISC-R performance of gifted and learning disabled navajos

The purpose of this study was to provide an empirical basis for the interpretation of the WISC-R performance of Navajo children according to the Luria-Das Model of Simultaneous and Successive cognitive processes. Two groups of Native American Navajo subjects, 45 learning disabled and 41 gifted, were given the WISC-R. The scores on those subtests expected to involve Successive and Simultaneous processes were factor analyzed for each group and two factors were extracted. The factors, essentially similar for both samples, were interpreted to reflect the Successive and the Simultaneous modes of processing information as suggested by the Luria-Das Model. The gifted and learning disabled children had disparate loadings for some of the subtests, suggesting that the two groups may be using distinct modes of coding information.     

Psychometric classifications of learning disabled students

The psychometric test results of a sample of 100 LD students with severe achievement problems were cluster analyzed. The variables included in this analysis were the subtests of the WISC-R, the Bender Gestalt, the Benton Visual Retention, the Purdue Perceptual-Motor, and the Lindamood Auditory Conceptualization tests. Using K-means iterative clustering procedures, three clusters were obtained. The first cluster was defined by low scores on attention and concentration subtests; the second was defined by low scores on subtests of verbal-associative intelligence; the third was defined by low scores on visual-spatial and motoric subtests. Limitations of the study, in the scope of the psychometric testing and the lack of pediatric and neurologic diagnoses, are discussed.     

Use of an abbreviated version of the WISC-R with learning disabled children

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) was administered to 56 learning disabled children, using standard assessment procedures and format as outlined by Wechsler. Abbreviated IQ scores were then derived by applying the Kennedy-Elder formula, and equation that uses five WISC-R subtests with varied weightings. Comparisons between the standard IQ scores and the abbreviated IQ scores were evaluated. A Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient of .83 and a non-significant t-test between the mean IQs suggested the two scores were interchangeable. However, frequent IQ classification changes (23%) rendered the K-E format unacceptable for this population.     

Teaching learning disabled students goal-implementation skills

Eight learning disabled (LD) junior high school students were taught goal-setting and self-regulatory skills in a resource room setting. The training program was designed to help students set realistic goals, develop plans to achieve these goals, monitor and evaluate their own behavior, and accept responsibility for the outcome of goal-directed activities. The goal-implementation strategy was effective in increasing some students' rates of assignment completion in the resource room and the regular classroom. Following the training program, students attributed success to effort; failure was attributed to effort, luck, and task difficulty.     

Teachers' perceptions of criteria for identifying learning disabled students

A national sample of 118 teachers of learning disabled (LD) students described their school districts' criteria for identifying LD students and indicated their agreement or disagreement with the criteria. Reported criteria were characterized by variability, even within states, as were the teachers' stated agreement or disagreement with them. Implications of the continuing definitional crisis in the area of learning disabilities are explored.     

A longitudinal comparison of WISC-III and WISC-R scores of special education students

This study investigated the performance of 166 special education students who had been administered the WISC-R and approximately 3 years later the WISC-III. The sample ranged in age from 6.0 to 16.6 years. The scores were analyzed using Pearson product moment correlation coefficients and t tests of the differences between means for related samples. The results indicated that there was a significant, positive correlation among global scales (p < .001). This finding suggests that the WISC-R and the WISC-III IQ scores measure similar abilities. Analysis of mean IQ score differences revealed significant differences in the WISC-R and the WISC-III IQ scores, with the WISC-III global scores being lower. Implications for the evaluation of students for special education are discussed, with special emphasis on the role and function of the psychologist practicing in the schools. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A correlational analysis between the PPVT-R and Woodcock-Johnson achievement cluster scores for nonreferred regular education and learning disabled students

Both forms of the PPVT-R, along with the reading, mathematics, and written-language subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Test Battery were administered concurrently and in counterbalanced order to 28 nonreferred regular education and learning disabled students. With the exception of correlations between form M and the reading and written-language subtests for the LD group, values did not reach significance. Alternate form reliability coefficients for the RE and LD groups were .70 and .65, respectively. Mean standard scores for forms L and M were comparable for the RE group, but form L yielded a significantly higher score than M for the LD population.     

Correlations between the stanford-binet: Fourth edition and the WISC-R with a learning disabled population

The Fourth Edition of the Stanford-Binet and the WISC-R were compared as instruments for assessing the intellectual strengths and weaknesses of students classified as learning disabled in the primary and secondary grades. Results found only a 3.28-point difference (p≥.0001) between the S-B Composite score and the WISC-R Full Scale score. Correlations between the four broad areas of the S-B and the three scales of the WISC-R ranged from .494 (S-B Abstract/Visual Reasoning with WISC-R Verbal) to .920 (S-B Composite with WISC-R Full Scale). All correlations were found to be significant. Implications of the research findings were discussed.