At the core of this study was an investigation of the current system of identification of learning disabled children as a result of concerns raised regarding the equivocal nature of federal guidelines for identification and their differential application by professionals. Toward this goal, the purposes of this study were 1) to evaluate the Reitan-Indiana Aphasia Screening Test as a means to differentiate LD children from low-achieving and normal children; 2) to assess the quantitative and qualitative neuropsychological performance differences between these three groups; and 3) to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative neuropsychological performance differences between male and female LD and low-achieving children. Subjects were 244 male (n=118) and female (n=126) LD (n=82), low-achieving (n=72), and normal (n=90) children randomly selected from five Midwestern school corporations. Classification of subjects into groups was based on previous identification as an LD child or scores on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (below the 50th percentile and not school identified as LD were classified as low-achieving). Two-way analyses of variance indicated that neuropsychological performanceNeuropsychological Differences as measured by the Reran-Indiana Aphasia Screening Test significantly differed between groups but not gender on total error score. Further, two-way multivariate analyses of variance indicated significant performance differences across groups with LD children making more errors than either group on tasks indicative of spelling dyspraxia, constructional dyspraxia, dyslexia, central dysarthria, dyscalculia, and body dysgnosia. Additionally, LD children demonstrated more dysfunction in deficits reflective of only mild to moderate neuropsychological impairment as compared to deficits more strongly indicative of brain damage. No differences in performance based on type of error or severity of dysfunction was found between genders. Implications of these findings are discussed relative to the identification process. / Department of Educational Psychology

This study explored the relationship between anxiety and children's performance on the Reitan-Indiana Aphasia Screening Test. Anxiety was measured using the Personality Inventory for Children. Participants' anxiety scores were correlated with the individual component error scores and the total error scores from the Reitan Aphasia Screening Test. Second, the individual component scores were examined to assess their independent and shared contributions in the prediction of the Anxiety Scale of the Personality Inventory for Children.Participants for this study were 176, 9 to 16 year old boys and girls referred to an outpatient neuropsychological assessment clinic. Anxiety was found to be significantly related to the total score of the Reitan-Indiana Aphasia Screening test, as well as, each of the individual components. The regression analysis showed that five of the individual components of the Reitan-Indiana Aphasia Screening Test were able to significantly predict scores on the Anxiety Scale of the Personality Inventory for Children with a multiple R of .76. These data were discussed in terms of the importance of the interrelationship between anxiety and the Reitan-Indiana Aphasia Screening Test when making clinical judgements concerning the individual patient. / Department of Educational Psychology