abstract: The Native American population is severely underrepresented in empirical test validity research despite being overrepresented in special education programs and at an increased risk for special educational evaluation. This study is the first to investigate the structural validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) with a Native American sample. The structural validity of the WISC-IV was investigated using the core subtest scores of 176, six-to-sixteen-year-old Native American children referred for a psychoeducational evaluation. The exploratory factor analysis procedures reported in the WISC-IV technical manual were replicated with the current sample. Congruence coefficients were used to measure the similarity between the derived factor structure and the normative factor structure. The Schmid-Leiman orthogonalization procedure was used to study the role of the higher-order general ability factor. Results support the structural validity of the first-order and higher-order factors of the WISC-IV within this sample. The normative first-order factor structure was replicated in this sample, and the Schmid-Leiman procedure identified a higher-order general ability factor that accounted for the greatest amount of common variance (70%) and total variance (37%). The results support the structural validity of the WISC-IV within a referred Native American sample. The outcome also suggests that interpretation of the WISC-IV scores should focus on the global ability factor. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Educational Psychology 2011

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the most valid language psychologists can use to assess Spanish-speaking students who are English language learners, depending on the students’ English language proficiency level, Spanish language proficiency level, and demographic information. Participants included 84 2nd to 5th grade Spanish-speaking students who were English language learners. These students were given a demographic survey, a WISC-IV in English, and a WISC-IV in Spanish. The school had English and Spanish language proficiency data. Results found that once a student reaches the Bridging and Reaching levels (and possibly the Expanding level) of English language proficiency on the ACCESS for ELLs assessment, the student is likely to receive a similar score on a WISC-IV in English and Spanish. Students who score in the Proficient and Above Proficient levels on the Las Links assessment score higher on the Spanish WISC-IV than on the English WISC-IV. Additionally, these findings show that English and Spanish proficiency scores are more useful to determine the most valid language in which to assess a student than using demographic variables. This research will help psychologists to decide the most valid language in which to assess students who are ELL by looking at English and Spanish language proficiency levels. There may also be policy implications. Further research should address how the outcome might change with the WISC-V and should look at generalization to other intelligence tests and language proficiency tests.

No description available.

The objective of the study was to determine if there were differences in the self-esteem of adolescents with low academic achievement as compared ro those with an average or high achievement. The participants were 60 adolescents, aged 13 to 16, of both sexes and with an average or high IQ . Thirty presented a low school achievement (study group) and 30 had a good achievement (contrast group). The WISC-R was administered to determine the IQ and the Rorschach lnkblots, using the CS uf Exner, to assess the self-esteem. The results showed that the Rorschach is a good instrument tu assess self-esteem. Likewise, there are significant differences in the self-esteem uf adolescents with low achievement due to emotional deficits, as compared to those with high achievement. / El objetivo fue determinar si existen diferencias en la autoestima de adolescentes con bajo rendimiento escolar comparados con los de un rendimiento promedio o superior. Los participantes fueron 60 adolescentes, entre 13 y 16 años, de ambos sexos, con un C.I. promedio o superior al promedio, de los cuales 30 presentaban un bajo rendimiento escolar  (grupo de estudio) y 30 un buen rendimiento (grupo contraste). Se administró el WISCR para determinar el C.I. y el Rorschach según el SC de Exner para evaluar la autoestima. Los resultados mostraron que el Rorschach es adecuado para evaluar la autoestima. Asimismo existe una diferencia significativa en la autoestima de adolescentes con bajo rendimiento como resultado de sus déficits afectivos, en comparación con los de alto rendimiento.

In the theoretical part, this work deals with the problem of comparison between Feuerstein cognitive function and partial cognitive abilities which are mentioned at the Educational Interpretations of the WISC-III. Research study follows up changes in partial cognitive abilities which could be viewed as a consequence of FIE (Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment) intervention lasting several months. By comparison of pre-test and post-test, which is realized by WISC-III and processed with Educational Interpretations of the WISC- III the study tries to describe impact of the method to child's cognitive functions as well as its school successfulness, self-concept, and behavior. Study also pursues possibility to use factor analysis of WISC-III for planning of the FIE intervention. Information was taken from tests, questionnaires for teachers, videos and records of FIE lessons. Research was realized at the Elementary school in a small town with 1700 inhabitants, nearby to Prague. This was the only school in this town. We noticed more or less significant changes in all areas of interest. In some cases, there was agreement in the test results and teacher's evaluation whereas in other there were differences. KEY WORDS Reuven Feuerstein, modifiability of intelligence, deficits of cognitive functions, mediated...

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-22T17:26:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Francisco Antonio Soto Vidal.pdf: 467609 bytes, checksum: 1074dd1abd43689b74cb26d93afc7e10 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-04-30 / The adaptation of a psychological instrument to another cultural environment requires that its rules, validity and reliability be revised. Although the WISC-III has already been adapted to the Brazilian context, further studies on the verification of its construction validity should be performed when used in clinical groups. This work contributes to this research and to the investigation of a factorial model that is more appropriate for Brazilian children with learning disabilities (LD). An amount of 263 WISC-III test protocols performed in public school students referred by their teachers by having difficulties in reading, writing and/or arithmetic after a psychological evaluation were analyzed. Statistical techniques of Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were performed. This study, besides corroborating the factor structure defined in the Brazilian standardization, meets the results of the international research for the definition of four-factor model as the best adjusting for the LD population. Although we also have identified two three-factor models as advantageous as to the fit, parsimony and theoretical interpretability, the four-factorial structure is the most suitable for clinical interpretation of the scores that express the AD group cognitive abilities, since it allows us to leverage existing standards of WISC -III for the general population / A adaptação de um instrumento psicológico a outro meio cultural requer que sejam revisadas suas normas, sua validade e sua fidedignidade. Apesar de o WISC-III já ter sido adaptado ao contexto brasileiro, novos estudos sobre a verificação de sua validade de construto devem realizar-se quando utilizado em grupos clínicos. Este trabalho contribui a essa pesquisa e à investigação do modelo fatorial mais adequado para crianças brasileiras com dificuldades de aprendizagem (DA). Foram analisados 263 protocolos do teste WISC-III de alunos de escolas públicas encaminhados por seus professores para avaliação psicológica por apresentarem dificuldades em leitura, escrita e/ou aritmética. Foram utilizadas as técnicas estatísticas da Análise Fatorial Exploratória e da Análise Fatorial Confirmatória. O presente estudo, além de corroborar a estrutura fatorial definida na padronização brasileira, vai ao encontro dos resultados da pesquisa internacional quanto à definição do modelo de quatro fatores como o de melhor ajuste para o grupo clínico DA. Apesar de também ter identificado dois modelos trifatoriais como vantajosos quanto ao ajuste, parcimônia e interpretabilidade teórica, a estrutura quadrifatorial é a mais indicada para interpretar clinicamente as pontuações que expressam as habilidades cognitivas do grupo DA, uma vez que permite aproveitar as normas existentes do WISC-III para a população geral

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-19T18:16:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Michelle.pdf: 1395599 bytes, checksum: cac6fbdd72eabe7033af354481125571 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-06-20 / INTRODUCTION. Health professionals are especially concerned with the care of low birth weight children. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, birth weight below 2500 grams is considered as low. Low birth weight has been found to place the child s future emotional, intellectual, and learning development at risk. Some studies have shown that, on the average, during the preschool phase, premature and low birth weight children evince lower cognitive performance than their normal weight peers. OBJECTIVES. Ascertain the epidemiological and neurological profile of premature, low birth weight children evaluated in a hospital school in Sao Luis, Maranhão. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach to birth cohort in 2001 of newborns admitted to the Hospital Unit of the Maternal and Child HUUFMA. Researchers recorded 45 records, only 27 of these children participated in the study was conducted using survey data from medical records and was applied to Scale WISC III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. Based on findings, although the children sampled were from low-income families, their average total IQ (WISC-III) was in the normal range. Within the children sample there were no significant differences between Verbal and Performance IQ. No significant dependence relationship between epidemiological variables and preterm low birth weight.CONCLUSION: Regardless of birth weight, without severe complications during pregnancy and childbirth, the child can develop their cognitive intellectual, their social and cognitive social skills in a satisfactory and harmonious, (provided that adequately stimulated and under the guidance of skilled professionals), the same way that passes the development of children born at term and normal birth weight. / INTRODUÇÃO: É grande o interesse de profissionais da área da Saúde para com os cuidados com crianças que nascem com baixo peso. Segundo a OMS (Organização Mundial de Saúde), são consideradas de baixo peso, crianças nascidas com peso ≤ 2.500g. As habilidades intelectuais, sociais e emocionais são necessárias para o bom desempenho escolar. Déficits de desenvolvimento se tornam especialmente evidentes quando as crianças atingem a idade pré-escolar, indicando que crianças que foram bebês prematuros de baixo peso ao nascimento têm desempenho escolar significativamente pior em relação a crianças da mesma idade. OBJETIVOS: Determinar o perfil epidemiológico e neuropsicológico de crianças prematuras, com baixo peso, assistidas em um hospital maternidade escola de São Luís, Maranhão. METODOLOGIA: Realizou-se estudo transversal com abordagem quantitativa, com coorte de nascimento no ano de 2001 de recém nascidos internados no Hospital Universitário Unidade Materno-Infantil do HUUFMA. Pesquisou-se 45 prontuários, destas crianças apenas 27 participaram do estudo, realizou-se levantamento de dados através dos prontuários e foi aplicada a Escala WISC III. RESULTADOS E DISCUSSÃO: Na pesquisa realizada os pais das crianças apresentavam nível sócio-econômico baixo, mas as crianças, em sua maioria apresentaram QI Total na categoria média na Escala WISC III; não foi encontrada nenhuma diferença estatística em QI Verbal, QI de execução e QI total dos grupos estudados, nem relação de dependência significativa entre variáveis epidemiológicas e prematuridade com baixo peso. CONCLUSÃO: Independente do peso ao nascer, sem intercorrências graves durante a gravidez e parto, a criança pode desenvolver seu cognitivo intelectual, seu cognitivo social e suas habilidades sociais de forma satisfatória e harmônica, (desde que estimuladas adequadamente e sob orientação de profissionais especializados), da mesma forma que transcorre o desenvolvimento de crianças que nascem a termo e com peso normal ao nascer.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prominent neurobehavioral disorders of childhood that is heavily researched and often revised. Deficits in attention/concentration, impulsivity, inhibition, information processing speed, working memory and executive functioning manifest differently according to subtype diagnosis for both children and adults. As a result, previous attempts to construct a unifying theory of ADHD with neural correlates and quantifiable performance discrepancies have resulted in a proliferation of literature reviews citing both significant and insignificant research findings. The purpose of the current study was to construct a homogenous sample of children diagnosed with ADHD and examine purported subtype differences in working memory and information processing speed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children - Forth Edition (WISC-IV). Sixty participants were selected from archival data from two clinical sites and separated into three groups according to the current DSM-IV-TR ADHD subtype criteria: ADHD Predominately Inattentive type (ADHD-IN), ADHD Predominately Hyperactive/Impulsive type (ADHD-HY), and ADHD Combined type (ADHD-C). Significant differences within groups were revealed on the Coding subtest and Processing Speed Index (PSI) relative to performance on the Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI). No significant between groups or interaction effects were revealed. While the goal of the current study was aimed at discovering evidence of greater deficits in processing speed by the ADHD-IN group compared to the other two groups, processing speed was reduced for the entire sample providing more evidence of a possible neurological deficit/basis inherent to ADHD. The results of the current study provided minimal evidence of differences on WISC-IV measures of working memory within the current sample. The current study was successful in correcting previous methodological flaws inherent in the relevant literature by constructing a truly homogenous sample of ADHD and provided strong evidence for the necessity of an accurate diagnosis of ADHD subtypes.

Förbättring av den perinatala vården har lett till att fler barn födda för tidigt (FT) idag överlever. Tidigare forskning har visat att den prematura populationen utgör en riskgrupp för neurologiska och fysiska nedsättningar samt negativa hälsopåverkan, bland annat genom en ökad risk för skolrelaterade problem och mobbning. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hälsa och behov av stöd hos 6-8 åriga barn (n = 130) födda FT med avseende på fysiska och kognitiva begränsningar, skolrelaterade svårigheter och mobbning. Föräldrarapporterade fysiska begränsningar, skolrelaterade svårigheter och förekomst av mobbning undersöktes genom skattningsformulären Nordiska hälso och familjeformuläret och Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Kognitiv förmåga bedömdes genom Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Fourth edition (WISC-IV). Resultatet visade att synskada, trög mage, aptitlöshet och användande av glasögon förekom i större utsträckning hos barn födda mycket för tidigt (MFT) än hos barn födda fullgånget (FG). Resultatet visade även en skillnad i kognitiv förmåga, där barn födda MFT erhöll ett lägre resultat än barn födda FG, bägge grupper låg dock inom normalspannet.  Till skillnad från tidigare forskning visade resultatet inte att barn födda FT skiljde sig åt från barn födda FG avseende skolrelaterade svårigheter eller förekomsten av mobbning. Sammantaget pekar resultaten på att en MFT födsel inte behöver innebära avsevärt större besvär gällande hälsa, skolrelaterade svårigheter eller mobbning hos barn i tidig skolålder, trots en något sänkt generell kognitiv nivå. Möjliga anledningar till detta kan vara få deltagande barn födda extremt för tidigt (EFT) och/eller en effektiv neonatalvård i Sverige. / Recent improvements in perinatal care have led to increased survival of children born premature. Previous research has shown that the premature population constitutes a risk group for neurological and physical impairments and adverse health effects, including an increased risk of school-related difficulties and bullying. The purpose of this study was to investigate the health and support needs of 6-8 year old children (n = 130) born premature, in terms of physical and cognitive impairments, school related difficulties and bullying. Parental reported physical impairments, school related difficulties and the occurrence of bullying were investigated by the Nordic health and family questionnaire and Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL). Cognitive ability was assessed by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fourth Edition (WISC-IV). The results showed that visual impairment, constipation, loss of appetite and the use of glasses were more frequent in children born very premature than in children born full-term. The results also showed a difference in cognitive ability, where children born very premature received lower results than children born full-term, both groups remained at an average level. In contrast to previous studies, the results did not show a difference between children born premature and children born full-term with regards to school related difficulties or the occurrence of bullying. Overall, the results indicate that a very premature birth need not involve considerably more problems concerning health, school-related difficulties or bullying among children in early school age, despite a slightly lower general cognitive level. Possible reasons for this could be few participating children born extremely premature, and/or an effective neonatal care in Sweden. / The relation between sensory-motor, behaviour functioning and brain development in preterm born children

The present study examined the responses of 332 Kainai students ranging in age from 6 to 16 years to the Information, Arithmetic, and Picture Completion subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) in order to determine the validity of these subtests as a measure of their intelligence. Two indices of validity were assessed: (a) subtest unidimensionality, and (b) order of item difficulty. With regard to the assumption of unidimensionality, examination of the data indicated low item-factor loadings on the Information, Arithmetic, and Picture Completion subtests. Examination of difficulty parameters revealed a nonlinear item difficulty order on all three subtests. These results support the conclusion of previous research that the WISC-R does not adequately assess the intelligence of Native children. Possible bases for the invalidity of the WISC-R for this population are discussed and recommendations for future research are presented.