A Neuropsychological Approach to the Assessment of Adults with Learning Disabilities in Vocational Rehabilitation

Abstract

A description of cognitive, academic, and personality characteristics of adults with learning disabilities (LD) referred for services through the state/federal vocational rehabilitation system is presented. This study builds on the work of Minskoff, Hawks, Steidle, and Hoffmann (1989) and validates their conclusions that, as a group, adults with LD participating in vocational rehabilitation are homogeneous relative to other groups of adults with LD. By taking a neuropsychological approach to the assessment process, the current study further subdivided the assessment categories described by Minskoff et al. This approach assumes that the vocational competence of adults with learning disabilities may be better understood in terms of their visual and auditory perception; verbal and nonverbal reasoning; verbal and mixed (verbal/nonverbal) learning; linguistic and nonlinguistic memory; semantic, expressive, and receptive language; basic and conceptual academic skills; and social and psychological adjustments. The data analyses identify several potential patterns of psychosocial and neuropsychological strengths and weaknesses that may be important in vocational rehabilitation efforts.