Identifying Learning Disabled Children: an Analysis of Some Measurement Problems

Abstract

Research studies have reported that the WISC-R IQ's of some learning disabled children decrease during the period that the children receive individually designed education programs. It has been suggested that the apparent decreases do not necessarily reflect actual decreases in intellectual ability but rather may result from measurement problems inherent in the identification of LD children. Two models for identifying LD children were examined by applying identification criteria to a simulated population. One model employed a set of criteria which simulated standardized diagnostic measures. The second model simulated a two-stage identification process involving both teachers' clinical judgments and standardized diagnostic measures. The simulation of the two-stage process identified a sample whose characteristics closely resembled those of actual LD samples. Independently collected interview and questionnaire data obtained from school personnel involved in the LD identification process provided additional evidence that, prior to referring students for LD diagnosis, teachers screen students using idiosyncratic clinical criteria.