Cognitive and Motor Functioning on the McCarthy Scales by Spanish-Speaking Children

Abstract

A sample of 30 Puerto Rican children, ages 5 to 8 1/2 yr. from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, were tested on the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities and the Information and Comprehension subtests of the WISC-R or WPPSI to investigate their profiles of cognitive and motor functioning. Strengths in perceptual performance and motor skills along with a weakness in verbal comprehension and expression were characteristic of the group. No significant differences were found between the McCarthy Verbal scores and the Wechsler Information and Comprehension scores. In comparison to the McCarthy standardization group, the sample's mean scores in perceptual performance and motor areas were not significantly different from the means of the normative group, but their scores on the Verbal, Quantitative, and Memory Scales were significantly below the norms.