Assessed the self-concepts of educable mentally impaired, learning disabled, and nonhandicapped children using the Student Self-Evaluation (SSE), Teacher Evaluation Scale (TES), and How I See Myself (HISM) test. The results suggested that handicapped children, as a group, have a lower self-concept than have nonhandicapped children. (JAC)

Asked 118 teachers of learning disabled (LD) students to describe their school districts' criteria for identifying LD students and indicate their agreement or disagreement with the criteria. Reported criteria were characterized by variability, even within states, as were the teachers' state agreement or disagreement with them. (Author/JAC)

Evaluated the effect of the label hyperactive by asking 140 school psychologists and pediatricians to recommend various assessments and interventions for a child displaying symptoms of hyperactivity. Results showed the effect of labels appears minimal. Recommending psychostimulant medication was the only treatment method influenced by the label.…

Describes school phobia and school refusal as two ends of a continuum from involuntary symptoms to willful refusal. A treatment case is reported to demonstrate the strategies of reestablishing the proper parent-child hierarchy, as well as the principles of effective case management. (JAC)

Offers three guidelines to aid teachers in selecting effective contingency management programs, based on degree of positiveness, effectiveness, and costs to teachers and parents. Describes how to use a simple home-based program, which resulted in successful reduction of mild classroom disruptive behavior. (JAC)

Rated the adjustment of 129 newly mainstreamed learning disabled, emotionally disturbed, and mildly developmentally disabled pupils. While the teachers were, in general, very satisfied with the pupils' progress in both academic and behavioral areas, satisfaction declined after grade six. IQ data did not predict satisfactory adjustment. (JAC)

Examined the relationship between early school retention as a result of preschool and kindergarten developmental testing and children's later academic achievement (N=223). Results showed children who scored as immature on the Gesell Screening Test and who were retained a year had the lowest scores on all measures. (JAC)

Surveyed elementary school teachers (N=162) to examine the relations between teacher perceptions of discipline, teacher education, teacher experience, student social class, student ethnicity, and student grade level. In general, more experienced and educated teachers preferred confronting students about misbehavior, while less educated teachers…

Administered the Concepts About Print (CAP) test during kindergarten and first grade (N=56). Results showed the CAP to be highly correlated with various tests of school achievement obtained during the second through the fourth grades and to effectively predict those children who would later be retained in school. (JAC)

Provides background on generalization exhibited by mentally retarded populations as viewed by behavior and cognitive psychologists, describes the failures to facilitate generalization, and offers an alternative explanation of such failures. This explanation describes the generalization process in terms of individual capacity for analogical…

Investigated the change in IQ scores over time of subjects in classes for the Educable Mentally Handicapped. Analysis indicated a significant difference existed between Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children scores administered at initial placement and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale scores administered later (mean age, 17 years-6 months).…

Examine the predictive validity of Kaufman's short form of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities for 74 Mexican-American children. Comparisons between the McCarthy General Cognitive Index (GCI) and Kaufman's estimated CGI with academic achievement showed that the conventional McCarthy and Kaufman's short form predicted achievement about…

Compared Bender-Gestalt performance of 452 Navajo children with 1974 Koppitz and System of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment norms (SOMPA), and investigated the use of the Bender-Gestalt for diagnosing learning disabilities. Results suggested the Koppitz and SOMPA White norms may be useful in psychological assessment of Navajo children. (JAC)

Investigated the best short form of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Revised) in a comparison of 234 learning disabled students and 290 referred but ineligible children. Results suggested that Sattler's (1982) tetrad is a good predictor of Full Scale Intelligence for learning disabled students. (JAC)

Cross-validated the factor structure of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities for 105 kindergarten children. A factor analysis generated five factors, including Verbal Comprehension, Quantitative-Reasoning, Memory, Perceptual-Performance, and Motor factors. The overall factor pattern provides further evidence of the construct validity of the…