In search of a better understanding of the learning difficulties in basic electricity, learning results, interest, achievement motivation, IQ, and cognitive development were investigated in students from both urban and rural schools. An analysis reveals that, for urban classes, learning is related primarily to interest and motivation and, for…

Analysis of family and medical histories of 5 children (ages 11 to 16) with autism and hyperlexia and 5 sex-matched and IQ-matched children (ages 9 to 15) with autism but no hyperlexia suggested that children with autism and hyperlexia represent part of the continuum of autism rather than a specific syndrome. (Author/DB)

Fourteen poor-reading college students were assigned to a dyslexia group or a nonspecific reading-disabled group based on intelligence quotient (IQ). The groups were compared to controls on cognitive and reading-related skills. Results showed that poor decoding skill characterized the dyslexic reader, whereas the nondyslexic poor reader displayed…

Analysis of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised protocols for identified gifted, high IQ, and average children (total N=599 and ages 5-16) identified a four-factor solution for the gifted sample (Perceptual Organization, Verbal Comprehension, Acquisition of Knowledge, and Spatial Memory). Results suggested gifted children process…

Analysis of achievement test scores of 439 tenth-grade students found the hypothesized variables of IQ, socioeconomic status (SES), self-rated motivation, peer-rated studiousness, peer-group status, and parent-rated home environment contributed uniquely to achievement variance; SES, sex, and language medium of instruction were superfluous in the…

Among 278 inner-city men studied for four decades and over three generations, eight variables captured 28 percent of the explained variance in upward social mobility: IQ, mother's education, mother's occupation, boyhood ego strength, and four ego defense mechanisms--intellectualization, dissociation, sublimation, and anticipation.…

Examines the functioning of toddlers with physical anomalies (but without central nervous system damage) in comparison to premature toddlers (with similar deviant early experience but no deviant physical appearance) and to normal toddlers. Premature and disabled toddlers performed more poorly than normal toddlers in measures of social initiative,…

The memory abilities of adults (N=20) with Down Syndrome (DS) were compared to subjects matched on age and IQ and on age alone. Three memory tasks were employed: facial recognition, free recall of pictures and words, and cued recall of separate or interacting pictures. In DS individuals, memory was improved primarily by practice and interactive…

Preschool children (n=128) at risk for development of a developmental disability were assessed using the Scales of Independent Behavior and the revised Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-Survey Form. The summary scores of both tests were found to correlate moderately with IQ and with the extent of integration children achieved in their subsequent…

This study evaluated the external validity of a measure of IQ subtest variability, the profile variability index (PVI), with a sample of 146 children referred for psychological testing. Correlation of PVIs on each intelligence test with achievement scores and indexes of discrepancy between actual and predicted scholastic achievement found…

Eighty children, ages 3 to 17, with autism or Asperger's syndrome and mild to severe distress in the presence of some sounds received either auditory training or a control condition of listening to the same music. Significant improvements in behavior, severity of autism, and IQ were achieved and maintained for 12 months by both groups. (Author/DB)

Comparison of 150 children (white, black, and Hispanic) in grades 2 through 4 who had been recommended for prereferral intervention found that white children evidenced significantly higher verbal IQs and reaching achievement scores, black children had a higher incidence of behavior problems than Hispanic children, and behavior problems were more…

This study compared working memory in 28 high-functioning autistic individuals (ages 7-18) with that of 30 individuals with Tourette Syndrome or typically developing. No group differences were found. Performance was significantly correlated only with age and IQ. Results suggest that working memory is not an executive function seriously impaired in…

This commentary re-examines Linda Siegel's four basic assumptions (in EC221505) inherent in the Intelligence Quotient-achievement discrepancy commonly used to define learning disability. The commentary also discusses the uses of alternative measures of intelligence and the role of Intelligence Quotient in the identification of learning-disabled…

These concluding comments on the series of articles introduced by Linda Siegel's paper (EC221505) summarize the bases for disputing the utility of intelligence tests. The learning disabilities field's resistance to abandoning use of Intelligence Quotient tests is also acknowledged, and improved assessment measures and further research are called…