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In this article, the author reviews the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Four Edition Spanish (WISC-IV Spanish), an individually administered measure of intelligence for Spanish-speaking children who are English language learners and relatively new to American culture. The WISC-IV Spanish, like its English counterpart, the WISC-IV, is composed of three types of subtests: (1) core; (2) supplemental; and (3) optional. The 10 core subtests make respective contributions to the Verbal Comprehension (VCI), Perceptual Reasoning (PRI), Working Memory (WMI), and Processing Speed (PSI) Indices, as well as the Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ), or overall intellectual ability estimate. Unlike other Wechsler scales, the WISC-IV Spanish does not include a General Ability Index (GAI). However, because the GAI is composed of VCI and PRI subtests, its use could be limited with a second-language population because of verbal confounds. The test is described in the manual as being useful in the assessment of general cognitive functioning, intellectual giftedness, mental retardation, and comprehensive educational or neuropsychological evaluations designed to profile strengths and weaknesses. Authors further report that the WISC-IV Spanish can contribute to treatment planning and placement decisions in both school and clinical settings. The author finds the WISC-IV Spanish to be a generally reliable and valid measure of overall intelligence and more specific cognitive processes. It is user-friendly in construction and provides norms for an important population of schoolchildren in the United States. Given the need for Spanish-language measures appropriate for the children immigrating from families of Latin American origin, the WISC-IV Spanish makes an important contribution to the assessment tools available to psychologists.

A study compared the performance of 21 children without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 33 children with ADHD (ages 8-12), 21 of whom participated in the initial intervention and 12 of whom received the intervention after pre- and posttesting. After completing an 18-week intervention that included attention and problem-solving training, the children in the intervention group showed commensurate performance to typical controls. (LC)

Researchers evaluated the effectiveness of a universal social skills program and compared social emotional knowledge on individual skills interviews with 100 Guatemalan preschool children from resource rich (N = 47) and resource poor (N = 53) backgrounds. Participant ages ranged from 3- to 6-years-old. SEL was evaluated prior and subsequent to receiving a school-based social emotional educational program. Results were analysed in terms of effectiveness of SEL by error type. Data show that preschool children from both poor and wealthy families made significant gains in social-emotional knowledge as a result of SEL instruction. In order to better understand where SEL might be improved, analyses of incorrect responses provided by children from each SES group were analysed. Findings demonstrated no significant differences between the two groups in terms of incorrect or socially unacceptable responses although, overall, the groups differed in depth of social emotional knowledge. Implications for ‘closing the gap’ between children’s social emotional development in high and low SES groups are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The present project analysed the use of participatory models during the process of application of a prevention program with preschool-aged children in Maracaibo, Venezuela. Relevant phases in achieving community collaboration are delineated and challenges are discussed. Results indicate that participatory models provided an effective means of introducing and carrying out a prevention program in local schools although a significant level of commitment was required from all groups involved. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]