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Pupils with Intellectual Disability (PwID) experience difficulties with acquisition of social skills. They find it difficult to initiate and maintain positive social relationships. Previous studies focused on enhancing academic skills of PwID with little emphasis on fostering functional skills. Therefore, this study determined the effects of Graphic Organizers (GO) strategy on acquisition of social skills among PwID. Three special schools were purposively selected. Twenty-six pupils that scored between 20 and 55 in the Screening test were adopted. Participants were randomly assigned to GOS (13) and control (13) for ten weeks. Slosson Intelligent Test (r=0.95) and Pupils Social Development Checklist (r=0.80) were used. Data were analyzed using Analysis of covariance and Scheffe post-hoc test at 0.05 level of significance. There was a significant main effect of treatment on acquisition of social skills (F=12.200, p<0.05, [eta-squared]=0.347). Participants in GOS group obtained the highest mean score (33.37) and control (27.40). Graphic organizers strategy fostered acquisition of social skills of PwID. Therefore, the strategy should be adopted in teaching PwID.

Objective: Reading is an indispensable skill. The study investigated the effects of music therapy on the reading skills of pupils with intellectual disability. Methods: An experimental research design was used. The sample was purposively selected from two special schools for pupils with intellectual disability in Ibadan, Nigeria. Seventeen pupils were randomly assigned to two groups (music therapy and control groups). Eighteen sessions of music therapy were conducted with the experimental group only. The Reading Skills Test was used before and after the intervention to collect data. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used for data analysis. Results: The data indicated that there was a significant statistical difference between pre-test and post-test results. The interaction effect of treatment and parents' socio-economic status was not significant for the participants' reading. Conclusion: Music therapy enhanced the reading skills of pupils with intellectual disability and should be adopted in teaching pupils with intellectual disability.

Insufficient research attention has been focused on the development of academic "under"-achievement and motivational beliefs. A longitudinal, person-centered approach was used to identify latent subgroups of growth in the joint development of teacher-reported underachievement and four motivational beliefs (self-concept, task importance, psychological cost value, and self-worth) from first through sixth grade. Two types of underachievement emerged: Sustained and Growing Underachievement. An Achievement class was also consistently found. Sustained underachievement was not associated with declining self-concept or task importance, but was related to moderately lower psychological cost value, self-worth, and middle school achievement. Growing underachievement was associated with relatively lower levels of self-concept and task importance that declined over time, similar to the achievement patterns. Class membership did not differ by gifted status. Gender effects emerged for the Task Importance and Self-Worth models in the hypothesized direction, but were not robust. These findings highlight heterogeneity in the development of academic underachievement.

Background: This study examined whether a sensory adapted dental environment (SADE) diminished anxiety and agitation in adults with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) when compared to a routine dental environment (RDE). Method: Agitated behaviours (frequency and duration) were video-taped and anxiety-related physiological measures recorded (heart rate [HR] and blood pressure [BP]) during dental treatment in RDE and 6 months later in SADE. An ICC[subscript 2,k] assessed the reliability of subject behaviours. The impact of treatment condition was compared with paired t-tests and ANCOVAs. Results: 41 participants, 22 males, aged 47.9 (14.2), were examined; 61% were diagnosed with profound IDD. SADE reduced frequency and duration of agitated behaviours and reduced physiological evidence of agitation (HR and BP) over RDE with p < 0.004. Conclusion: This research demonstrated a decrease in frequency and duration of agitated behaviours and smaller changes in HR and BP when dental care is provided in a SADE.

Universal screening of very early school-age children (age 4-7 years) is important for early identification of learning problems that may require enhanced learning opportunity. In this context, use of standardized instruments is critical to obtain valid, reliable, and comparable assessment outcomes. A wide variety of standardized instruments is available for screening and assessment purposes, though previous reviews have revealed some technical inadequacies. Suitability and usability of instruments should be considered as well as technical adequacy, making instrument selection a challenge for education professionals. This review used a systematic search to identify 48 instruments that measured development and early academic skills in very early school-age children. Instruments were evaluated and mapped against established psychometric and usability criteria, and rated as good, adequate, or not adequate. The results provide education professionals with a guide to selection of standardized instruments suitable for this age group and assessment purpose.

Previous research demonstrates specific relationships between personality traits and general academic performance. In addition, research studies have demonstrated relationships among personality and variables related to reading fluency (i.e. speed, accuracy, automaticity, and prosody). However, little investigation has examined specific links between personality and reading fluency. The researchers hypothesized that there is a direct relationship between personality and reading fluency when accounting for cognitive ability. Findings indicate that the personality trait of openness is a positive predictor of reading fluency ability even when accounting for variance associated with cognitive ability.

This study investigated to what extent primary school teachers' perceptions of their students' ability and effort predict developmental changes in children's self-concepts of ability in math and reading after controlling for students' academic performance and general intelligence. Three cohorts (N?=?849) of elementary school children and their teachers were followed for four years. Children's self-concepts and performance ability in math and reading were measured annually during Waves 2-4. Teachers rated the children's ability and effort at each of the four waves. Domain-specific differences and developmental changes could be identified in the associations between teachers' perceptions and children's ability self-concepts. Teachers' ability perceptions predicted children's concurrent and subsequent ability self-concepts in math and reading, whereas teachers' effort perceptions predicted children's math ability self-concept only at Wave 4. Analyses with multi-sample procedure showed that these models were similar for boys and girls and for children in different cohort groups.

This study examined the prevalence of dyslexia and dyscalculia among persons with academic deficits in English Language and Mathematics in public primary schools in Ibadan metropolis. A correlational survey study, sampling 477 pupils who were between the ages of eight and 12 years, and in 4th and 5th grades with the use of four research instruments--the Myklebust Pupil Rating Scale (MPRS), the Slosson Intelligence Test--Revised Third Edition (SIT-R3), the Test of Pupil Reading Abilities Test (TPRA) and the Mathematical Abilities Test (MAT) was adopted. It was discovered that dyslexia and dyscalculia were prevalent among pupils with academic deficits in English Language and Mathematics, and that pupils with both dyslexia and dyscalculia are in the larger percentage. It was also discovered that learning disabilities, dyslexia and dyscalculia were not peculiar to any gender. Persons with academic deficits in English language and mathematics should be screened for either dyslexia or dyscalculia, even both. Also, they should be taught according to a carefully developed Individualized Education Plan. (Contains 4 tables.)

When developing efficient treatment plans for a client or student, professional counselors frequently rely on information about intellectual ability. The Slosson Intelligence Test-Primary (SIT-P; Erford, Vitali, & Slosson, 1999) is an expansion of the Slosson Intelligence Test-Revised (SIT-R; Nicholson & Hibpshman, 1991) and includes a Nonverbal Scale and the development of norms for the Verbal Scale down to the age of 2 years. The SIT-P is a brief verbal and nonverbal intelligence screener designed for use by mental health professionals to efficiently obtain cognitive information about children ages 2 through 7 years of age. The purpose of this study was to examine the technical characteristics of the SIT-P items with three independent samples of young children. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent and factorial validity were explored, and correlations and mean score comparisons with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III; Wechsler, 1991), the SBIS-4 (Thorndike et al., 1986), the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R; Dunn & Dunn, 1981), and the Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (EOWPVT-R; Gardner, 1990) were reported. (Contains 4 tables.)

The authors investigated the effects of attention to novelty, fear-anxiety, and age on 3 measures of conduct problems. They found several main and interaction effects. The results indicated the presence of the hypothesized 3-way interaction for 2 dependent measures (i.e., conduct problem, socialized aggression); the 3rd dependent measure (i.e., conduct disorder) approached significance (p = 0.07). Participants who were older, had low attention to novelty, and high fear-anxiety generally had the highest conduct-problem scores among 8 comparison groups. Older students with high attention to novelty and low fear-anxiety had significantly lower conduct-problem scores that were unremarkable. The findings are congruent with J. Gray's (1987) theory of behavioral activation and inhibition, and the results support R. C. Eaves' (1993) integrated theory of human behavior, which postulates that the level of attention to novelty, fear-anxiety, and age interact to produce individuals with conduct problems. (Contains 8 tables and 1 figure.)

Over the past decade, cognitive approaches with children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) have been investigated. Although studies have focused on intervention outcomes, few have documented the components of the approach that support the enhancement of children's performance. This study used systematic observation of videotaped intervention sessions to identify the frequency and type of strategies that four children with DCD used during a cognitive intervention (CO-OP). The strategies used by younger and older children were compared, with differences found in verbal-based strategy use. Cognitive strategy use appears to be more related to the individual child and intervention goal than to age. (Contains 4 tables and 7 figures.)

Investigates possible gender bias in the Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT) in relation to reading skills. Administers the SIT and the Diagnostic Reading Scales (DRS) to 66 subjects age 8.5 to 13.5 years. Indicates the SIT was a statistically significant predictor of DRS subtests that assess oral reading, silent reading, and listening comprehension. Finds no evidence of gender bias. (PA)

Concurrent validity testing of the Slosson Intelligence Test-Revised with the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (Fourth Edition), involving 191 individuals (ages 5-69 and IQs of 36 to 110), found a high correlation between the two scales. However, the Slosson unsatisfactorily matched the Stanford-Binet's assignment of individuals to IQ categories. (Author/DB)

For 72 elementary school students, Slosson Intelligence Tests (SITs) administered by school counselors correlated significantly with school psychologist-administered Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) (r=.75). Slosson intelligence quotient (IQ) correlated significantly higher with WISC-R Verbal IQ than with Performance IQ. Mean Slosson IQ was statistically significant 4.4 points higher than mean WISC-R Full Scale IQ. (Author/NB)

This critical evaluation of the Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT) determined that the test items are 30 years old, scores are derived from a nonrepresentative norm group, and scores are not interchangeable with other intelligence measures. The paper concludes that the SIT is unsuited for educational decision-making purposes, including screening, identification, and placement. (Author/JDD)

The Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT) and the Stanford-Binet, Fourth Edition (SBIV) were administered to 95 elementary students referred because of either learning problems or potential giftedness. SIT scores predicted SBIV verbal scores more accurately than composite scores. Overall the SIT predicted SBIV scores better for students with learning problems. (Author/PB)

Concludes that the new Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT) serves reasonably well as a quick estimate of intellectual ability but that it should not be used as an extended substitute for the more rigorous WISC-R. (FL)

The Slosson Intelligence Test (revised norms) (SIT) and the WISC-R (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised) were compared. Results provide a moderate degree of support for the concurrent validity of the revised SIT norms, using the WISC-R as the criterion. However, the intelligence quotients on the two tests may not be interchangeable. (Author/ABB)

Compared the abilities of the most recent editions of the Henmon-Nelson and the Slosson tests to estimate Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (Revised) scaled scores and intelligence quotients. The Henmon-Nelson's validity coefficients were higher than their counterparts for the Slosson, but the Slosson had a higher ceiling and a lower floor. (Author/BL)

Investigated use of revised Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT) for screening public school students (N=131) for giftedness. Found revised SIT intelligence quotient (IQ) mean to be significantly lower than old ratio SIT IQ mean, significantly higher than Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised and Stanford-Binet means. Advises caution in using revised SIT to screen for giftedness. (Author/NB)

The ability of the Slosson Intelligence Test to predict academic achievement was assessed by using three samples of pre-kindergarten pupils from three successive years in a large midwest school district. Results indicate a moderately good predictive power of the instrument. (Author/JKS)