Comparative study of the Jordan left-right reversal test, the reversals frequency test, and teachers' observations

The intertest pass/fail reliability of the Jordan left-right reversal test (JRT) and reversals frequency test (RFT) was compared on 510 "regular classroom" and 126 "learning handicapped" children. Children were divided into two age groups, 5 to 8 years and 9 to 13 years. Teachers completed a questionnaire assessing whether they felt a reversal problem existed. Statistical analysis showed low to moderate agreement between the pass/fail rate of the two tests (p less than 0.001) for both age groups of normal children; however, no statistical agreement was found for either age group of learning handicapped children. There was only very low agreement between the teacher's assessment of reversals and the pass/fail rates for both age groups of normals and the 9- to 13-year-old learning handicapped group. No agreement was found for the 5- to 8-year-old learning handicapped group. The effect of test design and recommendations for the clinical investigation of reversals are discussed.