Patterns of emotional disturbance on the WISC-R

Fourteen WISC subtest patterns that purport to differentiate behavioral disorders were applied to the WISC-R. Forty-one adolescent males referred as a result of conduct disorders were administered the WISC-R. In general, a group analysis showed a depression of verbal functions and satisfactory reliability. The majority of signs investigated were shown to be as effective with nonschizophrenic emotionally disturbed children as with the specific clinical picture they were designed to predict. Evidence pointed to a number of patterns of subtest scatter useful in the diagnosis of a generalized state of emotional disturbance. Implications for clinical practice were discussed.