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WISC characteristics of reading disabled children identified by three objective methods
Perceptual and Motor Skills
|October 1, 1976
Summary
Identifying reading disabilities in third graders revealed that IQ and reading scores varied by selection method. The Z-score method identified children with average or above-average IQs, unlike other methods.
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Learning Disabilities
Background:
- Reading disabilities affect academic achievement and require accurate identification methods.
- Various diagnostic scales exist, but their effectiveness in identifying specific profiles of reading difficulties needs evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare three objective methods for identifying reading disabled children in third grade.
- To investigate if specific Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) subtest patterns characterize reading disabled children.
Main Methods:
- Administered the WISC and Spache Reading Diagnostic Scales to 119 third-grade children.
- Utilized Below Grade Level, Bond and Tinker, and Erickson Z-score Discrepancy methods for group selection.
- Compared identified poor readers with IQ and sex-matched control groups.
Main Results:
- Below Grade Level and Bond and Tinker methods identified children with below-average IQ and reading scores.
- Erickson Z-score Discrepancy method identified children with average or above-average IQs.
- Minimal evidence found for distinct WISC subtest patterns in poor readers compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- The selection method significantly influences the cognitive profile of identified reading disabled children.
- The Erickson Z-score Discrepancy method may identify different subgroups of reading difficulties than traditional methods.
- Further research is needed to establish characteristic WISC patterns for reading disabilities.