The present investigation examined the construct validity of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) with learning‐disabled children. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children‐Revised (WISC‐R), the Wide Range Achievement Test, and the Halstead‐Reitan Neuropsychological Battery were administered to 934 learning‐disabled children. Seven factors were isolated on the basis of a principal‐components factor analysis and Varimax rotation. PPVT scores were found to load on a factor similar to what has been labeled verbal comprehension on the WISC‐R with little secondary loadings on any of the remaining six factors. Implications for practitioners and further research were discussed.

This paper reports the results of a survey of current members of the American Psychological Association's Division of Clinical Neuropsychology and the National Academy of Neuropsychologists on issues regarding practice. Data were compared between groups and to the findings of two 1980 surveys. Specifically, respondents were asked to include their employment setting, source and scope of practice, assessment batteries, typical fees, background training, and extent of practice outside traditional neuropsychological domains. In general, it seems that in the interim 5 years, clinical neuropsychology has experienced a shift in primary work settings. In addition, members of different professional organizations reflect similar types of response patterns to the survey, irrespective of other factors.

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This study examined the incremental validity of the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery for older children (HRNB) over the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised in predicting scores on the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) for 989 children referred for learning difficulties. A substantial increase (16 to 30%) in the variability accounted for in school achievement resulted with the addition of the HRNB tests to information obtained from the WISC-R. Specific tests of the HRNB were discussed in light of their unique contribution to the prediction of each of the three WRAT subtests (Reading, Spelling, and Mathematics).

The test-retest stability of the Maternal Perinatal Scale (MPS) was examined for a random sample of 41 mothers. The stability of items over a two-day period ranged from 1.00 to 3 5 (r) for items with an underlying normal distribution and from 1.00 to .86 (Cramer's V or Phi coefficient) for nominal items. Moreover, 90% of the coefficients exceeded .90. Intercorrelations between specific information assessed by the items were consistent with clinical obstetric and research evidence. The results were interpreted as lending support to the clinical and research potential of a systematic self-report format in the assessment of perinatal histories.Perinatal complications refer to deviations from the normal pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postdischarge neonatal period. A number of childhood disorders have been linked to developmental histories of perinatal complications (e.g., Commey & Fitzhardinge, 1979; Parnas, Schulsinger, Teasdale, Schulsinger, Feldman, & Mednick, 1982;Pfeiffer, Heffernan, & Pfeiffer, 1985). Although physicians and psychologists have recognized the importance of these factors, research that has attempted to link them to later disorders has been less than conclusive. Thus, while the importance of perinatal difficulties is clear, research and clinical application of such information has been hampered by the lack of a reliable method of assessment.One avenue of research has focused upon the relationship between perinatal complications and children's cognitive development. Results from such investigations have shown that infants who experience perinatal complications tend to manifest a disproportionately higher incidence of developmental delays (e.g., Commey & Fitzhardinge, 1979). In a two-year follow-up study of high-risk infants, Commey and Fitzhardinge found that 21% of the sample had major neurological anomalies, with 42% of these children displaying cognitive/developmental delays. In sum, approximately 50% of this sample displayed behavioral difficulties that were clearly related to the presence of generalized CNS depression (e.g., severe hypotonia, absence of reflexes) on admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Of interest to the present discussion, cerebral depression was related to perinatal asphyxia that occurred prior to admission to the NICU.In a more recent investigation, Pfeiffer, Heffernan, and Pfeiffer (1985) assessed the cognitive, behavioral, temperamental, and language functioning of 100 preschool highrisk children. All subjects had neonatal histories of either prematurity and/or medical complications (e.g., intraventricular hemorrhage, neonatal seizures, and perinatal asphyxia). The results showed rather clearly that high-risk infants were more likely later to experience cognitive, neurodevelopmental, and behavioral problems.

This study examined the utility of the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery in the differential diagnosis of dementia, major depression, and general neurological impairment. Orthogonal contrasts between groups showed superior performance for depressives on most Halstead-Reitan subtests. Contrasts between organically impaired groups showed that these groups did not differ significantly (p >.05) on any of the Halstead-Reitan subtests. A step-wise discriminant analysis indicated that on the basis of neuropsychological variables alone, demented patients were differentiated from elderly depressed with clinical levels of accuracy. However, when neurologically impaired and demented patients were considered together in a single group reflecting organic impairment, hits increased dramatically. The results were discussed in terms of their implications for differentially diagnosing dementia and depression in the elderly.

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