Psychometric Tests and Learning in Severely Disabled Readers

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between performance on tests of auditory and visual perception and learning rate in reading lessons. Subjects were 69 children with severe dyslexia (2-5 years below grade level) who participated in a standard tutorial program designed along behavior therapy lines. Prior to placement in the tutorial reading program, children were tested with the Wide Range Achievement Test, the Bender-Gestalt, the Raven, a test of auditory-visual integration, and a test of visual-spatial perception. Learning rates were determined for 42 children. Significant correlations were found among the psychometric tests but not between psychometric tests and learning rate. Children achieving above and below expectancy in tutoring differed significantly in learning rate and amount of gain over 6 months but not on any of the psychometric tests. It was concluded that perceptual deficiencies may be more frequent in disabled readers, but learning rate and achievement are not related to the degree of perceptual deficiency.