Two new empirically derived reasons to use the assessment of basic learning abilities.
The Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities (ABLA) comprises six levels of hierarchically ordered visual and auditory-visual discriminations. Scores on the ABLA, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale-Revised were obtained for 30 participants selected using a stratified random sample (i.e., by level of mental retardation) from 499 people served by a state center. Two noteworthy findings were (a) that correlations between the Vineland domains and the ABLA were all significant and ranged between .65 and .73, and (b) no participant performing below ABLA Level 6 was testable on the WAIS-R. Thus, Level 6 can be used as an efficient screen to determine the testability of this population on standardized intelligence tests. Implications for practitioners are discussed.
Richards
David F
DF
Psychology Department, University of Nevada, Reno, 89557, USA. dfr7@juno.com
Williams
W Larry
WL
Follette
William C
WC
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000145:classification; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001076:Aptitude; D001307:Auditory Perception; D003142:Communication; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D004495:Education of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007361:Intelligence Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D012951:Socialization; D014796:Visual Perception