Performance Instability of Learning Disabled, Emotionally Handicapped, and Nonhandicapped Children

The performance instability of learning disabled (LD), emotionally handicapped (EH), and nonhandicapped (NH) children was compared. Employing two contrasting strategies of repeated measurement, we administered three third-grade reading passages to 50 LD, 37 EH, and 40 NH children. First, subjects were tested on a different reading passage once a week for 3 consecutive weeks; second, pupils were tested on three passages in one sitting. Analyses of covariance were run on a stability index calculated on the number of words read correctly during each administration. On both sets of measurements, LD and EH pupils demonstrated similar instability. On the first repeated measures, the NH pupils' performance instability was greater than that of the handicapped students; on the second repeated measures, however, no difference was found between NH and handicapped children's variability. Implications for the diagnosis and treatment of LD and other exceptional children are discussed.