Judgment of neuropsychological decline is typically
made by comparing a patient's current cognitive performance
to data from demographically similar normal individuals.
Even within narrowly defined demographic categories, however,
there is variability in level of performance, approximating
the normal curve. The present study explored the degree
to which oral reading scores on the American National Adult
Reading Test (ANART) could more accurately predict a person's
test performance relative to other demographically similar
individuals. In a sample of 141 neurologically healthy
participants, the ANART added modestly to the precision
of WAIS–R Verbal and Full Scale IQ and Learning score
predictions, beyond that achieved by demographics alone;
however, ANART score did not significantly improve estimation
of Performance IQ, Average Impairment Rating, or Memory
score. Use of the ANART tended to improve demographic predictions
primarily with “outlier” participants whose
oral reading skills were relatively poor. For Verbal IQ,
ANART helped with participants who had both poor ANART
and relatively high education. Oral reading can be useful
for estimating premorbid verbal intelligence and learning
in combination with demographic variables, but it does
not appear to improve estimates of other neurocognitive
abilities. (JINS, 1999, 5, 247–254.)
The Recruitment and Description of UniversityStudents who Self-Report Difficulty Acquiring Early Reading Skills
