The Use of Selected Perceptual Tests in Differentiating between Normal and Learning Disabled Children

The purpose of this study was to investigate the diagnostic usefulness of some commonly used tests of “perceptual functioning.” Thirty normal and 59 learning disabled children were administered the Auditory and Visual Sequential Memory and Sound Blending subtests of the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities, the Wepman Auditory Discrimination Test and the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test. Statistical analyses were computed to determine if there were differences in performance on the tests between the normal and learning disabled children. It was found that only the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test differentiated the two groups. The authors caution that continued use of these tests for purposes of diagnosis and placement should be carefully considered until additional research becomes available.