Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease in girls. A comparison of the results with those seen in boys.

We reviewed the records and roentgenograms of all patients with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease who had been seen at our institution between 1940 and 1996. One hundred and five girls (122 hips) and 470 boys (531 hips) were identified. Thus, 18 per cent of the 575 patients in the present series were girls. Seventeen (16 per cent) of the girls and sixty-one (13 per cent) of the boys had bilateral involvement. Although more girls than boys had severe involvement of the femoral head and the lateral pillar, we could not detect a significant difference between the two groups with respect to the distribution of the involvement of the hips according to the system of Catterall or the lateral pillar classification (p > 0.05, beta = 0.99). Serial roentgenograms that showed all four stages of the disease according to the system of Waldenström were available for fifty-two hips in girls and 184 hips in boys. A review of these roentgenograms revealed that the average ages of the girls at the stages of necrosis, fragmentation, reossification, and remodeling were 6.8, 7.3, 7.9, and 9.5 years, respectively, whereas the average ages of the boys were 6.8, 7.3, 7.9, and 9.9 years, respectively. Girls, however, had closure of the affected proximal femoral physis at an average age of 12.9 years, whereas boys had closure at an average age of 15.8 years. Therefore, girls had a shorter potential period for remodeling of the femoral head (average, 3.4 years) compared with boys (average, 5.9 years). Sixty-four girls (seventy-eight hips) and 363 boys (416 hips) had reached skeletal maturity by the time of the latest follow-up and were evaluated according to the system of Stulberg et al.; we could not detect a significant difference between boys and girls with respect to the distribution of the hips according to this system (p > 0.05, beta = 0.99). Although the numbers were too small for statistical analysis, our findings suggest that boys and girls who have the same Catterall or lateral pillar classification at the time of the initial evaluation can be expected to have similar outcomes according to the classification system of Stulberg et al.

Generality of test-session observations to kindergarteners' classroom behavior.

Test observations are integral components in the comprehensive assessment of children's academic talents and personal adjustment. They are used to validate standardized test scores obtained during test sessions and to draw inferences about children's general pattern of learning and social adjustment. Unfortunately, little empirical justification exists for extending inferences beyond the confines of test sessions. This issue was examined with 155 kindergarten children using the Stanford Binet Observation Schedule (SBOS), a popular instrument for the summative integration of test-session observations. Children's ratings on the SBOS were used to estimate teacher-observed behavior on the Guide to the Child's Learning Style (GCLS). SBOS and GCLS scores were subjected to independent principal components analyses with varimax rotation and, thereafter, to a joint canonical variance analysis. Weighted factor composites from two SBOS dimensions constituted the predictor data set and three GCLS dimensions the criterion data set. Although multivariate statistical significance was achieved (lambda = .834, F(6,200) = 3.18, p less than .005), cannonical redundancy showed merely 9.4% of classroom behavior predictable from test-session. Results are examined in light of research on the situational specificity of behavior.

Incremental validity of WISC-III profile elevation, scatter, and shape information for predicting reading and math achievement.

The use of cognitive subtest profiles to hypothesize about children's learning strengths and weaknesses implicitly assumes that subtest profiles are predictive of academic performance. To test this assumption, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III) subtest profiles were decomposed into elevation, scatter, and shape components and sequentially regressed onto reading and math achievement scores for 1,118 nonexceptional and 538 exceptional students. Profile elevation was statistically and practically significant for both exceptional (R = .36-.61) and nonexceptional (R = .72-.75) students. Profile scatter did not aid in the prediction of achievement. Profile shape accounted for an additional 5%-8% of the variance in achievement measures. It was concluded that using WISC-III subtest scatter and shape to predict academic performance was not supported by the accumulated scientific evidence.

The frequency of reliable component difference scores for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Third edition in two samples.

The cumulative percentage frequencies are presented for differences among reliable component analysis (RCA) scores for the verbal comprehension, perceptual organization, freedom from distractibility, and processing speed constructs assessed by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Third edition (WISC-III) for the standardization sample and a learning disabled sample. Using RCA scores to form differences has several advantages over traditional equally weighted scores for the WISC-III. J. C. Caruso and N. Cliff (2000) presented tables to assess the statistical significance of differences among the RCA scores for the WISC-III. It is important, however, to use a dual approach in interpreting difference scores; both the statistical significance of a difference and the frequency with which it occurred in a relevant comparison group should be determined. This article contains the information necessary for practitioners to use the recommended dual approach to interpreting RCA difference scores for the WISC-III.

Developmental memory performance: inter-task consistency and base-rate variability on the WRAML.

Two studies examined developmental memory test consistency and base-rate variability on the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning (WRAML) using three age cohorts from the standardization sample. Study 1 examined inter-subtest correlation coefficients across the nine subtests of the WRAML and compared across three age cohorts (5, 11, 16 to 17 year olds). An age-related increase in inter-task consistency was found (mean r = .26 and .42 for the youngest and oldest age groups, respectively). However, correlation coefficients were generally in the low to moderate range (rs = .2 to .5) for all three cohorts suggesting considerable performance variability across memory subtests. Study 2 examined base-rate variability in the WRAML standardization sample using several different methods. More specifically, base-rate information is provided for the maximum discrepancy between subtests, profile strengths and weakness (i.e., discrepancies from the mean scaled score), and the prevalence of individuals within the "deficient" performance range (i.e., < = 2 SD below normative means). In addition, performance variability across the four WRAML index scores was examined by determining the prevalence rates for the maximum discrepancy (1) between index scores, and (2) from the General Memory Index compared to the other three index scores. Performance discrepancies tended to be higher among the youngest group. Again, however, considerable performance variability was observed across all three age cohorts. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.