Comparisons of cutoff and regression-based definitions of reading disabilities

Investigated specificity in reading disability by comparing 2 approaches to defining and selecting children with reading disabilities. One approach defined reading disability according to cutoff scores representing appropriate levels of intelligence and reading deficiency, whereas the other approach adjusted these scores for their intercorrelation through regression procedures. Results reveal differences in which of 1,069 children (aged 9-14 yrs) were identified as reading disabled, depending on the definition used. However, differences in neuropsychological performance between Ss whose reading scores were discrepant or not discrepant with their IQ scores were small and nonspecific for both definitions