Comparison of Auditory Language Comprehension Skills in Learning-Disabled and Academically Achieving Adolescents

Abstract

Thirty academically achieving and 30 learning-disabled adolescents were examined on a battery of auditory language comprehension tests including the Token Test, the Test of Linguistic Concepts, and the Auditory Comprehension Test for Sentences. Results indicated that 73% of the learning-disabled group scored lower than all of the control subjects on one or more of these tests. The Token Test and the Test of Linguistic Concepts were the most discriminating tests in the identification of auditory language comprehension problems. Because no one test identified all auditory language comprehension problems in this population, a test battery including these two tests is recommended. A behavioral rating scale of classroom listening skills completed by the learning-disabled participants and their teachers was not predictive of objective test performance. The importance of identifying auditory comprehension deficits in learning-disabled is emphasized.