Tactile Functions in Learning-Disabled and Normal Children: Reliability and Validity Considerations

Abstract

This study compared tactile functions of learning-disabled and normal children as measured by the tactile portions of the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests and the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery, Children's revision, to explore the reliability and validity of the two measures and to determine to what extent they are able to discriminate between normal and learning-disabled children. The subjects were sixty 8-year-old children: 30 normal children and 30 children with learning disabilities. The results showed a significant difference between the tactile scores of learning-disabled and normal children. The internal consistency of both tests was .80. A test-retest reliability coefficient of .86 was obtained for both measures. The construct validity for both measures was good. Furthermore, a discriminant analysis correctly classified 90% of the children. Concurrent validity between the two measures was .73. The study also showed that individual tests of the tactile section of the Southern California tests and of the tactile section of the Luria-Nebraska battery (which was artificially divided into subsections for the purposes of this study) are less reliable than the tests given together.