LEARNING-DISABILITIES, LOW ACHIEVEMENT, AND MILD MENTAL-RETARDATION -MORE ALIKE THAN DIFFERENT

Children identified with learning disabilities (LD), low achievement ( LA), or mild mental retardation (MMR) were contrasted on 41 measures o f ability, academic achievement, social skills, problem behavior, acad emic engaged time, perceptual-motor skills, and school history. Both m ultivariate, univariate, and meta-analytic comparisons among the three groups showed relatively large differences on measures of aptitude an d achievement, with the LD group scoring higher on measures of cogniti ve ability than the LA and MMR groups and the LA group showing higher tested academic achievement than the LD and MMR groups. Teacher rating s of academic competence showed similar levels of functioning for the LD and LA groups. No differences among the groups were found on measur es of social skills, problem behaviors, or academic engaged time, or o n most indices reflecting school history. Results were interpreted in light of studies contrasting LD and LA groups. Comparisons with earlie r studies were difficult in light of demographic differences in sample s and the lower cognitive and academic functioning of children in the present study. The current study showed that 61% of the LD group could be differentiated from the LA group, with LD-MMR and LA-MMR different iation levels being 68.5% and 67.5%, respectively.