INFANT-TODDLER INFORMATION-PROCESSING ASSESSMENT FOR CHILDREN WITH PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER AND AUTISM .1.

Conventional tests of infant-toddler development confound the measures used to infer mental ability with the child's disability. A new appro ach involving assessment of central information processing ability is described as a complement to conventional tests that permits the ident ification of intact mental ability in the face of pervasive developmen tal delays and autism. Intact processing ability along with a profile of expressive development not only allows for a differential diagnosis but permits more accurate assessment of mental ability and more appro priate intervention strategies.