Sources of poor performance on the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test among children with learning difficulties: A dynamic assessment approach

A dynamic assessment approach was used to examine the source of poor perfor mance on the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (ROCF) among 202 school-age children referred for learning difficulties. The ROCF was administered in the standard format and then in a structured format that highlighted the de sign's organizational framework. Manipulating encoding in this way improved recall to at least age-level for the majority of children. Those children who did not benefit from the structured format had relatively poor visual o rganizational skills. For most children with learning problems, poor ROCF p erformance stems from metacognitive difficulties; for a minority, the sourc e appears to be more perceptual. A dynamic assessment procedure can enhance the diagnostic utility of the ROCF for children.