Ca. Michaels et al., A NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE ASSESSMENT OF ADULTS WITH LEARNING-DISABILITIES IN VOCATIONAL-REHABILITATION, Journal of learning disabilities, 30(5), 1997, pp. 544-551
A description of cognitive, academic, and personality characteristics
of adults with learning disabilities (LD) referred for services throug
h the state/federal vocational rehabilitation system is presented. Thi
s study builds on the work of Minskoff, Hawks, Steidle, and Hoffmann (
1989) and validates their conclusions that, as a group, adults with LD
participating in vocational rehabilitation are homogeneous relative t
o other groups of adults with LD. By taking a neuropsychological appro
ach to the assessment process, the current study further subdivided th
e assessment categories described by Minskoff et al. This approach ass
umes that the vocational competence of adults with learning disabiliti
es may be better understood in terms of their visual and auditory perc
eption verbal and nonverbal reasoning; verbal and mixed (verbal/nonver
bal) learning; linguistic and nonlinguistic memory; semantic, expressi
ve, and receptive language; basic and conceptual academic skills; and
social and psychological adjustments. The data analyses identify sever
al potential patterns of psychosocial and neuropsychological strengths
and weaknesses that may be important in vocational rehabilitation eff
orts.