Psychology
in
the
Schools
Volume
23,
October
I986
THE PERFORMANCE OF LEARNING DISABLED CHILDREN ON THE
KAUFMAN ASSESSMENT BATTERY FOR CHILDREN AND THE
BENDER-GESTALT TEST
FREDERICK
A.
HADDAD
Clark
County
School
District,
Las
Vegas,
Nevada
Results
of
the K-ABC and Bender-Gestalt Test were compared for a sample of LD
children that included 24 blacks and 24 whites: mean age 9 years,
SD=
1-2.
A
non-
significant difference was found between the mean scores
of
the K-ABC Sequential
and Simultaneous Scales. A significant
(p<
.01)
correlation coefficient was found be-
tween the K-ABC Simultaneous Scale and the Bender-Gestalt Test error score
(r=
-
37).
A nonsignificant correlation coefficient was found between the K-ABC
Sequential Scale and the Bender-Gestalt Test error score
(r=
-
.20). Implications
of
these findings are discussed.
The recent publication of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC)
(Kaufman
&
Kaufman,
1983)
has generated lively debate by researchers and keen in-
terest from practitioners. Researcher interest is noted by the articles contained in the
Journal
of
Special Education,
Fall,
1984
issue, which is devoted entirely to the K-ABC.
An understanding of the issues and theoretical considerations discussed by the various
authors in this publication is essential for an overall perspective of the K-ABC.
Although practitioners share researchers’ interest in theoretical debates about the
K-ABC, their needs are more immediate. Practitioners, especially those working in
schools, test children on an almost daily basis, and their interpretations of test results
are used to make major educational decisions about children. The Kaufmans anticipated
this immediate need and included results of validity studies, conducted just prior to
publication
of
their test, in the
K-ABC
Interpretive Manual
(Kaufman
&
Kaufman,
1983)
about how the results of the K-ABC relate to the array of traditionally available tests,
especially those used in the
assessment-diagnosis-placement
process of exceptional
samples. However, practitioners need to know if the results of the validity studies on
the K-ABC can be duplicated.
The Kaufmans
(1983)
reported results of
a
validity study that had immediate im-
plications for practitioners. That study, validity study
#32
(Kaufman
&
Kaufman,
1983),
showed that the Bender-Gestalt Test (Bender,
1946)
developmental error score correlated
.30
with the K-ABC Simultaneous Scale and
.08
with the Sequential Scale with a sample
of LD children. This result suggested that the requirements of the Bender-Gestalt Test
may be interpreted as a simultaneous task for LD children and thus add a visual-motor
component for an overall understanding of
a
child’s ability to process stimuli
simultaneously. Support for the relationship between figure copying and simultaneous
processing prior to the Kaufmans’ work was offered by the empirical work of Das, Kirby,
and Jarman
(1979).
So
that practitioners can be more confident of their interpretation
of the relationship between the K-ABC and Bender-Gestalt Test, replication of the results
of validity study
#32
(Kaufman
&
Kaufman,
1983)
was conducted. It
was
the aim of
this study
to
compare scores of LD children on the K-ABC and Bender-Gestalt Test.
Request reprints from Fred Haddad, Seigle Diagnostic Center, 420 South 16th St., Clark County School
District, Las Vegas,
NV
89101.
342