Selective Samples and the Accuracy of Screening for Intellectual Disabilities: Learning Disability Screening Questionnaire

The Learning Disability Screening Questionnaire (LDSQ) was developed primarily to provide a short and effective screening instrument to indicate possible intellectual disability amongst persons who come in contact with the service system. This study examined the validity of the Norwegian version of LDSQ in a sample of 35 subjects. All participants were outpatients referred for neuropsychological examinations. WAIS-III full-scale score was used for criterion validity. At a stated cut-off score of 46.6%, LDSQ showed several false negatives and false positives but no true positives. This raises the question of whether this test represents a valid screening instrument for learning disabilities in a clinical sample.