[Assessment of cognitive abilities of mentally retarded children: applying the Kaufman-Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) with children with Down's syndrome].

Standardized tests only give limited information on the intellectual competencies of children with learning difficulties due to problems such as the "floor effect", poor differentiation in the lower range of functioning and flat profiles. Therefore, Reynolds and Clark (1985) suggested supplementing the standard analysis on the basis of chronological age with an alternative form of analysis on the basis of the developmental age level. The present study compares both forms of analysis for a group of 15 children with Down's syndrome tested with the Kaufman-Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC). The standardized analysis resulted in flat profiles in the lowest range, showing little difference within and between the children. On the other hand, the alternative analysis demonstrated a high variability with a number of individual strengths and weaknesses as well as trends for this group of children. While the standardized analysis allows the determination of the level of intellectual capability, the determination of individual strengths and weaknesses through the alternative analysis can be an important basis for individualized training and therapy.