1 Division of Ambulatory Pediatrics, The Children's Hospital, Boston
To grow up in contemporary society is to be measured and judged. Schoolchildren are assessed repeatedly and evaluated for their adequacy to meet the expectations of peers, parents, and educational milieux. Report cards, achievement tests, and psychologic instrumentation are routine. Development and administration of evaluative tools is a major growth industry in North America. No constituency is more aware of this than are students with academic underachievement and/or associated behavior problems. In many communities, such youngsters are besieged by specialists compelled to test them. The results of these examinations often have substantial implications for the way affected children are perceived and served.