THE ILLINOIS TEST OF PSYCHOLINGUISTIC ABILITIES:

The psycholinguistic model of learning disabilities and with it the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA), are in widespread use in the fields of special education and speech pathology. As occupational and physical therapists have become more involved in sensory integrative procedures, they are sometimes expected to interpret the Southern California Sensory Integrative Tests in relation to results on the ITPA. This paper provides an overview of the ITPA, describing the psycholinguistic model from which it was developed and the research on its usefulness, reliability and validity. Since the majority of studies suggest that the validity of the ITPA is questionable when it is not used in conjunction with other tests and since the tests may not be sensitive enough to therapeutic changes as a consequence of therapy, a recommendation is made that therapists exercise considerable discretion in using this test for research purposes. At the same time, the test may be a useful supplement in clinical evaluation.