Colorado Learning Difficulties Questionnaire For Learning Disabilities

The article “Colorado Learning Difficulties Questionnaire: Validation of a Parent-Report Screening Measure,” published in Psychological Assessment (2011), by Erik G. Willcutt and colleagues, introduces and evaluates the Colorado Learning Difficulties Questionnaire (CLDQ). This 20-item parent-report rating scale was developed to screen for learning difficulties in children and adolescents across two community samples and two clinical samples, totaling 8,004 participants. The study aimed to validate the CLDQ by examining its internal structure and its convergent and discriminant validity.

The CLDQ was found to encompass five distinct but related dimensions: reading, math, social cognition, social anxiety, and spatial difficulties. The questionnaire demonstrated strong convergent and discriminant evidence for its Reading scale, suggesting it could be a useful tool for screening reading difficulties in both research and clinical settings. The other four scales—math, social cognition, social anxiety, and spatial—also showed promising results, but further research is needed to refine these measures.

Learning disabilities (LDs) are significant due to their prevalence and the associated negative outcomes they can have on individuals’ academic achievements, emotional wellbeing, and future success. The study highlights the necessity of including LD assessment measures in clinical and research settings, despite the extensive time usually required for such evaluations. The CLDQ emerges as a potentially efficient tool for screening various learning difficulties, enabling targeted investigations when comprehensive assessments are not feasible.

This validation of the CLDQ represents a significant step forward in the field of educational psychology, offering a practical, parent-friendly tool for early identification of learning difficulties. Future research should focus on expanding and refining the scale, exploring its application across different populations, and integrating it into broader diagnostic and intervention frameworks.