Summary
Token Test performances by 32 learning disabled and 20 achieving adolescents were investigated and compared. Results indicated that the development of language processing abilities continues into adolescence, but that learning disabled subjects to not attain maturity at the same age as achieving subjects. A sub-group of learning disabled adolescents was characterized by language processing deficits involving reduced memory for critical elements and difficulty in performing the logical operations necessary to process linguistic concepts, suggesting reduced simultaneous analysis and synthesis. The findings indicate that the Token Test may be a useful tool, when used in its complete form, for the diagnosis of subtle receptive language disorders in learning disabled adolescents.