Twists and turns in the early history of intelligence testing Alfred Binet (photo on left) developed intelligence testing early in the twentieth century as part of a French governmental effort to identify children who had “special needs” due to low intellectual performance and might “benefit from special education programs” (Nicolas & Levine, 2012, p. 323). Soon, however, the principles of intelligence testing turned in a different direction: from providing people with special opportunities to potentially denying them opportunities. At Ellis Island, the main point of immigration into the United States during the first half of the twentieth century, officials employed intelligence tests due to public concern that “the immigration authorities were failing to prevent mentally defective people from entering the country” (Richardson, 2003, p. 147). Officials eventually realized that many immigrants were obtaining low scores simple due to their lack of familiarity with the procedures and language of the tests being used.