Comparison of Severity Ratings on Norm-Referenced Tests for Children with Specific Language Impairment

Autor/in	Spaulding, Tammie J.
Titel	Comparison of Severity Ratings on Norm-Referenced Tests for Children with Specific Language Impairment
Quelle	In: Journal of Communication Disorders, 45 (2012) 1, S.59-68 (10 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0021-9924
DOI	10.1016/j.jcomdis.2011.11.003
Schlagwörter	Language Impairments; Preschool Children; Severity (of Disability); Classification; Reliability; Norm Referenced Tests; Child Language; Language Proficiency + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Speech disorder; Speech disorders; Speech disabilities; Speech disability; Speech handicap; Speech handicaps; Speech impairment; Speech impairments; Language handicaps; Sprachbehinderung; Pre-school age; Preschool age; Child; Children; Pre-school education; Preschool education; Vorschulalter; Kind; Kinder; Vorschulkind; Vorschulkinder; Vorschulerziehung; Vorschule; Schweregrad; Classification system; Klassifikation; Klassifikationssystem; Reliabilität; 'Children''s language'; Kindersprache; Language skill; Language skills; Sprachkompetenz
Abstract	Purpose: This study evaluated the consistency in severity classifications for children with language impairment on tests of child language. Methods: The TELD-3 and the UTLD-4 were administered to 16 preschool children with specific language impairment (SLI) and 16 typical controls. The boundaries described in the test manuals were used to assign language proficiency ratings to these children and to subsequently evaluate the consistency in these designations. Results: Performance categories were more consistent for the typical children than for the children with SLI. When evaluating how children perform on the two tests, the severity category remained consistent for only 19% of the children with SLI when using the severity category boundaries recommended within the test manuals. Conclusions: Clinicians should be cautious in assigning severity of impairment classifications to children with language impairment based, in part or in whole, on their performance on norm-referenced tests. Learning outcomes: Readers will see the importance of relying on empirical evidence to support their clinical decisions, specifically in the area of severity of impairment determinations. Readers will learn of the lack of stability in severity of language impairment classifications for children with language impairment on tests of child language. Consequently, readers will learn to be cautious in the selection of norm-referenced tests of child language for the purposes of informing severity of impairment determinations. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10