Comparison of Three Formal Methods of Preschool Language Assessment

1984 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 146-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caven S. Mcloughlin ◽  
Dominic F. Gullo
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Verbal Ability ◽  
Language Assessment ◽  
Auditory Comprehension ◽  
Early Language ◽  
Preschool Language ◽  
Early Language Development ◽  
White Middle Class ◽  
Scale Scores ◽  
Global Language

Three standardized language assessment measures were individually administered in counterbalanced order to 25 nonreferred, White, middle-class preschool children. Administered were the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised and the Test of Early Language Development which are primarily language-screening instruments that elicit a global language quotient. Additionally, the Preschool Language Scale which purports to measure subskills of language development was administered. Correlations among the three measures were statistically significant suggesting an interrelationship of high criterion validity. The Preschool Language Scale scores were inflated by comparison with the other two measures. The Peabody test significantly predicted 53%, 48%, and 35% of the variance in Preschool Language Scale total, verbal ability, and auditory comprehension scores, respectively. The Test of Early Language Development added less than 3% of predictive power to each of these scores. The implication for psychometrics, diagnosis of language differences, and prescription are discussed.

scholarly journals Infant-Directed Speech Enhances Attention to Speech in Deaf Infants With Cochlear Implants

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (11) ◽  
pp. 3321-3333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanyuan Wang ◽  
Tonya R. Bergeson ◽  
Derek M. Houston
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Auditory Comprehension ◽  
Language Outcomes ◽  
Preschool Language ◽  
Early Language Development ◽  
Infant Language

Purpose Both theoretical models of infant language acquisition and empirical studies posit important roles for attention to speech in early language development. However, deaf infants with cochlear implants (CIs) show reduced attention to speech as compared with their peers with normal hearing (NH; Horn, Davis, Pisoni, & Miyamoto, 2005; Houston, Pisoni, Kirk, Ying, & Miyamoto, 2003), which may affect their acquisition of spoken language. The main purpose of this study was to determine (a) whether infant-directed speech (IDS) enhances attention to speech in infants with CIs, as compared with adult-directed speech (ADS), and (b) whether the degree to which infants with CIs pay attention to IDS is associated with later language outcomes. Method We tested 46 infants—12 prelingually deaf infants who received CIs before 24 months of age and had 12 months of hearing experience (CI group), 22 hearing experience–matched infants with NH (NH-HEM group), and 12 chronological age–matched infants with NH (NH-CAM group)—on their listening preference in 3 randomized blocks: IDS versus silence, ADS versus silence, and IDS versus ADS. We administered the Preschool Language Scale–Fourth Edition (PLS-4; Zimmerman, Steiner, & Pond, 2002) approximately 18 months after implantation to assess receptive and expressive language skills of infants with CIs. Results In the IDS versus silence block, all 3 groups looked significantly longer to IDS than to silence. In the ADS versus silence block, both the NH-HEM and NH-CAM groups looked significantly longer to ADS relative to silence; however, the CI group did not show any preference. In the IDS versus ADS block, whereas both the CI and NH-HEM groups preferred IDS over ADS, the NH-CAM group looked equally long to IDS and ADS. IDS preference quotient among infants with CIs in the IDS versus ADS block was associated with PLS-4 Auditory Comprehension and PLS-4 Expressive Communication measures. Conclusions Two major findings emerge: (a) IDS enhances attention to speech in deaf infants with CIs; (b) the degree of IDS preference over ADS relates to language development in infants with CIs. These results support a focus on input in developing intervention strategies to mitigate the effects of hearing loss on language development in infants with hearing loss.

Overheard: Know Your Morphemes

ASHA Leader ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 16-17
Author(s):  
Julie Wolter
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Literacy Development ◽  
Morphological Awareness ◽  
Early Language ◽  
Online Chat ◽  
Early Language Development

Julie Wolter, an expert in early language development, recently led an online chat about the contribution of morphological awareness to semantic understanding and literacy development. Here's what the Leader overheard ...

scholarly journals Variations in the Home Language Environment and Early Language Development in Rural China

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2671
Author(s):  
Yue Ma ◽  
Laura Jonsson ◽  
Tianli Feng ◽  
Tyler Weisberg ◽  
Teresa Shao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Child Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Early Language ◽  
Early Language Development ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
Conversational Turns ◽  
Home Language Environment

The home language environment is critical to early language development and subsequent skills. However, few studies have quantitatively measured the home language environment in low-income, developing settings. This study explores variations in the home language environment and child language skills among households in poor rural villages in northwestern China. Audio recordings were collected for 38 children aged 20–28 months and analyzed using Language Environment Analysis (LENA) software; language skills were measured using the MacArthur–Bates Mandarin Communicative Developmental Inventories expressive vocabulary scale. The results revealed large variability in both child language skills and home language environment measures (adult words, conversational turns, and child vocalizations) with 5- to 6-fold differences between the highest and lowest scores. Despite variation, however, the average number of adult words and conversational turns were lower than found among urban Chinese children. Correlation analyses did not identify significant correlations between demographic characteristics and the home language environment. However, the results do indicate significant correlations between the home language environment and child language skills, with conversational turns showing the strongest correlation. The results point to a need for further research on language engagement and ways to increase parent–child interactions to improve early language development among young children in rural China.

Gestural Communication in Deaf Children: The Effects and Noneffects of Parental Input on Early Language Development

1984 ◽  
Vol 49 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Goldin-Meadow ◽  
Carolyn Mylander ◽  
Jill de Villiers ◽  
Elizabeth Bates ◽  
Virginia Volterra
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Deaf Children ◽  
Gestural Communication ◽  
Early Language ◽  
Early Language Development ◽  
Parental Input

scholarly journals Inference and exact numerical representation in early language development

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Barner ◽  
Asaf Bachrach
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Available P ◽  
Scalar Implicature ◽  
Numerical Representation ◽  
Early Language ◽  
Present Evidence ◽  
Early Language Development ◽  
Do So

How do children as young as 2 years of age know that numerals, like one,have exact interpretations, while quantifiers and words like a do not?Previous studies have argued that only numerals have exact lexicalmeanings. Children could not use scalar implicature to strengthen numeralmeanings, it is argued, since they fail to do so for quantifiers(Papafragou & Musolino, 2003). Against this view, we present evidence thatchildren’s early interpretation of numerals does rely on scalarimplicature, and argue that differences between numerals and quantifiersare due to differences in the availability of the respective scales ofwhich they are members. Evidence from previous studies establishes that (1)children can make scalar inferences when interpreting numerals, (2)children initially assign weak, non-exact interpretations to numerals whenfirst acquiring their meanings, and (3) children can strengthen quantifierinterpretations when scalar alternatives are made explicitly available.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document