Differentiating School-Aged Children With and Without Language Impairment Using Tense and Grammaticality Measures From a Narrative Task

2016 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 317-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling-Yu Guo ◽  
Phyllis Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Likelihood Ratios ◽  
Verb Morphology ◽  
Story Generation ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Sensitive Tool ◽  
Good Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

Purpose To determine the diagnostic accuracy of the finite verb morphology composite (FVMC), number of errors per C-unit (Errors/CU), and percent grammatical C-units (PGCUs) in differentiating school-aged children with language impairment (LI) and those with typical language development (TL). Method Participants were 61 six-year-olds (50 TL, 11 LI) and 67 eight-year-olds (50 TL, 17 LI). Narrative samples were collected using a story-generation format. FVMC, Errors/CU, and PGCUs were computed from the samples. Results All of the three measures showed acceptable to good diagnostic accuracy at age 6, but only PGCUs showed acceptable diagnostic accuracy at age 8 when sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios were considered. Conclusion FVMC, Errors/CU, and PGCUs can all be used in combination with other tools to identify school-aged children with LI. However, FVMC and Errors/CU may be an appropriate diagnostic tool up to age 6. PGCUs, in contrast, may be a sensitive tool for identifying children with LI at least up to age 8 years.

Clausal Density Between Ages 4 and 9 Years for the Edmonton Narrative Norms Instrument: Reference Data and Psychometric Properties

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Ling-Yu Guo ◽  
Phyllis Schneider ◽  
William Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Reference Data ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Criterion Validity ◽  
Likelihood Ratios ◽  
Generation Task ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

Purpose This study provided reference data and examined psychometric properties for clausal density (CD; i.e., number of clauses per utterance) in children between ages 4 and 9 years from the database of the Edmonton Narrative Norms Instrument (ENNI). Method Participants in the ENNI database included 300 children with typical language (TL) and 77 children with language impairment (LI) between the ages of 4;0 (years;months) and 9;11. Narrative samples were collected using a story generation task, in which children were asked to tell stories based on six picture sequences. CD was computed from the narrative samples. The split-half reliability, concurrent criterion validity, and diagnostic accuracy were evaluated for CD by age. Results CD scores increased significantly between ages 4 and 9 years in children with TL and those with LI. Children with TL produced higher CD scores than those with LI at each age level. In addition, the correlation coefficients for the split-half reliability and concurrent criterion validity of CD scores were all significant at each age level, with the magnitude ranging from small to large. The diagnostic accuracy of CD scores, as revealed by sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios, was poor. Conclusions The finding on diagnostic accuracy did not support the use of CD for identifying children with LI between ages 4 and 9 years. However, given the attested reliability and validity for CD, reference data of CD from the ENNI database can be used for evaluating children's difficulties with complex syntax and monitoring their change over time. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.13172129

scholarly journals Extending the Application of Tense and Agreement Measures: A Reply to Rispoli and Hadley (2018)

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 1460-1461
Author(s):  
Laurence B. Leonard ◽  
Eileen Haebig ◽  
Patricia Deevy ◽  
Barbara Brown
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Sample Sizes ◽  
Verb Morphology ◽  
Specific Language ◽  
Direct Activation ◽  
Two Measures ◽  
Good Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Finite Verb

Purpose In this reply, we respond to comments on our article “Tracking the Growth of Tense and Agreement in Children With Specific Language Impairment: Differences Between Measures of Accuracy, Diversity, and Productivity.” Conclusion The finite verb morphology composite can be disproportionately affected by frequently occurring grammatical forms produced through direct activation. This assumption was one of the reasons we wished to compare this measure to the tense marker total and the tense/agreement productivity score. The latter two measures provide valuable developmental information that is not available from the finite morphology composite. Yet, the finite verb morphology composite shows good diagnostic accuracy and an interpretable pattern of growth and is relatively stable across different sample sizes.

scholarly journals Comparing lung ultrasound: extensive versus short in COVID-19 (CLUES): a multicentre, observational study at the emergency department

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. e048795
Author(s):  
Bram Kok ◽  
Frederik Schuit ◽  
Arthur Lieveld ◽  
Kaoutar Azijli ◽  
Prabath WB Nanayakkara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Prospective Observational Study ◽  
Lung Ultrasound ◽  
Final Diagnosis ◽  
Likelihood Ratios ◽  
Reverse Transcription Pcr ◽  
Registration Number ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

BackgroundBedside lung ultrasound (LUS) is an affordable diagnostic tool that could contribute to identifying COVID-19 pneumonia. Different LUS protocols are currently used at the emergency department (ED) and there is a need to know their diagnostic accuracy.DesignA multicentre, prospective, observational study, to compare the diagnostic accuracy of three commonly used LUS protocols in identifying COVID-19 pneumonia at the ED.Setting/patientsAdult patients with suspected COVID-19 at the ED, in whom we prospectively performed 12-zone LUS and SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription PCR.MeasurementsWe assessed diagnostic accuracy for three different ultrasound protocols using both PCR and final diagnosis as a reference standard.ResultsBetween 19 March 2020 and 4 May 2020, 202 patients were included. Sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive value compared with PCR for 12-zone LUS were 91.4% (95% CI 84.4 to 96.0), 83.5% (95% CI 74.6 to 90.3) and 90.0% (95% CI 82.7 to 94.4). For 8-zone and 6-zone protocols, these results were 79.7 (95% CI 69.9 to 87.6), 69.0% (95% CI 59.6 to 77.4) and 81.3% (95% CI 73.8 to 87.0) versus 89.9% (95% CI 81.7 to 95.3), 57.5% (95% CI 47.9 to 66.8) and 87.8% (95% CI 79.2 to 93.2). Negative likelihood ratios for 12, 8 and 6 zones were 0.1, 0.3 and 0.2, respectively. Compared with the final diagnosis specificity increased to 83.5% (95% CI 74.6 to 90.3), 78.4% (95% CI 68.8 to 86.1) and 65.0% (95% CI 54.6 to 74.4), respectively, while the negative likelihood ratios were 0.1, 0.2 and 0.16.ConclusionIdentifying COVID-19 pneumonia at the ED can be aided by bedside LUS. The more efficient 6-zone protocol is an excellent screening tool, while the 12-zone protocol is more specific and gives a general impression on lung involvement.Trial registration numberNL8497.

scholarly journals Seeking a Valid Gold Standard for an Innovative, Dialect-Neutral Language Test

2014 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 495-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Zurer Pearson ◽  
Janice E. Jackson ◽  
Haotian Wu
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Gold Standard ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Clinical Status ◽  
Variation Norm ◽  
American Children ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity ◽  
Neutral Language ◽  
Gold Standards

PurposeIn this study, the authors explored alternative gold standards to validate an innovative, dialect-neutral language assessment.MethodParticipants were 78 African American children, ages 5;0 (years;months) to 6;11. Twenty participants had previously been identified as having language impairment. The Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation—Norm Referenced (DELV–NR; Seymour, Roeper, & J. de Villiers, 2005) was administered, and concurrent language samples (LSs) were collected. Using LS profiles as the gold standard, sensitivity, specificity, and other measures of diagnostic accuracy were compared for diagnoses made from the DELV–NR and participants' clinical status prior to recruitment. In a second analysis, the authors used results from the first analysis to make evidence-based adjustments in the estimates of DELV–NR diagnostic accuracy.ResultsAccuracy of the DELV–NR relative to LS profiles was greater than that of prior diagnoses, indicating that the DELV–NR was an improvement over preexisting diagnoses for this group. Specificity met conventional standards, but sensitivity was somewhat low. Reanalysis using the positive and negative predictive power of the preexisting diagnosis in a discrepant-resolution procedure revealed that estimates for sensitivity and specificity for the DELV–NR were .85 and .93, respectively.ConclusionThe authors found that, even after making allowances for the imperfection of available gold standards, clinical decisions made with the DELV–NR achieved high values on conventional measures of diagnostic accuracy.

scholarly journals MicroRNAs as Biomarkers for the Diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangbi Li ◽  
Xiaoping Xie ◽  
Weibing Liu ◽  
Feng Gu ◽  
Ke Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ankylosing Spondylitis ◽  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Likelihood Ratio ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Positive Likelihood Ratio ◽  
Negative Likelihood Ratio ◽  
Diagnostic Odds Ratio ◽  
Good Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

Background: Abnormal expression levels of microRNAs (miRNAs) were observed in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in recent articles, suggesting that miRNAs may be used as biomarkers for AS diagnoses. In this paper, we conducted a meta-analysis to identify the overall diagnostic accuracy of miRNA biomarkers in AS patients.Methods: An extensive search was undertaken in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane databases, and Wan Fang database up to 30 December 2020 using the following key words: (“microRNAs” or “microRNA” or “miRNA” or “miR” or “RNA, Micro” or “Primary MicroRNA”) and (“Spondylitis Ankylosing” or “Spondyloarthritis Ankylopoietica” or “Ankylosing Spondylarthritis” or “Ankylosing Spondylarthritides” or “Spondylarthritides Ankylosing” or “Ankylosing Spondylitis”) and (“blood” or “serum” or “plasma”). Statistical evaluation of dysregulated miRNAs using the sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and the area under the curve (AUC).Results: Twenty-nine articles reporting on the miRNAs of AS were included. A total of 42 miRNAs were observed to be up-regulated and 45 miRNAs were down-regulated in the AS cases compared with the controls. Besides, 29 studies from nine articles were included in our meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, DOR, and AUC were 0. 76 (95% CI, 0.70–0.81), 0.80 (95% CI, 0.74–0.85), 3.75 (95% CI, 2.82–5.01), 0.30 (95% CI, 0.24–0.39), 12.32 (95% CI, 7.65–19.83), 0.85 (95% CI, 0.81–0.88), respectively, suggesting a good diagnostic accuracy of miRNAs for AS.Conclusions: Circulating miRNAs are deregulated in AS patients. miRNAs may be used as a relatively non-invasive biomarkers for the detection of AS.

“But I first… and then he kept picking”

2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 349-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanyu Tsai ◽  
Chien-ju Chang
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Narrative Structure ◽  
Discourse Context ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Narrative Assessment ◽  
Narrative Skill ◽  
Narrative Performance ◽  
Performance Results

This study investigates the narrative skill of school-aged children with language impairment in Taiwan. Twelve children, 6 children with language impairment (LI) and 6 children with typical language development (TLD), aged from 8;0 to 9;5 participated in this study. They were asked to tell three personally experienced stories and the longest one was selected and coded along four dimensions, i.e., narrative structure, conjunction, referential strategies, and discourse context. The revision of the Chinese Narrative Assessment Profile (NAP) was also used to score children’s narrative performance. Results show that the children with LI had more difficulties in producing clear, coherent narratives. In comparison with the stories narrated by children with TLD, the stories produced by children with LI exhibited fewer narrative components, evaluation devices, and connectives, but more ambiguous referencing information was evident in their narratives. The narrative profile of each child with LI, however, varied. Limitations of this study and suggestions for further research on narrative skill in children with LI were provided.

scholarly journals Diagnostic Value of Autoantibodies in Lung Cancer: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 2631-2646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangyue Qin ◽  
Ni Zeng ◽  
Ting Yang ◽  
Chun Wan ◽  
Lei Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Cyclin B1 ◽  
Diagnostic Value ◽  
Likelihood Ratios ◽  
Summary Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

Background/Aims: Recently, many studies have demonstrated that various tumor-associated autoantibodies have been detected in early stages of lung cancer. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to comprehensively evaluate available evidence on the diagnostic value of autoantibodies against tumor-associated antigens in lung cancer. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and other databases through 23 March 2018. Study quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2. We used the bivariate mixed-effect models to calculate pooled values of sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratios, negative likelihood ratios, diagnostic odds ratios and associated 95% confidence intervals. Summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves were used to summarize overall test performance. Deek’s funnel plot was used to detect publication bias. Results: Review of 468 candidate articles identified fifty-three articles with a total of 11,515 patients for qualitative review and meta-analysis. Pooled sensitivity, specificity and area under the SROC curve were as follows for tumor-associated autoantibodies against the following proteins: p53, 0.19, 0.98, 0.82; NY-ESO-1, 0.17, 0.98, 0.90; Survivin, 0.19, 0.99, 0.96; c-myc, 0.14, 0.98, 0.45; Cyclin B1, 0.18, 0.98, 0.91; GBU4-5, 0.07, 0.98, 0.91; CAGE, 0.14, 0.98, 0.90; p16, 0.08, 0.97, 0.91; SOX2, 0.14, 0.99, 0.93; and HuD, 0.17, 0.99, 0.82. Conclusion: Each tumor-associated autoantibody on its own showed excellent diagnostic specificity for lung cancer but inadequate sensitivity. Our results suggest that combinations or panels of tumor-associated autoantibodies may provide better sensitivity for diagnosing lung cancer, and the diagnostic accuracy of tumor-associated autoantibodies should be validated in more studies.

scholarly journals Evaluation of a cryptococcal antigen lateral flow assay test for rapid detection of cryptococcal infection in HIV-negative patients in Ibadan, Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-96
Author(s):  
S.A. Fayemiwo ◽  
O.B. Makanjuola ◽  
J. Nwaokenye ◽  
M.O. Owolabi
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Lateral Flow ◽  
Lateral Flow Assay ◽  
Likelihood Ratios ◽  
Cryptococcal Antigen ◽  
Cryptococcal Infection ◽  
Test Kit ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity ◽  
Hiv Negative

Background: A number of studies have been conducted in Nigeria on the prevalence of cryptococcal infections mostly on HIV-infected patients using culture, India ink and/or latex agglutination tests. These tests are either laborious, time-consuming and expensive or have low sensitivity, thus limiting their use. Cryptococcal antigen lateral flow assays (LFA) were introduced in the last decade as rapid user-friendly tests for diagnosis. In this study, we sought to determine the diagnostic accuracy of an LFA kit for the detection of cryptococcal antigen in the serum of HIV-negative patients with or without cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or stroke in University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.Methodology: The diagnostic accuracy of Dynamiker CrAg LFA was tested against BiosynexR CryptoPS on serum samples of 100 HIV-negative patients with and without stroke. Samples were tested and results interpreted in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and positive and negative likelihood ratios of the Dynamiker CrAg LFA were calculated by comparing with the BiosynexR CryptoPS as ‘gold standard’.Results: Overall, a total of 98 valid patient sample results were analysed; 17 samples (17.3%) were positive with Dynamiker CrAg LFA cryptococcal antigen and 16 samples (16.3%) were positive with BiosynexR CryptoPS. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of Dynamiker CrAg LFA compared to the BiosynexR CryptoPS were 100%, 98.8%, 94.1% and 100% respectively, while the positive and negative likelihood ratios were 82 and 0 respectively.Conclusion: In comparison to the BiosynexR CryptoPS, the Dynamiker CrAg LFA is a highly sensitive and specific test for the detection of cryptococcal antigen in serum. The test kit should be considered as a screening device for cryptococcal infection both in outreach and clinical settings, especially in antiretroviral therapy (ART) centres. Keywords: Cryptococcus; evaluation; lateral flow assay; HIV-negative; stroke

scholarly journals Diagnostic Accuracy of 64-Slice Computed Tomography Angiography in Patients with Chest Pain vs. SPECT in the Assessment of Significant Coronary Artery Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Jamali ◽  
Rajabali Daroudi ◽  
Masih Tajdini ◽  
Ali Akbari Sari ◽  
Sajad Alaei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Odds Ratio ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Diagnostic Odds Ratio ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Likelihood Ratios ◽  
History Of ◽  
Artery Disease ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

Context: This systematic review and meta-analysis intended to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography angiography (CTA) in comparison with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) in chest pain patients with no history of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Methods: Invasive angiography was considered as the reference test with a stenosis threshold of ≥ 50%. Cochrane, Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed, and Embase databases were comprehensively searched from the time of inception of these databases to May 15, 2018. A manual search in Google Scholar, a reference review of the obtained studies, and a review of gray literature (including those presented in conferences and congresses) regarding diagnostic performances of CTA and SPECT techniques were performed independently by two researchers. A meta-analysis was performed to determine pooling estimates of sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratio, and positive as well as negative likelihood ratios in CTA and SPECT tests. According to the 2 × 2 contingency table of each study, at 0.95 confidence interval, the diagnostic accuracy of CTA and SPECT was meta-analyzed by pooling estimates of sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and positive and negative likelihood ratios based on DerSimonian-Laird’s random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed by calculating I2. Analyses were performed using MetaDiSc version 1.4 and Stata version 11. The qualities of the selected studies were assessed independently by two researchers according to the quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies (QUADAS) questionnaire. Sensitivity analyses were performed by the Jackknife method. Publication bias was evaluated by Deeks’ funnel plot. Results: Fourteen studies related to CTA (1206 individuals) and 15 related to SPECT (1638 individuals) were eligible for meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity and the specificity of CTA for CAD diagnosis were 91% (95% CI, 88% - 94%) and 87% (95% CI, 84% - 98%), respectively. The pooled positive and negative likelihood ratios, the diagnostic odds ratio, and the area under the ROC curve for CTA were 7.93 (95% CI, 5.11 - 12.29), 0.1 (95% CI, 0.06 - 0.17), 95.71 (95% CI, 59.81 - 153.15), and 0.96, respectively. The pooled sensitivity and the specificity of SPECT for CAD diagnosis were 81% (95% CI, 79% - 83%) and 74% (95% CI, 71% - 78%), respectively. The pooled positive and negative likelihood ratios, the diagnostic odds ratio, and the area under the ROC curve for SPECT were 3.03 (95% CI, 2.34 - 3.91), 0.25 (95% CI, 0.21 - 0.30), 13.56 (95% CI, 10.60 - 12.34), and 0.86, respectively. According to the sensitivity analyses, the removal of any single study at a time did not change the effect size of the remaining studies. We observed symmetry in the Deeks’ funnel plot, indicating that there was ignorable publication bias for CTA and SPECT studies. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the diagnostic accuracies of CTA and SPECT tests lie in the ‘excellent’ and the ‘very good’ ranges, respectively. CTA is stronger evidence, than SPECT, to rule out CVDs in patients with low and intermediate risks of CAD with no history of cardiovascular diseases.

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