Use of AAC as a New System in Communication Disorder

An Investigation of Sex-Bias in Classroom Teachers' Speech and Language Referrals

Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools ◽

10.1044/0161-1461.1103.169 ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 169-174 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ellen Marie Silverman ◽

Katherine Van Opens

Keyword(s):

School Districts ◽

Voice Disorders ◽

Communication Disorders ◽

Sixth Grade ◽

Sex Bias ◽

Classroom Teachers ◽

Communication Disorder ◽

Primary Procedure ◽

Teacher Referrals ◽

Grade Classroom

Kindergarten through sixth grade classroom teachers in four school districts completed questionnaires designed to determine whether they would be more likely to refer a boy than a girl with an identical communication disorder. The teachers were found to be equally likely to refer a girl as a boy who presented a disorder of articulation, language, or voice, but they were more likely to refer a boy for speech-language remediation who presented the disorder of stuttering. The tendency for the teachers to allow the sex of a child to influence their likelihood of referral for stuttering remediation, to overlook a sizeable percentage of children with chronic voice disorders, and to be somewhat inaccurate generally in their referrals suggests that teacher referrals are best used as an adjunct to screening rather than as a primary procedure to locate children with communication disorders.

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Applying Item Response Theory Modeling to Identify Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2020_jslhr-19-00284 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (6) ◽

pp. 1916-1932 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Haiying Yuan ◽

Christine Dollaghan

Keyword(s):

Item Response Theory ◽

Item Response ◽

Sensitivity And Specificity ◽

Social Communication ◽

National Database ◽

Communication Disorder ◽

Social Communication Questionnaire ◽

Autism Research ◽

The Social ◽

Pragmatic Communication

Purpose No diagnostic tools exist for identifying social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SPCD), a new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition category for individuals with social communication deficits but not the repetitive, restricted behaviors and interests (RRBIs) that would qualify them for a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We explored the value of items from a widely used screening measure of ASD for distinguishing SPCD from typical controls (TC; Aim 1) and from ASD (Aim 2). Method We applied item response theory (IRT) modeling to Social Communication Questionnaire–Lifetime ( Rutter, Bailey, & Lord, 2003 ) records available in the National Database for Autism Research. We defined records from putative SPCD ( n = 54), ASD ( n = 278), and TC ( n = 274) groups retrospectively, based on National Database for Autism Research classifications and Autism Diagnostic Interview–Revised responses. After assessing model assumptions, estimating model parameters, and measuring model fit, we identified items in the social communication and RRBI domains that were maximally informative in differentiating the groups. Results IRT modeling identified a set of seven social communication items that distinguished SPCD from TC with sensitivity and specificity > 80%. A set of five RRBI items was less successful in distinguishing SPCD from ASD (sensitivity and specificity < 70%). Conclusion The IRT modeling approach and the Social Communication Questionnaire–Lifetime item sets it identified may be useful in efforts to construct screening and diagnostic measures for SPCD.

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