Psychometric Properties of the English–Spanish Vocabulary Inventory in Toddlers With and Without Early Language Delay

Purpose: Despite the increasing population of dual language learners (DLLs) in the United States, vocabulary measures for young DLLs have largely relied on instruments developed for monolinguals. The multistudy project reports on the psychometric properties of the English–Spanish Vocabulary Inventory (ESVI), which was designed to capture unique cross-language measures of lexical knowledge that are critical for assessing DLLs' vocabulary, including translation equivalents (whether the child knows the words for the same concept in each language), total vocabulary (the number of words known across both languages), and conceptual vocabulary (the number of words known that represent unique concepts in either language). Method: Three studies included 87 Spanish–English DLLs ( M age = 26.58 months, SD = 2.86 months) with and without language delay from two geographic regions. Multiple measures (e.g., caregiver report, observation, behavioral tasks, and standardized assessments) determined content validity, construct validity, social validity, and criterion validity of the ESVI. Results: Monolingual instruments used in bilingual contexts significantly undercounted lexical knowledge as measured on the ESVI. Scores on the ESVI were related to performance on other measures of communication, indicating acceptable content, construct, and criterion validity. Social validity ratings were similarly positive. ESVI scores were also associated with suspected language delay. Conclusions: These studies provide initial evidence of the adequacy of the ESVI for use in research and clinical contexts with young children learning English and Spanish (with or without a language delay). Developing tools such as the ESVI promotes culturally and linguistically responsive practices that support accurate assessment of DLLs' lexical development. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.17704391

ADAPTATION OF FOREIGN CULTURAL STUDENTS TO THE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

The article is devoted to the problem of adaptation of foreign students studying at a medical university. The growth of integration processes in the educational system requires an understanding of the peculiarities of the adaptation process that accompanies young people who have arrived in Russia for higher education. The speed of adaptation to new conditions depends on many factors, and the proximity of cultures or awareness of its features, as well as knowledge of the language of the host country, is of no small importance. To study the peculiarities of adaptation of foreign students in Russia who arrived for medical education, we interviewed two groups of students, a total of 144 people, who arrived from near and far abroad. As a result of comparing the survey results, we found that a significant cultural distance and lack of knowledge of the Russian language delay the process of adaptation of a group of students from far abroad. Based on the results obtained, we have proposed ways to mitigate the adaptation process of foreign students.

Association between hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in the offspring

Objective: The long-term impact of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) exposure on offspring health is an emerging research area. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between a maternal diagnosis of HDP (gestational hypertension and preeclampsia) and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in the offspring. Study Design: A secondary analysis of two parallel multicenter clinical trials of thyroxine therapy for subclinical hypothyroid disorders in pregnancy. Women with singleton non-anomalous gestations diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroidism or hypothyroxinemia were randomized to thyroxine therapy or placebo. The primary outcome was child intelligence quotient (IQ) at 5 years of age. Secondary outcomes were Bayley-III cognitive, motor and language scores at 12 and 24 months, DAS-II scores at 36 months, the Conners’ Rating Scales-Revised at 48 months, and scores from the Child Behavior Checklist at 36 and 60 months. Associations between neurodevelopment outcomes and maternal HDP were examined using univariable and multivariable analyses. Results: A total of 112 woman-child dyads with HDP were compared with 1067 woman-child dyads without HDP. In univariable analysis, mean maternal age (26.7±5.9 vs. 27.8±5.7 years, p=0.032) and nulliparity (45.5% vs. 31.0%, p=0.002) differed significantly between the two groups. Maternal socioeconomic characteristics did not differ between the groups. After adjusting for potential confounders, there were no significant differences in primary or secondary neurodevelopment outcome between offspring exposed to HDP and those unexposed. However, when dichotomized as low or high scores, we found higher rates of language delay (language scores <85: -1 standard deviation) at two years of age among offspring exposed to HDP compared with those unexposed (46.5% versus 30.5%, adjusted odds ratio 2.22, 95% CI 1.44 - 3.42). Conclusions: In this cohort of pregnant women, HDP diagnosis was associated with language delay at 2 years of age. However, other long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring were not associated with HDP.

Grunt Vocalizations in Children With Disabilities: Relationships With Assessed Cognition and Language

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of the grunt vocalizations to cognitive and expressive language status in children with disabilities. Children with typical development produce communicative grunts at the onset of referential word production and comprehension at 14–16 months of age and continue to use this vocalization for communication as they develop language. Method All grunt vocalizations produced by 26 children with disabilities (mental age: 3–56 months; communicative age: 47–69 months) were identified from video-recorded seminaturalistic play sessions. Grunts were identified as accompanying effort or attention or as communicative bids. Participants were grouped as prelinguistic, emergent, language delay, and language competent based on standardized assessments of cognitive and language level. The Mann–Whitney U test (1947) compared groups to determine the relationships between grunt production and cognitive and language status. Results As hypothesized, participants in the language delay group produced significantly more communicative grunts than those in the language competent group ( W = 39, p = .028 < .05). The children with a cognitive and language level lower than 9 months (prelinguistic group) failed to produce communicative grunts. Conclusions The results document grunt production in children with disabilities in the same contexts as typical children and support the hypothesized relationship between assessed cognition and language and communicative grunt production. These results require replication. This vocalization, if recognized in treatment, may unlock verbal communication in many nonverbal children with disabilities. Future longitudinal research should include controlled intervention to determine the potential effectiveness of building broader communicative skills on this simple vocalization.

Language function following preterm birth: prediction using machine learning

Background Preterm birth can lead to impaired language development. This study aimed to predict language outcomes at 2 years corrected gestational age (CGA) for children born preterm. Methods We analysed data from 89 preterm neonates (median GA 29 weeks) who underwent diffusion MRI (dMRI) at term-equivalent age and language assessment at 2 years CGA using the Bayley-III. Feature selection and a random forests classifier were used to differentiate typical versus delayed (Bayley-III language composite score <85) language development. Results The model achieved balanced accuracy: 91%, sensitivity: 86%, and specificity: 96%. The probability of language delay at 2 years CGA is increased with: increasing values of peak width of skeletonized fractional anisotropy (PSFA), radial diffusivity (PSRD), and axial diffusivity (PSAD) derived from dMRI; among twins; and after an incomplete course of, or no exposure to, antenatal corticosteroids. Female sex and breastfeeding during the neonatal period reduced the risk of language delay. Conclusions The combination of perinatal clinical information and MRI features leads to accurate prediction of preterm infants who are likely to develop language deficits in early childhood. This model could potentially enable stratification of preterm children at risk of language dysfunction who may benefit from targeted early interventions. Impact A combination of clinical perinatal factors and neonatal DTI measures of white matter microstructure leads to accurate prediction of language outcome at 2 years corrected gestational age following preterm birth. A model that comprises clinical and MRI features that has potential to be scalable across centres. It offers a basis for enhancing the power and generalizability of diagnostic and prognostic studies of neurodevelopmental disorders associated with language impairment. Early identification of infants who are at risk of language delay, facilitating targeted early interventions and support services, which could improve the quality of life for children born preterm.

RELYING ON INFORMAL SOURCES IN SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY: WHY AND HOW?

This study aims to explore whether and why speech and language therapists (SLTs) use informal sources to guide their intervention decisions for children with developmental language delay (DLD). A qualitative study was conducted. Sixteen Turkish SLTs participated in this study. The methods of interviewing, participant observation and audio diary were used. An inductive thematic approach was taken to analyse the data. Five main themes were revealed from the data: 'The lack of trust in the formal standardised tests and sources', 'experience over theory', 'trial-error, 'other professionals’ opinion' and 'instinct' showed that the SLTs value variety of sources and their cumulative experience when making an intervention decision. While evidence-based practice (EBP) has been increasingly used and encouraged in the SLT profession, this study shows that informal sources play a significant role in SLTs' clinical reasoning. This study sheds light on the behind factors of relying on informal sources to make intervention decisions. The role and dynamic of using informal sources could help understand the value and risks of this approach in clinical reasoning. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0895/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>