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

Disruption Leads to Methodological and Analytic Innovation in Developmental Sciences: Recommendations for Remote Administration and Dealing With Messy Data

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted data collection for longitudinal studies in developmental sciences to an immeasurable extent. Restrictions on conducting in-person standardized assessments have led to disruptive innovation, in which novel methods are applied to increase participant engagement. Here, we focus on remote administration of behavioral assessment. We argue that these innovations in remote assessment should become part of the new standard protocol in developmental sciences to facilitate data collection in populations that may be hard to reach or engage due to burdensome requirements (e.g., multiple in-person assessments). We present a series of adaptations to developmental assessments (e.g., Mullen) and a detailed discussion of data analytic approaches to be applied in the less-than-ideal circumstances encountered during the pandemic-related shutdown (i.e., missing or messy data). Ultimately, these remote approaches actually strengthen the ability to gain insight into developmental populations and foster pragmatic innovation that should result in enduring change.

Discussion of Issues Related to Score Use and Interpretation of First Spoken and Signed Language Assessments

A standardized assessment of spoken languages will collect data from native, monolingual speakers, thus establishing the range of receptive and/or expressive abilities of children across different ages. Similarly, normative data for standardized assessments of signed language are established by collecting data from native signing deaf children. Where the difference arises is the way in which the normative data relate to the target populations and the individuals within those populations who are being assessed. While standardized assessments of spoken language are normed on and predominantly intended for use with native speakers of that language, standardized assessments of signed language are intrinsically designed for use with a heterogenous group of children, of whom only a minority have the opportunity of learning signed language as their native language. In this chapter, key items related to score use and interpretation in first language (L1) assessment that were presented in Chapters 2.1 and 2.2 will be jointly discussed by the authors.

Score Use and Interpretation of First Spoken Language Assessments

Several elements are involved in collecting valid and reliable information about a child’s spoken language abilities. The use and interpretation of commercially available “standardized” spoken language assessments is but one of these elements and can only take place when assessments have been developed for use with the child’s language, something that is far from being a given in many countries and languages. This chapter discusses the use of norm-referenced and other types of standardized assessments (which may involve standardized administration but not normative data) for the assessment of different aspects or areas of children’s language. In addition, the ways in which scores and other data obtained from these assessments are interpreted and used for clinical decision-making will be reviewed, highlighting both the advantages and limitations of these assessments. Finally, the author considers the extent to which the use of standardized assessments within research and clinical contexts overlaps and/or diverges.

Brain Changing Advantages of Exercise

Exercise is defined as any activity that causes your muscles to work and your body to burn calories. Physical activity includes swimming, running, jogging, strolling, and dancing, to name a few. Physically and mentally active people have been shown to have various health benefits. It could even help you live a longer life. In this article, we attempt to explain the beneficial effects of exercising regularly on our brain and how this helps with cognitive tasks. We also describe the various neurotrophic neurochemicals that aid in this phenomenon. We then describe the process of neuroplasticity and how exercise can help accelerate this process. Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. If you're worried about being harmed if you start walking or increase your level of physical activity, it is safe for most people to engage in moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking. Reduced emotions of state anxiety (short-term anxiety), increased sleep, and enhanced elements of cognitive performance are some of the benefits of moderate or intense physical exercise on cerebral health that happen immediately after moderate or intense physical activity (acute impact). People who engage in more moderate or intense physical activity generally have better mental processes to gain knowledge and comprehension than those who do not. Improvements in cognition, as well as performance, might be expected. For example, standardized assessments of academic achievement and performance on mental ability tests are examples of neuropsychological testing. Processing speed, memory, and executive function are all factors to consider.

Childhood ADHD and Executive Functioning: Unique Predictions of Early Adolescent Depression

Given the increasing prevalence of adolescent depression, identification of its early predictors and elucidation of the mechanisms underlying its individual differences is imperative. Controlling for baseline executive functioning (EF), we tested separate ADHD dimensions (i.e., inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity) as independent predictors of early adolescent depression, including temporally-ordered causal mediation by academic functioning and social problems, using structural equation modeling. At baseline, participants consisted of 216 children (67% male) ages 6–9 years old with (n = 112) and without (n = 104) ADHD who subsequently completed Wave 2 and 3 follow-ups approximately two and four years later, respectively. Predictors consisted of separate parent and teacher ratings of childhood ADHD and laboratory-based assessments of key EF domains. At Wave 2, parents and teachers completed normed rating scales of youth academic and social functioning; youth completed standardized assessments of academic achievement. At Wave 3, youth self-reported depression. Baseline inattention positively predicted early adolescent depression whereas childhood hyperactivity-impulsivity and EF did not. Neither academic nor social functioning significantly mediated predictions of depression from baseline ADHD and EF. We consider prediction of early adolescent depression from inattention, including directions for future intervention and prevention research.

Understanding Disorders of Consciousness: Opportunities for Critical Care Nurses

Background Disorders of consciousness are powerful predictors of outcomes including mortality among critically ill patients. Encephalopathy, delirium, and coma are disorders of consciousness frequently encountered by critical care nurses but often classified incorrectly. Objective To provide a greater understanding of disorders of consciousness and to provide standardized assessments and nursing interventions for these disorders. Methods A literature search was conducted by using the terms consciousness, mental status, awareness, arousal, wakefulness, assessment, disorders of consciousness, delirium, encephalopathy, coma, vegetative state, and minimal consciousness. Articles were published in the past 10 years in CINAHL and PubMed. Articles were excluded if they were not in English or directly related to caring for patients with a disorder of consciousness. The remaining 142 articles were evaluated for inclusion; 81 articles received full review. Results A disorder of consciousness signifies that the threshold for compensation has been surpassed with potentially irreversible damage. Altered thalamocortical interactions and reduced cortical activity impair communication networks across the various parts of the brain, causing a disturbance in consciousness. Discussion The cue-response theory is a model that describes the process and impact of nursing care on recovery from acute brain injury. Appropriate standardized assessments and interventions must be used to manage altered levels of consciousness in critically ill patients. Conclusions Paying close attention to neurological changes and monitoring them with standardized assessments are critical to implementing early measures to prevent complications.

A Paradox in Digital Memory Assessment: Increased Sensitivity With Reduced Difficulty

The One Card Learning Test (OCL80) from the Cogstate Brief Battery—a digital cognitive test used both in-person and remotely in clinical trials and in healthcare contexts to inform health decisions—has shown high sensitivity to changes in memory in early Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, recent studies suggest that OCL sensitivity to memory impairment in symptomatic AD is not as strong as that for other standardized assessments of memory. This study aimed to improve the sensitivity of the OCL80 to AD-related memory impairment by reducing the test difficultly (i.e., OCL48). Experiment 1 showed performance in healthy adults improved on the OCL48 while the pattern separation operations that constrain performance on the OCL80 were retained. Experiment 2 showed repeated administration of the OCL48 at short retest intervals did not induce ceiling or practice effects. Experiment 3 showed that the sensitivity of the OCL48 to AD-related memory impairment (Glass's Δ = 3.11) was much greater than the sensitivity of the OCL80 (Glass's Δ = 1.94). Experiment 4 used data from a large group of cognitively normal older adults to calibrate performance scores between the OCL80 and OCL48 using equipercentile equating. Together these results showed the OCL48 to be a valid and reliable test of learning with greater sensitivity to memory impairment in AD than the OCL80.

Voice-hearing across the continuum: a phenomenology of spiritual voices

Voice-hearing in clinical and non-clinical groups has previously been compared using standardized assessments of psychotic experiences. Findings from several studies suggest that non-clinical voice-hearing (NCVH) is distinguished by reduced distress and increased control. However, symptom-rating scales developed for clinical populations may be limited in their ability to elucidate subtle and unique aspects of non-clinical voices. Moreover, such experiences often occur within specific contexts and systems of belief, such as spiritualism. This makes direct comparisons difficult to interpret. Here we present findings from a comparative interdisciplinary study which administered a semi-structured interview to NCVH individuals and psychosis patients. The non-clinical group were specifically recruited from spiritualist communities. The findings were consistent with previous results regarding distress and control, but also documented multiple modalities that were often integrated into a single entity, high levels of associated visual imagery, and subtle differences in the location of voices relating to perceptual boundaries. Most spiritual voice-hearers reported voices before encountering spiritualism, suggesting that their onset was not solely due to deliberate practice. Future research should aim to understand how spiritual voice-hearers cultivate and control voice-hearing after its onset, which may inform interventions for people with distressing voices.