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Oetting JB, Maleki T. Transcription Decisions of Conjoined Independent Clauses Are Equitable Across Dialects but Impact Measurement Outcomes. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2024:1-14. [PMID: 38758707 DOI: 10.1044/2024_lshss-23-00180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Transcription of conjoined independent clauses within language samples varies across professionals. Some transcribe these clauses as two separate utterances, whereas others conjoin them within a single utterance. As an inquiry into equitable practice, we examined rates of conjoined independent clauses produced by children and the impact of separating these clauses within utterances on measures of mean length of utterance (MLU) by a child's English dialect, clinical status, and age. METHOD The data were archival and included 246 language samples from children classified by their dialect (African American English or Southern White English) and clinical status (developmental language disorder [DLD] or typically developing [TD]), with those in the TD group further classified by their age (4 years [TD4] or 6 years [TD6]). RESULTS Rates of conjoined independent clauses and the impact of these clauses on MLU varied by clinical status (DLD < TD) and age (TD4 < TD6), but not by dialect. Correlations between the rate of conjoined clauses, MLU, and language test scores were also similar across the two dialects. CONCLUSIONS Transcription decisions regarding conjoined independent clauses within language samples lead to equitable measurement outcomes across dialects of English. Nevertheless, transcribing conjoined independent clauses as two separate utterances reduces one's ability to detect syntactic differences between children with and without DLD and document syntactic growth as children age. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25822675.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janna B Oetting
- Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
| | - Tahmineh Maleki
- Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
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Dam QD, Pham GT. Remote First-Language Assessment: Feasibility Study With Vietnamese Bilingual Children and Their Caregivers. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2023; 54:618-635. [PMID: 36972337 PMCID: PMC10187970 DOI: 10.1044/2023_lshss-22-00123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE There is a shortage of bilingual speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in the United States. For Vietnamese, less than 1% of SLPs speak the language compared with a Vietnamese American population of > 2.1 million. This study examines the feasibility and social validity of remote child language assessment with the help of a caregiver to address the need for first language assessments among Vietnamese-speaking children. METHOD Twenty-one dyads of caregivers and typically developing children (aged 3-6 years) completed two assessment sessions in their first language, Vietnamese, using Zoom videoconferencing. Sessions were counterbalanced between two conditions in which either the clinician or the caregiver was the task administrator. Children's language samples were elicited using narrative tasks. Social validity was also assessed through caregiver and child questionnaires at the end of each session. RESULTS There were no significant differences between conditions on language sample measures nor the measures of social validity. Both caregivers and their children felt positively about the sessions. The caregivers' feelings were related to their perception of children's feelings about the sessions. Children's feelings were related to their Vietnamese language proficiency, caregiver-reported language ability, and whether they were born outside of the United States. CONCLUSIONS Findings build the evidence base for telepractice as an effective and socially valid service delivery model for bilingual children in the United States. This study supports the potential for caregivers as task administrators in a telepractice setting, making assessment in a child's first language more feasible and accessible. Future investigation is needed to extend results to bilingual populations with disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quynh Diem Dam
- School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, CA
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego
| | - Giang T. Pham
- School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, CA
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Ebert KD, Pham GT. What predicts individual response to language treatment in bilingual children with developmental language disorder? PERSPECTIVES OF THE ASHA SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS 2023; 8:226-233. [PMID: 37193089 PMCID: PMC10171084 DOI: 10.1044/2022_persp-22-00170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Purpose For bilingual children with developmental language disorder (DLD), language treatment response is the degree to which an individual child progresses in both of their languages. Understanding what predicts language treatment response for an individual child can help clinicians plan treatment more effectively. Methods This study is a retrospective analysis of data from Ebert et al. (2014). Participants included 32 school-age Spanish-English bilingual children with DLD who completed an intensive language treatment program. Gains in Spanish and English were measured using raw test scores in each language. Predictors of language gains include language, cognitive, and demographic variables. To examine which predictors were significant, we calculated partial correlations between the potential predictors and the posttreatment language test scores, controlling for the effects of pretreatment test scores. Results In Spanish, several predictors correlated with the outcome measures. After controlling for pretreatment scores, English grammaticality, female sex, processing speed, age, and fluid reasoning were related to Spanish posttreatment scores. In English, correlations with individual predictors were minimal. After controlling for pretreatment scores, only one variable was associated with one English posttreatment score: English grammaticality. Conclusions The original study reported limited gains in Spanish compared to robust gains in English (Ebert et al., 2014). Treatment response in Spanish is more variable given the lack of environmental support for Spanish in the US. As a result, individual factors (including nonverbal cognition, pretreatment language levels, and demographic variables) influence treatment gains in Spanish. In contrast, strong environmental support for English supports a more consistent treatment response, with a smaller role for individual factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerry Danahy Ebert
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Giang T. Pham
- School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
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Pham G, Simpson A, Nguyen K. Vietnamese children with and without DLD: Classifier use and grammaticality over time. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2023; 101:106297. [PMID: 36587459 PMCID: PMC10162499 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2022.106297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION One way to identify Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is to establish clinical markers in a language to serve as reliable indicators of the disorder. This study embarks on the search for clinical markers for Vietnamese using longitudinal data from children with and without DLD. METHODS We matched ten children previously classified with DLD to ten with typical development (TD) by age and gender. Participants completed a story generation task at three time points: kindergarten, first, and second grade. Overall grammatical development was measured using mean length of utterance, MLU, and proportion of grammatical utterances, PGU. We examined a language-specific feature, classifiers, in terms of accuracy (omission errors), diversity (number of different classifiers), and productivity, or the use of classifiers in constructions of two-to-three elements (classifier+noun, numeral+classifier+noun). Longitudinal change and group differences were examined using linear mixed modeling, supplemented by linguistic analysis. RESULTS Both groups increased in MLU and PGU over time. The DLD group performed lower in kindergarten and continued to show lower performance over time on these measures. Classifier omission errors decreased over time with no group differences. Classifier diversity increased across groups, with lower performance by the DLD group in kindergarten and over time. For classifier productivity, TD children used classifiers in multiple constructions in kindergarten and maintained the same level over time. In contrast, children with DLD had minimal use of three-element constructions in kindergarten but increased in productivity over time. CONCLUSIONS Children with DLD produce shorter utterances with relatively more grammatical errors compared to their TD peers in the early school years. Though no longer committing classifier omission errors, children with DLD showed more restricted use of classifiers in terms of the number of different classifiers and constructions produced. Findings inform the search for Vietnamese clinical markers of DLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giang Pham
- San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, United States of America.
| | - Andrew Simpson
- University of Southern California, GFS 301, 3601 Watt Way, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, United States of America.
| | - Khanh Nguyen
- San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, United States of America.
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Escobedo AG, Gallagher JF, Potapova I, Pham G, Pruitt-Lord S. Understanding (un)grammaticality in context: Evidence from young Spanish-English bilinguals over time. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2023; 101:106281. [PMID: 36434924 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2022.106281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Percent grammatical utterances (PGU) provides clinicians and researchers with meaningful information on young children's grammatical abilities (Eisenberg & Guo, 2016). However, work is still needed to place PGU within the context of conventional language sample measures and understand how PGU reflects grammatical development in bilingual populations. The current study focuses on Spanish-English bilingual preschoolers to examine: 1) change in Spanish and English PGU over one year of preschool English instruction, 2) associations between PGU and other language sample measures within each language and across time, and 3) the types and frequency of error patterns in each language. METHOD Play-based language samples were elicited in English and Spanish from bilingual children (n = 19) at the beginning and end of an instructional preschool year in English. PGU was derived from each sample along with other language sample measures (e.g., mean length of utterance). We examined change in PGU from Time 1 to Time 2, and correlations between Time 1 PGU and Time 2 PGU for each language. Specific grammatical errors were described in terms of their frequency in each language and stability across time. RESULTS Average English PGU increased from Time 1 to Time 2, and correlated with other language sample measures. Conversely, average Spanish PGU did not increase from Time 1 to Time 2, nor did PGU correlate with any other Spanish measure. Error patterns in each language reflected grammatical differences across English and Spanish. CONCLUSIONS Our results revealed distinct developmental patterns in bilingual children's first and second languages. Associations between time points and measures in English contrasted with disassociations in Spanish. Error patterns revealed more detailed information as to how bilingual children begin to acquire grammatical structures in each of their languages. We provide a case example to illustrate how grammaticality and error patterns can be used to characterize children's language abilities. We conclude with clinical implications of grammaticality in Spanish-English bilingual children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia G Escobedo
- San Diego State University, United States; University of California, San Diego, United States.
| | | | | | - Giang Pham
- San Diego State University, United States
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Buac M, Jarzynski R. Providing Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Language Assessment Services for Multilingual Children with Developmental Language Disorder: a Scoping Review. CURRENT DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS REPORTS 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s40474-022-00260-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Heilmann J, Finneran D, Moyle M. Comparing Measures From Computer-Administered and Examiner-Administered Narrative Retells in Spanish: A Pilot Study. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2022; 31:2175-2185. [PMID: 35877956 DOI: 10.1044/2022_ajslp-22-00008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Narrative language sample analysis (LSA) is a recommended best practice for the assessment of monolingual and bilingual children. With business-as-usual narrative LSA, examiners are actively involved in all aspects of the elicitation. Software advancements have shown multiple benefits of computer-administered language assessments, some of which may be beneficial for narrative assessments, particularly for bilingual children. The goal of this pilot study was to test the feasibility of computer-administered narrative retells in bilingual children. METHOD Ten English-Spanish bilingual children, kindergarten to fourth grade, completed two narrative retells using wordless picture books (Frog Goes to Dinner and Frog on His Own) in two conditions: examiner-administered and computer-administered. Five narrative measures were generated from these 20 transcripts. RESULTS Significant, strong correlations were observed between the two elicitation methods for four of the five measures. We completed a series of Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests and found no significant differences in measures across the elicitation methods. Follow-up descriptive analyses revealed few large differences across elicitation methods for the individual participants. CONCLUSION This study provides preliminary evidence on the use of a computer-administered narrative procedure and motivates further research on the method to confirm its validity and to document its effectiveness within clinical practice. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.20346648.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Heilmann
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
| | - Denise Finneran
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City
| | - Maura Moyle
- Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
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Wilder A, Redmond SM. The Reliability of Short Conversational Language Sample Measures in Children With and Without Developmental Language Disorder. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2022; 65:1939-1955. [PMID: 35394820 PMCID: PMC9559652 DOI: 10.1044/2022_jslhr-21-00628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Language sample analysis (LSA) represents an ecologically valid method for diagnosing, identifying goals, and measuring progress in children with developmental language disorder (DLD). LSA is, however, time consuming. The purpose of this study was to determine the length of sample needed to obtain reliable LSA measures for children in kindergarten and first grade with typical language (TL) and DLD using automated analyses from the Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts software. METHOD Play-based conversational language samples collected on kindergarten to first-grade children with TL (n = 21) and DLD (n = 21) from a community-based sample were analyzed. Eight LSA measures were calculated from 1-, 3-, 5-, 7-, and 10-min sample cuts and compared to 20-min samples for reliability. RESULTS Reliability estimates were similar for the TL and DLD groups except for errors and omissions, which showed overall higher levels of reliability in the DLD group and reached acceptable levels at 3 min. Percent grammatical utterances were reliable at 7 min in the DLD group and not reliable in shorter samples in the TL group. The subordination index was reliable at 10 min for both groups. Number of different words reached acceptable reliability at the 3-min length for the DLD group and at the 10-min length for the TL group. Utterances and words per minute were reliable at 3 min and mean length of utterance at 7 min in both groups. CONCLUSIONS Speech-language pathologists can obtain reliable LSA measures from shorter, 7-min conversational language samples from kindergarten to first-grade children with DLD. Shorter language samples may encourage increased use of LSA. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.19529287.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Wilder
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City
| | - Sean M. Redmond
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City
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Wofford MC, Cano J, Goodrich JM, Fitton L. Tell or Retell? The Role of Task and Language in Spanish-English Narrative Microstructure Performance. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2022; 53:511-531. [PMID: 35192374 DOI: 10.1044/2021_lshss-21-00055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE This study examined performance of dual language learners (DLLs) on Spanish- and English-language narrative story retells and unique tells. Transcription and analysis focused on comparisons of common microstructural language sample measures in Spanish and English across tasks. Each language sample measure was evaluated for its possible convergence with norm-referenced standardized assessments for DLL children. METHOD Spanish-English DLLs (N = 133) enrolled in English-only kindergarten or first-grade classrooms completed two-language sample tasks (one in each language), which were transcribed and analyzed using Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (Miller & Iglesias, 2017) for measures of syntactic complexity (mean length of utterance [MLU] in words), lexical diversity (number of different words [NDW]), and grammaticality (percent grammatical utterances [PGU]). Students also completed a norm-referenced sentence repetition task (Peña et al., 2014) and expressive vocabulary assessment (Martin, 2013). RESULTS Comparison of story retells and unique stories revealed similar performance on MLU, NDW, and PGU across elicitation techniques, with one exception: NDW in Spanish was higher in the story retell condition. Predictive models revealed several differences in the relations between the microstructure measures and norm-referenced language measures by elicitation technique, although neither context demonstrated a consistent advantage across all metrics. CONCLUSIONS Measures derived from story retells and unique tells offer practical findings for speech-language pathologists and other educators to use in assessment of early grade DLLs. This work increases knowledge of procedural differences across narrative assessments and their influence on language variables, supporting school-based speech-language pathologists in making assessment decisions for DLLs on their caseload. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.19191278.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Claire Wofford
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC
| | - Jessica Cano
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC
| | - J Marc Goodrich
- Department of Teaching, Learning & Culture, Texas A&M University, College Station
| | - Lisa Fitton
- Communication Sciences and Disorders Department, University of South Carolina, Columbia
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10
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Bawayan R, Brown JA. Diagnostic Decisions of Language Complexity Using Informal Language Assessment Measures. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2022; 53:466-478. [PMID: 35021016 DOI: 10.1044/2021_lshss-21-00065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The current study aimed to understand the clinical decision-making skills of school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) using narrative and expository discourse information from three sources: perception of language through listening to language alone, standardized criterion-referenced narrative assessment data, and word- and morpheme-level language sample analysis data. METHOD Twenty-eight current school-based SLPs participated in the study. During this study, participants rated language quality and made decisions regarding the provision of language services after being provided information from informal assessment measures. RESULTS SLPs' ratings of language quality and complexity varied across the story retell, wordless picture book generation, and expository samples. There was a lack of consistency in ratings within each context across areas of clarity, sample complexity, language complexity, and vocabulary across all SLPs. Self-reported factors that influenced SLPs' ratings included components of structure, syntax, and semantics. SLPs did not indicate a need for services after listening alone. When provided with criterion-referenced narrative assessment scores and word- and morpheme-level language sample data, more SLPs made a recommendation for services. CONCLUSIONS The study demonstrates the need for objective language measure data during diagnostic decision making. Additionally, SLPs may not realize the information obtained from real-time perception, and analysis of language samples may be an unreliable and inconsistent picture of a child's language abilities. The results of this study highlight the need to continue to rely on multiple sources of assessment data. SLPs should continue to incorporate systematic methods to minimize variability of perceptions in the process of making diagnostic decisions. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.17707451.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Bawayan
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Moravian University, Bethlehem, PA
| | - Jennifer A Brown
- Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education, University of Georgia, Athens
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Freeman MR, Schroeder SR. Assessing Language Skills in Bilingual Children: Current Trends in Research and Practice. JOURNAL OF CHILD SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1743575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
AbstractA continuously challenging issue in the field of speech–language pathology is accurately identifying and diagnosing a language disorder in school-aged (pre-kindergarten through 5th grade) bilingual children, as bilingual children are disproportionately under- and overidentified with a language disorder. The current review focuses on the assessment of bilingual children in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, aimed to inform teachers, pediatricians, parents, and other relevant professionals of issues surrounding assessment of these dual-language learners. We examine the barriers to assessing bilingual children for language disorders, such as the lack of availability of bilingual tests, underinformative current best practice guidelines, lack of speech–language pathologist (SLP) training/knowledge of bilingualism, and use of interpreters. We discuss the necessary considerations when SLPs use norm-referenced tests with bilingual children, such as norming samples, accurate identification of a language disorder, reliability and validity, test administration, and potential solutions to using otherwise poorly suited norm-referenced tests. We also consider research on several alternative measures to norm-referenced assessments, including dynamic assessment, nonword repetition, language sampling, nonlinguistic cognition, and parent report. We conclude by synthesizing the information in this review to offer six principles of best practices for bilingual assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max R. Freeman
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, St. John's University, Jamaica, New York, United States
| | - Scott R. Schroeder
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York, United States
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Fox CB, Israelsen-Augenstein M, Jones S, Gillam SL. An Evaluation of Expedited Transcription Methods for School-Age Children's Narrative Language: Automatic Speech Recognition and Real-Time Transcription. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2021; 64:3533-3548. [PMID: 34407387 DOI: 10.1044/2021_jslhr-21-00096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Purpose This study examined the accuracy and potential clinical utility of two expedited transcription methods for narrative language samples elicited from school-age children (7;5-11;10 [years;months]) with developmental language disorder. Transcription methods included real-time transcription produced by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and trained transcribers (TTs) as well as Google Cloud Speech automatic speech recognition. Method The accuracy of each transcription method was evaluated against a gold-standard reference corpus. Clinical utility was examined by determining the reliability of scores calculated from the transcripts produced by each method on several language sample analysis (LSA) measures. Participants included seven certified SLPs and seven TTs. Each participant was asked to produce a set of six transcripts in real time, out of a total 42 language samples. The same 42 samples were transcribed using Google Cloud Speech. Transcription accuracy was evaluated through word error rate. Reliability of LSA scores was determined using correlation analysis. Results Results indicated that Google Cloud Speech was significantly more accurate than real-time transcription in transcribing narrative samples and was not impacted by speech rate of the narrator. In contrast, SLP and TT transcription accuracy decreased as a function of increasing speech rate. LSA metrics generated from Google Cloud Speech transcripts were also more reliably calculated. Conclusions Automatic speech recognition showed greater accuracy and clinical utility as an expedited transcription method than real-time transcription. Though there is room for improvement in the accuracy of speech recognition for the purpose of clinical transcription, it produced highly reliable scores on several commonly used LSA metrics. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.15167355.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly B Fox
- Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education, Utah State University, Logan
| | | | - Sharad Jones
- Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Utah State University, Logan
| | - Sandra Laing Gillam
- Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education, Utah State University, Logan
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Bitetti D, Hammer CS. English Narrative Macrostructure Development of Spanish-English Bilingual Children From Preschool to First Grade. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2021; 30:1100-1115. [PMID: 33999697 PMCID: PMC8702841 DOI: 10.1044/2021_ajslp-20-00046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Purpose This longitudinal study examined the development of seven macrostructure features in the English narratives of Spanish-English bilingual children from the beginning of preschool to the end of first grade and examined whether the timing of English exposure impacted this development. Method Narratives were collected over 4 years for 103 children of Puerto Rican descent. Narratives were elicited in the fall and spring of each year and coded for macrostructure using the Narrative Scoring Scheme, which generates a score for each macrostructure feature. Using parent report of the timing of English exposure, the children were grouped according to whether they had learned Spanish and English from birth (home English communication) or whether they had been primarily exposed to English in Head Start (school English communication [SEC]). Results Growth curve models revealed that the children's production of all seven narrative features demonstrated growth over the 4 years. Some features demonstrated slowed growth during the school years. Though the children in the SEC group began Head Start with significantly lower macrostructure scores than the children in the home English communication group, the SEC children demonstrated faster growth rates for a majority of features once schooling began. Conclusions The results provide information about the unique developmental progression of each macrostructure feature in the English narratives of bilingual children. The findings suggest that individual macrostructure features were susceptible to the effects of the timing of English exposure. The preschool years mark an important time to promote bilingual children's narrative production, especially for children exposed primarily to Spanish at home.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Bitetti
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Carol Scheffner Hammer
- Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY
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A Survey of Assessment and Additional Teaching Support in Irish Immersion Education. LANGUAGES 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/languages6020062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This study investigates the assessment methods used in Irish immersion schools to identify students for additional teaching support. An overview is provided of the percentage of students receiving additional teaching support in this context and whether there is a higher rate of students accessing additional teaching support in Irish immersion schools than English-medium schools. The challenges of assessment through Irish as a second language are evaluated. In addition, this study investigates the language used by educational professionals when assessing and/or providing interventions for these students. A quantitative research approach was adopted for this investigation, with a random stratified sample of 20% (N = 29) of Irish immersion schools in the Republic of Ireland completing an online questionnaire. SPSS was used to analyse the data. The findings of the present research contribute to the limited body of knowledge available on the types of assessment used in immersion education to identify students for additional teaching support. These findings are significant as there has been limited research undertaken on this aspect in immersion education and the findings of this study may have implications for immersion education contexts in other countries.
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Mooney A, Bean A, Sonntag AM. Language Sample Collection and Analysis in People Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Overcoming Obstacles. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2021; 30:47-62. [PMID: 33434086 DOI: 10.1044/2020_ajslp-19-00055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Language sample collection and analysis provides important information regarding the language abilities of individuals for whom standardized testing may not be appropriate, such as persons who use augmentative and alternative communication (PWUAACs). Despite its clinical utility, language sample collection and analysis has not been fully incorporated into the assessment of PWUAACs due to a variety of challenges. This study seeks to investigate the ability of language sample collection and analysis to provide clinically relevant information and explore ways to circumvent language sample collection and analysis challenges for PWUAACs. Method This is a case study of the narratives of two PWUAACs, one child and one adult. Analyses were conducted using manual calculations and computerized language sample analysis software (i.e., Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts and Child Language Exchange System) and Realize Language. Conclusion Although the language samples took longer to complete relative to verbal controls, the information obtained from language sample collection and analysis provided valuable insight into the language system of the two participants that would not be revealed through standardized language assessment, including the distribution of their parts of speech and syntactic complexity. Given the important clinical data that may be obtained through language sample collection and analysis, we propose strategies to enable clinicians to overcome previously identified challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aine Mooney
- Department of Speech and Hearing Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus
| | - Allison Bean
- Department of Speech and Hearing Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus
| | - Amy Miller Sonntag
- Department of Speech and Hearing Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus
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Mahurin-Smith J, Mills MT, Chang R. Rare Vocabulary Production in School-Age Narrators From Low-Income Communities. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2021; 52:51-63. [PMID: 33464972 DOI: 10.1044/2020_lshss-19-00120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose This study was designed to assess the utility of a tool for automated analysis of rare vocabulary use in the spoken narratives of a group of school-age children from low-income communities. Method We evaluated personal and fictional narratives from 76 school-age children from low-income communities (M age = 9;3 [years;months]). We analyzed children's use of rare vocabulary in their narratives, with the goal of evaluating relationships among rare vocabulary use, performance on standardized language tests, language sample measures, sex, and use of African American English. Results Use of rare vocabulary in school-age children is robustly correlated with established language sample measures. Male sex was also significantly associated with more frequent rare vocabulary use. There was no association between rare vocabulary use and use of African American English. Discussion Evaluation of rare vocabulary use in school-age children may be a culturally fair assessment strategy that aligns well with existing language sample measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Mahurin-Smith
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Illinois State University, Normal
| | - Monique T Mills
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Houston, TX
| | - Rong Chang
- Khoury College of Computer Sciences, Northeastern University, San Francisco, CA
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17
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Dubasik VL, Valdivia DS. School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists' Adherence to Practice Guidelines for Assessment of English Learners. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2020; 52:485-496. [PMID: 33355473 DOI: 10.1044/2020_lshss-20-00037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this study was to ascertain the extent to which school-based speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) assessment practices with individual English learners (ELs) align with federal legislation and professional practice guidelines. Specifically, we were interested in examining SLPs' use of multiple tools during individual EL assessments, as well as relationships between practices and number of types of training experiences. Method School-based SLPs in a Midwestern state were recruited in person or via e-mail to complete an online survey pertaining to assessment. Of the 562 respondents who completed the survey, 222 (39.5%) indicated past or present experience with ELs, and thus, their data were included in the analyses. The questionnaire solicited information about respondent's demographics, caseload composition, perceived knowledge and skills and training experiences pertaining to working with ELs (e.g., graduate school, self-teaching, professional conferences), and assessment practices used in schools. Results The majority of respondents reported using multiple tools rather than a single tool with each EL they assess. Case history and observation were tools used often or always by the largest number of participants. SLPs who used multiple tools reported using both direct (e.g., standardized tests, dynamic assessment) and indirect tools (e.g., case history, interviews). Analyses revealed low to moderate positive associations between tools, as well as the use of speech-language samples and number of types of training experiences. Conclusions School-based SLPs in the current study reported using EL assessment practices that comply with federal legislation and professional practice guidelines for EL assessment. These results enhance our understanding of school-based SLPs' assessment practices with ELs and may be indicative of a positive shift toward evidence-based practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia L Dubasik
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Bowling Green State University, OH
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18
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Dam Q, Pham GT, Pruitt-Lord S, Limon-Hernandez J, Goodwiler C. Capitalizing on cross-language similarities in intervention with bilingual children. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2020; 87:106004. [PMID: 32563858 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2020.106004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2019] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study examined the effects of a vocabulary intervention for bilingual children that was conducted in children's first language, Spanish, and included explicit instruction on cognates. We measured effects in terms of change from pre- to post-intervention in Spanish as well as associations with the non-target language, English. METHOD Participants were 12 Spanish-English bilingual children, aged 6-8 years, with and without Developmental Language Disorder. Children completed the intervention in pairs (one child with DLD and a typically developing peer) for 70-minute sessions, 3 days a week, for four weeks. Intervention targeted 32 words (16 cognates, 16 non-cognates) using four storybooks (8 words/book) and interactive activities that highlighted similarities across languages. Pre- and post-intervention measures in Spanish and English included tasks of word definition and cognate facilitation. RESULTS As a group, children showed improvement in definition quality and cognate naming in Spanish. There was a positive correlation between definition quality and cognate naming for the typically developing children, but not for the children with DLD. All children showed positive cross-language correlations on post-intervention measures. CONCLUSIONS Bilingual children, with and without DLD, have the capacity to improve in their awareness and use of cognates. Explicit teaching of cognates can be an effective tool for building vocabulary skills. Children with DLD may need additional time and support to apply their knowledge of cognates to vocabulary learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quynh Dam
- San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182, United States; University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States.
| | - Giang T Pham
- San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182, United States.
| | - Sonja Pruitt-Lord
- San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182, United States.
| | - Judit Limon-Hernandez
- San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182, United States.
| | - Carrie Goodwiler
- San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182, United States.
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19
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Dam Q, Pham G, Potapova I, Pruitt-Lord S. Grammatical Characteristics of Vietnamese and English in Developing Bilingual Children. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2020; 29:1212-1225. [PMID: 32750283 PMCID: PMC7893523 DOI: 10.1044/2019_ajslp-19-00146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Defining parameters for typical development in bilingual children's first and second languages can serve as the basis for accurate language assessment. This is the first study to characterize Vietnamese and English grammatical development in a sample of bilingual children. Method Participants were 89 Vietnamese-English bilingual children, aged 3-8 years. Children completed story retell tasks in Vietnamese and English. Stories were transcribed and analyzed for grammaticality, error patterns, subordination index, and types of subordinating clauses. Of key interest were associations with age and identifying developmental patterns that were shared across languages or unique to a given language. Results Age correlated with more measures in English than in Vietnamese, suggesting that older children had higher grammaticality and greater syntactic complexity in English than younger children. Children also produced greater syntactic complexity with age in Vietnamese, but not higher grammaticality. There were a set of error patterns shared across languages (e.g., object omission) and patterns specific to each language (e.g., classifier errors in Vietnamese, tense errors in English). While children produced nominal, adverbial, and relative clauses in Vietnamese and English, the proportion of each clause type differed by language. Conclusions Results from this typically developing sample provide a reference point to improve clinical practice. Characterizing developmental patterns in sentence structure in Vietnamese and English lays the groundwork for investigations of language disorders in this bilingual population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quynh Dam
- School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, CA
- Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders, University of California San Diego, La Jolla
| | - Giang Pham
- School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, CA
| | - Irina Potapova
- School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, CA
| | - Sonja Pruitt-Lord
- School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, CA
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20
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Castilla-Earls A, Bedore L, Rojas R, Fabiano-Smith L, Pruitt-Lord S, Restrepo MA, Peña E. Beyond Scores: Using Converging Evidence to Determine Speech and Language Services Eligibility for Dual Language Learners. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2020; 29:1116-1132. [PMID: 32750282 PMCID: PMC7893524 DOI: 10.1044/2020_ajslp-19-00179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Speech-language pathologists have both a professional and ethical responsibility to provide culturally competent services to dual language learners (DLLs). In this tutorial, we recommend that clinicians use a comprehensive assessment of converging evidence to make diagnostic decisions in DLLs in accordance with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Code of Ethics. The content of this tutorial is most appropriate for Spanish-English DLLs between the ages of 4 and 8 years. Method We propose a converging evidence approach, in which one single method is not the deciding factor in making diagnostic decisions regarding the dual language and speech production skills of DLLs. Converging evidence refers to the idea that multiple pieces of assessment data must come together and trend in the same direction to make a diagnostic decision. We recommend gathering assessment data using a combination of language experience questionnaires, bilingual language sample analysis using large-scale reference databases, evaluation of learning potential, and standardized testing. These four assessment methods allow clinicians to examine the child in different contexts to determine their strengths and weakness in communication abilities. Conclusion We illustrate the converging evidence framework using two case studies to guide the clinician through the diagnostic decision-making process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anny Castilla-Earls
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Houston, TX
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21
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Ebert KD, Pham G. Including Nonlinguistic Processing Tasks in the Identification of Developmental Language Disorder. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2019; 28:932-944. [PMID: 31398301 PMCID: PMC6802919 DOI: 10.1044/2019_ajslp-idll-18-0208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Accurate identification of developmental language disorder (DLD) remains challenging, particularly for children who speak different dialects, languages, or more than 1 language. Children with DLD, on average, have shown subtle deficits on nonlinguistic cognitive processing tasks, and performance on such tasks may be minimally influenced by language experience. This study explores whether nonlinguistic cognitive processing tasks can contribute to the identification of DLD in children from diverse linguistic backgrounds. Method Study 1 combined data from 4 U.S.-based investigations to yield a sample of 395 children, ages 6-10 years, who spoke only English or both Spanish and English. Study 2 consisted of an international sample of 55 kindergarten children living in Vietnam. Each study included children with DLD and children with typical development. Participants completed nonlinguistic cognitive tasks of processing speed, auditory working memory, and attentional control. Data analysis compared typically developing to DLD groups by age and language background. Then, we empirically derived cut-points to report diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratios). Results For all 3 tasks, adequate sensitivity or specificity (but not both in most cases) was achieved in nearly all age groups. Likelihood ratios reached moderately to very informative levels in several instances. Diagnostic results were maintained when monolingual and bilingual samples were combined into a single group. Conclusions Nonlinguistic cognitive processing tasks may contribute to accurate identification of DLD in combination with other measures. Further research is needed to refine tasks, confirm cut-points established here, and extend findings to children from additional language backgrounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerry Danahy Ebert
- Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences, Rush University, Chicago, IL
| | - Giang Pham
- School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, CA
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22
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Pham GT, Pruitt-Lord S, Snow CE, Nguyen YHT, Phạm B, Dao TBT, Tran NBT, Pham LT, Hoang HT, Dam QD. Identifying Developmental Language Disorder in Vietnamese Children. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2019; 62:1452-1467. [PMID: 30995170 PMCID: PMC6808316 DOI: 10.1044/2019_jslhr-l-18-0305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Developmental language disorder (DLD), defined by low language performance despite otherwise normal development, can negatively impact children's social and academic outcomes. This study is the 1st to examine DLD in Vietnamese. To lay the foundation, we identified cases of DLD in Vietnam and explored language-specific characteristics of the disorder. Method Teacher ratings of 1,250 kindergarteners living in Hanoi, Vietnam, were used to recruit children with and without risk for DLD. One hundred four children completed direct measures of vocabulary and language sampling, and their parents completed in-depth surveys. We examined convergence and divergence across tasks to identify measures that could serve as reliable indicators of risk. Then, we compared performance on direct language measures across ability levels. Results There were positive associations between teacher and parent report and between report and direct language measures. Three groups were identified based on convergence across measures: DLD, some risk for DLD, and no risk. The DLD group performed lowest on measures of receptive and expressive vocabulary, mean length of utterance, and grammaticality. Although children with DLD exhibited a greater number of errors, the types of errors found were similar across DLD and No Risk groups. Conclusions Similar to rates found globally, 7% of the kindergarten population in Vietnam exhibited risk for DLD. Results highlight the importance of parent and teacher report and the value of multiple measures to identify DLD. We discuss potential clinical markers for DLD in the Vietnamese language and outline future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Ben Phạm
- Hanoi National University of Education, Vietnam
| | | | | | | | | | - Quynh Diem Dam
- San Diego State University, CA
- University of California, San Diego
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23
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Potapova I, Kelly S, Combiths PN, Pruitt-Lord SL. Evaluating English Morpheme Accuracy, Diversity, and Productivity Measures in Language Samples of Developing Bilinguals. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2019; 49:260-276. [PMID: 29621805 DOI: 10.1044/2017_lshss-17-0026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2017] [Accepted: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose This work explores the clinical relevance of three measures of morpheme use for preschool-age Spanish-English bilingual children with varying language skills. The 3 measures reflect accuracy, diversity (the tense marker total), and productivity (the tense and agreement productivity score [TAP score]) of the English tense and agreement system. Method Measures were generated from language samples collected at the beginning and end of the participants' preschool year. Participants included 74 typically developing Spanish-English bilinguals and 19 peers with low language skills. The morpheme measures were evaluated with regard to their relationships with other language sample measures, their ability to reflect group differences, and their potential for capturing morphological development at group and individual levels. Results Across both groups, the tense marker total and TAP scores were associated with other language measures and demonstrated both group differences and growth over time. The accuracy measure met few of these benchmarks. Conclusion The tense marker total and TAP score, which were designed to capture emerging morphological abilities, contribute valuable information to a comprehensive language assessment of young bilinguals developing English. Case examples are provided to illustrate the clinical significance of including these measures in assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Potapova
- San Diego State University, CA.,University of California, San Diego
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24
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Lazewnik R, Creaghead NA, Smith AB, Prendeville JA, Raisor-Becker L, Silbert N. Identifiers of Language Impairment for Spanish–English Dual Language Learners. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2019; 50:126-137. [DOI: 10.1044/2018_lshss-17-0046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to determine if a standardized assessment developed for Spanish–English dual language learners (SEDLLs) differentiates SEDLLs with language impairment (LI) from children with typical language better than the translated/adapted Spanish and/or English version of a standardized assessment and to determine if adding informal measure/s to the standardized assessment increases the classification accuracy.
Method
Standardized and informal language assessment measures were administered to 30 Mexican American 4- to 5-year-old SEDLLs to determine the predictive value of each measure and the group of measures that best identified children with LI and typical language. Discriminant analyses were performed on the data set.
Results
The Morphosyntax and Semantics subtests of the Bilingual English–Spanish Assessment (
Peña, Gutierrez-Clellen, Iglesias, Golstein, & Bedore, 2014
) resulted in the largest effect size of the individual assessments with a sensitivity of 93.3% and a specificity of 86.7%. Combining these subtests with mean length of utterance in words from the child's better language sample (English or Spanish) was most accurate in identifying LI and can be used with above 90% confidence.
Conclusion
The Bilingual English–Spanish Assessment Morphosyntax and Semantics subtests were shown to comprise an effective measure for identifying LI; however, including a language sample is suggested to identify LI with greater accuracy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rochel Lazewnik
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Nancy A. Creaghead
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Allison Breit Smith
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Jo-Anne Prendeville
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Lesley Raisor-Becker
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Noah Silbert
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Cincinnati, Ohio
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Henderson DE, Restrepo MA, Aiken LS. Dynamic Assessment of Narratives Among Navajo Preschoolers. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2018; 61:2547-2560. [PMID: 30304364 DOI: 10.1044/2018_jslhr-l-17-0313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2017] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study examined whether the Predictive Early Assessment of Reading and Language (PEARL), a dynamic assessment of narratives that measures language comprehension and production, accurately classifies Navajo preschoolers with typically developing (TD) language or with language impairment (LI). METHOD Ninety 4- and 5-year-old Navajo preschoolers were identified as having LI or are TD (n = 45 each) via a 5-measure battery: parent report, teacher report, English narrative, independent educational plan, and the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamental Preschool-Second Edition (Wiig, Secord, & Semel, 2004). Children completed a PEARL pretest, a narrative mediation phase providing principles of narrative structure, and a PEARL posttest. A modifiability score reflected responsiveness to mediation. RESULTS The PEARL pretest and posttest each distinguished children with LI versus TD children with 89% accuracy; modifiability scores identified children with 100% accuracy. The PEARL story grammar subtest at pretest and posttest best distinguished LI versus TD. A revised cutoff score on the PEARL pretest decreased the diagnosis of TD children as having LI; the standard PEARL posttest cutoff was retained. CONCLUSION The PEARL is a promising assessment for accurately differentiating Navajo preschool children with LI from those with TD language, particularly with a revised pretest cutoff score.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davis E Henderson
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Mississippi, Oxford
| | | | - Leona S Aiken
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe
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Romski M, Bornman J, Sevcik RA, Tönsing K, Barton-Hulsey A, Morwane R, Whitmore A, White R. Language Assessment for Children With a Range of Neurodevelopmental Disorders Across Four Languages in South Africa. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2018; 27:602-615. [PMID: 29486494 PMCID: PMC6105121 DOI: 10.1044/2017_ajslp-17-0035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2017] [Revised: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this study is (a) to examine the applicability of a culturally and linguistically adapted measure to assess the receptive and expressive language skills of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) in South Africa and then (b) to explore the contributions of 2 additional language measures. METHOD In Part 1, 100 children with NDD who spoke Afrikaans, isiZulu, Setswana, or South African English were assessed on the culturally and linguistically adapted Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL). Clinicians independently rated the children's language skills on a 3-point scale. In Part 2, the final 20 children to be recruited participated in a caregiver-led interaction, after which the caregiver completed a rating scale about their perceptions of their children's language. RESULTS Performance on the MSEL was consistent with clinician-rated child language skills. The 2 additional measures confirmed and enriched the description of the child's performance on the MSEL. CONCLUSIONS The translated MSEL and the supplemental measures successfully characterize the language profiles and related skills in children with NDD in multilingual South Africa. Together, these assessment tools can serve a valuable function in guiding the choice of intervention and also may serve as a way to monitor progress.
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Lennox M, Westerveld MF, Trembath D. Should We Use Sentence- or Text-Level Tasks to Measure Oral Language Proficiency in Year-One Students following Whole-Class Intervention? Folia Phoniatr Logop 2018; 69:169-179. [PMID: 29439270 DOI: 10.1159/000485974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Accepted: 11/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS To compare students' oral language proficiency on sentence- versus text-level tasks at school entry and following tier 1 intervention in their first year of formal schooling. METHODS 104 students participated in this study. Participants were part of a broader longitudinal study and were enrolled at 3 low socioeconomic, linguistically diverse Australian primary schools. Tasks were administered to all students at the beginning and end of the school year. Performance on the sentence-level task, the Renfrew Action Picture Test (RAPT), was analysed for information and grammar as per the test manual. Performance on the text-level task, the Profile of Oral Narrative Ability, was analysed for measures of story length, mean length of utterance, grammatical accuracy, number of different words, and story quality. RESULTS Results showed that both tasks are sensitive to measure progress following tier 1 intervention. However, RAPT concern status was not related to oral narrative concern status. Furthermore, if only the RAPT task had been used, between 11 and 21% of students performing below expectations in oral narrative would not have been identified. CONCLUSION It is recommended that the assessment of oral language proficiency of students from culturally diverse, low socioeconomic backgrounds goes beyond the sentence level and includes an oral narrative retell task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Lennox
- Department of Education and Training, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,Griffith Institute for Educational Research, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - Marleen F Westerveld
- Griffith Institute for Educational Research, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.,Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - David Trembath
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
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Owens RE, Pavelko SL. Relationships Among Conversational Language Samples and Norm-Referenced Test Scores. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.21849/cacd.2017.00052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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