| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 910899 | Journal of Communication Disorders | 2012 | 10 Pages |
PurposeThis study evaluated the consistency in severity classifications for children with language impairment on tests of child language.MethodsThe TELD-3 and the UTLD-4 were administered to 16 preschool children with specific language impairment (SLI) and 16 typical controls. The boundaries described in the test manuals were used to assign language proficiency ratings to these children and to subsequently evaluate the consistency in these designations.ResultsPerformance categories were more consistent for the typical children than for the children with SLI. When evaluating how children perform on the two tests, the severity category remained consistent for only 19% of the children with SLI when using the severity category boundaries recommended within the test manuals.ConclusionsClinicians should be cautious in assigning severity of impairment classifications to children with language impairment based, in part or in whole, on their performance on norm-referenced tests.Learning outcomes: Readers will see the importance of relying on empirical evidence to support their clinical decisions, specifically in the area of severity of impairment determinations. Readers will learn of the lack of stability in severity of language impairment classifications for children with language impairment on tests of child language. Consequently, readers will learn to be cautious in the selection of norm-referenced tests of child language for the purposes of informing severity of impairment determinations.
► The author examined the stability of language proficiency classifications for children with specific language impairment and unimpaired peers on two norm-referenced tests of child language. ► The stability of language proficiency characterizations occurred more frequently for the unimpaired group than for the group with specific language impairment. ► The vast majority (75%) of language proficiency classifications remained stable for the unimpaired peers between the two tests of child language. ► The vast majority (81%) of severity of impairment classifications changed for children with specific language impairment between the two tests of child language.
