Improving the clinical utility of preschool language sample analysis

项目摘要 学龄前儿童的语言测试在识别各种各样的 发育障碍特别是当孩子在一岁到五岁之间时， 对标准化考试进行补充，并对自然语言样本进行分析至关重要（Language 样本分析），使用了一套广泛的词汇和语法措施，在过去的发展 四十年临床培训强调在临床决策中使用这些措施的重要性- 制作。不幸的是，这种类型的分析是耗时的，并且临床医生通常仅执行一个 粗略的分析此外，大多数语言样本分析的心理测量学特性 (LSA)措施相当薄弱，主要是因为相对较少的儿童， 主流英语（而不是常见的方言，如非洲裔美国人英语[AAVE]）， to the development发展of reference参考scores分数.鉴于教育任务，这种情况是不可取的 要求使用有效、可靠和无偏见的工具进行发展评估， 程序. 该项目将利用来自1500多个儿童语言样本的数据， 儿童语言数据交换系统（CHILDES）开放研究数据库 （www.childes.talkbank.org）验证、扩展和加强LSA的心理测量特性 措施，用于临床和教育实践。我们将整合大型交叉研究的结果- 儿童人数较少的部分语料库在早期发展中集中进行， 验证轨迹掌握广泛的传统使用的LSA措施。其他目标 包括制定对方言敏感措施和参考值，以及具体针对 性别问题，因为目前的参考值可能不利于女孩。我们还将探讨 社会经济地位的LSA值。弱“规范”、方言变异、性别和社会阶层可能 显著影响临床和教育服务的适当转诊，我们试图 补救这个。我们将通过检查它们的准确性来验证我们得出的“规范”， 正确分类一组来自已知发育迟缓儿童的额外语料库，包括 AAVE发言人。 总之，这一举措将转化在研究中收集的大量主要研究数据， 儿童的典型掌握表达语言技能，以免费提供的实用程序，可用于 执业临床医生更容易，准确和公平地识别学龄前儿童需要 干预服务。

Project Summary Language testing of preschool-aged children is important in the identification of a wide range of developmental disabilities. Particularly when children are between one and five years of age, it is critical to supplement standardized tests with analysis of a naturalistic language sample (Language Sample Analysis, LSA), using a broad set of lexical and grammatical measures developed over the past forty years. Clinical training emphasizes the importance of using such measures in clinical decision- making. Unfortunately, this type of analysis is time-consuming, and clinicians often perform only a cursory analysis. Additionally, the psychometric properties of most of these language sample analysis (LSA) measures are quite weak, primarily because relatively few children, all of whom spoke mainstream English (rather than common dialects such as African-American English [AAVE], contributed to the development of reference scores. This situation is undesirable given educational mandates requiring that developmental assessment be done using valid, reliable and unbiased instruments and procedures. This project will utilize data from over 1500 children’s language samples compiled and curated at the Child Language Data Exchange System (CHILDES) open research data repository (www.childes.talkbank.org ) to validate, extend and strengthen the psychometric properties of LSA measures, for use in clinical and educational practice. We will integrate findings from large cross- sectional corpora with smaller numbers of children followed intensively over early development to verify trajectories in the mastery of a broad array of conventionally used LSA measures. Additional aims include development of dialect-sensitive measures and reference values, as well as those specific to gender, since current reference values may disadvantage girls. We will additionally explore impacts of socio-economic status on LSA values. Weak “norms”, dialect variation, gender and social class may significantly impact appropriate referral for clinical and educational services and we attempt to remediate this. We will validate our resulting “norms” by examining the accuracy with which they correctly classify an additional set of corpora from children with known developmental delays, including AAVE speakers. In sum, this initiative will translate a large body of primary research data gathered in the study of children’s typical mastery of expressive language skills to a freely-available utility that may be used by practicing clinicians to more easily, accurately and fairly identify preschool children in need of intervention services.