CELF-4 Test Review- Final Draftdocx.pdf
The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Fourth Edition (CELF-4) is a standardized test designed to assess the presence of a language disorder or delay in children aged 5-21. Read More
Category: Sensitivity and Specificity
Sensitivity and specificity are measures of diagnostic accuracy. Sensitivity refers to a test’s ability to identify a “true positive” as positive for the quality being tested. Specificity is the test’s ability to identify a “true negative” as negative. In the case of language tests, sensitivity refers to the test’s ability to identify children who are language impaired as language impaired. Conversely, specificity is the test’s ability to identify children who are typically developing as typically developing. McCauley & Swisher determined that acceptable levels of sensitivity and specificity should be at least 80%.
Relevant Research: Psychometric Review of Language and Articulation Tests for Preschool Children
Source URL: View this document on the ASHA website
This was one of the first of many articles publishing research demonstrating the severe limitations of using commercially available child language tests when assessing children for speech and language disability. Read More
Relevant Research: Eligibility Criteria for Language Impairment: Is the Low End of Normal Always Appropriate?
Source URL: View this document on the ASHA website
Many clinicians label a child as language impaired (LI) or typically developing (TD) based on arbitrary cutoff scores (1.5 SD below the mean or 1 SD below the mean) on standardized tests. However, as demonstrated in this article, many standardized tests do not even provide information about validity and reliability.
Relevant Research: Identifiers of Predominantly Spanish-Speaking Children with Language Impairment
Source URL: View this document on the ASHA website
This study proved that measures other than standardized language assessments can more accurately identify language impairment in culturally and linguistically diverse children (in this case monolingual Spanish speakers). Read More
Validity Part 1- Construct Validity (Preschool Disability Evaluations: Module 06)
In this module, Cate discusses the validity of standardized tests and whether they measure what they claim to measure. Read More
Understanding Assessment: Standard Deviation
A standard deviation (SD) is a quantity derived from the distribution of scores from a normative sample. The standard deviation is the average distance (or deviation) from the mean. Read More
Understanding Assessment: Understanding the Normative Sample
The terms normative sample and standardization sample refer to the same concept and are often used interchangeably, though standardization sample is the term more frequently used in statistics and normative sample is more common within psychometrics. A norm referenced test uses a normative or standardization sample from the general population to determine what is “typical” or “normal” in that population. Read More
