This module is the first of three presenting the critical questions: nine essential questions that must be asked in every caregiver interview during an evaluation. Read More
Category: Vocabulary
Vocabulary refers to one’s mental lexicon. One’s vocabulary is dependent on prior exposure and socio-economic status (e.g., children from low-SES families are exposed to significantly less vocabulary than high-SES peers).
Appropriate Assessment Procedures- Part 3 (Preschool Disability Evaluations: Module 14)
This module discusses how to do preschool evaluations in an accurate and appropriate manner. Read More
Socioeconomic, Linguistic and Cultural Bias in Testing and Labeling Tasks (Preschool Disability Evaluations: Module 12)
This module examines different sources of bias that are present in commonly used standardized language tests. Read More
Validity Part 3- ELLs, IQs, and Cognitive Tests (Preschool Disability Evaluations: Module 08)
This module examines validity issues for psychological tests such as the lack of validity of standardized IQ tests when used with bilingual individuals and English language learners (ELL). Read More
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: Task Familiarity: Effects on the Test Performance of Puerto Rican and African American Children
Source URL: View this document on the ASHA website
This study illustrates how important it is for an evaluator to be familiar with both the typical language practices of the communities they work in as well as the bias inherent in many of the standardized tests that are used to determine disability.
Relevant Research: Past Tense Marking by African American English-Speaking Children Reared in Poverty AND Passive Participle Marking by African American English-Speaking Children Reared in Poverty
Source URL: View this document on the ASHA website
These studies represent more evidence against the use of standardized tests when assessing the linguistic abilities of culturally or linguistically diverse (CLD) children.
Read More
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
