Journal article
Language sampling for kindergarten children with and without SLI: mean length of utterance, IPSYN, and NDW
Journal of communication disorders, Vol.38(3), pp.197-213
2005
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2004.10.002
PMID: 15748724
Abstract
Language sample analysis measures have long been promoted as exhibiting greater ecological validity than formal testing in the assessment of language disorder in children. In practice, their use is often restricted to preschool children, owing to lack of normative information, as well as criticisms of the validity of commonly used measures for the language of older children. This study compared scores of kindergarten children (mean age 6 years) with and without specific language impairment (SLI) on three commonly used language sample analysis measures: mean length of utterance in morphemes (MLU-m), the index of productive syntax (IPSyn), and number of different words (NDWs). Mean scores of the children with SLI were significantly lower for all three measures, though not for all subtests of the IPSyn. A number of individual differences were observed; notably, several children with SLI scored as well as those without. The problems and promise of language sampling for children beyond the preschool years are discussed in light of these results.
(1) readers will gain an understanding of strengths and weaknesses of language sample measures in assessing kindergarten children with language impairment. (2) The reader will become aware of the utility of MLU in differentiating between young school age children with and without language impairment.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Language sampling for kindergarten children with and without SLI: mean length of utterance, IPSYN, and NDW
- Creators
- Lynne E Hewitt - Department of Communication Disorders, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, USACarol Scheffner Hammer - Department of Communication Disorders, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USAKristine M Yont - Harvard University Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USAJ. Bruce Tomblin - Department of Communication Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of communication disorders, Vol.38(3), pp.197-213
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2004.10.002
- PMID
- 15748724
- ISSN
- 0021-9924
- eISSN
- 1873-7994
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 2005
- Academic Unit
- Communication Sciences and Disorders; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
- Record Identifier
- 9984070003102771
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