Assessing the Language Abilities of Preterm-Born Children: An Examination of Standardized Testing and Language Sample
Sarah Coughlan1, Jean Quigley1, Elizabeth Nixon1
1School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
|July 9, 2024
Summary
Preterm-born children show language delays on standardized tests, but not always on language sample analysis. These findings highlight the importance of using multiple assessment methods for preterm language development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Pediatric Neurodevelopment
Background:
- Preterm birth is a risk factor for developmental delays, including language impairments.
- Assessing language in preterm children requires nuanced methods to capture diverse abilities.
- Standardized tests and language sample analysis (LSA) offer different perspectives on language skills.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare language skills of preterm- and term-born children using standardized tests and LSA.
- To examine the influence of executive function and sampling context on language scores.
- To analyze the relationship between standardized test and LSA scores in both groups.
Main Methods:
- Administered Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition language measures to 2-year-olds.
- Collected parent-child free-play recordings for (para)linguistic feature analysis (LSA).
- Assessed executive function via parent-report questionnaires.
Main Results:
- Preterm children scored lower on standardized language tests but showed fewer differences on LSA.
- Executive function did not explain differences in standardized test scores.
- Language sampling context influenced LSA scores, and correlation patterns differed between groups.
Conclusions:
- Language difficulties in preterm children are more evident on standardized tests than LSA.
- Standardized tests and LSA provide complementary information for assessing preterm language.
- The utility of cutoff scores and the impact of sampling context warrant careful consideration.
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