Psychometric Properties of the Children's Auditory Perception Test: Reliability and Validity Analysis

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Pediatric audiology
• Speech-language pathology

Background:

• Auditory perception is crucial for language development in children.
• Existing auditory perception tests may lack comprehensive validity and reliability for specific populations.
• The Children's Auditory Perception Test (CIAT) was developed to assess auditory perception skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To revise the Children's Auditory Perception Test (CIAT).
• To investigate the validity and reliability of the revised CIAT.
• To provide a standardized tool for evaluating auditory perception in children.

Main Methods:

• The study involved 100 cochlear implant (CI) users and 80 typically hearing children aged 2-15.
• Participants completed the Turkish Early Language Development Test (TELD-3) and audiometric assessments.
• The revised CIAT subtests were administered, with reliability assessed via internal consistency and test-retest methods. Construct, known-group, and predictive validity were evaluated.

Main Results:

• The revised CIAT demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.913) and acceptable to excellent subcategory reliability (α = 0.741-0.973).
• Significant differences in auditory perception scores were found between CI users and typically hearing children (p < 0.005), confirming known-group validity.
• Predictive validity was supported, with demographic and language factors explaining 78% of the variance in auditory perception scores (R² = 0.78).

Conclusions:

• The revised CIAT is a valid and reliable test battery for assessing auditory perception skills across a wide age range (2-15 years).
• The test effectively differentiates auditory perception abilities in children with and without cochlear implants.
• A limitation is the exclusion of auditory processing assessments like speech-in-competition tests.