A multidimensional investigation of the oral language abilities of Australian school entrants

A multidimensional assessment of oral language evaluates abilities across different tasks and contexts to provide a comprehensive view of language abilities and functioning. This research aimed to apply this assessment approach to investigate language profiles of children at school entry.

In this cross-sectional study with stratified sampling, we assessed 126 school entrants using assessments of oral language and teacher and parent surveys. A latent profile analysis was used to identify groups with similar language abilities and a multivariate analysis of variance to compare them on outcomes of early academic and psychosocial functioning. Hierarchical regression was used to evaluate the link between individual language measures and variability in functioning.

Four distinct oral language profiles emerged: High, average, low, and very low. The two lower profiles (28% of the cohort) displayed language difficulties. Children within higher profiles significantly outperformed those in lower profiles in early academic and psychosocial functioning. Measures of communicative participation and discourse uniquely predicted both outcomes.

A multidimensional assessment profiled using latent profile analysis offers a parsimonious approach to classifying language abilities. It may identify children with discourse-level difficulties that narrower approaches overlook. Communicative participation should be evaluated independently to capture its unique contribution to functioning.