Development and Validation of a Scale to Detect Late Language Emergence in Spanish-Speaking Children

Area of Science:

• Child Language Development
• Psychometrics
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Early identification of late talkers is crucial due to their risk of persistent language disorders.
• Existing measurement tools lack adequate psychometric properties for timely detection.
• A need exists for a reliable observational scale applicable by both professionals and educators.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an observational scale for detecting Late Language Emergence (LLE) in Spanish-speaking children.
• To analyze the factor structure of the scale for children aged 2-3 years.
• To create a tool applicable in early childhood education settings for children aged 0-3 years.

Main Methods:

• The study involved 364 Spanish-speaking children aged 24-38 months.
• An observational scale was developed and its factor structure analyzed.
• Psychometric properties were assessed, including reliability and correlations with established measures.

Main Results:

• The scale exhibited high reliability, with coefficients ranging from ω = .77 to ω = .97.
• Factor analysis supported a five-factor structure: phonology, lexical semantics, morphosyntax, comprehension, and communication.
• Significant correlations were found between the new scale and the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory.

Conclusions:

• The developed scale is a concise and simple instrument for detecting late talkers.
• The scale possesses suitable psychometric properties for use with Spanish-speaking children.
• This tool can aid in the early identification of language delays by various professionals.