Loading...
Screening for language delay: Growth trajectories of language ability in low- and high-performing children
Klem, Marianne Hagtvet, Bente Hulme, Charles Gustafsson, Jan-Eric
Klem, Marianne
Hagtvet, Bente
Hulme, Charles
Gustafsson, Jan-Eric
Abstract
Purpose: This study investigated the stability and growth of preschool language skills and explores latent class analysis as an approach for identifying children at risk of language impairment. Method: The authors present data from a large-scale 2-year longitudinal study, in which 600 children were assessed with a language-screening tool (LANGUAGE4) at age 4 years. A subsample (n = 206) was assessed on measures of sentence repetition, vocabulary, and grammatical knowledge at ages 4, 5, and 6 years. Results: A global latent language factor showed a high degree of longitudinal stability in children between the ages of 4 to 6 years. A low-performing group showing a language deficit compared to their age peers at age 4 was identified on the basis of the LANGUAGE4. The growth-rates during this 2-year time period were parallel for the low-performing and 3 higher performing groups of children. Conclusions: There is strong stability in children's language skills between the ages of 4 and 6 years. The results demonstrate that a simple language screening measure can successfully identify a low-performing group of children who show persistent language weaknesses between the ages of 4 and 6 years.
Keywords
Date
2016
Type
Journal article
Journal
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research
Book
Volume
59
Issue
5
Page Range
1035-1045
Article Number
ACU Department
Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education (ILSTE)
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Education and Arts
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Open access
License
File Access
Open
Notes
Copyright © 2016 The Authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.