1-191 - Language Science Meets the Real World: Assessments to Further Research and Practice

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Bringing language science into the world offers answers to practical‚ real-world problems at the same time that it enhances our understanding of language development. In both research and applied settings, there is a need for evidence-based, comprehensive assessments of language development that are tailored to the varied languages, cultures, and dialects of any population and that can be administered quickly and efficiently. Moreover, there is a need to evaluate children early, to provide researchers with a window into language acquisition and to provide educators with the proper instruments to identify children and create targeted interventions.

This symposium presents three language assessments, created through collaborations among theorists, researchers, and clinicians, designed both to advance research and practice and to increase our knowledge of language acquisition. The first two papers present the Quick Interactive Language Screener (QUILS) and the Bilingual English Spanish Oral Language Screener (BESOS). Designed for children in the United States learning English and/or Spanish, they are intended to replace existing screeners that provide a narrow picture of children’s language skills. While each test has unique goals, both improve upon existing assessments. The third paper presents the Diagnostic Receptive-Expressive Assessment of Mandarin (DREAM), the first language assessment created for Mandarin-speaking children in mainland China.

These new instruments represent a tremendous step forward for integrating linguistic theory and research into comprehensive assessments of language development. These tests show much promise for increasing our opportunity to impact both research and the identification of children with language impairment.

Sub Unit

• Language, Communication

Chair

• Dani Levine, Temple University

Discussant

• Meredith Rowe, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Individual Presentations

• With the touch of a screen: Reliability, validity, and diagnostic accuracy of the Quick Interactive Language Screener (QUILS) - Presenting Author: Hannah Nye, University of Washington; Amy Pace, University of Washington; Dani Levine, Temple University; Rufan Luo, Temple University; Giovanna Morini, University of Delaware; Kristina Strother-Garcia, University of Delaware; Natalie Brezack, University of Chicago; Jill de Villiers, Smith College; Mary Sweig Wilson, Laureate Learning Systems; Aquiles Iglesias, University of Delaware; Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Temple University; Roberta Golinkoff, University of Delaware

• Predicting Language Impairment with the Bilingual English Spanish Oral Language Screener (BESOS) - Presenting Author: Elizabeth Pena, University of Texas at Austin; Lisa Bedore, University of Texas at Austin

• The Diagnostic Receptive-Expressive Assessment of Mandarin (DREAM): A Comprehensive Language Test for Children in Mainland China - Presenting Author: Jill de Villiers, Smith College; Lucy Liu, University of Texas at Dallas