Xueman Lucy Liu1, Jill de Villiers2, Chunyan Ning3, Eric Rolfhus4, Teresa Hutchings4, Wendy Lee1, Fan Jiang5, Yi Wen Zhang5. 1. Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Texas at DallasBethel Hearing and Speaking Training Center, Dallas, TX. 2. Bethel Hearing and Speaking Training Center, Dallas, TXSmith College, Northampton, MA. 3. Bethel Hearing and Speaking Training Center, Dallas, TXInstitute of Linguistics, Tianjin Normal University, China. 4. Bethel Hearing and Speaking Training Center, Dallas, TX. 5. Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Shanghai Children's Medical Center Affiliated to Medical School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China.
Abstract
Purpose: With no existing gold standard for comparison, challenges arise for establishing the validity of a new standardized Mandarin language assessment normed in mainland China. Method: A new assessment, Diagnostic Receptive and Expressive Assessment of Mandarin (DREAM), was normed with a stratified sample of 969 children ages 2;6 (years;months) to 7;11 in multiple urban and nonurban regions in northern and southern China. In this study of 230 children, the sensitivity and specificity of DREAM were examined against an a priori judgment of disorders. External validity was assessed using 2 indices of language production for different age groups. Results: External validity was assessed against spontaneous language indices (correlation range: r = .6-.7; all ps < .01) and narrative indices (overall: r = .45, p < .01). Sensitivity (.73) and specificity (.82) of DREAM are moderate to good using a priori judgment as the standard. The values improved to .95 and .82 when spontaneous language and narratives were added to a priori judgment to define typicality. Divergent validity was moderate with nonlinguistic indices. Conclusion: DREAM holds promise as a diagnostic test of Mandarin language impairment for children aged 2;6 to 7;11.
Purpose: With no existing gold standard for comparison, challenges arise for establishing the validity of a new standardized Mandarin language assessment normed in mainland China. Method: A new assessment, Diagnostic Receptive and Expressive Assessment of Mandarin (DREAM), was normed with a stratified sample of 969 children ages 2;6 (years;months) to 7;11 in multiple urban and nonurban regions in northern and southern China. In this study of 230 children, the sensitivity and specificity of DREAM were examined against an a priori judgment of disorders. External validity was assessed using 2 indices of language production for different age groups. Results: External validity was assessed against spontaneous language indices (correlation range: r = .6-.7; all ps < .01) and narrative indices (overall: r = .45, p < .01). Sensitivity (.73) and specificity (.82) of DREAM are moderate to good using a priori judgment as the standard. The values improved to .95 and .82 when spontaneous language and narratives were added to a priori judgment to define typicality. Divergent validity was moderate with nonlinguistic indices. Conclusion: DREAM holds promise as a diagnostic test of Mandarin language impairment for children aged 2;6 to 7;11.
Authors: Si-Wei Ma; Li Lu; Ting-Ting Zhang; Dan-Tong Zhao; Bin-Ting Yang; Yan-Yan Yang; Jian-Min Gao Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2020-04-26 Impact factor: 3.390