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ERIC Number: EJ781964
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Jan
Pages: 10
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0161-1461
EISSN: N/A
Empirically Derived Combinations of Tools and Clinical Cutoffs: An Illustrative Case with a Sample of Culturally/Linguistically Diverse Children
Oetting, Janna B.; Cleveland, Lesli H.; Cope, Robert F., III
Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, v39 n1 p44-53 Jan 2008
Purpose: Using a sample of culturally/linguistically diverse children, we present data to illustrate the value of empirically derived combinations of tools and cutoffs for determining eligibility in child language impairment. Method: Data were from 95 4- and 6-year-olds (40 African American, 55 White; 18 with language impairment, 77 without) who lived in the rural South; they involved primarily scores from the Comprehension subtest of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale--Fourth Edition (CSSB; R. Thorndike, E. Hagen, & J. Sattler, 1986), but scores from an experimental nonword repetition task (NRT; C. Dollaghan & T. Campbell, 1998) were also included as supplements to these scores. Results: Although the CSSB led to low fail rates in children without impairment and a statistically reliable group difference as a function of the children's clinical status but not their race, only 56% of children with impairment were accurately classified when -1 SD was employed as the cutoff. Diagnostic accuracy improved to 81% when an empirically derived cutoff of -0.5 SD was used. When scores from the NRT were added to those from the CSSB, diagnostic accuracy increased to 90%. Implications: This illustrative case adds to the growing number of studies that call for empirically derived combinations of tools and cutoffs as one option within an evidence-based practice framework.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). 10801 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. Tel: 800-638-8255; Fax: 301-571-0457; e-mail: subscribe@asha.org; Web site: http://lshss.asha.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A