Inclusion of Individuals With Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Norm-Referenced Language Assessments
Standardized, norm-referenced language assessment tools are used for a variety of purposes, including in education, clinical practice, and research. Unfortunately, norm-referenced language assessment tools can demonstrate floor effects (i.e., a large percentage of individuals scoring at or near the...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.929433/full |
| _version_ | 1811339301034655744 |
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| author | Susan J. Loveall Marie Moore Channell Laura J. Mattie Alexandria E. Barkhimer |
| author_facet | Susan J. Loveall Marie Moore Channell Laura J. Mattie Alexandria E. Barkhimer |
| author_sort | Susan J. Loveall |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Standardized, norm-referenced language assessment tools are used for a variety of purposes, including in education, clinical practice, and research. Unfortunately, norm-referenced language assessment tools can demonstrate floor effects (i.e., a large percentage of individuals scoring at or near the lowest limit of the assessment tool) when used with some groups with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), such as individuals with intellectual disability and neurogenetic syndromes. Without variability at the lower end of these assessment tools, professionals cannot accurately measure language strengths and difficulties within or across individuals. This lack of variability may be tied to poor representation of individuals with NDDs in normative samples. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify and examine common standardized, norm-referenced language assessment tools to report the representation of individuals with NDDs in normative samples and the range of standard/index scores provided. A systematic search identified 57 assessment tools that met inclusion criteria. Coding of the assessment manuals identified that most assessment tools included a “disability” or “exceptionality” group in their normative sample. However, the total number of individuals in these groups and the number of individuals with specific NDDs was small. Further, the characteristics of these groups (e.g., demographic information; disability type) were often poorly defined. The floor standard/index scores of most assessment tools were in the 40s or 50s. Only four assessment tools provided a standard score lower than 40. Findings of this study can assist clinicians, educators, and researchers in their selections of norm-referenced assessment tools when working with individuals with NDDs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T18:24:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2758b5d51ed84e34a07fceed50431a21 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T18:24:22Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-2758b5d51ed84e34a07fceed50431a212022-12-22T02:35:19ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782022-08-011310.3389/fpsyg.2022.929433929433Inclusion of Individuals With Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Norm-Referenced Language AssessmentsSusan J. Loveall0Marie Moore Channell1Laura J. Mattie2Alexandria E. Barkhimer3Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United StatesDepartment of Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United StatesDepartment of Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United StatesDepartment of Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United StatesStandardized, norm-referenced language assessment tools are used for a variety of purposes, including in education, clinical practice, and research. Unfortunately, norm-referenced language assessment tools can demonstrate floor effects (i.e., a large percentage of individuals scoring at or near the lowest limit of the assessment tool) when used with some groups with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), such as individuals with intellectual disability and neurogenetic syndromes. Without variability at the lower end of these assessment tools, professionals cannot accurately measure language strengths and difficulties within or across individuals. This lack of variability may be tied to poor representation of individuals with NDDs in normative samples. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify and examine common standardized, norm-referenced language assessment tools to report the representation of individuals with NDDs in normative samples and the range of standard/index scores provided. A systematic search identified 57 assessment tools that met inclusion criteria. Coding of the assessment manuals identified that most assessment tools included a “disability” or “exceptionality” group in their normative sample. However, the total number of individuals in these groups and the number of individuals with specific NDDs was small. Further, the characteristics of these groups (e.g., demographic information; disability type) were often poorly defined. The floor standard/index scores of most assessment tools were in the 40s or 50s. Only four assessment tools provided a standard score lower than 40. Findings of this study can assist clinicians, educators, and researchers in their selections of norm-referenced assessment tools when working with individuals with NDDs.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.929433/fulllanguage assessmentneurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs)norm-referenced assessmentslanguagestandardized assessment |
| spellingShingle | Susan J. Loveall Marie Moore Channell Laura J. Mattie Alexandria E. Barkhimer Inclusion of Individuals With Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Norm-Referenced Language Assessments Frontiers in Psychology language assessment neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) norm-referenced assessments language standardized assessment |
| title | Inclusion of Individuals With Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Norm-Referenced Language Assessments |
| title_full | Inclusion of Individuals With Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Norm-Referenced Language Assessments |
| title_fullStr | Inclusion of Individuals With Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Norm-Referenced Language Assessments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Inclusion of Individuals With Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Norm-Referenced Language Assessments |
| title_short | Inclusion of Individuals With Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Norm-Referenced Language Assessments |
| title_sort | inclusion of individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders in norm referenced language assessments |
| topic | language assessment neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) norm-referenced assessments language standardized assessment |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.929433/full |
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