Approximately 30% of autistic children are considered minimally verbal. The field lacks an efficient and reliable measure of communicative capacity among minimally verbal autistic children. Improved methods are needed to determine which children are at greatest risk for minimally verbal outcomes to better target interventions. Here, we present the…

Many states now mandate early screening for dyslexia, but vary in how they address these mandates. There is confusion about the nature of screening versus diagnostic assessments, risk versus diagnosis, concurrent versus predictive validity, and inattention to indices of classification accuracy as the basis for determining risk. To help define what…

This study examines the response patterns of 288 Spanish-English dual language learners on a standardized test of receptive Spanish vocabulary. Investigators analyzed responses to 54 items on the "Test de Vocabulario en Imagenes" (TVIP) [Dunn, L. M., D. E. Lugo, E. R. Padilla, and L. M. Dunn. 1986. "Test de Vocabulario en Imganes…

Language skills developed during preschool contribute strongly to later reading and academic achievement. Effective preschool assessment and intervention should focus on core components of language development, specifically oral language skills. The Early Language and Literacy Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDIs) are a set of…

Language skills developed during preschool contribute strongly to later reading and academic achievement. Effective preschool assessment and intervention should focus on core components of language development, specifically oral language skills. The Early Language and Literacy Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDIs) are a set of…

In multilingual Asian communities, determining language dominance for clinical assessment and intervention is often complex. The aim of this study was to develop a self-report classification tool for identifying the dominant language in English-Mandarin bilinguals. Participants (N = 168) completed a questionnaire on language history and…

Adapted the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test to facilitate administration to low-functioning autistic children who do not have a pointing response. Autistic (N=10) and preschool-aged children (N=20) were given the standard form and the adapted form. Results supported the use of the published norms for the adapted version. (Author/RC)

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a Mexican version of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test could be improved by directly translating both forms of the American test, then using decision procedures to select the better item of each pair. The reliability of the simple translations suffered. (Author/BW)

This study reports an attempt to improve the administration of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) by identifying and modifying aspects of the test which adversely affect disadvantaged preschoolers' performance. The resultant test was called the Modified Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (M-PPVT). Two samples from the same lower class…

Sixteen students (6-26 years old) with developmental dyslexia or hyperactivity and 16 controls were administered the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) and the Revised test (PPVT-R). Increased numbers of perceptually loaded plates accounted for a decrease in IQ scores for dyslexic hyperactive Ss on the revised test. (CL)

Spanish translations of English forms of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary test were compared experimentally. Spanish-speaking children scored higher on the English version. Significant interactions of trial x form and trial x language were found. This local Spanish version is inappropriate for use with bilingual children. Full standardization is…

In an attempt to restore the symmetry and balance between the study of person and item variation, this paper presents a novel methodology construct specification equations, which allows one to ascertain from the lawful behavior of items what an instrument is measuring. (Author/PN)

THE JOHNS HOPKINS PERCEPTUAL TEST (JHPT), REVIEWED IN THIS PAPER, WAS DESIGNED TO MEET THE NEED FOR A BRIEF, EASILY ADMINISTERED, NON-VERBAL INSTRUMENT TO ASSESS THE INTELLECTUAL FUNCTIONING OF CHILDREN. THE DATA ON THIS INSTRUMENT INDICATES THAT IT IS RELATIVELY CULTURE FAIR AND USEFUL FOR TESTING CHILDREN WHOSE PHYSICAL HANDICAPS PRECLUDE THE…