Author

Barbara Brown

Abstract

The present investigation was initiated to establish cut-off scores for the shortened form of the Carrow Elicited Language Inventory (CELI). With such norms available, the assessment tool might be utilized as an expressive language screening device for the children ages five years nine months through six years nine months who are entering the first grade.

A review of the literature revealed few expressive language screening devices which are practical for use by the speech-language specialist in the schools. Some screening tools available are impractical in length of time to administer, for example the Northwestern Syntax Screening Test requires fifteen minutes for administration and fifteen minutes for scoring and interpretation. Other tests, such as the Jurupa Preschool and Kindergarten Screening (1973) require subjective interpretation, with random cut-off scores chosen at the discretion of the individual speech-language specialist.

The subject sample for the present investigation was comprised of two groups of children selected from the Fontana Unified School District. The normal group contained thirty subjects, ages five years nine months through six years nine months, who were randomly selected from eleven classrooms. The second group of subjects, the treatment group, consisted of thirty children ages five years nine months through six years nine months, who allegedly had demonstrated expressive language problems as identified by their school speech-language specialists.

The shortened form of the CELI was administered to the children in both groups. Scores were computed to determine the point of discrepancy, that is, the point at which the scores of the two groups overlapped. This area was the point of demarcation, and constituted the norm value for the shortened form of the CELI.

The collected data were cross validated, by administering the original form of the CELI to the normal group of children. Scores from the original and shortened CELI were analyzed to determine if there was a positive correlation bewteen the two tests.

A high positive correlation was found to exist between scores on the original and shortened form of the CELI. Results gained from this study indicated that a cutoff score of three or more errors would effectively identify the child with a possible expressive language problem in need of further diagnostic testing.

LLU Discipline

Speech Pathology

Department

Speech-Language Pathology

School

Graduate School

First Advisor

Melvin S. Cohen

Second Advisor

Charlotte Blankenship

Third Advisor

Isao Horinouchi

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Level

M.S.

Year Degree Awarded

1981

Date (Title Page)

6-1981

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Language Development; Language Tests

Subject - Local

Loma Linda University. Speech-Language Pathology program -- dissertations.

Type

Dissertation

Page Count

vi; 39

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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