Abstract

Assessments for diagnosing language disorders (LD) can be biased for dual language learners (DLLs). Nonword repetition (NWR) tasks show potential as a less-biased language assessment measure for DLLs. This study explored the diagnostic accuracy of NWR tasks for diagnosing LD. There were 291 participants included in this study in first through fifth grades. Thirty-nine of the participants had LD and 86 of the participants were DLLs. Sixteen of the participants were DLLs and had LD. Monolingual participants were administered an English NWR task, and DLLs were administered both English and Spanish NWR tasks. These tasks were scored by percent phonemes correct and then analyzed for accuracy in diagnosing LD, using measures of sensitivity and specificity as well as area under the curve. The results of this study show that NWR tasks are effective tools for ruling-in LD but should be used in conjunction with other language measures in order to provide a confident diagnosis. DLLs should be administered NWR tasks in both languages they are learning to achieve the highest diagnostic accuracy. NWR tasks can be an effective clinical assessment tool for diagnosing LD in DLLs and monolinguals alike.

Degree

College and Department

David O. McKay School of Education; Communication Disorders

Rights

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