Dynamic Assessment of Narrative Language for Diverse School-Age Children With and Without Language Disorder: A Large-Scale Psychometric Study
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine and cross-validate how well a dynamic assessment of language can accurately identify a large sample of school-age students with a representative ratio of language disorder. The participants included 362 school-age children with and without language disorder from kindergarten to sixth grade in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. Each participant received a battery of assessments including a dynamic assessment of narrative language. The dynamic assessment investigated in this study demonstrated good to excellent levels of sensitivity and specificity. The results of this study also determined that, in concurrence with previous dynamic assessment research, posttest and modifiability scores were most predictive of language ability. The results of this study indicate that the DYMOND may be a valid and accurate tool when identifying language disorders in school-age populations.