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Evaluating the Discriminant Accuracy of a Grammatical Measure With Spanish-Speaking Children

M. Adelaida Restrepo
Arizona State University, Tempe

Gabriela Simón-Cereijido
San Diego State University

Contact author: Vera F. Gutiérrez-Clellen, School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, and SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders, San Diego State University 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182-1518. E-mail: vclellen{at}mail.sdsu.edu.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the discriminant accuracy of a grammatical measure for the identification of language impairment in Latino Spanish-speaking children. The authors hypothesized that if exposure to and use of English as a second language have an effect on the first language, bilingual children might exhibit lower rates of grammatical accuracy than their peers and be more likely to be misclassified.

METHOD: Eighty children with typical language development and 80 with language impairment were sampled from 4 different geographical regions and compared using linear discriminant function analysis.

RESULTS: Results indicated fair-to-good sensitivity from 4;0 to 5;1 years, good sensitivity from 5;2 to 5;11 years, and poor sensitivity above age 6 years. The discriminant functions derived from the exploratory studies were able to predict group membership in confirmatory analyses with fair-to-excellent sensitivity up to age 6 years. Children who were bilingual did not show lower scores and were not more likely to be misclassified compared with their Spanish-only peers.

CONCLUSIONS: The measure seems to be appropriate for identifying language impairment in either Spanish-dominant or Spanish-only speakers between 4 and 6 years of age. However, for older children, supplemental testing is necessary.

KEY WORDS: children, Spanish-speaking, discriminant accuracy

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