Overview of Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals- Third Edition

1. Overview of Clinical Evaluation ofLanguage Fundamentals-Third Edition BEHV5250.013 Yusuke Hayashi

2. Overview • What is the test designed to do? • Identification, diagnosis, and follow-up evaluation of the language delay or disorder of school-age children, adolescents, and young adults • What type of children could be assessed? • Age: 6 years, 0 month though 21 years, 11 month • Diagnostic classification: N/A • Cultural biases or assumption: No biases for gender/race • “Items were rigorously evaluated to eliminate gender and racial/ethnic biases” (Semel, Wiig, & Second., 1995, p. 3)

3. Area Assessed • Receptive Subtests • Sentence Structure • Concept and directions • Word Classes • Semantic Relationships • Expressive Subtests • Word Structure • Formulated Sentences • Recalling Sentences • Sentence Assembly

4. Area Assessed (Cont.) • Supplementary Subtests • Listening to Paragraphs • Word Associations • Rapid, Automatic Naming

5. Referencing • How is CELF-3 referenced? • Normatively referenced • Norming Population • 2,400 children, adolescents, and young adults (ages 6 years, 0 month to 21 years, 11 months) who were • not receiving language therapy • not diagnosed as having language disorder • The sample population reflected the U.S. population in gender, age, parent education levels, region, and race/ethnicity

6. General Administration Protocols • Time • 30 – 40 min to administer • Materials needed to administer CELF-3 • Stimulus manual • Record forms • Watch • Pencil

7. Application with Children with Autism • Appropriateness of the use of CELF-3 • Sample population does not include children with autism • CELF-3 may not be appropriate for children with autism? • Pinpointing students’ strengths and weaknesses • CELF-3 can be used to identify strengths and weaknesses of a student’s language skills • This information can be used to determine the objectives of his or her intervention program

8. Tester Training Requirements • Training and Experience • “Examiners should have training and experience in the administration and interpretation of individually administered, standardized tests” • (Semel et al., 1995, p. 4) • Familiarity with students’ background • “it is imperative that you evaluate a student's language skills in light of his or her dialectal background, community, cultural orientation, and ethnicity” • (Semel et al., 1995, p. 233).

9. Validity • Construct validity • Evaluated by factor analysis and discriminant data used to distinguish between groups of children with or without language deficiencies. • The results demonstrated construct validity is strong • Social Validity (test measures skills people agree to be useful) • Might be the closest to content validity that refers to the extent to which the test offers a thorough and balanced sample of language behavior • Based on this, social validity is inferred to be strong

10. Reliability • Three measures • Internal consistency (degree of homogeneity among items) • Test-retest reliability • Inter-rater reliability • The results demonstrated that the reliability of CELF-3 is strong enough

11. Valid and Invalid Conclusions • Valid conclusions • Qualification for special service program • CELF-3 is designed “to evaluate language skills and to differentiate normal from disordered language in the receptive and expressive domains” (Semal et al., 1995, p. 89 • Students’ strengths and weaknesses in language skills • These information can be used to determine the objectives of his or her intervention program • Invalid conclusions • Potential causes of the language deficiencies • CELF-3 is not designed to measure “all the variables that may explain an individual’s language delay or disorder” (Semal et al., 1995, p. 89).