Research to Establish the Validity, Reliability, and Clinical Utility of a Comprehensive Language Assessment of Mandarin

Abstract

DREAM holds promise as a diagnostic test of Mandarin language impairment for children aged 2;6 to 7;11.

A Narrative Evaluation of Mandarin-Speaking Children With Language Impairment

“…The test provides four component scores: receptive language, expressive language, syntax, and semantics. As reported by Liu et al (2017), test-retest reliability was high (r = .85). External validity was assessed using spontaneous language indices (e.g., sentence complexity, vocabulary diversity) and narrative indices (e.g., the inclusion of mental verbs and connectives).…”

“…We used a cutoff score of 80 on any of the DREAM components as one of our inclusionary criteria. According to Liu et al (2017), the DREAM demonstrated the best sensitivity (73%) and specificity (82%) using this criterion (< 80 on one component) when measured against a priori 2 MENT © 2014 by Bethel Hearing and Speaking Training Center Inc. 3 Different IQ cutoff scores have been adopted by researchers (Gallinat & Spaulding, 2014). In our sample, five children with LI scored from 70 to 79.…”

“…Participants Participants in the current study were drawn from a larger sample who participated in the validation study (Liu et al, 2017) of the Diagnostic Receptive and Expressive Assessment of Mandarin (DREAM; Ning, Liu, & de Villiers, 2014). The children were recruited from the Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Clinic at Shanghai Children's Medical Center.…”

“…The measures used in the validation of the DREAM are different from the measures we selected in the current study. From Liu et al (2017), they measured the usage of mental verbs and connectives, but we focused on other narrative measures. judgment by pediatricians, who usually make decisions of this kind in China.…”

“…In order to tell this story, children need to take the characters' perspective into account and describe their internal states. Detailed information about the MENT can be found in Appendix C of Liu et al (2017).…”