Language Screening for Infants and Toddlers: A Literature Review of Four Commercially Available Tools
Communication Disorders Quarterly
Larson, A. L. (2016).
Communication Disorders Quarterly, 38(1), 3-12.
This systematic review investigates the diagnostic accuracy of early language screening tools for children under 3 years of age from diverse, low-income populations.
No funding received
No limits to publication date; search data was not provided
Published, peer-reviewed studies (not further specified)
19 studies regarding the 4 identified tools
<p>Results identified a moderate to strong relationships of comprehensive language and cognitive assessments in the following assessment tools:</p>
<ul>
<li><em>Clinical Linguistic and Auditory Milestone Scale</em> (CLAMS)</li>
<li><em>Early Language Milestone Scale</em> (ELM)</li>
<li><em>Language Development Survey</em> (LDS)</li>
<li><em>MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories- Short Form</em> (CDI-SF)</li>
</ul>
<p>"Almost all gold standard assessments used as comparisons in these studies were dated before the turn of the century—even when more recent comprehensive assessments were available" (p. 9). Although the ELM-2 and CDI-SF used more reputable and updated standardized instruments, psychometric data were limited.</p>
<div>"The current research on early language screeners is somewhat outdated and primarily focused on White, middle-class children. Although overall technical adequacy of early language screening tools is acceptable, there is no identifiable gold standard" (p. 10).</div>
