Expressive language sampling and outcome measures for treatment trials in fragile X and down syndromes: composite scores and psychometric properties.
Leonard Abbeduto, Laura Del Hoyo Soriano, Elizabeth Berry-Kravis, Audra Sterling, Jamie O Edgin, Nadia Abdelnur, Andrea Drayton, Anne Hoffmann, Debra Hamilton, Danielle J Harvey, Angela John Thurman
Author Information
Leonard Abbeduto: MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis Health, 2828 50Th St., Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA. LJabbeduto@ucdavis.edu.
Laura Del Hoyo Soriano: MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis Health, 2828 50Th St., Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA.
Elizabeth Berry-Kravis: Department of Neurology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
Audra Sterling: Waisman Center and Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Jamie O Edgin: Department of Psychology, Sonoran UCEDD, UA Family and Community Medicine, University of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Nadia Abdelnur: MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis Health, 2828 50Th St., Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA.
Andrea Drayton: MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis Health, 2828 50Th St., Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA.
Anne Hoffmann: Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences, Rush University, Chicago, IL, USA.
Debra Hamilton: Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Danielle J Harvey: Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, USA.
Angela John Thurman: MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis Health, 2828 50Th St., Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA.
The lack of psychometrically sound outcome measures has been a barrier to evaluating the efficacy of treatments proposed for core symptoms of intellectual disability (ID). Research on Expressive Language Sampling (ELS) procedures suggest it is a promising approach to measuring treatment efficacy. ELS entails collecting samples of a participant's talk in interactions with an examiner that are naturalistic but sufficiently structured to ensure consistency and limit examiner effects on the language produced. In this study, we extended previous research on ELS by analyzing an existing dataset to determine whether psychometrically adequate composite scores reflecting multiple dimensions of language can be derived from ELS procedures administered to 6- to 23-year-olds with fragile X syndrome (n = 80) or Down syndrome (n = 78). Data came from ELS conversation and narration procedures administered twice in a 4-week test-retest interval. We found that several composites emerged from variables indexing syntax, vocabulary, planning processes, speech articulation, and talkativeness, although there were some differences in the composites for the two syndromes. Evidence of strong test-retest reliability and construct validity of two of three composites were obtained for each syndrome. Situations in which the composite scores would be useful in evaluating treatment efficacy are outlined.
References
Cogn Neuropsychiatry. 1997 May 1;2(2):81-99
[PMID: 25420198]
