Psychometric Assessment of Pilot Language and Communication Items on the 2018 and 2019 National Survey of Children's Health

doi:10.1016/j.acap.2021.12.024

. 2022 Sep-Oct;22(7):1133-1141.

doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2021.12.024. Epub 2021 Dec 28.

Psychometric Assessment of Pilot Language and Communication Items on the 2018 and 2019 National Survey of Children's Health

Helena Hutchins¹, Lara Robinson², Sana Charania³, Reem Ghandour⁴, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek⁵, Jennifer Zubler⁶

Affiliations

¹ Child Development Studies Team, Division of Human Development and Disability, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (H Hutchins and L Robinson), Atlanta, Ga; Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Research Participation Programs (H Hutchins), Oak Ridge, Tenn. Electronic address: pne8@cdc.gov.
² Child Development Studies Team, Division of Human Development and Disability, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (H Hutchins and L Robinson), Atlanta, Ga.
³ Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Team, Division of Human Development and Disability, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (S Charania), Atlanta, Ga.
⁴ Office of Epidemiology and Research, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration (R Ghandour), Rockville, Md.
⁵ Department of Psychology, Temple University (K Hirsh-Pasek), Philadelphia, Pa; Brookings Institution (K Hirsh-Pasek), Washington, DC.
⁶ Eagle Global Scientific (J Zubler), San Antonio, Tex; Learn the Signs, Act Early Program, Division of Human Development and Disability, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (J Zubler), Atlanta, Ga.

PMID: 34968678
PMCID: PMC9694117
DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2021.12.024

Psychometric Assessment of Pilot Language and Communication Items on the 2018 and 2019 National Survey of Children's Health

Helena Hutchins et al. Acad Pediatr. 2022 Sep-Oct.

. 2022 Sep-Oct;22(7):1133-1141.

doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2021.12.024. Epub 2021 Dec 28.

Authors

Helena Hutchins¹, Lara Robinson², Sana Charania³, Reem Ghandour⁴, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek⁵, Jennifer Zubler⁶

Affiliations

¹ Child Development Studies Team, Division of Human Development and Disability, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (H Hutchins and L Robinson), Atlanta, Ga; Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Research Participation Programs (H Hutchins), Oak Ridge, Tenn. Electronic address: pne8@cdc.gov.
² Child Development Studies Team, Division of Human Development and Disability, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (H Hutchins and L Robinson), Atlanta, Ga.
³ Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Team, Division of Human Development and Disability, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (S Charania), Atlanta, Ga.
⁴ Office of Epidemiology and Research, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration (R Ghandour), Rockville, Md.
⁵ Department of Psychology, Temple University (K Hirsh-Pasek), Philadelphia, Pa; Brookings Institution (K Hirsh-Pasek), Washington, DC.
⁶ Eagle Global Scientific (J Zubler), San Antonio, Tex; Learn the Signs, Act Early Program, Division of Human Development and Disability, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (J Zubler), Atlanta, Ga.

PMID: 34968678
PMCID: PMC9694117
DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2021.12.024

Abstract

Objective: Until recently, normative data on language and communication development among children in the United States have not been available to inform critical efforts to promote language development and prevent impairments. This study represents the first psychometric assessment of nationally representative data derived from a National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) pilot measure of language and communication development among children ages 1 to 5 years.

Methods: We analyzed 14,573 parent responses to language and communication items on the 2018 and 2019 NSCH to evaluate whether the newly added 11 items represent a single latent trait for language and communication development and to determine normative age of success on each item. We applied weighted, one-parameter Item Response Theory to rate and cluster items by difficulty relative to developmental language ability. We examined differential item functioning (DIF) using weighted logistic regression by demographic factors.

Results: Together, exploratory factor analysis resulting in a single factor > 1 and explaining 93% of the variance and positive correlations indicated unidimensionality of the measure. Item characteristic curves indicated groupings were overall concordant with proposed milestone ages and representative of an approximate 90% success cut-point by child age. Indicated normative age cut-points for 3 of the items differed slightly from proposed milestone ages. Uniform DIF was not observed and potential nonuniform DIF was observed across 5 items.

Conclusions: Results have the potential to enhance understanding of risk and protective factors, inform efforts to promote language and communication development, and guide programmatic efforts on early detection of language delays.

Keywords: Item Response Theory; language development; language milestones; psychometrics; survey data.

Published by Elsevier Inc.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest/Competing interests (include appropriate disclosures): Authors have no conflicts of interests to report.

Figures

**Figure. 1-**
Weighted 1-parameter Item Response Theory Item Characteristic Curves of the Language and Communication Items for Children Age 1–5 Years—National Survey of Children’s Health 2018 and 2019^a ^aweighted to account for complex survey sampling procedures

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

1. Berkman ND, Wallace I, Watson L, et al. Screening for Speech and Language Delays and Disorders in Children Age 5 Years or Younger: A Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); July 2015. - PubMed
1. Pace A, Luo R, Hirsh-Pasek K, Golinkoff R. Identifying pathways between socioeconomic status and language development. Annual Review of Linguistics 2017;3:285–308. Doi: 10.1146/annurev-linguistics-011516-034226 - DOI
1. Pace A, Alper R, Burchinal MR, Golinkoff RM, Hirsh-Pasek K. Measuring success: Within and cross-domain predictors of academic and social trajectories in elementary school. Early Childhood Research Quarterly 2019;46:112–125. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.04.001 - DOI
1. Wilks T, Gerber RJ, Erdie-Lalena C. Developmental milestones: cognitive development. Pediatrics in Review 2010;31:364–367. doi:10.1542/pir.31.9.364 - DOI - PubMed
1. Young AR, Beitchman JH, Johnson C, et al. Young adult academic outcomes in a longitudinal sample of early identified language impaired and control children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 2002;43:635–645. doi:10.1111/1469-7610.00052 - DOI - PubMed

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[1] Berkman ND, Wallace I, Watson L, et al. Screening for Speech and Language Delays and Disorders in Children Age 5 Years or Younger: A Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); July 2015. - PubMed

[2] Berkman ND, Wallace I, Watson L, et al. Screening for Speech and Language Delays and Disorders in Children Age 5 Years or Younger: A Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); July 2015. - PubMed

[3] Pace A, Luo R, Hirsh-Pasek K, Golinkoff R. Identifying pathways between socioeconomic status and language development. Annual Review of Linguistics 2017;3:285–308. Doi: 10.1146/annurev-linguistics-011516-034226 - DOI

[4] Pace A, Luo R, Hirsh-Pasek K, Golinkoff R. Identifying pathways between socioeconomic status and language development. Annual Review of Linguistics 2017;3:285–308. Doi: 10.1146/annurev-linguistics-011516-034226 - DOI

[5] Pace A, Alper R, Burchinal MR, Golinkoff RM, Hirsh-Pasek K. Measuring success: Within and cross-domain predictors of academic and social trajectories in elementary school. Early Childhood Research Quarterly 2019;46:112–125. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.04.001 - DOI

[6] Pace A, Alper R, Burchinal MR, Golinkoff RM, Hirsh-Pasek K. Measuring success: Within and cross-domain predictors of academic and social trajectories in elementary school. Early Childhood Research Quarterly 2019;46:112–125. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.04.001 - DOI

[7] Wilks T, Gerber RJ, Erdie-Lalena C. Developmental milestones: cognitive development. Pediatrics in Review 2010;31:364–367. doi:10.1542/pir.31.9.364 - DOI - PubMed

[8] Wilks T, Gerber RJ, Erdie-Lalena C. Developmental milestones: cognitive development. Pediatrics in Review 2010;31:364–367. doi:10.1542/pir.31.9.364 - DOI - PubMed

[9] Young AR, Beitchman JH, Johnson C, et al. Young adult academic outcomes in a longitudinal sample of early identified language impaired and control children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 2002;43:635–645. doi:10.1111/1469-7610.00052 - DOI - PubMed

[10] Young AR, Beitchman JH, Johnson C, et al. Young adult academic outcomes in a longitudinal sample of early identified language impaired and control children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 2002;43:635–645. doi:10.1111/1469-7610.00052 - DOI - PubMed

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Psychometric Assessment of Pilot Language and Communication Items on the 2018 and 2019 National Survey of Children's Health

Affiliations

Psychometric Assessment of Pilot Language and Communication Items on the 2018 and 2019 National Survey of Children's Health

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

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References

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical