Reading Comprehension Tests for Children: Test Equating and Specific Age-Interval Reports.

Equating is used to directly compare alternate forms of tests. We describe the equating of two alternative forms of a reading comprehension test for Brazilian children (2nd to 5th grade), Form A (n = 427) and Form B (n = 321). We employed non-equivalent random groups design with internal anchor items. Local independence was attested via standardized residual Pearson's bivariate correlation. First, from 176 items, we selected 42 in each form (33 unique and 9 in common) using 2PL model, a one-dimensional item response theory (IRT) model. Using the equateIRT package for R, the anchor items were used to link both forms. Linking coefficients were estimated under two different methods (Haebara and Stocking-Lord), resulting in scores equating by two methods: observed score equating (OSE) and true score equating (TSE). We provided reference-specific age-intervals for the sample. The final version was informative for a wide range of theta abilities. We concluded that the forms could be used interchangeably.

Children with Poor Reading Skills at the Word Level Show Reduced Fractional Anisotropy in White Matter Tracts of Both Hemispheres.

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies showed that microstructural alterations are correlated to reading skills. In this study, we aim to investigate white matter microstructure of a group of Portuguese speakers with poor reading level, using different parameters of DTI. To perform this analysis, we selected children ranging from 8 to 12 years of age, poor readers (n = 17) and good readers (n = 23), evaluated in the word-level ability based on a Latent Class Analysis (LCA) of Academic Performance Test (TDE). Poor readers exhibited significant fractional anisotropy (FA) reductions in many tracts of both hemispheres, but small and restricted clusters of increased radial diffusivity (RD) in the left hemisphere. Spatial coherence of fibers might be the main source of differences, as changes in FA were not similarly accompanied in terms of extension by changes in RD. Widespread structural alterations in the white matter could prevent good reading ability at word level, which is consistent with recent studies demonstrating the involvement of multiple cortical regions and white matter tracts in reading disabilities.

Latent class analysis of reading, decoding, and writing performance using the Academic Performance Test: concurrent and discriminating validity.

AIM: To explore and validate the best returned latent class solution for reading and writing subtests from the Academic Performance Test (TDE). SAMPLE: A total of 1,945 children (6-14 years of age), who answered the TDE, the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA), and had an estimated intelligence quotient (IQ) higher than 70, came from public schools in São Paulo (35 schools) and Porto Alegre (22 schools) that participated in the 'High Risk Cohort Study for Childhood Psychiatric Disorders' project. They were on average 9.52 years old (standard deviation = 1.856), from the 1st to 9th grades, and 53.3% male. The mean estimated IQ was 102.70 (standard deviation = 16.44). METHODS: Via Item Response Theory (IRT), the highest discriminating items ('a'>1.7) were selected from the TDE subtests of reading and writing. A latent class analysis was run based on these subtests. The statistically and empirically best latent class solutions were validated through concurrent (IQ and combined attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD] diagnoses) and discriminant (major depression diagnoses) measures. RESULTS: A three-class solution was found to be the best model solution, revealing classes of children with good, not-so-good, or poor performance on TDE reading and writing tasks. The three-class solution has been shown to be correlated with estimated IQ and to ADHD diagnosis. No association was observed between the latent class and major depression. CONCLUSION: The three-class solution showed both concurrent and discriminant validity. This work provides initial evidence of validity for an empirically derived categorical classification of reading, decoding, and writing performance using the TDE. A valid classification encourages further research investing correlates of reading and writing performance using the TDE.

EACOL (Scale of Evaluation of Reading Competence by the Teacher): evidence of concurrent and discriminant validity.

AIM: The study aimed to provide information about the concurrent and discriminant validation of the Scale of Evaluation of Reading Competence by the Teacher (EACOL), which is composed of 27 dichotomous items concerning reading aloud (17 items) and reading silently (10 items). SAMPLES: Three samples were used in this validation study. The first was composed of 335 students with an average age of 9.75 years (SD = 1.2) from Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais State), Brazil, where the full spectrum of reading ability was assessed. The second two samples were from São Paulo city (São Paulo State), Brazil, where only children with reading difficulties were recruited. The first São Paulo sample was labeled "SP-screening" and had n = 617, with a mean age of 9.8 years (SD = 1.0), and the other sample was labeled "SP-trial" and had n = 235, with a mean age of 9.15 years (SD = 0.05). METHODS: Results were obtained from a latent class analysis LCA, in which two latent groups were obtained as solutions, and were correlated with direct reading measures. Also, students' scores on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale and on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire tested the discriminant validation. RESULTS: Latent groups of readers underlying the EACOL predicted all direct reading measures, while the same latent groups showed no association with behavior and intelligence assessments, giving concurrent and discriminant validity to EACOL, respectively. CONCLUSION: EACOL is a reliable screening tool which can be used by a wide range of professionals for assessing reading skills.

[Relationship between speech, tonus and non-verbal praxis of the stomatognathic system in preschoolers]. / Relação entre fala, tônus e praxia não-verbal do sistema estomatognático em pré-escolares.

BACKGROUND: relationship between speech, tonus and non-verbal praxis. AIM: to verify the relationship between speech, tonus and non-verbal praxis of the stomatognathic system in preschoolers. METHOD: 120 children, with ages between 4:0 and 5:11 years, were assessed. This assessment consisted of an anamnesis and a speech-language evaluation. The anamnesis was carried out with each child and was completed with information obtained through a questionnaire filled out by parents or guardians. The speech-language assessment involved: assessment of tonus (resistance), of mobility (execution of isolated movements), praxis of lips and tongue (repetition of sequential movements) and of speech (picture naming). RESULTS: statistically significant findings were: normal tongue tonus in the group of children with normal praxis (p = 0.003); tongue with altered tonus in the group of children with altered praxis (p = 0.003) and normal speech in the group of children with normal praxis (p < 0.001). Other observations were: normal lip tonus in the group of children with normal praxis (p = 0.058); altered speech (omission, substitution and distortion) in the group of children with altered lip tonus (p = 0.149), normal speech in the group of children with normal tongue tonus (p = 0.332): altered speech (omission, substitution and distortion) in the group of children with altered lip praxis (p = 0.241). Differences in speech related to gender or age were not observed in the present study. However, children with ages between 4:0 and 4:11 years presented speech alterations in a higher proportion when compared to children with ages between 5:0 and 5:11 years. CONCLUSION: it was not possible to prove the existence of a relationship between tonus and lip praxis, and between lip praxis and speech. A relationship exists between tonus and non-verbal tongue praxis and also between non-verbal tongue praxis and speech.

[Linguistic and narrative variables in oral and written language disorder]. / Variáveis lingüísticas e de narrativas no distúrbio de linguagem oral e escrita.

BACKGROUND: A study of linguistic and narrative variables in oral and written language disorder. AIM: To characterize the linguistic and narrative productivity, oral and written productions, of scholars with oral and written language disorder. METHOD: Oral and written narrative productions of 30 scholars from public schools (male and female aged 7 to 13 years) were compared. These individuals were grouped as follows: Research group (15) and Control group (15). Samples of oral and written narratives of the story "Little Red Riding Hood" were collected. Comparative analyses were made between the oral and written productions--intragroup (t Student Test and Wilcoxon Test) and intergroup (t Student Test and Mann Whitney Test)--according to the following linguistic variables: total number of words, of nouns, of verbs, of verbs in the past tense, of adjectives, of time markers, of complete statements, of incomplete statements and of reported episodes. Narratives were also compared according to the presence of episodes. RESULTS: Differences were observed between the oral and written productions for the research group regarding the total number of produced words (p = 0.018) and the total number of produced verbs (p = 0.030). The use of time markers such as before (p < 0.001), then (p < 0.001), when (p < 0.001), and after (p = 0.003), and the number of reported episodes, also indicated statistical differences when comparing the groups. CONCLUSION: The following variables characterized the research group: longer extensions of oral lexical productivity when comparing these to the written productions, less frequent use of time markers and fewer number of certain episodes in the written modality.