Assessment Package for Language Development in Japanese Hearing-Impaired Children (ALADJIN) as a Test Battery for the Development of Practical Communication

Abstract

The measurement of language development in hearing-impaired children is an important step in assessing the appropriateness of an intervention. We proposed a set of language tests (the Assessment Package for Language Development in Japanese Hearing-Impaired Children [ALADJIN]) to evaluate the development of practical communication skills. This package consisted of communication skills (TQAID), comprehensive (PVT-R and SCTAW) and productive vocabulary (WFT), comprehensive and productive syntax (STA), and the STRAW. A total of 638 children with greater than 70-dB hearing impairment were subjected to this set of language tests. Additional tests, including the PARS, the RCPM, and parental questionnaires, were administered to assess the backgrounds of the children. A trimodal distribution was observed among hearing-impaired children by the histogram-based analysis of each test. The ALADJIN is a useful Japanese-language evaluation kit for hearing-impaired children.