Assessment Of Communicative Abilities Research Articles

The Assessment of Communication Ability on Deafblind Students

The Assessment of Communication Ability on Deafblind Students

Image characteristics of a child with autistic spectrum disorder in representatives of the immediate social surrounding

The article demonstrates the insufficiently studied differences in the notions of behavioral manifestations in children suffering from autistic spectrum disorder among representatives of their immediate social surrounding, i.e. parents, psychologists and educators. We used methods of structured observation (D. Stott’s observation chart), semi-structured interview (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale) and a communicative capabilities diagnostic technique adapted by S.E. Gaidukevich, V. Geisler, F. Gotan). It has been established that parents tend to underestimate the symptom-load of dysfunctional behavior in their children compared to the assessments of these disorders by psychologists and educators. We also established that parents assess the development of most adaptive skills in their children higher than psychologists and educators. The study revealed that there is a low degree of consistency in the assessment of communicative abilities of children with autistic spectrum disorder by parents, educators and psychologists. The obtained data allows us to recommend the introduction of the necessary stage in the organization of psychologist’s training for work with a family raising a child with ASD: self-reflection of one’s own position in assessing behavioral manifestations, as well as coordination of ideas about symptoms of behavioral disorders in the process of planning and conducting developmental work.

Assessing writing ability in a foreign language at secondary school

Abstract Foreign language programs in schools have a strong focus on the development of communicative language ability and, increasingly, assessment tasks are designed to capture communicative abilities required for real-world situations. In communicative test tasks, sociolinguistic and discourse components, which are beyond grammatical accuracy, target the abilities required to produce integrated texts that fulfil their communicative purposes. However, the majority of the work on assessment of communicative abilities has been carried out in the context of academic English, and less is known about the abilities of secondary students in foreign language teaching situations. This study examines the outcomes of an integrated writing task designed as part of formal year 12 assessment in Japanese as a second language. It seeks to elucidate the features which differentiate students at higher and lower levels of competence, and, through a focus on content and how it is presented, it demonstrates how these aspects of competence can be observed in responses to the task. The study contributes to our understanding of the nature of communicative abilities and their assessment in a secondary education context, and it also sheds light on aspects of competence which might benefit from more targeted teaching in such settings.

Audiometric Profiles in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Does Subclinical Hearing Loss Impact Communication?

Rates of hearing impairment in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are higher than those reported in the general population. Although ASD is not caused by hearing impairment, it may exacerbate symptomatology. Participants with ASD (N = 60) and typically developing peers (N = 16) aged 5-18 years underwent a comprehensive audiological screening (pure tone audiometry, uncomfortable loudness level, tympanometry, acoustic reflexes, distortion product otoacoustic emissions, and auditory brainstem response) and assessment of communication abilities (expressive/receptive language, articulation, phonological awareness, and vocal affect recognition). Incidence of abnormal findings on at least one measure of audiological functioning was higher for the ASD group (55%) than controls (14.9%) or the general population estimate (6%). The presence of sound sensitivity was also considerably higher for the ASD group (37%) compared with controls (0%) or general population estimates (8-15%). When participants with ASD were dichotomized into groups with and without evidence of clinical audiological abnormality, no significant differences were identified on measures of communication; however, results of correlational analyses indicated that variability in hearing thresholds at middle range frequencies (2000 Hz) was significantly related to performance on all measures of speech articulation and language after correction for multiple comparisons (r = -0.48 to r = -0.53, P < 0.0045). These findings suggest that dichotomized classification of clinical audiology may not be sufficient to understand the role of subclinical hearing loss in ASD symptomatology and that treatment studies for mild/subclinical hearing loss in this population may be worthwhile.

Auditory and communicative abilities in the auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder and mutation in the Otoferlin gene: clinical cases study

This study had the aim to investigate the auditory and communicative abilities of children diagnosed with Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder due to mutation in the Otoferlin gene. It is a descriptive and qualitative study in which two siblings with this diagnosis were assessed. The procedures conducted were: speech perception tests for children with profound hearing loss, and assessment of communication abilities using the Behavioral Observation Protocol. Because they were siblings, the subjects in the study shared family and communicative context. However, they developed different communication abilities, especially regarding the use of oral language. The study showed that the Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder is a heterogeneous condition in all its aspects, and it is not possible to make generalizations or assume that cases with similar clinical features will develop similar auditory and communicative abilities, even when they are siblings. It is concluded that the acquisition of communicative abilities involves subjective factors, which should be investigated based on the uniqueness of each case.

Development of a brief communication ability scale for Japanese demented elderly

We developed a brief scale to evaluate communication ability of the demented elderly. This scale assesses not only abilities related to overall communication such as verbal function, judgment and emotional function, but also non-verbal communication such as eye-contact, nodding and smiling. The scale places little burden on the demented elderly subject and takes only a few minutes to perform, even if the dementia is severe. We evaluated 106 demented elderly residents of nursing homes using this brief communication ability scale, and the following results were obtained. The validity of this scale was confirmed by the high correlation coefficient between this scale and the formal caregiver questionnaire scores concerning communication ability, and the high-correlation coefficient between this scale and intellectual functions (r = -0.904), emotional functions (r = -0.841) and motor functions (r = -0.679) of dementia syndromes rating scale (Gottfries, Bråne, Steen scale; GBS scale), Hasegawa's Dementia Scale-Revised (HDS-R) (r = 0.625) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMS) (r = 0.733). The reliability of this scale was confirmed by the high interrater reliability coefficient of 0.828, test-retest reliability coefficient of 0.940 and Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.938. These results indicate that the new scale is useful in the assessment of communication ability among the demented elderly.

Developing language tests for specific populations

Abstract This article examines the decisions underpinning language test design in circumstances where existing tests are of questionable validity for particular subpopulations, or where no suitable test exists. Three strands of test development work are described, all concerned with the assessment of language abilities in bilinguals and speakers of English as a second language in Australia. The specific contexts discussed are: (1) the assessment of residual language-processing abilities following stroke; (2) the assessment of communicative ability following stroke; and (3) the assessment of first and second language abilities in Alzheimer’s dementia. For all of these purposes, tests need to be suitable for people of a range of ethnolinguistic backgrounds and degrees of bilingualism. Each context, however, raises its own set of considerations, and has therefore necessitated a different approach. In the first case, the starting point for the development of appropriate test content has been the investigation of a published aphasia test already available in many of the required languages. In the second case, an analysis of the communicative needs of a sample of stroke patients of non-English-speaking background was conducted, and content for a new measure selected on the basis of the results. In the third case, content selection has been informed primarily by the findings of empirical research on language decline in dementia.

The Use of Situation Tests as Measures of Communicative Ability

In recent years, universities and secondary schools have increasingly used the ACTFL/ETS Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) to measure the ability of learners to communicate in a foreign language. This article discusses the OPI in relation to current models of communicative skills and argues that the OPI fails to measure important aspects of communicative ability. Two Situation Tests, one written and one oral, are proposed as alternative measures of communicative ability and are described in detail. The two tests as well as the OPI were administered to American university students who had spent a year abroad studying French. This article reports on the changes in the communicative skills of the students during the year after their return to the United States. Statistical comparisons between the OPI and the Situation Tests are presented showing that the OPI is primarily a measure of grammatical competence. The article concludes with the claim that Situation Tests can provide a more complete assessment of communicative ability than the OPI.

Early assessment of communicative abilities by means of caregiver/child-interaction analysis

Early assessment of communicative abilities by means of caregiver/child-interaction analysis