Language Scale Research Articles

Hierarchy and Reliability of the Preschool Language Scales-Fifth Edition: Mokken Scale Analysis.

Purpose This study examined the psychometric properties of the Preschool Language Scales-Fifth Edition (PLS-5 English) among preschool children from low-socioeconomic status (SES) families. Method The PLS-5 was administered individually to 169 3- to 4-year-old children enrolled in Head Start programs. We carried out a Mokken scale analysis (MSA), which is a nonparametric item response theory analysis, to examine the hierarchy among items and the reliability of test scores of the PLS-5 Auditory Comprehension (AC) and Expressive Communication (EC) scales. Results The PLS-5 EC items retained a moderate Mokken scale with the inclusion of all the items. On the other hand, the PLS-5 AC items formed a moderate Mokken scale only with the exclusion of five unscalable items. The latent class reliability coefficients for the AC and the EC scale scores were both above .90. Several items that violated the invariant item ordering assumption were found for both scales. Conclusions MSA can be used to examine the relationship between the latent language ability and the probability of passing an item with ordinal responses. Results indicate that for preschool children from low-SES families, it is appropriate to use the PLS-5 EC scale scores for comparing individuals' expressive language abilities; however, researchers and speech-language pathologists should be cautious when using the PLS-5 AC scale scores to evaluate individuals' receptive language abilities. Other implications of the MSA results are further discussed.

Economic evaluation of the Happy Talk pilot effectiveness trial: A targeted selective speech, language and communication intervention for children from areas of social disadvantage

Purpose: This study presents a cost-effectiveness analysis of a targeted selective pre-school intervention programme, “Happy Talk”, which focuses on language development, by simultaneously enhancing parental interaction and the pre-school environment. Method: Happy Talk (delivered to 77 children) is an add on intervention, and is compared to usual care, adopting a healthcare perspective. Cost-effectiveness analyses were carried out using the Pre-school Language Scale 5- Total (PLS-5) for baseline analysis and the Child Health Utility Instrument (CHU9D) in a secondary analysis. Result: Baseline cost-effectiveness analysis showed Happy Talk was more effective (6.3 point change in total PLS-5 standard score – effect size 0.463SD and more expensive (€82.06) than usual care (cost-effectiveness ratio is €13.02 per unit change). Employing a proxy to estimate monetary net benefit, the benefits outweigh the costs, showing that it is cost-effective. However, results do not persist when health-related quality of life outcome measures are considered. Conclusion: Findings suggest a targeted selective public health approach, could be considered value for money to reduce the societal burden of children with low levels of speech, language and communication. However, measurement of longer term outcomes and a larger trial are required, to definitively inform policy changes.

Access Challenge Index: A Novel Disparity Measure Predictive of Language Outcomes in Children Who Are Deaf/Hard of Hearing.

To evaluate the effect of demographic disparities on language outcomes in a diverse group of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Retrospective cohort study. UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital (a tertiary care center). Forty-four patients aged <18 years were identified with sensorineural hearing loss managed with a behind-the-ear hearing aid or cochlear implant. Demographic and clinical data were extracted from the medical record. The primary outcome measure was the Preschool Language Scales-5 at least 6 months after intervention. Predictors of language outcome were assessed: hearing level at the time of hearing intervention, cochlear implant status, age of identification and intervention, travel time to site of hearing care, home language, race/ethnicity, insurance type, and Access Challenge Index-a novel measure of educational environment and family support based on the Child Cochlear Implant Profile. Multivariate and univariate analysis assessed predictors for association with intervention and receptive, expressive, and total language scores. Overall 82% of patients had cochlear implants. The median age at hearing intervention was 12 months. The sample was 59% female, 52% non-White, and 61% publicly insured, and 20% had a non-English primary home language. Accounting for multiple demographic and clinical predictors, a high Access Challenge Index score was independently associated with longer time to intervention (P = .01) and poorer language outcomes (P < .001). Access Challenge Index-a novel comprehensive measure of educational and family environment-is a strong independent predictor of language outcomes in children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Investigating language skills as a mediator between IQ and anxiety in autistic youth

BackgroundAnxiety is a common condition noted to cause significant impairment in some autistic youth. Previous research has found that autistic youth tend to exhibit higher levels of traditional anxiety symptoms with higher IQ scores and higher language abilities. In this study of the relationship between anxiety, intelligence, and language skills in autistic youth, it was hypothesized that a mediational relationship would be observed in which IQ exerts its influence over anxiety through language skills. MethodParticipants consisted of 293 autistic youth between the ages of 7 and 18. Anxiety was assessed with the Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale, language with the Oral and Written Language Scales Version II, and IQ (performance, verbal, and full-scale) was measured with the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence Version II. A simple mediation model was used with IQ as the predictor variable, language as the mediator variable, and anxiety as the outcome variable. This analysis was conducted three times so that performance, verbal, and full-scale IQ could be examined as separate predictors. ResultsThe results of this study confirmed our hypothesis with a full mediation effect for each IQ scale, although verbal IQ was too strongly correlated with language scores for it to be considered a separate construct from our language measure. ConclusionsThis model should inform further autism research in that the influence of IQ and language over anxiety should not be viewed as independent factors but as a set of constructs that exert a shared influence.

Exploring the relationship between writing anxiety and writing self-efficacy of international students learning Turkish as a second language

The purpose of this correlational study was to explore the relationship between writing anxiety and writing self-efficacy levels of international students learning Turkish as a second language. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 204 international students through “Writing Anxiety Scale for Learners of Turkish as a Foreign Language Scale”, “Writing Self-Efficacy Scale for Students Learning Turkish as a Foreign Language” and a personal information form. In the analyses of the data, descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis-H test, Spearman's Rank-Difference Coefficients of Correlation were used. In this study, international students were found to have medium levels of writing anxiety and high levels of writing self-efficacy. Analyses indicated that male students had higher levels of action-oriented writing anxiety than female students. It was also found that doctoral students had higher levels of action-oriented writing anxiety than undergraduate students. Lastly, it was determined that there was a low and positive correlation between international students' writing self-efficacy and action-oriented writing anxiety.&#x0D; &#x0D; Keywords: writing, anxiety, self-efficacy, Turkish as a second language

Effect of Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Combined With Cognitive Training for Improving Cognition and Language Among Children With Cerebral Palsy With Cognitive Impairment: A Pilot, Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind, and Clinical Trial.

About 30–45% of cerebral palsy (CP) patients have cognitive impairment. Previous studies showed the evidence that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may have some benefits in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and motor development in CP. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of tDCS on cognition, language, and activities of daily living (ADL) among children with CP with cognitive impairment. It was a pilot, randomized, controlled, double-blind, clinical trial in a tertiary pediatric hospital, and 13 children with CP and a cognitive age under 42 months were enrolled. tDCS group (n = 8) had active tDCS and cognitive training (20 min/session, total 20 sessions, for 12 weeks) and sham group (n = 5) had sham tDCS and cognitive training. Primary outcome was the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II (BSID II). Secondary outcomes were the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI), the Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery (Lab-TAB), the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire (ECBQ), the Korean version of MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventories (M-B CDI-K), the Sequenced Language Scale for Infants (SELSI) and the Preschool Receptive-Expressive Language Scale (PRES). After intervention, the tDCS group showed significant improvements in all measurements (p < 0.05) except the M-B CDI-K (grammar), whereas the sham group only showed significant improvements in the Lab-TAB (manipulation domain), the ECBQ (attentional shifting), and the M-B CDI-K (comprehension). The between-group differences in the degree of post-intervention improvement were not statistically significant. The degree of improvement was associated with better baseline cognitive function and younger age (p < 0.05). There were no major adverse events after tDCS. The combined application of tDCS and cognitive training was feasible and associated with improvements in cognitive function, ADL, and language among children with CP with cognitive impairment. However, considering that it is a pilot study, further larger-scale systematic investigation is needed.Clinical Trial Registration: The trial was registered in the Clinical Research Information Service database, identifier: KCT0003023.

Clinical Randomized Controlled Study of Acupuncture Treatment on Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This study aimed to summarize the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through literature analysis and evaluation. All studies were retrieved from various databases as follows: English databases, such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, Ovid, and Web of Science, and Chinese databases, such as China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WanFang Data (WF), and Technology Periodical Database (VIP). The Cochrane Collaboration's Bias Risk Assessment Scale was used to assess the studies' risk of bias. The effects of acupuncture treatment for ASD were determined using the following indicators: childhood autism rating scale (CARS), autism behavior check list (ABC), Reynell developmental language scale (RDLS), and functional independence measure of children (WeeFIM). The risk map of bias of these studies' quality and the meta-analysis results of the indicators was prepared with RevMan 5.2 software. Finally, 16 studies were included, five of which were in English and 11 were in Chinese. The 16 studies included 1332 patients. The CARS results for subgroup analysis were as follows: acupuncture subgroup (MD = −2.65, 95% CI (−3.22, −2.07)) and acupuncture plus massage subgroup (MD = −10.35, 95% CI (−11.34, −9.36)). The ABC results were as follows: (MD = −6.70, 95% CI (−9.10, −4.29)). The analysis results of sensory, relating, language, body and object use, and social/self-help in the subitems of ABC were as follows: sensory (MD = −2.67, 95% CI (−2.90, −2.44)), relating (MD = −3.28, 95% CI (−3.55, −3.02)), language (MD = −2.45, 95% CI (−2.73, −2.16)), body and object use (MD = −1.19, 95% CI (−1.38, −1.00)), and social/self-help (MD = −2.09, 95% CI (−2.30, −1.89)). For the analysis results of comprehension and expression ages in the subitems of RDLS, the comprehension age results were as follows: (MD = 0.08, 95% CI (−0.06, 0.22), P = 0.27). Those of expression age were as follows: (MD = 0.15, 95% CI (0.04, 0.26), P=0.009). The WeeFIM results were as follows: (MD = 3.70, 95% CI (2.38, 5.02)). This study suggested that acupuncture could effectively treat ASD. However, acupuncture methods and prescriptions at this stage remain heterogeneous, and acupuncture treatment operations require standardization. Studies using rigorous and standard research designs are needed to draw stronger conclusions about the advantages of using acupuncture to treat children and adolescents with ASD.

Incidental findings on brain MR imaging of asymptomatic term neonates in the Developing Human Connectome Project.

BackgroundInterpretation of incidental findings on term neonatal MRI brain imaging can be challenging as there is a paucity of published normative data on asymptomatic term neonates. Reporting radiologists and clinicians need to be familiar with these incidental findings to avoid over-investigation and misinterpretation particularly in relation to neurodevelopmental outcome. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of incidental findings in a large group of asymptomatic term neonates participating in the Developing Human Connectome Project (dHCP) who were invited for neurodevelopmental assessment at 18 months.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed MRI brain scans performed on 500 term neonates enrolled in the dHCP study between 2015 and 2019 with normal clinical examination. We reviewed the results of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (Bayley III) applied to participants who attended for neurodevelopmental follow-up at 18 months. Scores considered “delayed” if <70 on language, cognitive or motor scales.FindingsIncidental findings were observed in 47% of term infants. Acute cerebral infarcts were incidentally noted in five neonates (1%). More common incidental findings included punctate white matter lesions (PWMLs) (12%) and caudothalamic subependymal cysts (10%). The most frequent incidental finding was intracranial haemorrhage (25%), particularly subdural haemorrhage (SDH). SDH and PWMLs were more common in infants delivered with ventouse-assistance versus other delivery methods.Neurodevelopmental results were available on 386/500 (77%). 14 infants had a language score < 70 (2 SD below the mean). Of the 386 infants with neurodevelopmental follow up at 18 months, group differences in motor and language scores between infants with and without incidental findings were not significant (p = 0·17 and p = 0·97 respectively). Group differences in cognitive scores at 18 months between infants with (median (interquartile range) -100 (95–105)) and without (100 (95–110)) incidental findings were of small effect size to suggest clinical significance (Cliff's d = 0·15; p<0·05).InterpretationIncidental findings are relatively common on brain MRI in asymptomatic term neonates, majority are clinically insignificant with normal neurodevelopment at 18 months.FundingThis work was supported by the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/20072013/ERC grant agreement no. [319456] dHCP project), by core funding from the Wellcome/EPSRC Centre for Medical Engineering [WT203148/Z/16/Z] and by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre based at Guy's and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London and/or the NIHR Clinical Research Facility. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

Portuguese Version of the Intentional Non-Adherence Scale: Validation in a Population of Chronic Pain Patients.

Objective: Despite the effectiveness of pain medicines, nonadherence to prescribed medication remains a major problem faced by healthcare systems. The aim of present study was to perform the translation, cultural adaptation, and validation of the Intentional Non-Adherence Scale (INAS) for the European Portuguese language in a sample of chronic pain patients. Methods: A Portuguese version of the INAS scale was constructed through a process of translation, back translation, and expert’s panel evaluation. A total of 133 chronic pain patients were selected from two chronic pain clinics from tertiary hospitals in Porto, Portugal. The protocol interview included the assessment of pain beliefs (PBPI), beliefs about medicine (BMQ), medication adherence (MARS-P9), and two direct questions about adherence previously validated. Results: The internal consistency in all subscales was α = 0.902 for testing treatment; α = 0.930 for mistrust treatment; α = 0.917 for resisting treatment; and α = 0.889 for resisting illness. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure that explained 74% of the variance. The construct validity of the INAS was shown to be adequate, with the majority of the previously defined hypotheses regarding intercorrelations with other measures confirmed. Conclusion: The Portuguese version of INAS could be a valuable and available instrument for Portuguese researchers and clinicians to assess the intentional nonadherence determinants during the management of chronic pain.

How to Improve Language Development of Preschoolers in Home Care.

Background/Aim:The home environment is important for early childhood neurodevelopment. The objective of this cross-sectional survey was to research the association between family characteristics and language development in healthy preschoolers under isolated home care. Methods:This cross-sectional study included 115 children aged 5-60 months in isolated home care. The preschool language scale (PLS) assessed the receptive and expressive language scores of children. The scores of PLS were graded into 3 levels: high for the top 20-30%, low for the bottom 20-30%, and moderate for the children in between.Results:When the covariates including parental education, age of the enrolled child, gender, number of children, and household size were adjusted, multiple logistic regression analysis (Model 1) revealed that excessive paternal screen usage (≥4 hours) had elevated odds ratios for both low receptive and low expressive PLS than counterparts, whereas early initiation (<12 months of age) of book reading significantly declined low expressive PLS compared to late initiation of book reading. Preschoolers having grandparents’ social support have a lower odds ratio for low receptive PLS than those having no support. Additionally, after controlling for covariates, all the predictors, including paternal heavy screen usage, late initiation of book reading, and absence of grandparent support (Model 2), increased risks for low expressive language level. Conclusion:Poor language scores in a child might be the outcome of late initiation of book reading in a child, absence of the grandparents’ social support for the mother in child-rearing, and excessive paternal television viewing.

Construct validation of leaders’ motivating language in the context of the hotel industries of Bangladesh and Malaysia

PurposeThis study aims to validate the motivating language scale developed by Mayfield et al. (1995) in the context of the hotel industries of Bangladesh and Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachFor Study 1, data were collected from employees (lower and mid-level) of three to five-star hotels in Bangladesh. Customer-contact employees working in four- and five-star hotels in Malaysia participated in Study 2. Both studies featured a cross-sectional survey design.FindingsFactor analysis revealed that both samples provided three-factor solutions for the motivating language scale in both countries. Convergent, discriminant and nomological validity were assessed by testing with outcome variables of motivating language.Research limitations/implicationsFuture studies may use all three versions of the scale (Bengali, Malay and English) to collect data, as all three have been validated.Originality/valueBy validating the Bengali and Malay versions of the motivating language scale, this study contributes to the leadership language literature, specifically that related to hotel industries in developing contexts.

Foreign language speaking competence and self‐regulated speaking motivation

AbstractThis study investigates the extent to which variables related to self‐regulated speaking motivation contributes to the prediction of foreign language speaking competence and explores whether there is a relationship between these two constructs. The data were collected from 84 Turkish university students using self‐regulated motivation for improving speaking English as a foreign language scale that comprised four subscales: task value activation, regulation of learning environment, regulation of classroom environment, and regulation of affect. Multiple regression analyses revealed that self‐regulated speaking motivation predicts 34% of EFL (English as a foreign language) speaking competence, with a unique contribution of regulation of affect. Pearson correlation coefficient revealed a significant positive correlation between foreign language speaking competence and self‐regulated speaking motivation. These findings suggest that self‐regulated speaking motivation may be one of the predictors of improved speaking competence. Implications of self‐regulated speaking motivation for the development of speaking competence are included.

Exploring the Classification Accuracy of the Early Communication Indicator (ECI) With Dual-Language Learners From Latinx Backgrounds

Few, if any, reliable and valid screening tools exist to identify language delay in young Spanish–English speaking dual-language learners (DLLs). The early communication indicator (ECI) is a brief, naturalistic measure of expressive communication development designed to inform intervention decision-making and progress monitoring for infants and toddlers at-risk for language delays. We assessed the accuracy of the ECI as a language-screening tool for DLLs from Latinx backgrounds by completing classification accuracy analysis on 39 participants who completed the ECI and a widely used standardized reference, the Preschool Language Scales, Fifth Edition–Spanish, (PLS-5 Spanish). Sensitivity of the ECI was high, but the specificity was low, resulting in low classification accuracy overall. Given the limitations of using standalone assessments as a reference for DLLs, a subset of participants ( n = 22) completed additional parent-report measures related to identification of language delay. Combining the ECI with parent-report data, the specificity of the ECI remained high, and the sensitivity improved. Findings show preliminary support for the ECI as a language-screening tool, especially when combined with other information sources, and highlight the need for validated language assessment for DLLs from Latinx backgrounds.

HM-PRO: A Novel Patient-Reported Outcome Measure in Hematological Malignancy for Use in Clinical Practice

Background: Patient with hematological malignancies (HM) often experience worsening of quality of life (QoL) due to both the disease and its treatments. Impaired QoL may have negative impact on treatment outcomes leading to change in treatment decision-making. However, this has not been captured in a systematic manner in routine clinical practice and there is no specific instrument for such purpose. Thus, there is the need of a new patient-reported outcome (PRO) measure. The aims of this study were to identify issues important to patients with HM and to develop a new PRO measure for use in daily clinical practice.Methods: Following FDA guidelines for the development of PRO measures, a conceptual framework was developed using preliminary literature search and discussions with clinicians and HM patients. Patients were interviewed to produce a comprehensive item pool reported as important by them. The generated items were discussed in a data definition panel meeting to select items to be included in the prototype version of the new instrument, HM-PRO. To examine the relevance, clarity and comprehensiveness of the items bank and appropriateness of the recall period, a 3-phase qualitative study was conducted: 1) 34 patients were asked to complete the HM-PRO of whom 8 were randomly selected for cognitive interviewing; 2) content validity panel meetings were conducted where a panel of experts (12 members) and a panel of patients (10) were asked to rate each item of HM-PRO for language clarity, completeness, relevance and scaling, followed by 2 panel discussion to reach consensus. Subsequently, a panel of experts was also asked to classify each item into its relevant disease type based on their clinical experience; and 3) A second draft of the instrument was developed and tested for relevance (cognitive interviews - n=26) using verbal probing and double interviewing technique.Results: 129 patients [male=76; mean age = 61 years; SD=15.3; median age =65 years; age range =18-88 years; diagnosis - acute myeloid leukemia (AML n=18), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL n=7), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML n=12), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL n=11), multiple myeloma (MM n=21), aggressive non Hodgkin lymphoma (ANHL n=17), indolent NHL (INHL n=14), HL (n=11), myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN n=10), and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS n=8)] with mean duration of HM of 3.6 years (SD=4.3; and range=19 days-23 years) from 5 hematology centers were interviewed to identify the issues important to HM patients. The conceptual framework comprised of two main themes: QoL (impact); and symptoms. A prototype version of HM-PRO was developed after data definition panel meeting with 34 items in impact category (Part A) and 23 disease symptom items (Part B). A 12-member panel of experts and 10-member panel of patients, rated the HM-PRO items (both Parts A & B) for their language clarity, completeness, relevance and scaling and subsequently discussed them in 2 separate panel meetings to reach consensus. Content validity Index (CVI) showed strong agreement (0.84-0.98) between the ratings of the panel members for the four criteria.Sixty out-patients (Table 1) were recruited for the pilot testing of whom 34 were involved in cognitive interviews. 15 (58% - n=26) patients preferred the HM-PRO items to be phrased as ‘statements’, the majority (65% - n=34) preferred ‘today’ (at the moment) as the recall period for part A (i.e. impact) and 53% (n=34) the ‘last 3 days’ for Part B (i.e. symptoms) (Tables 2). Nearly all patients found the HM-PRO items relevant and felt that all issues important to them were covered. There were no preference of paper color of the instrument, but when asked to choose between two colors, green was preferred by 73%.Conclusions: The findings of this study render the HM-PRO as a novel PRO instrument in HM for use in clinical practice. It possesses a strong content validity in different HMs, includes all the issues important to patients and its statements are easy to read, understand and respond to spontaneously. The recall period of ‘today’ for Part A and ‘last 3 days’ for Part B of the HM-PRO are the preferred recall periods from the patients' perspective. Patients expressed that responding to HM-PRO items as statements is more personalised. The HM-PRO items represent QoL and symptoms relevant/applicable to all 10 HMs. HM-PRO will undergo further psychometric testing to support its psychometric properties across different types of HMs. [Display omitted] DisclosuresSalek:EHA: Other: Educational and Travel Grant. Oliva:Amgen Inc.: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; La Jolla: Consultancy. Fielding:Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Baxalta: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Collins:Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Research Funding; ADC Therapeutics: Research Funding; MSD: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celleron: Consultancy; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding.

Associations between Language at 2 Years and Literacy Skills at 7 Years in Preterm Children Born at Very Early Gestational Age and/or with Very Low Birth Weight.

Preterm children (born <37 gestational weeks) who are born at very early gestational age (<32 weeks, very preterm, VP) and/or with very low birth weight (≤1500 g, VLBW) are at increased risk for language and literacy deficits. The continuum between very early language development and literacy skills among these children is not clear. Our objective was to investigate the associations between language development at 2 years (corrected age) and literacy skills at 7 years in VP/VLBW children. Participants were 136 VP/VLBW children and 137 term controls (a 6-year regional population cohort, children living in Finnish-speaking families). At 2 years of corrected age, language (lexical development, utterance length) was assessed using the Finnish version of the MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventory and the Expressive Language Scale from Bayley scales of Infant Development, second edition. At 7 years, children’s literacy skills (pre-reading skills, reading, and writing) were evaluated. Statistically significant correlations were found in both groups between language development at 2 years and literacy skills at 7 years (r-values varied between 0.29 and 0.43, p < 0.01). In the VP/VLBW group, 33% to 74% of the children with early weak language development had weak literacy skills at 7 years relative to those with more advanced early language skills (11% to 44%, p < 0.001 to 0.047). Language development at 2 years explained 14% to 28% of the variance in literacy skills 5 years later. Language development at 2 years had fair predictive value for literacy skills at 7 years in the VP/VLBW group (area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) values varied between 0.70 and 0.77, p < 0.001). Findings provide support for the continuum between very early language development and later language ability, in the domain of literacy skills in preterm children.

Post-earthquake Self-Reported Depressive Symptoms and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and their Correlates among College-Youths in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Exposure to earthquake has previously been associated with adverse mental health outcomes, however, evidence is limited among youth in resource-limited settings. This study explored the association of retrospective extent of exposure on current day depressive symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among 125 youth attending a college in Kathmandu, Nepal. A self-administered survey including socio-demographic variables, scale for earthquake exposure and Nepali language validated standardized scales for depressive and PTSD symptoms was used. Prevalence estimates for depressive symptoms was 43.2% and PTSD symptoms was 19.2%. For each increasing unit of the extent of earthquake exposure, the odds of having depressive symptoms increased by a factor of 1.26 (p = 0.001) and PTSD symptoms increased by a factor of 1.26 (p = 0.002). Being in a complicated romantic relationship increased the odds of both depressive symptoms and PTSD symptoms. Exposure to earthquake is an important factor to consider while assessing depressive and PTSD symptoms among youth earthquake survivors in Kathmandu. It is important that programs or policies aimed at youth mental health concurrently address disaster exposures.

Language development in children of clinically depressed mothers in remission: Early experience effects.

We compared language comprehension and production across the second year of life in children of clinically depressed mothers who later remitted with children of nondepressed mothers. Altogether, 157 mother-child dyads participated: 46 with mothers diagnosed at infant age 5 months as having major, minor, or other depressive disorders who fully remitted by 15 and 24 months and 111 with nondepressed mothers. The majority of mothers (mean [M] age = 32.8 years) were married, European American, and college educated. The groups did not differ on most sociodemographic indices, and analyses controlled for residual group differences in maternal education and child birth order. Children of early clinically depressed mothers understood fewer words at 15 months (by maternal report on the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory [MCDI]) and 24 months (by experimenter-administered Reynell Developmental Language Scales [RDLS]) than children of nondepressed mothers. Children of nondepressed mothers increased in language comprehension from 15 to 24 months, whereas children of early clinically depressed mothers did not. Aggregating over 15 and 24 months, nondepressed mothers reported that their children expressed more words than clinically depressed mothers reported their children expressed; experimenter assessment revealed no difference between the two groups. Maternal clinical depression in the first 5 months is related to reduced language comprehension and production during the second year of life even in children whose mothers remit, indicating an early experience effect of maternal clinical depression in muting child language development. Future research should identify the mechanisms by which this early experience effect occurs to inform targeted early preventative interventions for at-risk children. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychometric evaluation of the German version of the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC)

BackgroundHealthcare professionals can be a source of stigma and discrimination for people with mental illness, and anti-stigma programs are needed for this target group. However, there is no validated German language scale to assess attitudes of healthcare professionals towards people with mental illness. This study had the aim to validate the German language version of the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC), a self-report measure of stigmatizing attitudes.MethodsStaff (n = 392) on general psychiatric inpatient wards (excluding child, forensic and geriatric psychiatry) at five psychiatric hospitals in Switzerland (n = 3) and Germany (n = 2) participated in the study. The internal consistency of the OMS-HC was examined as well as its factor structure using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. To assess the scale’s concurrent validity, we used the Social Distance Scale.ResultsInternal consistency for the OMS-HC total score was good (α = 0.74), acceptable for the subscales Attitudes (α = 0.62) and Social Distance (α = 0.69), and poor for the Disclosure subscale (α = 0.55). The original three-factor structure fit our data well. The OMS-HC total score and the Social Distance subscale score were significantly correlated with the Social Distance Scale, supporting concurrent validity.ConclusionThe German version of the OMS-HC demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties and can be recommended for future research and intervention evaluation.

Promoting Early Literacy Using Digital Devices: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

To determine feasibility and explore effects of literacy promotion using e-books versus board books on the home reading environment, book reading, television use, and child development. Randomized controlled trial comparing digital literacy promotion (DLP) using e-books to standard literacy promotion (SLP) using board books among Medicaid-eligible infants. DLP participants received e-books on home digital devices, while SLP participants received board books at well visits between 6 and 12 months of age. Differences in StimQ Read Subscale (StimQ-Read) scores, parent-reported reading and television use, and Bayley Scales of Infant Development-3rd Edition (Bayley-3) scores between groups were assessed using intention-to-treat analysis. A total of 104 Medicaid-eligible infants were enrolled and randomized from 3 pediatric practices. There were no differences in sociodemographic characteristics between groups at baseline. Children in the DLP group initially had lower StimQ-Read scores but showed similar increases in StimQ-Read scores over time as children in the SLP group. Parents in the DLP group reported greater use of digital devices to read or engage their child (65% vs 23%, P < .001) but similar board book reading and television viewing. There were no differences between groups in cognitive or motor scale scores, but DLP participants had marginally lower language scales scores (DLP 85.7 vs SLP 89.7; P=.10) at the 6-month follow-up. Literacy promotion using e-books was feasible and associated with greater e-book usage but no difference in board book reading, television viewing, or home reading environment scores. A potential adverse impact of e-books on language development should be confirmed in future study.

Productive collocation knowledge and advanced CEFR-levels in Swedish as a second language: A conceptual replication of Forsberg Lundell, Lindqvist &amp; Edmonds (2018)

This study constitutes a conceptual replication of Forsberg Lundell et al. (2018), who investigated whether productive collocation knowledge – a linguistic feature known to be indicative of high-level L2 proficiency – developed between the B2 and C1 levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages scale in second-language (L2) French. The results showed significant development. The present study set out to replicate these findings in L2 Swedish, in order to investigate whether the reported development would stand cross-linguistic validation. To this end, a test of productive collocation knowledge in L2 Swedish was developed based on 22 separate computerized newspaper corpora of Swedish, searchable via the corpus tool Korp at SprakbankenText (Swedish Language Bank). The method of the item selection was identical to that of the Forsberg Lundell et al., but the replication could only be conceptual since the reference corpora are different, from different languages. The test was conducted comparing participants from B2 and C1 levels in Swedish (N = 60). The results replicated the original study, confirming a significant difference in productive collocation knowledge between the B2 and C1 levels. Furthermore, in addition to the replication, the study explored frequency and Mutual Information score as potential factors for collocation item difficulty. The study found no significant effects for frequency or for Mutual Information score. Finally, the impact of cross-linguistic similarity was also investigated, grouping the results for participants with Germanic and non-Germanic first languages. This analysis did not point to any noteworthy effects.