Abstract:
This test assesses the vocabulary of Spanish-speaking children 3-13 year-olds who speak Spanish as a first language and may or may not have acquired some degree of English. It is used primarily for identifying and diagnosing students who have communication handicaps. The test is administered individually and orally and takes about 10 minutes. The student is presented with pictures (all are pictures of body parts to avoid cultural bias) and must respond with the word that names what he sees. The tester may give the question prompt in either Spanish or English. The aim of the test is to assess the child's combined vocabulary, so the child gets credit for naming the picture in either language. The tester records the language of the child's response as well as whether it is correct or incorrect. The number of correct answers is converted into a Vocabulary Age Equivalency score which indicates the vocabulary age at which the child compares with the normed population. The test was field tested and edited over a 5-year period. Construct validity was analyzed with a one-way ANOVA taking age as the independent variable and raw scores as the dependent variable. It was found that scores increased as age increased at p<.05 level. Test-retest reliability was estimated at .99.