Empirically derived combinations of tools and clinical cutoffs: an illustrative case with a sample of culturally/linguistically diverse children.
OBJECTIVE
Using a sample of culturally/linguistically diverse children, we present data to illustrate the value of empirically derived combinations of tools and cutoffs for determining eligibility in child language impairment.


METHODS
Data were from 95 4- and 6-year-olds (40 African American, 55 White; 18 with language impairment, 77 without) who lived in the rural South; they involved primarily scores from the Comprehension subtest of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (CSSB; R. Thorndike, E. Hagen, & J. Sattler, 1986), but scores from an experimental nonword repetition task (NRT; C. Dollaghan & T. Campbell, 1998) were also included as supplements to these scores.


RESULTS
Although the CSSB led to low fail rates in children without impairment and a statistically reliable group difference as a function of the children's clinical status but not their race, only 56% of children with impairment were accurately classified when -1 SD was employed as the cutoff. Diagnostic accuracy improved to 81% when an empirically derived cutoff of -.5 SD was used. When scores from the NRT were added to those from the CSSB, diagnostic accuracy increased to 90%.


CONCLUSIONS
This illustrative case adds to the growing number of studies that call for empirically derived combinations of tools and cutoffs as one option within an evidence-based practice framework.
Oetting
Janna B
JB
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, 64 Hatcher Hall, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA. cdjanna@lsu.edu
Cleveland
Lesli H
LH
Cope
Robert F
RF
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D036262:Empirical Research; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male