Screening Early and Adaptively for Language Skills

Even in Norway, one of the more egalitarian societies in Europe, social inequalities in the early language development of children heavily constrain their potential for later success in education and work life. Hence, good diagnostic screening tests are needed to detect and address these inequalities early on. Progressive tests for early language skills are the typical measurement instrument used for this exact screening purpose. Current practice in design of progressive tests can be regarded as suboptimal at best and, if we consider that decisions made using these tests can have quite some impact on the life of members of often vulnerable populations (e.g., young kids at risk), outright worrying at worst. In this project, we aim to provide a solid toolkit that allows to more systematically design and validate progressive tests with the bigger goal of facilitating the important work of practitioners in the field of education, school psychology, and orthopedagogics that conduct the diagnostic screenings for developmental delays with children.

Even in Norway, one of the more egalitarian societies in Europe, social inequalities in the early language development of children heavily constrain their potential for later success in education and work life. Hence, good diagnostic screening tests are needed to detect and address these inequalities early on. Progressive tests for early language skills are the typical measurement instrument used for this exact screening purpose. Current practice in design of progressive tests can be regarded as suboptimal at best and, if we consider that decisions made using these tests can have quite some impact on the life of members of often vulnerable populations (e.g., young kids at risk), outright worrying at worst. In this project, we aim to provide a solid toolkit that allows to more systematically design and validate progressive tests with the bigger goal of facilitating the important work of practitioners in the field of education, school psychology, and orthopedagogics that conduct the diagnostic screenings for developmental delays with children.