Resumen

ABRAHAM, María del Valle  y  BRENCA, Rosa María. Psychometric analysis of child language pragmatic aspect evaluation: ICRA-A Battery. Interdisciplinaria [online]. 2014, vol.31, n.1, pp.139-161. ISSN 1668-7027.

In this paper we describe the psychometric analysis of the validation and reliability of the instruments which constitute ICRA-A Battery (Communicative Competence for Speech Acts Production Research - Abraham & Brenca, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009a, 2013). It was designed for systematic assessment of child language pragmatic aspect, with a progression criterion, within the framework of neurolinguistic evaluation, in River Plate Spanish speeking children. In this way, it allows to register and analyze pragmatic development rigorously, with variables control, what is added to the analysis made in the other dimensions (phonological, lexical-semantic and morphosyntactic), so permitting to get a whole profile of the child linguistic competence. ICRA-A Battery is applied to little children who show pragmatic impairment. It is also useful with older children with a lower communicative or intellectual range. It is composed of four instruments. (1) Speech Acts Analysis and Register: it allows to evaluate in a quantitative and a qualitative mood pre and paralinguistic manifestations of the seven speech acts basic in children language development. (2) Playing Pragmatic Observation: information can be obtained about communicative competence, fundamentally non verbal, taking into consideration shared referenciality, protodeclaring and protoimperative conducts, prelinguistic functions, basic speech acts precursors, ludic interaction type and mode, analyzed into six communicative dimensions. (3) Parents Questionnaire: useful to get information on the perception each parent has about his / her child communicative competence. (4) Parents Guide: to give parents guidance on their child communicative behavior in three daily routines within the familiar context. ICRA-A Battery includes created ad hoc concrete and figurative material, as well as Register and Results forms. It is incorporated into the ICRA Method, which, from a systematic and progressive fashion, allows to formulate the pragmatic objectives of treatment plan and intervention strategies. One hundred and fifty five children were assessed: 100 with verbal and/or non verbal language impairment, and 55 with normal language development. Construct validity analysis was made through Factorial Analysis with Principal Components and Varimax Rotation. For reliability between judges we applied Intraclass Correlation Coefficient with absolute agreement; and internal consistency through Cronbach Alpha - Coefficient. Percentiles and cut values were determined through ROC Curve, and so specificity, sensibility, predictability values and probability ratio. Construct validity for instrument 1 was of 65.5%; for 2, of 73.7%; intraclass correlation was of .90 and .89, respectively. ROC Curve results were of .92 for instrument 1 and .89 for 2. For instrument 1, sensitivity value was of 81%, specificity of 90.9%,security (VP + 94.2%; VP - 72.5%); predictability (CP + 8.47; CP - .21). Instruments 3 and 4 give a preponderantly qualitative information, as they register the perception that each parent has on their child communicative competence. These results show the Battery ICRA-A fortitude to evaluate the child language pragmatic aspect in phono-audiological work. Speech acts systematic study is a relevant tool in phonoaudiological treatment to obtain greater precision in language analysis of children with communicative competence development difficulties, in differential diagnosis and consequent treatment. The psychometric results that have been achieved show ICRA-A Battery fortitude for its use in the phonological work with neurolinguistic orientation.

Palabras clave : Child language; Pragmatic aspect; Psychometrical analysis; Speech act; Nonverbal and verbal communication.

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