Assessing early language development in Tasmanian children using the Australian English developmental vocabulary inventory (OZI)

The ability to communicate is one of the most important skills a person can acquire, and therefore much research is devoted to language development. As language learning occurs in predictable stages, assessment tools aimed at examining these stages can be used to chart normal development. Research indicates that due to the nature of children's early attention skills, the results of some language assessment methods such as laboratory sessions can be compromised by external factors. These problems have sometimes been addressed by utilising parental reports, which have been proven to be valid and reliable sources of information. The MacArthur-Bates Communicative Developmental Inventory (CDI; Fenson et al., 1993) is a commonly used parental report that has been translated into a number of different languages as well as adapted for use with a number of other English-speaking populations. Because the language spoken in different populations vary according to cultural and historical influences, research into any future English adaptations is necessary in order to ensure that these adaptations are representative of the language and mirror the original CDI before they are published. Past research has utilised a number of assessment methods to validate wordlists. These include structured, standardised tests, as well as language samples obtained from laboratory sessions or diaries kept over a specific time. Examination of the interaction of variables such as maternal interaction, gender and birth-order with language development have also been used to examine whether a proposed adaptation displays similar results to those of studies using the CDI or other previously researched adaptations of it.