Determining the Diagnostic Accuracy of the Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills for College Students

Abstract

Purpose: This study sought to determine whether the Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills (TILLS; Nelson et al., 2016) can accurately identify language disorders in college-aged adults. Method: Fifty-nine college students between the ages of 18 and 23 years were administered the test battery validated by Fidler et al. (2011) for the diagnosis of language disorders as well as the Identification Core (ID Core) subtests of the TILLS validated for ages 12–18 years. Sensitivity and specificity information was calculated for the TILLS at various cut-scores to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the ID Core for this population. Discriminant function analysis was also performed to determine if sensitivity and specificity could be improved using empirically derived discriminant scores. Results: The recommended cut-score of 42 for ages 12–18 years underidentified individuals with language disorders in this sample. An adjusted cut-score of 51 maximized sensitivity and specificity to acceptable levels. Discriminant function analysis also yielded acceptable sensitivity and specificity (> 80%). Conclusion: Using either an adjusted cut-score for the ID Core or weighted discriminant scores, the TILLS can be used to accurately differentiate between college-aged adults with and without language disorders.