Early lexical expression in typically developing Maltese children: implications for the identification of language delay

Abstract

Limited word production may be the first indicator of impaired language development. The unavailability of normative data and standardized assessments for young Maltese children hinders the identification of early language delays. This study aimed to document Maltese children's expressive vocabulary growth and accompanying range of variation, to assist identification of children at risk for language impairment. The expressive vocabularies of 44 typically developing children aged 12-30 months were measured through caregiver report. Mean scores at each age point were characterized by substantial individual variation. Gender was not related to mean growth in vocabulary production. Minimum scores were compared to clinical thresholds for English-speaking children. Results emphasized the assessment- and language-specific nature of identification criteria. Nevertheless, established thresholds may be referred to when normative data for particular languages/language pairs are limited. In such contexts, the consideration of other risk markers gains importance in supplementing findings on lexical expression.

A Maltese adaptation of the Boston Naming Test: A shortened version

“…2 However, there is variation in terms of the pattern of language use in Maltese families (Gatt, Grech, & Dodd, 2013), as simultaneous or early sequential bilingualism are both prevalent (Camilleri, 1995). Code-switching is frequently observed.…”

7. Using Parental Report to Assess Early Lexical Production in Children Exposed to More Than One Language

“…For these children, comparison of vocabulary ability in the dominant language to monolingual norms for the same language, if available, may provisionally gauge language performance and signal need for in-depth monitoring. Further, for languages and language pairs lacking normative data, the possible presence of delay may be identified through cautious reference to clinical thresholds established for other languages, such as Fenson et al's (1993Fenson et al's ( , 2006 tenth percentile scores at monthly intervals and Rescorla's (1989) criterion of fewer than 50 words at 24 months, both intended for American English-speaking children (Gatt et al, 2013). In all cases, however, the utilisation of monolingual data sidesteps the limited availability of customised norms against which the performance of young simultaneous or (potential) sequential bilinguals should be evaluated.…”

“…This fact points towards an imminent need for objective clinical thresholds that can differentiate potential SLI risk from the normal variation that accompanies bilingual exposure. For languages and language pairs that lack developmental norms and for which large-scale standardisation research is not immediately possible, an important first step towards establishing reference measures for lexical expression is the collection of mean, minimum and maximum vocabulary scores for small samples of typically-developing children at specific ages (Gatt et al, 2013). A preliminary delineation of the normal distribution of vocabulary size would allow lowerperforming children to be identified and monitored.…”

Validation of the Maltese Adaptive Auditory Speech Test (AAST)

“…Whilst spoken English still carries a higher social status, the majority of children are exposed predominantly to Maltese and then to English [ 31 ]. Once children start school, they are simultaneously exposed to both languages [ 32 ].…”