NORMATIVE INDICATORS OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN QUÉBEC FRENCH AT 54, 60, AND 66 MONTHS OF AGE: RESULTS OF THE ELLAN STUDY

• Published in: Canadian journal of speech-language pathology and audiology Vol. 46; no. 4; p. 265
• Main Authors: Sylvestre, Audette, Di Sante, Mélissa, Julien, Catherine, Bouchard, Caroline, Martel-Sauvageau, Vincent, Leblond, Jean
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ottawa Canadian Association of Speech, Language Pathologists and Audiologist (Assn 01.01.2022
• Subjects: Child language; Francophones; Language; Morphosyntax; Native language acquisition; Normative data; Quebec French; Speech-language pathologists; Speech-language pathology; Vocabulary development
• ISSN: 1913-200X; 1913-2018

This article aims to present normative indicators of receptive and expressive vocabulary development and of phonological and morphosyntactic components of expressive language among unilingual francophone Québec children aged 54, 60, and 66 months. These indicators are based on the results obtained by 99 children recruited at the age of 36 months (± 1 week; M = 36.1 months; SD = 0.2) and followed until the age of 66 months. Data were collected during three visits conducted 6 months apart, using psychometrically valid tools frequently used by speech-language pathologists in clinical practice. A statistical resampling technique using the 95% confidence interval of the 10th percentile was used to determine scores reflecting the presence of difficulties on each language measure, and to form three categories of scores to identify children presenting with difficulties, those in a zone of uncertainty, and those presenting with typical development. The results confirm a significant increase in children's language skills between 54 and 66 months of age. They also suggest that the measures used were sufficiently sensitive to detect changes in the language skills of these children, confirming their clinical relevance. Interpretations of the normative data developed for the original tools are discussed in light of the current indicators. The data provided in this study contribute to a body of knowledge on normative indicators of language development in Québec French and constitute indispensable benchmarks for clinical work and research in speech-language pathology.