Psicothema was founded in Asturias (northern Spain) in 1989, and is published jointly by the Psychology Faculty of the University of Oviedo and the Psychological Association of the Principality of Asturias (Colegio Oficial de Psicología del Principado de Asturias).
We currently publish four issues per year, which accounts for some 100 articles annually. We admit work from both the basic and applied research fields, and from all areas of Psychology, all manuscripts being anonymously reviewed prior to publication.
Verónica Martínez1, Paula Solano2 y José Carlos Núñez3
1 Universidad de Oviedo (Spain)
2 Consejería de Educación de la Comunidad Autónoma del Principado de Asturias (Spain)
3 Universidad de Oviedo (Spain)
Abstract Background: Detecting late talkers among children is important because they are at greater risk of subsequently manifesting persistent disorders in language development. Therefore, it would be beneficial to have quick measurement tools with adequate psychometric properties, which have not yet been developed. This study set out to develop, analyse and validate the factor structure of an observational scale for detecting Late Language Emergence (LLE) in Spanish-speaking children aged 2-3 years that could be applied not only by language professionals but also teachers in early childhood education centres for children aged 0-3 years. Method: The sample comprised 364 children aged 24-38 months (M = 31.93; SD = 3.512; 49.7% girls). Results: The estimated reliability coefficients ranged from ω = .77 to ω = .97. Factor analyses indicated that the best model explaining the scale’s assessment criteria was articulated around five factors: phonology, lexical semantics, morphosyntax, comprehension and communication. The correlations between the dimensions of the scale and those of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory were statistically significant. Conclusions: The scale to detect late talkers among Spanish children appears to be a concise, simple instrument with suitable psychometric properties.
Resumen Antecedentes: La detección de niños hablantes tardíos es relevante por su mayor riesgo a manifestar posteriormente trastornos persistentes en el desarrollo del lenguaje. Sería conveniente disponer de instrumentos de medida breves y con adecuadas propiedades psicométricas, que hasta ahora no han sido elaborados. El objetivo fue desarrollar, analizar y validar la estructura factorial de una escala observacional para la detección de niños castellanohablantes de entre 2 y 3 años con Inicio Tardío aplicable por los profesionales del lenguaje y por las educadoras de los centros de Educación Infantil de 0 a 3 años. Método: La muestra está formada por 364 niños de entre 24 y 38 meses (M = 31.93; DT = 3.512; 49.7% niñas). Resultados: Los coeficientes de fiabilidad estimados oscilaron entre ω = .77 y ω =.97. Los análisis factoriales indicaron que el mejor modelo que explica los criterios de evaluación de la escala se articuló en torno a cinco factores: fonología, léxico-semántico, morfosintaxis, comprensión y comunicación. Las correlaciones entre las dimensiones de la escala y las del Inventario Comunicativo MacArthur son estadísticamente significativas. Conclusiones: La escala para detectar a los niños españoles hablantes tardíos parece ser un instrumento breve, sencillo y con adecuadas propiedades psicométricas.
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https://doi.org/10.70478/psicothema.2025.37.28