Authors:
Irla Lee Zimmerman, Violette G. Steiner, Roberta Evatt Pond

Publisher:
The Psychological Corporation
(800) 872-1726
www.psychcorp.com

Initial Material Cost:
$185 (includes Examiner’s Manual, Picture Manual, and 12 Record Forms)

Representativeness of Norming Sample:
Sample was based on the 1980 Census of Population (1986 update) stratified on the basis of parent education level, geographic region, and race/ethnicity. The standardization study, which began after June 1991, excluded children with language disorders, children who were more than a month premature, and children who experienced difficulties at birth.

Languages:
English and Spanish

Type of Assessment:
Direct assessment

Age Range and Administration Interval:
2 weeks to 6 years

Personnel, Training, Administration, and Scoring Requirements:
Must have knowledge of test administration and score interpretation as well as know the instrument and adhere to administration procedures. Requires 15 to 30 minutes to administer the PLS-3 for children under 1 year and 30 to 40 minutes for children 12 months to 3 years, 11 months old.

Summary
Initial Material Cost: 2 ($100 to $200)
Reliability: 3 (.65 or higher)
Validity: 1 (validity not described for 0-3 age group)
Norming Sample Characteristics: 3 (Nationally representative, less than 15 years old)
Ease of Administration and Scoring: 3 (administered and scored by highly trained individual)

Description: The Preschool Language Scale (PLS-3) provides clinicians with a diagnostic instrument to evaluate language development. The PLS-3 can be used to test receptive and expressive language skills with children from 2 weeks through 6 years of age. It also assesses behaviors considered to be language precursors. The PLS-3 contains two standardized subscales and three supplemental measures (these measures are not incorporated into the test scores, but they are optional and provide additional information). The standardized subscales are Auditory Comprehension (focusing on attention abilities) and Expressive Communication (focusing on social communication and vocal development). The supplemental measures include the Articulation Screener, Language Sample Checklist (LSC), and Family Information and Suggestions Form (FISF). The LSC evaluates the child’s language skills in conversational speech. The FISF, which is completed by the parents, is for information on the child’s communication behavior at home and the needs of the family and areas that parents would like to see addressed. The Preschool Language Scale includes eight receptive/expressive language tasks for each six-month interval for ages birth through 4 years, 11 months; and eight receptive/expressive tasks for each 12-month interval for ages 5 and 6 years.

Uses of Information: The PLS-3 can be used to determine whether or not a child has a language disorder and, if so, whether the source of the disorder is auditory, expressive, or an overall problem. The standard score and percentile ranks obtained can also help determine the severity of the disorder and identify areas for in-depth testing before defining therapy goals.

Reliability: (1) Internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s alpha): for children ages birth to 2 years, 11 months, alphas ranged from .47 to .86 for Auditory Comprehension, from .68 to .86 for Expressive Communication, and from .74 to .92 for the Total Language Score. (2) Test-retest reliability: no information available. (3) Inter-rater reliability: .98 (based on observations of children older than age 3).

Validity: (1) Concurrent validity: For children older than 3, the correlations with the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Revised (CELF-R) were .69 for Auditory Comprehension, .75 for Expressive Communication, and .82 for Total Language. Results of other concurrent validity studies can be obtained by the publisher. (2) Predictive validity: no information available.

Method of Scoring: In most cases, response items are scored by entering a check for each correct response, a minus for each incorrect response, and an “NR” if the child does not respond. A few items are open-ended, requiring a written response. A score graph in the Record Form enables the clinician to visually compare a child’s PLS-3 Auditory Comprehension and Expressive Communication scores. PLS-3 provides age-based standard scores, percentile ranks, and age equivalents for the Auditory Comprehension, Expressive Communication, and Total Language scores.

Interpretability: The Examiner’s Guide provides detailed information on interpretation of scores. The PLS-3 includes scoring interpretation guidelines as they relate to determining the severity of the disorder and the need for intervention. Using the task analyses (the PLS-3 Checklist and Profile), a clinician can evaluate the child’s strengths, emerging skills, and deficits. The Checklist groups PLS-3 tasks by age; the Profile groups tasks by the type of language skill tested.

Training Support: None mentioned in manual

Adaptations/Special Instructions for Individuals with Disabilities: The examiner’s manual includes instructions for administering the PLS-3 to individuals who appear to have severe developmental delays, severe physical impairments, or hearing impairments.

Report Preparation Support: The Record Form includes a Clinician’s Worksheet to help summarize information from the assessment and from the FISF and to plan for follow-up testing and treatment. The worksheet has three sections: assessment results, follow up for child and family, and outcomes of additional assessment and training. The worksheet is designed to include information relevant to the development of the Individualized Family Service Plan.

References:

Zimmerman, I.L., Steiner, V.G., & Pond, R.E. Preschool Language Scale - 3: Examiner’s Manual. San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation, 1992.

Zimmerman, I.L., Steiner, V.G., & Pond, R.E. Preschool Language Scale - 3: Picture Manual. San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation, 1992.

Zimmerman, I.L., Steiner, V.G., & Pond, R.E. Preschool Language Scale - 3: Record Form. San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation, 1992.