VEPS Testing?

[Guest guest]

Has anyone hear of the VEPS (very early processing skills)

It is discussed in this article from March 2007

Toddler Tests Speak For Themselves

ScienceDaily (Mar. 5, 2007) --- From the first smile to the first word,

signs that a toddler is learning to communicate are a source of great

joy for any new parent. But a child's inability to develop such skills

at an early stage can be a source of angst. A new study funded by the

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has come up with new tests

for pre-schoolers to help recognise potential problems earlier.

According to Professor Shula Chiat and Dr Penny Roy of City University

in London, these tests provide new indicators of the likelihood and

nature of longer term difficulties, allowing for earlier and more

targeted intervention.

" When children are not talking like their peers, parents want to know

what the future holds " , says Professor Chiat, " but there are no easy

answers. Many 2-3 year olds will catch up with their peers within a year

or two, but others don't, and the nature of their longer term language

and communication problems will vary " .

Unlike traditional assessments which focus on language itself, the four

new tests probe 'very early processing skills' (VEPS) which are known to

underpin language development. Together, they provide new insights into

children's early difficulties and how these are likely to unfold. One of

the tests assesses children's ability to pick out and remember the

sounds of words by asking them to repeat real words and non-words. The

remaining three tests target the kind of social and cognitive skills

children require to discover the meaning of words.

The new tests were found to be quick, easy to administer and reliable.

The different patterns of performance which emerged from a sample of

over 200 clinically referred children were related to the type of

language and social communication problems evident 18 months later, when

children were 4-5 years old. Researchers also validated the contribution

of standard clinical assessment for children as young as 2-3, but the

new tests provided important additional information about a child's

basic processing skills.

Professor Chiat and Dr Roy believe that these tests could make a

significant impact on approaches to children with language and

communication problems in the pre-school years. They constitute a viable

set of assessments permitting early identification of difficulties with

the forms and functions of language, and provide a more reliable and

earlier foundation for deciding on appropriate intervention than is

currently available.

/Adapted from materials provided by Economic & Social Research Council

<http://www.esrc.ac.uk>/.

Economic & Social Research Council (2007, March 5). Toddler Tests Speak

For Themselves. /ScienceDaily/. Retrieved March 25, 2008, from

http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2007/03/070304115158.htm

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