The development, validity, reliability, and norm of a preschool auditory processing assessment scale in China.
A new 30-item Chinese scale reliably screens auditory processing problems in preschoolers and is ready for clinical use.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Liu et al. (2022) built a brand-new 30-item parent form. It screens auditory processing skills in Chinese preschoolers. The team checked internal consistency, validity, and whether the scale could tell typical kids from kids with auditory problems.
What they found
The scale held together well. Scores were reliable and matched other measures. Kids with known auditory deficits scored much lower than peers. The tool is ready for everyday use.
How this fits with other research
Hua et al. (2013) did the same kind of job for motor skills. They showed the MABC-2 works for Chinese preschoolers once you tweak a few items. Both studies give clinicians a trusted local tool.
Mammarella et al. (2022) and Cantell et al. (2019) ran parallel studies on parent motor questionnaires in Brazil and the Netherlands. All four papers report good reliability for preschoolers, but Marja et al. warn that 3-year-olds may be too young for solid validity. The new auditory scale did not split ages, so keep that caution in mind.
No direct clash exists. The papers simply test different domains—auditory, motor, hand skills—using the same psychometric recipe. Together they form a toolkit of validated parent scales for Chinese and international preschool practice.
Why it matters
You now have a free, 30-item Chinese checklist that flags auditory red flags before school entry. Use it during intake, share results with audiologists, and plan early language or listening interventions. The scale takes minutes, needs no special kit, and already fits the local culture.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Children with auditory processing deficits may face problems with language, learning, and social communication. AIMS: To develop a Chinese auditory processing assessment scale for preschool children and establish the norms of the scale. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The predictive version of the scale was formed by a literature review, qualitative interviews, expert consultation, and a pre-test with a small sample. Nine kindergartens in Nanjing were selected by a stratified cluster sampling plan. First, 734 children from two kindergartens were selected for the large sample pre-test of the scale. Then, 1526 children from four kindergartens and 1151 children from three kindergartens were selected for the reliability and validity analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, respectively. The standardized norm data of the scale were established based on the 3411 points of scale data of the nine kindergartens. Finally, the clinical usefulness of the scale was analyzed by comparing the results of objective auditory processing tests in children with normal and abnormal auditory processing prompted by the score on the scale. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The preschool auditory processing assessment scale includes 5 dimensions and 30 items. The Cronbach's alpha value of the scale is greater than 0.9. The confirmatory factor analysis results verify that the scale structure is reasonable. The percentile norm of the scale was established. The results of electrophysiological tests of the normal and abnormal auditory processing groups were statistically different (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The developed preschool auditory processing assessment scale has good reliability and validity. The scale is suitable for clinical application.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2022 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104272