Schlichting Test for Language Production-II

Abstract

The Schlichting Test voor Taalproductie-II (STT-II), or the Schlichting Test for Language Production-II, is a specialized psychological instrument designed for the assessment of young children. It targets the general population of children between the ages of 2 and 7 years who are suspected of having a developmental delay in their expressive language capabilities. The STT-II provides a comprehensive profile by measuring multiple facets of language ability and related cognitive functions, including vocabulary depth (word level), syntactic complexity (sentence level), and the quality of spontaneous language use.

Crucially, the scale extends beyond mere linguistic output to evaluate underlying cognitive mechanisms essential for language development. These mechanisms include verbal working memory, phonological working memory, and general phonological processing skills. The test is structured around five independent subtests, allowing clinicians flexibility in administration: the Word Development Test, the Sentence Development Test, the Narrative Test, the Pseudowords Test, and the Auditory Memory Test.

Keywords

Schlichting Test, Taalproductie-II, Language Production, Developmental Delay, Expressive Language, Working Memory, Phonological Processing, Child Assessment, Dutch Language, Observation Scale.

Authors

van Eldik M, Schlichting J, Lutje-Spelberg H, van der Meulen BF, van der Meulen SF (1995)

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Schlichting Test voor Taalproductie-II is to identify and quantify specific weaknesses in the expressive language production abilities of pre-school and early school-age children (2 to 7 years). It serves as a diagnostic tool for professionals—such as speech-language pathologists, pediatricians, and clinical psychologists—who need objective data to determine the nature and severity of suspected language developmental delays.

The instrument’s design allows for differential diagnosis by separating core linguistic skills (word and sentence construction) from the cognitive resources necessary for language execution (various forms of working memory). This holistic approach ensures that intervention strategies can be tailored precisely to the child’s specific profile of strengths and deficits, addressing issues related to communication and mental functions.

Construct

The STT-II is constructed as a multi-dimensional measure of expressive language and its foundational cognitive supports. The core construct is the ability of a child to spontaneously and accurately produce meaningful, grammatically correct language (Taalproductie). This construct is operationalized across six distinct, but interrelated, domains:

• Word Level: Assessment of vocabulary size and retrieval speed.
• Sentence Level: Measurement of syntactic complexity and grammatical accuracy.
• (Semi-)Spontaneous Language: Evaluation of natural language use in narrative or descriptive contexts.
• Verbal Working Memory: The capacity to temporarily hold and manipulate verbal information, crucial for sentence planning.
• Phonological Working Memory: The short-term storage of phonological representations, assessed via tasks like pseudoword repetition.
• Phonological Processing: The ability to perceive, interpret, and produce speech sounds correctly.

The division into five distinct subtests reflects the theoretical belief that these components, while interacting, can be measured independently to provide a fine-grained analysis of the child’s language system.

Validity

While specific psychometric details are contained within the accompanying manual, the validity of the STT-II is typically established through rigorous developmental research confirming its sensitivity to age-related changes in language production. Content validity is high, as the instrument directly samples key linguistic constructs (vocabulary, syntax, narrative skills) and cognitive precursors (working memory) known to underpin typical and atypical language development in young children.

Criterion validity is usually demonstrated by correlating STT-II scores with established external measures of language proficiency and with clinical diagnoses of specific language impairment (SLI). Construct validity is supported by the factor structure, which aims to differentiate between the linguistic output components and the underlying phonological and working memory resources.

Reliability

Detailed reliability statistics (such as internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and inter-rater reliability) are generally provided in the test manual published in 1995. Given the nature of observational scales, high inter-rater reliability is essential, particularly for the subtests assessing (semi-)spontaneous language and narrative quality. The internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) of the overall scale and its subtests is expected to be robust, ensuring that the items within each section measure the intended specific aspect of language or memory reliably across the target age range (2-7 years).

Factor Analysis

Although the specific results of the factor analysis are not provided in the summary, the structure of the STT-II implicitly suggests a multi-factor model. The test is designed to measure five independent subtests, indicating that empirical testing likely supported the extraction of distinct factors corresponding to the core components: lexical/syntactic skills, narrative ability, and the two forms of memory (verbal working memory and phonological processing). The successful differentiation of these factors is crucial for the clinical utility of the STT-II, allowing practitioners to pinpoint deficits that are linguistic versus those that are primarily cognitive-processing based.

Instrument

Test Type: Observational Psychological Scale

Format: Standardized, individually administered assessment composed of five distinct subtests.

Language Available: Primarily Dutch (Original standardization)

Population Group: Children

Age Group: 2 to 7 years

Population Details: General population children suspected of language production developmental delay.

Test Methodology: The STT-II uses standardized stimulus presentation (e.g., pictures, verbal prompts) to elicit expressive language and performance on working memory tasks. Scoring relies on observation and comparison to established normative data for the relevant age groups. It focuses on assessing the output generated by the child (expressive language).

Keywords

STT-II, Kinderen, Communicatie, Mentale functies, Taalontwikkeling, Expressive Language Assessment, Auditory Memory, Pseudowords, Phonological Processing, Language Production.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: [Information not provided in source content]

Affiliation Email addresses: [Information not provided in source content]

Correspondence Address: [Information not provided in source content]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Schlichting Test voor Taalproductie-II was first published in 1995. Usage of the instrument requires appropriate licensing and permissions from the original publisher or distributor, typically involving a fee for the manual and test materials.

The original explanatory form (Toelichtingsformulier) providing detailed instructions and psychometric data is available digitally. The original PDF can be downloaded here: Toelichtingsformulier PDF.

Reference’s

• van Eldik M, Schlichting J, Lutje-Spelberg H, van der Meulen BF, van der Meulen SF (1995). Schlichting Test voor Taalproductie-II. [Publisher information typically found in the full manual].

Items of the Schlichting Test voor Taalproductie-II

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

The test consists of five subtests, which can be administered independently of each other:

• test voor woordontwikkeling
• test voor zinsontwikkeling
• verhaaltest
• pseudowoorden
• auditief geheugen