How standard is standard? Examining the standard scores of the CELF-P2 in Northern Populations of the Beaufort Delta - Amie Hay

Introduction: One of the many challenges of providing Speech-Language Pathology services to Northern populations is the lack of culturally appropriate normative language data for assessment tools. Current standardized assessments have no normative data for this population, therefore causing clinicians to question the validity of their data versus regional dialectal differences. In 2011, 4 communities across the Beaufort Delta were assessed using standard Speech Language Pathology measures. The purpose of the study was to determine how the average student performs on the standardized assessment measures.

There is documented need for greater understanding of regional dialects, supporting the early language development of Inuit and Northern Indigenous peoples, thus decreasing the mismatch between mainstream services and the needs of the community (Ball and Lewis, 2004).

Methods: Kindergarten classes in 4 communities across the Beaufort Delta were administered the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals - Preschool 2nd edition (CELF-P2). Additional factors considered include: language spoken at home and cultural identity/ethnicity.

Results: Standard scores were consistently lower than expected based on the available normative data.

Conclusion: Normative data based on assessments normed on the general North American population should not be applied for assessment and treatment of speech and language concerns in the Inuvialuit and Gwich’in populations of the Beaufort Delta region of NWT. This may impact other northern indigenous and Inuit populations for the purposes of speech and language assessment. Further understanding of regional dialects should be considered.