Developing the Test of Complex Syntax Electronic
This project aims to develop an online interactive tool which will allow us to identify children who find it more difficult to understand language than their peers and to individually tailor support to help them to overcome these difficulties. Difficulties understanding spoken language are often hidden and children鈥檚 problems may go unnoticed.
However, such problems have significant consequences for a child鈥檚 educational progress, social inclusion and wellbeing. We have developed a set of fun and engaging animated films which children watch and respond to and which allow us to uncover the specific areas of language the child is finding difficult.
The TECS-E (Test of complex sentences - Electronic) specifically focuses on complex sentences which are essential for success as children progress through school. So, for example, instead of simple sentences like 鈥淧ut your PE kit on鈥�, or 鈥減ut the book back鈥�, the child needs to understand more complex sentences like 鈥淏efore you go to put on your PE kit you need to put back the book.鈥�
To make the TECS-E ready to be used by Speech and Language Therapists or Teachers we must
1) be sure we can rely on it to give accurate results
2) find out how children with no difficulties respond at different ages
3) see if it can identify children with difficulties who need support
To do this we need a large number of children to complete TECS-E which represent the range of abilities across the whole population between 4 and nine years and we need to compare the TECS-E to other tests with children with identified language difficulties and without. In this way we will deliver a tool which supports practitioners to identify and effectively support children鈥檚 language development in those at risk.
Our research will involve 3 studies the first of which has been pre-registered here.
TECS-E study
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