(SLDT-A: NU) Social Language Development Test–Adolescent: Normative Update

The SLDT-A: NU assesses language-based social skills. Specifically, it measures students’ ability to make inferences and interpret and respond to social interaction. Performance on the test differentiates typically developing students from those with autism spectrum disorder.

New Features

• Updated norms that reflect demographics of the 2016 U.S. Census
• Normative sample (N = 868) stratified by age relative to geographic region, gender, race, and ethnicity
• New standard score metric for subtests and composites (M = 10, SD = 3; M = 100, SD = 15)
• All-new item analysis and item bias studies providing convincing evidence of content-description validity
• All-new reliability and validity studies, including diagnostic accuracy analyses (considered the most rigorous techniques for establishing validity)
• Audio files for Interpreting Ironic Statements subtest available for online use or download

Description of the Test

The SLDT-A: NU has five subtests (Making Inferences, Interpreting Social Language, Problem Solving, Social Interpretation, and Interpreting Ironic Statements) that yield scaled scores. A composite score, the Social Language Development Index, represents overall performance on the subtests. The Examiner’s Manual includes a discussion of the test’s theoretical and research-based foundation, item development, standardization, administration and scoring procedures, norms tables, and guidelines for using and interpreting the test’s results. Reliability and validity studies were conducted with students with typical language abilities and students who had previously been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.