Full Name of the Test	Reynell Developmental Language Scales - U.S. Edition (RDLS)
Authors	Joan K. Reynell, B.Sc., Ph.D., and Christian P. Gruber, Ph.D.
Year of Publication	1990
Publisher	Western Psychological Services
Current Cost (include a list of additional materials such as score forms, etc.)	Complete Reynell Kit - $499.00; Reynell Test Booklets - $49.50 (25) (Test & Software for Spch., Lang., & Hrg. - Super Duper Publications)
Purpose of the test	The purpose of the test is to assess verbal comprehension and expressive language skills of children.
Ages for whom the test is intended	1 year 0 months to 6 years 11 months
List Subtests	Expressive Language Subscales: Structure, Vocabulary, and Content
Describe the normative sample	RDLS was normed on 619 children aged 1 year 0 months to 6 years 11 months. Data was collected from 9 sites in 8 states in different areas of the U.S. Children selected at each site was in accordance with data from the U.S. Census Bureau (1987) for geographic region (east, north-central, south, west), ethnicity,(white, black, Hispanic, and Asian), parental education, and sex. There were 49.4% males subjects, and50.6% female subjects.
Are the norms appropriate for use in Boone?	The closest normative group to Boone was in Nashville, TN. With such a small normative group, a handful of which are from the southeast, It's difficult to say that the norms are appropriate for use in Boone. Nashville is a much larger, more diverse city, compared to the population of Boone. The other geographical areas are in extreme locations in reference to Boone. However, after viewing the test, the language of the test and the requested responses are appropriate for all children in the designated age group.
Describe how reliability was established	Split-half reliability coefficients, corrected through Spearman-Brown procedures, were used; reliability coefficients of .9 or greater are considered good; .8, satisfactory; and .7, marginally adequate. RDLS scales provide solid assessment up to child's 5th birthday, with all coefficients for children younger than 5 years 0 months in the .80 to .93 range, median value of .87. For ages 5 years 6 months and older, reliability declines into the .7 range. RDLS compensates for this issue because developmental in terpretation is only supported up to age 5 years 0 months and the use of confidence intervals takes reliability into account.
Describe how validity was established	Evidence of validity is less technical. Content validity is evidenced by the clinical background of the test items. The 15-year history and three major editions is evidence of the nature of each item and the extensive thought and work put int o RDLS. After review of each test item, the user must make the final judgment pertaining to content validity. Construct, concurrent, and predictive validity was established via testing at 3-month intervals, and the use of other assessment instruments for the purpose of making comparisons.
Describe a situation for which it would be chosen over the other tests	This test would be chosen if the individual to b e tested is below 3 years of age. The RDLS could be chosen over other tests if administration were being conducted in or in areas with more similarities to the normative groups. It could also be chosen for its simplicity of administration, and if there were no other assessments which offered modifications for hearing impaired or deaf individuals as the RDLS does.
Describe a situation for which it should not be chosen over the other tests.	It would not be chosen if expressive language was not a concern, or if cost was an issue. It should not be chosen over other tests if another test offers a more appropriate normative sample or if another test has been standardized for use with hearing impaired or deaf individuals, nor chosen for someone with severe visual impairments due to the nature of the requested tasks.