Development and validation of a parental report of toddlers’ prosodic skills

Abstract

This study describes the development and validation of Proso-Quest, a parental report of toddlers’ prosodic skills that aims to assess early prosodic development in European Portuguese. The development and validation of Proso-Quest proceeded in three phases. Phase 1 was undertaken (a) to establish the structure of the parental report and select the items considering previous work, (b) to collect input from experts on prosodic development, and (c) to revise the report after a pilot study. Phase 2 examined internal consistency, reliability, test-retest reliability, and correlations between Proso-Quest and a valid measure of vocabulary development. Finally, Phase 3 evaluated the discriminant validity of this report in a clinical sample that frequently presents prosodic impairments. The psychometric properties of Proso-Quest indicated an excellent internal consistency, high test-retest reliability, significant correlations with a valid measure of vocabulary development, and sensitivity to identify prosodic delays. This parental report showed evidence of reliability and validity in describing early prosodic development and impairment, and it may be a useful tool in research and educational assessments, as well as in clinical-based assessments.