The Peabody as a Substitute Measure of Oral Reading

Abstract

The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test correlates significantly with language ability (Teasdale, 1969) and reading achievement of children of lower socio-economic status (Hall, 1970). The need to develop measures of reading achievement for children with severe difficulties in spoken language (deaf and aphasics) suggested to us the possibility of modifying the Peabody to assess reading recognition of single words by such children. To obtain an estimate of the correlation between the Peabody as a reading test and the Wide Range Achievement Test (Jastak, 1965) 38 children with a M_CA of 9 yr., 5 mo. and a M_IQ of 103.9 were tested. They had been referred for evaluation of suspected learning disabilities. Target words from the Peabody were reprinted in enlarged type and presented visually to Ss who indicated their knowledge of each word by pointing to the appropriate picture. Standard Peabody basal and ceiling scoring criteria were used. The Wide Range Achievement Test was administered in standard form as an oral word-recognition test.