Phonological Processing Test Adaptation From A Neuropsychological Battery In 5 To 7 Year-Old Children

The significance of phonological processing abilities, specifically phonological sensitivity, on reading acquisition has been described recently, and for this reason it is important to evaluate these abilities in preschoolers. The goal of the present study was to adapt phonological processing tests from the Neuropsychological Battery for Children with Learning Disabilities (Bateria Neuropsicologica para la Evaluacion de Ninos con Trastornos del Aprendizaje de la Lectura, BNTAL) for preschoolers and first grade children. One hundred and sixty five children between 5.5 and 7.4 years of age were studied The results showed acceptable internal consistency reliability for the phonological sensitivity test. Moreover, first graders performed significantly better than preschoolers in most phonological sensitivity subtests. It is concluded that our version of the phonological processing tests is a reliable tool for evaluating phonological processing in children of these ages.