Outcomes of Children
PPVT
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-4)
The outcomes study is now using the fourth edition of the PPVT. The PPVT-4 is a test of receptive English vocabulary that requires the child to point to the picture which demonstrates the word they hear. For example the examiner says “Show me baby” and the child needs to look at the four pictures on the page and point to the picture of the baby. This edition of the PPVT was published in 2007 using coloured pictures instead of black and white. It is also less culturally biased, leaving out vocabulary such as ‘closet’ and ‘hydrant’ from previous editions.
The Speech Pathologist administering the test will first show your child a practice page and ask them to point to the four pictures on it. They may put the target word in a phrase such as “Put your finger on _____” or “Point to _____”. When your child is comfortable with this task they will begin the test.
As the test proceeds the Speech Pathologist will give your child encouraging feedback regardless of whether his/her response was correct or incorrect. The test will conclude when your child has made 8 or more errors in a set of 12 words. Therefore it is important to encourage your child to keep going with the test even if you’re sure they do not know the vocabulary being assessed.
The PPVT-4 can be used with children from age two and a half through to adults aged over 90yrs. For this reason there is a wide variety of vocabulary. The test starts with simple items such as ‘sock’ but ends with items such as ‘pedagogue’ and ‘laciniated’ (which means to have a fringed border)