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<DIV><SPAN class=275395016-11062002><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dear Info-Childes
Members,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DD></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The CDI Advisory Board is currently involved in a
renorming effort of the </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2><SPAN class=275395016-11062002>long forms of
the </SPAN>MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories (CDIs).
</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2><FONT>As many of </FONT>you know, the
MacArthur CDIs consist of two full-scale parent report </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>instruments which assess a variety of language
milestones that are </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><FONT face=Arial>appropriate for
typically-developing <SPAN class=275395016-11062002>English-speaking
</SPAN>children <SPAN
class=275395016-11062002>between</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=275395016-11062002></SPAN><FONT face=Arial size=2>8-16 months
(Words &<SPAN class=275395016-11062002> </SPAN>Gestures) and 16-30
months (Words & Sentences).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>(See Fenson et al., </FONT><FONT size=2>1993,
User's guide & technical manual.) In addition to increasing
</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>the overall size of the norming database, the
renorming effort would like to: </FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>(1) Extend the upper-age of the norming
information for the CDI: Words & Gestures</FONT><FONT size=2> </FONT></FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2>from 16 to 18 months; </FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2>(2) Increase the representation of families from
non-Caucasian ethnic backgrounds; </FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT>
<DD><FONT size=2><FONT face=Arial>(3) Increase the representation of families
with mothers who have <SPAN class=275395016-11062002>12 or
fewer</SPAN></FONT></FONT>
<DD><FONT size=2><FONT face=Arial><SPAN class=275395016-11062002>years </SPAN>of
education<SPAN class=275395016-11062002> (i.e., high school grad or
less).</SPAN> </FONT></FONT></DD></DIV>
<DIV>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT></DD></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>While our internal efforts have made considerable
progress, we would like to ask </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>the Child Language community for additional
help. We know that many of you </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>have targeted families that meet the above criteria
and have used the CDIs (Words & </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Gestures or Words & Sentences long forms) in
your research with those families. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><FONT face=Arial>In the spirit of the Child Language Data
Exchange System, we <SPAN class=275395016-11062002>would like
to</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><FONT face=Arial><SPAN class=275395016-11062002>ask our fellow
</SPAN>Child Language researchers to contribute their data to our renorming
effort. </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><FONT face=Arial><SPAN class=275395016-11062002>Although
</SPAN>we cannot offer any monetary compensation<SPAN
class=275395016-11062002> beyond covering </SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2><SPAN class=275395016-11062002>any mailing
expenses that </SPAN></FONT><FONT size=2><SPAN class=275395016-11062002>you
might incur</SPAN>, any contributions will be warmly and gratefully
</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>acknowledged in the next edition of the CDI User's
Guide! </FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT></DD></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>We are looking for HARD COPIES** (or a soft
data file format with all of the item </FONT><FONT size=2>responses) of:
</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2>(1) MacArthur CDIs for <SPAN
class=275395016-11062002>(American) </SPAN><SPAN
class=275395016-11062002>English-speaking </SPAN>children between 8-18 </FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>months (Words & Gestures) </FONT><FONT
size=2>or 16-30 months (Words & Sentences); </FONT></FONT></DD></DIV>
<DIV>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2>(2) First time administrations (i.e., the parent
ha<SPAN class=275395016-11062002>d</SPAN> not completed a CDI before); </FONT>
<DD><SPAN class=275395016-11062002><FONT face=Arial size=2>AND</FONT></SPAN>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2>(3) reported mother's years of education = 12 years
or under (i.e., high school grad or less); </FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=275395016-11062002>OR</SPAN></FONT>
<DD><FONT size=2><SPAN class=275395016-11062002></SPAN><FONT face=Arial>(4)
reported ethnicity of the families: Hispanic, African American, Asian,
</FONT></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>Native American,</FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2>Mixed, or Other non-White </FONT></DD></DIV>
<DIV>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT></DD></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The following information must also be available:
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>(1) Date of Birth and Date of CDI (or age of
CDI);</FONT><FONT size=2> </FONT></FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2>(2) Gender of child; </FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2>(3) Birth order. </FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT></DD></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Exclusionary Criteria:</FONT><FONT size=2>
</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>(1) prematurity: less than 37 weeks
gestation AND birthweight less than 5 lbs; 5oz (5000 grams);</FONT><FONT
size=2> </FONT></FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2>(2) substantive birth complications (e.g., extended
stay in ICU); </FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2>(3) diagnosed developmental disability (e.g., Downs
syndrome, CP); </FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2>(4) diagnosed or suspected hearing loss; </FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2>(5) substantive exposure to a language other than
English (more than 7 hours per week). </FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT></DD></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>DON'T SEND ANYTHING YET! </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>IF YOU ARE WILLING TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE CONTACT:
Virginia Marchman (</FONT><A href="mailto:vamarch@utdallas.edu"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>vamarch@utdallas.edu</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>) </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>for additional information and mailing
instructions. We will be accepting data contributions </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>until JULY 31, 2002. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2>THANK YOU! </FONT></DD>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DD></DIV>
<DIV>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2>**WE WILL RETURN THE HARD COPIES OF YOUR DATA TO
YOU! PLEASE REMOVE </FONT>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2>ANY IDENTIFYING PARTICIPANT INFORMATION.
</FONT></DD>
<DD><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DD></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial
size=2>*******************************************</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>Virginia A. Marchman, Ph.D.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>Associate Professor of
Psychology</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>School of Human Development</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>P.O. Box 830688</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>The University of Texas at
Dallas</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>Richardson, TX
75083-0688</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>ph: 972-883-6430 fax:
972-883-2491</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2><A
href="mailto:vamarch@utdallas.edu">vamarch@utdallas.edu</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial
size=2>******************************************</FONT></DIV>
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