The reliability of the SCAN test: results from a primary school populationin the UK

The SCAN test utilizes a pre-recorded tape, with carrier phrase and target words spoken by an American English speaker, to screen for central auditory processing disorders in children. The aim of the present study was to esta blish whether the normative data, derived from American school children, ar e applicable to a UK primary school population. The SCAN test was administe red to 133 British primary school children with normal hearing, stratified into one-year age bands. Mean scores from the UK sample were found to be si gnificantly lower than US mean scores for the most of the age bands. Analys is of word errors indicates accent and word familiarity effects. This evalu ation of the SCAN indicates that the test is not directly applicable to Bri tish children as currently normalized. The present study provides interim n orms for the American recording for age bands six to 11 years. It is recomm ended that the test material is recorded by a UK English speaker, with subs titution of high error-rate target words, followed by normative data collec tion for the new test material.