ERLI - Early Language Inventory

Free access here to our new article about developing the ERLI checklist
- enjoy!

Developing a parent vocabulary checklist for young Indigenous children growing up multilingual in the Katherine region of Australia’s Northern Territory (2020). Developing a parent vocabulary checklist for young Indigenous children growing up multilingual in the Katherine region of Australia’s Northern Territory. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Ahead of Print.

A nice news item from CoEDL!

Early learnings from ERLI tool – Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language

Have you been trying out the ERLI vocabulary checklist? Would you like to give us your feedback so far? We welcome you to contribute to our new ERLI User Survey:

https://tinyurl.com/y3dpl5cm

The survey is short (yes, really!!), it takes no more than 5-10 minutes and your answers are anonymous. The survey has ethics approval from Charles Darwin University and Western Sydney University.

This survey is being run by Dr Bea Staley, Kate Short, Chantelle Khamchuang, and A/Prof Caroline Jones. Thanks very much in advance for your contributions; we look forward to improving ERLI so that it meets your needs and those of the families you work with.

Are you thinking of trying the ERLI checklist? Would you like to chat or get pointers from the ERLI team? We would welcome you to join a free, personal Zoom conference with us. To find out more please email: [email protected]

ERLI team members Chantelle Khamchuang and Caroline Jones plus NAL audiologist collaborator Sanna Hou have been out and about recently, giving a presentation at the 8th Annual Poche Indigenous Health Network Research Showcase at Sydney University. Thanks to the organisers of the Poche event for hosting researchers from other organisations so inclusively!

ERLI is a language checklist for Indigenous children (0-3 years).

Here are all our resources in one place, hoping this is useful to you as ERLI adopters?!

ERLI checklist (paper): https://cloudstor.aarnet.edu.au/plus/s/ccL5HwKQHoVBR8Q

ERLI checklist (app): https://tinyurl.com/yco243lv
This app version has nice illustrations, auto-scoring, and emails you a detailed summary. The app works on smartphone (if you have reception or wifi), or computer/tablet (on internet).
The app is safe to use. The parent can choose whether to contribute responses to WSU research. If they opt in, responses are stored anonymously, with ethics approval. If they opt out of contributing to the research, you can still use the app, we just won’t store the data.
If you want to try out the app, without a real family, just type TEST at ‘Child’s name’.

Training video (8 min): https://youtu.be/AoqFhm1Z2hU
Check it out! Also good for showing others how to do the ERLI with a parent e.g. early childhood educators or health workers.

User manual: https://cloudstor.aarnet.edu.au/plus/s/9Ws8FIJnU7GxbHu

If you’d like to chat or get some pointers, please email us: [email protected]

CloudStor - CloudStor is powered by AARNet ERLI_Checklist_20190530.pdf is publicly shared

We were so thrilled with your interest, thank you: speech pathologists lined up 100-deep (!) to pick up a copy of the ERLI assessment kit, at the end of our oral presentation at the annual meeting of Speech Pathology Australia in Brisbane in June (presentation authors Caroline Jones, Eugenie Collyer, Jaidine Fejo, Chantelle Khamchuang, Cathy Kaplun and Natasha West-Bucknall).

It’s been a while since we posted, but the ERLI team has just released an 8-minute training video (thanks to Rollingball Productions). The video incorporates helpful feedback from a second codesign in May with Aboriginal professionals in health and early childhood education. Check out our video to see how early childhood educators, health workers and other professionals can use the ERLI to interview a parent as the expert on their child (0-3+ years), to find out about and track that child’s development in communicating in their home language(s).

FAQs
What is ERLI?
- ERLI is a vocabulary checklist, a list of 140 items including words and gestures that are specific to the Katherine NT region. Each item has the options 'understands', 'understands and uses' and a comment box next to it. Caregivers go through the form and tick the items that their child understands and/or uses.

Who can complete ERLI?
- Ideally the main caregiver of the child, as they will have the best knowledge of the items the child uses and understands. It is possible for more than one caregiver to complete ERLI for a child, especially where the caregivers speak different languages that the child is learning.

What ages can the ERLI be used for?
- 8-30 months

Who uses checklists?
- Researchers and clinicians such as health practitioners and speech pathologists are just some of the people who have an interest in using checklists such as ERLI.

Where can I access it?
- You can access it by downloading QuickTapSurvey and contacting [email protected] for login details. Alternatively [ # # #]

What languages can ERLI be used with?
- The form is in Kriol and English, so it needs to be filled out by someone who knows either of those languages. However, as long as this criterion is met it doesn't matter what language the child is learning the words in, as long as it has cultural equivalents for the concepts listed. Participants can circle the exact word the child uses, or write it in the comment box if it is not listed. It is most suitable for families in the Katherine region.

Why a checklist?
- Checklists are relatively easy and quick to use, and primary caregivers have been shown to be reliable reporters of their children's vocabulary comprehension and production.