Abstract

Bangla is the language spoken by millions of children in Bangladesh, as well as parts of India. However, little is known regarding lexical development in Bangla-speaking children due to a lack of linguistically and culturally suitable assessment tools. We report here on the development and initial piloting of a Bangla version of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MB-CDI), a parental report, to be used with Bangla-speaking children aged 12 to 36 months. We discuss the process of adapting the MB-CDI through to an initial pilot with parents of 23 children in Bangladesh. Feasibility and preliminary psychometric properties were examined using descriptive statistics, internal consistency analyses (Cronbach’s alpha), and age-related comparisons. The pilot findings indicated that the Bangla MB-CDI was feasible to administer in the Bangladeshi context and demonstrated high internal consistency (α = 0.90). Preliminary analyses also suggested age-related increases in vocabulary scores, consistent with expected developmental trends. The pilot also yielded useful feedback on ways to improve assessment protocols and item selection. With minor revision, the tool appears appropriate to use in a larger study to properly validate it for wider use with Bangla-speaking children.

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