The psychometric properties of the Dutch Naming Test II

Abstract

Background: Anomia is one of the most common problems in patients with aphasia. However, in the Netherlands, there is no valid and reliable instrument available to diagnose anomia properly. For this purpose, the development of the Dutch Naming Test (DNT) was started in 2015. After a pilot study, this test was adjusted and tested on healthy people in 2016. In this study the adapted version of this test, the Dutch Naming Test II (DNT-II), will be tested in an aphasic population. Aims: This study aims to examine whether the DNT-II is a reliable and valid tool to diagnose naming difficulties in Dutch patients with aphasia. Methods: The reliability and validity of the DNT-II was established by investigating 50 Dutch adults with aphasia in the rehabilitation or chronic phase. Subjects were included from hospitals, rehabilitation centres, nursing homes and private practices throughout the Netherlands. The subjects underwent the DNT-II, The Boston Naming Test, PALPA task 14 and the verbal part of the Semantic Association Test. Results: The DNT-II was found to have a good face validity, a good construct validity, an excellent interrater reliability and an excellent test-retest reliability. The DNT-II was evaluated positively by speech language therapists and participants. Conclusion: The DNT-II has shown to be a reliable, valid and user-friendly tool to diagnose anomia in patients with aphasia. Implications of key findings: The DNT-II is the first valid and reliable tool to diagnose anomia in Dutch adults with aphasia. Further research into the performance of healthy adults and stroke patients without aphasia on the DNT-II should be conducted. When norm data is available, the test is ready to be used in the clinical practice.