Area of use

The U.S. adaptation of the ESB is in the final stages of data collection, with an anticipated publication day in late May, 2023. If you would like to purchase the U.K. version, please email us at customersupport@hogrefe.com.

The Early Sociocognitive Battery (ESB) is a new, innovative assessment for preschool children that is predictive of later language and social communication difficulties including autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Language Versions

English

Product Description

The ESB can be used by speech and language therapists, clinical and educational psychologists, and paediatricians. It is also available for use by early years’ professionals who have:

• Certified training and experience in a relevant discipline.
• Membership of a professional organisation appropriate to the focus of the test.
• Evidence of competence in the use of psychological tests.

Primarily a non-verbal clinical assessment tool suitable for use with children aged 2–5 years and from diverse language backgrounds, the ESB is a battery of three subtests measuring social responsiveness, joint attention and symbolic comprehension. Identification of deficiencies in these key sociocognitive skills help early years professionals target their intervention strategies appropriately.

The ESB is a portable assessment in an easy-to-carry case containing more than 60 toys and objects designed to engage young children.

The video shows how speech and language therapists work with children on some of the tasks included in these three subtests. And this white paper details the theory, evidence, and practice of the ESB.

When you order test materials for the first time we request that you provide documentation indicating you have the requisite qualifications or experience to administer psychological tests. Please download and complete the Qualification for Test Purchase.

Reliability

Both test-retest and inter-rater reliabilities for the ESB are in the high to excellent range.

Test Validity

Evidence of construct, concurrent and most importantly predictive validity are explained in the manual. ESB performance was found to be equally predictive across age groups and overall identified 89% of children with parent-reported “late” diagnoses of Social Communication Disorder and/or ASD (sensitivity) and 75% of those without (specificity).

Norms

UK norms (N = 384)

Processing Time

The ESB is untimed and typically takes 15 minutes to complete.

Copyright year

2023