Test of Word Finding (TWF)

Identify students with word-finding difficulties and create a personalized treatment plan to increase their literacy skills.

Administration: Individual
Ages: 4-6 through 12-11
Test Level: B
Testing Time: 20 to 30 minutes

The Test of Word Finding (TWF-3), Third Edition, is a norm-referenced, single-word expressive language test designed to assess children's word-finding ability. It can be used to identify students who have word-finding problems, plan word-finding interventions, and measure word-finding ability in research studies.

The Standard Assessment

The standardized assessment has four naming sections, the results of which are combined to form the overall Word Finding Index. The naming sections include:

1. Picture Naming (Nouns). Assesses efficiency in naming compound and 1 to 4-syllable target words.
2. Picture Naming (Verbs).  Assesses efficiency in naming present and past tense regular and irregular verbs.
3. Picture Naming (Categories). Assesses efficiency in naming objects and the categories to which they belong.
4. Sentence Completion Naming. Assesses efficiency in naming words to complete sentences read aloud by the examiner

The Informal Assessment

There are five informal analyses included in TWF-3. These assessments are broken down into two categories:

Word-finding error examinations

• Phenomic Cueing Procedure
• Imitation Procedure
• Substitution Analysis

Examinations to help interpret the Word Finding Index

• Delayed Response Procedure
• Secondary Characteristics Tally

The standardized assessment and informal analyses are integral features of comprehensive word-finding assessments.

Features of TWF-3

• All new normative data were collected in 2009-2012
• New noun and verb target words have been added
• Studies showing the absence of racial and gender bias are reported
• Information pertaining to the TWF-3's diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity, specificity, and ROC/AUC) is provided
• The lexical processing model underlying TWF-3 has been updated to reflect current thinking regarding word retrieval
• The Comprehension Check functions as a built-in assessment of examinees' word knowledge
• Students with diagnosed word-finding difficulties were included in the norming sample
• Three age and grade-appropriate forms are included:
• The PrePrimary form for preschool and kindergarten students
• The Primary form for students in Grades 1 and 2
• The Intermediate form for students in Grades 3 through 6

Reliability and Validity

The standardized assessment has ample evidence of reliability and validity:

• The average internal consistency (content sampling) reliability coefficients for all forms exceed .85.
• The average test-retest (time sampling) coefficients for the Word Finding Index exceed .80.
• Correlations of the Word Finding Index with those of other well-known expressive language tests are large or very large in magnitude.
• Diagnostic accuracy studies indicate that the TWF-3 is able to accurately identify students with word-finding difficulties (i.e., sensitivity = .86, specificity = .78, ROC/AUC = .88, cut score = 90).

Considerable other valid evidence is provided in the manual.

The Complete TWF-3 Kit includes:

• Examiner's Manual
• Word Finding Assessment Picture Book
• Comprehension Check Picture Book
• 10 Preprimary Examiner Record Forms
• 10 Primary Examiner Record Forms
• 10 Intermediate Examiner Record Forms
• Sturdy storage box