TAPS-3: Test of Auditory Processing Skills

• Ages: 4-0 through 18-11
• Testing Time: one hour
• Individual subtest scores are combined to derive three Cluster Scores: Basic Auditory Skills (Word Discrimination, Phonological Segmentation, and Phonological Blending), Auditory Memory (Number Memory Forward, Number Memory Reversed, Word Memory, and Sentence Memory), and Auditory Cohesion (Auditory Comprehension and Auditory Reasoning)
• Norm-referenced; Individual subtests are reported as scaled scores; Cluster Scores and Overall Score are reported as standard scores; percentile ranks; age equivalent scores
• Complete TAPS-3 kit includes Examiner's Manual, 25 English Test Booklets, and an Auditory Figure-Ground CD (2005)

The Test of Auditory Processing Skills (TAPS-3) represents a very thorough reshaping of the Test of Auditory Perceptual Skills, Revised (previously authored by M. Gardner). The most obvious change is that there are no longer two "levels" of the test - the TAPS-3 offers seamless coverage for ages 4 through 18 years. The TAPS-3 measures what a person does with what is heard, and is intended to be used along with other tests as part of a battery. It is designed to be used by speech-language pathologists, audiologists, school psychologists, and other testing professionals.

Other differences are apparent in the details of the test structure. The order of subtests has been amended to reflect a developmental progression of tasks from easiest to most difficult. Four new subtests have been added: Phonological Segmentation, Phonological Blending, Auditory Comprehension, and Auditory Reasoning (this replaces Auditory Processing subtest from previous editions). New items were developed for many subtests, while some existing test items were retained. The content of other subtests has been completely revised; for example, the last subtest, Auditory Reasoning, contains all new items specifically designed to tap auditory cohesion, a higher-order process. An optional Auditory Figure-Ground task has also been added as a supplemental subtest presented via CD to flag attention problems and give feedback about how the child's auditory processing system works in "real-world" situations.

The subtests are:

• Word Discrimination
• Word Memory
• Phonological Segmentation
• Sentence Memory
• Phonological Blending
• Auditory Comprehension
• Numbers Forward
• Auditory Reasoning
• Numbers Reversed

There are also notable differences in how scores are derived and the types of scores obtained. The use of partial credit in some subtests reflects more accurately the child's auditory abilities. In addition to one overall score, individual subtest scores are combined to derive three cluster scores: Basic Auditory Skills (Word Discrimination, Phonological Segmentation, and Phonological Blending subtests), Auditory Memory (Number Memory Forward, Number Memory Reversed, Word Memory, and Sentence Memory), and Auditory Cohesion (Auditory Comprehension and Auditory Reasoning subtests). The introductory chapter of this manual presents an updated literature review.