Few, if any, reliable and valid screening tools exist to identify language delay in young Spanish–English speaking dual-language learners (DLLs). The early communication indicator (ECI) is a brief, naturalistic measure of expressive communication development designed to inform intervention decision-making and progress monitoring for infants and toddlers at-risk for language delays. We assessed the accuracy of the ECI as a language-screening tool for DLLs from Latinx backgrounds by completing classification accuracy analysis on 39 participants who completed the ECI and a widely used standardized reference, the Preschool Language Scales, 5th edition—Spanish, (PLS-5 Spanish). Sensitivity of the ECI was high, but the specificity was low, resulting in low classification accuracy overall. Given the limitations of using standalone assessments as a reference for DLLs, a subset of participants (n = 22) completed additional parent-report measures related to identification of language delay. Combining the ECI with parent-report data, the specificity of the ECI remained high, and the sensitivity improved. Findings show preliminary support for the ECI as a language-screening tool, especially when combined with other information sources, and highlight the need for validated language assessment for DLLs from Latinx backgrounds.

很少有（如果有的话）可靠和有效的筛查工具来识别年轻的西班牙语-英语双语学习者 (DLL) 的语言延迟。早期沟通指标 (ECI) 是表达性沟通发展的一个简短、自然的衡量标准，旨在为有语言延迟风险的婴儿和幼儿的干预决策和进展监测提供信息。我们通过对完成 ECI 的 39 名参与者和广泛使用的标准化参考、学前语言量表，第 5 版 - 西班牙语（PLS- 5 西班牙语）。ECI 的敏感性较高，但特异性较低，导致总体分类准确率较低。n = 22) 完成了与语言延迟识别相关的额外家长报告措施。将ECI与父母报告数据相结合，ECI的特异性仍然很高，敏感性有所提高。调查结果显示，对 ECI 作为语言筛选工具的初步支持，尤其是与其他信息来源结合时，并强调需要对来自拉丁语背景的 DLL 进行验证语言评估。