# Evaluating Early Precursors of Academic Skills: Preliminary Validation of a Touchscreen-Based Digital Assessment in Preschoolers

## TL;DR

This study introduces a digital touchscreen tool to assess early academic skills in preschoolers, showing it is reliable and effective for identifying learning difficulties early.

## Contribution

The study presents preliminary validation of a new touchscreen-based assessment tool for preschoolers' academic precursors.

## Key findings

- The DAP-T showed high reliability with McDonald’s ω ranging from 0.713 to 0.966.
- Correlations with paper-based criterion tasks ranged from ρ = 0.52 to 0.95, indicating strong concurrent validity.
- Performance improved with age, and most tasks demonstrated good item discrimination.

## Abstract

Early identification of cognitive precursors to literacy and numeracy is essential for promoting school readiness and preventing later learning difficulties. Digital assessment tools using touchscreen technology offer advantages of engagement, standardization, and efficiency. This study reports preliminary findings on the Digital Assessment for Preschoolers—Tool (DAP-T), a touchscreen-based battery for preschool children. A sample of 105 children (M = 61.43 months, SD = 10.38; age range = 38–72) completed eight tasks assessing visuomotor integration, literacy (letter knowledge, phonological awareness, notational awareness, Rapid Automatized Naming), and numeracy (non-symbolic quantity comparison, quantity recognition, counting, cardinality). A subsample (n = 47–61, depending on the measure) also completed the paper-based criterion tasks used for concurrent validity analyses. Item difficulty and discrimination, internal consistency (McDonald’s ω), concurrent validity, and factorial structure (SEM) were assessed. Results showed medium-to-low difficulty, age-related performance increases, and good discrimination in most tasks. Reliability was high (ω = 0.713–0.966), and correlations with criterion measures ranged from ρ = 0.52 to 0.95. The DAP-T showed promising psychometric properties as a rapid, standardized tool to detect early difficulties and guide targeted interventions.