Language Assessment Of Children Research Articles

Identifying children at risk for language impairment: screening of communication at 18 months.

To investigate the possibility of identifying children at risk for language impairment based on a new screening instrument to assess communication and language skills at 18 mo of age. At 18 mo, 58 children were assessed with a screening instrument for communication and language consisting of a professional assessment and a parents' questionnaire. Students of speech and language pathology, well trained in child language assessment, carried out the professional assessment, which was based on observations of play behaviour, interaction and expressive and receptive language skills. Of the 58 children, 43 attended a follow-up assessment of language skills at 54 mo of age. Nine children were considered to be at risk for language impairment at 18 mo and 10 children were evaluated as being at risk at 54 mo. A significant positive correlation was found between the professional evaluations at 18 mo and the language tests at 54 mo. Verbal comprehension and pretend play correlated significantly with the results on the language tests. A professional screening of communication and language at 18 mo of age is worthwhile for predicting problems in language development. The results further show that language comprehension and pretend play rather than expressive skills should be emphasized.

Identifying children at risk for language impairment: screening of communication at 18 months

Aim: To investigate the possibility of identifying children at risk for language impairment based on a new screening instrument to assess communication and language skills at 18 mo of age. Methods: At 18 mo, 58 children were assessed with a screening instrument for communication and language consisting of a professional assessment and a parents' questionnaire. Students of speech and language pathology, well trained in child language assessment, carried out the professional assessment, which was based on observations of play behaviour, interaction and expressive and receptive language skills. Of the 58 children, 43 attended a follow‐up assessment of language skills at 54 mo of age. Results: Nine children were considered to be at risk for language impairment at 18 mo and 10 children were evaluated as being at risk at 54 mo. A significant positive correlation was found between the professional evaluations at 18 mo and the language tests at 54 mo. Verbal comprehension and pretend play correlated significantly with the results on the language tests. Conclusion: A professional screening of communication and language at 18 mo of age is worthwhile for predicting problems in language development. The results further show that language comprehension and pretend play rather than expressive skills should be emphasized.

Speech-language pathologists' beliefs about language assessment of bilingual/bicultural individuals.

A survey of speech/language pathologists, in 5 states across the United States was conducted to determine their beliefs about the language assessment of bilingual/bicultural individuals. Most SLPs reported low efficacy in bilingual assessment for both their own skills (personal efficacy) and those of the field in general (general efficacy). SLPs who learned a second language in the context of cultural experience (the CE group) reported more personal efficacy in bilingual assessment than speech-language pathologists who learned a second language via academic study (the AS group), who in turn felt more competent than monolingual SLPs (the M group). Furthermore, the 3 groups of respondents differed in terms of attributions for their low personal efficacy. The M group was most likely to mention their lack of knowledge about bilingual issues, the AS group commented on their less than optimal language proficiency, and the CE group focused on both proficiency and experience as influences. Over half of all participants (52%) reported that bilingual input in a child's environment would influence their interpretation of that child's language assessment results. Most of these participants (40%) reported that they would be more conservative in recommending language therapy for a bilingual than a monolingual child, particularly due to the respondent's own lack of knowledge of bilingual issues. Implications regarding the relations between language learning experiences and beliefs about the assessment of bilingual/bicultural individuals among SLPs are discussed.

Selective mutism: how a successful speech and language assessment really is possible.

A speech and language assessment of children with selective mutism is often difficult because these children are silent in most situations. In Australia, a study was designed to assess the children in their homes, the place where they usually speak. Five children who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association 1994) criteria for selective mutism participated in the study. Assessment included audio-taping extracts of the children's conversations with members of their family and the administration of a number of standardised speech and language tests. The study found that four of the five children had a communication disorder. This paper outlines these communication disorders and describes how a successful speech and language assessment of children with selective mutism is possible.

The changing face of child language assessment: 1985-1995

The paper considers the theoretical and practical advances in speech and language therapy which have influenced the development of language assessment over the past ten years. It focuses on three areas: what is assessed; how it is assessed; and why it is assessed. There have been increases in the scope of what is involved in language assessment, and theoretical advances along with new methods of speech and language therapy service delivery have motivated changes in the methods by which assessment takes place.

The decision‐making process in child language assessment

The task of assessing a child's language for the purpose of intervention requires the ability to interpret information from a variety of sources. Knowing how that information is to be used during therapy plays an important part in deciding what type of information needs to be collected and how it will be interpreted. There needs to be a plan that will assist the speech therapist in analysing and interpreting most of the data that would be needed when making therapy-related diagnostic statements. A systems approach offers concepts and methods for devising a plan which will outline the necessary decisions. The purpose of this paper is to present, in a flow chart, the questions that need to be asked in the process of assessing a child's language development for the purpose of intervention; to indicate the type of information that would be needed to answer the questions; to state how the information would be interpreted; to suggest the type of tools that would be needed to collect this information; and to outline how the information can be presented so that a greater quantity of data can be summarised and interpreted in a systematic manner.

Diagnosis and Evaluation in Speech Pathology

1. Introduction to Diagnosis and Evaluation: Philosophical Issues and General Guidelines. Diagnosis and Evaluation Defined. Broadening the Notion of Assessment. Illustrating the Importance of Measurement in Current Trends. The Importance of Functional Measurements: The World Health Organization and ASHA. Diagnosis to Determine the Reality of the Problem. Diagnosis to Determine the Etiology of the Problem. Diagnosis to Provide Clinical Focus. Diagnosis: Science and Art. Diagnosis Versus Eligibility. The Diagnostician as a Factor. The Client-Clinician Relationship. The Client as a Factor: Children, Adolescents, and Adults. Putting the Diagnosis to Work. Precepts Regarding the Clinical Examination. 2. Interviewing. The Importance of Interviewing. The Nature of Interviewing. Common Interviewing Considerations. An Approach to Interviewing. Improving Interviewing Skills. 3. Psychometric Considerations in Diagnosis and Evaluation. Common Types of Tests. Validity: The Foundation of the Test or Measure. Reliability. Some Quantitative Background for the Test Interpretation. Central Tendency, Variance, and the Normal Curve. Sensitivity and Specificity: Key Concepts in Evidence Based Practice. Criteria for Evaluating Standardized Tests. Common Errors in the Use of Norm-Referenced Tests. Conclusion. 4. Assessment of Children with Limited Language. The Process of Becoming a Communicator: Getting the Big Picture. Focusing on the Child's Language Level: Nonverbal, Single Word, and Early Multiword Communicators. Considering Etiology. Why Is Early Language Assessment so Difficult? Models to Consider in Language Assessment. Theoretical Considerations in Language Assessment. Assessment That Focuses On Early Communication and Variables That Predict Language Growth. Specific Assessment Areas: Procedures, Considerations, and Directions For Further Study. Concluding Remarks. 5. Assessment of School-Age and Adolescent Language Disorders. Use of Standardized Tests with Syntax-Level Children. Nonstandardized Testing. Language Sampling: A General Look at the Process. Later Language Development: Emerging Data. Testing Language Comprehension. Assessment of Syntax Using Analysis Packages. Assessment of Conversational Pragmatics. Evaluating Literacy and School Curriculum. Conclusion. 6. Assessment of Articulation and Phonological Disorders. Multiple Components Contributing to Sound Production. Seven Important Knowledge Areas for Evaluation of Articulation and Phonological Disorders. Overview of the Articulation/Phonology Assessment Process. Traditional Assessment Procedures. Test Procedures that Evaluate Phonetic Context Effects. The Phonetic and Phonemic Inventories. Distinctive Feature Analysis. Phonological Analysis. Assessment of Phonological Knowledge. Other Testing. Integrating Data from the Assessment. Severity and Intelligibility. Computer-Assisted Analysis of Phonology. Long Term Impact of Phonological Disorders. 7. Disorders of Fluency. Differential Diagnosis. The Appraisal of Stuttering. Evaluation at the Onset of Stuttering. Evaluation of the School-Aged Student Assessment of the Adult Who Stutters. 8. Assessment of Aphasia and Adult Language Disorders. The Nature of Aphasia. Case History. Diagnosis and Formal Testing. Differential Diagnosis. The Art of Informal Assessment. Summing Up the Findings. 9. Motor Speech Disorders, Dysphagia, and the Oral Exam. The Oral Peripheral Examination. Apraxia of Speech in Adults. Developmental Apraxia of Speech. The Adult Dysarthrias. Cerebral Palsies and Dysarthria in Children. Dysphagia. Summary. 10. Laryngeal and Alaryngeal Voice Disorders. The Nature of Vocal Disturbances. The Diagnostic Process. Informal Assessment Probes. Conclusion to Vocal (Laryngeal) Disorders. Assessment of the Laryngectomee. The Counseling Process. Background and Current Status Information. Early Speech Attempts with a Tracheoesophageal Prosthesis. Ongoing Assessments: A Dynamic Process. Prognosis. 11. Assessment of Resonance Imbalance. Categories of Abnormal Resonance. Case History and General Voice Assessment. Assessment Techniques and Probes for Resonance Imbalance. Assessment Associated with Cleft Palate. Prognosis Associated with Resonance Imbalance. Conclusion. 12. Multicultural Issues in Assessment. Population and Professional Trends. Cultural Differences in Perceptions of Disability. Interviewing and Counseling Issues. Cultural Differences in Incidence and Prevalence of Disorders. Language Assessment: The Most Problematic Area. Nonstandardized Approaches in Multicultural Assessment. Concluding Remarks. 13. The Diagnostic Report. Format. Confidentiality. Style. The Writing Process. Follow-Up. Summary. Appendix A. Early Child Language Assessment Interview Protocol. Appendix B. Coding Sheet for Early Multiword Analysis. Appendix C. Summary Sheet for Early Multiword Analysis. Appendix D. Data Consolidation in Limited Language Evaluations. Appendix E. Diagnostic and Procedural Codes. References. Index.