The Interactive Diagnostic Model, intended to facilitate disability interaction between teacher and clinician on behalf of the young language handicapped child, is described. Four levels of interaction are discussed: identification, diagnosis, management, and follow-up. (JW)

Appropriate identification/assessment of limited English speaking students requires: (1) the use of both standardized and nonstandardized assessment instruments and techniques, and (2) the use of speech-language pathologists or interpreters who are proficient in the students' native language. (JDD)

This article discusses the construction of tasks used to elicit vocal responses from preschool children with and without communication disorders. Procedures to elicit valid and reliable responses are proposed, and a sample assessment protocol is presented. (Author/DB)

Five receptive and five expressive considerations are presented which serve as guidelines for the selection of informal evaluation tasks. The resulting procedure provides descriptive data on a student's auditory processing skills and his/her ability to use language for various purposes. (Author/CL)

Issues are addressed concerning the speech-language assessment, management, and consultancy role of public school speech-language specialists to multicultural clients. Discussed are the reliability, validity, and relevance of assessment data; the replacement of substandard utterances; cooperation with teachers of English-as-a-Second-Language; and…

A case study of a hearing-impaired 7-year-old Hmong boy illustrates the complex process involved in identifying a limited English speaking child's learning, speech, language, and hearing disabilities. The process requires uncovering past experiences and evaluating environmental and cultural factors. The history and culture of the Hmong people are…

This packet of materials, which was prepared to accompany a conference presentation, contains a description of a videotape titled "Guidelines for Assessment and Evaluation of Students with Augmentative and Alternative Communication Needs." This 70-minute videotape follows three children through the assessment and evaluation process to…

Seven steps by which an interdisciplinary team can decide whether to initiate an auxiliary (nonvocal) communication program for severely handicapped students are examined. Auxiliary programs include three categories: manual communication, communication aids, and communication codes. Factors in evaluating commercial systems and examples of…

This article explains characteristics associated with the use and evaluation of criterion-referenced measures by speech language clinicians, in contrast to norm-referenced measures. Guidelines are offered for the evaluation and selection of standardized criterion-referenced measures and for the development and ongoing evaluation of informal…

The paper defines the population of primary school age language/learning-disabled children with communication disorders and emotional/behavioral disorders. It then discusses the language demands of traditional treatment methods, assessment and diagnostic procedures, approaches to communication intervention, and treatment modalities; and offers a…

This introduction to a clinical forum on children with speech, language, and hearing difficulties focuses on assessment validity. The paper emphasizes that assessment validity depends on the purpose for which the clinician employs the assessment and the inferences the clinician intends to draw, and that assessment interpretation involves degrees…

The Augmentative Communication Profile (ACP) was developed as a tool for monitoring change with students using augmentative communication. The ACP helps teachers and therapists describe the student's present proficiency in augmentative/alternative communication use, analyze the present system's strengths and weaknesses, identify factors…

The paper outlines risk factors for the development of both communication disorders and emotional/behavioral disorders in young children, outlines communication assessment considerations, offers a transactional approach to early intervention which emphasizes the interplay between young children and their caregiving environments, describes…

This article describes an observational assessment procedure designed for infants, toddlers, and preschool children. The procedure is intended to link assessment with intervention by determining what supports and what compromises a child's performance, through a holistic team assessment involving a speech-language pathologist, motor specialist,…

Ethnographic assessment is recommended in the language evaluation of Asian-Pacific American students. Procedures are outlined for collecting data representative of the student's repertoire; for determining how cultural, linguistic, and experiential factors affect student behavior; and for taking the perspective of the student as well as that of…