Our purpose is to highlight the contributions of TalkBank initiatives to improved understanding of clinical impairments in adult and child speakers and examine remaining challenges and proposed solutions. We review the origins and development of TalkBank initiatives that have targeted a wide array of typical and atypical child and adult…

This study investigated the effectiveness of an integrated phonological awareness approach for children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Change in speech, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, word decoding, and spelling skills were examined. A controlled multiple single-subject design was employed. Twelve children aged 4-7 years with…

Background: Current models of evidence-based practice marginalize and even silence the voices of those who are the potential beneficiaries of assessment and intervention. These missing voices can be found in the reflections of clients on their own life-world experiences. Aims: This paper examines how voices from the life-world are silenced in…

The report documents the achievements of the SPAP (Speech-Language Pathology Assessment Project), which examined competency statements for beginning speech-language therapists. Noted are the development and revision of the SPAI (Speech-Language Pathology Assessment Instrument), a training conference for using the SPAI, practice assessment of…

This article describes a nonstandardized method used to assess the degree to which school-aged children with communication disorders are competent with the pragmatic skill of referential communication. Results with six children (ages 8-12) with communication disorders revealed that subjects possessed at least some referential communication…

Evaluation of client progress is an important topic in communicative disorders research and clinical literature. Goal attainment scaling (GAS) is a technique for evaluating individual progress toward goals. Despite recognition of GAS as a clinical-outcome assessment technique in other clinical professions, the current debate on measuring client…

The report describes activities and results of a project to identify communication characteristics that would help match augmentative communication system (ACS) capabilities to the needs of nonoral children. Ss had a variety of handicapping conditions, including cerebral palsy and other developmental disabilities. Introductory sections cover the…

The study demonstrated the effectiveness of a modified Double ABCX or FAAR (Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response) model in predicting successful adaptation (good marital adjustment, few maternal depressive symptoms, and an in-home rating of family functioning) in 45 families of autistic and communication impaired children (ages 2-10).…

It is proposed that the identification and description of students with communication problems requires assessments in four domains: (1) linguistic ability; (2) cognitive ability; (3) social skill; and (4) pragmatic competence. Evidence from research on individuals with mental retardation and other developmental disorders is presented. (SLD)

Three groups of children with communication disorders were assessed using the CELF (Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals). The results were used to compare the language skills of children with specific language impairment (SLI), autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and a middle group who shared some characteristics of both SLI and ASD (Shared…

A naturalistic probe of early language content was administered to 31 normally developing preschool children. The productivity of 3 different strategies for eliciting 27 content categories was tested and the efficiency of the probe technique compared with analysis of language samples. Results suggest this nonstandardized, criterion-referenced…

The role of the school psychologist in assessing communication skills of students with severe disabilities is explored, and the psychologist's role as educational team leader in interventions is discussed. A contextual assessment procedure is recommended for its practical value to direct service providers. (SLD)

The strengths and weaknesses that characterize language tests and measures used with young school-aged children are reviewed. Suggestions are given to assist school psychologists in testing children formally and informally and in working in conjunction with speech-language pathologists. (SLD)