Purpose: Previous research has shown that many speech-language pathologists (SLPs) lack confidence in conducting augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) evaluations. The AAC Clinical Assessment Project team developed a protocol to help guide SLPs to complete AAC assessments for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This article…

Purpose: The purpose of this clinical focus article was to illustrate the potential of employing conversation analysis (CA) as a method for assessing social communication that is neurodiversity affirming. Method: This clinical focus article will provide an overview of CA and explain how it offers a theoretically grounded means of analyzing…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare child language assessment practices of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working in school and non-school settings to determine if their place of employment impacts the diagnostic decision-making process. Method: School-based SLPs (e.g., direct service providers employed in preschool and/or K-12…

Purpose: Syntax assessment and treatment is a major focus of speech-language pathologists who work with young children with language needs. The Index of Productive Syntax (IPSyn) provides an efficient method for the assessment of syntax of preschool-age children. The purpose of this tutorial is to illustrate how to hand-score an IPSyn from…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify which morphological markers have the best diagnostic accuracy to identify developmental language disorders (DLD) in monolingual Spanish-speaking children. Method: The participants in this study included 50 Spanish-speaking monolingual children with (n = 25) and without (n = 25) DLD. Data…

Purpose: The current study aimed to understand the clinical decision-making skills of school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) using narrative and expository discourse information from three sources: perception of language through listening to language alone, standardized criterion-referenced narrative assessment data, and word- and…

Purpose: This article presents a rationale for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to provide culturally competent evaluation, diagnostic, and intervention services for children with oral motor, swallowing, and feeding disorders in school settings. There is also a discussion of how changing American public school demographics necessitate the…

This article first reviews the research establishing the need to sample text-level discourse in assessment of language abilities and identifies issues for clinicians constructing their own language sampling protocols. It then describes two protocols for use in school- and clinic-based settings, with examples of how these protocols have been…

The validity of the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (Third Edition) for identification and description of language disorders following brain injury was evaluated in 11 adolescents with traumatic brain injury. In general, the measure identified only those individuals who had previously been diagnosed as language impaired, not those…

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)

This article introduces six articles on speech language pathology with children with autism spectrum disorder. Discussion briefly considers diagnosis, early indicators, assessment, augmentative and alternative communication, behavioral techniques, and social perspective taking. (Contains references.) (DB)

This tutorial addresses the complex pathophysiology; various structural and neurologic causes; methods of clinical appraisal; and alternative behavioral, prosthetic, and medicosurgical treatments of velopharyngeal dysfunction. To balance the primary focus of this review on hypernasal resonance and articulation disorders, discussions concerning…

This article reviews recent developments in auditory processing research and considers the role of the speech-language pathologist in evaluating and treating children with suspected auditory processing problems. Particular attention is given to clinical criteria, including characteristics of the population, assessment, and intervention…

Twelve African American and 12 Caucasian preschool children were administered items from the Preschool Language Assessment Instrument under standard conditions and in thematic interactions. The African American group earned significantly higher test scores when items were administered in the thematic mode, with major score increases on the more…

This article discusses how speech-language pathologists are in a strategic position to identify the problems, carry out an evaluation of feeding and swallowing skills, and determine the needs for medical team referral. It focuses on guidelines for obtaining a history, physical examinations, and observing a typical meal. (Contains references.)…