The paper notes the difficulties with most formal tests of language skills when applied to the assessment of communication and precommunication skills in individuals with severe and multiple handicaps. General principles for assessment and a flexible assessment device are summarized. The Functional Communication Assessment is offered as a basic…

Current assessment models in communication disorders are reviewed, factors involved in meeting the demands of P.L. 94-142 are addressed, and recommended practices as well as future considerations are noted. (CL)

The Iowa Severity Rating Scales are designed to provide general guidelines which may be used as a part of the clinical speech and language program to obtain uniform identification of preschool children with communication disabilities. Section 1 contains definitions, an explanation of the severity classification (a 5 point scale ranging from 0 for…

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…

The notion of "linguistic profile" as an alternative to standardized testing for speech and language disorders is discussed in this tutorial. Two specific examples of profiles, both for disordered phonology, are described, and readers are guided through their use. Finally, their relative strengths and weaknesses are assessed. (Author/CR)

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)

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…

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 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…

This article describes the communication development program of a cooperative association of 55 Illinois school districts, which provides special education services for children and adolescents with low incidence disabilities including severe communication disorders. It examines the program's philosophy, principles, and practices; its authentic…

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…

This article describes the development and possible applications of the Teacher Assessment of Student Communicative Competencies (TASCC) for use with students in the first through fifth grades. The TASCC allowed 20 teachers to successfully observe and measure their students' verbal and nonverbal communicative abilities and use of compensatory…

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…

This article on language assessment differentiates between linguistic competence and communicative competence as a theoretical framework. Descriptive assessment is discussed as it relates to the role of context, language sampling, and play-based assessments. Finally, the impact of descriptive assessment on the future of speech and language…