Speech-language assessment in the clinical setting

Time constraints are a significant factor for clinic-based and school-based speech-language pathologists. Yet, with a planning process that incorporates parent information and accounts for child temperament, a comprehensive speech and language assessment can be completed within a 90-minute time frame. A parent questionnaire is completed prior to the assessment date, focusing on developmental history, including information about family history of learning difficulties and episodes of otitis media. Standardized and nonstandardized procedures are included in the assessment process in order to obtain clinically relevant information and provide parents and public service agencies with necessary qualifying scores. The Bankson & Bernthal Test of Phonology (BBTOP; Bankson & Bernthal, 1991) is the choice of instruments for standardized articulation/phonology testing, whereas the Preschool Language Scale-3 (PLS3; Zimmerman, Steiner, & Pond, 1992) and a spontaneous language sample are recommended as language measures. A spontaneous sample also provides opportunity for clinical judgment regarding speech intelligibility, pragmatic-skills, voice, and fluency. A recommendation session concludes the evaluation with a discussion of the child's performance on speech and language measures, overall impressions, and recommendations. This discussion includes strengths and weaknesses, with focus on answering parents' questions and addressing their concerns.