LING 3P90 Midterm: Brock, 2025

ASHA

American Speech and Hearing Association

Form

phonology, morphology, syntax

Content

Semantic

Use

pragmatics

What constitutes an impairment?

significant deficit in 3 positions:

(1) normative

(2) neutralist

(3) hybrid

Language Disorder versus language difference

Language disorder: difference & disturbance producing handicapping condition in language

Language difference:

e.g., accents

contexts

normative

deficit in learning to talk, use, or understand language relative to environmental expectation

Neutralist

deficit when a child scores significantly below standardized test expectation

hybrid

deficit when a child scores significantly low on standardized tests AND perceived to having a communication problem

4 models

(1) systems model

(2) categorical model

(3) descriptive-developmental model

(4) specific disabilities model

Systems Model & Implications

- problem with child, and the relationship between child and environment

- change the environment to match the needs of the child

Categorical Model & Implications

- etiology of language disorders linked to syndromes of behaviour

- diagnostic criteria of disorder (cognitive impairment, autism) plays a causal role

Weaknesses of Categorical Model

doesn't always explain child's language behaviour

Specific Disabilities Model & Implications

Profiles strengths & weaknesses in areas believed to influence language development

- teach child's strengths to remediate weaknesses

Weaknesses to specific disability model

-bottom-up process

- no evidence that remediating strengths improves communication functions

Descriptive-Developmental Model

describes child's current level of language function in terms of form, content, & use

- uses typical language developmental sequence as a guide for teaching language

implications of descriptive-developmental model

goals of language intervention are using language skills just above child's current level of functioning

3 levels of functioning according to the ICF

(1) impairment

(2) activity limitation

(3) participation restriction

(lecture 2)

Why do we assess

(IBGC)

(1) to identify

(2) to establish baseline function

(3) to establish goals for intervention

(4) to measure change in intervention

Planning the Assessment

age & functional age

sensory system

caregiver concerns

psychological functioning

interests & materials

activity level

attention span

Inverted triangle for assessment process

Tier 1:

- questionnaire, interview, referral

Tier 2:

- observation

Tier 3:

- formal testing

Tier 4:

- conversational language sampling

5 questions to ask caregivers about language functioning

(1) What is your main concern

(2) when did you first become concerned? was onset gradual or sudden?

(3) Has your child had any previous therapy?

(4) How does your child perform socially? in school?

(4) Have other people noticed/commented on it?

Formal Tests

- More specific information is obtained

- help to identify whether a child has a language delay or impairment

- eligibility for services

- provide structured approach to understanding deficits

Formal tests: syntax comprehension & production

comprehension: pointing to pictures & following directions:

production:

elicited imitation, saying what the experimenter says

Formal testing: morphology

- picture pointing for bound morphemes

- close sentence completion tests (allow for child to complete a sentence)

Examples of Formal Tests:

- CELF-P

- TOLD-3P

- PLS-4

- TACL-3

expressive vocabulary task

picture naming

comprehension of vocab task

picture pointing, explaining figurative language, defining words

word relationships task

synonyms & antonyms

Assessing semantics

tests of word-finding ability

- timed picture naming test

ability to express and understand concepts about objects and events

Formal test of semantics

- PPVT-III

- EOWPVT

- CDI

- PLS-4

- TWF-2

Collateral Areas of assessment

1. Hearing:

- comprehension precedes production

2. Motor-Speech abilities:

- assess and support anatomical & physiological capacity for speech

Norm-referenced tests

standardized tests that compare an individual child's score to the average score of others their age

determines whether child's scores are within range of "normal" child's scores

reliability of norm-referenced scores

overall, consistent and reliable

- test-retest

- inter-rater

- internal consistency

- alternate forms

- split-half

validity of norm-referenced scores

- construct (testing what it needs to test)

- content (all items are appropriate to testing)

- criterion (multiple tests show similar results amongst children)

Advantages of norm-referenced tests

- objective

- standardized comparisons

- widely accepted

disadvantages of norm-references tests

- lack cultural sensitivity

- not individualized

norm-referenced scores

1. standard

- how far child is from the mean (# of SD)

2. percentile

- percentage of the norm population scored lower than client

3. equivalent

- mean score of a group of children in a particular age/grade

(lecture 3)

Why are criterion-referenced tests used in child language assessment

more naturalistic

individualized

used to set goals & evaluate progress

compare child's performance to past performance

non-standardized

can help child achieve a certain level of performance

Rules for criterion-referenced tests od comprehension

1. avoid over interpretation

2. control linguistic stimuli

3. specify appropriate response

-a. naturalistic

-b. contrived

4. elicit multiple response

example activity for criterion-referenced assessment of a child's comprehension of: objects

search tasks, perform actions, set of common objects

- "put the red block in the red box"

example activity for criterion-referenced assessment of a child's comprehension of: 2-3 term semantic relations

response to questions, observation of conversation, role plays

example activity for criterion-referenced assessment of a child's comprehension of: locatives

search task, games & routines, body placement tasks, perform actions

- "simon says!"

Example of elicited imitation

provide a model of speech we want children to imitate

-"repeat after me"

- "say what i say"

Example of elicited production

tempting child to say a specific thing by setting up a context where saying the target form is appropriate

- role playing, questions, stories

threats to validity of a language sample

(1) productivity - utterances produced

(2) intelligibility -level of difficulty in understanding

(3) representativeness

(4) reactivity - children respond differently to different stimuli

increasing the likelihood of obtaining a representative language sample

(1) spontaneity

- less clinician control, less conscious child

(2) variability of context

- free play & scripted situations

- in a clinic, home, school, daycare

3 contexts clinicians might use to get language samples

1. free play

2. stories

3. role playing

Guidelines to follow when collecting a language sample

(1) parallel play & parallel talk:

- doing what you want the child to do in hopes that the child will mimic

(2) imitate verbalizations

- creates a fun environment, enabling the child to do better

(3) move into interactive conversation

- allow more pauses to allow child to answer, follow child's lead, use utterances slightly longer than the child's

eliciting linguistic forms (plurals) during a language sample?

talk about a mock birthday party!

eliciting linguistic forms (labeling) during a language sample?

SLP points to a new object and says "oh look!"

to assess presupposition?

clinicians tailoring language to child's needs

- barrier tasks: one person gives directions/description to the other person on the other side of a barrier

to assess discourse organization?

- role play phone convos

- ask a child to tell a story or describe their fav thing

3 criterion-referenced methods for production are used together through...

(1) language sample

(2) elicited production for structures not seen (use of negatives and questions)

(3) if a child still doesn't produce form, try elicited imitation

(lecture 4)

Referential semantics

child's use of individual words

relational semantics

meaning relationships - expressed by words in relation to aspects of objects, events, environment, or to other words

more difficult to assess

analyzing referential semantics

TTR

- to see if a child has limited words

- normal is .42-.50

- ratio of number of different words to total number of words

Word-finding

- assessing for pauses, repetition, frequent pronouns, etc.

- impaired ability to generate specific words in a situation

analyzing relational semantics

categorization activities

- over/under extension & incorrect use

- literate vocabulary

figurative language

- evaluation of figurative language

- helps see if child actually understands figurative language

semantic relations

- frequency of word combinations

- range of semantic categories

2 ways to analyze length & complexity of utterances

MLU

T-Units

MLU assessment

total # of morphemes / # of utterances in sample (100)

MLU average: 3.0-4.0

to determine variation, take the upper & lower bound length to see the most consistent use of sentences

T-units (minimal terminal units)

1 main clause (splits at 'and,' 'but')

- divides sample into T-units & count # of words in each T-unit

- divide by total # of T-units, equals average # of words per T-unit

morphological analysis

Brown's 14 grammatical morphemes

% of correct: # of correct appearances / total;# of obligatory contexts

Type of negation words used

no

not

don't

can't

won't

negative forms of verb to be

negative prefixes (un, non, ir)

Placement of negation word

outside the utterance

embedded within the utterance

syntactical stages-negation

stage 1:

- no & not used interchangeably outside of utterance

stage 2:

- don't & can't acquired

- mostly interchangeable with other negations

stage 3:

- negatives begin to appear embedded within the utterance

stage 4:

- negatives appear with an auxiliary

stage 5:

- more complex negative/negation words acquired (nobody, wouldn't)

subject/auxiliary in a question:

e.g., "she is happy?" where it is supposed to be "is she happy?"

Analyzing children's language use (functions) at utterance level:

examine in variety of situations & partners

rate each utterance for intention expressed

disruptions in a language sample

noting the length of pauses

compare to normative data

what is considered when analyzing for disruptions in a language sample?

the frequency of disruptions & frequency for each category of disruptions per 10 pauses

identifying disruptions by type

note variations

'typical' disruptions

<2 pauses of 2 seconds or more; fewer than 2 repetitions; fewer than 6 disruptions overall

types of disruptions (mazes)

(1) filled pause

(2) repetition

(3) revision

Evaluating utterance appropriateness

judging relative to age, race/ethnicity, SES, gender, context, etc.

Language Disorder

deficit in the comprehension/production of language, which affects the form, content, or use of language

clinical issue caused by underlying factors (cognitive delays, neurological impairments, or developmental condition)

-intrinsic issue of language development

Language Difference

difference occurs when a child's language characteristics are influenced by their cultural or linguistic background

not a clinical impairment

proficient in their native la nguage

CALPA Position Statement for assessment

identification of disorder made in the first language; assessment is culturally/linguistically appropriate; consideration of societal factors impairing language proficiency

Dynamic Assessment

evaluating how clients learn

Why are clinicians encouraged to use dynamic assessment?

focuses on learning potential rather than static knowledge

evaluates how well a child can learn & apply new skills when provided with support

key reasons to use dynamic assessment

(1) reduces cultural & linguistic bias

(2) differentiates disorder from difference

(3) focus on the learning process

(4) flexibility in approach