Foundational Information for Assessment in Speech-Language Pathology - Key Terms

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from CHAPTER 1: Foundational Information for Assessment in Speech-Language Pathology, including ethics, psychometrics, assessment methods, and test interpretation.

Assessment

The systematic process of obtaining information and using it to make judgments or decisions about a client, such as diagnosis, prognosis, referrals, and treatment planning.

Foundational integrity

Quality of an assessment ensured by thoroughness, use of multiple methods, evidence-based approaches, and tailoring to the individual.

Evidence-based assessment

Assessment practices that rely on valid, reliable approaches and reflect the client’s true abilities and disabilities.

Tailored assessment

Assessment materials and procedures chosen to fit the client’s age, gender, skill level, and ethnocultural background.

Bias

Prejudices or prejudicial attitudes that may influence the client–clinician relationship or assessment outcomes and should not affect decisions.

ASHA Code of Ethics

A formal ethical framework guiding professional behavior and practice to protect welfare and integrity of the profession.

Scope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology

A broad description of practice, definitions, frameworks, and service-delivery domains for SLPs.

Preferred Practice Patterns

Guidelines outlining expectations for quality client care, including service provision, outcomes, and clinical processes.

Position Statements

Statements describing ASHA’s policies on various issues relevant to the profession.

Practice Guidelines and Knowledge & Skills

Evidence-based standards detailing knowledge, skills, and competency expectations for practice areas.

Principle of Ethics I

First ethical principle: prioritize the welfare of persons served or participating in research.

Principle of Ethics II

Second ethical principle: pursue and maintain the highest level of professional competence and performance.

Principle of Ethics III

Third ethical principle: act with honesty and integrity in public communication and professional activities.

Principle of Ethics IV

Fourth ethical principle: uphold dignity and autonomy of the profession and maintain professional relationships.

Informed consent

Obtaining voluntary, informed permission from clients or guardians, including information about risks, benefits, and alternatives.

Telepractice

Delivery of speech-language pathology services via telecommunication technologies, with professional standards and regulations in mind.

Confidentiality

Protection of client information, with access limited to legally authorized individuals and purposes.

HIPAA

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; protects protected health information (PHI) and requires privacy and security measures.

Protected Health Information (PHI)

Any information in health records that can identify an individual and is subject to privacy protections.

National Provider Identifier (NPI)

A unique identifier assigned to health care providers for administrative and billing purposes.

Release of Information (ROI)

A form or process used to obtain permission to share a client’s health information in compliance with privacy laws.

Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education

Joint guidelines ensuring ethical testing: test selection, administration, reporting, and informing test takers.

Norm-referenced tests

Standardized tests that compare an individual’s performance to a normative group.

Criterion-referenced tests

Tests that assess performance against a predefined criterion or standard.

Validity

The extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure, with subtypes including face, content, construct, and criterion validity.

Face validity

The appearance that a test measures the intended skill, based on superficial judgment.

Content validity

The degree to which test content represents the domain of the skill being assessed.

Construct validity

Whether a test measures the theoretical construct it claims to measure.

Criterion validity

A test’s relationship to an external criterion, including concurrent and predictive validity.

Concurrent validity

Criterion validity where the test correlates with an established standard measured at the same time.

Predictive validity

Criterion validity where the test predicts future performance on a criterion measure.

Reliability

The consistency of test results across time, raters, or forms (e.g., test–retest, internal consistency, interrater).

Test–retest reliability

Stability of test scores over time when administered to the same group.

Internal consistency

Degree to which items on a test measure the same construct (e.g., split-half reliability).

Intrarater reliability

Consistency of judgments or scores when the same rater assesses the same data on different occasions.

Interrater reliability

Agreement among different raters assessing the same data or responses.

Alternate-form reliability

Consistency between scores on two equivalent forms of a test (parallel forms).

Standardization

Using uniform procedures for administration and scoring to allow meaningful comparisons to a reference group.

Normative data

Data from a standardization sample used to interpret an individual’s scores relative to a population.

Mean

Average score of a norm group; central tendency of the distribution.

Standard deviation

A measure of score dispersion around the mean; indicates variability in the normative sample.

Standard score

A score with a fixed mean (100) and standard deviation (15) used to compare performance to peers.

Percentile rank

Percentage of normative individuals scoring at or below a given score.

Scaled score

A standardized score with a mean of 10 and SD of 3, often used for subtests.

Z-score

Number of standard deviations a score is from the mean; a standardized metric.

Stanine

A 9-point standard score scale with mean 5 and SD 2 for simple interpretation.

Age equivalence

An age-based interpretation of raw scores that can be misleading and is often discouraged.

Confidence interval

A range of scores within which the true score is likely to fall, typically 90% or 95%.

Basal

The starting point for test administration; determines which items to begin with.

Ceiling

The ending point for test administration; determines when to stop testing.

Raw score

The initial count of correct or incorrect responses before conversion to standardized metrics.

Ethnographic interview

An interview approach using open-ended, informant-driven questions to understand client perspectives.

Observation (naturalistic)

Observing the client in everyday activities and settings to assess real-life communication.

Observation (systematic/contextual analysis)

Structured observation of behavior across multiple situations to identify environmental effects.

Observation (simulated/structured play)

Created scenarios to elicit target behaviors while maintaining some naturalness.

Speech-language sample

Analyzing 50–200 utterances from spontaneous, functional communication across settings.

Dynamic Assessment

A test-teach-retest approach (mediated learning experience) to gauge learning potential and strategy effectiveness.

PROMs (Patient-Reported Outcome Measures)

Standardized tools capturing a client’s subjective experiences and perceptions.

Chronological age

Exact age in years, months, and days used to interpret normed scores.

Adjusted (corrected) age

Chronological age adjusted for prematurity when comparing to norms (often used before age 3).