Week Seven

Question 1

Make up an assessment protocol for a school-aged child with a possible spoken and written language disorder using the ICF model

Answer 1

Body Functions:
- Hearing assessment
- Language sample analysis
- Case history

Activities and participation: social communication across contexts
- Classroom observation (following instructions, ask/answer questions in class, follow routines,
- Parent interview (how is their communication at home)

Personal Factors:
- Culture
- Personality, attitudes, likes/dislikes
- Emotional impact of difficulties e.g., withdrawn, anxiety

Environment:
- Interviews with parents and teachers:
-

Question 2

How have key principles of assessment been applied to a case

Answer 2

Key Principles:

• Collaborative (school/family/other professionals)
• Ecological validity (classroom based/ social contexts) (there may be challenges in the child’s environment that need to be changed)
• Holistic
• Functional (don’t waste time, focus on what matters)
• Psychometric properties
• Cultural competence

Question 3

What are the purposes of assessment?

Answer 3

• To determine if there is a problem which requires intervention
• Describe the child’s communication profile in order to identify goals
• Suggest procedures for language development
• Chart progress

Question 4

Case History: areas to be assessed, rationale and ICF

Answer 4

Area to be assessed: Medical history + developmental history
Rationale: Are there any underlying causes to the difficulties. Any history of hearing loss or other comorbidities. How has she been developing historically.
ICF: Body structures

Area to be assessed: Social history, likes and dislikes, personality
Rationale: Allows to see if there is a functional impact. See if there are personal factors that may be facilitators or barriers. Likes and dislikes can help inform engaging therapy tasks.
ICF: activities/participation, environment, personal factors

Area to be assessed: Social skills
Rationale: IF there is any concerns here, it might warrant further assessment either informally through observation or with the CELF P3 pragmatic checklist.

Question 5

CELF P3: areas to be assessed, Rationale, ICF

Answer 5

Areas to be assessed: Expressive language, receptive language, content and structure.

Rationale: Link to referral information. Allows for a comprehensive understanding of the child’s specific strengths and impairments. Can be used to compared child to age matched peers. Can be used as a baseline to measure out comes of therapy.

ICF: body functions

Question 6

Language Sample and SALT analysis: areas to be assessed, rationale, ICF

Answer 6

Areas to be assessed: expressive morpho-syntax and vocabulary. Screen of pragmatics (MLU, NDW, Syntax, total number of words, vocabulary, turn taking, interruptions).
Rationale: Link to referral information. Allows to see language in a naturalistic context and identify strengths and weaknesses. Good to have alongside a less naturalistic idea of language ability gained from a standardized assessment as they two can differ.
ICF: body Functions

Question 7

Classroom observations CLASS (classroom assessment scoring information) and informal observation: areas to assess, rationale, ICF

Answer 7

Area to assess: (CLASS) the interactional processes within the classroom (emotional support, structural support and classroom organization). Pragmatic screen, motivation, language use

Rationale: The classroom is where child spend much of their time and can be a challenging environment for children with spoken and written language disorders. IT is important to assess how the child interacts in this environment and also how the teacher interacts with the child and if there are any barriers of facilitators within this.

ICF: activities/participation, environment, personal factors