Speech Assessment

At Change for Life we use a number of assessment tools to assess speech and language delays

The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF)

The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF) is a test that speech and language therapists use to see if a child has a language disorder or delay. It looks at different parts of their language abilities, like how well they understand and use words, how fast they can name things, and how well they remember what they hear. The test covers all areas of communication, from understanding language to using it in social situations.

What the CELF involves

~ The CELF is administered by a speech pathologist and typically takes between 45 minutes to 2 hours to complete.
~ The CELF-5 can be administered to children and adults between the ages of 5 and 21 years.
~ During the testing procedure, the therapist presents verbal and visual stimuli to the child and records their responses.
~ Scaled scores provided by the CELF-5 subtests offer a measure of specific language form and content based on the test task and the child’s response.

Components of the CELF

~ Word Classes: Assesses the ability to identify and use semantic categories such as synonyms, antonyms, and homophones.
~ Sentence Comprehension: Assesses the ability to answer questions about spoken sentences of increasing length and complexity.
~ Following Directions: Assesses the ability to understand and follow increasingly complex instructions.
~ Word Definitions: Assesses the ability to define words of increasing complexity.
~ Formulated Sentences: Assesses the ability to use grammar to create sentences in response to a prompt or picture.
~ Recalling Sentences: Assesses the ability to repeat sentences of increasing length and complexity.
~ Understanding Spoken Paragraphs: Assesses the ability to answer questions about an orally presented passage of increasing length and complexity.
~ Sentence Assembly: Assesses the ability to combine individual words into grammatically correct sentences.
~ Word Associations: Assesses the ability to identify and explain relationships between words.
~ Word Structure: Assesses the ability to identify and use grammatical forms such as plurals, verb tenses, and possessives.
~ Linguistic Concepts: Assesses understanding of fundamental concepts such as colours, shapes, and sizes.

The Preschool Language Scales (PLS)

The Preschool Language Scales (PLS) is a useful tool for testing the language and communication skills of preschool children. The PLS-5 test evaluates pre-verbal communication, interaction-based skills, emerging language, and early literacy. The test measures auditory comprehension and expressive communication abilities using standardised scales. It can be helpful for therapists and caregivers to assess and support a child’s language development.

What the PLS involves

~ The PLS-5 can be administered to children between the ages of birth and 7 years and 11 months.
~ The assessment typically takes about 45-60 minutes to complete, though this can vary depending on the child’s age, attention span, and comfort level.
~ The child performs a variety of tasks during the assessment, such as pointing to pictures, naming objects, repeating words and sentences, and answering questions.

Components of the PLS

~ Auditory Comprehension Scale: This scale evaluates the child’s understanding of spoken language and includes tasks such as following directions, identifying objects and pictures, and answering questions.
~ Expressive Communication Scale: This scale evaluates the child’s ability to use the language productively and includes tasks such as naming objects and pictures, describing actions, and producing sentences.
~ Total Language Score: This score is a composite of the child’s performance on both the Auditory Comprehension and Expressive Communication scales.
~ Articulation Screener: This is a brief assessment of the child’s speech sound production abilities. Early Literacy Milestones Screener: This screen assesses the child’s early literacy skills, including letter knowledge, phonological awareness, and print concepts.