Sampling and analysis of children's spontaneous language. From research to practice

Abstract

In clinical practice, most paediatric speech pathologists (SPs) deal with young clients with communication difficulties on a daily basis. Routine assessments generally include standardised tests of children's speech and/or language skills to determine the severity of the speech/language disorder, the eligibility for service, and the possible direction for intervention. Detailed assessment of children's language skills in more natural situations is used less frequently, however, as it may seem a relatively difficult and time-consuming task. This paper provides a brief overview of current empirical knowledge about spontaneous oral language sampling in preschool and school-aged children across a range of discourse genres, with particular emphasis on clinical applications in an Australian context. It urges practitioners to adopt language sample analysis on a routine basis to determine a child's baseline level of performance and to monitor the child's response to intervention in an ecologically valid way.