Clinical judgment is the knowledge an evaluator develops over years of practice and ongoing education about typical language development and second language acquisition in a certain community. Read More
Category: Assessment and Evaluation
Evaluation is the process of identifying the presence of a disability and eligibility for special education and related services. Assessment is planning interventions, including IEPs and the extent of services, based on the strengths and needs of an individual with a disability.
Understanding Assessment: Assessment Materials- Language Sample
Language sampling is an essential part of any speech and language evaluation and research has shown it to be less biased against culturally and linguistically diverse children than standardized tests. Information presented in the language sample will consist of utterances collected from the parent interview in critical question 9 as well as language elicited during the evaluation. Read More
Understanding Assessment: Bias Towards Individuals with Motor, Attention, Memory, and Other Disabilities
Bias towards individuals with disabilities, such as ADHD or cerebral palsy, can result in the mislabeling of these individuals as being language impaired or intellectually disabled. The examiner may exhibit bias against those with these disabilities for several reasons. Read More
Understanding Assessment: Methods for Evaluating Socioeconomic Status
Socioeconomic status (SES) affects cultural perspective and speech and language development and can be found in testing materials and the evaluator’s interpretation of assessment performance. Read More
Report Writing: Background
It is important to be as thorough as possible when writing the background section of the evaluation as extenuating circumstances could explain a delay in language development and also help the evaluator differentiate between a delay, disorder, or normal language development, given the circumstances. Read More
Understanding Assessment: Understanding the Standard Error of Measure
The standard error of measure indicates the amount of uncertainty that a sample (such as a normative sample) is truly representative of the general population. In the case of administering standardized tests, it conveys the level of uncertainty that a single test performance observed by the evaluator represents how the child would do if it were administered multiple times. Read More
Understanding Assessment: The Consequences of Bias
Bias occurs when one interprets or judges others based on their own background and experience. This results in viewing other practices, expectations and perceptions as inferior or wrong and can result in many different consequences. Read More
Understanding Assessment: Applying Dynamic Assessment
Dynamic Assessment is a method of assessment which uses a “test-teach-retest” model. The emphasis is on the individual’s ability to acquire the skills/knowledge being tested after being exposed to instruction. Read More
