A speech disorder evaluation is always necessary if you believe either you or another family member has a speech disorder. Evaluations are intended to determine if a disorder exists and, if it is so, to create individualized treatment plans based on the given results. But knowing what to expect at a speech disorder evaluation is important too, and we will go through some of that below.
Getting the details
If you think your child might have a speech language disorder, you should start by consulting your healthcare provider; they can refer you to a speech language pathologist (SLP) who has the requisite SLP masters online qualification and who can ensure your child is tested.
The first and foremost thing an SLP needs is the details of the individual, which can include the individual’s previous medical records, questionnaires, and sometimes an interview with other relevant members on more relevant or specific concerns.
If the evaluation is for a child, then parents might be asked about their school performance, social interactions, and any other behavioral concerns that they might have. For example, as a parent you know your child best, and SLPs place a great emphasis on you speaking about your child in the utmost detail. Family history may also be asked as some speech disorders can run in families (and may be unnoticeable), and any social or environmental factors that could affect speech.
It must be noted that SLPs work with people of all ages across the lifespan, from infants to the elderly – an SLP may have a particular special interest or clinical expertise too. As such questions can vary depending on the age of the individual.
Language assessment
SLPs may use standardized assessments to explore an individual’s language abilities, which simply means they are compared against those of the same age.
The SLP will carefully observe how they understand language (also known as receptive language) and how they use language (expressive language). For the former, the SLP may ask to follow both simple (e.g. ‘Point to the painting’) and complex (e.g. ‘Bounce the ball after moving the book’) commands. Meanwhile, with the latter, they may be asked to name objects, actions, or pictures, construct sentences, and demonstrate how they use language in social situations (e.g., in conversations, writing, etc.).
Usually, a language assessment assesses areas such as vocabulary, grammar and syntax, narrative skills, and pragmatics. This assessment allows the opportunity for SLPs to identify potential specific language disorders an individual might be experiencing, such as developmental language disorder (DLD) and aphasia. It also helps SLPs differentiate the very easily confused speech disorders and language disorders; this is crucial for determining the appropriate therapy or intervention needed.
Speech and sound assessment
Speech and sound assessmentThis stage involves the physical aspects of speech production, including how the individual is forming sounds (articulation) and how their speech flows (fluency), as well as how they can recognize and manipulate sounds at different levels (phonology). These are essential methods SLPs use to identify and diagnose any issues related to speech production or sound articulations, and are crucial to understanding the scope of the individual’s speech difficulties.
Like the language assessment, the observation areas for this assessment also cover a wide range of things. For articulations, substitutions (e.g. saying ‘wite’ instead of ‘write’), omissions (e.g. missing sounds like saying ‘ca’ instead of ‘cat’), distortions (e.g. having a lisp), additions (e.g. adding extra sounds to speech); for phonology, rhyming, sound blending, sound segmentation, and phoneme manipulation (e.g. changing the word ‘nap’ to ‘tap’); and for fluency, stuttering, speech rate, and pauses will all be observed by an SLP.
This is probably the most important part of a speech disorder evaluation as it directly identifies and addresses any communication issues an individual has within an academic, social, or professional setting. It is also a major step to an early intervention.
Results and recommendations
Once results have been reviewed and released from the evaluation, your SLP will most likely prepare them in report form to discuss with you. They usually contain details on what the individual has done well and some of the speech or language difficulties observed during the assessments. SLPs will offer their insights into the severity and nature of these difficulties and whether they actually constitute a speech disorder.
If needed, of course, they will recommend a clear treatment plan which would make it easier for everyone involved to get a full grasp of the steps to take next. If the SLP, however, feels that a treatment plan is not required at the current stage, then they will most likely just recommend strategies for at home, in the workplace, or at school (for children) to ensure the individual is being supported in these settings.
Do I need to bring anything?
Especially for children, parents should bring anything that makes their child feel safe and comfortable, such as a toy, a book, or a game. It is also a good way for SLPs to get a better understanding of your child. Of course, snacks and drinks can be brought to reenergize during breaks, as these sessions can be quite long.
Any relevant documentation such as medical reports, hearing test results, doctor letters, or assessments from professionals such as occupational therapists and physiotherapists relating to the individual should also be provided to the SLP.
How long does it take?
This usually depends on how much detail the SLP wants to garner from the assessment. It is usually recommended that you book separate sessions to complete assessments. They usually run for 60-90 minutes each, though again, this depends on the individual being assessed as everyone responds differently.
If you have any more concerns or enquiries, always visit the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).
