To
all like me who like to have it all in one place, please check the webinar handout
on autism and the assessment by Pearson
https://www.pearsonassessments.com/content/dam/school/global/clinical/us/assets/webinar-handout/2021/2021-assessing-language-skills-asd-webinar-handout.pdf
Early Warning
Signs:
- Poor
eye contact
- Does
not look when you point to an object
- Does
not engage in pretend or imaginative play
- No
response to name
- Does
not use gestures to communicate
- Excessive
lining up of toys or objects
- No
smiling or social responsiveness
(Johnson
& Myers, 2007; National Institute of Health, 2013)
Infants and Toddlers
Birth
- Primary
Intersubjectivity-Infants and caregivers sharing feelings and emotions via
expressions and gestures
- Affect
Attunement- emotions are nonverbally communicated
~8
months
- Secondary
Intersubjectivity-Determining your reaction's effects on others
~15
months
- Symbolic/Representational
Skills:
- Awareness
of Self
- Pretend
Play
- Language
Increasing Rate of
Early Identification:
Conduct
developmental surveillance at every well-child visit.
Administer
developmental screenings as a standard at the 9-, 18-, and 30-month visits (or
24-month, if no 30-month visit is anticipated).
Recommend
an additional screening prior to beginning preschool or kindergarten or at the
4-year well-child visit (Duby et al., 2006). (Recommendations from American
Academy of Pediatrics)
Children
with Autism Spectrum Disorder often demonstrate
different play skills than peers with typical development. This is
especially true of social play and pretend play.
No Joint Attention = difficulty with
subtle communication cues like facial expressions, the tone of a speaker's
voice, body language, etc.
Conducting an Evaluation
Review
of records and Parent’s Interview:
Medical History
(Vision tracking; hearing)
Family
History
Communication
and Language Development:
Reports/Interview
Observations
Test results (standardized and
non-standardized
Educational
History and Impact
Age-appropriate assessment
tools and procedures
- Obtain
assessment data using
- Language
sampling
- Dynamic
assessment
- Parent
and teacher questionnaires or interviews
- Observations:
At
home with different family members,At
school with teachers and classmates,At
work (if applicable) with coworkers and supervisors.- Review
portfolios of classroom work
Suggestions for
successful collaboration with stakeholders
- Explain
test results to teachers and family in a way that makes it clear what the
individual can do and what he/she has difficulty doing in the classroom and at
home.
- Identify
the pain points - what does each stakeholder consider a pressing need at home
and in the classroom?
- Prioritize
top needs - and keep the initial plan simple.
- Make
the goals/objectives functional for everyday use - not an additional task.
- Provide
ideas/suggestions for daily practice within activities the student does at home
and at school.
- Keep
the communication lines open. Discuss what went well and what is not working or
is too difficult to implement as planned. Adjust strategies as needed.
Sensory Profile
Norm-referenced
questionnaire (infant, toddler, child, adolescent, and adult editions)
Determine
how sensory processing may be contributing to or interfering with a child's
participation at home, school, and community
Provides
information about sensory strengths and challenges
Use
the information to help you help the student or adult remain calm and focused
on activities, supporting behaviors that improve participation and avoid
scenarios that trigger behavioral responses that can interfere with
participation in home and school activities.
Communication
& Language Assessments for Infants and Toddlers
PLS - 5; Birth - 7:11;
- Developmental
assessment of emerging interpersonal communication skills, language
comprehension, and expressive language
Bayley - 4; 16 days - 42
months;
- SLPs
are qualified to administer the Bayley-4, which addresses cognition, receptive
and expressive language, fine and gross motor skills, social-emotional, and
adaptive behavior skills
Vineland - 3 Parent/Caregiver
forms Birth - 90+, Teacher forms 3:0 - 21:11;
- Communication
(Receptive, Expressive, Written)
- Daily
Living Skills (Personal, Domestic, Numeric,* Community, School Community*)
- Socialization
(Interpersonal Relationships, Play and Leisure, Coping Skills)
- Motor
Skills (Gross Motor, Fine Motor)
- Maladaptive
Behavior (Internalizing, Externalizing, Critical Items.)
Assessments that
Address Vocabulary
Peabody Picture
Vocabulary Test, Fifth Edition (PPVT – 5); 2:6 - 90+;
- Evaluates receptive
vocabulary without the need to read or write
Expressive
Vocabulary Test, Third Edition (EVT – 3); 2:6 - 90+;
- Evaluates expressive
vocabulary without the need to read or write
Bracken Basic
Concept Scale, Third Edition: Receptive (BBCS - 3:R); 3:0 - 6:11;
- Evaluates
understanding of basic concepts needed to be successful in formal education
Bracken Basic Concept
Scale: Expressive (BBCS:E); 3:0 - 6:11;
- Evaluates
labeling of basic concepts needed to be successful in formal education
Boehm Test of
Basic Concepts, Third Edition Preschool (Boehm - 3 Preschool); 3:0 - 5:11;
- Measures
understanding of 26 basic concepts relevant to preschool and early childhood
curriculum. Each concept is assessed twice to determine the child's
understanding across contexts
Assessments that
Address Comprehensive Language
Preschool Language
Scales, Fifth Edition (PLS - 5); Birth - 7:11;
- Assesses
communication development, with items that range from pre-verbal,
interaction-based skills to emerging language to early literacy
Clinical
Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, Preschool, Third Edition (CELF Preschool -
3);
3:0 - 6:11;
- Assesses a child's semantics, morphology, syntax, pragmatics, and pre-literacy skills
- Ideal
for children who communicate at the sentence level and who are suspected of
having specific skills deficits rather than overall language delays
Semantics
- May have difficulty understanding figurative language (e.g., It is raining cats and dogs. She is under the weather.)
- May associate one meaning with a word; may have difficulty with words with multiple meanings (e.g., The baseball player caught the fly.)
- May have limited vocabulary
Morphology
- Development of morphological forms is consistent with peers with typical language development
- Morphological error patterns are similar to those of children with developmental language disorder (e.g., 3rd person singular, regular past tense - ed, pronoun case)
- It may be difficult to assess children's morphological productions if they have limited verbal skills (e.g., one- to two-word utterances, idiosyncratic phrases, echolalia/"movie talk")
Syntax
- Development of syntactic forms is consistent with peers with typical language development
- Understanding of sentence structures with multiple meanings may be difficult (e.g., The children ran into the room with balloons.)
- Understanding of complex sentences may be limited (e.g., After driving Jordan to school, his mother goes to work.)
- Understanding and production of any sentence types is limited
- It may be difficult to assess children's syntax if they have limited verbal skills
Pragmatics
- Understanding the nuances of social language may be difficult (e.g., understanding figurative language, jokes, facial expressions, body language)
- Taking the perspective of a communication partner may be difficult (e.g., understanding the relevance of communication topic, provides sufficient context)
- Engaging in social interactions with communication partners may be difficult (e.g., understanding how to initiate and maintain a conversation)
Assessments that
Address Comprehensive Language
Clinical
Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, Fifth Edition (CELF - 5); 5:0 - 21:11;
- Assesses
a student's semantics, morphology, syntax, and pragmatic skills.
- Provides
information about the impact of oral language skills on written language using
the Reading Comprehension and Structured Writing tests.
Clinical
Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, Fifth Edition Metalinguistics CELF - 5
Metalinguistics);
9:0 – 21:11;
- Ideal
for students with subtle language disorders
- Evaluates
higher-level language skills for students who have difficulties in the
classroom but do not qualify for services on tests of basic language skills
CELF5
Metalinguistics
- Metalinguistics
Profile (MP) - Examples: Uses abstract words like kindness or paradigm
- Making
Inferences (MI) - Examples: I was hoping to wash my car today. Guess I'll wash
it tomorrow. I thought of two reasons why he didn't wash his car today: it's
raining or he doesn't have time.
- Conversation
Skills (CS) - Examples: I heard some people talking but only heard a few
words...I heard the words Pam, late dinner. Look at the picture and tell me
what the girl could have said.
- Multiple
Meaning (MM) - Examples: A sentence can mean more than one thing.
Your glasses are dirty. What two things can the sentence mean?
- Figurative
Language (FL) - Examples: The girl said I have to change the tire, so would you
give me a hand? What does that mean? Now find the sentence that means almost
the same thing. (Correct answer: I sure wish you would pitch in.)
Assessments that
Address Pragmatics
Children's
Communication Checklist - 2, U.S. Edition (CCC - 2); 4:0 - 16:11;
- Evaluates a student's language abilities in speech, vocabulary, sentence
structure, and social language.
- Provides
profiles for students who may have a pragmatic impairment
Assessments that
Address Behaviors Associated with ASD
Sensory Profile 2; Birth - 14:11;
- Evaluates
a child's sensory processing patterns in the context of home, school, and
community-based activities
Social Skill
Improvement System (SSIS) Rating Scales; 3:0 - 18:0;
- Measures
social skills: communication, cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy,
engagement, and self-control Allows for a comprehensive picture of a student's abilities across the school, home, and community settings with the teacher, parent, and
student forms.
Vineland Adaptive
Behavior Scales, Third Edition (Vineland - 3); Birth – 90;
- Measures
adaptive behavior of individuals in 5 domains: Communication, Daily Living
Skills, Socialization, Motor Skills, and Maladaptive Behavior
Middle and High
School Students and Adults with Autism
Young
adults want to be as independent as possible. Regardless of language level,
they want to be like their age-level peers.
They
demonstrate behaviors that show they want to be more independent at home and
participate in the same school activities as age-level peers. Even when their
communication skills are limited.
Improving
their ability to communicate enthusiasm, anger, need for help, etc. Is even more
critical as they age for their own (and others') health, well-being, and
safety.
Age-appropriate
norm-referenced assessments that address vocabulary
(middle/high
school and adults)
Peabody Picture
Vocabulary Test, Fifth Edition (PPVT – 5); 2:6 - 90+;
- Evaluates
receptive vocabulary without the need to read or write
Expressive
Vocabulary Test, Third Edition (EVT – 3); 2:6 - 90+;
- Evaluates
expressive vocabulary without the need to read or write
Age-appropriate,
norm-referenced tests for general language skills for older students and adults
Vineland Adaptive
Behavior Scales-3 (Vineland-3); Birth-90;
- Interview
with parents/caregivers and teachers Measures Adaptive Behavior of individuals in 5 domains: Communication, Daily Living Skills, Socialization, Motor
Skills, and Maladaptive Behavior
Children's
Communication Checklist (CCC-2); 4-16;
- Caregiver
report: ratings based on frequency observed Domain scaled scores General
Communication Composite (GCC) Social Interaction Difference Index
CELF-5; 5-21;
- Tasks:
Structured, semistructured, observational, and interactive Core Language,
Receptive Language, Expressive Language, Language Content and Structure,
Pragmatics, Reading, Writing
CELF-5
Metalinguistics;
9-21;
- Interview,
structured tasks Metalinguistics index, Meta-Semantic and Meta-Pragmatic Index
Age-appropriate,
norm-referenced assessments that address pragmatics/social communication
(older
students/adults)
Children's
Communication Checklist - 2, U.S. Edition (CCC - 2) 4:0 - 16:11;
- Evaluates a student's language abilities in speech, vocabulary, sentence
structure, and social language.
- Provides
profiles for students who may have pragmatic impairment for Initiation,
Scripted Language, Context, Nonverbal Communication, Social Relations, and
Interests
CELF-5 Pragmatics
Profile;
5:0-21:11;
- 50-item test examining the presence of appropriate pragmatic language behaviors in the
areas of
- Rituals
and conversation
- Asking
for, giving, responding to information
- Non-verbal
communication
Norm-referenced
assessment of adults who are nonverbal or have emerging language skills
CELF-5 Pragmatics
Profile;
5-21;
- Rating
scale to examine rituals & conversation, asking/giving/responding to
information, and nonverbal communication
CELF-5 Pragmatics
Activities Checklist;
5-21;
- Checklist of atypical nonverbal communication and relevance/ manner/ quality/
quantity of communication
Vineland Adaptive
Behavior Profile;
Birth to 90;
- Sensory
Profile for Adolescents and Adults 11+ Examine sensory processing patterns in
an interview with client and/or caregiver
For the list of Language Tests by Person go to:
https://www.pearsonassessments.com/professional-assessments/products/speech---language.html
Autism Assessments
and Other Resources
The Gilliam Autism
Rating Scale, Third Edition (GARS-3),
- It is one of the most widely used instruments for the assessment of autism spectrum
disorder in the world, assists teachers, parents, and clinicians in
identifying autism in individuals and estimating its severity, and determining
appropriate intervention, by https://www.proedinc.com/
The Gilliam
Asperger’s Disorder Scale (GADS), 3
years to 22 years,
- It is a 32-item parent/caregiver or teacher norm-referenced
questionnaire designed to identify individuals with Asperger’s Disorder by https://www.proedinc.com/
Autism
Diagnostic Observation Schedule - Second Edition (ADOS-2) by Publish.com
ChildhoodAutism Rating Scale, Second Edition (CARS-2) by Publish.com
Social Skills
Improvement Rating Scales (SSIS) by Pearson.com
Social
Thinking (Michelle Garcia Winner) by SocialThinking.com
Ages
and Stages, CSBS Brookes by Publishing.com
Autism/Social
Communication titles by PluralPublishing.com
Examples of
Screening Tools for Autism
Let’s
explore a few of the available screening tools that might be used to decide
whether a child should receive a further evaluation for autism. Some of the most
common of these screening tools include:
Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ)
- The
ASQ screening tool addresses a variety of areas that might indicate that a
child is behind his or her typically developing peers. Examples of
developmental domains that are assessed or screened using the ASQ include
communication skills or how a child expresses his or her thoughts, feelings,
wants, and needs as well as how they respond to other people’s expressions,
gross motor skills such as walking or running, fine motor skills such as
picking things up with his fingers, problem-solving skills, as well as
self-care and daily living skills.
Modified Checklist
for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT)
- The
M-CHAT is a screening tool that is typically used for children between 16
months and 30 months old, so children who are in the toddler years. This
screening assessment is designed for assessing children who may be at risk for
having autism spectrum disorder. Findmore details about using the M-CHAT autism checklist.
Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers and
Young Children (STAT)
- This
screening assessment is somewhat different than many other screening tools
because it involves more hands-on activities for the child to complete, while
many other screening tools are primarily based on interviews with parents and
have less focus on observing the child.
Examples of ASD
Assessment Tools
The
most common assessments for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) include:
Autism
Diagnostic Observation Schedule - Second Edition (ADOS-2)
- The
ADOS-2 is an assessment that evaluates social and communication skills and play skills in individuals who may have autism. One of the features of ADOS is
that it can be used for a large age range, from toddlers to adults. It can also
be used for individuals who do not have verbal communication or those who don’t
speak vocally to individuals who do have more fluent vocal communication
skills.
Autism Diagnosis
Interview-Revised (ADI-R)
- The
ADI-R is an assessment tool for autism spectrum disorder that can be used for
individuals from toddlers at about age 18 months old through adults. This
assessment focuses on the main core symptoms of ASD, including social
interactions, communication skills, and restricted and repetitive behaviors.
ChildhoodAutism Rating Scale, Second Edition (CARS-2)
- The
CARS-2 is another diagnostic tool that helps to identify the presence of an
autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. This assessment is used for children two
years and up. This assessment can provide information about the severity level
of each symptom that is identified. The CARS-2 can identify ASD from mild to
moderate to severe. It is also appropriate for children who have both low and
high cognitive abilities.
https://superpowerspeech.com/2013/02/functional-communication-assessment.html
https://www.pearsonassessments.com/professional-assessments/products/speech---language.html
