Late Talker Evaluation
If you suspect your child is a late talker, a late talker evaluation is a must. Please don't delay. Research has proven time and time again that the sooner therapy begins, the better the outcome!
Late talker evaluation typically includes...
Case History
- Review of previous medical records
- Questionnaire for parents on development and concerns
- Interview with teachers and parents to gather relevant concerns
Oral mechanism examination
- Asses structure and function of articulators
Hearing Testing
- Provided by an audiologist
- Rules out hearing loss as a confounding factor
Evaluation of Production of Speech Sounds
- Standardized tests provide standard scores and percentile ranks for speech sound production
- Language sample (informal testing) may be used if a child cannot name pictures
- If a child is not talking, this may not be done at the initial assessment
- Some data on speech production is required for most insurance companies to qualify for therapy
Language Sampling
- Elicit and record a language sample
- Provides assessment for language abilities in a more natural environment
- Language sampling does not provide a standard score, but it provides invaluable information about a child’s speech and language abilities
Assessment of language skills (using norm or criterion referenced assessment tools, *see below)
- Pragmatic language skills
- Social interactions
- Joint attention
- Rate of communication
- Rate of vocabulary growth
- Vocabulary diversity (e.g., nouns, pronouns, relational words)
- Word combinations
- Mean length of utterance
- Range of meanings expressed in early word combinations
- Grammar skills
- Receptive language
- Play skills
- Emergent literacy skills
Late Talker Evaluation Tools
Norm-Referenced Tests for: provides standard scores of a child’s language skills compared with age-matched peers
Criterion-referenced tests and developmental scales: provides information about a child’s language skills compared to a set of predetermined criteria or developmental milestones
Parent interview/observation: information based on parent report and/or observation of a child across environments
Play-based assessment: uses play for the observation of language skills
Evaluation may result in...
- Determination of a language delay (see late talker vs late bloomer)
- Diagnosis of a language disorder (late language emergence)
- Identification of delayed phonological development, delayed early literacy skills, and/or social communication problems
- Description of the characteristics and severity of the disorder /delay
- Recommendation for indirect or direct treatment (see above)
- Referral to other professionals if needed
What to do next
If your child has been diagnosed with a language delay or disorder after completing a late talker evaluation, don’t panic. 10-20% of children receive this diagnosis.
Also, this is MY SPECIALTY so you are in good hands. I have a lot of resources for you.
My recommended plan:
- Find a qualified speech-language pathologist that fits your family’s needs
- Contact me to schedule therapy
- Practice today with strategies provided in your evaluation report
- If you don’t have strategies, start with how to play with your toddler and how to talk to your toddler
- Join our membership program for a step-by-step guide on how to elicit those first words.
- Buy this resource on how to help a late talker using language strategies during functional activities: Toddler Talking