LDCSB - SLP Terminology

Can SLPs communicate clinical labels?

• Yes

• No

Ramon (11 years; 3 months) has just participated in an initial assessment. During the assessment you gathered the following:

•Ramon is a monolingual English language learner.

•He has normal hearing.

•His articulation and language skills are currently age-appropriate.

•Dysfluencies have been persistent (> 6months) and characterized by part word/sound repetitions and word initial blocks. Ramon is becoming increasingly frustrated with his speech.

•Parents reported that Ramon is withdrawing from social situations and class participation.

•He has received speech therapy services off-and-on since he was 4 years old.

Which clinical label(s) (if any) would you provide?

• Fluency concerns

• Stuttering

• Bumpy speech

• Speech fluency disorder

• None. Just describe findings.

Wald (5 years; 10 months) has just participated in an initial assessment. During the assessment you gathered the following:

•The referral came from his kindergarten teacher due to 'immature language'. Wald is reported to use short sentences that don't always make sense.

•He also has difficulty with understanding classroom vocabulary, paying attention, telling stories, and interacting with his classmates.

•Wald received preschool speech and language services from 2;10 to 4;0.

•There are no other developmental or medical history concerns noted.

•His language sample contained many grammatical errors in spontaneous speech.

•The results from the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals Preschool-3 (CELF Preschool-3) are: 

•Sentence Comprehension - 5th percentile

•Word Structure - 10th percentile

•Expressive Vocabulary - 16th percentile

•Core Language Score - 6th percentile

Which clinical label(s) (if any) would you provide?

• Language delay

• Expressive or receptive difficulties

• Developmental language disorder

• Language difficulty

• None. Just describe findings.

Nina (9 years; 2 months) has just participated in an initial assessment. During the assessment you gathered the following:

•There is no positive family history for speech, language, or literacy difficulties.

•There is no other developmental or medical concerns.

•Nina is distorting /s, z/ sounds (e.g., soup -> thoup).

•She is also substituting /l/ for y (e.g., lawn - > yawn).

•Parents reported that Nina is becoming self conscious about her speech as children have started teasing her about it.

Which clinical label(s) (if any) would you provide?

• Articulation impairment

• Phonological delay

• Phonological disorder

• Mild speech errors

• None. Just describe findings.

Elliot is a 12-year-old, monolingual, student who has been referred to you by his classroom teacher. Elliot's teacher shares some concerns regarding Elliot's written language skills. Upon consultation with Elliot's mother, you learn that he was previously seen by Preschool Speech and Language Services from the age of 3;6 to 4;2. Elliot was discharged from these services, without concern, and enrolled in kindergarten.

You decide to complete a language sample with Elliot as well as several subtests from a standardized language test. In reviewing Elliot's language sample, you do not find any noticeable errors. Elliot scores were:

o   Formulating Sentences - 10th percentile

o   Recalling Sentences – 36th percentile

o   Word Definitions – 28th percentile

o   Nonword Repetition – 4th percentile

o   Reading Comprehension – 6th percentile

o   Written Language Sample – 2nd percentile 

Which clinical label(s) (if any) would you provide?

• Language delay

• Expressive and receptive difficulties

• Developmental language disorder

• Language difficulty

• None. Just describe findings.

Sort the labels by what SLPs can vs. cannot communicate.

Groups:

(a) Can

,

(b) Cannot

• Language disorder caused by autism

• Childhood Apraxia of Speech

• Developmental Language Disorder

• Autism

• Phonological Delay/Disorder

• Language disorder associated with autism

What label would you communicate for a child who has difficulties with specific sounds (lateral lisp)?

What label would you communicate for a grade 4 student who is saying 'red' as 'wed'?

What label would you communicate for a child who has a persistent language problem with functional impacts, and no known cause?

What label would you communicate for a child who is having repeating initial syllables 3-4x and is becoming emotional with each disruption?