Spanish Language Assessment Procedures (SLAP) -
An Alternative to Norm-Referenced Tests

Spanish speech and language assessment tools are needed to facilitate the identification of Spanish-speaking children with communication disorders. Spanish Language Assessment Procedures: A Communication Skills Inventory is a comprehensive collection of criterion-referenced assessment tools that can be used to assess the receptive and expressive language skills of Spanish-speaking children in the elementary school grades. The individual tasks are designed to measure specific skills such as naming colors, describing noun functions, categorizing words, describing similarities and diferences, following auditory directions, providing verbal solutions for problems, and retelling short stories. Only BASIC skills that most children master by the early elementary school grades are included. The assessment tools are helpful in identifying specific strengths and weaknesses aand in identifying children who may have communication disorders.

Although norm-referenced tests are widely used in the assessment of native English speakers, they are often of little help in identifying bilingual children with communication disorders. Many children, for example, lose proficiency in Spanish if they are in an environment where there is little support for the use of the Spanish language. On norm-referenced tests, these children often score low in both languages because of the language loss that is occurring.

Spanish Language Assessment Procedures can be helpful in identifying strengths and weaknesses and in planning programs of instruction for young children. The instrument also includes a short articulation test to assess production of speech sounds. For more in-depth assessment, another instrument, Spanish Articulation Measures, is recommended.

Spanish Language Assessment Procedures can be administered by bilingual assistants with guidance from speech-language pathologists and other school professionals. Record forms are included.

Spanish Language Assessment Procedures
Product No: 40701
Publisher:
Academic Communicatin Associates, Inc.
P.O. Box 4279, Oceanside, CA 92052-4279
Website: acadcom.com