Assessment Information for Predicting Upcoming Change in Language Production

Initial language assessments are used not only to determine the presence of a language problem and establish eligibility for intervention, but also to provide information about a child's readiness for immediate change in language growth. This study explored static assessment profiling (specific variables and discrepancies in performance) and dynamic assessment results to determine their relative effectiveness for predicting immediate change. Correlation data were used to examine how well each assessment measure predicted upcoming language production changes for children with specific expressive language impairment. Results indicated that dynamic assessment outcomes were most highly correlated with immediate language growth, followed by discrepancy in receptive and expressive language age. Findings are discussed in terms of their clinical and theoretical importance.