Language sample reporting and next steps

Report the sample and its findings

The following four parts give the reader enough context to understand the findings and how you are using them. The length and emphasis will depend on the purpose of the report.

Describe the sample

Identify the task and materials, language or languages used, amount of material analyzed, and analysis approach. Describe the support provided and any changes during collection that affect interpretation.

A description such as “The clinician asked who each pronoun referred to when the character was unclear” identifies the support and helps explain the responses that followed.

Present the measures and comparisons

Report the relevant measured values with their units and explain what they describe. If you used reference data, name the reference source and give the comparison alongside the measured value. For example, a row for MLU should identify whether it was calculated in words or morphemes; the accompanying explanation can describe how that result relates to the selected reference sample.

A compact table can carry several results. Use the prose around it to explain the pattern: which findings address the original concern, which describe strengths, and which need further examination. If a planned reference comparison was unavailable, state why and describe the information you could obtain from the sample.

Describe characteristic language

Include examples that show what the scores do not convey on their own: how the speaker builds sentences, chooses words, organizes information, or responds during the exchange. Give enough surrounding context for the reader to understand the observation.

For example:

During the picture-based retell, the listener could not see the pictures. The student used “he” to introduce characters without naming them or otherwise indicating who they were. At those points, the listener needed clarification to follow who was acting. The student named the character when asked who they meant.

The passage identifies the language pattern, its effect on the listener, and the student’s response to clarification. Those details make “unclear references” understandable to a family or teacher as well as another clinician.

Explain what the findings contribute

Connect the findings to the question that prompted sampling. In an evaluation, explain how they relate to the referral concerns and other assessment information. In intervention planning, identify the findings that informed a priority. In a progress note, describe performance on the target and the support involved.

In the retell example, suppose the teacher had reported difficulty following the student’s accounts of classroom events. The report could make that connection explicit:

The unclear character references in this retell offer one example of the difficulty following event accounts described by the teacher. The student supplied the missing names in response to questions. Introducing the characters before continuing the story is a possible intervention priority to examine alongside the other assessment findings.

If you use AI to help draft the report, compare its wording with the findings you supplied. Look for changes such as an observation about one task becoming a claim about everyday performance, an added severity label, or a goal that was not part of your interpretation.

Bring the findings into the evaluation

The sample joins the referral concerns, assessment results, observations, and student, family, or teacher reports already gathered for the evaluation. ASHA’s spoken-language assessment guidance describes assessment across multiple sources and contexts.

Agreement across sources can help explain a concern in language terms, as in the retell example above. Differences can also be informative. If a student gives a clear account in conversation but is difficult to follow during a retell, describe the task and partner contributions in each setting. Questions during conversation may help establish who is involved; the retell may require the student to supply that information independently. The difference helps identify the conditions under which communication was more successful.

Identify an intervention target

A useful target connects an observed language pattern to something the speaker needs to communicate. In the retell example, the listener has no picture or prior introduction to establish who the characters are. A possible target is introducing each character clearly when that character first enters the story.

To develop that target, return to the relevant parts of the sample:

This review provides a starting description of performance and a definition you can use again. If the sample contains too few opportunities to establish that starting point, a focused probe can provide more. For this target, the probe would need opportunities to introduce different characters and a record of any help given.

A written goal then specifies the task, permitted support, expected performance, timeframe, and monitoring method. The criterion depends on the baseline and the intended communication outcome. For the example here, the intended change is that the listener can follow who is involved without having to ask for each missing introduction. Successful clarification remains a strength to build on.

Pezold and colleagues illustrate how sample productions can inform potential targets and focused probes in their clinical tutorial. SUGAR’s sub-analysis and intervention materials offer further resources for examining specific language forms.

Decide what to monitor next

A focused probe can provide opportunities for a particular behavior; a fuller sample can show how that behavior appears within connected language.

For the character-introduction target, retain the same definition of a clear introduction and record the support provided. Comparing independent introductions with introductions made after a question helps show whether the student is supplying the information with less help. Keep the task and materials identifiable so you can account for differences between occasions.

If introductions are clear with familiar pictures, you might examine them with a new story. If they still depend on questions, record which questions help the student supply the missing information. If introductions are clear but the listener still has difficulty following the account, return to the sample to examine what else contributes to that difficulty.

For comparisons involving scores, Analyze and interpret a language sample addresses numerical differences and the evidence needed to interpret change. The report can bring those comparisons together with examples of what the speaker did and how much support was involved.