Plan and prepare for a language sample

Start with the occasion

The occasion helps define what the sample needs to contribute:

A sample collected to examine story organization needs opportunities to connect events across an account. One intended to track a particular sentence structure needs opportunities to use that structure. Those purposes shape both the task and what you will examine in the resulting language.

Account for the person you are sampling

Age, communication profile, interests, and participation needs shape the materials and interaction. For a picture-based task, that includes access to the pictures, familiarity with what they depict, and the support needed to follow the activity. The recording arrangement also needs to capture the person’s communication, including relevant gestures or use of communication supports.

Include languages and dialects in that preparation. For a multilingual speaker, consider which languages need to be represented and whether you need to arrange collaboration with an interpreter or another clinician. ASHA’s multilingual service delivery guidance provides more detail on language access and selecting appropriate assessment materials.

Choose the task and analysis together

Conversation, storytelling, and explaining how something works offer different contexts for sampling. Consider the language you want to examine, then look for an approach whose task and analysis fit that purpose.

For example, a teacher reports difficulty following a student’s accounts of events. A picture-based retell could provide a shared sequence against which to examine which events the student includes and how they connect them. Plan to examine character introductions, event order, and causal links, and retain any questions needed to clarify the account. Record whether the listener can see the pictures: that changes which references the listener can follow without an explanation. If you also want a reference comparison, select materials and prompting conditions from the relevant protocol.

You will encounter resources that provide different parts of the process. Some offer elicitation materials; others bring together collection procedures, transcription conventions, measures, and comparison data. Here are three starting points:

The original SALT elicitation resources, SUGAR method and materials, and SLAM resources and analysis guidance provide the procedures and materials for each approach.

A reference comparison requires a sample that meets the reference procedure’s conditions. A comparison across time requires attention to which conditions you will repeat and which changes you intend to examine. A descriptive account can focus on productions within the particular task. The measure’s conventions and evidence need to support the intended use.

Check the requirements before choosing materials

Once you have an approach in mind, review its collection instructions alongside its analysis requirements. A book or picture set may be part of a specific procedure rather than an interchangeable prompt.

Before collection, establish:

• Which materials and prompts the approach uses.
• What kind and amount of material the intended analysis requires, including which productions qualify for the calculation.
• Which transcription or coding conventions you will need afterward.
• Whether the reference information fits the speaker and planned sampling context.

A clinical tutorial comparing language sample analysis approaches illustrates how task, transcription conventions, and reference information affect interpretation through two preschool cases.

Arrange the recording and what happens to it afterward

Choose a setting and recording arrangement that fit the interaction and the time available. Have the materials ready, and make a brief test recording so you can check whether both speakers can be heard.

When choosing a recording device and app, check where the recording will be saved, whether it will sync to another location, and how you will access it for transcription. Check your organization’s approved recording, storage, and transfer arrangements, including any applicable permission requirements, before collection. For school settings, the U.S. Department of Education provides guidance on student health records and FERPA.

Collect a language sample addresses prompts, changes during the interaction, and the collection notes useful for transcription and analysis.