RESOURCE PACKET Assessment of Language Impairment

Issues and Challenges
Generic Communication Objectives
Emerging Language Levels:
Shift from preverbal communication may be slow.
Unconventional verbal behavior may be produced for
communicative as well as non-communicative purposes.
• Expand vocabulary.
• Produce intelligible or unambiguous communicative acts (e.g.,
spoken words, signs, exchanging visual symbols).
• Expand communicative functions.
• Direct attention to self or secure other’s attention prior to
communicating (calling function).
Generalization of early creative language and gestalt forms
may be slow.
Early language forms are typically used for a limited range
of communicative purposes.
Difficulties comprehending communicative partners’
language and nonverbal sign.
• Combine words/signs/pictures creatively to express relational
concepts.
• Combine words/signs/ pictures creatively to express relational
concepts.
• Produce different sentence types to serve different communicative
functions.
• Develop emergent literacy skills.
• Use repetition in more conventional ways to express intents.
• Segment gestalt forms with rule induction, allowing for greater
creativity and generativity in language production.
More Advanced Language Levels:
Language comprehension and social-cognitive limitations
adversely affect conversational ability
• Convey information about past and future events.
• Use conversational skills and strategies.
ED –4072 / Rev. 07.09 Language Impairment Resource Packet
Department of Education