How Can a Speech/Language Screening Help Your Child?

What is a Speech/Language Screening?

A speech/language screening is a cursory look at your child's speech/language development to determine if s/he is developing as expected for his/her chronological age. It is carried out by a licensed/certified speech/language pathologist, and takes about 15-20 minutes to complete.

Who should undergo a speech/language screening?

Any child whose parents, teachers, and/or pediatrician suspect is not developing speech/language and/or social communication skills as expected or as compared to his/her peers (please see speech/language milestones posted on this site).

What is the difference between a speech/language screening and a speech/language evaluation?

A screening provides an overview of the child's speech/language development, including skills that are delayed for his/her age and those developing as expected. Informal assessments are used (e.g. language sampling, tasks designed by the speech/language therapist, parental report, etc.). Since the time spent on the screening and report writing is shorter, the cost is lower than for an evaluation.

A speech/language evaluation uses standardized testing in addition to the informal assessments in order to provide standardized scores that show where your child is with respect to other children at his/her chronological age. More time is spent to delve deeper into the specific areas of speech and/or language in order to determine the extend of the delay/disorder that may be present. The report provided is longer and more detailed. The cost is typically higher given the time spent on the evaluation and report.

When should I choose to have a screening, and when should I choose to have an evaluation?

A screening is recommended when your concern with your child's communication skills is straightforward, and you simply want to know whether or not speech/language therapy is necessary. The results of a screening would be recommendation for speech/language therapy, recommendation for additional evaluation in a particular area, or no services are recommended at that time.

An evaluation is recommended when your concerns are more involved (i.e. several language and/or speech difficulties exist), and/or you require a detailed report to share with your child's school district or other professionals). The results of an evaluation would be recommendation for speech/language therapy, a referral to another professional, or no services are recommended at that time.

If you are unsure which to choose, or you would like a free screening, please consult with Shirit Megiddo, M,S., CCC-SLP, BCS-CL by emailing at shiritm@gmail.com or calling (650)814-6866.