Standardised speech-language tests and students with intellectual disability: a review of normative data.
BACKGROUND
Before a school speech-language pathologist (SLP) utilises a standardised speech-language test with a student with intellectual disability (ID), the clinician should carefully consider the purpose of the test and whether the test includes students with ID in the normative group.


METHODS
This project reviewed 49 tests published between 1994 and 2004 and their applicability to students with ID.


RESULTS
Students with mild ID were included in the norm group for 23 of the tests, but no tests included students with more significant ID. Separate norms for students with mild ID were included in 15 tests, but none met Salvia & Ysseldyke's (1995) suggested requirement that at least 100 students be included to represent a specific subgroup. A majority of the tests assessed receptive and expressive vocabulary, syntax, and grammar but no recent test measured a student's pragmatic communication.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinicians are encouraged to supplement standardised tests with non-standardised procedures to document students' pragmatic, social, and functional communication abilities.
Cascella
Paul W
PW
Department of Communication Disorders, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, CT 06515, USA. cascellap1@southernct.edu
D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007807:Language Tests; D012016:Reference Values; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*