Pre-school Language Scales

The Pre-school Language Scales (PLS) is an assessment of children’s communication skills. The assessment looks at various skills that make up communication including children’s comprehension and production of verbal language skills, play and attention. The assessment can be used with children from birth to 7 years 11 months and can help identify difficulties with language, communication and speech.

Speech and language therapy can help children who have difficulties with communication to develop their skill set in order to increase their communication skills. Our speech and language therapist will use the information from the assessment to create a therapy programme that works on improving and increasing your child’s communication skills.

• Can be used to help identify delay, disorder or difficulties with receptive and expressive language.
• Comprehensive assessment looking into all aspects of communication.
• Multi- base approach to assessment including play and picture book.

Find out more…

• What will the Pre-school Language Scales assess?
• Why is a Pre-school Language Scales needed?
• Typical conditions that require a Pre-school Language Scales
• What information will I receive following a Pre-school Language Scales?
• Treatment following a Pre-school Language Scales
• Summary

The Pre-school language Scales assesses children’s language and communication skills using the following four main areas:

Preverbal skills (skills developed before children start to use language)

• Attention.
• Play.
• Vocal development.
• Social communication.
• Gesture.

Language content and structure

• Ability to understand and use language concepts.
• Understand and use grammar.

Integrative language skills (ability to think using language)

• Analogies.
• Similes.
• Categories.
• Semantic absurdities.
• Theory of mind.

Emergent literacy

• Book handling.
• Phonological awareness.
• Letter identification.

The Pre-school Language Scales helps the speech and language therapist to identify what areas of language your child is finding difficult. The information from the assessment can be used by our speech and language therapist to create an individualised therapy programme that is unique to your child’s specific areas and needs. As the assessment can be used from birth to 7 years, the speech and language therapists can use the assessment to track your child’s progress in to his or hers early school years. The assessment can also help identify any potential language and communication difficulties your child may find difficult in the future. This can be important as it allows the speech and language therapist to work with parents and teachers to create a programme that reduces the impact of their difficulties on daily activities.

Below are some of the common conditions the Pre-school Language Scales is used for:

• Aphasia
• Acquired head / brain injury
• Autism spectrum disorder
• High-functioning autism
• Specific language impairment
• Learning disability
• Down's syndrome
• Stroke
• Developmental delay

Our speech and language therapists work with all children who have language difficulties including children who have a diagnosis, are waiting for a diagnosis or have not yet been identified with a particular condition or difficulty. Our speech and language therapists use the information that is gained from the assessment to create an individualised therapy programme that works on improving the communication difficulties your child is struggling with.

When your child has completed the Pre-school Language Scales our speech and language therapist will provide you with a summary of what the assessment has found. After an assessment you may request a detailed report about the information gained during the assessment. The detailed report will contain information about how the difficulties your child may be experiencing are impacting their communication skills as well as their day to day activities. The report will also contain a therapy plan and recommendations from our speech and language therapist on how to improve your child’s communication skills as well as how best to communicate with your child.

Some of the available language therapy treatments are listed below:

• Receptive language therapy
• Expressive language therapy
• Speech therapy
• Social communication therapy
• Language group
• Social communication group
• Speech group
• Advice, training, strategies for parents, carers, teachers and other professionals.

We offer a wide range of treatments, if you feel that your child could benefit from a certain therapy programme contact our speech and language therapist for more details. Email office@sltforkids.co.uk or call us on 0330 088 2298.

In summary the Pre-school Language Scales can be used by the speech and language therapist to identify language difficulties in the different developmental skills that make up communication.

Our speech and language therapists will use the information from the assessment to create an individualised therapy programme that works on improving the communication skills your child is struggling with. If you would like more information on the assessment please email office@sltforkids.co.uk or call on 0330 088 2298.