Dynamic Hearing Screening

). Clinicians should

use tasks that require the child to produce speech sounds at the syllable, single-word, bisyallable,

multisyllable, phrase, and sentence levels. Assessment should also look at spontaneous versus

elicited utterances, as this may result in different performance (ASHA, n.d.).

A hearing screening is another important component in the assessment of CAS. A hearing

screening is critical to rule out any underlying audiological components of speech impairment.

Several interesting studies suggest that children with CAS may also have difficulties with

auditory processing, discrimination, and perception (ASHA, n.d.). Bridgeman and Snowling

(1988) found that children with CAS, when compared to controls, had more difficulties

differentiating sound

Although the study found evidence of auditory

processing deficits in the children with CAS, more research is needed to substantiate any links

between the disorders.

It is essential to include dynamic assessment in the comprehensive assessment of CAS.

Dynamic assessment is a method for conducting language assessment in children with culturally

and linguistically diverse backgrounds. It is more process-oriented, modifiable, and interactive

than traditional assessment procedures (Hegde & Pomaville, 2013). During dynamic assessment,

the clinician can provide gestural or tactile cues. This helps the clinician determine the amount of

cueing that is necessary to facilitate performance. Dynamic assessment can help extend and

supplement traditional comprehensive assessment strategies to ensure that children from diverse

backgrounds are appropriately diagnosed. (ASHA, n.d.).

Intonation and speech sound assessments are also important components of the

evaluation process. During intonation assessment, the clinician should pay careful attention to

the child’s melody of speech. This involves listening to the child’s pauses, pitch, and word