Early communication skills

These pages detail the assessments that can be used to assess and monitor the early communication skills of deaf children. These assessments and information should be used alongside Key principles and effective practice.

Good communication skills are the foundations of language development, and the monitoring and assessment of early communication skills in conjunction with parents is vital. A comprehensive picture of the child’s developing communication skills can be obtained by assessing the child’s functioning in a range of everyday situations.

Assessments

Use the links below to find out more about each assessment:

Success from the Start: a developmental resource for the families of deaf children 0-3

Age range? 0-3
Who can use it? Parents with support from Teachers of the Deaf or other professionals

MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDIs)

Age range? 8–18 months, 16–30 months and 30–37 months (three versions)
Who can use it? Parents, speech and language therapists or Teachers of the Deaf

Pragmatics Profile of Everyday Communication Skills (revised edition)

Age range? 9 months–10 years (Also, a version for adults that can be used with secondary aged and post-16 students.)
Who can use it? All professionals

Teddy Talk Test

Age range? 18 months to five years
Who can use it? Any care-giving adult or early years professional interested in monitoring children’s communication skills

Wellcomm Early Years: The complete speech and language toolkit

Age range? Six months to six years
Who can use it? Early years practitioners, SENCOs, teaching assistants, speech and language therapists or Teachers of the Deaf

Children’s Rating of Speech Sounds (CROSS)

Age range? New emerging speech
Who can use it? Speech and language therapists, Teachers of the Deaf

Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals Preschool-3 (CELF Preschool-3)

Age range? 3–6 years, 11 months
Who can use it? Speech and language therapists and educational psychologists 

Preschool Language Scales, Fifth Edition, UK (PLS-5-UK)

Age range? Birth–7 years, 11 months 
Who can use it? Speech and language therapists and educational psychologists