At The Bridge School, we use a variety of assessment tools and procedures to assess relevant developmental domains. When new students enroll, we interview parents and caregivers extensively, review any relevant previous reports, engage in careful classroom observation and team discussions, and complete the following battery of assessment tools (as appropriate to the student’s age and expressive communication abilities). We often re-administer these tools annually (or more frequently in some cases) to document progress and inform goal-setting:

• Communication Forms and Functions Worksheet
• MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories
• Communication Matrix

Following an initial intake assessment, SLPs at The Bridge School analyze expressive communication abilities and establish a working communicator profile: Emergent, Context-dependent, or Independent. This helps inform the need for further assessment in the following domains, using a variety of tools and procedures:

Expressive Communication

What are the modes and signals that a student uses to communicate? What words, concepts, or messages does he/she produce and how does he/she produce them?

Language Comprehension

What levels of spoken language does the student understand?

Social Networks

Who are the student’s primary communication partners, and how does he/she communicate differently with different partners?

Play

Does the student demonstrate symbolic play skills? Does he/she engage in playful behaviors and interactions?

Attention and Motivation

What motivates the student to engage with partners or objects? What supports are necessary for the student to maintain higher levels of attention? What are the student’s favorite items to play with or talk about?

Written Language

What is the student’s developmental writing level? What topics do they choose to write about and what genres? What supports are required for the student to express themselves through writing?