Psycholinguistic and cognitive approaches

These approaches are often adopted by professionals within educational settings and are based upon how language is processed. Using this model assessment involves looking at how language is received, interpreted and used in a range of social and subject contexts in order to identify:

■ the individual’s particular speech and language processing problem;

■ the implications for learning in group settings;

■ how curriculum delivery and assessment might be modified;

■ the social, emotional and behavioral implications of the language impairment;

■ action that needs to be taken within the framework of the Code of Practice,

i.e. School Action and School Action Plus, including the ‘different or otherwise extra provision’ delivered via Individual Education Plans;

■ roles and responsibilities within the school, including peers, for implementing enhanced provision;

■ pupil and parental expectations for success and their contribution in achieving these success criteria.

Assessment in educational settings is currently influenced by national and global policies for inclusion. In essence, inclusion is concerned with securing ‘access’, ‘engagement’ and ‘participation’ (Tod, 2000) for all learners in order to reduce barriers to achievement learning and social participation. Such a model fits well with educational assessment frameworks that seek to identify how the individual’s speech and language difficulty affects his or her confidence and competence to access the curriculum; to process the range of inputs; and to respond academically and socially.

Assessment in educational contexts is very much concerned with how pupils use language. As learners progress through the education system, it is this language use that determines their progress. During the early years an individual’s use of language at home is linked to their personal needs, e.g. to ask for help, to seek information, to secure attention, to interact, etc. However, once in school the purpose of language changes. ‘Pupils’ talking and writing provides evidence of their abilities to understand, imagine, explore, analyze, make explicit, evaluate, elaborate, interpret, hypothesize, and reflect’ (SCAA ’97). We expect pupils to develop their language use as shown in Figure 1, a progression from simple to complex answers, etc.

It is therefore very useful for those who support pupils with SLCN to assess ‘how the child/young person is using language’. Once this has been established, the aim of teaching can be to consolidate the uses already evident and to increase the range. Anne Locke (Teaching Talking, 1992) provides a comprehensive assessment and teaching package. Examples from this include a useful ‘Purpose of Talk’ for infant and junior age pupils against which pupil progress can be assessed.