Perspectives of Indian speech language pathologists towards assessing adolescents with language impairments.
Rohana Muralidharan Nair, Sudhin Karuppali
PMID 37556685WHAT IT FOUND
Indian speech-language pathologists mostly assess adolescents with language impairments using formal tests, but many use tools designed for adults with aphasia or dysarthria.
Pragmatics was the most valued assessment domain, followed by syntax and semantics. Lack of culturally appropriate tools and clinician inexperience were major barriers.
Key findings
01Pragmatics was the most frequently cited essential component of adolescent language assessment (79.4%), followed by syntax (75.4%) and semantics (66.6%).
02While 92% of respondents reported using formal testing methods, 34.31% used tools such as the Western Aphasia Battery and the Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment, which are not designed for adolescent language assessment.
03Major challenges included a lack of standardized Indian tools, unavailability of existing tools, and clinician-related issues such as poor motivation and lack of theoretical background.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample consisted largely of fresh professionals (59.8% had less than one year of experience), which may skew perspectives on consensus and tool awareness. The response rate was 64.5% (102/158), but the distribution method (social media) may introduce selection bias. The study is self-reported and cross-sectional, capturing current practices and perceptions rather than objective efficacy of assessment methods. Findings are specific to the Indian context and may not generalize to other cultural or linguistic settings.
Declared interests
The study was approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee of Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore. No specific funding sources or conflicts of interest were declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the high usage of formal tests as evidence of appropriate practice. A significant portion of respondents used adult neurological assessment tools (Western Aphasia Battery, Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment) for adolescents, indicating a lack of awareness or availability of correct instruments rather than validated clinical competence.