Now you can use one instrument to assess phonological awareness, use of phonological processes, and production of speech sounds - with native speakers of English or second language learners. ASAP is a comprehensive battery of informal criterion-referenced assessment measures which can be used to identify learning needs and to plan instructional programs. The kit now includes a CD with reproducible forms that can be helpful in distinguishing articulation differences from disorders with second language learners. No speech-language pathologist should be without this practical tool.
For the assessment of articulation, ASAP includes a Spontaneous Word Production Task, Word Repetition Articulation Screening, Sentence Repetition Articulation Screening, Storytelling Articulation Task, and reproducible probes for assessing individual phonemes. If, for example, you want to test only the /r/ sound, ASAP has a task specifically for /r/.
Many instruments are available to identify "phoneme production error," but most of these measures do not provide enough information about specific problems that the student seems to be having. This assessment battery provides a wealth of information about student performance that you simple don't get from other assessment products.
This is not a traditional test that requires use of a specific set of subtests. You select tasks based on the type of information that YOU need. You may, for example, use only the Spontaneous Word Production Task if you want a general measure of articulation skills. Why buy separate tests for articulation, phonological processes, and phonological awareness when one instrument can do it all?
Users of traditional measures also use ASAP because it includes so many measures that you won't find in any single assessment tool. The ASAP is not designed to provide percentiles or to give "cutoff scores" for program placement. It provides descriptive information that helps you pinpoint skills that the student needs to learn and to plan intervention.
Individuals who have been exposed to African American English, Spanish, and other languages may have “articulation differences.” These individuals need to be distinguished from those with true disorders.
ASAP comes with a CD that includes information and reproducible record forms designed for use when assessing culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. These forms will help you help you pinpoint experiential differences and environmental factors that may be affecting speech development and assess individuals with speech patterns that have been influenced by Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, African American English and other languages.
The phonological awareness tasks assess skills that are considered important for success in the classroom.
Tasks are included for each of the following:
Most "articulation tests" consist of a picture naming task and not much more. ASAP differs from these measures in that it allows for a more in-depth assessment of specific phonemes. If a student has problems producing /r/, for example, you can do a more in-depth assessment of sound production using both structured tasks and conversational speech samples. Therefore, you can customise your assessment based on what you observe.
The CD includes forms designed for use when assessing the English articulation skills of speakers of Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, African American English and other languages. The forms list specific articulation features common among speakers of a particular language or dialect. The form for African American English, for example, lists differences in phonological production that are often incorrectly viewed as "errors" on standardised articulation tests. The information obtained by using these forms will be helpful in distinguishing children who are developing skills in a typical manner from those who may need special help.
The complete kit includes:
Other record forms in the manual and on the CD may be reproduced for use in assessment.