ABSTRACT
Acquisition of reading skills requires the development of phonemic awareness—the awareness of the sound structure of language at the single phoneme level. Assessment should aid in the development of curricula and intervention strategies; it is important, therefore, to evaluate skills in critical areas related to listening, speaking, reading, and writing. A well-integrated assessment will link the patterns in the test data so that reading and writing abilities are considered in the context of the broader language system. Practice can be helpful for some students, but most students with language disorders will need to be systematically taught strategies for comprehending and producing text. Children with Specific Language Impairment may be identified on the basis of late-onset and delayed development of morphosyntactic, semantic, phonological, or pragmatic skills relative to other areas of development. A well-integrated assessment will link the patterns in the test data so that reading and writing abilities are considered in the context of the broader language system.
