A survey of standardized tests for language-delayed children used by speech-language pathologists in Thailand

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate how speech-language pathologists in Thailand utilized standardized assessments to evaluate children with language development disorders and to discover the perspectives of Thai speech-language pathologists regarding standardized tests. Materials and methods: This survey sample included 80 Thai speech-language pathologists who were at least 21 years old and had worked for at least one year. The research instrument consisted of a questionnaire of the speech-language pathologists’ use of the standardized test to evaluate children on their language development problems. The standardized tests utilized in this study were based on the research of graduate students at the Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital in the field of communication problems, as recommended by the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology professional standards in Thailand. Results: A questionnaire survey found that 92.50% of speech-language pathologists have assessed patients by using standardized tests in combination with informal tests. The most common reason for speech-language pathologists in choosing the standardized test was to summarize the patient’s abilities during training. The other reasons, used in the early stages of receiving patients, were to refer patients, to assess a patient’s language proficiency and progress, and to prepare for the discharge of patients. Conclusion: The majority of speech-language pathologists suggested that standardized tests should be improved to match the current applications, cover patients, and allow easy interpretation of the test results.