Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language (CASL) by Elizabeth Carrow-Woolfolk, Ph.D. Ideal for measuring delayed language, spoken language disorders, dyslexia, and aphasia, the CASL is an individually administered, research-based oral language assessment battery for individuals aged 3 through 21. It provides a precise picture of language processing skills and structural knowledge, allowing you to document development from preschool through the postsecondary years. Because the CASL provides age-based norms, it satisfies IDEA requirements for identifying language impairment. 15 Stand-Alone Tests The 15 tests included in this battery measure comprehension, expression, and retrieval skills in 4 structural categories: Lexical/Semantic Tests      Comprehension of Basic Concepts      Antonyms      Synonyms      Sentence Completion      Idiomatic Language Syntactic Tests      Syntax Construction      Paragraph Comprehension      Grammatical Morphemes      Sentence Comprehension      Grammaticality Judgment Supralinguistic Tests      Nonliteral Language      Meaning from Context      Inference      Ambiguous Sentences Pragmatic Test      Pragmatic Judgment (knowledge and use of appropriate language) Administered individually or as a group, these tests stand alone: Using information found in the manual you can draw clinical conclusions from the results of each one. All CASL tests are classified as either core or supplementary, depending on the age of the child assessed. Core tests measure the most representative aspects of each language category, while supplementary tests provide additional diagnostic information for use in quantitative and qualitative analyses. For several CASL tests, Descriptive Analysis Worksheets are available, allowing you to target specific skill areas for intervention. No Reading or Writing Required The CASL is flexible and easy to administer. The core battery can be completed in just 30 to 45 minutes, and you have the option of giving only the tests you need for a given child. The CASL requires no reading or writing--children can respond to items by speaking, pointing, or marking their response choices with an X. Test Books are self-standing and tabbed for quick, easy reference. Administration guidelines are printed on the first few pages of each book. Convenient Record Forms, one for ages 3 through 6 and another for ages 7 through 21, provide space for profile analysis, item responses, scores, and behavioral observations. Age-Based Norms Consistent With IDEA Guidelines The CASL generates the following scores: Core Composite Processing Index (representing receptive or expressive skills) Category Index (reflecting skills in Lexical/Semantic, Syntactic, and Supralinguistic domains) 15 Individual Test Scores These are available as age-based standard scores, percentiles, normal curve equivalents, stanines, and test-age equivalents. Norms, based on a representative sample of 1,700 subjects, are provided at 6-month intervals for ages 3 and 4, at 1-year intervals for school-age children, and at multiyear intervals for upper-age groups. The standardization sample reflects the U.S. population in terms of geographic region, gender, race, and SES/parent education. In addition, it includes the following clinical groups: speech impaired, language delayed, intellectually disabled, learning disordered, emotionally disturbed, and hearing impaired. Time-Saving Scoring Software CASL ASSIST Software--for both Windows and Macintosh--simplifies scoring and gives you a complete interpretive report. In minutes, it does all of the following: Raw score to scale score conversions All composite scores Graphic score profiles High-level item analysis Scale score comparisons Helpful narrative interpretations Individualized intervention strategies and exercises The Single Most Useful Oral Language Assessment Compatible with IDEA specifications, the CASL is an excellent way to measure oral language skills and is unique in its coverage of the literal, figurative, and social aspects of language. It can be used with students from preschool through young adulthood, regardless of reading ability or impairment. It's easy to administer and score. And it provides a sound basis for intervention planning.