Presenter: Adam Scheller, PhD

From the time a child comes into the world, the ability to attend to, interact with, and communicate with others is key to learning about the world around them and forming key concepts that as a foundation for later academic learning and successful interactions with others. However, many studies indicate that a significant number of children do not successfully acquire the speech and language skills they need prior to beginning school. Identifying at-risk children early is crucial to providing early intervention services that help close the gap for children before they begin formal academic instruction.

The Preschool Language Scales-5th Edition Screening Tests for Early Childhood Educators (PLS-5 Screening for Early Childhood Educators) is a quick speech and language screening that can be administered to children from birth through age 6 in 5-10 minutes. Results of the screening help identify at-risk children who may be appropriate for additional testing. This session will provide an overview of the English and Spanish editions of the screening tests and provide examples of the screening items, scoring, and next steps based on the screening results.