In my ninth year as a school-based SLP, I became a diagnostician evaluating full time. In my new role, I just finished writing my 89th report, and we just celebrated the 100th day of school. Previously I would average about ten evaluations on my preschool caseload a year. School-based SLPs spend most of their time in therapy and meetings which can make evaluating and report writing challenging. Here are some things to keep in mind when an evaluation referral graces your desk.
A communication sample is invaluable.
First this is your opportunity to build rapport with the child. You need to build a positive relationship quickly before you pull out your mood-killing stimulus books. Build rapport by watching and following the child's lead. Make comments rather than ask questions to encourage longer utterances. A communication sample also gives you the best picture of their social language use and play skills. You can always build in some sabotage to see how the child communicates/negotiates.
Use stimulus items as therapy probes.
Administer assessment items in standardized way but then try some therapy techniques. This is much more informative than a simple + or -, 1 or 0. Also compare to the communication sample to see if certain language skills are emerging. Regarding articulation tests, have the child repeat the word to check for error consistency and response to verbal vs. visual vs. tactile cues. Taking the extra 15-30 seconds per item really helps you guide therapy goals.
Be flexible.
This is for whoever needs to hear that it is okay to administer the PLS-5 on the floor.
Interview the parents.
A good history and parent interview can be critical especially if there is a history of ear infections, extended pacifier use, multilingual home, etc. It helps you paint a better picture of the child and may present some circumstances that are affecting their speech and language skills. Remember to be objective and get them to elaborate with specific example. "And what does that look/sound like?"
Make/Use visuals.
Make some simple visuals to use during testing such as a simple first/then board. This can help you with behavior management and gage response to interventions. I would suggest you have pictures of testing tasks and your most popular toys. Also have a core board handy just in case.
Remember your goal: assessment drives intervention.
An evaluation is just a snapshot so you need to be sure you've captured this child as best you can. While you may need standardized scores for eligibility, you need the evaluation to guide your path in therapy.