Language Sample Analysis: An Overview + Tips for Clinicians

Language sample analysis (LSA) is a valuable tool for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in assessing language. LSA involves gathering and transcribing a client's spoken or written language and analyzing it for measures like Mean Length of Utterance (MLU), Percent Grammatical Utterances (PGU), among countless others. This detailed analysis offers insight into one's everyday language use provides a richer understanding than standardized assessments alone. Although standardized assessments are essential for identifying language disorders, they may not fully capture how a child uses language in daily life. For this reason, LSA is highly beneficial for aiding in language evaluations and goal setting.

SLPs can elicit language samples from various contexts including narrative, play, conversation, and persuasive and expository contexts. Narrative and expository contexts are the most efficient way to collect robust language samples because they yield more complex language structures than conversation (Lenhart, et al., 2022). However, the choice of context depends on factors including the child's age and current language ability.

Although LSA may be conducted by hand, computer programs like SALT, SUGAR, and CLAN make LSA less time-consuming. These programs offer unique features and have databases for comparisons with age-matched peers. Free training is available for all three programs. SUGAR and CLAN are free for clinicians, and SALT offers a free trial. Choosing the right program depends on your needs and resources, so exploring each can help determine the best fit for you.

Here are some tips for collecting language samples:

1. Follow protocols: Some LSA programs (e.g., SALT) offer protocols to adhere to for accurate database comparisons, so it's best practice to familiarize yourself with these before collecting a sample.
2. Record the sample: Instead of transcribing in real-time, record the sample to ensure accuracy. This allows you to focus on the client and be an active listener.
3. Use open-ended prompts: Open-ended prompts help collect robust language samples efficiently, and 25-50 robust utterances may be sufficient for reliable LSA (Pavelko et al., 2020). Avoid closed-ended WH- or yes/no questions that often elicit one-word responses and instead use phrases like "tell me more" to encourage the child to share.
4. Minimize distractions: Elicit the sample in a quiet environment to avoid background noise and distractions which can affect the intelligibility of the sample and lengthen the transcription process.

Overall, LSA is a powerful tool for gathering detailed information about a client's language use. By choosing the appropriate context for sampling, utilizing LSA programs, and following best practices, clinicians can effectively conduct LSA to enhance their evaluations and assist in goal creation.

Mikaela Argyrakis M.S., CF-SLP

Lenhart, M. H., Timler, G. R., Pavelko, S. L., Bronaugh, D. A., & Dudding, C. C. (2022). Syntactic complexity across language sampling contexts in school-age children, ages 8-11 years. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 53(4), 1168–1176. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_LSHSS-21-00187

Pavelko, S. L., Price, L. R., & Owens, R. E., Jr (2020). Revisiting reliability: Using Sampling Utterances and Grammatical Analysis Revised (SUGAR) to compare 25- and 50-utterance language samples. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 51(3), 778–794. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_LSHSS-19-00026