SLP Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield SLP facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. A patient lacks decision-making capacity and has no designated healthcare proxy. Who typically serves as the surrogate decision-maker for treatment consent? → The patient's closest available family member per state law
2. Which pharyngeal phase landmark indicates the onset of the pharyngeal swallow response during videofluoroscopic study? → Velopharyngeal closure
3. A bilingual child demonstrates language difficulties in both their home language and English. This finding: → Is consistent with DLD, which affects all languages a child speaks
4. In the context of SLP certification, what is the most important consideration when implementing swallowing & dysphagia management? → Ensuring alignment with established standards, stakeholder needs, and best practices
5. The 'silent period' in second language acquisition refers to: → A normal phase where a child observes and comprehends before producing the new language
6. Botulinum toxin injection for adductor spasmodic dysphonia is typically administered into the: → Thyroarytenoid/lateral cricoarytenoid muscles
7. When obtaining informed consent for telepractice, which element is MOST important to include beyond standard consent? → Potential technology limitations and how they may affect service delivery
8. ASHA's ethical standards require that continuing education activities be: → Relevant to maintaining and expanding clinical competence in areas of practice
9. Which compensatory strategy is MOST appropriate for a patient with severe Wernicke's aphasia who has limited comprehension? → Using short, simple utterances combined with gestural and written cues
10. The SETT framework, used in AAC and assistive technology decision-making, stands for: → Student, Environment, Tasks, Tools
11. The IDEA mandate relevant to ELL students with suspected disabilities requires that assessment be conducted: → In the child's native language or other appropriate communication mode
12. A parent reports their 30-month-old uses fewer than 50 words and no word combinations. Which action is MOST appropriate? → Initiate a comprehensive language evaluation immediately
13. Which action is considered unethical for an SLP? → Providing services outside one's scope of competence
14. Jitter is best described as: → Cycle-to-cycle variation in fundamental frequency (period perturbation)
15. An SLP working with a child with APD uses metalinguistic strategies. Which of the following is an example? → Teaching the child to request repetition and use context clues when missing information
16. The Rossetti Infant-Toddler Language Scale differs from most standardized language assessments because it: → Relies heavily on parent/caregiver report and observation rather than elicited responses
17. An adult with ALS is losing the ability to speak. Which AAC planning principle should guide early intervention before speech is fully lost? → Begin voice banking and message banking while intelligible speech remains
18. A bilingual Spanish-English child scores below average on an English standardized language test. What is the most appropriate interpretation? → Interpret with caution; English-only norms do not reflect bilingual performance
19. Which feature distinguishes the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF-5) Screener from the full CELF-5 battery? → The screener provides a pass/fail decision rather than standard scores
20. What is a typical intervention for articulation disorders? → Articulation drills in speech therapy
21. A research SLP plans to publish a case study about a patient. To comply with ethical standards, the SLP must: → Obtain written informed consent from the patient before publication
22. Neurogenic acquired stuttering most commonly results from lesions in which brain region? → Basal ganglia and thalamus
23. Which of the following disorders affects understanding spoken language? → Receptive language disorder
24. Which IDDSI food texture level is described as 'soft, tender, moist, and easily mashed with the tongue against the palate without chewing'? → IDDSI Level 6 (Soft & Bite-Sized)
25. The Mendelsohn maneuver is designed to improve swallowing safety and efficiency primarily by: → Prolonging hyolaryngeal elevation to extend UES opening duration
26. A school-based SLP wants to provide telepractice services to students across state lines. What is the PRIMARY licensure consideration? → The SLP must be licensed in the state where the client is physically located
27. In AAC, 'core vocabulary' refers to: → High-frequency words used across multiple contexts by most communicators
28. Semantic compaction (Minspeak) is an AAC encoding strategy in which: → Sequences of multi-meaning icons are combined to represent words and phrases
29. Which assessment tool uses caregiver report and is commonly used to screen language development in children from birth to 3 years? → MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MB-CDI)
30. When selecting treatment goals for an adult with TBI who has cognitive-communication deficits, which factor should be prioritized in treatment planning? → The client's functional communication needs and participation goals