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. Cognitive load theory is relevant to social communication intervention because: → High cognitive load reduces available resources for social monitoring and regulation
2. Which of the following is a PRIMARY barrier to successful AAC adoption reported in the research literature? → Lack of trained communication partners
3. During aural rehabilitation, a clinician uses the CLEAR strategy. What does the 'E' in CLEAR stand for? → Emphasize key words
4. The Dynamic Systems Theory of motor speech development emphasizes: → Interaction among multiple subsystems including articulatory, respiratory, and phonatory
5. A 6-year-old child cannot retell the sequence of events in a story she just heard. This difficulty is most likely related to: → Narrative macrostructure comprehension
6. A clinical report indicating that a child scored at the 7th percentile on a norm-referenced language test most directly means: → The child performed better than only 7% of same-age peers
7. The Van Riper technique of 'cancellation' involves: → Stopping mid-stutter, pausing, and reattempting the word with controlled stuttering
8. During the acoustic analysis of voice, jitter refers to: → Cycle-to-cycle variation in fundamental frequency
9. An SLP working with a client with dementia focuses on supported conversation techniques. The PRIMARY goal is to: → Maximize communicative participation and dignity despite cognitive decline
10. An SLP is writing a SOAP note. In which section should the clinician document the client's response to treatment activities? → Objective
11. Which aphasia type is characterized by severely impaired fluency, comprehension, and repetition across all language modalities? → Global aphasia
12. Which motor learning principle supports using variable practice (multiple targets in one session) rather than blocked practice for generalization? → Contextual interference effect
13. Which communication strategy is MOST recommended when interacting with individuals in the late stage of dementia? → Using simplified language, yes/no questions, and non-verbal cues
14. A 5-year-old uses the word 'yesterday' to refer to any time in the past, including last year. This reflects immature development in which domain? → Temporal semantics
15. The primary difference between penetration and aspiration on the Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) is defined by: → Whether material passes below the level of the true vocal folds
16. The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) primarily measures: → Receptive vocabulary
17. A clinician uses criterion-referenced assessment rather than norm-referenced assessment. The primary benefit is: → It identifies a client's skills relative to a defined standard or goal
18. Which feature of a speech-generating device (SGD) allows the user to build words letter by letter? → Alphabet-based access
19. The demands and capacities model (Starkweather) proposes that stuttering emerges when: → Environmental and internal demands for fluency exceed the child's capacities
20. A patient presents with difficulty initiating speech, effortful groping of articulators, and inconsistent sound errors. The MOST likely diagnosis is: → Apraxia of speech
21. A child with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) would most likely show which audiological profile? → Present OAEs with absent or abnormal ABR
22. Which of the following is an example of a fast-mapping error in young children's word learning? → Saying 'doggie' for all four-legged animals
23. Which of the following speech-language pathologists is/was NOT a specialist in the field of stuttering? → Daniel R. Boone
24. A velopharyngeal closure assessment that provides direct visualization of the velopharyngeal port during speech is: → Nasopharyngoscopy
25. A child who produces /w/ for /r/ and /j/ for /l/ is demonstrating which phonological process, and at what age should it resolve? → Gliding of liquids; resolves by age 5-6
26. An adult with traumatic brain injury has intact phonology and syntax but produces verbose, tangential discourse with poor cohesion. The primary deficit is in: → Discourse-level language organization
27. A child consistently reverses pronouns (uses 'you' when meaning 'I'). This is most commonly associated with: → Autism spectrum disorder
28. In the Lidcombe Program, what is the primary role of the parent? → Providing structured verbal contingencies for stuttered and fluent speech at home
29. Which approach is MOST evidence-based for improving expressive syntax in school-age children with language impairment? → Recasting with focused stimulation on target structures
30. When conducting a feature matching assessment for AAC, the SLP compares: → Client needs and abilities to device characteristics