SLP Assessment Techniques & Diagnostic Procedures 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which instrumental swallowing assessment provides real-time visualization of bolus transit through the pharynx and esophagus?
- Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES)
- Videofluoroscopic Swallow Study (VFSS) (Correct answer)
- Cervical auscultation
- Bedside clinical swallow evaluation
Correct answer: Videofluoroscopic Swallow Study (VFSS)
VFSS (modified barium swallow study) uses fluoroscopy to view the entire swallow in real time, including the esophageal phase.
Question 2: When administering the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) for communication assessment, the SLP is primarily evaluating:
- Phonological accuracy
- Social communication and interaction behaviors (Correct answer)
- Receptive vocabulary age equivalents
- Fluency and stuttering frequency
Correct answer: Social communication and interaction behaviors
The ADOS-2 is a semi-structured observation tool that assesses social communication and interaction to support ASD diagnosis.
Question 3: A mean length of utterance (MLU) of 3.5 morphemes in a language sample from a 4-year-old is best interpreted as:
- Significantly above age expectations
- Within normal developmental range for age
- Significantly below age expectations (Correct answer)
- Uninterpretable without a standardized test
Correct answer: Significantly below age expectations
By age 4, typical MLU is approximately 4.5–5.0 morphemes; an MLU of 3.5 falls below the expected range.
Question 4: During FEES, 'white-out' occurs when the epiglottis inverts and the larynx elevates, causing temporary loss of endoscopic view. This phase corresponds to:
- The oral preparatory phase
- The pharyngeal swallow (Correct answer)
- The esophageal phase
- The oral transport phase
Correct answer: The pharyngeal swallow
White-out during FEES coincides with the pharyngeal swallow when laryngeal elevation and epiglottic inversion block the camera view.
Question 5: The stimulability testing of an error sound provides information about:
- The child's phonological awareness
- The likelihood of improvement with intervention (Correct answer)
- The underlying neurological cause of the error
- Parent report of home production
Correct answer: The likelihood of improvement with intervention
A stimulable error sound suggests the child can produce it with cues, indicating a better prognosis for treatment success.
Question 6: Which feature distinguishes the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF-5) Screener from the full CELF-5 battery?
- The screener uses dynamic assessment procedures
- The screener provides a pass/fail decision rather than standard scores (Correct answer)
- The screener is normed only on children under 6
- The screener evaluates phonology, not language
Correct answer: The screener provides a pass/fail decision rather than standard scores
The CELF-5 Screener yields a pass/fail outcome to quickly identify who needs further evaluation, not diagnostic standard scores.
Question 7: In a connected speech fluency analysis, which measure best captures the proportion of stuttering-like disfluencies (SLDs) in a sample?
- Overall disfluency rate
- Percent syllables stuttered (%SS) (Correct answer)
- Number of words per minute
- Phonation threshold pressure
Correct answer: Percent syllables stuttered (%SS)
Percent syllables stuttered (%SS) specifically quantifies stuttering-like disfluencies (part-word repetitions, prolongations, blocks) per syllable spoken.
SLP Assessment Techniques & Diagnostic Procedures 3
Which instrumental swallowing assessment provides real-time visualization of bolus transit through the pharynx and esophagus?