RESOURCE REVIEWS / HERES ONE

practice, a spontaneous language sample is recommended to supplement standardised assessment. I found the scoring fairly straightforward. The standard scores format has changed since the RDLS III, and are now Wechsler-style scores with a mean of 100, and a standard deviation of 15. This makes an easier comparison to other assessments, particularly in reports.

Sometime you naughty

I used the NRDLS with Tom, aged 4;9, who has a diagnosis of specific language impairment and some dysfluency. The purpose of the assessment (figure 1) was to evaluate progress following therapy, and plan the next steps. Toms comprehension scale score, although still within normal limits for his age, was lower than when previously assessed with the RDLS III (at C.A. 4;0, he obtained a percentile rank of 56, age equivalent 4;1-4;2), which I feel reflects the greater emphasis on morphology of the NRDLS; he found the verb morphology and pronoun sections difficult, mirroring the difficulties seen in his spontaneous language. His production scale score was as expected, and was specific in identifying Toms needs. We will now target his understanding and use of -ed past tenses and pronouns in therapy. Tom appeared to enjoy the assessment, particularly telling the monkey what to do, even commenting sometime you naughty when he saw a picture of the monkey kicking a box. He began to lose concentration towards the end. The authors note this can be a common experience with children with language impairments, and we should consider completing the test over two sessions as appropriate. The Multilingual Toolkit is a useful addition, and the experience and knowledge of the authors shines through. They describe a range of research literature and use examples from different languages to illustrate how each section of the NRDLS could be adapted culturally and linguistically for children who speak languages other than English. Although they cannot provide an assessment for a different language, they present issues to consider whether you are contemplating adapting the assessment for a research project or for just one child. Louise Tweedie is a specialist speech and language therapist (Early Years) with East Cheshire NHS Trust.
References Edwards, S., Fletcher, P., Garman, M., Hughes, A., Letts, C. & Sinka, I. (1997) Reynell Developmental Language Scales (3rd edn). Windsor: Nfer Nelson. Law, J. (1999) Its not just the pigsa comment on the RDLS III, International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders 34(2), pp.181-184. Rice, M. & Wexler, K. (1996) Towards tense as a clinical marker of specific language impairment in Englishspeaking children, Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research 39(6), pp.1239-1257.

Alison Roberts came up with Heres one I made earlier in 2003. She has generously inspired us with an incredible 70 low cost, flexible and fun therapy suggestions - and still the ideas keep flowing... End of course recap cards
MATERIALS A4 size blank card (coloured if you like) A5 envelope Pen and felt-tips

Heres one I made earlier...

These are good for reminders of course content, without being so formal as homework. They also add to parents information of what their child has been learning about.

IN PRACTICE 1. Fold the piece of card to make it A5 sized. 2. For the front, choose a simple and appropriate outline that is relevant to the school term or the clients interest. Draw, for example, a Christmas tree, a sun with rays, an oval shape, a heraldic shield, or the outline of a Dalek. 3. Decorate the shape by writing inside and around it the topics covered during that phase of work. For example, you could write Body language inside the Christmas tree, and add the words eye contact, smiling, waving, high fives and handshake as baubles on the branches. 4. Your client could add colours before they take it home.

Here are many Avril made earlier

MATERIALS Supreme energy Lateral thinking Determination Encouragement Good sense of humour Magnificent networking skills Wise editorship Fantastic comment and editorial work Gift of inspiring others Knowledge of the profession and what we like and need PREPARATION Set aside plenty of late nights Find brilliant staff to help Let writers know what sort of articles are needed Encourage contributors (this can change a contributors life!)

Over 14 years Speech & Language Therapy in Practice editor Avril Nicoll has created an absolutely brilliant magazine for us to read, study, and enjoy. How did she do it? This is a guess but, at the risk of embarrassing her, I think it goes something like this... Judge which articles are most relevant to the readership Proofread and tweak with a light touch Coax reviewers Write fluently and informatively Cope with financial matters Find advertisers IN PRACTICE Keep it all purring along by setting the print date and establishing deadlines Lay out the magazine so the readers are drawn in Approve the final version, take a deep breath, and send it off to the printer Arrange distribution, and promotional copies to expand the readership Relax for a tiny moment, then go off again, with the same steps. Then again. And again.. !

And finally

So huge thanks Avril, you have informed and entertained me for years with the magazine, and on top of that youve set me off in a new direction. Im now happily awaiting the arrival of the prints of my first book Heres one I made earlier (www.speechmark.net/heres-one-i-madeearlier-15016), a compilation of the articles Ive written for Speech & Language Therapy in Practice.
SPEECH & LANGUAGE THERAPY IN PRACTICE WINTER 2011

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