Dynamic assessment of communication disorders (Bamford et al., 2022)

<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The aim of this systematic scoping review was to identify the elements that exist in dynamic assessments of communication in children, synthesize and arrange them into a framework, and investigate how these elements have been used in published literature.</p> <p><strong>Method:</strong> Seven databases were searched using clusters of keywords themed around “dynamic assessment,” “communication,” and “children.” Papers were reviewed against eligibility criteria by two independent reviewers at both title/abstract and full-text screening stages. Data charting included information about study design and the methodological characteristics of identified dynamic assessments.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong> Sixty-five papers met inclusion criteria. Dynamic assessments were used in a range of areas of communication and used diverse methodologies. A total of 23 elements were identified and formulated into a Dynamic Assessment Framework, arranged into eight categories within two broad domains. A majority of assessments utilized prompting or cueing as instruction (54%), provided a predetermined amount of instruction (55%), measured child performance (63%), and were prescripted (60%).</p> <p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Dynamic assessments are complex. Utilizing a dynamic assessment in clinical practice or research requires a deep understanding of the purpose, clinical population, implementation, and data collection and measurement requirements. From our review of research involving dynamic assessments of communication in children, there is a need for greater transparency of reporting of the elements comprising dynamic assessments. The Dynamic Assessment Framework presented in this review article offers researchers and clinicians a way to have transparent discussions and extend our collective insights into the value of dynamic assessment of children’s communication skills.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Supplemental Material S1. </strong>Characteristics of included assessments.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Bamford, C. K. Masso, S., Baker, E., & Ballard, K. J. (2022). Dynamic assessment for children with communication disorders: A systematic scoping review and framework. <em>American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology.</em> Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_AJSLP-21-00349</p>