8 Observation
It is important to observe the client in a variety of settings. For a school SLP, it is ideal to observe the child in multiple contexts throughout the school day. The child should be observed during both structured and unstructured times, with a variety of interlocutors, including teachers and peers. Observing the child with unfamiliar interlocutors, when possible, also can be valuable, as familiar listeners may have adapted to the child’s communication patterns and understand the child despite the language errors produced. Familiar partners also may adapt their own communication in order to facilitate the child’s understanding. This is excellent, but may not provide a complete picture of the child’s comprehension ability. It is useful to observe the child during different times of day, as some children perform best in the morning and other perform best later in the day. Seeing the range of the child’s communication behaviors provides insight into treatment planning, including best times of the day to work with the child.
In the classroom, some behaviors to observe include how long the child remains on task, whether the child follows verbal directions, whether the child volunteers answers to questions, and the accuracy of the child’s answers. When observing the following of directions, note whether the child needs to look around and see what peers are doing prior to following a direction. Some children are able to compensate for language deficits by watching others. This is a good compensatory strategy, but we want the child to be able to understand the language, too. If possible, observing the child during collaborative times with other students can provide insight into their peer-to-peer interactions. During group work, the clinician can ascertain whether the child offers solutions to problems, initiates communication, takes turns appropriately, successfully provides and requests conversational repair, and resolves conflicts appropriately.
Observation during a free time, such as recess or lunch, can provide information about the child’s social interactions. Does the child get invited to join groups? Does the child initiate interactions? Does the child participate with groups or hang back? How do peers respond to the child? Do peers understand the child? How does the child respond to peers? Does the child understand peers? How does the child resolve conflict?
Observations are critical for the assessment of pragmatics, which is difficult to evaluate via standardized assessments. At times, children can accurately describe what to do on a standardized assessment of pragmatics, but do not actually carry out appropriate social interactions in the moment.
Here are links to forms that can be used to observe children in the classroom: http://c772064.r64.cf2.rackcdn.com/event/03800/03893/3279229-classroom-observation.pdf
https://www.bath.k12.ky.us/docs/Behavior%20Observation%20Speech-Language%201%20Checklist%20.pdf
https://www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk/media/93866/tct_bcrp_csc_final.pdf