New Reynell Developmental Language Scales

The New Reynell Developmental Language Scales is an assessment used by speech and language therapists to assess the comprehension and production of verbal language in children aged 3 years to 7 years 6 months. The assessment will help identify any language difficulties a child may be experiencing.

Speech and language therapy can help children who struggle with comprehension and or production of verbal language to increase their language skills and improve their overall production. Our speech and language therapists will use the information from the assessment to create an individualised therapy programme that works on improving your child’s language difficulties.

• Identifies difficulties with comprehension and production of verbal language.
• Takes a mixed play and book based approach to assessment, keeping children’s attention and motivation through the assessment.
• Can be used to inform an individualised therapy plan.

The New Reynell Developmental Language Scales can be used by the speech and language therapist to identify a language delay or impairment in either or in both comprehension and production of verbal language. The information from the assessment can be used to create a therapy programme that works on improving the language skills highlighted as a difficulty during the assessment.

Find out more…

• What will the New Reynell Developmental Language Scales assess?
• Why is a New Reynell Developmental Language Scales needed?
• Typical conditions that require a New Reynell Developmental Language Scales
• What information will I receive following a New Reynell Developmental Language Scales?
• Treatment following a New Reynell Developmental Language Scales
• Summary

The New Reynell Developmental Language Scales assesses children’s ability to understand spoken language and produce verbal language. The assessment is carried out using both toys and a picture booklet to elicit responses. The assessment assesses the following language skills:

• Selecting objects (comprehension).
• Naming objects (production).
• Relating two objects (comprehension and production).
• Verbs (comprehension and production).
• Sentence building (comprehension and production).
• Verb morphology (comprehension and production).
• Pronouns (comprehension and production).
• Complex sentences (comprehension and production).
• Inferencing (comprehension).
• Grammar judgement (production).

Children’s language grows and develops as children get older, difficulties with early language skills can often impact children’s academic and social development. Children who struggle with comprehension and production of verbal language may find it difficult to understand instructions from parents or teachers or struggle to understand their peers. They may also find it difficult to express their thoughts in a way that can be understood be others. This can lead to children feeling isolated or frustrated. The New Reynell Developmental Language Scales help identify any areas of language children may struggle with, this information can be used by the speech and language therapists to increase children’s language abilities to stop them impacting the child’s development.

Below are some of the common conditions the New Reynell Developmental Language Scales is used for:

• Aphasia
• Acquired head / brain injury
• Autism spectrum disorder
• High-functioning autism
• Learning disability
• Down's syndrome
• Stroke
• Specific language impairment
• Developmental delay

Our speech and language therapists work with all children who have difficulties with their language skills, including children with a diagnosis for a particular condition or difficulty as well as those children who have not been diagnosed or identified with a specific condition. Our speech and language therapists use the information from the assessment to create a therapy programme that works on improving the language skills they find difficult and include their motivators and goals.

Once your child has completed the New Reynell Developmental Language Scales our speech and language therapist will give you a summary of what the assessment has shown. You may request a detailed report after an assessment about the information that has been gained. The detailed report will explain how your child’s language difficulties may impact their communication, understanding of spoken language, verbal production and learning skills. The report will also include a therapy programme and recommendations from our speech and language therapist on how to improve your child’s language as well as how best to communicate with them.

Some of the available language therapy treatments are listed below:

• Language group
• Receptive language therapy
• Expressive language therapy
• Strategies, advice and training for parents, carers, teachers and other professionals

We offer a wide range of treatments, if you feel that your child could benefit from a certain therapy programme contact our speech and language therapist for more details. Email office@sltforkids.co.uk or call us on 0330 088 2298.

In summary the New Reynell Developmental Language Scales can be used by the speech and language therapist to identify language difficulties in both comprehension and production of verbal language in children.

Our speech and language therapists will use the information from the assessment to create a unique therapy programme that works on improving the language skills your child is struggling with. If you would like more information on the assessment please email office@sltforkids.co.uk or call on 0330 088 2298.