Table 2 Measures of pragmatic abilities

Direct assessment

Test of Pragmatic Language (Phelps-Terasaki and Phelps-Gunn, 1992) [43]

6:0–18:11

Yes

Measures six core subcomponents of pragmatics: physical setting, audience, topic, purpose (speech acts), visual-gestural cues, and abstraction

This test provides quotients, percentile ranks, and age equivalents, calculated at each 6-month interval. The summary score, called the Language Quotient, is expressed as a standard score with a mean of 100 (SD = 15). A cutoff score of 79 was chosen as indicating pragmatic impairment

Pragmatic Rating Scale (Landa, 1992) [30]

9:0 and above

No

Identifies 19 pragmatic behaviors. Ratings are based on conversational behavior observed throughout the session, including a 15-min conversation (during ADOS)

Each pragmatic behavior is rated on a three point scale, with 0 indicating normal behavior, 1 indicating moderately abnormal behavior not considerably disruptive to the conversation, and 2 indicating that the behavior was strikingly abnormal

Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language (Carrow-Woolfolk, 1999) [44]

3:0–21:0

Yes

An omnibus test of general verbal language. Four subtests are designed to assess pragmatics: pragmatic judgment, idiomatic language, nonliteral language, and inference

Provides standard scores (M = 100, SD = 15), age equivalents, and percentiles

Rating scales

Children’s Communication Checklist (Bishop, 2003) [47]

4:0–16:11

Yes

70-item questionnaire that measures structural language (speech, syntax, semantics, and coherence) and pragmatic language (initiation, scripted, context, nonverbal communication, social relations, and interests)

The five pragmatic scales can be combined into a pragmatic composite. A pragmatic composite score ≤132 best identified children with pragmatic language impairment

The Pragmatics Profile of Everyday Communication Skills in Children (Dewart and Summers, 1995) [48]

Preschool version: birth to 4:0. School-age version: 5:0–10:0

No

Interview that measures four areas of pragmatics: communicative function, response to communication, interaction and conversation, and contextual variation

Provides descriptive information only used to identify strengths and weaknesses and to develop treatment goals

Language Use Inventory (O’Neill, 2002) [49]

1:6–3:11

Yes

Fourteen subscales assessing communication with gestures, words, and longer sentences for a variety of functions

Provides percentile ranks for 1-month age bands

Pragmatic Protocol (Prutting and Kirchner, 1987) [46]

5:0 and above

No

Rating scale completed after observing spontaneous and unstructured conversation which measures verbal, nonverbal, and paralinguistic aspects of pragmatic language

Provides descriptive information (appropriate, inappropriate, or no opportunity to observe) for 30 items