Targets critical areas of language development often included in IEPs and Treatment Plans.

Patricia Hamaguchi and Deborah Ross-Swain

•  Age Range:  5 through 12 years
• Time:  One hour or less
• Restricted Use:  Level B

The RESCA-E was developed to provide essential information to professionals, and parents, about a child’s receptive, expressive and social communication language skills.  It assesses areas of language development that had previous been difficult, or impossible, to objectively measure in elementary-school children.

The RESCA-E combines standardized tests, with informal observation across different settings, to give a more complete picture of a child’s communication skills.  It has 14 components, organized into three cores.  Subtests can be selectively utilized to target specific skill areas.  The three cores, their component subtests, and associated supplemental subtests are:

RECEPTIVE CORE

Three subtests target receptive language at the word, sentence and narrative levels:

• Comprehension of Vocabulary
• Comprehension of Oral Direction
• Comprehension of Stories and Questions

Receptive Supplemental Subtests

• Comprehension of Basic Morphology and Syntax
• Executing Oral Directions

EXPRESSIVE CORE

Three subtests target expressive language at the word, sentence and narrative levels:

• Expressive Labeling of Vocabulary
• Expressive Skills for Describing and Explaining
• Narrative Skills

Expressive Supplemental Subtest

• Expressive Use of Basic Morphology and Syntax

SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CORE

Three subtests are supplemented by one optional subtest (Elicited Body Language) and an observational scale, to provide information about a child’s “testable” social-language knowledge, and the child’s observed social behavior, in the real world.

• Comprehension of Body Language and Vocal Emotion
• Social and Language Inference
• Situational Language Use

Social Communication Subtest:

• Elicited Body Language

Social Communication Observational Scale:

• Social Communication Inventory (SCI)

The Social Communication Inventory (SCI) is a 28-item behavior rating scale that gathers information on how a child interacts with others, across settings.  It provides a more holistic picture of a child’s social communication skills, and can be completed by either parents or professionals.

Scoring

The RESCA-E provides scaled scores for subtests; standard scores for cores and the overall score. Discrepancy scores allow comparison of performance across subtests.

The RESCA-E Kit includes Receptive, Expressive and Social Communication Test Plates, 20 each of the Record Forms, Social Communication Inventories and Picture Worksheets, an Administration CD and accessories, Administration and Technical Manuals.