Using a language sample for non-standardized assessment has quietly become one of the most powerful tools available to speech language pathologists. Yet despite its importance, many clinicians still feel overwhelmed by the process. Between collecting the sample, transcribing it, analyzing it, and writing it into a report, language sampling can feel like something we want to do more often but struggle to fit into the realities of our workload.
That is unfortunate because language sampling gives us something standardized tests often cannot. It gives us a real picture of how a child communicates in authentic situations. In only a few minutes, we can learn about expressive language, receptive language, narrative skills, intelligibility, vocabulary, fluency, and even social language.
The challenge is not whether language samples are useful. The challenge is having a clear system.
This article walks through the seven essential steps for conducting a language sample from beginning to end. Whether you are brand new to language sampling or looking to make the process faster and more organized, these steps will help create a workflow that is both practical and clinically meaningful. To get an overview of the process, watch this video:
What Is a Language Sample?
A language sample is a collection of a child’s spontaneous communication gathered during conversation, storytelling, play, or retell activities. Instead of measuring isolated skills, a language sample allows us to see how communication systems work together in real time.
This is one of the reasons language samples are so valuable during evaluations. A single sample can reveal sentence complexity, vocabulary use, grammar, narrative organization, intelligibility, and conversational skills all at once.
Unlike standardized tests, language samples also allow us to evaluate children in more culturally and linguistically responsive ways. We can observe how a child communicates naturally instead of relying only on performance within rigid testing conditions.
Step 1: Gather the Language Sample
The first step is deciding how you want to elicit communication. There are four primary ways that speech language pathologists commonly gather language samples.
Wordless Picture Books
Wordless picture books remain one of the most effective tools for eliciting narrative language. Because there are no printed words, children are free to generate their own language instead of focusing on reading. Books such as the Mercer Mayer frog stories, Flotsam, Chalk, and The Arrival are favorites among SLPs because they contain clear sequences, strong visual supports, and opportunities for complex storytelling.
Resource: Our favorites can be found here: 25 Wordless Picture Books for Speech-Language Assessments
Sequencing Cards
Sequencing cards provide visual structure and can be especially helpful for children who struggle to organize narratives independently. Many SLPs use SLAM cards or similar resources because they include prompts and support materials.
One caution with sequencing cards is that very short picture sequences may not produce enough utterances for a robust analysis. In these cases, combining several activities can help generate more language.
Resource: SLAM Cards are currently our favorite with a nod towards SLAM cards because of how many languages they are translated into.
Conversation
Conversational samples allow us to gather highly natural language. The key is using open ended prompts that encourage elaboration rather than yes or no responses. Strong conversational topics include personal experiences, storytelling, emotional situations, problem solving, sequencing events, and discussing relationships or favorite activities.
Resource: We created a download to help out here: Collecting a Conversational Language Sample
Play Based Sampling
Play based sampling is essential for younger children and students who communicate more naturally during movement and interaction. Structured play routines can reveal rich expressive language while reducing testing anxiety.
Activities such as pretend play, communication temptations, barrier games, construction tasks, and turn taking games all create opportunities for spontaneous language.
Resource: We did the same thing again with PLAY and organized the 8 best ways to engage in play in this download: Collecting a Conversational Sample Through Play
Step 2: Transcribe the Language Sample
Once the sample is collected, it needs to be transcribed. This is often the step that discourages clinicians from using language samples regularly. Many SLPs wait until after the session to transcribe recordings. The problem is that this creates a large amount of extra work later.
One practical strategy is to type during the session while the child speaks. This works especially well with younger children or students producing shorter utterances. Afterward, the recording can be reviewed quickly to fill in missed information.
The goal is not perfection during collection. The goal is creating a system that allows language sampling to realistically happen within busy caseloads.
Step 3: Analyze the Language Sample
Once the transcript is complete, the analysis begins. This is where the language sample becomes clinically powerful. There are two major areas to analyze.
Narrative Structure
Narrative analysis focuses on the overall organization of the story. We look for components such as:
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- Characters
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- Setting
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- Problem
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- Attempts to solve the problem
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- Sequencing
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- Resolution
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- Ending
Narrative structure gives us insight into academic language abilities and higher level language organization.
Grammatical and Linguistic Features
Microstructure analysis focuses on the grammar and language features within the sample itself.
This includes:
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- Sentence length
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- Verb tense
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- Pronouns
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- Articles
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- Adjectives
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- Vocabulary diversity
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- Grammatical accuracy
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- Sentence complexity
The analysis often reveals patterns that standardized tests alone may not capture. We have a 2-page piece of paper that has macrostructure (narratives) and microstructure (grammar) on each side.
Resource: Avaliação de narrativas ficcionais
Step 4: Gather a Second Language Sample
Sometimes the first language sample does not provide enough information. This is especially true for bilingual students or children who have limited experience telling stories. In these situations, a second language sample is extremely important.
The purpose of a second sample is to determine whether weak performance reflects a true language disorder or simply unfamiliarity with storytelling expectations. This is where retells become incredibly valuable.
Resource: You can learn why gathering a second language sample is so important by watching the video above.
Step 5: Compare Storytelling and Retelling
In a storytelling task, the child generates language independently. In a retell task, the clinician first models the story and then asks the child to retell it.
The difference between these two samples can provide powerful diagnostic information.
Children with typical language abilities often show rapid improvement after teaching and modeling. Their second sample becomes longer, more organized, and grammatically stronger.
Children with true language impairments tend to show far less change even after support is provided.
For bilingual students, this process is especially important because language differences can sometimes resemble disorder during an unsupported storytelling task.
Resource: We suggest making a simple chart like this one and comparing the elements from the Assessment of Fictional Narratives.
Step 6: Assess Generalization
Generalization is optional but incredibly useful in difficult cases.
After teaching narrative structure or language strategies, the clinician introduces a completely new story or activity. The goal is to determine whether the child can independently apply what they learned.
This step is particularly valuable when:
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- Eligibility decisions are unclear
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- Teams disagree about qualification
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- Parents or teachers report concerns that differ from testing results
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- The clinician wants stronger confidence before dismissal
Generalization tasks provide insight into learning potential and functional language use.
Step 7: Write Up the Language Sample
The final step is integrating the findings into the evaluation report.
Strong language sample write ups typically include:
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- A brief explanation of why language sampling was used
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- The transcript itself
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- Narrative analysis findings
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- Grammatical analysis findings
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- Interpretation of the results
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- Comparison between samples if applicable
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- A summary statement explaining clinical significance
Including transcripts in reports is extremely valuable for teachers, parents, and future SLPs. It gives readers direct insight into how the child communicates and often makes recommendations much easier to understand.
Resource: Download this sample report – Language Sample Write Up.
Why Language Sampling Matters More Than Ever
Language sampling is no longer something extra that only a few clinicians do. It has become an essential part of evaluating diverse learners accurately and responsibly. As school populations become increasingly multilingual and culturally diverse, SLPs need assessment methods that reflect authentic communication. Language samples allow us to move beyond isolated scores and understand how children truly use language.
The process may seem intimidating at first, but once clinicians develop a repeatable system, language sampling often becomes one of the most informative and efficient parts of the evaluation.