CASL-2 Subtest Descriptions

This article is for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) looking for more information on the CASL assessment, including CASL-2 subtest descriptions. 

The CASL language assessment focuses on four distinct categories within spoken language. It measures knowledge and use of language with 14 stand-alone tests that can be administered individually or in combination. 

In this article we’ll break down the 14 CASL test descriptions, explain how to interpret and analyze CASL results, and review how to identify a language disorder. 

Assessing expressive and receptive language skills is a key component of any formal speech and language evaluation. That’s why most SLPs have a go-to standardized test that captures critical data about verbal skills across a variety of domains. 

SLPs can make it easy for clients to pay, book appointments, and more with SimplePractice’s EHR for SLPs that offers a streamlined, user-friendly experience.

What is the CASL test? 

The Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language – Second Edition (CASL-2) is often a top pick for speech pathologists who seek to better understand pediatric oral language abilities. 

The CASL was first published in 1999, with an updated edition available in 2017. This norm-referenced test is based on author Elizabeth Carrow-Woolfolk’s Integrated Language Theory. This theory also underlies Carrow-Woolfolk’s popular Oral and Written Language Scales-Second Edition (OWLS-II) test. 

While the OWLS-II offers a glimpse of both oral and written language abilities, the CASL assessment was uniquely developed to measure spoken language skills with greater breadth and depth.

The CASL-2 can be administered on clients ages 3-21 years old. Each of its 14 subtests takes approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. 

To obtain a General Language Ability Index score, SLPs must administer 4-5 subtests (depending on the client’s age), which takes about 45 minutes. 

4 structural categories measured by the assessment

The CASL-2 subtest descriptions go hand-in-hand with the four structural categories measured by the assessment as a whole: 

• Lexical/Semantic: Use and knowledge of words in isolation and in combination
  
• Syntactic: Grammar use and knowledge
  
• Supralinguistic: Use and knowledge of complex language in which meaning cannot be derived from surface-level syntactic or lexical information
  
• Pragmatic language: Use and knowledge of appropriate language depending on social context and ability to adapt language to match the context

In addition to 14 individual subtest scores, the CASL assessment offers six index scores: General Language Ability, Receptive Language, Expressive Language, Lexical/Semantic, Syntactic, and Supralinguistic. 

Now, let’s dive into the individual CASL test descriptions to better contextualize the test as a whole. 

What are the CASL-2 subtest descriptions? 

If you’re an SLP looking for an overview of CASL-2 subtest descriptions, you’ve come to the right place. 

Each of the 14 CASL-2 tests belongs to one of the four categories measured by the assessment. 

The second edition CASL test descriptions are as follows:

Lexical/semantic category

Receptive vocabulary

Receptive vocabulary measures auditory comprehension of basic concepts. Items are presented verbally with a picture stimulus, and the client must select the target word that best matches the prompt from multiple choice options.

Antonyms

Antonyms measure a client’s ability to identify words with an opposite meaning from the stimulus word and to produce a word with an opposite meaning from the stimulus.

Synonyms

Synonyms measure recognition of words with the same meaning when the client is provided a stimulus word and four synonym options.

Expressive vocabulary

Expressive vocabulary measures a client’s ability to retrieve and express the target word that best completes a sentence across stimulus items with and without pictures.

Idiomatic language

Idiomatic language measures knowledge and expression of American English idioms. Clients are presented with a phrase representing part of a common idiom and must identify and express the missing word that completes the idiom.

Syntactic category

Sentence expression

Sentence expression measures appropriate use of grammatical morphemes, word order, and sentence structure. After listening to a stimulus item alongside a picture, clients must formulate and express single word, phrase, or sentence-length responses. 

Grammatical morphemes

Grammatical morphemes measure a client’s knowledge of word parts (morphemes) that indicate plurals, pronouns, possessives, and other forms of meaning. 

Sentence comprehension

Sentence comprehension measures comprehension of varying sentence types of increasing complexity, from simple to compound to embedded declarative sentences containing structures like indirect objects, passive voice, and negatives. 

Clients must demonstrate an understanding of sentences based on changes in word order and determine whether syntactically different sentences express the same meaning. 

Grammaticality judgment

Grammaticality judgment measures a client’s ability to identify and correct grammatical errors in sentences involving concepts such as verb tense, noun-verb agreement, and irregular forms. 

Supralinguistic category

Non-literal language

Non-literal language measures comprehension of spoken messages containing figurative speech, indirect requests, and sarcasm—among other forms of non-literal language. After listening to the stimulus item, the client must explain the meaning of the non-literal language. 

Meaning from context

Meaning from context measures a client’s ability to interpret the meaning of an unknown word using context clues within a sentence. Clients must explain the meaning of the unfamiliar word using linguistic context contained within the stimulus item. 

Inference 

Interference measures a client’s ability to draw from background knowledge to interpret the meaning of a sentence. A situation is described with omitted information, and the client must answer the stimulus question by integrating world knowledge and experience.

Double meaning

Double meaning measures comprehension and expression of two possible meanings for a single word or sentence. After listening to the stimulus item, the client must respond with two possible interpretations of its meaning. 

Pragmatic category

Pragmatic judgment

Pragmatic judgment measures knowledge and use of appropriate language in various social contexts. Clients must judge the appropriateness of language given a specific scenario and describe the appropriate thing to say or do in that context. 

Interpreting and applying CASL-2 results

The CASL-2 can help SLPs identify a language disorder. It’s well-suited to delineate between receptive language disorder, expressive language disorder, and mixed receptive-expressive language disorder. 

A glimpse of the CASL-2 subtest descriptions makes it clear that this assessment measures many different aspects of oral language. So, how can clinicians interpret test scores to recognize clients’ needs, make appropriate recommendations, and drive better therapy outcomes? 

Clients will receive a standard score for each CASL-2 subtest administered. 

Scores between 85-115 are considered within the “average” range, with a mean standard score of 100. A score from 70-85 falls within the “mild” range, 55-70 within the “moderate” range, and scores below 55 are deemed “severe.”

By contrasting a client’s performance on each of the CASL subtests, speech therapists can identify their client’s strengths and weaknesses. 

Calculating the General Language Ability Index score gives a holistic picture of oral language skills across core CASL subtests.

SLPs can use the Receptive Language Index Score, Expressive Language Index Score, and categorical index scores like Lexical/Semantic, Syntactic, and Supralinguistic to further explore and refine an individual’s diagnosis and therapy goals. The CASL-2 subtest descriptions can guide clinicians in identifying areas of need and developing therapeutic objectives. 

How to identify a language disorder

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) describes a spoken language disorder as “a persistent difficulty in the acquisition and use of listening and speaking skills across any of the five language domains: phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.” 

Language disorders are typically marked by delays in early speech and language skills. They may exist in isolation or alongside diagnoses such as autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, or ADHD. 

Since the term “language disorder” encompasses deficits across a broad range of linguistic skills, a formal assessment like the CASL-2 can support SLPs in making a clear diagnosis. 

Beyond the use of a standardized assessment like the CASL, comprehensive evaluation to identify a child language disorder may also include:

• Case history
• Oral-mechanism examination
• Language sampling
• Dynamic assessment 
• Naturalistic observation

Clinicians can dial in on specific areas of need in receptive, expressive, and pragmatic language using the 14 CASL-2 subtest descriptions. With a deeper, nuanced understanding of client performance, it’s easier to hone in on therapy goals. 

The result? More productive sessions and a faster path to meaningful progress.

Sources

1. ASHA, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Spoken Language Disorders. 

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