Overview
The Preschool Language Scale Fifth Edition (PLS-5; Zimmerman, Steiner, & Pond, 2011) is an individually-administered, norm-referenced, play-based instrument that assesses developmental language skills in children from birth to 7 years, 11 months. The PLS-5 provides standard scores, growth scores, language age equivalents, and percentile rank scores. It is useful for tracking progress across time. The instrument includes manipulatives for use in test administration. The areas assessed are Attention; Play; Gesture; Vocal Development; Social Communication; Semantics; Language Structure; Integrative Language Skills; and Emergent Literacy Skills. The PLS-5 includes supplemental tests including an Articulation Screener, Language Sample, and a Home Communication Questionnaire. A Spanish version was published in 2012, permitting evaluators to capture bilingual children’s skills in both English and Spanish. Dual language scores are available for Auditory Comprehension, Expressive Communication, and Total Language Ability. In addition, the PLS-5 has Screening Tests in both English and Spanish and can be administered in 5-10 minutes.
Summary
Age: Birth to 7 years 11 months
Time to Administer: 45-60 minutes
Method of Administration: Individually administered, norm-referenced, play-based assessment of developmental language skills
Spanish version available; screening test available
Yields standard scores, percentile ranks, growth scores, and language age equivalents
Subscales: Composite Score: Total Language Ability
Scales: Auditory Comprehension, Expressive Communication
Domains: Attention, Play, Gesture, Vocal Development, Social Communication, Semantics, Language Structure, Integrative Language Skills, Emergent Literacy Skills
Subtests: Attention to Environment, Attention to People, Vocabulary, Qualitative Concepts, Quantitative Concepts, Spatial Concepts, Time/Sequence Concepts, Morphology, Syntax
Autism Related Research
None found. However, the PLS-4 (Zimmerman, Steiner, & Pond, 2002) was determined to be useful for obtaining a general index of early syntax and semantic skill in young children with ASD (Volden et al., 2011).