Peanut Butter Protocol for Pragmatic Assessment

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The ''Peanut Butter '' protocol is not a normed test. We developed it as a way of eliciting the pragmatic behaviors on the checklist in a fairly efficient manner. I do have some mean scores for children that we tested, but they are definitely not norms. We tested typical children and children with identified language disorders. It is my opinion that we need to be able to qualify children with pragmatic problems based on checklists like this -- but even more importantly those that can be used in authentic classroom settings. The only advantage of this kind of protocol is that it gives us an efficient way to elicit the behaviors, but sampling the child's behavior in a natural setting is always better. This protocol was actually designed only for 3 to 5 year olds, but I don't know if people have found
it to be useful with older children. By the way, there is also a companion ''drawing'' protocol to elicit the same behaviors. I don't know if that version is also floating around out there.


Biographical Sketch:

Dr. Nancy Creaghead is Past President of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She is Professor and Head of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Cincinnati. Her teaching and research are in the area of child language development and disorders. She has been responsible for the development of outreach and distance learning programs for individuals working as speech therapists in the schools who need to obtain a master's degree. She has presented at numerous workshops and meetings at the local, state, national and international levels, including the 1978 through 2003 ASHA conventions, and is widely published. Dr. Creaghead is co-owner of a private practice, which provides speech-language services to children, primarily in Head Start and other preschool settings. She is a past president of the Ohio Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She has completed a three-year term as ASHA Vice President for Professional Practices in Speech-Language Pathology. She holds an M.S. from Purdue University and Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati. She is an ASHA Fellow and has received Honors of the Ohio Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders.