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Assessment of the Social Interaction Abilities of Adolescents With Communication Disability: A Scoping Review
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Assessment of the Social Interaction Abilities of Adolescents With Communication Disability: A Scoping Review

Nichola Shelton, Natalie Munro, Julia Starling, Lyn Tieu and Melanie Keep
Language, speech & hearing services in schools, Vol.56(4), pp.1296-1311
08/10/2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_LSHSS-24-00081
PMID: 40811676
Appears in  Recent Faculty of Health Publications

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Abstract

Purpose: We sought to identify the constructs and measures used to evaluate the social interaction abilities of young people (12-17 years) with communication disability, drawing from three frameworks: a taxonomy of pediatric cognitive-communication disorders, a taxonomy to describe language assessments of school-aged children, and the framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Method: A scoping review was conducted, guided by the five-stage methodological framework outlined by Arksey and O'Malley (2005). Ten databases were searched (CENTRAL, CINAHL, ERIC, LLBA, Medline, PsycINFO, Scopus, speechBITE, Web of Science, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global). Results: In total, 173 peer-reviewed publications were identified and included in this review. Most papers measured the construct of pragmatics/social communication and behavior using standardized, norm-referenced, static, and decontextualized instruments that focused on the ICF's Activity component, with fewer papers evaluating young people's social interaction skills at the Participation level. Conclusions: There is an urgent need for more Participation-focused measures. Such measures could enable speech-language pathologists to support young people's development and participation in ways that are meaningful to them.

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