SALT; do they sometimes expect a bit too much during asssesment?

[Nointhemood]

ds is 2.5 years and is being assessed. He is doing really well with understanding language and with some of the flash cards. But sometimes he is being asked things that he has never come across before certain concepts or pictures. Yesterday they had flash cards of a calender and calculator, and a letter with a stamp. He did know what a letter was but not the stamp because ive never really pointed it out before, as with the calender and calculater. Although he did start counting as he recognised there were numbers. There was also a picture of a man pouring milk and although he got milk and man he didnt really know the word pouring. I talk to my child everyday and point and show him things but obviously not everything is going to get covered-especially as he has'nt started pre-school. He also didnt understand the concept him and her although knows man and lady. Another annoying thin im finding about SALT is they keep giving me advice about how to play and talk with him but im already doing it.I came on here and found loads of advice and whilst he has been on the waiting list he has came on loads thanks to mumsnet.It just across like they feel its some thing we aren't doing . My main concern before was that he wasn't saying hardly anything and didn't want to talk.

I guess that in real life different children are going to know different things. Often people appear upset as their child knows X,Y and Z but not the A,B,C that has been tested. If a SALT tests A-Z so all children can show their knowledge it is probably better. eg my youngest does know what a calculator is as I use one a lot, but doesn't know all the parts of the body yet as I haven't talked to him about them all. That would be his card to shine! It is also useful for the SALT to get idea of whether child uses verbs (pouring) as well as the noun (milk) to get an idea of how their language is developing. A SALT wouldn't expect your child to know everything, but it must give them an idea of what areas your child MAY need extra help in.
Also, regarding the SALT advising you to do things you have already found out on here, they aren't really to know that you are already asking people who have used SALT what the SALT methods are. I guess you are lucky to have been given the information early and can already see the difference it is making.
Sorry, feel this is coming across as being critical, which I'm not trying to be, just trying to put the other perspective across a bit.

I've just come home from one of these assessments - Dd is just 3.
She didn't get man pouring milk either! ( said "man putting milk in cup" ). The one that neither of my Dds has ever got was the "which boy is alone?" and I've realised I never say that word - much more likely to say " on his own"
She didn't really get the him/her, though does know boy/girl, man/lady etc

The SLT was explaining that they have to keep asking more & more difficult things until the child gets 5 answers wrong - so often it looks like they nothing when in fact the questions are way beyond what is actually expected of them at that age IYSWIM. So the conclusion for DD was that although she has phonological problems her language is actually age appropriate.
So I wouldn't honestly get too upset until the SLT analyses your DS score - maybe she will go over this next time?

agree with bubble - they will be looking for te point at which your child finds it difficult, don't take it as any judgment on you for not mentioning calculators to him!

Thankyou for the replies. I think i just get annoyed when she keeps making references about how i should be doing this and that-whan ive already told her that i do all the things listed in the handout already.I think i feel a bit guilty that i haven't done enough so im getting a bit defenceful.Ds is hardly putting words together so probably wouldn't use verbs as such yet but im glad someone explained about how the tests get harder.

"I think i just get annoyed when she keeps making references about how i should be doing this and that-whan ive already told her that i do all the things listed in the handout already"

Oh, yes, that makes me mad too! Fair enough if you have already told her you do them.

When ds1 (nt and now 15) went to see the salt ( he used mispronouce and was really hard to understand.. But had a big vocab).. They were doing picture cards.. The salt was trying to get him to say 'wing'.. Pointing to a birds wing and an aeroplane wing.. Ds1 just looked at her like she was mad and kept saying ... Bird, feather and aeroplane!

I think they see confusion a lot tbh.

Btw ds1 now speaks beautifully ( when he's not grunting lol)

I think that is definitely a danger when they are very little. We're all a product of our own experiences and by 2.5 you haven't really been exposed to that much. I remember when my son did the ADOS test (for autism) when he was 18 months - they wanted to see if he could pretend to light matches for pretend candles on a pretend birthday cake. Well, he'd only been to one birthday party by that point (his own) which was six months previous. And we don't use matches at home, what with having electricity and stuff (even in the arse end of nowhere where I live). It doesn't feel like a very level playing field at times.

Just wanted to add to this thread.
We had Boy's 1st SALT assessment today and it was fine. He enjoyed it, charmed the SALT, liked the games and was his usual happy chatty unintelligible self. It was very reassuring to see that the SALT didn't "get" what he was saying either and we were not just being paranoid parents of a pfb.

Now we get to try out a set of "games" at home to try and work on some sounds he doesn't say before having another SALT session in 8 weeks.

ohh, forgot to say boy is 4.6 and his speech is somewhat delayed so hes not very easy to understand.

I agree with Bubble. They look and listen to all that DC says and does, regardless of whether they know the subject matter. I get on with the SALT. The ones in our area have been constructive for all 3 of mine. Sometimes they can give you just 1 idea that can make a difference, however small. When my DS was 3, the SALT was concerned that he was only saying 1 word at a time. i knew he spoke in few word sentences, but he resolutely refused to demonstrate at any opportunity he was given. He didn't 'enjoy' her choice of tasks! When she was putting away the toys, she asked him to help. he replied "no, you do it" As she said - at least he has shown that he can do it!

I'm an SLT working with children, hope you don't mind me commenting too!

The vast majority of the time when assessing children, if we are using a picture book or whatever it's a published assessment, so we get no choice about what pictures are in it - one assessment I use quite often has pictures in that I would take bets on most children not knowing what they are,(or at any rate knowing the actual word - many know what the thing does) but the problem is that this is the assessment that will give an age equivalent score, which is generally necessary if we're contributing to something like a statement request or annual review.

And as Bubble2Bubble said, with some assessments in order to complete them correctly and be able to use the data, you do have to keep going until you get a certain number of errors in a row - even if the child is getting every other answer wrong, you still can't stop!

also the assessments have mostly all been standardised on quite a large population of children to give a 'generalised' pattern of understanding so that 'norms' and age equivalents can be worked out. so there are always going to be differences that may still be within the average range.

assessments are only a snapshot - a moment in time,so of course have their flaws, but they do provide a baseline, that can be used for future comparisons and also give an idea into areas that do need further work.