Over the last i5 years there has been growth in the use of the linguistic profile in speech and language therapy clinics. While standardized psychometrically based assessment procedures use numerical scoring and selective elicitation procedures, the profile sets out to take a representative sample of the client's speech to detect and elucidate patterns of impaired and unimpaired linguistic abilities. The profile approach allow the clinician to detect directly the structures that need remediation and the norm-referenced developmental order in which this should be undertaken.

Some clinicians will need to be familiar with several profile approaches to assessment, and this book aims to provide a useful survey of the available profile packages detailing their application and comparing their usefulness as tools for the clinical appraisal of language use.