Language sample collection and analysis: interview compared to freeplay assessment contexts.

Spontaneous language samples elicited during freeplay and interview contexts were compared for 10 children who were specifically language impaired (SLI). Clinician-child videotaped interactions were analyzed for both structural and conversational behaviors. The results indicated that the interview was a reliable and valid assessment context, eliciting the same profile of behaviors as the freeplay context without altering diagnostic classifications. Most behaviors occurred significantly more often during the interview than during the freeplay context, indicating further that interviews are an efficient language sampling alternative for assessment purposes with elementary school-aged children with language disorders.