The Early Language Communication Instrument (ELCI) is a comprehensive rating scale designed to assess a child’s receptive and expressive language skills, as well as their social communication and play abilities. Completed by a rater—such as a parent, caregiver, teacher, or daycare provider—the ELCI provides valuable insights into a child’s developmental progress. It is particularly beneficial for children who may not be able to participate in direct testing or for those who show variable behaviors in different environments. By collecting observational data from the rater, the ELCI provides professionals, such as speech-language pathologists (SLPs), school psychologists, and neuropsychologists, with normative data that supports diagnostic and eligibility decisions. Whether used in conjunction with directly administered tests or on its own, the ELCI offers an efficient and reliable method for gaining a clearer understanding of a child’s language and communication skills.

The ELCI provides normative information about:

• Expressive language
• Receptive language
• Social communication and play skills

Key Features:

• Normative Data: Provides valuable data on expressive and receptive language, as well as social communication and play skills, based on observations.
• Quick and Easy: Can be completed in approximately 15 minutes by a rater, with scoring taking just 5–10 minutes.
• Reliability and Validity: High reliability with Cronbach’s alpha values from 0.91 to 0.98, and test-retest correlations between 0.93 to 0.99.
• Wide Range of Applications: Ideal for children ages 18 months to 5 years, 11 months, and useful in differentiating children with autism, ADHD, speech delays, and other developmental conditions from typically developing peers.

Age: 18 months through 5 years, 11 months

Completion Time: 15 minutes

Scoring Time: 5–10 minutes

What’s In The Box:

• The complete kit includes Manual and 25 Record Forms

Administration and Scoring

The ELCI can be completed in about 15 minutes by an adult familiar with the child’s behaviors. Scoring by a professional Assessor can be completed in 5–10 minutes. Scaled scores are provided for each subtest, and a standard score is provided for the overall score. Discrepancy scores allow comparison of performance across domains.