What is the CELF-4?

The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals - Fourth Edition (aka CELF-4) has been a go-to comprehensive assessment used by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working in pediatrics for many years.

Looking for more information about the CELF-4 and how to incorporate it into your speech pathology private practice? We’ve got all the details here, including components of a CELF-4 sample report.  

First published in 2003 by Pearson, the CELF-4 was designed to provide a quick and accurate diagnosis of language disorders in children ages 5 to 21. 

For those seeking information on the CELF-4 preschool version, note that the CELF-4 is not designed for preschool-aged children. However, there is a related assessment, the CELF Preschool-2, specifically designed for children ages 3 to 6. 

The CELF Preschool-2 shares similar goals with the CELF-4, including identifying and diagnosing language deficits and evaluating the impact of language disorders on classroom functioning. 

A related screening test, the CELF-4 screener, was published shortly afterward and meant to determine if a student needed additional testing for a suspected language disorder. 

While an updated version of both the CELF-4 assessment and the screening test came out in 2013, there may be clinical contexts where you do not have access to the fifth edition and would like to use the CELF-4 or CELF-4 screener instead. 

When to administer the CELF-4 

If you are administering an older version of a standardized assessment, such as the CELF-4, it’s important to keep in mind ethical considerations from the American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). 

Your state speech-language pathology licensing board may also offer guidance or set expectations around use of older editions of tests when a newer edition has been published. 

Because the prior version of the CELF was normed on a population that may not fully represent current demographics, results may not be viewed as valid compared to those from the updated edition. 

Other drawbacks include outdated picture stimuli or prompts. 

Does that mean SLPs should never administer older editions of speech therapy assessments like the CELF-4? 

Not necessarily. 

As a speech-language therapist, there may be times that you choose to use the CELF-4 or an older version of the CELF screener–for example, if you are unable to access the newest edition of the test or screener. These results can still offer insight into a child’s language skills and help guide goal development and intervention. 

For qualitative information-gathering purposes, the CELF-4 and the CELF-4 screener still serve as valuable tools. However, be cautious about reporting standard scores; they may not be considered clinically reliable or valid due to the existence of an updated edition. 

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CELF-4 subtests

The CELF-4 involves a four-level assessment process that is categorized based on the clinician’s purpose in administering the test and the type of data they are seeking. 

A CELF-4 sample report may contain information from one or all of these levels:

• Level 1: Identification of language disorder
• Level 2: Description of the nature of the disorder
• Level 3: Evaluation of underlying clinical behaviors
• Level 4: Evaluation of language and communication in context

SLPs can pick and choose which subtests (and corresponding levels) they’d like to administer, making it easier to tailor a pediatric language evaluation to the individual client.

Core subtests—which are part of Level 1—depend upon the child’s age. 

For ages 5 to 8, the CELF-4 core subtests are:

• Concepts and Following Directions
• Word Structure
• Recalling Sentences
• Formulated Sentences

When evaluating a child between the ages of 9 to 21, core subtests are:

• Recalling Sentences
• Formulated Sentences
• Word Classes 1 and 2
• Word Definitions

Children between the ages of 9 to 12 should also be administered the Concepts and Following Directions subtest as part of the core assessment. 

A CELF-4 sample report may include CELF-4 scoring tables containing a Core Language Score based on the results of these subtests. This score is meant to determine whether or not a child has a language disorder—however, as mentioned, these results should be interpreted with caution given the age of the test and the availability of an updated edition. 

For speech-language pathologists seeking a finer grain analysis of a child’s language skills, the CELF-4 offers a series of receptive, expressive, content, structure, and memory subtests that can be mixed and matched.

These subtests include:

• Sentence Structure
• Expressive Vocabulary
• Word Definitions
• Understanding Spoken Paragraphs
• Sentence Assembly
• Semantic Relationships
• Number Repetition
• Familiar Sequences

Looking to dive deeper into assessment of a pediatric client’s language skills? The CELF-4 contains supplemental subtests that go the next step, giving clinicians access to data that can inform treatment planning and goal-setting. 

These subtests cover phonological awareness, pragmatics, word associations, and rapid automatic naming. The CELF-4 observational rating scale is also useful when seeking data from parents and teachers about a child’s communication in various contexts, like at home and at school. 

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List of speech and language assessments

If you’re seeking the CELF-4 preschool version or other speech therapy assessments designed for SLPs working with pediatric clients,

there are several comprehensive speech and language tests to choose from for therapists providing evaluations to this population. 

The list below encompasses speech-language pathology assessments for both preschool-age and school-age children. 

If you’re seeking an alternative to the CELF-4 (or the CELF-5), these options may meet your needs:

• Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF) Preschool-2
• The Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language - Second Edition (CASL-2)
• The Oral and Written Language Scales - Second Edition (OWLS-2)
• The Expressive Vocabulary Test - Third Edition (EVT-3)
• Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test - Fifth edition (PPVT-5)
• The Preschool Language Scales - Fifth Edition (PLS-5)

In addition to norm-referenced standardized assessments, a complete speech and language evaluation should also include informal measures that capture a more nuanced picture of the client’s strengths and needs. 

Narrative language sampling, dynamic assessment, and observation in a variety of contexts can be useful for gathering rich language data that isn’t always visible on a formal test like the CELF-4. 

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) offers an overview of assessment tools, techniques, and data sources to guide clinicians in selecting the most appropriate testing methods. 

If you’re new to private practice, reviewing these types of resources can be useful so you can hit the ground running—whether you choose to administer the CELF-4 or a different language assessment. 

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