Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) assessments in the UK - or Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) evaluations in the US - are among the most documentation-intensive procedures in allied health. A comprehensive assessment may take two to three hours to conduct and an equivalent time to write up. The report informs education provision (EHCPs in England, IEPs in the US), funding decisions, and therapeutic planning.
Capturing clinical observations in real time
With Listen, the SALT/SLP therapist can dictate clinical observations as each assessment task is completed - while the child or adult continues with the next task. "Phonological memory: significant difficulties in non-word repetition, score 4/10 on CELF-5 subtest. Narrative discourse: reduced episode structure, age-equivalent score approximately 4 years 6 months." The transcript provides the detailed foundation for the written report. For the school-based meetings that often follow, see our article on school review meetings.
Tribunal and SEND proceedings
In the UK, SALT reports are frequently submitted as evidence in SEND Tribunal appeals. In the US, SLP reports are central to IEP meetings and due process proceedings. A contemporaneous, dictated clinical record strengthens the credibility of the assessment and demonstrates that findings were based on direct observation, not reconstruction.
Dictate observations between tasks rather than after the full assessment - recency and specificity improve significantly when notes are made immediately after each subtest.
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