Protocol Description

Eliciting Language Samples for Analysis (ELSA) is a protocol designed to collect natural language samples (NLS) from children and adolescents with varying language profiles. ELSA utilizes a naturalistic and play based setting that aims to maximize the child’s opportunity to elicit language across a variety of fun and interactive activities. These 8 activities fall into the most commonly used language elicitation contexts: conversation, play, and narrative to give children multiple diverse opportunities to produce language. Our kits can be easily adapted to fit the individual and cultural needs of participants.

• Protocol duration: ELSA takes takes between 15-25 minutes to complete.
• Population: ELSA was developed for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) but can be used with children across a wide range of developmental abilities. We have two protocols, ELSA-A and ELSA-T, that allow us to assess language across a large age range from 18 months to 20 years.
• Setting: ELSA is administered in a naturalistic play setting and can be easily adapted based on the participant’s age and developmental level.
• Administrators: ELSA can be administered by researchers, clinicians, parents, and teachers.

For more information about ELSA-A and ELSA-T, please see the Administration Manuals.