Abstract: Objective　To assess if speech and language assessment scale (SLAS) can rapidly and effectively evaluate language abilities of preschool-aged children speaking mandarin as mother language. Method　Children with language delay (n=63，boys/girls=51/12，age 51±10 months) were retrospectively collected from language impairment clinics between September 2014 and November 2014, normal peers 1:1 matching with age (n=71，boys/girls=43/28, age 53±11 months) were selected from regular health check-up clinics at the similar time period. We tested the group differences of SLAS scores between language delay group and normal controls. By using DREAM-C as a standard, the agreements of SLAS’s syntax and semantics were analyzed. Results　Children with language delay group scored significantly lower in all SLAS sub-scores than children in the control group (all P<0.0001). By the standard of DREAM-C, Kappa value (Semantics)=0.5181, Kappa value (Syntax)=0.5839 in SLAS, and AUC (Semantics)=0.904 and AUC (Syntax)=0.862. It proofed that SLAS showed good agreements in semantics and syntax by the standard of DREAM-C. Conclusion　We concluded that SLAS assessed language of preschool-aged children effectively and swiftly, it is appropriate to be used as a childhood language screening test.

Key words: 　language development;　development assessment;　preschool-aged child