Discriminant Accuracy - Tatyana Elleseff

Invisible Disability, Visible Damage: The Systemic Failure to Identify Language Disorders

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Discriminant Accuracy, Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs), Learning Disabilities, Psychological/Neuropsychological Assessment, Reading Programs, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology, Standardized Tests, Wilson, Orton Gillingham, Lindamood Bell & Barton Comparisons / Tatyana Elleseff / August 2, 2025

As a speech-language pathologist (SLP) specializing in language and literacy assessment, I’ve reviewed hundreds of educational, psychoeducational, and neuropsychological evaluations for students with complex learning needs. I repeatedly see students who are clearly struggling in the classroom, despite strong support at home, undergoing assessments that fail to identify their needs accurately. As a result, they […]

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Stop Saying “You’re Fine”: Why Struggling Students Deserve the Truth and Real Help

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Discriminant Accuracy, Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs), Learning Disabilities, Life Outcomes, Parents, Self-Advocacy, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology, Standardized Tests / Tatyana Elleseff / April 5, 2025

In the field of speech language pathology and allied services, we carry the immense responsibility of identifying and supporting children who struggle with language and literacy. Yet all too often, our good intentions are undercut by poor testing practices, superficial conclusions, and a harmful tendency to reassure students by telling them “there’s nothing wrong with

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Why Accuracy Matters: The Hidden Risks of Flawed Language and Literacy Tests

Leave a Comment / Clinical Assessment, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Discriminant Accuracy, Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs), Learning Disabilities, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology, Standardized Tests / Tatyana Elleseff / February 5, 2025

When it comes to diagnosing students with developmental language disorders (DLD) and literacy deficits, the choice of assessment tools is critical. Many commonly used language tests have serious psychometric flaws that undermine their validity, leading to misidentifications that can have lasting educational and social consequences. This post examines the psychometric properties of several widely used

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Limitations of the CELF-5 in Detecting Subtle Language and Literacy Needs

Leave a Comment / Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Discriminant Accuracy, Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs), Learning Disabilities, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology, Standardized Tests / Tatyana Elleseff / November 22, 2024

The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, Fifth Edition (CELF-5) is one of the most widely used tools for assessing language abilities in children. However, despite its popularity, significant limitations exist in its ability to accurately diagnose Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and identify subtle language and literacy needs. These limitations are particularly evident in its construct

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Help, Student Tested Average on ALL Standardized Tests but is Still Struggling

Leave a Comment / Discriminant Accuracy, Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Evidence-Based Intervention, Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs), Learning Disabilities, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology, Standardized Tests / Tatyana Elleseff / March 21, 2022

Recently, there has been an uptick of posts and comments from parents and professionals on social media with the following message: “The student tested average on all standardized tests but still struggles with XYZ deficits characterized by (insert language-based difficulties here). So today, I wanted to delve a little deeper into what it means to

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