Pragmatics Profile
If you are unsure how to rate a skill or behavior, ask the student’s teachers, parents, or other informants who know the student for their input. Discuss examples of each listed
skill with the informant.
Many aspects of pragmatics are culturally influenced. As in all language evaluation, it is imperative that the examiner be familiar with expected
and culturally appropriate pragmatic behaviors of the student being assessed. Be sure to consider cultural influences in rating the student’s
nonverbal and verbal communication skills. You may need to ask the student’s parent/guardian if the student’s behaviors are commonly
observed and accepted within their culture. If you are rating a two-part skill (e.g., Item 9. asking for/responding to…) and you think the student’s
behavior is not consistent across both parts, circle the skill you are rating (e.g., asking for). See the Examiner’s Manual for complete instructions.
For each item, circle the number that best describes how often the student demonstrates that skill or behavior:
1 = never or almost never
2 = sometimes
3 = often
4 = always or almost always
Almost Always
Almost Never
Sometimes
Always or
Never or
Rituals and Conversational Skills
Often
The student demonstrates culturally appropriate use of language when
1. making/responding to greetings to/from others 1 2 3 4
2. beginning/ending conversations (face-to-face, phone, etc.) 1 2 3 4
SAMPLE,
3. observing turn-taking rules in the classroom or in social interactions 1 2 3 4
4. maintaining eye contact/gaze 1 2 3 4
5. introducing appropriate topics of conversation 1 2 3 4
NOT FOR
6. maintaining topics using typical responses (e.g., nods, responds with “hmmm…”) 1 2 3 4
7. making relevant contributions to a topic during conversation/discussion 1 2 3 4
8. avoiding use of repetitive/redundant information 1 2 3 4
9. asking for/responding to requests for clarification during conversations 1 2 3 4
RESALE OR
10. adjusting/modifying language based on the communication situation (communication partner[s], topic, place) 1 2 3 4
11. telling/understanding jokes/stories that are related to the situation 1 2 3 4
12. showing sense of humor during communication situations 1 2 3 4
ADMINISTRATION
13. joining or leaving an ongoing communicative interaction 1 2 3 4
14. participating/interacting in structured group activities 1 2 3 4
15. participating/interacting in unstructured group activities 1 2 3 4
16. responding to introductions and introducing others 1 2 3 4
17. using strategies for getting attention 1 2 3 4
18. using strategies for responding to interruptions and interrupting others 1 2 3 4
Asks For, Gives, and Responds to Information
The student demonstrates culturally appropriate use of language when
19. giving/asking for directions 1 2 3 4
20. giving/asking for the time of events 1 2 3 4
21. giving/asking for reasons and causes for actions/conditions/choices 1 2 3 4
22. asking for help from others 1 2 3 4
23. o!ering to help others 1 2 3 4
24. giving/responding to advice or suggestions 1 2 3 4
25. asking others for permission when required 1 2 3 4
Subtotals
CELF5 Record Form 1 Ages 5–8 21
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Almost Always
Almost Never
Sometimes
Always or
Never or
Often
26. agreeing and disagreeing 1 2 3 4
27. asking for clarification if he/she is confused or if the situation is unclear 1 2 3 4
28. accepting/rejecting invitations 1 2 3 4
29. starting/responding to verbal and nonverbal negotiations 1 2 3 4
30. reminding others/responding to reminders 1 2 3 4
31. asking others to change their actions/states (e.g., please move, stop tapping) 1 2 3 4
32. apologizing/accepting apologies 1 2 3 4
33. responding when asked to change his/her actions (by accepting/rejecting) 1 2 3 4
34. responding to teasing, anger, failure, disappointment 1 2 3 4
35. o!ering/responding to expressions of a!ection, appreciation 1 2 3 4
36. knowing how someone is feeling based on nonverbal cues 1 2 3 4
37. reading the social situation correctly and behaving/responding to it 1 2 3 4
38. understands posted and implied group/school rules 1 2 3 4
SAMPLE,
Nonverbal Communication Skills
Note. Examples of nonverbal skills might include waving to greet someone, gesturing to give someone a reminder, or nodding to
show one’s agreement.
The student reads and interprets the following nonverbal messages accurately
NOT FOR
39. facial cues/expressions 1 2 3 4
40. making/responding to greetings to/from others 1 2 3 4
41. making/responding to farewells to/from others 1 2 3 4
RESALE OR
42. beginning/ending conversations 1 2 3 4
43. tone of voice 1 2 3 4
The student demonstrates culturally appropriate use of the following nonverbal support
ADMINISTRATION
44. facial cues/expressions 1 2 3 4
45. body language/gestures 1 2 3 4
46. voice intonation (pitch, inflection, tone, or cadence) 1 2 3 4
47. expresses messages by using gestures or facial expressions 1 2 3 4
48. uses gestures and/or facial expressions according to the situation 1 2 3 4
49. adjusts body distance (sits/stands) according to the situation 1 2 3 4
50. presents matching gestures/facial expressions and verbal messages 1 2 3 4
Pragmatics Profile Item Analysis
Subtotals
Communication Item
Using Rituals 1, 2, 3, 16, 40, 41, 42 Raw Score
Following Conversational Rules 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 17, 18, 27, 38
Understanding Humor/Jokes 11, 12, 37
Participation 14, 15, 17, 18, 22, 23
Giving/Asking for Information 19, 20, 21, 38
Understanding/Expressing Complex Intentions 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33
Awareness/Use of Prosodic Cues 43, 46
Sharing/Responding to reactions 34, 35, 36, 37
Reading/Using Body Language 39, 40, 41, 42, 44, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50
Note. Bold items appear in more than one category.
22 CELF5 Record Form 1 Ages 5–8
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