Fluharty-2 Screening
The Fluharty Preschool Speech and Language Screening Test–Second Edition (Fluharty-2) is a standardized screening tool used to identify children who may need a comprehensive speech and language evaluation. It is designed for children ages 3 years through 6 years, 11 months.
The Fluharty-2 is relatively quick to administer, taking approximately 10 minutes, and uses pictures and manipulatives to assess early speech and language skills. For graduate clinicians and newer speech-language pathologists (SLPs), understanding how to interpret screening results and determine appropriate next steps is essential.
What Does the Fluharty-2 Assess?
The Fluharty-2 includes five subtests:
- Articulation: Examines speech sound production.
- Repeating Sentences: Evaluates the ability to repeat sentences of increasing length and complexity.
- Responding to Directives and Answering Questions: Examines understanding of spoken directions and questions.
- Describing Actions: Evaluates the ability to describe pictured actions using appropriate vocabulary and sentence structures.
- Sequencing Events: Examines the ability to explain familiar events or activities in a logical sequence.
Together, these tasks provide a brief picture of articulation, receptive language, and expressive language abilities.
Administering the Fluharty-2
The Fluharty-2 uses a combination of picture-based tasks, verbal responses, and manipulatives. Follow the examiner’s manual for standardized administration and scoring procedures.
During screening, I recommend observing more than correct and incorrect responses. Consider the child’s speech intelligibility, sentence structure, vocabulary, ability to follow directions, and overall participation.
The Fluharty-2 also includes a Teacher Questionnaire, which can provide additional information about communication skills in educational settings.
Scoring and Interpreting Results
The Fluharty-2 provides standard scores, percentile ranks, and composite scores for speech and language performance. These results help identify children who may require additional evaluation.
However, remember that a screening is not a diagnosis. Screening results should be interpreted alongside developmental history, caregiver or teacher concerns, and clinical observations.
For example, a child may demonstrate adequate performance on the screening but have ongoing difficulties communicating with peers or understanding classroom language. These concerns may still warrant further assessment.
Clinical Tip: The Fluharty-2 was published in 2000. Consider the age of its normative data and use current developmental information and additional assessment methods when making clinical decisions.
Cultural and Linguistic Considerations
Before administering the Fluharty-2, consider the child’s language background, dialect, and cultural experiences. Language differences should not automatically be interpreted as disorders.
Review the examiner’s manual for scoring guidance related to dialectal variations and determine whether standardized procedures and norms are appropriate for the child.
For multilingual children, consider language development across languages, caregiver input, and culturally responsive assessment methods. Document any limitations affecting score interpretation.
What Happens After Screening?
Screening results help determine whether further evaluation is needed. Consider a comprehensive assessment when results indicate possible difficulties or when meaningful concerns persist despite a passing screening result.
Depending on the child’s needs, additional assessment may include:
- Standardized speech or language measures
- Speech and language samples
- Play-based and functional communication observations
- Caregiver and teacher interviews
- Review of developmental history and hearing status
A comprehensive evaluation should examine the child’s communication strengths, needs, and functional abilities rather than relying on a single screening score.
Documenting Fluharty-2 Results
Screening documentation should be brief, clear, and focused on findings and recommended next steps. Include the screening date, relevant scores or outcomes, observations, and referral recommendations.
Example: Screening Summary
The following is a hypothetical example.
“The child participated in the Fluharty-2 screening to examine speech and language development. Screening performance indicated concerns with sentence repetition and expressive language organization. Similar difficulties were reported by the classroom teacher. A comprehensive speech and language evaluation is recommended to further investigate these areas.”
For additional documentation guidance, see my Speech and Language Report Writing article.
Need Help Documenting Your Fluharty-2 Results?
My Preschool Language Assessment Report Templates include an editable Fluharty-2 companion template, along with templates for the PLS-5 and PPVT-5, goal banks, and recommendations.
These resources help SLPs, clinical fellows, and graduate clinicians organize findings and write clear, individualized documentation.
The templates are companion resources and do not include or replace the standardized assessments.
Final Thoughts
The Fluharty-2 provides a quick way to identify potential speech and language concerns in preschool children. However, screening results are only one part of the clinical picture.
The goal is not simply to determine whether a child passes or fails, but to make informed decisions about whether further assessment is needed.
Hi,
When you are scoring the Describing Actions subtest, do you count off for pronoun reversals or errors? We are looking for correct verb tense and syntax but what if child reverses pronouns, “her is” rather than “she is”or “him is” instead of “he is”,etc.,
Great question— it always depends on what the specific subtest or stimuli is evaluating. With the Fluharty’s Describing Actions subtest, it is primarily assessing verb tense and syntax. Pronoun substitutions like “her is” or “him is” typically wouldn’t be counted as incorrect unless they disrupt overall grammatical structure.
In this case, the verb form is intact, so I’d likely note the pronoun error for qualitative analysis or in the follow-up report. The error may also be age-appropriate, so it’s best to consider developmental norms and consult the scoring manual when in doubt.