Praxis SLP 5331 study guide
Praxis SLP 5331 · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Praxis Speech-Language Pathology (5331) test is the assessment ETS publishes for candidates who are seeking independent practice as a speech-language pathologist. Because it is written for "all primary employment settings, including schools, hospitals, clinics, private practice," it is one of the broadest single-title assessments in the Praxis catalog - it is not a school-only credential, and candidates headed straight into a medical or private-practice role take the same test as those entering a district. The Praxis SLP 5331 study guide has 3 sections and about 1,114 words.
01Foundations and Professional Practice
This domain covers the professional scaffolding around clinical work: normal anatomy and physiology of speech, language, and hearing (respiratory, phonatory, resonatory, and articulatory systems; outer, middle, and inner ear; central auditory and motor pathways); speech science (frequency, intensity, waveform and spectrogram reading); linguistics and psycholinguistics (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and models of language development and processing); and research literacy - study design, levels of evidence, reliability and validity, and framing a clinical question with PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome). Know IDEA Part B (school-age, IEP, eligibility categories, adverse educational impact), IDEA Part C (infants and toddlers, IFSP, natural environments), Section 504 (accommodations for a disability that substantially limits a major life activity; no specialized instruction required), ADA, FERPA (education records - schools generally fall under FERPA, not HIPAA), and HIPAA (health-care settings).
345 words, about 2 min02Screening, Assessment, Evaluation, and Diagnosis
Screening is brief and cheap; its job is to flag who needs a closer look, and it is judged by sensitivity (catching true cases), specificity (clearing true negatives), and predictive value, which depends heavily on base rate. False negatives miss children; false positives cost time.
390 words, about 2 min03Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation of Treatment
IEPs require present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (PLAAFP), measurable annual goals with benchmarks or short-term objectives, a statement of services and least restrictive environment with justification, accommodations, progress reporting, and transition planning by age 16 (earlier if state law requires). IFSPs (under age 3) are family-centered, delivered in natural environments, reviewed at six months and rewritten annually.
379 words, about 2 min