You just finished evaluating a student. You've scored the CELF, reviewed your observations, and crafted a detailed report. Now comes the hard part:

Explaining those results to the parent.

For many school-based SLPs, this moment is more stressful than the entire evaluation process. Why? Because:

• You want to be accurate, but not overwhelming
• You want to sound professional, but not clinical
• You want parents to understand what's going on — and walk away feeling hopeful

It's a balancing act. And the key to pulling it off is learning to translate speech-language results into meaningful, digestible insights that non-SLPs can actually absorb.

Let's walk through how to do it well — and how to make the process smoother for both you and the families you support.

Why This Matters

Clear communication isn't just a courtesy — it's part of your job. Under IDEA, parents are considered equal members of the IEP team. But if they don't understand what you're saying, they can't fully participate.

When SLPs use overly technical language (even unintentionally), it creates confusion, anxiety, and sometimes even distrust. On the flip side, when we communicate results clearly and compassionately, we build stronger parent partnerships — and help students get better support.

Step-by-Step: How to Explain Test Results in Plain Language

1. Start With Strengths

Always open with what the child can do — even if the evaluation identified delays.

Example:

"One thing that stood out was how well Jordan followed along with the testing process. He worked really hard and had great attention, especially for his age."

2. Describe What You Tested

Parents often assume you're just checking "speech." Clarify that you looked at broader language areas — and explain what those mean.

Example:

"We looked at how well Jordan understands directions and questions — that's called receptive language — and also how he puts his own ideas into words, which is expressive language."

3. Translate the Scores

Raw scores and standard scores don't mean much to parents. Instead, use functional, real-world explanations.

Bad:

"Jordan scored a 6 on Formulated Sentences, which is 1.5 SDs below the mean."

Better:

"Jordan had difficulty forming complete sentences when given a picture and a word to use. This tells us he's still developing the ability to organize and express his thoughts clearly."

You can still mention scores — just tie them to meaning:

"That score falls in what we call the 'below average' range — which means he's showing some real challenges in this area compared to other students his age."

4. Use Visual Aids (If You Can)

A simple bell curve or percentile chart can go a long way. Even just pointing to "average," "below average," and "well below average" helps parents ground the conversation.

5. Explain What It Means for the Classroom

Connect test results to what the student might experience day-to-day.

Example:

"Because Jordan has trouble with expressive language, he might have a harder time explaining what he knows, especially on open-ended questions or writing tasks."

6. Invite Questions — Then Actually Pause

Many parents won't interrupt. So when you say, "Any questions?" give them space. Even better:

"That was a lot — is there anything you'd like me to go back over or explain a little differently?"

What to Avoid

• Jargon-heavy explanations: "His narrative retell lacked internal response and causal markers" = 😵‍💫
• Definitive labels: Don't say "He has a language disorder" unless you're diagnosing — which isn't always the case in school settings.
• Focusing only on deficits: Balance is everything.
• Rushing: Even if you're behind schedule, give parents the space to absorb and respond.

Tools That Make This Easier

If writing parent-friendly summaries is a pain point, you're not alone. That's why SLP Score includes automatically generated plain-language narrative summaries — based on your test scores.

Instead of struggling to translate technical data every time, you can:

• Enter the student's scores
• Receive a clear, editable paragraph written in family-friendly language
• Copy it into your report or use it as a script during meetings

It saves time, reduces stress, and makes you sound like the thoughtful, brilliant communicator you are.

Final Thoughts: Be the Bridge

You don't need to water down your expertise. But you do need to bridge the gap between clinical knowledge and parental understanding.

When parents walk out of an IEP meeting feeling informed, heard, and hopeful — that's a win for everyone.

Want to make this part of your job easier? Try SLP Score and let us help with the hard part. Start here