A Sweet Surprise: Using SUGAR Language Analysis to Develop Intervention Goals

The purposes of this tutorial are twofold – first, to present data documenting elementary-aged children’s production of complex syntax in language samples collected using the SUGAR (Sampling Utterances and Grammatical Analysis Revised) method of language sample analysis, and second, to offer step-by-step instructions detailing how to analyze a SUGAR language sample for complex syntax. The tutorial begins with a review of coordinate and subordinate clauses, supported by data documenting elementary-aged children’s production of those structures. Next, a case study is presented to demonstrate how to use the SUGAR method to analyze a sample for coordinate and subordinate clauses. Sub-analysis of a SUGAR language sample can be used to assist SLPs with intervention planning. Specifically, SLPs can use sub-analysis when identifying appropriate intervention targets, tracking progress in therapy, and facilitating conversations with teachers and others regarding curriculum-relevance.