The second of four documents provides a summary of the scientific literature pertaining to spontaneous language acquisition in handicapped preschool children, and reviews and evaluates procedures for assessing language acquisition in these children. Chapter l focuses on language development in nonhandicapped children after they have acquired their first word to the time they begin school. The skills that are acquired by nonhandicapped children during this relatively short time period are reviewed for handicapped children in Chapter 2. Sections in this chapter focus on the following specific handicapping conditions: acoustically handicapped, neurologically handicapped, emotionally handicapped, and mentally handicapped. Also addressed are the effects of institutionalization, influence of brain damage, Down's syndrome children, developmental delay vs. specific deficit, and the critical period. Chapter 3 contains a review of some of the issues, assumptions, and current approaches to language assessment in young children. The assessment paradigm, test standardization, phonological assessment, morphological and syntactic assessment, vocabulary and basic concepts assessment, global language tests, and communication assessment are considered. Appendixes contain specific descriptions of speech and language assessment procedures grouped into general development and performance, global language, phonological, morphological, and syntactic, and vocabulary and basic concept assessment procedures. A bibliography completes the document. (Author/SBH)