RCSLT Online Outcome Tool

TOMs scales

Page last updated: 14 April 2025

The new Therapy Outcome Measure Handbook has now been published, which contains 18 new scales and 7 updated scales, as well as FAQs, case studies and details of the research underpinning the development of the TOM. Also available are 6 specialist books which contain the scales most used in that specialty plus basics on implementation and reliability. For more details see the J&R Press website. 

We have been working with the authors to ensure that ROOT is updated to align to this new version and the changes are summarised on this page. For more detailed information, please see this full list of scales and changes.   

For the following scales, amendments have been implemented on ROOT, to ensure that titles and descriptors match the new handbook:

2. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

6. Developmental Language Disorder (formerly Child Language Impairment)

30. Deaf or Hard of Hearing

51. Selective Mutism

53. Parent/Lead Carer-Infant Responsiveness

For three scales which have been updated much more extensively, both versions are now available on ROOT. It is recommended that services start using the 2025 versions as soon as possible, but the 2019 version will remain available for the rest of the year, to allow for transition.

3. Autistic Spectrum Disorder

32. Laryngectomy/surgical voice restoration

58. Trans, non-binary, and gender diverse services

The 11 new scales considered most relevant to speech and language therapists are now available on ROOT. These are:

69. Chronic Cough

70. Inducible Laryngeal Obstruction (ILO)

73. Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Stroke Rehabilitation 

74. Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Adult Learning Disability Community

75. Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Paediatric Learning Disability & Complex Needs

76. Adult Learning Difficulties Dysphagia

77. Regulation and Behaviours that Challenge

79. Case management/personal injury rehabilitation

81. Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder

83. Mental Health Communication

84. Mouth Care

Scale 64 Auditory Impairment/Deafness/Partially Hearing has been withdrawn and services are advised to use the updated scale 30 instead.

The new TOM handbook also includes scale 78 Long Covid Rehabilitation Services, which brings together existing scales such as vocal tract discomfort and dysphagia. ROOT users are advised to use the relevant specific primary and secondary scales for the patient's symptoms, along with ICD-10 code (U09.9) Post COVID-19 condition.

Please note: There are now several scales which have domains which are in addition to or different from the standard domains of impairment, activity, participation and wellbeing. On ROOT, this has implications for users who want to ‘import’ data and also for the functionality of reports. For more detail about this, see the full list of scales. If you are using any of the ‘non-standard’ scales, please get in touch with us at root@rcslt.org to help us prioritise this work and test functionality.