BU Center For The Assessment Of Sign Language Interpretation (CASLI) Practice Test

When communicating with someone who is oral, the goal is to support understanding by clear, natural speech that is easy to lipread. The best approach is to mouth the words clearly without exaggerating your mouth movements. This gives the person clean visual cues for lipreading while keeping the conversation respectful and comfortable. Speaking loudly isn’t ideal because shouting can distort lip shapes and overwhelm the listener. Using sign language only isn’t necessary if the person prefers to rely on spoken language, and it can overlook their current communication preference. Avoiding eye contact undermines connection and can make it harder to read cues, so maintain appropriate eye contact and face the person directly. If needed, you can add gentle repetition or rephrase to ensure understanding, keep a normal pace, and ensure good lighting and minimal background noise.