Suggestions are offered to practitioners on how to consider situational variables in the assessment and remediation of childhood language disorders. Eight sociolinguistic principles, derived from research on normally developing children, are presented. Among the principles are those which state that sociocultural patterns may vary as a function of the ethnic background of the family; the family serves as the first socializing agent and the introducer of language to the child; and traditional assessment involves indirect observation of the environment through careful questioning of the primary caregiver and parental reports. Suggestions are made for incorporating these principles into assessment and a five-step sequence from parent interview to clinician-child interaction is proposed. Remediation techniques involving simulation of frequently occurring situations through play are considered. (CL)