An objective and time-efficient method for determining severity of childhood speech delay.
To address the need for an efficient and valid approach to determining the severity of a child's speech delay, this study compared 2 types of sampling procedures to derive a measure of percentage of consonants correct (PCC; L. D. Shriberg and J. Kwiatkowski, 1982). PCC scores of twenty-one 4- to 6-year-old children with speech delay derived from both an imitative sentence task and a conversational task were compared. Scores did not differ significantly and corresponded favorably with a reference criterion (S. M. Benner, 1992) for determining clinical equivalence. The imitative approach required considerably less time to complete. Thus, the sentence imitation procedure offers a valid and efficient alternative to conversational sampling. However, clinicians should consider individual child characteristics when choosing an imitative approach.
Johnson
Carol A
CA
Nampa School District, 619 South Canyon, Nampa, ID 83686, USA. dcjohns1@mindspring.com
Weston
Audrey D
AD
Bain
Barbara A
BA
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D018579:Patient Selection; D010700:Phonetics; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013068:Speech Production Measurement / Q000379:methods