title: The relation between auditory discrimination and phonological disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the most frequent errors of children with phonological disorders in an auditory discrimination test, and to correlate their performance with age, gender and severity of phonological disorder.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample consisted of 82 children with phonological disorders, of both gender, with ages between 4 years and 7 years and 11 months. All subjects were submitted to the Phonological Assessment of Child (Avaliação Fonológica da Criança) in order to establish the severity of phonological disorder, and to the auditory discrimination test. Data were statistically analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was found that 38% of the subjects had poor results on the test, and the most frequent errors were: posteriorization, devoicing of stops, and semivocalization of liquid consonants. Moreover, it was observed that auditory discrimination difficulties were less frequent in older subjects, and more severe according to the severity of the phonological disorder.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Great part of the children with phonological disorders has difficulties in auditory discrimination. However, these difficulties were less frequent in older subjects and more severe according to the severity of the disorder. Male subjects seem to have more difficulty in discriminating speech sounds.
authors: Graduate Program (Doctorate degree) in Human Communication Disorders, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria – UFSM – Santa Maria (RS), Brazil. fonoaninha@yahoo.com.br
authors: Ana Rita
authors: AR
authors: Brancalioni
authors: Ana Paula Coitino
authors: AP
authors: Bertagnolli
authors: Joviane Bagolin
authors: JB
authors: Bonini
authors: Marileda Barrichelo
authors: MB
authors: Gubiani
authors: Márcia
authors: M
authors: Keske-Soares
mesh_terms: D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013063:Speech Discrimination Tests; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013065:Speech Intelligibility / Q000502:physiology*