No abstract

A 16-category framework is proposed to review the sources of variance in studies of phonetic transcription reliability. The same framework is used to analyse transcription agreement data collected in the course of a project in child phonology, including 22 reliability estimates from five consensus transcription teams who transcribed eight subject groups. Detailed agreement data at the level of consonants, vowels and diphthongs, feature classes, and diacritics are presented for each of the 16 categories, including such traditional measurement variables as sampling mode (continuous speech; articulation tests), agreement type (intrajudge; inter-judge), and level of transcription (broad; narrow). Tabular and plotted data are deliberately presented at the lowest feasible levels for readers interested in specific questions at these levels. A total of 16 generalizations about transcription reliability are derived from descriptive and inferential statistical findings. The primary conclusion is that for certain clinical and research tasks in communicative disorders, broad phonetic transcription appears to be reliable, whereas narrow transcription may be unreliable.A historical overview of transcription studies in communicative disorders in America suggests a division into two periods, beginning with Henderson's (1938) call for programmatic research. From the 1930s through approximately 1970, research reflected the emerging discipline's attempt to develop effective ways to rate, score, and transcribe deviant speech. Impelled by efficiency criteria the assessment paradigm evolved to a form of nominal scoring of responses evoked primarily by articulation test stimuli (e.g. Burkowsky). A second period, beginning in the early 1970s and putatively concluding with the decade of the 1980s, witnessed renewed interest in phonetic transcription as input for linguistic description procedures developed for young normally developing children and children with intelligibility deficits (e.g.

Most participants provided assessments that met federal guidelines to qualify children for special education services; however, additional assessment may be needed to create comprehensive treatment plans for their clients. These results provide a unique perspective on the assessment of children suspected of having SSD and should be helpful to SLPs as they examine their own assessment practices.

There are theoretical and research data that challenge both the use of NSOMEs and the efficacy of such exercises in resolving speech sound problems. SLPs need to follow the concepts of evidence-based practice in order to determine if these exercises are actually effective in bringing about changes in speech productions.

The test-retest variability of the modified barium swallow study using videofluoroscopy was analyzed. Sixteen normal subjects (8 men, 8 women) were organized into 2 age groups: middle-aged group (mean, 45 years) and old-age group (mean, 66 years). Nine durational measures of the swallow were evaluated. There were no statistically significant differences for any of the measures between the initial test and a retest conducted days later. The findings suggest that, on the whole, normal subjects perform similarly on test and a retest. However, the variability displayed by these normal subjects may be clinically significant, indicating that test-retest swallowing duration measures require careful interpretation.