Language Sampling for Preschoolers With Severe Speech Impairments

Abstract

Purpose: The purposes of this investigation were to determine if measures such as mean length of utterance (MLU) and percentage of comprehensible words can be derived reliably from language samples of children with severe speech impairments and if such measures correlate with tools that measure constructs assumed to be related. Method: Language samples of 15 preschoolers with severe speech impairments (but receptive language within normal limits) were transcribed independently by 2 transcribers. Nonparametric statistics were used to determine which measures, if any, could be transcribed reliably and to determine if correlations existed between language sample measures and standardized measures of speech, language, and cognition.Results: Reliable measures were extracted from the majority of the language samples, including MLU in words, mean number of syllables per utterance, and percentage of comprehensible words. Language sample comprehensibility measures were correlated with a single word comprehensibility task. Also, language sample MLUs and mean length of the participants' 3 longest sentences from the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory (Fenson et al., 2006) were correlated. Conclusion: Language sampling, given certain modifications, may be used for some 3-to 5-year-old children with normal receptive language who have severe speech impairments to provide reliable expressive language and comprehensibility information.

Tongue Strength in Children With and Without Speech Sound Disorders

“…Pediatric speech sound disorders can be divided into the two broad categories, speech sound delay/disorders (SD) and MSDs (Binger, Ragsdale, & Bustos, 2016;Shriberg et al, 2010). Children with SD typically have consistent speech sound errors primarily affecting consonant sounds, with errors showing little variation across multiple repetitions of the same word.…”

Connected speech of two-year-olds: Test-retest reliability for assessment of phonetic inventory and word shape analysis

“…All play sessions were video recorded for later review using a Cannon HD R500 camcorder with a mounted external microphone. Consistent with procedures utilized by Binger Ragsdale, and Bustos [34], each camera and tripod were moved as needed during the sample to provide maximal view of the child's face without interrupting the play interactions. Because the sound quality from the camera with external microphone was sufficient for transcription based on the judgement of the first author after its tested use and confirmed by student transcriptionists, additional microphones were not employed during the data collection.…”

Dynamic Assessment for 3- and 4-Year-Old Children Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Evaluating Expressive Syntax

“…The 10 children in the current study, as well as six additional children, served as participants in a language sampling study (Binger, Ragsdale, & Bustos, 2016). In addition, the 10 children in the current investigation participated in the intervention study which is a companion to the current article (Binger, Kent-Walsh, King, & Mansfield, 2017).…”