Phonological Assessment Instrument: evidence of reliability

Abstract

Purpose To present evidence of intra- and inter-rater reliability and internal consistency of the Phonological Assessment Instrument scores, so that it can be considered reliable and valid for use in clinical practice. Methods 179 audio recordings of the instrument's speech samples were analyzed. The collection was carried out from its application in the period of 5 months in children aged from five to eight years and 11 months. Three expert judges transcribed the speech production of each child into the software, which generated performance reports. The speech data of each child were compared between these evaluators, who were trained and experienced in phonetic transcription, to verify the agreement of the instrument scores. For the reliability analysis, the internal consistency was verified using Cronbach's Alpha and the intra and inter-rater reliability using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient. Results The Phonological Assessment Instrument showed evidence of high internal consistency, with scores indicating excellent reliability for the assessment of Brazilian Portuguese phonemes, as well as adequate agreement among the judges regarding the instrument scores. Conclusion The instrument presented robust evidence of reliability, being a reliable and safe option to be used in Brazilian research and clinical practice to evaluate the phonological system of Brazilian children.