A nonverbal phoneme deletion task administered in a dynamic assessment format

Area of Science:

• Speech-Language Pathology
• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Accurate phoneme awareness is crucial for literacy development.
• Children with complex communication needs (CCN) often face challenges in traditional speech-based assessments.
• Existing assessments may not adequately capture the phonological skills of children with speech impairments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and evaluate a nonverbal dynamic assessment for phoneme deletion.
• To provide a tool for individuals with CCN and moderate-to-severe speech impairments.
• To enhance the measurement of phoneme awareness in non-speaking populations.

Main Methods:

• Developed a nonverbal dynamic assessment with a systematic prompting and scoring system.
• Compared the dynamic version to a traditional static format in 64 typically developing children (ages 6–8.5).
• Utilized a picture-pointing response to eliminate the need for verbal output.

Main Results:

• The nonverbal dynamic assessment demonstrated high internal reliability (α=.88).
• Strong correlations were found between the dynamic and static formats (r=.84).
• Significant correlations were observed between phoneme deletion tasks and word-level reading (dynamic: r=.54, static: r=.53).

Conclusions:

• The nonverbal dynamic phoneme deletion task is a promising tool for children with compromised speech output.
• This assessment can be valuable for children using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) or those with significant speech impairments.
• Further research is recommended to explore its full potential and applications.