Vowel errors produced by preschool-age children on a single-word test of articulation.
Elizabeth Roepke, Françoise Brosseau-Lapré
PMID 33459085WHAT IT FOUND
Preschoolers with speech sound disorder produced fewer vowel errors than consonant errors, but their vowel accuracy dropped sharply on unstressed syllables.
Vowel errors correlated with inconsistent consonant production, suggesting that transcribing vowels during assessment may reveal gaps in a child’s underlying speech patterns.
Key findings
01Children with speech sound disorder produced significantly more vowel errors than typically developing peers, particularly on unstressed vowels.
02Vowel accuracy was strongly correlated with consonant error variability, suggesting that vowel errors may reflect poorly specified phonological representations.
03The Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation-3 does not provide sufficient targets to establish a complete vowel inventory, especially for low-frequency vowels.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study excluded children with concomitant language disorders, so findings may not apply to the broader SSD population who often have language impairments. The GFTA-3 is standardized on consonants, so its vowel targets are limited and may not represent a child's full vowel capability. The study did not assess vowel perception, so it is unclear if errors are due to production or perception deficits. Findings are based on a Midwestern American English dialect, which may not generalize to other dialects.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (Extramural). No other conflicts of interest were reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a child's vowel errors are solely a motor production problem. The study suggests vowel errors correlate with inconsistent consonant production, pointing to underlying phonological representation issues. Also, do not rely on the GFTA-3 alone to rule out vowel deficits, as it lacks sufficient targets for a complete vowel inventory.