A nonverbal phoneme deletion task administered in a dynamic assessment format

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of the project was to design a nonverbal dynamic assessment of phoneme deletion that may prove useful with individuals who demonstrate complex communication needs (CCN) and are unable to communicate using natural speech or who present with moderate–severe speech impairments. MethodA nonverbal dynamic assessment of phoneme deletion with a systematic prompting and scoring system was developed and compared to the same measure administered using a traditional “static” format. Both versions were administered to 64 typically developing children ranging in age from 6 to 8;5. The dynamic phoneme deletion task was designed so that no verbal response was required. Children were asked to point to pictures representing each stimulus item. The same stimulus items were administered to children in a traditional static format, without the use of pictures. For example, in the dynamic assessment task, children were asked to point to 1 of 4 pictures (e.g., ice) to indicate their response when asked to delete “m” from “mice.” In the static format, children were asked to “say” the real word left over after deleting “m” from “mice.” Correlations between phoneme deletion tasks and word-level reading tasks were calculated. ResultsInternal reliability for the nonverbal dynamic phoneme deletion task was α=.88 for the total sample. Correlations between the dynamic and static formats were high (r=.84) as were correlations between the deletion tasks and the measure of word-level reading (dynamic; r=.54, static; r=.53). ConclusionsThese preliminary findings suggest that the nonverbal dynamic phoneme deletion task holds promise for use with children for whom speech output is compromised. Implications for use with children who use AAC or who have significant speech impairments and recommendations for future research are discussed.Learning outcomes: Readers will learn about a nonverbal dynamic assessment of phoneme deletion that may prove useful for measuring phoneme awareness for children who are unable to communicate using natural speech or who present with moderate–severe speech impairments. Readers will learn about the importance of accurate measurement of phoneme awareness for children with complex communication needs. Readers will also learn about how to develop and utilize reliable and valid measures of phoneme awareness for this population of children with communication impairments.