Abstract
Objective: The Houston Sentence Repetition Test of Articulation (HSRTA) was developed as a screener and brief outcome measure of articulation abilities of 3- to 5-year-old children. The HSRTA employs a sentence repetition task, which theoretically combines all of the advantages of the traditional citation method of assessing articulation with many of the advantages of the continuous speech method. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the new measure. Methods: A sample of 175 children was assessed twice, with approximately five months between assessment waves. The sample was ethnically diverse and ranged in age from 2 years and 11 months to 5 years and 4 months (mean age=4 years 6 months, SD=5 months). At each wave, children were administered the HSRTA and standardized tests of speech, language, and memory. Results: The HSRTA demonstrated good internal consistency at both assessment waves (alphas=.84 and .86, respectively). Similarly, factor analysis clearly indicated it indexed a single latent ability. The HSRTA demonstrated moderate stability across the five month time span (r=.57, p<.0001). The new measure demonstrated convergent validity with a standardized articulation test (rs=.71 and .68, ps<.0001) and discriminant validity with standardized vocabulary and auditory memory tests (rs from -.32 to -.47). The HSRTA demonstrated internal consistencies and test-retest reliabilities that were equivalent to those of a standardized, norm referenced test of articulation, but the HSRTA was more sensitive to the effects of time (F[1,160]=11.26, p<.01). Conclusion: Psychometric analyses indicated that the new measure is a reliable, valid, and sensitive tool for assessing individual differences in articulation skills among 3- to 5-year-old children. Collectively, results indicate the HSRTA surpasses minimum standards for a screener and brief outcome measure. Potential uses for researchers and practitioners are discussed.
Highlights
Children’s articulation skills have traditionally been assessed using one of two methods
The results showed that the Percent Consonants Correct (PCC) measures of both tasks yielded clinically and statistically equivalent results
Preanalysis data inspection Descriptive statistics indicate that the sample performed on the two articulation measures at both assessment waves (Table 2)
Summary
Children’s articulation skills have traditionally been assessed using one of two methods. The citation method requires children to produce a single word utterance, usually elicited through picture naming, object naming, or verbal repetition. The continuous speech method requires children to produce words in connected speech. Continuous speech samples are usually elicited through conversation, storytelling, or story retelling. Each of these two assessment methods have important advantages and disadvantages that should be considered when one is planning a research study or an articulation assessment. We discuss the tradeoffs between these two methods of assessing children’s articulation, and we propose that a less common method (i.e., sentence repetition) may minimize tradeoffs and prove useful in a variety of contexts. We describe and evaluate a new test based on the sentence repetition method
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
