An assessment of speech is designed to give an idea of any diagnoses that may be indicated, such as phonological delay, dysarthria or apraxia-of-speech. A speech and language therapist would first need to make sure a child can process the sounds that they are hearing, as if a child cannot ‘hear’ a sound, they are unlikely to be able to produce it. Detailed analysis of articulation and and any phonological processes would be conducted. The following gives an indication of some measures that may be used during the assessment:
Initial discussion and taking of background information
Taking of developmental history
An articulation assessment for evaluating consonants and vowels in words,
Assessment of the stimulability of error phonemes both in isolation and in syllable contexts
Assessment of phonology for determining error patterns and similarities in phoneme production across single words and connected speech contexts
Assessment of word inconsistency for examining the variability of a child’s phonological error patterns
An Oral Motor Screen for identifying oral motor difficulties that may require further in-depth assessment
An analysis of syllable structures and how these may impact on phoneme production