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The Speech Source
Speech Sound Disorder — Informal Assessment
Sample 1 Play Activity
Engage the child in a structured play activity for 2-3 minutes. As you listen, tally each consonant produced correctly and each consonant produced in error.
Have a naturalistic conversation with the child for 2-3 minutes. As you listen, tally each consonant produced correctly and each consonant produced in error.
For each consonant, check the error type observed and write what the child said or what was observed. Leave blank if produced correctly or not yet sampled. D = Deletion (sound left out) S = Substitution (different sound used) Dis = Distortion (approximated but inaccurate)
Early developing (by age 3)
/p/as in "pan"by 3
Observed:
/b/as in "ball"by 3
Observed:
/m/as in "moon"by 3
Observed:
/n/as in "nose"by 3
Observed:
/h/as in "hat"by 3
Observed:
/t/as in "top"by 3
Observed:
/d/as in "dog"by 3
Observed:
/k/as in "cat"by 3
Observed:
/g/as in "go"by 3
Observed:
/f/as in "fish"by 3
Observed:
Section notes
Later developing (ages 3-6)
/v/as in "van"by 4
Observed:
/l/as in "leg"by 5
Observed:
/ch/as in "chair"by 5
Observed:
/sh/as in "shoe"by 6
Observed:
/j/as in "jump"by 6
Observed:
/s/as in "sun"by 6
Observed:
/z/as in "zoo"by 6
Observed:
/r/as in "red"by 7
Observed:
/th/as in "this"by 7
Observed:
Section notes
Total consonants with observed errors
0
Processes Phonological Processes Observed
Check any phonological patterns observed across the speech samples. These patterns help identify how the child's sound system is organized and what to target in therapy.
Assimilation (Consonant Harmony)Changing a sound to be more similar to a neighboring sound. Example: "gog" for "dog."
DeaffricationReplacing an affricate (/ch, j/) with a fricative or stop. Example: "sip" for "chip."
VocalizationReplacing a liquid with a vowel. Example: "tabo" for "table."
Cluster reductionChild simplifies consonant clusters by leaving one sound out. Example: says "top" instead of "stop."
Syllable deletionChild leaves out a whole syllable in longer words. Example: says "nana" instead of "banana."
Final consonant deletionChild leaves the last sound off words. Example: says "ca" instead of "cat" or "do" instead of "dog."
FrontingChild uses sounds made in the front of the mouth for sounds made in the back. Example: says "tar" instead of "car."
BackingChild uses sounds made in the back of the mouth for sounds made in the front. Example: says "gog" instead of "dog."
StoppingChild replaces a long, flowing sound with a short stopped sound. Example: says "dun" instead of "sun" or "pish" instead of "fish."
GlidingChild uses "w" or "y" in place of /r/ or /l/. Example: says "wabbit" instead of "rabbit" or "yeg" instead of "leg."
Total processes observed
0
Clinician notes on phonological patterns
Motor Motor Planning Difficulties — Additional Characteristics Observed
Check any motor planning characteristics observed during the assessment. These observations may reflect difficulty with motor planning and sequencing for speech. This section is observational and does not constitute a diagnosis.
Inconsistent errorsSame word produced differently across attempts
Difficulty with multisyllabic wordsErrors increase as word length increases
Groping or struggle behaviorsVisible searching for articulatory placement
Vowel errorsDistortions or substitutions of vowels
Prosody or stress differencesAtypical rhythm, rate, or word stress patterns
Syllable segregationEqual stress across syllables, pauses between syllables
Motor planning characteristics observed
0
Recommendation
Additional recommendation notes
Summary and Severity
Overall PCC
—
Total correct
0
Total consonants
0
0%50%65%85%100%
Severe (<50%)
Mod-Severe
Mild-Moderate
Mild (>85%)
Severity classification: Within normal limits
Enter sample data above to generate a summary for families.
Clinical disclaimer: This is an informal clinical screening tool. PCC severity ranges are based on Shriberg and Kwiatkowski (1982). This tool is intended as a supplement to — not a replacement for — a comprehensive speech sound disorder evaluation by a licensed speech-language pathologist. Motor planning characteristics noted here do not constitute a diagnosis.
