Sherrill R Morris1. 1. School of Allied Health and Communicative Disorders, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA. srmorris@niu.edu
Abstract
PURPOSE: This clinical exchange reviews two independent phonological assessment measures: mean babbling level (MBL) and syllable structure level (SSL). Both measures summarize phonetic inventory and syllable shape in a calculated average and have been used in research to describe the phonological abilities of children ages 9 to 36 months. An example of the measures' clinical use is presented. METHOD: Six studies reporting MBL and SSL were reviewed. Combined, the studies included 207 participants. One hundred twenty-eight of those were developing language as expected, and 79 were identified as having speech-language impairment. CONCLUSION: Overall, the studies indicate that SSL is a reliable measure that increases as children develop. Children with language impairment exhibit lower SSL scores than children with typical language skills. Further, a lower than expected MBL is predictive of a lack of meaningful speech at 24 months of age. IMPLICATION: MBL and SSL have clinical application in terms of initial evaluation as well as progress monitoring. Recommendations for standardized corpus inclusion procedures are presented.
PURPOSE: This clinical exchange reviews two independent phonological assessment measures: mean babbling level (MBL) and syllable structure level (SSL). Both measures summarize phonetic inventory and syllable shape in a calculated average and have been used in research to describe the phonological abilities of children ages 9 to 36 months. An example of the measures' clinical use is presented. METHOD: Six studies reporting MBL and SSL were reviewed. Combined, the studies included 207 participants. One hundred twenty-eight of those were developing language as expected, and 79 were identified as having speech-language impairment. CONCLUSION: Overall, the studies indicate that SSL is a reliable measure that increases as children develop. Children with language impairment exhibit lower SSL scores than children with typical language skills. Further, a lower than expected MBL is predictive of a lack of meaningful speech at 24 months of age. IMPLICATION: MBL and SSL have clinical application in terms of initial evaluation as well as progress monitoring. Recommendations for standardized corpus inclusion procedures are presented.
Authors: Beate Peter; Jennifer Davis; Sarah Cotter; Alicia Belter; Emma Williams; Melissa Stumpf; Laurel Bruce; Linda Eng; Yookyung Kim; Lizbeth Finestack; Carol Stoel-Gammon; Delaney Williams; Nancy Scherer; Mark VanDam; Nancy Potter Journal: Am J Speech Lang Pathol Date: 2021-10-19 Impact factor: 4.018