Exploring the utility of speech intelligibility rated by parents for screening children with speech sound disorders

Objectives: It is important to find earlier measures for identify speech sound disorder (SSD) in the clinical setting. This study examined the relationships among chronological age, percentage of consonants correct (PCC) and speech intelligibility rated by parents for each group, and investigated whether a speech intelligibility scale rated by parents can be a useful tool to distinguish children with SSD from children with typical speech development (TSD). Methods: A total of 78 children (55 children with TSD, 23 children with SSD) and their parents participated in this study. Parents rated their child's speech intelligibility with the intelligibility in context scale. A speech-language pathologist evaluated the children's speech production skills by using a standardized articulation test and analyzed the PCC of all children. Results: Speech intelligibility scores were significantly correlated with PCC in both groups (all ps < .05). In the logistic regression analysis, speech intelligibility rated by parents was a significant predictor for differentiating between the two groups (β=-.350, p < .001). Conclusion: A speech intelligibility scale rated by parents can be a useful tool in differentiating between children with SSD and children with TSD.