Phonological Awareness Assessment Practices for Children with Speech Sound Disorders: Results of a National Survey

The purpose of this study was to examine assessment procedures of phonological awareness skills by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) when evaluating children who have suspected or diagnosed speech sound disorders (SSDs), including children with isolated SSDs or SSDs with co-morbid communicative impairments (e.g. language, ADHD). A survey utilizing a variety of answer selection formats was administered using the online survey website Survey Monkey. A hyperlink to the survey was distributed through email sharing and through postings on the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA) network of Special Interest Groups (SIGs). Out of 202 collected responses from SLPs working in a variety of settings (e.g. public and/or private schools, private clinics), regarding the comorbidity of SSDs and reading problems, 90.10% of respondents indicated that they currently have students on their caseloads with SSDs and concomitant reading problems. Out of those respondents, 77.72% have assessed for phonological awareness skills in their students with SSDs. While a large majority of SLPs have assessed phonological awareness skills in their students with suspected or diagnosed SSDs, the actual frequency of such evaluations in relation to the overall population of children with both impairments is comparatively low. Overall, the survey respondents agree that speech and language impairments demonstrate reciprocal relationships with the development of literacy skills, with a significant majority of respondents agreeing that both domains are included within an SLP’s clinical responsibilities as they relate to the development of communication skills, both oral and written.