Prevalence of Articulation Errors in New South Wales Primary School Pupils

Abstract

Using the Edinburgh Test of Articulation, an investigation of the prevalence of speech defects in New South Wales primary school populations was undertaken. The sample comprised 2,251 students from Kindergarten to Year 6, representing five metropolitan and two country regions. Articulatory responses were analysed in terms of omissions, substitutions, distortions and/or additions. Approximately 4.6 percent of children obtained error scores more than two standard deviations above the mean. Further analysis revealed that males obtained significantly higher error scores than females, and children who came from homes where English was regularly used made significantly fewer errors, but there was no significant relationship between social class and error scores. In terms of psychometric purposes the Edinburgh Test of Articulation showed adequate levels of reliability (internal consistency and retest). An analysis of the most discriminative items yielded a reduced list of test words which may be useful for future screening purposes. It is estimated that more than 20,000 primary school children in N.S.W. possess articulatory defects and may warrant some form of clinic or classroom-based intervention.