COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CONSONANT MASTERY IN CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE DISORDER

Abstract

This study explores consonant mastery in children diagnosed with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) compared to typically developing children. We compared the accuracy of consonant sounds produced by children with DLD to the "early 8 sounds," "middle 8 sounds," and "late 8 sounds" and to normative data of typical age of mastery for English-speaking children, which uncovers significant insights into the phonological challenges faced by children with DLD. Speech sound accuracy was determined based on videos of children talking aloud as they completed an attention task. This study adopts a blended approach, encompassing both naturalistic and elicited methods. In evaluating children's consonant mastery, participants were neither prompted nor discouraged to produce specific words or speech sounds. The results indicate that children with DLD exhibit the highest proficiency in consonant sounds from the "early 8 sounds" group, followed by the "middle 8 sounds," and the lowest proficiency in the "late 8 sounds." This pattern of performance showcases that consonants are mastered in the same order relative to children with typical speech. However, participants made errors on sounds that are expected to be mastered by their age, which indicates a delay in mastering consonant sounds compared to typically developing peers. Overall, this study contributes valuable insights into the phonological challenges of children with DLD, emphasizing the importance of tailored intervention strategies to support their speech sound development.