Assessment and Differential Diagnosis of Speech Sound Disorders in Children

Speech Sound disorders (SSD) are quite diverse and range in both severity and type of disorder. Given the complexity of SSD, appropriate assessment will have clinical implications for selecting the most appropriate intervention targets and intervention approach. Utilizing an evidence-based practice framework, tests are selected on the basis of the presenting needs, concerns, and characteristics of the child’s speech. Thus, a key outcome of a comprehensive speech assessment is an analysis of the test data and speech samples to identify predominant error patterns, make a differential diagnosis, determine appropriate treatment targets, and design an efficacious intervention plan. It is vital for SLPs to be knowledgeable and experienced in administering every component of a comprehensive assessment. Yet, in the "real world,” it is usually not feasible to carry out all aspects of such an evaluation on every child. Thus, the SLP must also know how to select those components that are most applicable to a given client’s speech profile, sometimes adjusting the choice of assessment tools as the evaluation proceeds and further speech strengths and weaknesses are revealed.