Purpose: This study investigated articulatory patterns for American English /[Voiced alveolar approximant]/ in children with and without a history of residual speech sound disorder (RSSD). It was hypothesized that children without RSSD would favor bunched tongue shapes, similar to American adults reported in previous literature. Based on clinical…

Purpose: Despite extensive research into communication-related parameters in dysarthria, such as intelligibility, naturalness, and perceived listener effort, the existing evidence has not been translated into a clinically applicable, comprehensive, and valid diagnostic tool so far. This study addresses Communication-Related Parameters in Speech…

How do examiners reach joint decisions when they grade oral examinations? While government and policymakers provide general frameworks about grading decisions, we know little about how they are actually accomplished in interaction, particularly when examiners initially disagree. We scrutinized 29 video-recorded grading conversations between…

Background: The status of the velopharyngeal mechanism can be inferred from perceptual ratings of specified speech parameters. Several studies have proposed the measure of an overall velopharyngeal composite score based on these perceptual ratings and have reported good validity. The Cleft Audit Protocol for Speech--Augmented (CAPS-A) is a…

This article provides a detailed review of the Computer-based English Listening Speaking Test (CELST) used in Guangdong, China, as part of the National Matriculation English Test (NMET) to assess students' English proficiency. The CELST measures listening and speaking skills as outlined in the "English Curriculum for Senior Middle…

The influence of visual impairment (i.e., blindness or low vision) on the development of children's speech sound production has undergone some speculation for over half a century. Children learn to produce speech sounds by utilizing and integrating several cognitive-linguistic and sensory-perceptual processes, which may include processing visual…

The reciprocal nature of spoken interaction means that participants constantly alternate between speaker and listener roles. However, listener or recipient actions--also known as interactive listening (IL)--are somewhat underrepresented in language tests. In conventional listening tests, they are not directly assessed. In speaking tests, they have…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between perceived single-word speech severity and intelligibility in children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), with and without comorbid language impairment (LI), and to investigate the contribution of different CAS signs to perceived single-word speech severity and…

Clinical Question: When assessing children's speech using a standardised speech assessment, is face-to-face better than telepractice to determine the presence and the nature of speech sound disorder? Method: Systematic Review. Study Sources: PsycInfo®, CINAHL, Scopus, PubMed, ERIC. Search Terms: telehealth OR telepractice OR telemedicine AND child…

This edited book presents and discusses theoretical, practical, and research developments in English pronunciation in order to establish evidence-based directions and recommendations for best practices in English speech assessment, research, and training. It features leading pronunciation experts from diverse contexts who share cutting-edge…

The extrapolation of test scores to a target domain - that is, association between test performances and relevant real-world outcomes - is critical to valid score interpretation and use. This study examined the relationship between Duolingo English Test (DET) speaking scores and university stakeholders' evaluation of DET speaking performances. A…

As our understanding of the construct of oral communication (OC) has evolved, so have the possibilities of computer technology undertaking the delivery of tests that measure this ability. It is paramount to understand to what extent such developments lead to accurate, comprehensive, and useful assessment of OC. In this paper, we discuss five…

English proficiency assessments have become a necessary metric for filtering and selecting prospective candidates for both academia and industry. With the rise in demand for such assessments, it has become increasingly necessary to have the automated human-interpretable results to prevent inconsistencies and ensure meaningful feedback to the…

Background: Speech intelligibility is a global indicator of the severity of a speech problem. It is a measure that has been used frequently in research and clinical assessment of speech. Previous studies have shown that factors, such as measurement method and listener experience, can influence speech intelligibility scores. However, these factors…

Purpose: The current intelligibility tests performed on speakers with atypical speech production are limited by the ability of listeners to restore distorted sequences. This results in a measure that is overvalued when compared with the real articulatory performance. In this article, we present a new intelligibility test in order to neutralize the…