Which word recognition test is appropriate for a 5-year-old child with otitis media and a severe articulation disorder, requiring no verbal participation?

Which word recognition test is appropriate for a 5-year-old child with otitis media and a severe articulation disorder, requiring no verbal participation?

• A. Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) W-1
• B. Phonetically Balanced Kindergarten Test (PB-K)
• C. Northwestern University Test No.6 (NU6)
• D. Word Intelligibility by Picture Identification (WIPI)

Answer: (D)

For a young child who has otitis media and a severe articulation disorder and cannot participate verbally, you want a word-recognition test that doesn’t require speaking. Word Intelligibility by Picture Identification uses a picture-identification, closed-set format: the child hears a word and simply points to the corresponding picture. This means no verbal response is needed, so articulation difficulties don’t confound the measure of recognition. It allows you to assess real-word understanding despite limited expressive language, which is exactly the situation here. Other tests rely on the child producing spoken responses, such as repeating words or naming items. That level of articulation and expressive ability isn’t feasible for a five-year-old with a severe articulation disorder, so those options aren’t appropriate for this scenario.

For a young child who has otitis media and a severe articulation disorder and cannot participate verbally, you want a word-recognition test that doesn’t require speaking. Word Intelligibility by Picture Identification uses a picture-identification, closed-set format: the child hears a word and simply points to the corresponding picture. This means no verbal response is needed, so articulation difficulties don’t confound the measure of recognition. It allows you to assess real-word understanding despite limited expressive language, which is exactly the situation here.

Other tests rely on the child producing spoken responses, such as repeating words or naming items. That level of articulation and expressive ability isn’t feasible for a five-year-old with a severe articulation disorder, so those options aren’t appropriate for this scenario.