In the evolving landscape of speech-language pathology, the increasing prevalence of online therapy services has prompted researchers to examine the validity of online measures of speech perception. A recent study titled Comparing online versus laboratory measures of speech perception in older children and adolescents offers valuable insights for practitioners.
The study, conducted by McAllister et al. (2024), compared the speech perception abilities of 98 children tested in a laboratory setting with 50 children tested online. The research focused on the American English /ɹ/ sound, a frequent target in speech therapy for children with speech sound disorders (SSD). Two tasks were used: a phoneme identification task and a category goodness judgment task.
Key findings include:
- Participants in the laboratory setting exhibited more acute perception on the identification task compared to those tested online.
- No significant difference was found between the two groups in the category goodness judgment task.
- There were significant correlations between the two tasks in the online setting, but not in the laboratory setting.
These findings suggest that while there are differences between online and in-person measures, online data collection can still yield valuable insights, especially with the proper controls in place. For practitioners, this means that online measures can be a reliable tool for assessing speech perception, provided that equipment and environmental variables are carefully managed.
To implement these findings in practice, consider the following recommendations:
- Ensure standardized equipment for online assessments, such as high-quality headphones.
- Minimize background noise and distractions during online sessions.
- Incorporate online speech perception tasks into your assessment toolkit to reach a broader, more representative sample of children.
Further research is needed to explore the specific conditions under which online measures can be most effectively used. However, the current study provides a strong foundation for integrating online assessments into clinical practice, potentially improving outcomes for children with SSD.
To read the original research paper, please follow this link: Comparing online versus laboratory measures of speech perception in older children and adolescents.
