In the case described, the mild phonological delay was described using which percentile on a phonology test?

• A. 12th percentile
• B. 25th percentile
• C. 17th percentile
• D. 20th percentile

Answer: (A)

Percentile ranks show how a child’s performance compares to same-age peers, so describing a mild phonological delay in terms of a lower-tail percentile means the child is below the average range but not extremely low. In this case, the score sits in the low-teens, around the 12th percentile. That placement indicates the child performs below most of their peers (about 88% score higher) but isn’t in the far lower tail where more severe delays would be seen. Higher percentiles—such as the 17th, 20th, or 25th—would reflect performance closer to the average end of the distribution and would not align as well with labeling the delay as mild. So, the 12th percentile best matches the description of a mild delay, given typical interpretations of how percentile ranks map onto severity.