One of the purposes of a speech-language assessment is to assign a severity rating. This means the SLP determines whether the child:

• A. Presents with a phonological delay or disorder.
• B. Produces more speech errors than his age peers.
• C. Scored at the 16th or the 10th percentile on a standardized test.
• D. Has a primary or secondary speech sound disorder.

Answer: (C)

Severity rating is about how significantly a child’s speech-language difficulties impact performance compared to age norms, typically using standardized, norm-referenced data. When a child scores at the 16th or 10th percentile on a standardized test, this indicates they fall below the average range for their age, providing an objective measure to gauge the level of impairment and guide intervention intensity. It’s a quantitative way to express severity, not just a qualitative comparison to peers or a statement about the type of disorder.

The other options describe aspects that are not about how severe the impairment is. A distinction between delay and disorder concerns the nature of the phonological issue, not how severe it is. Saying a child produces more speech errors than peers is a relative comparison without a standardized severity benchmark. Identifying a primary or secondary speech sound disorder classifies the disorder type, not its severity.