Appendix 2 A General Guide to Phonological Patterns

1. Appendix 2 A General Guide to Phonological Patterns Kristina Findlay and Andrea A.N. MacLeod

2. Error Patterns • Also called “phonological patterns” or “phonological processes” • Not simply single sound errors but systematic errors involving several sounds within a class • Important to keep a global view of the child’s productions • Several processes can act on the same phoneme: “clown” /klaʊn/ as [daʊn] = cluster reduction, velar fronting, prevocalic voicing • In some single word productions, the error pattern is ambiguous and requires additional observations: “cat” produced as [tæt] could be assimilation or velar fronting • Certain error patterns are common in typically developing children whereas others are unusual and may be associated with severe forms of speech sound disorder

3. Organizing the Error Patterns • Terminology can be variable across different sources (“deletion” vs. “omission”; “depalatization” vs. “palatal fronting”) – just pick a term and stick with it • Three broad categories • Assimilation patterns • Substitution patterns • Syllable structure patterns

4. Table A2.1 Summary of different patterns organized by broad category, type of phonological pattern, a definition, and examples from published data