Speech problems in a national survey: assessments and prevalences

SUMMARY In this paper we present data on the prevalence of speech problems in a nationally representative group of children according to three modes of assessment. There was a large measure of disagreement between the assessments. Sex, social class, birth order and family size differences were examined. There was indirect evidence to suggest that the social class differences in the teachers' assessments of poor speech could be explained in terms of differences in children's dialect and language rather than a reflection of speech deficits. Finally we examined the relationship between parental assessment and the three modes of assessment. Overall, the degree of concurrence was low.