Home | 2007 | 2006 | Article Archive 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | Featured Article

GFTA-2 Supplemental Developmental Norms By Susie Keithahn:

So what's the big deal about a little 16-page booklet? It's a big deal when it goes with the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation - Second Edition (GFTA-2). It's a big deal when it's the foundation of a major presentation for AGS Director of Development, Dr. Kathleen Williams, along with Dr. Ronald Goldman and Dr. Macalyne Fristoe at the 75th American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) convention in Washington, DC. It's a big deal because the data contained in these 16 pages is groundbreaking. Nothing like the data in this little booklet has been produced in at least 25 years. And previous studies have not included as large or as well-stratified and well-controlled a sample as the GFTA-2 standardization sample. What does all this mean? It's a big deal. As you may already be aware, the GFTA-2 is one of AGS' hottest new products. The GFTA-2 is a systematic measure of articulation of consonant sounds for children and young adults. The test has been in use for over 30 years, but it has been reenergized just this year with a major revision.

So what is this booklet for? The GFTA-2 Supplemental Developmental Norms includes an extensive data set for order of consonant and consonant cluster sound development, based on the GFTA-2 nationwide standardization sample. The GFTA-2 provides normative scores, but these scores may only provide a global measure of a child's articulation ability based on the number of errors. Most clinicians will still want to compare individual performance on each specific sound to a standard of developmental acquisition in order to do an appropriate evaluation and therapy plan. Using this data, clinicians can set their own developmental age markers, or mastery age, for the correct production or mastery of each consonant sound. Clinicians can then establish their own developmental criteria for each individual case or for their particular clinical setting based on this controlled GFTA-2 standardization sample. The booklet provides the percentages at which children in the GFTA-2 standardization sample could correctly produce each sound. With this information, speech paths can create local criterion-referenced cut-offs. For example, they may set a cut-off of 85%. If a child of the same gender and age can not make a sound that 85% of the sample could make - the error would be considered nondevelopmental and should be addressed by articulation therapy.

This data set was the "meat" of Drs. Williams, Goldman, and Fristoe's ASHA presentation. The booklet was available at the ASHA convention, and will be packaged with the GFTA-2 kits thereafter.