Phonological Awareness and Nonword Repetition in Children With and Without Speech Sound Disorders: A Comparative Analysis.

objectiveThis study aimed to compare phonological awareness and verbal working memory skills, as measured by a nonword repetition task, in children with speech sound disorders (SSD) and typically developing peers. It also examined the relationship between these two cognitive-linguistic abilities within each group.

methodsThe study included 30 children aged 4 to 6 years diagnosed with SSD and 30 age-matched typically developing children. Participants were recruited from a clinical population and their typically developing siblings or relatives. Participants completed phonological awareness test and nonword repetition task. Group comparisons and correlation analyses were conducted to assess performance differences and interrelations between skills.

resultsChildren with SSD demonstrated significantly lower performance in both phonological awareness tasks and nonword repetition compared to the control group. Within-group correlation analyses revealed a significant relationship between verbal working memory and word awareness in the SSD group, whereas in the control group, verbal working memory was significantly correlated with rhyme awareness.

conclusionThe findings suggest that children with SSD experience not only speech production difficulties but also weaknesses in phonological awareness and verbal working memory. The nature of the associations between these abilities appears to differ between children with and without SSD, highlighting the need for comprehensive, multidimensional assessment and intervention approaches that target both speech and underlying cognitive-linguistic processes. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject Children with speech sound disorders (SSD) frequently demonstrate difficulties in phonological awareness and nonword repetition, both of which are associated with later language and literacy outcomes. Although these relationships have been widely investigated, many studies have included children with co-occurring language impairments or have focused on English-speaking populations. Consequently, the relationship between phonological awareness and verbal working memory in preschool children with isolated SSD remains insufficiently understood. What this study adds to existing knowledge This study compares phonological awareness and nonword repetition performance in Turkish-speaking preschool children with and without SSD. Children with SSD demonstrated significantly poorer performance on both measures than typically developing peers, despite age-appropriate language abilities. The associations between phonological awareness and nonword repetition also differed between groups, providing further evidence that the relationship between phonological processing and verbal working memory may vary according to speech disorder status. The findings also contribute valuable cross-linguistic evidence from a language with relatively transparent phonology. What are the actual clinical implications of this study? The findings support the inclusion of phonological awareness and nonword repetition tasks alongside speech production measures in the assessment of children with SSD. A comprehensive evaluation of phonological processing and verbal working memory may facilitate earlier identification of underlying difficulties and contribute to more individualized intervention planning. Considering these cognitive-linguistic skills together with speech production may improve clinical decision-making and intervention outcomes.