Administering articulation assessments on the iPad®

The purpose of this study is to investigate the significance of technology as a time- and a resource-saver. Children between the ages of 2 years, 5 months and 5 years, 11 months had their speech sound abilities assessed using the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation (GFTA-3; Goldman & Fristoe, 2015). The administration of the assessment took two forms: (a) the iPad® method, and (b) the hard copy method. Raw scores were compared between the two methods to determine reliability. In addition, time to administer and time to score each assessment was compared between the two methods. Finally, the influence of a child’s experience with the iPad® was assessed with the frequency of redirections and imitations during the administration of the iPad®. Results showed that, when compared to the traditional hard copy version of assessment, the iPad® is a reliable instrument and will exhibit the same raw score. Results also showed that the time to administer each test did not differ, but the iPad® saves time because the scoring is fully automatic. Finally, results showed that a child’s familiarity with an iPad® at home as measured in days per week and minutes per sitting was not related to an increased time in testing, but was related to more redirections required for the iPad® assessment. Overall, the iPad® is a reliable and valid assessment tool that can save the clinician time in scoring the assessment while still establishing articulation abilities of the child.