PURPOSE: To investigate the correlation between the performance of children with phonological disorder in tests of expressive vocabulary and phonological awareness, and to analyze the influence of age. METHODS: Participants were 24 children between 5 and 7 years old, diagnosed with phonological disorder and divided into three groups according to age range. These subjects were assessed in their phonological awareness and expressive vocabulary abilities. Data from the groups were statistically analyzed in order to verify the correlation between the performances on both tests, and to compare numerical variables between age groups. RESULTS: The 5-year-old group presented 18 significant correlations between phonological awareness sub-tasks and expressive vocabulary semantic fields. Seventeen of these correlations were positive and one was negative. The 6-year-old group presented ten correlations, nine positive and one negative. The 7-year-old group presented 11 correlations, six negative and five positive. In both tests, higher scores were reached by older subjects. CONCLUSION: A correlation was found between some phonological awareness abilities and the expressive vocabulary of the children with phonological disorder in this study, in different ages. Performance in both tasks improved with age.
Language tests; Vocabulary; Semantics; Child language; Language development; Child
