SACHL 2025

Dr Kate Margetson and I have a grant through the Rural Health Research Institute to develop the Speech Assessment of Children’s Home Languages (SACHL, Margetson & McLeod, 2025) https://www.csu.edu.au/research/multilingual-speech/speech-assessments/sachl and to ensure it is relevant to all speech pathologists including in rural and remote settings.

This morning we

• reflected on our presentation at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (Nov 2024)
• prepared our presentation for the (rural) Central West Speech Pathologists (7 Feb 2025)
• worked on our chapter for a book to be published in Italian
• looked at speech assessments in languages other than English (including the HKCAT that just arrived by mail from Prof Carol To in Hong Kong).

We have already been productive in our first week back from holidays!

 

Chinese University of Hong Kong lecture

This morning Dr Kate Margetson and I were honoured to be invited by Prof Valerie Pereira to give a 3-hour lecture to Masters students at Chinese University of Hong Kong. Their are studying the subject SLPA5207 Speech Sound Disorders and their textbooks are Children's Speech (McLeod & Baker, 2017) and Interventions for Speech Sound Disorders in Children (Williams, McLeod & McCauley, 2020).

What a pleasure to meet the future speech and language therapists of Hong Kong. Best wishes students! Thanks for letting us put your photo on my blog - and for having a multilingal superpower - speaking English, Cantonese, Mandarin/Putonghua (and some of you spoke even more languages!).

Academic staff at Chinese University of Hong Kong

Sharynne with Prof Thomas Law

Sharynne with Prof Valerie Pereira

Visiting colleagues at The University of Hong Kong

I had a wonderful day today re-connecting with my long-term colleague Prof Carol Kit Sum To in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Faculty of Education at The University of Hong Kong. Carol and I first began collaborating around 2010 - and since then have had grants and published a number of papers together and have further collaborations planned:

1. To, C. K. S., Cheung, P. S. P., & McLeod, S. (2013a). A population study of children's acquisition of Hong Kong Cantonese consonants, vowels, and tones. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 56(1), 103–122. https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2012/11-0080)
2. To, C. K. S., Cheung, P. S. P., & McLeod, S. (2013b). The impact of extrinsic demographic factors on Cantonese speech acquisition. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, 27(5), 323–338. https://doi.org/10.3109/02699206.2013.763385
3. To, C. K. S., McLeod, S., & Cheung, P. S. P. (2015). Phonetic variations and sound changes in Hong Kong Cantonese: Diachronic review, synchronic study and implications for speech sound assessment. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, 29(5), 333–353. https://doi.org/10.3109/02699206.2014.1003329
4. To, C. K. S., McLeod, S., Sam, K. L., & Law, T. (2022). Predicting which children will normalize without intervention for speech sound disorders. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 65(5), 1724-1741. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_JSLHR-21-00444 
5. To, C. K. S., Cheung, P. S. P., & McLeod, S. (2025). English + Cantonese speech development. In S. McLeod (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of speech development in languages of the world. Oxford University Press. 
   

Prof Carol To at her speech lab

Sharynne and Carol at HKU

Carol is an Adjunct Research Professor at Charles Sturt University. 

I also met Dr Saira Ambreen, who completed her PhD with Carol in 2023 - and now is a postdoc at HKU. Saira's research has described children's acquisition of Urdu - and I have cited her work a number of times already. Saira and Carol have written a chapter on Urdu speech development in The Oxford Handbook of Speech Development in Languages of the World. It was inspiring to spend the day with Carol and Saira. Thank you for your hospitality.

Sharynne, Carol and Dr Saira Ambreen

Predicting which children will normalize without intervention for speech sound disorders

The following manuscript has been accepted for publication:

To, C. K. S., McLeod, S., Sam, K. L & Law, T. (2022, in press). Predicting which children will normalize without intervention for speech sound disorders. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research.

During peer review we received the following very positive comments:

Editor: 

• “We are all enthusiastic about this rigorously conducted work and believe that the topic has important clinical implications and will be of substantial interest to the JSLHR readership” 

Reviewers: 

• “This is one of the most clinically significant and important papers I have read in a while. My impression of this paper is highly positive…”
• “The paper was prepared … with exceptional clarity, as well as a rigorous statistical and quantitative methods.” 
  
• “...this is the nicest paper with the clearest set of impactful results that I have seen in a while. I think it has potential to "make a splash" in the field, and I hope it gets read a lot.” 
• “This is a standout study in terms of quantitative rigor and clinical usefulness and value. The study design is careful and overall very clear. The authors executed the research design carefully and prepared the paper with exceptional clarity, as well as used rigorous statistical and quantitative methods. I am pleased to endorse this paper toward publication in JSLHR.”

Here is the abstract:

Purpose: The speech of some children does not follow a typical normalization trajectory and they develop speech sound disorders (SSD). The current study investigated predictive correlates of speech sound normalization in children who were at risk of SSD. 

Method: A prospective population cohort study of 845 Cantonese-speaking preschoolers was conducted over 2.5 years to examine children (a) who resolved non-adult realizations of consonants (normalized) and (b) those who had persisting speech sound difficulties (did not normalize). From these 845, a sample of 82 participants characterized as having SSD (1.25 SD below the mean in a standardized speech assessment, with a delay in initial consonant acquisition, or with one or more atypical errors) were followed for 2 years at six-month intervals or until the completion of their initial consonant inventory. Data from 43 children who did not receive speech-language pathology services were analysed with survival analysis to model time-to-normalization while controlling for covariates. The target event (outcome) was completion of their initial consonant inventory. 

Results: Under the no-intervention condition, the estimated median time-to-normalization was 6.59 years of age. Children who were more likely to normalize or normalized in a shorter time were stimulable to all errors and more intelligible as rated by caregivers using the Intelligibility in Context Scale. Those who showed atypical error patterns did not necessarily take longer to normalize. Similarly, expressive language ability was not significantly associated with speech normalization. 

Conclusion: Stimulability and intelligibility were more useful prognostic factors of speech normalization when compared to (a)typicality of error patterns and expressive language ability. Children with low intelligibility and poor stimulability and should be prioritized for speech-language pathology services given that their speech errors are less likely to resolve naturally.

Children's speech acquisition in Vietnamese and Cantonese

Today Ben Pham presented a paper titled "Acquisition of consonants, vowels and tones by children in Northern Viet Nam" at the 10th Asia Pacific Conference of Speech, Language, and Hearing (APCSLH) in Narita, Japan.

Sharynne, Ben Pham and A/Prof Kathy Lee from Chinese University of Hong Kong

Ben's work has been informed by a paper by A/Prof Carol To from the University of Hong Kong published in Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research in 2013. Ben and Carol have had a number of opportunities to discuss their work while in Japan. Such collaboration and sharing strengthens research quality.

A/Prof Carol To (University of Hong Kong) and Ben Pham discussing
Cantonese and Vietnamese children's speech acquisition

Phonetic variations and sound changes in Hong Kong Cantonese

The following paper has been accepted for publication:

To, C. K. -S., McLeod, S. & Cheung, P. S. -P. (2014, in press December). Phonetic variations and sound changes in Hong Kong Cantonese: Diachronic review, synchronic study, and implications for speech sound assessments. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics.

 Here is the abstract:

The aim of this paper was to describe phonetic variations and sound changes in Hong Kong Cantonese (HKC) in order to provide speech-language pathologists with information about acceptable variants of standard pronunciations for speech sound assessments. Study 1 examined the pattern of variations and changes based on past diachronic research and historical written records. Nine phonetic variations were found. Five in syllable-initial and syllabic contexts: (1)[n-]→[l-], (2)[ŋ-]→Ø-, (3)Ø-→[ŋ-], (4)[k^wɔ-]→[kɔ-], (5)syllabic [ŋ̍]→[m̩]; and four in syllable-final contexts: (6)[-ŋ]→[-n], (7)[-n]→[-ŋ], (8)[-k]→[-t], (9)[-t]→[-k]. Historical records demonstrated the pattern of variation and changes in HKC across time. In study 2, a large-scale synchronic study of speakers of differing ages was undertaken to determine acceptable phonetic variations of HKC for speech sound assessments. In the synchronic study single-words were elicited from 138 children (10;8-12;4) and 112 adults (18-45 years) who spoke Cantonese and lived in Hong Kong. Synchronic evidence demonstrated five acceptable variants in syllable-initial and syllabic contexts: (1) [n-]→[l-], (2) [ŋ-]→Ø-, (3) Ø-→[ŋ-], (4) [k^wɔ-]→[kɔ-], and (5) syllabic [ŋ̍]→[m̩] and four incomplete sound changes in syllable-final contexts: (6) [-ŋ]→[-n], (7) [-n]→[-ŋ], (8) [-k]→[-t], and (9) [-t]→[-k]. The incomplete sound changes may still be accepted as variants in speech sound assessments unless related speech problems are indicated.

Validation of the Intelligibility in Context Scale as a screening tool for preschoolers in Hong Kong

The following manuscript has been accepted for publication:
Ng, K., To, C. K. S. McLeod, S., (in press, November 2013). Validation of the Intelligibility in Context Scale as a screening tool for preschoolers in Hong Kong, Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics.
UPDATE - PUBLISHED in APRIL 2014
Ng, K., To, C. K. S. McLeod, S., (2014). Validation of the Intelligibility in Context Scale as a screening tool forpreschoolers in Hong Kong, Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, 28(5), 316-328.

This publication is the first validation study of the Intelligibility in Context Scale in a language other than English. Here is the abstract:

The Intelligibility in Context Scale (ICS, McLeod, Harrison, & McCormack, 2012) is a parent report questionnaire for assessing children’s speech intelligibility. The original version was developed in English and was based on Environmental Factors identified within the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-Children and Youth Version (ICF-CY) (World Health Organization, 2007). The ICS has been translated into over 30 languages, including Traditional Chinese (ICS-TC). The aims of the current study were to examine the psychometric properties of the ICS-TC with Cantonese-speaking parent-child dyads and to identify speech measures that were more sensitive to the ICS-TC ratings. A total of 72 Cantonese-speaking preschoolers with (n = 39) and without speech sound disorders (SSD) (n = 33) were recruited. Native Cantonese-speaking parents completed the ICS-TC independently. The measure showed good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Correlations with speech performance on the Hong Kong Cantonese Articulation Test, and significant difference in ICS-TC mean scores between the two groups provided preliminary support for the validity of ICS-TC and suggested that ICS-TC can differentiate between children with and without SSD with a large effect size of d = 0.74. The optimal cutoff was estimated using Receiver Operative Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, giving a sensitivity of .70 and specificity of .59. ICS-TC mean scores showed a positive correlation with the percentage of initial consonants correct and negative correlation with frequency of atypical errors, and both were moderate in strength. Given the satisfactory psychometric properties of ICS-TC, it may be a valuable clinical tool for screening Cantonese-speaking preschool children’s intelligibility.

Two manuscripts have just been published

These two manuscripts have just been published in the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology.

1. McLeod, S., Harrison, L. J., McAllister, L. & McCormack. J. (2013). Speech sound disorders in a community study of preschool children. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 22, 503–522. doi: 10.1044/1058-0360(2012/11-0123)
2. Lockart, R. & McLeod, S. (2013). Factors that enhance English-speaking speech-language pathologists’ transcription of Cantonese-speaking children’s consonants. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 22, 523–539. doi: 10.1044/1058-0360(2012/12-0009)

The first paper is based on the Sound Effects Study, undertaken through an Australian Research Council Discovery grant. The second paper was a part of Rebekah Lockart's masters thesis within my Australian Research Council Future Fellowship. We are now testing SLPs' transcription of Greek.