The Arizona Articulation Proficiency Scale (Arizona-3) – Flashcards

The Arizona Articulation Proficiency Scale (Arizona-3) is a norm references test used to identify misarticulations that has a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. This test is for individuals 1 year 6 months to 18 years 11 months.

To test total articulatory proficiency, help identify/select children for speech therapy progress, identify children who need more in depth assessment of language and learning abilities.

The Arizona-3 is norm referenced and allows a comparison of an individual's performance to a larger normative group.

The Arizona-3 has three reliabilities such as: Internal consistency, rater-reliability, and test re-test reliability.

The Arizona-3 has concurrent validity.

The materials needed are the spiral-bound set of black and white 42 stimulus drawings (picture test cards) and the test booklet which is designed for recording and scoring.

Record the clients the examinee's identification information on the front of the test booklet. Seat the client so they are facing you across a table. Greet the client, introduce yourself and collect their name and age. Present the black and white picture cards to child in upright position with pictures facing the client.

Tell the client, "I am going to show you some pictures. As I show you each picture, please tell me what it is. Wait for client to reply and ask if they need any clarification. Verbalize the prompts on the back of the picture test cards to direct the client and obtain a response. Start at 1 and complete all 42 words.

Record the response before moving on to the next Picture Card. Be sure to record only errors, and remember that some Picture Cards present more than one sound to be tested. Record scores as you go in the "Sound Values" column, ERROR (Record the production) column, and notes column.

Optional Assessment Tasks are available for speech professionals to extend the usefulness of the test. The Word Reading Administration of the Articulation Test is for older individuals who are competent readers and may think some of the Picture Cards are childish.

Ask the individual to read the target words that name the objects represented by the drawings. The target words are printed at the end of the spiral-bound set of Picture Cards. To test for The Language Screening Task the clinician will ask a few questions during the articulation test to obtain useful additional information.

Each picture card will include a brief prompt on the back to common developmental milestones for language skills. For Picture Cards 44 and 45, use for Continuous Speech Language Sample Task. These cards show pictures of children playing and are designed to encourage the client to speak spontaneously. Record verbatim in the space provided on the last page of the Test Booklet, typically no more than about 100 words.

The scoring is obtained based on the frequency of occurrence value for the speech sounds accurately produced. There is a "Sound Values" column which 67 sounds make up a sum of 100. Each sound has a different point value. Gather scores in the "Sound Values" column for initial, final, and vowel erred sounds separately. Record the 3 scores in the spaces provided. Add up the corresponding sums as indicated and record the score in the Total Error Value space. Subtract the Total Error value from 100 and record the result in the space labeled Arizona-3 Total Score. Appendix A will demonstrate a chart to compare the client's results to those of other individuals in the same age group. Spaces for recording standardized scores are provided on the first page of the Test Booklet.

Analyze speech intelligibility, standard scores and severity ratings, and the continuous speech language sample. The speech intelligibility interpretation values are located on the front page of the test booklet. This score will demonstrates to parent and teachers how well they should expect to understand the child. Standardized scores will compare the child's results to other individuals of the same age. The severity ratings will demonstrate the level of articulatory impairment.

The level of articulatory impairment values are located on the chart on the first page of the test booklet above the percentiles, standard scores, and standard deviation. To see how the individual compares to the normative group you take their score and find it on the chart provided. The Continuous Speech Language Sample is to evaluate the same sounds used in the articulation test in contextual speech. Look in Appendix B to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of the examinee's continuous speech patterns.

This test will show where the individual is compared to the appropriate norms for their age and gender. The test will demonstrate if the client is typically developing or if they have articulation disorder. It will determine if the client is eligible for therapy. The Arizona-3 will give the clinician a good starting point for therapy and help narrow down the difficulties the client may have.