Clinical usability and utility of a French dynamic assessment tool of speech stimulability for children with speech sound disorders: a survey of speech-language therapist's opinions.

Dynamic assessment of speech stimulability, by providing hierarchical cues across different linguistic environments, potentially offers more assistance in the selection of treatment targets for speech sound disorder (SSD) than typical stimulability assessment. However, currently no dynamic tool exists for assessing speech sound stimulability in French. This study investigates speech-language therapists (SLTs)' opinions about the clinical usability and utility of a new computerized dynamic test assessing the stimulability of French speech sounds and structures. Thirty-one SLTs completed an initial questionnaire (demographics information and caseload child's treatment planning), administered the dynamic test to one of their caseload children with a SSD, and then completed a second questionnaire about the usability and utility of the test and whether they made changes to the child's treatment planning after having administered the test. Results indicated that the dynamic test was perceived as usable and useful by SLTs: more than 80% of the SLTs agreed on eleven statements. They enjoyed using the test and agreed that the tutorial was clear and the interface simple and attractive. Moreover, the test was considered useful for assessing the child's phonological skills, collecting unique information, selecting intervention strategies and monitoring the child's progress. Statements rated with less agreement (below 70%) concerned rapidity of learning to use, administration time, clarity and utility of cues, and insufficient number of targets. Thus, the DynaPhono test is seen as usable and useful in clinical practice to assess phonological skills, select treatment targets and intervention strategies, and monitor progress. Adding targets and cues to the test would provide additional information and improve its utility.