Questionnaire Description

The Metaphon Onderzoek (MO) is an assessment tool designed for the diagnosis and therapeutic intervention of children with phonological disorders. It consists of two main parts: the assessment section, which includes the screening, the process-specific phonological evaluation (processpecifiek onderzoek), and the evaluation of therapy effectiveness; and the therapeutic section, which contains materials and suggestions for therapeutic intervention. The assessment is carried out through phonological analysis, enabling an accurate diagnosis of the phonological processes used by the child and the formulation of an appropriate treatment plan.

Data Analysis and Use

The data collected through the MO questionnaire are used for the initial assessment of the child’s speech patterns, for an in-depth analysis of specific phonological processes through targeted testing, and for the evaluation of progress and therapy effectiveness. The analysis is based on the presence or absence of specific phonological processes, and the findings are interpreted in relation to the child’s age and developmental expectations.

Objective

The objective of the Metaphon questionnaire is to diagnose phonological disorders in children, to individualize therapy through the identification of active phonological processes, and to monitor progress throughout the course of therapeutic intervention. The tool is intended for use by speech and language therapists and other professionals working with children with phonological problems.

Scoring

The MO is a qualitative diagnostic tool that does not rely on quantitative norms or statistical scoring scales, but instead focuses on the analysis of errors and the identification of phonological processes used by the child. Evaluators observe and record deviations from typical speech based on predefined categories of phonological processes.

References

Dean, E., Howell, J., Hill, A., & Waters, D. (1986). Metaphon: A therapy for phonological disorders in children. Dutch version: Leijdekker-Brinkman, W. (2002).