ETS Domain: Treatment

Praxis 5331 Articulation & Phonology Questions

Articulation and phonology items on the Praxis 5331 mix pediatric assessment (GFTA, KLPA) with process identification and evidence-based treatment selection (minimal pairs, cycles, complexity). Expect 8-12 items across the exam.

Why this topic matters

Almost every school-based SLP works this caseload — ETS considers it foundational.
Confusing an articulation disorder with a phonological disorder changes your entire treatment answer.

High-yield concepts

Phonological processes: fronting, stopping, cluster reduction, final consonant deletion, gliding.
Age of suppression: most processes suppressed by age 5; gliding of liquids can persist to 6-7.
Minimal pairs treatment — targets specific error contrasts.
Cycles approach (Hodson) — for highly unintelligible children with multiple processes.
Complexity approach — targets later-developing, complex sounds to spur system-wide change.
Traditional articulation therapy (Van Riper): auditory discrimination → production → carryover.

Sample practice questions

Try answering before revealing the rationale — mark misses to retry later.

Q1.A 4-year-old says 'tup' for 'cup' and 'top' for 'stop.' Which phonological processes are present?

A.Fronting and cluster reduction
B.Stopping and gliding
C.Final consonant deletion and fronting
D.Backing and stopping

Show answer & rationale

Correct: A. 'Tup' for 'cup' = velar fronting (/k/ → /t/). 'Top' for 'stop' = cluster reduction (/st/ → /t/). Both are typical processes but should be suppressed by different ages.

Q2.Which treatment approach is best supported for a highly unintelligible 4-year-old with multiple phonological processes?

A.Traditional articulation therapy (Van Riper)
B.Cycles approach
C.Oral motor exercises
D.Auditory bombardment only

Show answer & rationale

Correct: B. The Cycles approach (Hodson) is specifically designed for highly unintelligible children with multiple phonological processes, rotating targets in cycles rather than mastering one at a time.

Q3.A 7-year-old distorts /r/ in all positions but has intelligible speech otherwise. This is best classified as:

A.Phonological disorder
B.Articulation disorder
C.Childhood apraxia of speech
D.Typical development

Show answer & rationale

Correct: B. A single-sound distortion in an otherwise intelligible 7-year-old is an articulation disorder — a motor production problem, not a rule-based phonological problem.

Common wrong-answer traps

Calling every child error a 'phonological disorder' — single-sound distortions are articulation.
Recommending oral-motor exercises — not evidence-based for SSD.
Forgetting the age of typical suppression when deciding if a process is disordered.

Study moves this week

Memorize the 8 most common processes + typical age of suppression.
Practice transcribing 10 child samples in IPA and labeling processes.
Match 5 treatment approaches to their evidence-based indications.

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FAQ

Is oral-motor therapy ever a correct Praxis answer?

Almost never — it is not evidence-based for speech sound disorders. If it appears, treat it as a distractor.

Cycles vs minimal pairs — how do I choose?

Cycles for highly unintelligible children with multiple processes; minimal pairs for children with fewer errors that clearly affect meaning contrasts.

What's the difference between articulation and phonological disorders?

Articulation is a motor production problem (individual sounds); phonology is a rule-based system problem (patterns across many sounds).

Praxis 5331 Articulation & Phonology Questions

Why this topic matters

High-yield concepts

Sample practice questions

Common wrong-answer traps

Study moves this week

Want 400+ scenario questions with rationales?

FAQ

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