Photo Articulation Test (PAT-3)

The Photo Articulation Test—Third Edition (PAT-3) is a completely revised edition of the popular Photo Articulation Test. It meets the nationally recognized need for a standardized way to document the presence of articulation errors. The PAT-3 enables the clinician to rapidly and accurately assess and interpret articulation errors. The test consists of 72 color photographs (9 photos on each of eight sheets). The first 69 photos test consonants and all but one vowel and one diphthong. The remaining 3 pictures test connected speech and the remaining vowel and diphthong. A deck of the same 72 color photographs, each on a separate card, is provided for further diagnosis and may be used in speech-language remediation.

 

To administer the PAT-3, the examiner simply points to each consecutively numbered photograph and asks the child, “What is this?” The child’s response is scored on the Summary/Response Form to indicate the presence or absence of errors. The elicited sounds are arranged by age of acquisition. The Summary/Response Form groups the sounds by the ages at which 90% of the sample correctly articulated the sounds. All sounds that are tested are written in the international phonetic alphabet. In addition, consonant sounds are differentiated into the initial, medial, and final positions within the stimulus words. The results from the PAT-3 provide the clinician with a straightforward comprehensive view of each student’s articulation errors.

 

Some of the new features of the PAT-3 include full-color photos used to elicit words; stimulus pictures that appeal to students; quick test administration; and easily scored and interpreted test results. The PAT-3 was normed on a large, representative sample.

 

The PAT-3 was standardized in a 23-state sample of more than 800 public and private school students in prekindergarten through Grade 4. The students have the same characteristics as those reported in the 1997 Statistical Abstract of the United States. Percentiles, standard scores, and age equivalents are provided. Internal consistency, test-retest, and interscorer reliability coefficients approximate .80 at most ages, and many are in the .90s.