PURPOSE: To verify the most frequent substitution processes and the most altered semantic fields presented by children with phonological disorders on an expressive vocabulary test, establishing a possible correlation of these deficits with the severity of their phonological disorders. METHODS: The sample comprised 44 subjects with phonological disorders, with ages ranging from three years and five months to eight years and six months. Data were obtained from databases of ongoing research projects from the Language and Speech Studies Center of the Federal University of Santa Maria. The sample was divided into four groups (severe, moderate-severe, mild-moderate, and mild), according to the severity of the phonological disorder, as determined by the Percentage of Correct Consonants. The Expressive Vocabulary subtest of the Language Test for Young Children ABFW was applied. Subsequently, correlational analyses between substitution processes and semantic fields with severity degree were carried out. RESULTS: The co-hyponym substitution process was the most used, regardless of severity degree. It was also observed that children with mild-moderate phonological disorders presented significantly more substitution processes. A greater number of disordered children had poor performances on the semantic field "places", and children with mild-moderate phonological disorders also presented poor performances in more semantic fields. CONCLUSIONS: Children with mild-moderate phonological disorders presented more difficulties on the expressive vocabulary test; the most frequently used substitution process was co-hyponym, and the semantic field "places" was generally more difficult for the subjects.
Vocabulary; Language tests; Speech disorders; Child; Speech; Child Language
