211. The Social Cost of Speech Sound Disorders at Age 4, 5, and 6: What Every Preschool SLP Needs to Know

If you work with four, five, or six-year-olds with speech sound disorders, this episode was made for you and this research will change how you document, advocate, and make eligibility decisions for your students. In this episode, we break down a brand-new 2026 open-access study that every school-based SLP, early childhood SLP, and preschool speech-language pathologist needs to save, cite, and have ready to go. Whether you're navigating a negative 2.0 standard deviation eligibility criteria, writing IEP goals for preschoolers with speech sound disorders, or advocating for a child who doesn't yet "qualify" on paper, this research is your clinical ammunition. This landmark study examined peer perceptions of children with speech sound disorders across ages four, five, and six:

At age 4: Neurotypical peers already rate children with severe speech sound disorders lower across domains of intelligence, friendliness, and likability compared to typically developing talkers.

At age 5: Children with moderate-to-severe speech sound disorders are rated lower across all social domains by their neurotypical peers.

At age 6: Even children with mild speech sound disorders are rated lower and are seen as less desirable friendship candidates compared to neurotypical peers.

The bottom line? Severity matters. Age matters. And the social stakes get higher every single year. Use this research study to support eligibility decisions when standardized scores alone don't tell the full story. Cite it alongside teacher observations, parent input, direct observation of socialization, and connected speech samples.

Document the educational and social impact of the speech sound disorder, not just the score Know your state's eligibility criteria: some states require -2.0 SD, others -1.0 SD, and others rely on professional judgment of adverse educational impact Advocate proactively: a wait-and-see approach has real social consequences for your students

Henry, M., & Bent, T. (2026). Let's be friends: Peer perceptions of disordered speech in preschool and early school-aged children. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 35(1). 🔓 FREE Open Access Article: https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2025_AJSLP-25-00093

Download it. Save it. Cite it. Your students are counting on you. 📖 RECOMMENDED

RESOURCE: 'Speech Sound Disorders: Comprehensive Evaluation and Treatment' by Kelly Vess. This is written to support SLPs at every level, from graduate students to seasoned clinicians. 👉 Grab your copy on Amazon 

Here's what we know: earlier is better. Neuro-plasticity is at its highest level in the preschool years. Are you using the most effective treatment targets to capitalize on that window? The SIS Membership gives you access to complex treatment targets — the evidence-based approach that leverages the power of neuroplasticity to drive maximum speech sound gains in minimal time. If you are working with preschoolers and early elementary students, complex targets are the clinical game-changer you need in your toolkit right now. This episode just showed you the social urgency. The SIS Membership gives you the clinical tools to act on it.

👉 Join the SIS Membership today and start using complex treatment targets with your students. Because we're not treating a mouth. We're treating a child, and every session counts: https://www.kellyvess.com/sis