Assessing intonation and prosody in children with atypical language development: the PEPS-C test and the revised version

Abstract

A procedure for assessing prosody and intonation in children (PEPS-C: Profiling Elements of Prosodic Systems-Children), suitable for use by clinicians with both children and adults, is described. The procedure includes testing of four communication areas in which intonation/prosody has a crucial role: interaction, affect, boundary (chunking) and focus. Each area has parallel tasks for assessing understanding and expression of the functions and ability to discriminate and articulate the prosodic forms involved. The original and revised forms of the test are compared, with some discussion of procedural considerations. Past and present uses of the test and future applications are considered.