ESP – Early Speech Perception Test

Although more and more students with hearing loss develop spoken language, we still deal with children who have very limited auditory skills. The ESP helps us answer “Just what does this child perceive with his hearing?” starting from a low level, prior to what is needed for listening in the classroom. I was thrilled to be able to collaborate with the professionals at the Central Institute for the Deaf to make this much-needed assessment available. The ESP is used by educational audiologists, pediatric audiologists, teachers of the deaf/hard of hearing, and speech pathologists specializing in children with hearing loss. A necessary assessment for every DHH program!

ESP – Early Speech Perception Test

The ESP comes with an extensive manual, low-verbal and standard scoring forms, 18 toys, full-color picture cards and a clinician-friendly CD with easy-to-use menus, digitally remastered sounds, two randomizations and an All Words menu.

The Early Speech Perception Test battery is a test of speech perception for children as young as 3 years old who are profoundly deaf. The ESP is typically used by audiologists and may be used to establish objectives and to measure effects of a hearing aid or a cochlear implant in terms of their impact on the child’s speech perception ability.

The kit includes a revised manual, low-verbal and standard scoring forms, 18 toys, full-color picture cards and a new, clinician-friendly CD featuring easy-to-use menus, digitally remastered sounds, two randomizations and a new All Words menu for use with set protocols and research. In this 2012 update, the original ESP (by Geers and Moog) is respected, but enhanced.

Scoring:  The ESP is a criterion-referenced tool that identifies speech perception in auditory training categories. When the child can do the task with accuracy, then the next category is trained. For example,  a child who can discriminate between spondees but cannot discriminate the vowel differences in mono-syllabic words would be a category 3 learner until they conquer mono-syllabic discrimination, which places them in a category 4. Since the ESP can be used prior to standardized tests, it allows a rubric of monitoring the child’s progress.

If you are ordering multiple products from Supporting Success, you will receive the ESP shipment separately.