Background: There is a lack of information regarding the relationship between age, speech rate and speech performance.
Aim: To analyze and to compare the performance of children according to age, Percentage of Consonants Correct (PCC) and speech rate, and to determine the relationship between these variables.
Method: Participants of this study were two hundred children divided in three different age groups: 6:0 to 8:0 years (Group I), 8:1 to 10:0 years (Group II), and 10:1 to 12:6 years (Group III). The following tests were used: speech rate tasks, imitation and picture naming (ABFW-Language test for children) and the Percentage of Consonants Correct (PCC) was calculated. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA for inter-group analysis, followed by the Tukey Test. The coefficient of Pearson Correlation was used to analyze the relationship between age, speech rate and speech performance (PCC).
Results: There was a significant difference between the PCC and speech rate when comparing the three groups (p<0.001). Regarding speech rate test, using /pataka/ as a stimulus, there were significant differences between Group I and the two other groups (p<0.01). There was a significant and positive correlation between age, the PCC and speech rate (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Speech performance, measured by the PCC, and speech rate increased according to age, resulting in significant differences between the three age groups. The increase of the PCC indexes and of speech rate were directly proportional.