A child shows consistent initial consonant deletion patterns in speech. The most likely diagnosis is

• A. Inconsistent phonological disorder
• B. Consistent phonological disorder
• C. Phonological delay
• D. Articulation disorder

Answer: (B)

When the same speech pattern is applied across many words, it points to a phonological issue rather than a motor/articulation problem. Ongoing deletion of initial consonants across contexts shows a stable, systematic rule in the child’s sound system, which is the hallmark of a consistent phonological disorder. A phonological delay would resemble patterns seen in younger children but isn’t usually a fixed, persistent rule across contexts. An articulation disorder affects individual sounds or minor distortions, not broad, cross‑word patterns like consistent initial consonant deletion. An inconsistent phonological disorder would produce variable patterns across contexts, not a uniform deletion.