HSE Develops App for Assessing Phonological Processing in Children
Researchers at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain have developed a new digital tool for assessing children's phonological processing skills—the ZARYA (Sound Analysis of the Russian Language) test battery. It is the first standardised application in Russia designed to provide a fast and reliable assessment of children's ability to distinguish speech sounds, retain them in working memory, and perform phonemic analysis. The app runs on Android tablets and smartphones and is available for download from RuStore. Details of the test validation have been published in the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research.
Phonological processing refers to the ability to distinguish speech sounds, retain them in working memory, retrieve them from long-term memory, and manipulate them in various ways. It is one of the fundamental mechanisms underlying the acquisition of both spoken and written language. Underdeveloped phonological skills can lead to persistent difficulties in learning to read and write, including dyslexia and dysgraphia. Early and accurate identification of phonological impairments makes it possible to begin intervention at an early stage and prevent more serious learning difficulties at school.
The ZARYA test battery was developed by combining the experience of international phonological assessments with the Russian neuropsychological tradition, in collaboration with the distinguished Russian neuropsychologist Tatiana Akhutina. Designed for children aged 5–12, the application integrates the latest scientific research with practical usability.
Svetlana Dorofeeva
‘The ZARYA app is a convenient and reliable tool for assessing a child's ability to distinguish speech sounds, retain them in memory, and perform various sound-processing tasks. These skills are essential for the successful development of both spoken and written language. We created this tool for specialists working with children as well as researchers studying child language,’ said Svetlana Dorofeeva, Senior Research Fellow at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain.
The assessment consists of seven tasks of varying levels of difficulty, covering both speech comprehension and speech production. Together, they evaluate a child's ability to distinguish speech sounds in minimal contexts, retain phonological information in working memory, perform phonemic analysis, and manipulate phonemes. All test items are recorded by a professional voice actor, while the results are automatically compared with age-based norms, a feature that is essential for making accurate diagnostic decisions.
The application stores all participant responses, including audio recordings from speech-production tasks, allowing specialists to conduct detailed analyses and, where necessary, develop personalised intervention programmes. Results can also be exported as spreadsheets, making the tool particularly useful for research purposes.
ZARYA is intended for research centres investigating the development of speech and reading in Russian, as well as speech and language therapists, neuropsychologists, special educational needs specialists, university lecturers, and students in related fields. Thanks to its carefully designed structure, portability, and automated scoring system, the application improves both the quality and efficiency of diagnosing speech and reading disorders in children.
‘We evaluated the ZARYA test battery in several research studies. It is an evidence-based tool that demonstrates high inter-rater reliability. Every stimulus was selected according to a wide range of linguistic parameters rather than at random. The results do not depend on the examiner's pronunciation, the child's responses are preserved, and the system makes it possible to verify results and monitor progress over time,’ Svetlana Dorofeeva emphasised.
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