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Glossary

Plain-language definitions of the key terms used across PhonicsPath.

TermMeaning
PhonemeA single unit of sound in a word — for example /s/, /th/, /r/. Phonemes are written between slashes to distinguish them from letters.
Target wordA word picked specifically because it contains a phoneme the child is working on.
Initial / medial / final positionWhere in the word the target phoneme sits — at the start (sun), the middle (basket), or the end (bus).
ProgramThe structured plan a clinician builds for a single client: a goal, target phonemes, and an ordered list of activities.
ActivityOne reusable practice task — usually a small list of target words sharing a phoneme, optionally with audio or images.
PathThe visual sequence of activities a child sees in the kid portal.
Adaptive difficultyAutomatic adjustment of word difficulty (Easy / Medium / Hard) based on the child's recent scores.
Practice ownerThe admin role with full access — billing, team, settings, every client. Usually the practice principal.
ClinicianA speech pathologist with access to assigned clients only.
ReviewA clinician confirming or correcting the AI's pronunciation score on a child's recording.
AI scoreThe 1–5 star rating PhonicsPath generates automatically for each recording before a clinician reviews it.
HeatmapThe grid on the report that visualises score distribution per phoneme — red, amber, green.