Abstract
Linguistic theory has made important contributions to the clinical assessment and treatment of children with functional phonological disorders. In this article, Optimality Theory (OT) is introduced as a new linguistic model of grammar. Basic assumptions of the model are described and extended to clinical assessment and treatment. The aim is (1) to provide basic working knowledge of OT as germane to keeping abreast of the current clinical literature, (2) to describe the way in which OT informs clinical assessment and the selection of goals for treatment, and (3) to demonstrate the potential that OT holds for promoting and predicting generalization learning in phonological treatment. The clinical significance is that OT analyses highlight new interactions among error patterns, which serve to prioritize treatment goals to promote widespread phonological learning.