Which of the following is NOT a phonological process typically seen in children?

Lateralization is not a phonological process typically observed in children’s speech development. Instead, it refers to a specific speech production error where sounds are produced with a lateral airflow, often associated with the production of sounds like /s/ or /z/. While lateralization does occur in some speakers, it is more accurately categorized as an articulation disorder rather than a phonological process.

On the other hand, phonological processes such as prevocalic voicing, devoicing, and final consonant deletion are common in the speech patterns of young children as they learn to articulate sounds.

Prevocalic voicing occurs when voiceless consonants are voiced before a vowel, such as pronouncing "pig" as "big." Devoicing is the process where voiced consonants are pronounced as voiceless, for instance, saying "bed" as "pet." Final consonant deletion involves omitting the final consonant of a word, resulting in "cat" being pronounced as "ca."

These processes reflect natural phases of language development and typically resolve as a child matures, making them a key focus of study in speech-language pathology.