THIS STUDY OF THE ARTICULATORY AND INTELLIGIBILITY LEVEL OF A SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED GROUP OF CHILDREN IN THE HEAD START PROGRAM INVOLVED 150 CHILDREN, 4 1/2 - 6 YEARS OF AGE, WITH EQUAL NUMBERS OF BOYS AND GIRLS. THIS GROUP WAS COMPOSED OF CHILDREN OF FAMILIES WITH SPANISH LANGUAGE BACKGROUND, OF CHILDREN OF NATIVE NEGRO FAMILIES, AND OF CHILDREN OF NATIVE WHITE FAMILIES. ALL CHILDREN WERE TESTED WITH THE TEMPLIN-DARLEY DIAGNOSTIC TEST OF ARTICULATION. A TAPED CONVERSATION WITH EACH CHILD WAS USED FOR EVALUATION BY AN INDEPENDENT GROUP OF EXAMINERS IN THE AREAS OF INTELLIGIBILITY, VERBAL PROFICIENCY, FOREIGN ACCENT, REGIONAL ACCENT, AND ARTICULATORY DEFECTS. FAMILY DATA ON OCCUPATION, INCOME, FAMILY SIZE, AND LANGUAGES SPOKEN AND A SAMPLING OF PARENT ARTICULATORY LEVEL WAS OBTAINED. THIS DATA WAS CORRELATED AS VARIABLES WITH THE ARTICULATORY AND INTELLIGIBILITY LEVEL OF THE CHILDREN TESTED. DATA INDICATED THAT ALL GROUPS WERE MINIMALLY PROFICIENT IN INTELLIGIBILITY AND VERBAL PERFORMANCE. WHITE CHILDREN SHOWED GREATER ARTICULATORY MATURITY THAN THE NEGRO AND SPANISH-LANGUAGE CHILDREN. FACTORS SHOWN TO BE OF NO INFLUENCE WERE SEX OF CHILD, OCCUPATION AND INCOME OF FATHER, AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE BACKGROUND. POOR ARTICULATORY PERFORMANCE, THEREFORE, REFLECTS A DEVELOPMENTAL LAG IN ARTICULATORY GROWTH. NEW TESTING INSTRUMENTS WHICH ALLOW FOR ETHNIC DIFFERENCES IN ARTICULATION SHOULD BE DEVELOPED FOR FUTURE STUDY. (LG)