Spontaneous object-naming utterances of two groups of articulation-disordered clients, who were considered to be normal in all areas except speech, were analyzed for phonological error patterns. Subjects with histories of recurrent otitis media during their first 24 months evidenced stridency deletion (in consonant singletons and in consonant clusters) significantly more than did the subjects who had negative otitis media histories. The most prevalent error pattern for both groups pertained to deviations involving /r,/ target phonemes. Limitations of retrospective studies and implications for future research are discussed.