Articulation & Phonology: Key Concepts, Disorders, and Therapy Strategies

What is articulation?

how you form your mouth to produce sound

What is phonology?

sound system of language, how sounds go together to make words

What are speech-sound disorders (SSD)?

errors in the way that sounds are produced to create words

What is the difference between communication and language?

Communication is the exchange of information/thoughts/ideas, while language is a shared system of symbols (grammar, vocab, etc)

Define vocalization.

Sounds that can carry meaning but do not constitute language, such as groans or cries.

Speech approximation

close enough to the target word so that most people know what you are saying

Speech

using your mouth and other structures to produce words to communicate language

What does being verbal mean

verbal means that they have language abilities (can either understand language, speak language, or both); a person who utilizes an AAC device is still considered verbal, but nonspeaking

What does being nonverbal mean

infants are nonverbal (do not understand language and cannot speak language)

What is a phoneme?

The smallest meaningful unit of sound within a language.

What is a morpheme?

The smallest unit of meaning in a language.

Allophone

small variations of a speech sound; different ways you say the same phoneme

What are sibilants?

Alveolar and palatal fricatives; sounds that have a hissing quality.

What are sonorants?

Sounds produced with continuous, non-turbulent airflow. Nasals and glides

What are obstruents?

Sounds that involve full obstruction of airflow, including stops, fricatives, and affricates

What is the prevalence of speech-sound disorders in children?

Around 2.3% to 24.6%

What is required to produce sound?

The vocal tract, which is a tube from the lips to the vocal folds, and airflow from the lungs.

What is the role of the tongue in sound production?

The tongue is the major articulator that creates points of constriction in the vocal tract.

What is positive reinforcement?

Adding something to increase the likelihood of a desired behavior.

What is negative reinforcement?

Removing something to increase the likelihood of a desired behavior.

What is positive punishment?

Adding something to decrease the likelihood of an undesired behavior.

What is negative punishment?

Removing something to decrease the likelihood of an undesired behavior.

What is the significance of referral in speech-sound acquisition?

Referral determines whether a child is delayed and if assessment is warranted.

What is the purpose of assessment in speech therapy?

To formally test and collect data on a child's speech abilities.

What does the analysis phase in speech therapy involve?

Determining what assessment data mean through scoring and interpretation.

What is the goal of diagnosis in speech therapy?

To determine the presence or absence of a speech disorder.

What is the importance of selecting intervention targets?

Targets may follow a developmental sequence or complexity approach to facilitate faster progress in therapy.

What do UR and SR stand for in phonology?

UR stands for underlying representation; SR stands for surface representation.

What is the premise of Natural Phonology proposed by Stampe?

children naturally make words easier to pronounce, and as they grow, they gradually stop using these simplifications.

What are the first three manners of speech to emerge in children?

Stops, nasals, and glides.

What is intelligibility in speech development?

It measures whether a person can be understood despite errors.

What is phonological awareness?

awareness of the sounds in spoken language.

What is a conversational sample in measuring intelligibility?

A realistic context where sounds occur in true running speech.

What is a criticism of using conversational samples?

Highly unintelligible speech makes targets and data harder to identify.

What is the purpose of pre-planned sentences in speech assessment?

To provide known targets for measuring intelligibility.

What does independent analysis in phonology assess?

It inventories what sounds the child produces.

What is the role of standardized testing in therapy applications?

It helps in assessing phonological processes and tracking progress.

What is the significance of the laryngeal system in speech development?

It lowers the larynx and lengthens the vocal tract.

What does PCC stand for in speech sound analysis?

Percentage of Consonants Correct

What is the formula for calculating PCC?

(number of consonants produced correctly ÷ total number of consonants produced) × 100

What is the significance of analyzing common mismatches/errors in speech?

The closer the child's errors are to common/predictable mismatches, the better the prognosis.

What is a common characteristic of Functional Speech Sound Disorders (SSD)?

No known cause.

What is the difference between dysarthria and apraxia?

Dysarthria is an execution problem (muscle issues), while apraxia is a planning/programming problem.

What are some possible features of Down Syndrome related to speech sound?

Lateralization, sound omission, sound substitutions, macroglossia, and usually mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment.

What is the recommendation regarding the use of norms for sound acquisition?

Do NOT use norms as rigid sound-by-specific-age cutoffs; instead, use trends and patterns.

What is the impact of Otitis Media with Effusion (OME) on speech sound development?

Greater frequency of OME increases the probability of speech sound disorders.

What is the role of culture in early speech sound development?

Culture affects early development patterns, such as child-centered interaction and expectations about communication.

What is the importance of sound acquisition norms from various countries?

Vowels differ and consonants are coarticulated differently, making it inappropriate to use norms from other countries for sound-inventory development.

What is the expected outcome of oral motor exercises in speech therapy?

There is zero evidence that nonspeech oral motor exercises improve speech; they may be effective for swallowing.

What is the significance of individual variability in predicting speech sound acquisition?

Prediction for an individual child is difficult due to unique developmental trajectories.

What is the Kaufman Approach to Apraxia?

A well-known method for treating apraxia, though described as very 'one size fits all.'

What is the relationship between language development and speech sound acquisition?

Children with stronger overall language typically do better with speech sounds.

What are the characteristics of organic speech sound disorders?

They may include motor/neurological issues, structural differences, or sensory/perceptual impairments.

What factors can affect sound acquisition in children?

Age, gender, socioeconomic status, language development, and individual variability.

What is the impact of technology and cultural changes on children's speech development?

Children's environments and teaching have changed over time, affecting speech sound acquisition.

What are the implications of using chewy tubes in therapy?

Concerns include dehumanization, altered perceptions, and potential TMJ problems.

What is the ASHA position on oral myofunctional disorders?

Oral myofunctional therapy is effective in modifying tongue/lip posture and movement.

What happens during respiration?

inhale - diaphragm flattens out and pushes down, rib cage expands, air gets sucked into lungs

exhale - the diaphragm gets brought back up, rib cage contracts and speech is produced as air rushed out of vocal tract

Phonation

noise through the vocal folds and the larynx

advantages of diary studies

following kid over time, is very detailed

disadvantages of diary studies

not a good representative of normative population, cannot replicate these studies

advantages of large cross-sectional group studies

large sample size, can divide into small age groups so you get a snapshot of each group

disadvantages of large cross-sectional group studies

maybe it was a bad day for the kids, looking at the average child which is not always indicative of what people are always doing

advantages of longitudinal studies

can follow kids for a long period of time, very detailed on how they develop

disadvantages of longitudinal studies

small sample size, people tend to leave the study after a while

4 phases of sound development

1 - laying foundations for speech (birth to 1 year)

2 - transition focus from words to speech (1-2 years)

3 - growth of Inventory (2-5 years)

4 - mastery of Speech and Literacy (5+ years)

laying foundations for speech (birth to 1 year)

Developing oral/motor structures, laryngeal system, neurological system, respiratory system

transition focus from words to speech (1-2 years)

where kids will have first 50 words (typically nasals, stops, and glides)

growth of Inventory (2-5 years)

see a huge growth in intelligibility, can do independent analysis to look at their lexicon or a relational analysis to see if their inventory is correct

systematic Learner

kids who like to think about things until they can do it right

exploratory Learner

think aloud kids, okay to guess

What are the 6 phonological processes not present by 3;0?

-unstressed syllable deletion

-final consonant deletion

-consonant assimilation

-reduplication

-velar fronting

-prevocalic voicing

what are the 7 phonological processes persisting after 3;0?

-cluster reduction

-epenthesis

-gliding

-vowelization

-stopping

-depalatalization

-final devoicing

intelligibility norms by 4

50%

intelligibility norms by 5

75%

intelligibility norms by 7

90%

early 13 come in between ______ - ______

2;0-3;11

middle 7 come in between ______ - ______

4;0-4;11

late 4 come in between ______ - ______

5;0-6;11

what are the early 13

/p, b, t, d, k, g, n, ŋ, w, j, f, h/

what are the middle 7

/v, s, z ʃ, l, ʧ, ʤ/

what are the late 4

/ɵ, ð, r, ʒ/

cluster reduction

deletion of a consonant from a consonant cluster

example: "pane" for "plane"

epenthesis

the addition of a phoneme to the production of a word.

example: "buread" for "bread"

gliding

When /r/ becomes a /w/, and /l/ becomes a /w/ or y sound

example: "wabbit" for "rabbit" or "yeyo" for "yellow"

vocalization

substitution of a vowel for a postvocalic /r/ or /l/

example: "cah" for "car" or "laduh" for "ladder"

stopping

When a fricative (like /f/ or /s/) or affricate (ch,j) is substituted
with a stop consonant like /p/ or /d/

example: "pan" for "fan" or "dump" for "jump"

depalatalization

When a palatal sound is substituted with a nonpalatal sound

example: "fit" for "fish"

final devoicing

When a voiced consonant at the end of a word like /b/ or /d/ is substituted with a voiceless consonant like /p/ or /t/

example: "pick" for "pig"

backing

When alveolar sounds like /t/ and /d/ are substituted with velar sounds like /k/ and /g/

example: "gog" for "dog"

unstressed syllable deletion

Omission of one or more syllables from a polysyllabic word

example: "bella" for "umbrella"

final consonant deletion

deletion of the final consonant in a word

example: "dah" for "dog"

consonant assimilation

changing a phoneme so it takes on a characteristic of another sound in a word

example: "bub" for "bus"