What should parents of a child who stutters do if their child speaks more than one language? Research shows that a child's language skills can affect his or her fluency, according to the nonprofit Stuttering Foundation of America. However, it has not been proven that speaking two languages in the home since birth causes stuttering. If the child is…

It has been hypothesized that lax vowels may be relatively unaffected by dysarthria, owing to the reduced vocal tract shapes required for these phonetic events (G. S. Turner, K. Tjaden, & G. Weismer, 1995). It also has been suggested that lax vowels may be especially susceptible to speech mode effects (M. A. Picheny, N. I. Durlach, & L. D. Braida,…

This paper reports the case of a 32-year-old Dutch speaking woman who presented with foreign accent syndrome (FAS). There are good reasons to believe that the speech disturbance in this patient was of psychogenic origin. This case suggests that attested brain damage is not a prerequisite for a speech disorder to qualify as FAS and that FAS is not…

One of a series of letters to parents of children with developmental apraxia of speech, this letter discusses other problems associated with the disorder including language development problems, academic problems, motor skill problems, and chewing and swallowing difficulties. An annotated bibliography of two further readings for parents is…

A child with a speech sound disorder may understand words and phrases and use them to talk. However, if a child's speech sounds different from his peers who are the same age, gender or ethnic group, or if he/she frequently avoids talking because he/she is hard to understand, this child may have a speech sound disorder. In this article, the author…

Describes a Jewish Community Center's efforts to adapt Gardner's multiple-intelligences theory to a preschool special-education program. Since most students had moderate speech disorders, teachers decided to deemphasize linguistic expression in favor of the other seven intelligences. They created successful units exploring patterns and size…

This article discusses 4 types of phonological knowledge: knowledge of the acoustic and perceptual characteristics of speech sounds (perceptual knowledge), knowledge of the articulatory characteristics of speech sounds (articulatory knowledge), higher level knowledge of the ways that words can be divided into sounds and related phonotactic…

All speech and language therapists want to determine which strategies facilitate improvement of their clients' communication skills and to delineate the most efficacious of these. Although laudable preliminary efforts have been made, the field of speech-language pathology is in its nascent period of data gathering regarding efficacy. Determining…

Down syndrome is the most prevalent cause of intellectual impairment associated with a genetic anomaly, in this case, trisomy of chromosome 21. It affects both physical and cognitive development and produces a characteristic phenotype, although affected individuals vary considerably with respect to severity of specific impairments. Studies…

Speculates on the number of pupils with speech and language impairments that are present in mainstream classes and therefore the extent to which such difficulties will pose a challenge to science teachers in mainstream schools. Highlights and discusses the main barriers and challenges that language, communication, and interaction difficulties…

Discusses developmental apraxia of speech and describes an inclusive kindergarten classroom for children with severe intelligibility problems that was developed through a partnership involving university faculty and school-district personnel interested in assessment and treatment options for these children. The program pairs children with typical…

One of a series of letters to parents of children with developmental apraxia of speech, this letter discusses the characteristics of the disorder including having been a "quiet" baby, slow and late development of speech skills, problems sequencing sounds and syllables correctly, and problems in correct "voicing". An appended…

This paper describes the pilot of an interactional training programme designed for speech and language therapists to use with school support assistants, students and parents to enhance their implementation of therapy for children with speech sound difficulties. Collaborative therapy sessions in a school setting were videoed to encourage reflection…

This article is based on the author's personal experience of an uncomfortable discussion with a family. Issues are explored around the difficulty in anticipating how a young child with a learning delay will respond to speech-language therapy and how the practitioner will give accurate information. Two key journal articles on giving bad news are…

Various speech and voice disorders affect 70% to 85% of individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Speech treatment is generally conducted on an individual basis, with family member involvement. Clinical experience indicates that many patients do not practice treatments at home or apply the learned techniques in everyday situations. An…