Purpose: The aim of this study was to document speech sound development across early childhood from a dynamic assessment (DA) perspective that captures a breadth of linguistic environments using the Glaspey Dynamic Assessment of Phonology (Glaspey, 2019), as well as to provide normative data for speech-language pathologists to compare speech…

This study explores the hypothesis that the existence of a short sensitive period for lower-level speech perception/articulation skills, and a long one for higher-level language skills, may partly explain the language outcomes of children with cochlear implants (CIs). The participants were fourteen children fitted with a CI before their second…

Phonology represents an important part of the English language; however, in the course of English language acquisition, it is rarely treated with proper attention. Connected speech is one of the aspects essential for successful communication, which comprises effective auditory perception and speech production. In this paper I explored phonemic…

Background: Swahili is widely spoken in East Africa, but to date there are no culturally and linguistically appropriate materials available for speech-language therapists working in the region. The challenges are further exacerbated by the limited research available on the typical acquisition of Swahili phonology. Aim: To describe the speech…

Aim: Very-low-birthweight (VLBW; birthweight less than 1500g and/or gestational age less than 32wks) children are at risk for speech problems. However, there are few studies on speech development in VLBW children at an early age. The aim of this study was to investigate phonological development in 2-year-old VLBW children. Method: Twenty VLBW…

The ability to perceive and produce sounds at multiple time scales is a skill necessary for the acquisition of language. Unlike speech perception, which develops early in life, the production of speech sounds starts at a few months and continues into late childhood with the development of speech-motor skills. Though there is detailed information…

Results of a comparative study of speech-like vocalizations of a deaf infant and 11 hearing infants indicated that from eight to 13 months, the deaf subject differed strikingly from hearing infants of comparable age. The topography of the deaf infant's vocalizations resembled that of four- to six-month-old hearing infants. (Author/CL)

The phonological competence of 4 children, ages 5-7 years old, with a diagnosis of developmental apraxia of speech (DAS), was contrasted to that of 4 normal children. The DAS children revealed a severe deficit in rhyming ability. Results suggest that DAS is a fundamental disorder of the segmental phonological level of language. (Author/DB)

Purpose: In this study, the authors investigated speech rhythm acquisition by bilingual Spanish-English-speaking children, comparing their performance with functionally monolingual peers in both languages and to monolingual and bilingual adults. Method: Participants included younger children (3;9 [years;months] to 4;5.15 [years;months.days]),…

In a study of 20 preterm infants--10 of low socioeconomic status" (SES)--and 33 full-term infants--16 of low SES--from 0;4 through 1;6, premature infants showed reliably less mature vocal patterns than their full-age mates. Premature infants were indistinguishable from full-term infants matched for gestational age in infraphonological…

The study comparing word-initial target phonemes and phoneme production of five toddlers with cleft palate and five normal toddlers found that the cleft palate children tended to target more words with word-initial nasals, approximants, and vowels and fewer words with word-initial stops, fricatives, and affricates than normal children. (Author/DB)

This report documents phonological changes in a pair of identical twin boys diagnosed as language delayed. The boys were evaluated four times between the ages of three and four. Speech samples were analyzed for phonetic inventories, phonological process use, and syllabic shapes. Observed changes in their speech generally followed normal…

The vocal development of two identical twin male infants (one with normal hearing and one with profound bilateral hearing loss) was compared at the ages of 8, 12, and 15 months. Among major differences were format patterns of vocalic elements, histograms of syllable type, and variation in vowel usage. (Author/DB)

Presents a theoretical model that attempts to account for the early stages of language acquisition in terms of interaction between biological constraints and input characteristics. Notes that the model uses the implications of stochastic representations of the sensory input in a volatile and limited memory. Argues that phonological structure is a…

Summarizes a model of phonology acquisition based on child speech development. Suggests that a categorization of the kinds of phonological changes which occur during the acquisition period leads to parallels between the mechanisms of phonological change in children and adults. (PMJ)