Two experiments were conducted to assess the correlations of residue features with some perceptual properties of voice disorders. Results suggested that residue features may be useful in assessing the degree of vocal impairment, but use of residue features as correlates of voice quality requires further research. (Author/DB)

Acoustic phonatory events were identified in 14 women diagnosed with adductor spasmodic dysphonia (ADSD), a focal laryngeal dystonia that disturbs phonatory function, and compared with those of 14 age-matched women with no vocal dysfunction. Findings indicated ADSD subjects produced more aberrant acoustic events than controls during tasks of…

The study examined the speech production strategies used by 4 young children (30- to 32-months-old) with cleft palate and velopharyngeal inadequacy during the early stages of phonological learning. All the children had had primary palatal surgery and were producing primarily single word utterances with a few 2- and 3-word phrases. Analysis of each…

This study of 21 children (ages 4-6) found that children with stuttering and disordered phonology produced more sound prolongations and fewer iterations per whole-word repetition than did children who stuttered but had normal phonology. No differences were noted between children with stuttering and disordered phonology and children with disordered…

This study compared the retention patterns obtained for children diagnosed with phonological disorders, 10 with developmental apraxia of speech and 10 with phonologically based speech areas. In both groups, in cases of sound substitutions, voicing was retained most frequently and place of articulation least frequently. An inverse relationship…

Discussion of speech sampling in the assessment of children with phonological disorders focuses on the use of nonlinear phonological analysis, a method whereby multiple aspects or levels of a child's phonological system are examined. Principles and suggestions offer general guidance for adequate sample elicitation. (Contains references.)…

This study evaluated the voiced/voiceless phonation time for /s/ and /z/ for 11 children (ages 5-10) with vocal pathology and 11 normal speaking children. Results showed no difference in /s/ durations between groups, but /z/ durations and s/z ratios were significantly different. Results are discussed in relation to task construction, instructional…

This study investigated two aspects of non-symbolic phonological knowledge (knowledge of the acoustic/perceptual space and of the articulatory/production space) in six preschool-age children with phonological disorders and six typically developing age peers. Results suggest that phonological knowledge is multifaceted, and that seemingly…

Case studies are presented of four children, age four to six, with severe phonological disorders, demonstrating three generations of family members with speech/language problems. An autosomal dominant mode, a multifactorial-polygenic model, and a sex-specific threshold model for expression are discussed. (Author/JDD)

A familial basis for phonological disorders was suggested in this study which found that siblings of 20 preschool children with severe phonological disorders performed more poorly than siblings of 20 normally developing children on measures of phonology and reading. No significant differences were found on measures of language and motor ability.…

This article reviews problems faced by researchers in the association between otitis media with effusion and phonological impairment and then summarizes currently established findings concerning otitis media and its effects on phonological acquisition. Professionals are cautioned to neither ignore nor exaggerate the possible influence of otitis…

Two preschool children with phonological disorders were administered a linguistically based treatment program that utilized minimal pair words. Only when motoric components (models and phonetic placement cues) were added did both subjects successfully pass through all treatment steps, though neither subject generalized trained sounds to treated…

This study compared the phonological awareness ability of 11 children (ages 6-8) with persistent phonological impairment to that of 11 phonologically normal children. Phonologically normal children scored higher on three of the four phonological awareness measures, with no differences on word recognition. Speech intelligibility was a significant…

Performance on measures of phonology, reading, and spelling was evaluated for subjects (including 20 preschoolers, 23 grade school children, 17 adolescents, and 17 adults). Subjects had a history of a preschool phonology disorder. Although relative performance improved across age groups, at each age group subjects performed more poorly than…

Treatment of articulation/phonological disorders with electropalatography (in which speech learners wear a custom-made appliance called a pseudopalate in order to view their tongue-to-palate contacts on a computer monitor) is described. Studies of the treatment's effectiveness with children having articulation or phonological disorders are…