This volume examines the ramifications of individual differences in therapy outcomes for a wide variety of communication disorders. In an era where evidence-based practice is the clinical profession's watchword, each chapter attacks this highly relevant issue from a somewhat different perspective. In some areas of communication disorders,…

This article addresses the rationale for and issues related to the use of speech appliances, especially a removable speech appliance that positions the tongue to produce the correct /r/ phoneme. Research results suggest that this appliance was successful with a large group of clients. (Author/DB)

This single-subject case study evaluates effects of treatment of a complex onset on the sound system of a monolingual Spanish-speaking child (female, aged 3;9) with phonological delay. Pretreatment, the child excluded all consonant+liquid clusters, as well as [the alveolar tap] and trill /r/. Immediately following training on [using the alveolar…

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…

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 paper examines a prolonged speech treatment model for stuttering, the Camperdown Program. Sixteen participants showed minimal or no stuttering in everyday speaking situations for up to 12 months after entering the program's maintenance phase, with speech rates in the normal range. Results were achieved in a mean of 20 hours of clinic…

This study examined the interaction of ambient frequency and feature complexity in the diphthong errors produced by 13 Cantonese-speaking children with phonological disorders. Perceptual analysis of 611 diphthongs identified those most frequently and least frequently in error. Suggested treatment guidelines include consideration of three factors:…

Noncontingent escape (NCE) was used to reduce disruptive behavior in three children (age 4) with autism during regularly scheduled speech therapy sessions. Results showed rapid decreases in disruptive behavior and accompanying increases in compliance across children. Findings suggest that speech therapists can effectively implement NCE. (Author/CR)

This article uses a case study to suggest that some children view speech-language therapy as a separate situation for learning practicing new sounds and language forms whereas the purpose of talking outside of therapy is meaningful communication. Clinical implications of this potential incompatibility between practicing speech and communicating…

Background: Children with speech disorder are a heterogeneous group (e.g. in terms of severity, types of errors and underlying causal factors). Much research has ignored this heterogeneity, giving rise to contradictory intervention study findings. This situation provides clinical motivation to identify the deficits in the speech-processing chain…

A young child with macroglossia of unknown cause was seen for treatment to modify resting tongue posture and improve speech sound production. Evaluation of the treatments indicated positive change in resting tongue posture and a modest change in speech sound production. Treatment for such patients can be complex and must consider orthodontic…

A time-out from speaking contingency was evaluated in the treatment of stuttering in three school-age children. A red light time-out signal appeared for five seconds when the child stuttered. Two of the children responded to time-out with clear reductions in stuttering. Listeners did not detect any differences between the perceptually stutter-free…

A survey of 100 speech-language pathologists involved in the assessment and treatment of patients with dysarthria investigated their attitudes toward the Darley, Aronson, and Brown (DAB) method of classification. Results indicated that most clinicians, believing it helps in the design of a treatment protocol, used the DAB classification system.…

This tutorial in nonlinear phonology introduces the basic concepts and assumptions of this new theoretical approach and then demonstrates clinical applications of the theory for assessment and intervention. Data from a child with a severe phonological disorder are used to illustrate aspects of nonlinear theory. (Author/DB)

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…