A large percentage of patients who have undergone laryngectomy to treat advanced laryngeal cancer rely on an electrolarynx (EL) to communicate verbally. Although serviceable, EL speech is plagued by shortcomings in both sound quality and intelligibility. This study sought to better quantify the relative contributions of previously identified…

This article describes an approach to the treatment of young children whose speech problems are classified in the category of "persistent sound system disorder." The approach fosters development of stimulability skills through broadening of the phonetic inventory early in the treatment process. A case study illustrates treatment…

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…

A study compared 11 preschool children with developmental delays and 15 with autism to evaluate early vocal behaviors in young children with autism. Results indicated that children with autism did not have difficulty with the expression of well-formed syllables, however they did display significant impairments in vocal quality. (Contains…

This study provides a clinical profile of 178 children (ages 3-6) with developmental phonological disorders, based on prior reports and new data on 64 children. Data discussed include gender, age, and severity; speech profiles; prosody-voice profiles; causal-correlates profiles; and a prevalence profile. (Author/JDD)

A survey of 128 females (ages 2-58) with Turner syndrome found almost one quarter were receiving or had received treatment for stuttering, articulation problems, and/or delayed language development, with the latter two disorders being checked most frequently. Only 4 or the 68 individuals receiving growth hormone treatment reported voice changes.…

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…

Ten preschool children with developmental phonological disorders were followed for seven years. Analyses characterize the sequence, rates, and error patterns of long-term speech-sound normalization in relation to developmental perspectives. Findings support the hypothesis of a critical period for speech-sound development, with long-term…

A conceptual framework for short-term and long-term speech-sound normalization research is presented, and 1-year normalization outcomes for the 54 children described in EC 609 708 are reported. Although certain individual speech variables were significantly associated with normalization, there were no speech, prosody-voice, or risk-factor…

A cooperative service delivery model was successfully developed between a university clinic and a public school system to evaluate and treat a child (age seven) with phoneme-specific nasal emission, enabling the child to establish correct production in the clinic setting and transfer production in a school treatment program. (Author/DB)

Verifies observations made of the American Indian population, who appear to demonstrate a high incidence of chronic hoarseness. Examines hoarseness in the general population, American Indian communication styles, causes of Indian voice disorders, study methods, and study results. Speculates that one possibility for the hoarseness is the…

This book provides an overview of communication disorders and their causes and provides suggestions for strategies to be used by the classroom teacher in collaboration with the speech-language pathologist and audiologist to enhance communication skills development. Chapters have the following titles and authors: "Articulation Disorders" (Rhonda S.…

This issue contains eight articles that represent information on a variety of highly specialized topics involving communicative sciences. Articles include: (1) "The Reliability of the Kay Elemetrics Multidimensional Voice Program (MDVP) for Acoustic Analysis of the Normal Voice" (Ann Marie Cimino and Christine M. Sapienza), which focuses on the…

This annual volume is an annual compilation of articles that address evaluation, treatment, efficacy, and credentialing, and a synopsis of programs that provide speech, language, hearing, and swallowing services. Featured articles include: (1) "Verification of Credentials and Privileging Review" (Kathryn W. Enchelmayer); (2) "The…

This report updates the National Strategic Research Plan of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) and reports progress made from 1991 through 1993 as required by the National Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-553) which established the Institute. An executive summary…