A study examined whether the benefits of modified speech could be extended to provide intelligibility improvements for eight children (ages 8-14) with severe-to-profound hearing impairments who wear sensory aids and five controls. All varieties of modified speech (envelope-amplified, slowed, and both) yielded either equivalent or poorer…

This study examined effects of familiarity with a speech target on coarticulation magnitude in 30 young children and 10 adults. Children exhibited a greater effect of a following vowel on the preceding fricative than did adults. Nonmeaningful production items exhibited greater effects of the vowel on the preceding fricative than did meaningful…

This article evaluates the extent to which syntactic, lexical, and conversational factors can significantly predict the frequency and loci of stuttered moments in children's speech. A synthesis of the experimental and clinical evidence suggests ways in which the assessment and remediation of fluency disorders in children can be tailored to…

Differentiated instruction in speaking and listening skills for gifted students might involve an expanded range of opportunity, faster paced instruction, replacement of basic skills instruction with more advanced activities, opportunities for self-selection, individualization, and personal evaluation. Activities that emphasize cognitive and…

A study compared a naturalistic versus an analog teaching model, with speech sounds equated within and across conditions for five children (ages 4-7) with autism. Both methods increased correct production of target sound under some conditions; functional use of the target sounds in conversation occurred only with the naturalistic approach.…

The purpose of study was to investigate the impact of pre-surgical Infant Orthopaedics (IO) on consonant production at 18 months of age in children with Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate (UCLP) and to compare the consonant production to that of age-matched children without clefts. The first ten children in a consecutive series of 20 with UCLP…

Nineteen adults who stutter participated in a 3-week intensive stuttering modification treatment program (the Successful Stuttering Management Program [SSMP]). A series of 14 fluency and affective-based measures were assessed before treatment, immediately after treatment, and 6 months after treatment. Measures included stuttering frequency; the…

Blind and partially sighted high school students were trained to serve as paid assistants to a residential school speech therapist during a 3-year pilot program designed to provide extra-class practice for younger visually impaired children with speech and hearing problems. (LH)

THRICE is an acronym for a set of rules and exercises for foreigners learning correct English pronunciation. The THRICE technique was developed for non-native speakers who have a good knowledge of English but whose pronunciation is poor; the student is taught appropriate speech delivery through self-conditioning techniques. (CK)

This Spanish language booklet is written for parents who are concerned about the speech of their young child. The goal of the booklet is to enable parents to begin working with their child, and a speech clinician if necessary, with a better understanding of the problem. The booklet discusses common parental questions such as: (1) Does my child…

This booklet is written for French speaking parents who have young children than may stutter. The goal of the booklet is to enable parents to begin working with their child, and a speech clinician if necessary, with a better understanding of the problem. The booklet is designed to answer to common parental questions such as: (1) Does my child…

Research indicates that about 40% of the population fear public speaking. There is a wide variety of possible causes for this unwillingness to communicate: a lack of skills, social introversion, alienation, lack of fluency in English, and communication apprehension. Despite the fact that evidence indicates everyone may have some difficulty with…

Twenty years of research in interpersonal communication have provided teachers with a basis for identifying the competencies that should be taught in introductory interpersonal communication courses, including empathy, social composure, and conflict management. However, other issues such as "performance vs. knowledge," the affective dimension, and…

Training in listening improves speech, and therefore reading abilities. (JH)

This part of a series of reports on forensic programs in this issue gives descriptive data on the state of such programs and information regarding means by which professional associations might better serve secondary school programs. (CH)