A study was conducted of five individuals exhibiting acquired apraxia of speech to examine vowel durations and length of intervals between words produced in utterances that varied in type of utterance as well as in length. Results found evidence that longer vowel durations were a salient characteristic of apraxia of speech. (CR)

This investigation compared the effects of single word and connected speech sampling conditions on the production of consonant clusters in 40 children (ages 3-5) with speech sound impairments. Differences between the sampling conditions were apparent for 3 of the 8 phonological processes studied and 1 of 12 phonetic variations. (Author/DB)

This preliminary investigation of stuttering development and maturation of speech motor processes recorded the electromyographic activity of the orofacial muscles of nine children who stuttered. Results suggest that the emergence of tremor-like instabilities in the speech motor processes of stuttering children may coincide with aspects of general…

This paper contends that behavior observation data relating to speech-language pathology are reliable if they are not affected by differences among observers or other variations in the recording context. The theoretical bases of methods used to estimate reliability for observational data are reviewed, and suggestions are provided for improving the…

This study examined speech disfluency clusters in the speech of 60 3- to 6-year-old children, half of whom stuttered. Results indicated that the children who stuttered produced significantly more "stuttering-stuttering" clusters and significantly more "stuttering-repair" clusters, whereas nonstutterers never produced "stuttering-stuttering"…

This paper describes a computer software method for generating digital filters of any amplitude and phase response, for use in speech and hearing research. The method involves calculating the impulse response of the filter from a table that specifies the desired magnitude and phase response and then convolving the input signal with the impulse…

This study examined responsiveness of the suck central pattern generator to external stimulation, based on premise that early control of sucking and smiling sets stage for more differentiated use of orofacial muscle system for speech. A device for the stimulation of intraoral tissues in neonates, called the actifier, features a wide frequency…

This study investigated changes in the speech patterns of young adult male subjects when stuttering was modified by deliberately prolonging speech. Three subjects showed clinically significant stuttering reductions when using prolonged speech to reduce their stuttering. Resulting speech was perceptually stutter free. Acoustic and…

Children (ages 5-7, N=31) with expressive phonological impairments were tested on phonological awareness and compared with control children. Children with phonological impairments scored well below controls on phonological awareness and literacy, independent of other language problems. Results suggest that both speech impairment and literacy…

Comparison of the speech fluency and phonology of 18 boys (mean age 61 months) who stuttered and demonstrated either normal or disordered phonology found that the two groups were generally similar in terms of their basic speech disfluency, nonsystematic speech error, and self-repair behaviors. Predictions of the covert repair hypothesis of…

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)

Two studies with nine children with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) were conducted. Study 1, focusing on longitudinal changes in speaking rate, found markedly slower speaking rates for five subjects. Study 2, examining possible causes of slowed speaking rate, found that both reduced articulatory speed and increased pausing may contribute…

This study, involving 26 children (ages 44-70 months) with impairments in grammar and phonology, found that children receiving either a clinician-administered or parent-administered intervention showed gains in expressive grammar, but there were no indirect effects on subjects' phonological production. Language intervention approaches for young…

This study, with white, African American, and Hispanic American kindergartners (n=105) found significant differences between groups on mean speaking fundamental frequency and speaking range. Hispanic children showed increased mean speaking fundamental frequencies in comparison to African American children and reduced speaking ranges compared to…

Comparison of the speech of 37 preschool children with speech-language impairment (SLI), 40 language-matched children, and 45 age-matched children found that errors in a set of morphemes marking tense characterized the SLI children. Evidence supporting the use of these morphemes as clinical markers for SLI is offered. (DB)