Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Format of Original

8 p.

Publication Date

2008

Publisher

Thieme Medical Publishers Inc.

Source Publication

Seminars in Speech and Language

Source ISSN

0734-0478

Original Item ID

doi: 10.1055/s-0028-1103394

Abstract

Despite the many debates about the usefulness of nonspeech oral motor exercises (NSOMEs) in the treatment of speech disorders, few controlled experiments have evaluated their efficacy in the remediation of phonological/articulatory disorders (PADs). More importantly, the relative effect of NSOMEs compared with traditional production treatment (PT) has not been established. The current study employed an alternating treatment design to evaluate changes in production of sounds targeted by NSOMEs and PT in nine children with PAD. Each subject received treatment on two linguistically distinct sounds in which one sound was treated with NSOMEs and the second sound was targeted with PT. The difference in treatment efficacy, measured as the percentage change in target production for NSOMEs versus PT, was compared using a paired t test. Because NSOMEs typically are used to ready a child for subsequent PT, comparison of PT treatment accuracy was made between NSOME-first and PT-first sessions. Results demonstrated a statistically significant effect of treatment type with greater production gains with PT compared with NSOMEs. Further, no facilitative effect of NSOMEs on PT was noted; however, the choice of distinct treatment targets may have contributed to this null effect. Although additional investigation is warranted, the current investigation does not support the efficacy of NSOMEs in the treatment of PAD.

Comments

Published version. Seminars in Speech and Language, Vol. 29, No. 4 (2008): 304-311. DOI. © 2008 Thieme Medical Publishers Inc. Used with permission.

Jenya Iuzzini was affiliated with Indiana University at the time of publication.

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