Publication Date

1967

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Williams, J. David||Rose, Darrell E.||Shearer, William M.

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of Speech

LCSH

Speech therapy; Speech--Research

Abstract

THE PROBLEM Functional multiple articulatory defects have been the most prevalent type of speech problems found among elementary school children. A large share of the school budgets for special education have been spent on the correction of multiple articulation problems. The clinical treatment of children having these speech defects is often a long process involving many techniques and procedures which have some degree of effectiveness. It would be in the best interest of both child and therapist to facilitate a normal speech pattern as quickly as possible. Children with multiple articulation problems undergoing speech therapy are usually asked to work on one sound at a time until it is used correctly in their conversation before an attempt is made to correct another faulty sound. It would appear that a more rapid correction of the total speech pattern would be facilitated if children were encouraged to work on more than one sound in speech therapy. It was the purpose of this study to explore the possibility of teaching two sounds simultaneously during articulation therapy in order to facilitate a more rapid speech correction. EXPOSITION OF PROCEDURES EMPLOYED Seventy-four elementary school children from Des Plaines, Illinois were selected for use in this study. These children were all found to have multiple articulation speech problems as measured by the Templin-Darley articulation test. The children were randomly grouped into a control group who worked on one sound at a time during articulation therapy while the remaining children were put into an experimental group who worked on two sounds simultaneously during articulation therapy. Both groups were seen twice a week for twenty minutes for therapy. Both groups followed Van Riper*s recommended therapy procedures. However, the experimental group worked on one sound at the first session of each week and a different sound at the second session of each week. The children's speech was tape recorded and then rated by five experienced judges as to the severity of the speech defect. Ratings took piece both before end after twenty-four weeks of therapy. Using the rating scale provided for this purpose each child's speech was rated for specific sound defects and general conversational speech. SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS After the judges rated both groups of children both before and after therapy it was shown that both groups improved similarly for the general speech rating and the specific defective sound rating. These results would tend to Indicate that there is little difference in speech improvement with the teaching of one sound during articulation therapy as opposed to teaching two sounds during therapy. A very slight difference did occur with the per cent of children dismissed as corrected. The group of children who worked on more than one sound had a six per cent higher dismissal rate than did the group of children who worked on only one sound at a time and this fact certainly does not militate against teaching more than one sound at a time.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references.

Extent

ii, 51 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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