Speech Sound Disorders

Speech sound disorders (SSD) are the most common communication disorder in the pediatric population, impacting approximately 10 to 15 percent of children between 4 and 5 years old (Gierut, 1998 & McLeod & Harrison, 2009). SSDs result in speech intelligibility, occurring from difficulties in motor production of speech, phonological awareness of vowels and consonants, syllable discrimination, and the ability to understand rhythm, stress, and intonation of words (Bowen, 2015). Children diagnosed with SSD contribute to more than 70% of a speech-language pathologist’s (SLP) caseload (Waring & Knight, 2013). However, SSDs vary by degree of severity and deficits in each child, resulting in different targets during treatment.

Research compiled three

One study conducted by found that auditory bombardment techniques targeting familiar sounds in the child’s repertoire using minimal pair or cycles therapy techniques led to overall improvement in sound production (Khan & Lewis, 1990). Comparatively, another study indicated that children who received therapy targeting phonemes familiar to the child, (but were not yet mastered) showed significant gains in generalization of phonological knowledge than children who received therapy for unfamiliar, more complex sounds (Rvachew & Nowak, 2001). Finally, a study was conducted comparing research, which supported use of early developing sounds to a study supporting use of later developing sound targets. Conclusions indicated that children who targeted familiar phonemes made more spontaneous gains in in later-developing sounds (Gierut, 2007; Rvachew & Nowak, 2001, 2003). This study also determined that children targeting complex sounds made less gain in phonological knowledge, supporting the target of using earlier developing, familiar sounds, to improve acquisition of new sounds in treatment (Gierut,

Researchers conclude that later developing sound targets may be difficult to produce for the child, but, with implemented therapy techniques, mastering of later developing sounds make larger gains in the entire phonological system (Gierut, 2007). Gierut’s study indicated that integrating complex targets into therapy sessions increased generalization and carry over of complex and simple phonemes into the child’s sound system (Gierut, 2007). These results were validated in a comparison study, indicating that assignment of later-developing sounds increases generalization across speech production (Morrissette & Gierut, 2003). Additionally, a study involving one child with SSD supported the use of complex, later developing sounds. Although the child did not improve his entire sound system, he improved his use of complex sounds and acquired earlier developing sounds that were not consistently used in his sound system (Glaspey & Macleod,