scholarly journals Treatment for Residual Rhotic Errors With High- and Low-Frequency Ultrasound Visual Feedback: A Single-Case Experimental Design

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (8) ◽  
pp. 1875-1892 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan L. Preston ◽  
Tara McAllister ◽  
Emily Phillips ◽  
Suzanne Boyce ◽  
Mark Tiede ◽  
...  

Purpose The aim of this study was to explore how the frequency with which ultrasound visual feedback (UVF) is provided during speech therapy affects speech sound learning. Method Twelve children with residual speech errors affecting /ɹ/ participated in a multiple-baseline across-subjects design with 2 treatment conditions. One condition featured 8 hr of high-frequency UVF (HF; feedback on 89% of trials), whereas the other included 8 hr of lower-frequency UVF (LF; 44% of trials). The order of treatment conditions was counterbalanced across participants. All participants were treated on vocalic /ɹ/. Progress was tracked by measuring generalization on /ɹ/ in untreated words. Results After the 1st treatment phase, participants who received the HF condition outperformed those who received LF. At the end of the 2-phase treatment, within-participant comparisons showed variability across individual outcomes in both HF and LF conditions. However, a group level analysis of this small sample suggested that participants whose treatment order was HF–LF made larger gains than those whose treatment order was LF–HF. Conclusions The order HF–LF may represent a preferred order for UVF in speech therapy. This is consistent with empirical work and theoretical arguments suggesting that visual feedback may be particularly beneficial in the early stages of acquiring new speech targets.

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 1167-1183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan L. Preston ◽  
Tara McAllister ◽  
Emily Phillips ◽  
Suzanne Boyce ◽  
Mark Tiede ◽  
...  

Purpose The aim of the study was to examine how ultrasound visual feedback (UVF) treatment impacts speech sound learning in children with residual speech errors affecting /ɹ/. Method Twelve children, ages 9–14 years, received treatment for vocalic /ɹ/ errors in a multiple-baseline across-subjects design comparing 8 sessions of UVF treatment and 8 sessions of traditional (no-biofeedback) treatment. All participants were exposed to both treatment conditions, with order counterbalanced across participants. To monitor progress, naïve listeners rated the accuracy of vocalic /ɹ/ in untreated words. Results After the first 8 sessions, children who received UVF were judged to produce more accurate vocalic /ɹ/ than those who received traditional treatment. After the second 8 sessions, within-participant comparisons revealed individual variation in treatment response. However, group-level comparisons revealed greater accuracy in children whose treatment order was UVF followed by traditional treatment versus children who received the reverse treatment order. Conclusion On average, 8 sessions of UVF were more effective than 8 sessions of traditional treatment for remediating vocalic /ɹ/ errors. Better outcomes were also observed when UVF was provided in the early rather than later stages of learning. However, there remains a significant individual variation in response to UVF and traditional treatment, and larger group-level studies are needed. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.8206640


1986 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn Kern Koegel ◽  
Robert L. Koegel ◽  
Janis Costello Ingham

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of a self-monitoring activity in the clinical and natural environment as a method of promoting rapid generalization of a target speech sound to beyond-treatment conditions. The subjects were 13 children who lateralized /s/ and /z/, substituted /Θ/ for /s/ and /ð/ for /z/, and/or substituted /w/ for /r/. The children attended public school speech therapy, individually or in small groups, twice weekly for 15- to 20-min sessions throughout the entire study. The investigation was conducted in the context of a multiple baseline research design replicated across subjects and behaviors (for 1 subject). The results demonstrated that when the self-monitoring activity was implemented, the children began to generalize the use of the correct speech sound to their spontaneous speech outside of the treatment setting. The results are discussed in terms of their theoretical implications for generalization issues and in relation to their applied value for clinicians with large case loads or otherwise limited amounts of time to spend with individual clients.


2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (11) ◽  
pp. 3714-3726
Author(s):  
Sherine R. Tambyraja ◽  
Kelly Farquharson ◽  
Laura Justice

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which school-age children with speech sound disorder (SSD) exhibit concomitant reading difficulties and examine the extent to which phonological processing and speech production abilities are associated with increased likelihood of reading risks. Method Data were obtained from 120 kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade children who were in receipt of school-based speech therapy services. Children were categorized as being “at risk” for reading difficulties if standardized scores on a word decoding measure were 1 SD or more from the mean. The selected predictors of reading risk included children's rapid automatized naming ability, phonological awareness (PA), and accuracy of speech sound production. Results Descriptive results indicated that just over 25% of children receiving school-based speech therapy for an SSD exhibited concomitant deficits in word decoding and that those exhibiting risk at the beginning of the school year were likely to continue to be at risk at the end of the school year. Results from a hierarchical logistic regression suggested that, after accounting for children's age, general language abilities, and socioeconomic status, both PA and speech sound production abilities were significantly associated with the likelihood of being classified as at risk. Conclusions School-age children with SSD are at increased risk for reading difficulties that are likely to persist throughout an academic year. The severity of phonological deficits, reflected by PA and speech output, may be important indicators of subsequent reading problems.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1987-1996
Author(s):  
Sherine R. Tambyraja

Purpose This study investigated the extent to which speech-language pathologists (SLPs) facilitate parents' completion of homework activities for children with speech sound disorder (SSD). In addition, this study explored factors related to more consistent communication about homework completion and strategies considered particularly effective for supporting this element of parental involvement. Method Licensed SLPs serving at least one child with SSD were invited to participate in an online survey. Questions relevant to this study gathered information regarding (a) frequency of communication about homework distribution and follow-up, (b) demographic and workplace characteristics, and (c) an open-ended question about the specific strategies used to support parental involvement and completion of homework activities. Results Descriptive results indicated considerable variability with respect to how frequently SLPs engaged in communication about homework completion, but that school-based SLPs were significantly less likely to engage in this type of follow-up. Strategies considered effective, however, were similar across therapy contexts. Conclusion These results suggest potentially important differences between school-based services and therapy in other contexts with respect to this particular aspect of service provision for children with SSD.


2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 3160-3182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin Maas ◽  
Christina Gildersleeve-Neumann ◽  
Kathy Jakielski ◽  
Nicolette Kovacs ◽  
Ruth Stoeckel ◽  
...  

Purpose The aim of this study was to examine 2 aspects of treatment intensity in treatment for childhood apraxia of speech (CAS): practice amount and practice distribution. Method Using an alternating-treatments single-subject design with multiple baselines, we compared high versus low amount of practice, and massed versus distributed practice, in 6 children with CAS. Conditions were manipulated in the context of integral stimulation treatment. Changes in perceptual accuracy, scored by blinded analysts, were quantified with effect sizes. Results Four children showed an advantage for high amount of practice, 1 showed an opposite effect, and 1 showed no condition difference. For distribution, 4 children showed a clear advantage for massed over distributed practice post treatment; 1 showed an opposite pattern, and 1 showed no clear difference. Follow-up revealed a similar pattern. All children demonstrated treatment effects (larger gains for treated than untreated items). Conclusions High practice amount and massed practice were associated with more robust speech motor learning in most children with CAS, compared to low amount and distributed practice, respectively. Variation in effects across children warrants further research to determine factors that predict optimal treatment conditions. Finally, this study adds to the evidence base supporting the efficacy of integral stimulation treatment for CAS. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.9630599


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prathiba Natesan ◽  
Smita Mehta

Single case experimental designs (SCEDs) have become an indispensable methodology where randomized control trials may be impossible or even inappropriate. However, the nature of SCED data presents challenges for both visual and statistical analyses. Small sample sizes, autocorrelations, data types, and design types render many parametric statistical analyses and maximum likelihood approaches ineffective. The presence of autocorrelation decreases interrater reliability in visual analysis. The purpose of the present study is to demonstrate a newly developed model called the Bayesian unknown change-point (BUCP) model which overcomes all the above-mentioned data analytic challenges. This is the first study to formulate and demonstrate rate ratio effect size for autocorrelated data, which has remained an open question in SCED research until now. This expository study also compares and contrasts the results from BUCP model with visual analysis, and rate ratio effect size with nonoverlap of all pairs (NAP) effect size. Data from a comprehensive behavioral intervention are used for the demonstration.


2019 ◽  
pp. 074193251985507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariola Moeyaert ◽  
David A. Klingbeil ◽  
Emily Rodabaugh ◽  
Merve Turan

Meta-analysis of single-case experimental designs may further knowledge about evidence-based practices for students needing remedial or special education. To contribute to evidence-based practice, a multivariate multilevel meta-analysis was used to synthesize the effectiveness of peer tutoring interventions on both academic and social-behavior outcomes. In total, 46 single-case studies met all inclusion criteria. Peer tutoring had a statistically significant effect on both academic and social-behavior outcomes, with a slightly larger effect on academic outcomes. Peer tutoring also had a significant effect on the trend in academic outcomes during the treatment phase (indicating that the intervention becomes more effective over time), but the effect on trends was slightly less than for social outcomes. Including moderators such as gender, age, disability type, and study quality reduced the amount of between-case and between-study heterogeneity. Limitations and implications of these findings are discussed.


1983 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 667-678 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony D. Cole ◽  
Nigel W. Bond

The present study evaluated the efficacy of olfactory aversion conditioning in the management of overeating problems. 42 overweight female subjects were assigned to one of three treatment conditions: olfactory aversion therapy, attention placebo control, and no-contact control. One experimenter administered the 8-wk. treatment phase. The aversion therapy procedure entailed the pairing of selected target foods (CSs) with noxious odors (UCSs). There were 25 pairings of the CS and UCSs during each weekly session. Four noxious odors were employed, one each week, to prevent habituation to the UCS. The attention-placebo control procedure was identical except that “air” was substituted for the putative UCS of the aversion therapy condition. At the end of the treatment period the aversion therapy group had lost 4.7 lb.; the attention placebo controls had lost 3.6 lb. and the no-contact controls 0.5 lb. The difference between the aversion therapy group and the no-contact controls was significant and that between the attention placebo group and the no-contact controls approached significance. At a follow-up 8 wk. after the end of the treatment period the weights of all groups had risen to pretreatment levels and there were no differences between them. These results indicate that olfactory aversion therapy is not an efficient technique in promoting weight-loss.


Psychiatry ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 339-339
Author(s):  
John S. Strauss
Keyword(s):  

Author(s):  
Tanya Matthews ◽  
Alexandra Barbeau-Morrison ◽  
Susan Rvachew

Purpose The purpose of this article is to provide trial-by-trial practice performance data in relation to learning (outcome probe data) as collected from 18 treatment sessions provided to children with severe speech sound disorders. The data illustrate the practice–learning paradox: Specific, perfect practice performance is not required for speech production learning. Method We detailed how nine student speech-language pathologists (SSLPs) implemented and modified the motor learning practice conditions to reach a proposed challenge point during speech practice. Eleven participants diagnosed with a severe speech sound disorder received high-intensity speech therapy 3 times per week for 6 weeks. SSLPs implemented treatment procedures with the goal of achieving at least 100 practice trials while manipulating practice parameters to maintain practice at the challenge point. Specifically, child performance was monitored for accuracy in five-trial increments, and practice parameters were changed to increase functional task difficulty when the child's performance was high (four or five correct responses) or to decrease functional task difficulty when the child's performance was low (fewer than four correct responses). The practice stimulus, type and amount of feedback, structure of practice, or level of support might be changed to ensure practice at the challenge point. Results On average, the children achieved 102 practice trials per session at a level of 58% correct responses. Fast achievement of connected speech with the lowest amount of support was associated with high scores on generalization probes. Even with high levels of error during practice, the children improved percent consonants correct with maintenance of learning 3 months posttreatment. Conclusion The results of this study show that it may not be necessary to overpractice or maintain a high degree of performance accuracy during treatment sessions to achieve transfer and retention of speech production learning.


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