In the realm of speech therapy, especially when addressing the needs of preschool children with multiple articulation errors, the quest for effective intervention strategies remains paramount. A groundbreaking study conducted in the summer of 1981 at the Glenrose Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, provides valuable insights and a proven framework for speech therapists and special educators. This intensive five-week articulation program, spearheaded by Ingrid Roth and Anne Lopushinsky, offers a feature-based phonological approach within a functional language-based framework, yielding significant improvements in the articulation of specific target sounds and phonological process categories of place, manner, and voicing.
The program was meticulously designed to accommodate both the phonological and linguistic aspects of children's misarticulations. By analyzing pre-treatment imitative articulation measures, inaccurate phonological patterns within and across children were identified. This enabled the determination of group and individual treatment goals, focusing on the deviant phonological features common to most children in the group. The intervention was not only about correcting specific phonemes but also about incorporating functional articulation goals through a language-based program, thus facilitating intelligible speech, correct articulation, and appropriate rhythm, intonation, and stress.
The key components of the program included:
- Utilizing minimal word pairs as an efficient and effective means of initiating changes in children's phonological patterns.
- Emphasizing vocabulary building and pragmatic aspects of communication, with unifying themes and concepts presented weekly.
- Individualized workbooks for parents to help analyze their child's speech, set appropriate goals, and carry out language-based articulation training.
- Parent education and involvement to ensure carryover of articulation skills to conversational speech.
One of the most noteworthy outcomes of the program was the improved articulation in the feature categories of place, manner, and voicing, as well as specific target sound productions. This underscores the efficacy of a short-term intensive group approach to articulation treatment, particularly in maintaining high levels of child motivation and enabling parent education and involvement.
The success of the program also hinged on several positive aspects, such as the potential for generalization opportunities within the program and to the home environment, and the opportunities for extensive language and phonological sampling within all program activities. These aspects not only facilitated the desired articulation changes but also fostered positive attitude changes towards speech for both children and parents.
For practitioners looking to implement or adapt this framework, several recommendations can be derived from the program's findings:
- Parental Involvement: Engage parents in the planning and implementation of activities, and consider using an enforceable clinician/parent contract for attendance and completion of homework activities.
- Individualized Attention: While group activities are beneficial, allocating time for individual treatment can further personalize the intervention.
- Language Goals: Incorporate language goals into the program to address any expressive language delays related to articulation disorders.
- Observation and Evaluation: Utilize clinician-directed observations and written parent evaluations of the program to continuously refine and improve the intervention strategy.
This intensive treatment program exemplifies how a phonological approach, when integrated within a functional language-based framework, can significantly improve articulation in preschool children with multiple errors. By adopting a comprehensive, collaborative, and targeted approach, speech therapists and special educators can enhance the efficacy of their interventions, ultimately facilitating better communication outcomes for children.
For those interested in exploring this research further and gaining deeper insights into the program's methodologies and outcomes, the original research paper offers a wealth of information. Intensive Treatment Program for Children with Multiple Articulation Errors.
