Complexity in Phonological Treatment

Abstract

The construct of complexity has been advanced recently as a potentially contributing variable in the efficacy of treatment for children with functional phonological disorders. Thus far, complexity has been defined in terms of linguistic and psycholinguistic structure, articulatory phonetic variables, and conventional clinical factors. The focus of this paper is on clinical complexity as it influences the selection of target sounds for treatment, with three clinical factors reviewed: consistency of the error, normative age of acquisition, and number of errors to be treated. The collective findings suggest that treatment of seemingly more complex targets results in greater phonological gains. These results are integrated with converging evidence from other populations and language and learning domains.