Stimulability, Speech Perception Skills, and the Treatment of Phonological Disorders

Abstract

The relationship between stimulability, speech perception ability, and phonological learning was examined in two descriptive studies. In Study 1, the children received 9 group treatment sessions targeting 3 phonological processes using the cycles approach. Treatment progress was not observed for sounds that were unstimulable before treatment. Given stimulability, treatment progress was greater for sounds that were well perceived before treatment in contrast with sounds that were poorly perceived before treatment. In Study 2, the cycles approach was modified so that each child received 3 brief, individual treatment sessions followed by 6 group treatment sessions. Each individual session targeted stimulability of target sounds, using phonetic placement, and perception of target sounds, using the Speech Assessment and Interactive Learning System (SAILS). In Study 2, good progress was observed for most target phonemes, including those that were unstimulable or poorly perceived before treatment.