Thomas W. Powell

Stimulability: A useful clinical tool

Although difficult to define, stimulability is an easily measured skill that can provide valuable information for clinicians treating children with phonological disorders. In this article, we review changing trends in the definition of stimulability, standardized and nonstandardized approaches to its measurement, and clinical implications of stimulability for prognosis and treatment plan development as they have evolved over a 40-year period. Clinical application of stimulability information in caseload management and intervention is emphasized.

Facilitating [s] production in young children: an experimental evaluation of motoric and conceptual treatment approaches.

Eighteen phonologically disordered children were assigned to one of two experimental treatment programmes. Half of the children received a motoric treatment, which focused on establishing sound production in isolation, words, and phrases. The remaining children received a conceptual treatment, which sought to establish the phonemic nature of /s/ without providing motor practice. Treatment efficacy was evaluated by analysing [s] production during administration of a generalization probe. The motoric treatment was more effective overall; although some subjects, whose phonetic inventory included [s] prior to treatment, generalized correct production following the introduction of the conceptual treatment.

Patterns of sound change in children with phonological disorders

This paper presents longitudinal data that provide insight into the phonological learning of five children. These children were superficially similar in that all presented with errors affecting production of [s]; however, it will be argued that each child possessed a phonological system that was unique in certain ways. Production of [s]was established with each participant using a motoric training approach, and generalization was assessed over a 3-4-month period using a 50-item probe. Once treatment was initiated, changes in the production of [s]and in other properties of the phonological systems were observed. Some of these changes illustrated apparent learning strategies that were child-specific, whereas other changes were common to all of these children and may, in fact, be universal in nature.

A comparison of English reading passages for elicitation of speech samples from clinical populations

Oral reading passages are often used to elicit speech samples from clinical populations. Few objective guidelines exist, however, to guide ones selection from among the many existing passages. Therefore, this study was undertaken to describe phonetic, lexical, and structural characteristics of 15 oral reading passages. The passages differed markedly in the demands that they placed upon the speaker (i.e., length and complexity), as well as the adequacy of the phonetic sample.

Triangulating speech sound generalization

Generalization refers to the extension of learned behaviours to novel conditions, and it is one of the criteria by which the effectiveness and efficiency of a remediation programme may be judged. This article extracts principles of generalization from the treatment literature, and provides examples of how this information may be used to help guide treatment decisions. Included is a discussion of client, clinician, and treatment variables that may contribute to the generalization process.

A model for ethical practices in clinical phonetics and linguistics.

The emergence of clinical phonetics and linguistics as an area of scientific inquiry gives rise to the need for guidelines that define ethical and responsible conduct. The diverse membership of the International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association (ICPLA) and the readership of this journal are uniquely suited to consider ethical issues from diverse perspectives. Accordingly, this paper introduces a multi‐tiered six‐factor model for ethical practices to stimulate discussion of ethical issues.

Tracking speech sound acquisition

This article describes a procedure to aid in the clinical appraisal of child speech. The approach, based on the work by Dinnsen, Chin, Elbert, and Powell (1990; Some constraints on functionally disordered phonologies: Phonetic inventories and phonotactics. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 33, 28–37), uses a railway idiom to track gains in the complexity of speech sound production. A clinical case study is reviewed to illustrate application of the procedure. The procedure is intended to facilitate application of an evidence-based procedure to the clinical management of developmental speech sound disorders.

A reliability study of BDAE-3 discourse coding.

The third edition of the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (Goodglass, Kaplan, and Barresi) introduced standardized procedures for coding discourse samples elicited using the well known Cookie Theft illustration. To evaluate the reliability of this discourse coding procedure, a transcribed sample was coded by 14 novice examiners using the Goodglass et al. coding criteria. Percentage of agreement scores between novice and expert coders were poor (with an average of <50% agreement). This paper describes factors that may have contributed to the poor interjudge agreement, and one approach to improving agreement is described.

Electronic publishing: opportunities and challenges for clinical linguistics and phonetics

This paper discusses the contributions of informatics technology to the field of clinical linguistics and phonetics. The electronic publication of research reports and books has facilitated both the dissemination and the retrieval of scientific information. Electronic archives of speech and language corpora, too, stimulate research efforts. Although technology provides many opportunities, there remain significant challenges. Establishment and maintenance of scientific archives is largely dependent upon volunteer efforts, and there are few standards to ensure long‐term access. Coordinated efforts and peer review are necessary to ensure utility and quality.

Factorial validity of the test of problem solving

The underlying structure of the Test of Problem Solving was examined using factor analysis. At all six age levels (N = 842 from 6 to 11 years) a one-factor solution emerged, suggesting the five subtests measure a single underlying construct. These data support the combination of subtests to form a composite score; however, subtest specificity was insufficient to allow the use of profile analysis procedures at any age level.