EPG therapy for children with long‐standing speech disorders: predictions and outcomes

Abstract

This paper reports on a project using a series of single subjects to investigate the effectiveness of using electropalatography (EPG) in treating ten children with persisting speech difficulties of no known organic aetiology. The aims of the project were two-fold, firstly to assess whether the subjects selected benefited from this treatment, and secondly to investigate whether it was possible to predict which children would make maximum improvement. A number of factors were identified as possible predictors for successful EPG therapy and subjects were then ranked according to these predictions. Baseline measures of each subject's speech were taken using word lists. Scores reflected the correct number of realizations of consonants produced by each subject. Subjects received the same number of therapy sessions and were then re-tested. Scores before and after therapy were compared and found to be significantly different although the initial predictions as to the magnitude of improvement for each subject were not verified. The selection of appropriate candidates for therapy and the need for objective means of establishing effectiveness are discussed.

Electropalatographic, acoustic, and perceptual data on adaptation to a palatal perturbation

“…Comparing subjects to idealized "normal" contact patterns may not be the most appropriate technique and may in fact undermine individual compensatory strategies. In fact, recent EPG investigations involving remediation of speech-language disorders have emphasized the importance of considering individual characteristics in speech production abilities as a predictive function influencing treatment success ͑e.g., Carter and Edwards, 2004;Gibbon, 2004͒. The findings of the present investigation confirm and extend those of our previous investigations ͑Baum and McFarland, 1997;McFarland, Baum, and Chabot, 1996͒, indi-cating substantial flexibility within the speech production system, permitting the majority of speakers to adapt to a significant oral-articulatory perturbation with ͑relatively͒ minimal practice. Interestingly, in contrast to the acoustic and perceptual results, the EPG data revealed few changes in tongue-palate contact over time, suggesting that compensatory adjustments for /s/ production were made by tongue shape changes in regions that did not contact the palate.…”

Consonants /s/ /t/ /l/ and the Syllables in Malay Language

“…EPG has many advantages which include the ability to provide real-time visual feedback of tongue-palate contacts [1]. EPG helps to overcome speech problem that may arise from defective palate development such those observed in cleft palate subjects [2]- [6]. EPG is also suitable as a method for language analyses [7], [8].…”

Preliminary Case Studies Investigating the Use of Electropalatography (EPG) Manufactured by CompleteSpeech® as a Biofeedback Toolin Intervention

“…The children presented in the different studies have difficulty with fricatives, affricates, rhotic /r/, alveolar and velar phonemes (McAuliffe & Cornwell, 2008;Gibbon, Stewart, Hardcastle & Crampin, 1999;Gibbon & Wood, 2003;Carter & Edwards, 2004). Most research used case studies; however, there are different EPG systems employed in the different studies, different intervention protocols and procedures used in the studies.…”

“…EPG has been used in the assessment and treatment of children with articulation disorders of unknown etiology and speech sound disorders (Schmidt, 2007;Carter & Edwards, 2004;Hardcastle, Gibbons, & Jones, 1991;Wrench, 2007). The children presented in the different studies have difficulty with fricatives, affricates, rhotic /r/, alveolar and velar phonemes (McAuliffe & Cornwell, 2008;Gibbon, Stewart, Hardcastle & Crampin, 1999;Gibbon & Wood, 2003;Carter & Edwards, 2004).…”

“…Following a restructuring of his company LogoMetrix in 2008 (The name was changed to Complete Speech®), Professor Fletcher modified his EPG system again to make it more affordable and user-friendly (Schmidt, 2007). Electropalatography (EPG) is an option for clients who have persistent speech sound disorders and are not demonstrating improvements in their speech intelligibility with traditional speech therapy approaches (Carter & Edwards, 2004). EPG is a computer-based technique that records the tongue's contact against the palate during speech.…”