Unresolved Speech Errors in Seven Siblings 6 to 14 Years Who Had Never Received Speech Therapy

What is it about?

Just imagine finding seven children with excellent speech fluency who all sounded as if they were speaking a foreign language. This is exactly what happened when seven children with unintelligible speech were found in a community. They were monolingual English-speaking children with unresolved speech errors.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

This case provides evidence that for some children, speech errors will not resolve spontaneously and highlights the need for direct treatment for children exhibiting speech sound disorder. The case study is important because examples of children whose therapy was delayed through a series of events which could not be reproduced in a formal experiment as it would be an ethical violation to deliberately withhold treatment for these lengthy periods of time (6 to 14 years, equivalent to the children's ages when found.). Although the native language was English, what the study represents is meaningful to any researcher looking for clues to the efficacy of speech therapy and addressing the questions of whether speech therapy should be implemented and if so, at what age (i.e. when).

Perspectives