Intensive treatment for persisting rhotic distortions (Preston & Leece, 2017)

Purpose: The study explored changes in accuracy of American English rhotics as a result of an intensive 1-week therapy program for adolescents and young adults with residual speech sound errors that had not resolved with previous therapy.Method: Four case reports are presented of individuals aged 13, 17, 21, and 22 years with residual /ɹ/ distortions. Each participant attended a 1-week intensive program consisting of pretreatment assessments, 14 hr of therapy, and posttreatment assessment. Treatment sessions included structured motor-based practice, ultrasound visual feedback of the tongue, and auditory speech perception training. To assess generalization, untreated words and sentences with rhotics were recorded before and after therapy; these were rated by listeners who were blind to when the recordings were taken.Results: All participants showed measurable and statistically significant improvement in speech sound accuracy. Averaged across the 4 participants, rhotic accuracy at the word level improved from 35% to 83%. At the sentence level, rhotic accuracy increased from 11% pretreatment to 66% posttreatment in 1 week.Conclusion: The promise of an intensive treatment program that includes motor-based practice, biofeedback, and auditory perception training is illustrated by the case presentations in which substantial improvements in speech sound accuracy were observed.Supplemental Material S1. Video example of prepractice, the first phase of treatment, which involved eliciting 12 correct syllable-level targets. Supplemental Material S2. Sample video of structured chaining practice with ultrasound feedback.Supplemental Material S3. Sample video of structured chaining practice without ultrasound feedback.Supplemental Material S4. Samples of pretreatment and posttreatment generalization probes. Supplemental Material S5. Sample datasheet with the feedback schedule and sample stimuli. Supplemental Material S6. Generalization probe lists, which were used to track progress. Preston, J. L., & Leece, M. C. (2017). Intensive treatment for persisting rhotic distortions: A case series. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 26, 1066–1079. https://doi.org/10.1044/2017_AJSLP-16-0232

研究旨在探讨一周密集治疗计划对青少年及年轻成人残留语音错误矫正效果的影响，该计划旨在提升美式英语中rhotic音素的准确性。研究方法包括四例报告，涉及年龄分别为13岁、17岁、21岁和22岁的个体，他们均存在残留的/ɹ/音素扭曲问题。每位参与者均参加了一周密集的康复计划，包括治疗前的评估、14小时的疗法以及治疗后的评估。治疗内容包括结构化的基于运动的练习、舌部超声视觉反馈以及听觉语音感知训练。为评估治疗的泛化效果，记录了治疗前后未经治疗的含有rhotic音素的单词和句子；这些录音由对录音时间不知情的听众进行评分。研究结果：所有参与者语音准确性均显示出可测量的且具有统计学意义的提升。平均来看，四个参与者中，单词级别的rhotic准确性从35%提升至83%。在句子层面，rhotic准确性从治疗前的11%增至治疗后的66%，且在短短一周内即取得显著进步。结论：通过案例展示，密集治疗计划包括基于运动的练习、生物反馈和听觉感知训练的潜力得到了证实，该计划在语音准确性方面取得了显著的改善。补充材料S1：治疗第一阶段（预练习）的视频示例，该阶段旨在诱发12个正确的音节级目标。补充材料S2：结构化链式练习带超声反馈的样本视频。补充材料S3：结构化链式练习不带超声反馈的样本视频。补充材料S4：治疗前后泛化探针的样本。补充材料S5：包含反馈日程和样本刺激物的样本数据表。补充材料S6：泛化探针列表，用于跟踪进展。Preston, J. L., & Leece, M. C. (2017). 对持续存在的rhotic扭曲的密集治疗：一个案例系列。美国言语-语言病理学杂志，26，1066–1079. https://doi.org/10.1044/2017_AJSLP-16-0232