Comparing Biofeedback Types for Children With Residual /ɹ/ Errors in American English: A Single-Case Randomization...

Area of Science:

• Speech-Language Pathology
• Acoustic Analysis
• Childhood Speech Disorders

Background:

• Residual speech errors, particularly the American English rhotic /ɹ/, present challenges for effective treatment.
• Biofeedback modalities like ultrasound and visual-acoustic feedback offer potential for targeted speech therapy.
• Individualized treatment approaches are needed to address variability in response to speech interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of ultrasound biofeedback versus visual-acoustic biofeedback for improving /ɹ/ production in children.
• To investigate within-treatment response and generalization to untrained words for each biofeedback type.
• To explore individual predictors of treatment success, including age, auditory-perceptual skills, and oral somatosensory abilities.

Main Methods:

• A single-case experimental design was employed with seven children (ages 9-16) with residual /ɹ/ errors.
• Each participant received 10 treatment visits, alternating between 45 minutes of ultrasound and 45 minutes of visual-acoustic biofeedback.
• Acoustic measurements (normalized F3-F2 difference) assessed /ɹ/ acquisition and generalization; perceptual ratings were also used for generalization probes.

Main Results:

• Five participants acquired the target /ɹ/ sound in practiced words.
• Three participants showed clinically significant generalization to untrained words.
• One participant demonstrated a notable advantage in /ɹ/ improvement with visual-acoustic biofeedback compared to ultrasound.

Conclusions:

• While most participants did not show a significant difference between biofeedback types, findings suggest potential for individualized treatment selection.
• Auditory-perceptual acuity emerged as a possible factor influencing generalization of /ɹ/ production.
• Further research is warranted to optimize biofeedback interventions for residual speech sound disorders.