Word-final complexity in speech sound intervention: two case studies.

Area of Science:

• Speech-Language Pathology
• Linguistics
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Consonant clusters in speech sound intervention promote generalization due to their complexity.
• Current research primarily focuses on word-initial consonant clusters, neglecting word-final clusters.
• Word-final clusters can be morphologically simple or complex, presenting an understudied area in intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of word-final consonant cluster targets in speech sound intervention.
• To examine the effects of morphologically simple versus complex word-final clusters.
• To assess generalization of skills in children with phonologically based speech sound disorders.

Main Methods:

• Two case studies involving children with speech sound disorders targeting the word-final cluster [-ks].
• Intervention delivered in 45-minute sessions, three times weekly, for a maximum of 18 sessions.
• Assessment of target accuracy, intelligibility, word-final cluster production, and generalization.

Main Results:

• Both participants achieved high accuracy with the target word-final cluster [-ks].
• Following intervention, both children showed improvements in intelligibility and word-final cluster production.
• One child demonstrated generalization of skills across multiple measures.

Conclusions:

• Word-final consonant clusters are viable targets for speech sound intervention.
• The complexity of word-final clusters, including morphological aspects, warrants further investigation.
• Findings support the relevance of targeting word-final complexity for children with speech sound and/or morphological difficulties.