Mandibular position during children's defective /s/ productions.

Area of Science:

• Speech-language pathology
• Linguistics
• Biomechanics of speech

Background:

• The /s/ sound (fricative) is frequently misarticulated.
• Understanding the role of jaw movement in /s/ production is crucial for diagnosing and treating speech sound disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare mandibular (lower jaw) displacement during /s/ sound production in children with and without /s/ misarticulations.
• To determine if different types of /s/ misarticulations are associated with specific mandibular positions.
• To examine how phonetic context influences mandibular position across different articulatory groups.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a mercury strain gauge attached to the face to measure mandibular displacement.
• Recorded simultaneous audio and jaw displacement data using a visicorder.
• Analyzed data from two typically articulating children and six children with /s/ misarticulations.

Main Results:

• Identified distinct mandibular positions during /s/ production among various subgroups of children with /s/ misarticulations.
• Observed that the influence of phonetic context on mandibular position varies depending on the specific type of articulatory error.

Conclusions:

• Mandibular positioning during /s/ sound production is a differentiating factor among children with speech sound disorders.
• The findings support the need for individualized treatment approaches based on the specific nature of /s/ misarticulation and its phonetic environment.