Speech Sound Disorder and Visual Biofeedback Intervention: A Preliminary Investigation of Treatment Intensity

Abstract

A growing body of research suggests that cases of speech sound errors that have not responded to previous intervention can sometimes be eliminated through speech therapy incorporating visual biofeedback. Aside from considerations related to the specific biofeedback type, acquisition and generalization of a motor plan may be linked to treatment intensity. Several researchers have raised the possibility that inadequate dosage levels may present a significant barrier to success. Thus, the current study aimed to assess the relationship between treatment intensity and treatment outcomes. Twenty-nine articles reporting the use of visual biofeedback intervention for speech sound disorder were identified and coded for treatment intensity using the cumulative intervention index and outcomes using mean level difference scores. Findings reveal small but significant relationships between measures of treatment intensity and efficacy, which should be interpreted with caution given the preliminary nature of this review. Further research in this area is necessary, as inconsistencies in reporting intensity and outcomes across studies underscore the need for more systematic terminology and reporting methods.

The Dorsal Differentiation of Velar From Alveolar Stops in Typically Developing Children and Children With Persistent Velar Fronting

“…Perhaps the intervention dosage or intensity was inadequate. Hitchcock et al (2019) found a significant positive relationship between U-VBF treatment intensity and outcomes, and it is, therefore, possible that the once-per-week treatment these children received was insufficient to completely remediate the disorder. Unfortunately, long-term follow-up was not available for these children.…”

Computer-Assisted Challenge Point Intervention for Residual Speech Errors

“…It has been proposed that increasing the intensity of practice sessions, for example, condensing a larger number of trials and sessions into a shorter duration of time, with fewer opportunities to reestablish the old motor pattern between correct trials, might be facilitative of generalization learning (Preston, Leece, & Maas, 2016). Controlled studies comparing an equal dose of intervention delivered on an intensive schedule, in contrast with the distributed schedule of this study, will be essential to test this hypothesis (Hitchcock et al, 2019).…”

“…For Jenna, blinded listeners' ratings of maintenance probes showed robust gains for vocalic variants, but for consonantal /ɹ/, which began with a high level of accuracy, there was a decrease in accuracy to slightly below baseline levels. 3 While no conclusive interpretation can be attached to these findings, they raise the possibility that the higher cumulative dose of practice completed by Clara was more conducive to longterm generalization than the lower dose delivered to Jenna (Hitchcock et al, 2019). Thus, the criteria for discontinuing intervention might need to be made more stringent in future implementations of challenge point practice.…”

An initial framework for use of ultrasound by speech and language therapists in the UK: Scope of practice, education and governance

“…Aims and role of speech and language therapy, grouped according to (1) for which US has been selected by SLT clinicians.…”

“…In the Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) profession, there is growing evidence to support its application as a tool for the assessment and treatment of speech and swallowing disorders. [1][2][3][4] There are fundamental constraints to integration of US into SLT clinical practice such as cost, availability of equipment and lack of focused training. 2,5 There is, however, a drive among the profession to start adopting US into practice while research to establish reliability of data acquisition and interpretation continues.…”