Mass generalised learning applied to the problem of carry-over in articulation therapy.

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate Morehead and Johnson's hypothesis that mass generalised learning experience in therapy will eliminate carry-over problems. Four subjects who consistently misarticulated the /S/phoneme participated in an intensive six week therapy programme. Two experimental subjects were trained in the production of the entire category of sounds of which the target phoneme is a member. Two matched control subjects received traditional articulation therapy. Pre- and post-therapy measures included an articulation test, competence tests and spectrographic analysis. Sound production tasks and carry-over tasks were administered at regular intervals during therapy to assess generalisation to untrained contexts. Complete carry-over was evidenced by one experimental subject at the end of the sentence phase of therapy. The remaining three subjects demonstrated inconsistent carry-over at the conclusion of the therapy programme. It is suggested that a mass generalised learning procedure may offer an efficient approach to articulation therapy.