Semin Speech Lang 2019; 40(02): 138-148
DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-1677764
Review Article
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Phonological Treatment Options for Children with Expressive Language Impairment

Jill R. Hoover
1   Department of Communication Disorders, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
22 February 2019 (online)

Abstract

The vast majority of treatment efficacy research in the area of phonology focuses on issues relevant to children who have significant limitations in productive phonology but are “typically developing” in most other ways. The base of evidence to guide clinicians on planning intervention for children with phonological and cooccurring expressive language difficulties (PD + LI) is less well developed. Thus, the goal of this paper is to summarize the evidence on two treatment procedures designed to facilitate growth in phonological inventory for children who also require direct intervention to target other aspects of expressive language. We first review what is known about the delicate interaction between phonology and grammatical morphology. We focus the remainder of the summary on what is known about how to best address the more complex needs of children with PD + LI in intervention.

Disclosures

The author has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.


 
  • References

  • 1 Law J, Boyle J, Harris F, Harkness A, Nye C. Prevalence and natural history of primary speech and language delay: findings from a systematic review of the literature. Int J Lang Commun Disord 2000; 35 (02) 165-188
  • 2 Shriberg LD, Tomblin JB, McSweeny JL. Prevalence of speech delay in 6-year-old children and comorbidity with language impairment. J Speech Lang Hear Res 1999; 42 (06) 1461-1481
  • 3 McLeod S, Harrison LJ. Epidemiology of speech and language impairment in a nationally representative sample of 4- to 5-year-old children. J Speech Lang Hear Res 2009; 52: 1213-1229
  • 4 Waring R, Knight R. How should children with speech sound disorders be classified? A review and critical evaluation of current classification systems. Int J Lang Commun Disord 2013; 48 (01) 25-40
  • 5 2017 SLP Health Care Survey: Caseload Characteristics. 2017. Available at: https://www.asha.org/uploadedFiles/2017-SLP-Health-Care-Survey-Caseload-Characteristics.pdf . Accessed October 1, 2018
  • 6 Baker E, McLeod S. Evidence-based practice for children with speech sound disorders: part 1 narrative review. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2011; 42 (02) 102-139
  • 7 Wren Y, Harding S, Goldbart J, Roulstone S. A systematic review and classification of interventions for speech-sound disorder in preschool children. Int J Lang Commun Disord 2018; 53 (03) 446-467
  • 8 Storkel HL. Implementing evidence-based practice: Selecting treatment words to boost phonological learning. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2018; 49 (03) 482-496
  • 9 Shriberg LD, Kwiatkowski J. Developmental phonological disorders. I: A clinical profile. J Speech Hear Res 1994; 37 (05) 1100-1126
  • 10 Eadie P, Morgan A, Ukoumunne OC, Ttofari Eecen K, Wake M, Reilly S. Speech sound disorder at 4 years: prevalence, comorbidities, and predictors in a community cohort of children. Dev Med Child Neurol 2015; 57 (06) 578-584
  • 11 Tomblin JB, Records NL, Buckwalter P, Zhang X, Smith E, O'Brien M. Prevalence of specific language impairment in kindergarten children. J Speech Lang Hear Res 1997; 40 (06) 1245-1260
  • 12 Hayiou-Thomas ME, Carroll JM, Leavett R, Hulme C, Snowling MJ. When does speech sound disorder matter for literacy? The role of disordered speech errors, co-occurring language impairment and family risk of dyslexia. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2017; 58 (02) 197-205
  • 13 Wren Y, Miller LL, Peters TJ, Emond A, Roulstone S. Prevalence and predictors of persistent speech sound disorder at eight years old: findings from a population cohort study. J Speech Lang Hear Res 2016; 59 (04) 647-673
  • 14 Macrae T, Tyler AA. Speech abilities in preschool children with speech sound disorder with and without co-occurring language impairment. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2014; 45 (04) 302-313
  • 15 Haskill AM, Tyler AA. A comparison of linguistic profiles in subgroups of children with specific language impairment. Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2007; 16 (03) 209-221
  • 16 Lewis BA, Freebairn L, Tag J. , et al. Adolescent outcomes of children with early speech sound disorders with and without language impairment. Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2015; 24 (02) 150-163
  • 17 Stoel-Gammon C. Relationships between lexical and phonological development in young children. J Child Lang 2011; 38 (01) 1-34
  • 18 Schwartz RG, Leonard LB. Do children pick and choose? An examination of phonological selection and avoidance in early lexical acquisition. J Child Lang 1982; 9 (02) 319-336
  • 19 Sosa AV, Stoel-Gammon C. Lexical and phonological effects in early word production. J Speech Lang Hear Res 2012; 55 (02) 596-608
  • 20 Storkel HL. Restructuring of similarity neighbourhoods in the developing mental lexicon. J Child Lang 2002; 29 (02) 251-274
  • 21 Zamuner TS. Phonotactic probabilities at the onset of language development: speech production and word position. J Speech Lang Hear Res 2009; 52 (01) 49-60
  • 22 Sotto CD, Redle E, Bandaranayake D, Neils-Strunjas J, Creaghead NA. Fricatives at 18 months as a measure for predicting vocabulary and grammar at 24 and 30 months. J Commun Disord 2014; 49: 1-12
  • 23 Rice ML, Wexler K, Hershberger S. Tense over time: the longitudinal course of tense acquisition in children with specific language impairment. J Speech Lang Hear Res 1998; 41 (06) 1412-1431
  • 24 Rice ML, Wexler K. Toward tense as a clinical marker of specific language impairment in English-speaking children. J Speech Hear Res 1996; 39 (06) 1239-1257
  • 25 Marchman VA. Children's productivity in the English past tense: the role of frequency, phonology, and neighborhood structure. Cogn Sci 1997; 21: 283-304
  • 26 Oetting JB, Horohov JE. Past-tense marking by children with and without specific language impairment. J Speech Lang Hear Res 1997; 40 (01) 62-74
  • 27 Marchman VA, Wulfeck B, Ellis Weismer S. Morphological productivity in children with normal language and SLI: a study of the English past tense. J Speech Lang Hear Res 1999; 42 (01) 206-219
  • 28 Owen Van Horne AJ, Green Fager M. Quantifying the relative contributions of lexical and phonological factors to regular past tense accuracy. Int J Speech Lang Pathol 2015; 17 (06) 605-616
  • 29 Yung Song J, Sundara M, Demuth K. Phonological constraints on children's production of English third person singular -s. J Speech Lang Hear Res 2009; 52 (03) 623-642
  • 30 Tomas E, Demuth K, Smith-Lock KM, Petocz P. Phonological and morphophonological effects on grammatical development in children with specific language impairment. Int J Lang Commun Disord 2015; 50 (04) 516-528
  • 31 Marshall CR, van der Lely HKJ. A challenge to current models of past tense inflection: the impact of phonotactics. Cognition 2006; 100 (02) 302-320
  • 32 Mealings KT, Demuth K. Cluster reduction and compensatory lengthening in the acquisition of possessive -s. J Child Lang 2014; 41 (03) 690-704
  • 33 Howland C, Baker E, Munro N, McLeod S. Realization of grammatical morphemes by children with phonological impairment. Clin Linguistic Phon 2019; 33 (1–2): 20-41
  • 34 Hoover JR, Storkel HL, Rice ML. The interface between neighborhood density and optional infinitives: normal development and specific language impairment. J Child Lang 2012; 39 (04) 835-862
  • 35 Kueser JB, Leonard LB, Deevy P. Third person singular-s in typical development and specific language impairment: input and neighbourhood density. Clin Linguist Phon 2018; 32 (03) 232-248
  • 36 Hoover JR, Storkel HL. Grammatical treatment and specific language impairment: neighbourhood density & third person singular -s. Clin Linguist Phon 2013; 27 (09) 661-680
  • 37 Leonard LB, Davis J, Deevy P. Phonotactic probability and past tense use by children with specific language impairment and their typically developing peers. Clin Linguist Phon 2007; 21 (10) 747-758
  • 38 Hoffman PR, Norris JA, Monjure J. Comparison of process targeting and whole language treatments for phonologically delayed preschool children. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 1990; 21: 102-109
  • 39 Tyler AA, Sandoval KT. Preschoolers with phonological and language disorders. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 1994; 25: 215-234
  • 40 Bellon-Harn ML, Hoffman PR, Harn WE. Use of cloze and contrast word procedures in repeated storybook reading: targeting multiple domains. J Commun Disord 2004; 37 (01) 53-75
  • 41 Bellon-Harn ML, Credeur-Pampolina ME, LeBoeuf L. Scaffolded-language intervention. Comm Disord Q 2013; 34: 120-132
  • 42 Bellon-Harn M, Credeur-Pampolina M. Contrastive word pairs storybook reading approach: outcomes with two children with language and phonological impairments exhibiting different levels of phonological consistency. Contemp Issues Commun Sci Disord 2016; 43: 1-10
  • 43 Tyler AA, Lewis KE, Haskill A, Tolbert LC. Efficacy and cross-domain effects of a morphosyntax and a phonology intervention. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2002; 33 (01) 52-66
  • 44 Tyler AA, Lewis KE, Haskill A, Tolbert LC. Outcomes of different speech and language goal attack strategies. J Speech Lang Hear Res 2003; 46 (05) 1077-1094