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Abstract:
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The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of FONEMZ, a visual interactive cueing system used to teach phoneme production to children with communication disorders. A single-subject ABCA multiple-baseline research design was used to compare the FONEMZ approach to traditional articulation therapy. Two subjects, both 4 years old, were followed for 20 sessions.
Both subjects were identified by standardized testing as having concomitant severe articulation deficiencies and low phonological awareness skills. One subject also had decreased language skills. The other subject had language skills in the average to above average range. Production accuracy of a target phoneme was tracked for each treatment method and phonological awareness was measured with pre- and post-testing. The student with decreased language abilities demonstrated variable accuracy of production of the target phoneme throughout, with some improvement near the end of the FONEMZ therapy and an increase in overall articulation and phonological awareness abilities after the completion of treatment. The student with average language abilities demonstrated a significant increase in accuracy of the target phoneme and one non-target phoneme, with the most dramatic increase occurring during the FONEMZ therapy, as well as increases in overall articulation and phonological awareness abilities after the completion of treatment. Findings suggest that FONEMZ therapy may be a more effective therapy strategy than traditional articulation therapy for children with average language abilities. Results also indicate directions for further research, particularly in the area of phonological awareness. |
