title: Physiologic development of tongue-jaw coordination from childhood to adulthood.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This investigation aimed to examine the development of tongue-jaw coordination during speech from childhood to adolescence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Electromagnetic articulography was used to track tongue and jaw motion in 48 children and adults (aged 6-38 years) during productions of /t/ and /k/ embedded in sentences.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The coordinative organization of the tongue and jaw exhibited changes until the age of 8-11 years and continued to undergo refinement into late adolescence. The tongue-tip and tongue-body were observed to develop unique kinematic relations with the jaw. While tongue-tip movement became increasingly synchronized with jaw movement, tongue-body and jaw retained movement independence but developed a more consistent kinematic relation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present results support the notion that speech motor development is nonuniform, with a refinement period from mid-childhood to late adolescence.
authors.affiliation: The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia. y.cheng@shrs.uq.edu.au
authors.forename: Hei Yan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Bruce E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Murdoch
authors.forename: Justine V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Goozée
authors.forename: Dion
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Scott
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D055590:Electromagnetic Phenomena; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D014059:Tongue / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*