title: An evaluation of the effectiveness of PROMPT therapy in improving speech production accuracy in six children with cerebral palsy.
abstract: This study evaluates perceptual changes in speech production accuracy in six children (3-11 years) with moderate-to-severe speech impairment associated with cerebral palsy before, during, and after participation in a motor-speech intervention program (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets). An A1BCA2 single subject research design was implemented. Subsequent to the baseline phase (phase A1), phase B targeted each participant's first intervention priority on the PROMPT motor-speech hierarchy. Phase C then targeted one level higher. Weekly speech probes were administered, containing trained and untrained words at the two levels of intervention, plus an additional level that served as a control goal. The speech probes were analysed for motor-speech-movement-parameters and perceptual accuracy. Analysis of the speech probe data showed all participants recorded a statistically significant change. Between phases A1-B and B-C 6/6 and 4/6 participants, respectively, recorded a statistically significant increase in performance level on the motor speech movement patterns targeted during the training of that intervention. The preliminary data presented in this study make a contribution to providing evidence that supports the use of a treatment approach aligned with dynamic systems theory to improve the motor-speech movement patterns and speech production accuracy in children with cerebral palsy.
authors: Curtin University , Perth , Australia.
authors: Roslyn
authors: R
authors: Ward
authors: Suze
authors: S
authors: Leitão
authors: Geoff
authors: G
authors: Strauss
mesh_terms: D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology*; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D013070:Speech Therapy / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Cerebral palsy; PROMPT; intervention; motor-speech control