Article

Many children experience significant difficulties in developing key
aspects of speech. For some, these communication difficulties are compounded by
co-occurring intellectual disabilities. METHOD:
This paper presents two case
studies from a larger on-going longitudinal study of the effectiveness of using
electropalatography (EPG) to address the intelligibility problems experienced by
many children and young people with Down's syndrome (DS). EPG, an innovative
computer-based tool for assessing and treating speech motor difficulties, enables
the speaker to 'see' the placement of his or her tongue during speech and to
attempt to correct any lingual palatal errors. RESULTS: This visual
supplementation of auditory feedback offers potential therapeutic benefits for
children with intellectual disabilities, many of whom show relative strengths in
visual vs. auditory and simultaneous vs. sequential processing. EPG also provides
therapists with an objective measure of articulatory ability. CONCLUSIONS:
Findings from these two case studies demonstrate the potential utility of EPG in
both the assessment and treatment of speech motor disorders in DS.

Langue : ANGLAIS