42 Chapter 2
with the other children. For his wheelchair, a special folding mount is required because Decon
rides a bus to and from school. Although the bus has wheelchair accommodation, a special setup
is necessary so that the device is not damaged during the ride and when loading and unloading.
Because of his paralysis, Decon requires two sensor switches. The first switch is ultra- thin and
easily fits into his spastic hand. A red light appears when the power is on, and a blue one f lashes
when he activates the communication device. Thanks to a grant from a parent association affili-
ated with the school, Decon can also use a new fiberoptic eye- blink switch. Purposeful eye blinks
adjust the scanning of the communication board, and the device can distinguish between random
eye blinks and purposeful ones. Decon wears a head strap that has a ref lective device for interpret-
ing eye blinks.
Jodie has spent a lot of time learning to use the augmentative and alternative communication
devices. In therapy, she shows the children how to refine and expand their use. They play games,
learn cooperative activities, give directions, and engage in turn- taking. Jodie also drills them on
speech sound production, hoping that some day they may be able to learn to make intelligible
speech sounds and not have to use augmentative and alternative communication devices.
Articulation and phonology disorders disrupt or eliminate the ability to form speech sounds
and produce articulate speech. It takes several years for children to master articulation and to
learn the phonological rules of language, and for some, articulation and phonology therapies are
required. There are several causative factors in articulation and phonology disorders, including
language delay, structural anomalies, neuromuscular disorders, emotional precipitants, and hear-
ing loss. Diagnosis involves describing these disorders in all contexts so that appropriate therapies
may be conducted. For some individuals with severe articulation and phonology disorders, aug-
mentative and alternative communication devices may be required.
- List and describe the primary fixed, mobile, hard, and soft articulators.
- Transcribe your name phonetically.
- What factors must you consider when determining whether a child has articulation and pho-
nology delay? - Describe the difference between nonstandard and substandard speech production.
- List and briefly discuss the structural abnormalities that can affect articulation.
- Compare and contrast apraxia of speech and the dysarthria’s effect on articulation.
- What are some indications that a child has an emotionally based articulation disorder? What
types of referrals are appropriate for this type of communication disorder? - Compute your chronological age in years, months, and days.
- Describe the three- by- three system of diagnosing articulation disorders.
- Compare and contrast the traditional articulation therapy and those described by Plante and
Beeson (2004).