Applying the phonological intervention taxonomy to expansion points intervention.

Purpose: The Phonological Intervention Taxonomy (Baker, Williams, McLeod, & McCauley, 2018) was developed on the basis of cataloguing the elements of 15 phonological interventions in the domains of the goal of intervention, the teaching moment, the context (who provides the intervention and where it is provided), and procedural issues. Additionally, three summary measures are computed from the tallying of elements in the taxonomy: concentration (the number of required plus optional elements, with a maximum of 72; flexibility (the number of optional elements compared to the total present for the intervention), and distinctiveness (the number of rare elements plus the number of common elements that are absent). In the present paper, the taxonomy is applied to a novel intervention called Expansion Points Intervention (EXP; Smit, Brumbaugh, Weltsch, & Hilgers, 2018) in order to (a) determine how well the taxonomy captures elements of EXP, and (b) compare EXP to other phonological interventions.

Treatment of Phonological Disorder: A Feasibility Study With Focus on Outcome Measures.

Purpose: In a feasibility study for a randomized controlled trial of treatments for phonological disorders conducted over a period of 8 months, we examined 6 clinically relevant outcome measures. We took steps to reduce error variance and to maximize systematic variance.

Method: Six children received traditional treatment (Van Riper, 1939), and 7 received expansion points (Smit, 2000), a treatment program with both phonological and traditional elements.

Treating children ages 3-6 who have speech sound disorder: a survey.

Purpose: In a national survey, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) were asked about service delivery and interventions they use with children ages 3-6 who have speech sound disorder (SSD).

Method: The survey was e-mailed to 2,084 SLPs who worked in pre-elementary settings across the United States. Of these, 24% completed part or all of the survey, with 18% completing the entire survey.

Preliteracy speech sound production skill and later literacy outcomes: a study using the Templin Archive.

Purpose: This archival study examined the relationship between the speech sound production skill of kindergarten children and literacy outcomes in Grades 1-3 in a data set where most children's vocabulary skills were within normal limits, speech therapy was not provided until 2nd grade, and phonological awareness instruction was discouraged at the time data were collected.

Method: Data were accessed from the Templin Archive (2004), and the speech sound production skill of 272 kindergartners were examined relative to literacy outcomes in 1st and 2nd grade (reading) and 3rd grade (spelling).

Results: Kindergartners in the 7th percentile for speech sound production skill scored more poorly in 1st- and 2nd-grade reading and 3rd-grade spelling than did kindergartners with average speech sound production skill; kindergartners in the 98th percentile achieved superior literacy skills compared to the mean.