| Abstract: |
This single case study explored the use of EPG as a therapeutic tool for treating inaccurate articulation of the voiceless alveolar plosive /t/. The participant (M) is an 18-year-old deaf[1] adult who consistently uses hearing aids, and who communicates using a combination of English, Sign Supported English and British Sign Language (BSL). M received traditional phonological therapy targeting his production of /t/ prior to EPG therapy, but without success. He requested further therapy and EPG was offered as an alternative approach. Pre-EPG therapy, M made tongue placement errors for both /t/ and the voiced alveolar plosive /d/. Based on perceptual analysis by M's speech and language therapist, the first author, his productions were inconsistent, though generally perceived as voiceless and voiced velar plosives respectively. The EPG therapy consisted of six bi-weekly therapy sessions, each lasting for 1 hour, targeting M's production of /t/ in familiar words, using the visual feedback from the EPG display. Trained and untrained listeners perceptually analysed audio recordings of words and sentences collected at three assessment points. Improvements, both over the course of the EPG therapy and during the follow-up period, were found to be statistically significant. Significantly, M was able to generalize his production skills to untaught words containing both /t/ and /d/. Equally significant was the lack of change in M's production of a control sound, the voiceless dental fricative /[for symbol see text]/. More globally, an improvement was observed in ratings of M's intelligibility in sentences and in his voice quality (assessed impressionistically). |
