Turkish stimulability treatment program for children with speech sound disorders: a preliminary study

Abstract

Purpose

The objective of this study was to create a stimulability treatment program in Turkish language that targets Turkish consonants and vowels and to present the preliminary findings of the effectiveness of the program in a small group of Turkish children with speech sound disorder (SSD).

Method

Twenty-two children with SSD participated in the study. The Turkish Articulation and Phonology Test (SST) was used in the assessment of children. Intelligibility ratings were completed by their caregivers through the Turkish version of Intelligibility in Context Scale (ICS), and the stimulability assessments were completed. Stimulability intervention were given for a total of 12 sessions. Comparisons were made between the pre- and post-test results of children, and the preliminary data of treatment efficacy were collected.

Results

The data analysis showed a significant difference in the total number of articulation errors of children between Time 1 and Time 2 (p < .0001), a statistically significant difference in auditory discrimination scores between the two measurements, (p < .05), and an increase in stimulability ratings from Time 1 to Time 2.

Conclusion

These findings provide initial data on the positive effect of the Turkish stimulability treatment program for children with SSD. This preliminary study would contribute toward designing the main trial for an evidence-based study for the Turkish stimulability treatment program, thereby leading to better practices in SSD.

Keywords:

• Intervention
• speech sound disorders
• speech therapy
• stimulability

Ethical approval

This study was approved by the Ethical Committee of the university (number 24074710-18), and all procedures were performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Esra Özcebe

Esra Özcebe is Professor of Speech and Language Therapy at Hacettepe University. She has several national and international publications in the field of language and speech disorders.

Aysin Noyan Erbas

Ayşın Noyan Erbaş is a Research Assistant and a Pediatric SLP at Hacettepe University. Her main areas of research interest are developmental language disorders and autism spectrum disorders.

Sadiye Bacik Tirank

Şadiye Bacık Tırank is a Research Assistant of Speech and Language Therapy at Gazi University. Her main areas of research interest are speech sound disorders and developmental language disorders.

Bulent Gunduz

Bülent Gündüz is Professor of Audiology at Gazi University. He is mainly interested in early childhood hearing and related disorders.