The development of disordered phonology: A case study

Abstract

While normal phonological acquisition has been well documented, little is known about the development of disordered phonology. The case study presented here describes the course of AJ's phonological acquisition from 21 months of age. The data show that AJ's phonological system was disordered from speech onset. Bizarre phonological processes (e.g., the use of /β/ to mark many consonant clusters) were apparent at 21 months, and persisted unchanged. An analysis of AJ's phonological system at 44 months revealed that her unintelligibility was due to the continued use of many non-developmental processes. An intervention programme, consisting of thirteen clinical sessions is described. Therapy resulted in AJ's phonology being age-appropriate by 50 months.