Ultrasound images of the tongue prior and post speech therapy

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to analyze the ultrasound imaging of the tongue movement during the production of alveolar and velar stops, before and after speech therapy. A boy of a five year old and with Speech Disorder participated in this study. Were collected the articulatory data (ultrasound imaging of the tongue movement) and perceptive hearing of [t], [d], [k] and [g], before and after the 25 speech therapy sessions. Regarding results obtained in pre-therapy moment, when observing the three repetitions of the tongue curve of velar stops, a gestural indifferentiation was apparently detected, suggesting the presence of a dependency between the organizers of tip and body of the tongue. In the after therapy, a change in the tracing of the tongue gesture of [k] and [g] was verified. They started presenting a posteriorization of the tongue movement, synchronously with a rise in its body, as the adult standard. Thus, ultrasonographic findings were able to show a possible overcoming of the anteriorization stop velar, detected in the first perceptual speech analysis. In addition, these results seemed to reinforce the idea of covert contrasts in the speech of children with speech disorders.

Keywords:
Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences; Speech Therapy; Speech Disorders; Ultrasonography