Improvement of Articulation in Hearing-Impaired Adolescents

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of speech and pronunciation therapy on hearing-impaired adolescents. Five hearing-impaired college students, two male and three female, who received therapy during the same semester were selected for this analysis. Two types of test, one a monosyllabic articulation test and the other a speech intelligibility test, were executed before and after the therapeutic sessions. In the speech intelligibility test, two groups of listeners (experienced and inexperienced in deaf speech) evaluated speech intelligibility. The results were as follows:
1. Higher scores after the therapeutic sessions were recognized in four students in both tests. This result indicates that the speech of these students was improved through the therapeutic sessions.
2. There was a correlation (Spearman's rank correlation) between the monosyllabic articulation and speech intelligibility test scores. It is thought that the better monosyllabic articulation after the therapeutic sessions enabled the improved speech intelligibility.
3. Results of variance analysis indicated there was a significant difference between the experienced and inexperienced listeners in the speech intelligibility test scores. Scores for experienced listeners were higher than those for inexperienced listeners in four students.