We evaluated the speech sound acquisition in twins with Robin sequence for six years, who were operated on by the push back method at the age of 18 months. At the age of six years both showed almost the same problems clinically, those were delayed development, mild hearing loss, slight velopharyngeal insufficiency and articulation disorders. However, the type of articulation errors were different. One had a glottal stop problem and the other merely weak pressure consonants. The difference in the speech sound acquisition was considered to be related to the following. One demonstrated unstable velar mobility and unbalanced developmental delay. The other had stable velar mobility and balanced development. In addition, the difference of personality would have also contributed to the difference in articulation of the twin.

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An adult male client who complained of an articulation disorder of the /k/ sound was reported. The author found that the client did not show the articulation disorder; however, he felt a lot of difficulties in his life. The author supposed that the client might have psychoneurotic problems and recommended him to meet a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist. He was diagnosed as a borderline personality disorder patient by a psychiatrist. Recently, a national license system of speech therapists has been established in Japan, and it will become more generalized especially in the general population. We may encounter more frequently this type of psychoneurotic patients complaining of speech problems in the future. Therefore, it will be a great help for us to have a view-point of clinical psychology when we consider how to deal with such clients.

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People are crossed each other through the communication. A word is no more than one form of communication. Nevertheless, “a word”, especially speaking “the right word”, had been overestimated in “speech therapy”. Most of the people who cannot speak “the right word” were thought of as being persons with speech and language disordered. In the 1980's, “handicapped people” who raises an objection to such a point of view appeared. They wished to stop being singled out only about “the right word”. They considered expanding the power of communication important. However, people have not understood the diversity and the abundance of the communication sufficiently. Because being has an unique communication. Therefore, in this lecture, I intended to present a multilateral idea about the relation between word and communication.

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