Speech and phonological characteristics of individual children with a history of tracheostomy

The present investigation studied the speech production and phonological sk irts of 6 children between the ages of 2;8 and 6;8 (years;months) who had u ndergone tracheostomy before age 8 months. Each child's speech was analyzed for sire and composition of phonetic inventory, use of phonological proces ses, production of vowels, and production of the voicing contrast For stops . Analyses were completed once consistent air support for vocalization was established for each child and 3 months after that date. This study highlig hts the slow development of sound acquisition, vowel production, and the di stinction between voiced and voiceless stops For some, but not all, childre n with a history of tracheostomy. Each child exhibited his or her own patte rn of speech production difficulties on four tasks. Excessive use of inappr opriate phonological processes relative to age was the most prevalent speec h production problem. Five of 6 subjects exhibited clinically significant u se of Stridency Deletion, liquid Deviation, and/or Cluster Reduction. Adjus tments were noted in the speech of all subjects during a 3-month period.