Psycholinguistic models of speech development and their application to clinical practice

This article presents an introduction to psycholinguistic models of speech development. Two specific types of models are addressed: box-and-arrow mode ls and connectionist or neural network models. We review some historical an d some current models and discuss recent applications of such models to the management of speech impairment in children. We suggest that there are two ways in which a psycholinguistic approach can influence clinical practice: by directly supplementing a speech-language pathologist's repertoire of as sessment and treatment approaches and by offering a new way to conceptualiz e speech impairment in children.