The Effects of Noise and Palatal Appliances on the Speech of Five-Year-Old Children

Forty children of age five were divided into two groups according to articulation skill. Each child named pictures while wearing a palatal dental appliance in quiet and in the presence of an intense noise. Articulation errors and vocal intensity were measured in all conditions. Errors increased when appliances were placed and when noise was presented, but there was no interaction between the effects of appliances and noise on articulation. Intensity increased when noise was presented and decreased when appliances were placed. There was no interaction between the effects of appliances and noise on intensity. Children in the High and Low Articulation Skills groups did not differ in response to appliances or noise. The articulation results are very similar to results described earlier in an adult group. The children's vocal intensity changes were almost twice as large as those reported for the adult group. There may be a complex interaction between speech measure, type of feedback manipulation, and stage of development.

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