Response times of repeated nonwords in children with residual speech sound disorder

Nonword repetition (NWR) is sensitive to impairments in a range of disorders, including speech sound disorders (Larrivee and Catts, 1999). NWR requires listeners to perceive an auditory stimulus, store the perception in working memory, and repeat the stimulus aloud when prompted. Response time—from stimulus presentation to participant response—can be measured to assess processing speed. Deficits in each of these processes have been linked to speech sound errors in young children (Bird, et al., 1995; Lewis, et al., 2011; Preston, et al., 2015; Rvachew, et al., 2003), but research from older children with residual speech sound disorders (RSSD) is lacking. To evaluate processing speed in children with RSSD, we have adapted a nonsense Syllable Repetition Task (SRT; Shriberg et al., 2009). The SRT consists of multisyllabic nonsense words that use targeted phonemes (/b, d, m, n, ɑ/), to minimize the possibility of articulation difficulties masking the skills intended to be studied—phonological processing. Response times on 2-, 3-, and 4-syllable nonwords will be compared between children with RSSD and children with typically developing speech. Based on preliminary findings, we suspect that response times of children with RSSD are slower than those of children with typical speech. The results will be discussed.