The speech and language classification system employed in
the study was developed using existing knowledge as to the nature of CP. Four
groups were identified:1. Children without speech and language problems
2. Children with speech problems, but intact language abilities
3. Children with speech problems and language problems
4. Children who are unable to produce functional speech
Speech and language data from 34 children with CP were
collected. The authors measured vowel space, speech rate and language
comprehension. They also asked parents to rate the intelligibility of their
child’s speech. They then employed statistical procedures to see whether the
children’s performances would align with the groups suggested above.
Findings show that children were assigned to the groups mainly
based on the results of the speech measures - i.e. speech rate and vowel space.
Specifically, it was found that children with speech impairment had a slower
speech rate and a smaller vowel space than children without speech problems. Of
the two measures speech rate was found to be the stronger indicator for group
membership. This makes sense as speech rate performance reflects the
integration of all four subsystems (breathing, phonation, velo-pharyngeal function
and articulation), whereas vowel space primarily relates to articulation.
Language comprehension scores and intelligibility ratings were found to be less
predictive of group membership. These findings suggest that speech abilities are
the primary determinant for communication profiles in children with CP.