Multiple Oppositions: Case Studies of Variables in Phonological Intervention

Abstract

The multiple oppositions approach (Williams, 1992; 2000) was incorporated as the beginning point of intervention for 10 children who exhibited moderate-to-profound phonological impairments. Several variables that potentially affect phonological change were examined in a longitudinal case study of these children. Different models of intervention (multiple oppositions, minimal pairs, and naturalistic speech intelligibility training) were incorporated within different structures of treatment (vertical, horizontal, and cyclical) using a model of phonologic learning that was based on a developmental structuring of intervention. This nontraditional research paradigm is proposed as a possible bridge to link the science and practice of clinical research. Specifically, the clinical reality of providing intervention to children from their initial treatment to discharge provides a broader perspective of treatment efficacy while also serving as a foundation for future areas of more controlled investigations of specific variables.