| Title: |
Perceptual Ratings Predict Speech Inversion Articulatory Kinematics in Childhood Speech Sound Disorders |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Nina R. Benway (ORCID 0000-0003-0955-9495); Saba Tabatabaee; Dongliang Wang (ORCID 0000-0003-4713-3516); Benjamin Munson (ORCID 0000-0002-1547-6912); Jonathan L. Preston (ORCID 0000-0001-9971-6321); Carol Espy-Wilson (ORCID 0000-0002-1012-183X) |
| Source: |
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 2026 69(2):541-561. |
| Availability: |
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: slhr@asha.org; Web site: http://jslhr.pubs.asha.org |
| Peer Reviewed: |
Y |
| Page Count: |
21 |
| Publication Date: |
2026 |
| Sponsoring Agency: |
National Institutes of Health (NIH) (DHHS); National Science Foundation (NSF) |
| Contract Number: |
T32DC00004628; R01DC020959 |
| Document Type: |
Journal Articles; Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: |
Speech Impairments; Articulation Impairments; Children; Adults; Prediction; Error Patterns; Phonetics; North American English; Phonology; Acoustics; Articulation (Speech); Phonemes |
| DOI: |
10.1044/2025_JSLHR-25-00515 |
| ISSN: |
1092-4388; 1558-9102 |
| Abstract: |
Purpose: This study evaluated whether articulatory kinematics, inferred by articulatory phonology speech inversion neural networks, aligned with perceptual ratings of /[voiced alveolar approximant]/ and /s/ in the speech of children with speech sound disorders. Method: Articulatory phonology vocal tract variables were inferred for 5,961 utterances from 118 children and three adults, aged 2.25-45 years. Perceptual ratings were standardized using the novel 5-point PERCEPT Rating Scale and training protocol. Two research questions examined if the articulatory patterns of inferred vocal tract variables aligned with the perceptual error category for the phones investigated (e.g., tongue tip is more anterior in dentalized /s/ productions than in correct /s/). A third research question examined if gradient PERCEPT Rating Scale scores predicted articulatory proximity to correct productions. Results: Estimated marginal means from linear mixed models supported 17 of 18 /[voiced alveolar approximant]/ hypotheses, involving tongue tip and tongue body constrictions. For /s/, estimated marginal means from a second linear mixed model supported seven of 15 hypotheses, particularly those related to the tongue tip. A third linear mixed model revealed that PERCEPT Rating Scale scores significantly predicted articulatory proximity of errored phones to correct productions. Conclusions: Inferred vocal tract variables differentiated category and magnitude of articulatory errors for /[voiced alveolar approximant]/, and to a lesser extent for /s/, aligning with perceptual judgments. These findings support the clinical interpretability of speech inversion vocal tract variables and the PERCEPT Rating Scale in quantifying articulatory proximity to the target sound, particularly for /[voiced alveolar approximant]/. |
| Abstractor: |
As Provided |
| Entry Date: |
2026 |
| Accession Number: |
EJ1497143 |
| Database: |
ERIC |