Case study of improving the speech intelligibility of children with Down syndrome using pacing boards

The present study was designed to answer the following questions: (a) Can a child with Down syndrome (DS) increase speech intelligibility using a pacing board through a modified Core Vocabulary Approach (CVA)? (b) What are the effects of the pacing board as an intervention tool on the speech skills of children with DS? (c) What is a valid measurement of improved speech intelligibility? In this case study, the pacing board was used as an intervention tool in conjunction with a modified CVA with one child with DS to examine whether a child with limited speech skills could increase her speech intelligibility to enhance communicative competence. Data was collected on the child’s speech production output patterns in order to provide information on the pacing board’s efficacy. Results indicated that the pacing board was an effective intervention tool for this child. Increases on various speech intelligibility metrics were evident. The child's improvements on indices examined in this study were slow but significant, relative to her previous speech and language status.