Phonetic Intelligibility Testing in Developmental Motor Speech Disorders: A Preliminary Tool in Hebrew
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| Title: | Phonetic Intelligibility Testing in Developmental Motor Speech Disorders: A Preliminary Tool in Hebrew |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Micalle Carl (ORCID |
| Source: | International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders. 2026 61(3). |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 13 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Hebrew, Communication Disorders, Speech Impairments, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Psychomotor Skills, Intelligibility, Material Development, Down Syndrome, Phonetics, Adults |
| DOI: | 10.1111/1460-6984.70241 |
| ISSN: | 1368-2822 1460-6984 |
| Abstract: | Background: Speech intelligibility is a core outcome in the assessment and treatment of individuals with developmental motor speech disorders. While open-set intelligibility testing is widely used, a closed-set phonetic intelligibility assessment, which evaluates listener perception of systematically varied speech contrasts, offers a focused approach to identifying segmental errors that impact intelligibility. However, such tools are unavailable in Hebrew. Aims: This study introduces a novel, preliminary closed-set phonetic intelligibility tool designed for Hebrew speakers with development motor speech disorders, examining its utility in identifying phonetic contrasts produced in error by speakers with Down syndrome (DS), and determining overall error profiles of contrast categories. Methods and Procedures: Recordings from 23 Hebrew-speaking adults with DS, between the ages of 21 and 37 years, were analyzed using a closed-set intelligibility paradigm, wherein naïve listeners selected perceived words from contrast-based minimal pairs. Error rates were calculated for individual phonetic contrasts and contrast categories (voicing, place, manner, vowels, and syllable structure). Closed-set intelligibility assessment scores were compared with those of open-set assessments, and phonetic profiles of individual contrasts and categories were formed across speakers. Outcomes and Results: Closed-set intelligibility scores were higher than open-set transcription accuracy scores. Voicing contrasts, particularly in coda position, were most frequently impaired and significantly correlated with closed-set intelligibility scores. The overall contrast-category profile of the speakers with DS demonstrated voice, place, and manner difficulties across speakers, with only minimal vowel errors. Conclusions and Implications: The Hebrew closed-set intelligibility tool successfully identified contrast-specific deficits relevant to speech intelligibility in speakers with DS. Its potential clinical value lies in targeting intelligibility-reducing features with increased diagnostic precision and language-specific relevance. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1506873 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Background: Speech intelligibility is a core outcome in the assessment and treatment of individuals with developmental motor speech disorders. While open-set intelligibility testing is widely used, a closed-set phonetic intelligibility assessment, which evaluates listener perception of systematically varied speech contrasts, offers a focused approach to identifying segmental errors that impact intelligibility. However, such tools are unavailable in Hebrew. Aims: This study introduces a novel, preliminary closed-set phonetic intelligibility tool designed for Hebrew speakers with development motor speech disorders, examining its utility in identifying phonetic contrasts produced in error by speakers with Down syndrome (DS), and determining overall error profiles of contrast categories. Methods and Procedures: Recordings from 23 Hebrew-speaking adults with DS, between the ages of 21 and 37 years, were analyzed using a closed-set intelligibility paradigm, wherein naïve listeners selected perceived words from contrast-based minimal pairs. Error rates were calculated for individual phonetic contrasts and contrast categories (voicing, place, manner, vowels, and syllable structure). Closed-set intelligibility assessment scores were compared with those of open-set assessments, and phonetic profiles of individual contrasts and categories were formed across speakers. Outcomes and Results: Closed-set intelligibility scores were higher than open-set transcription accuracy scores. Voicing contrasts, particularly in coda position, were most frequently impaired and significantly correlated with closed-set intelligibility scores. The overall contrast-category profile of the speakers with DS demonstrated voice, place, and manner difficulties across speakers, with only minimal vowel errors. Conclusions and Implications: The Hebrew closed-set intelligibility tool successfully identified contrast-specific deficits relevant to speech intelligibility in speakers with DS. Its potential clinical value lies in targeting intelligibility-reducing features with increased diagnostic precision and language-specific relevance. |
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| ISSN: | 1368-2822 1460-6984 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/1460-6984.70241 |
