Objective: This investigation examined the effect of tactile cues used in conjunction with traditional articulation therapy. The objective was to determine whether the addition of tactile cues led to improved accuracy of fricative sounds in children aged 4 to 5:6 years compared to traditional articulation therapy without tactile cues. Methods: Three participants, ages 4:0 to 5:6 years with moderate speech sound disorders were included in this ABAB investigation. The dependent variable was the accuracy of a targeted fricative. Accuracy was measured as correct (+) or incorrect (-) via a probe at the beginning of each session and throughout the sessions. The independent variable was the use of tactile cues in addition to traditional articulation therapy. Participants were seen for four sessions in all four phases for a total of 16 sessions. Results: All participants demonstrated an accelerating change between conditions A and B. Upon withdrawal of the tactile cues and therapy in Phase A, Participant 1 showed a continued accelerating trend, Participant 2 showed a decelerating trend, and Participant 3 showed and unstable trend. These results demonstrate a potential relationship between the accuracy of fricative sound production and the use of tactile cues. Conclusion: The findings demonstrated a positive effect on fricative productions with the addition of tactile cues during therapy for two of the three participants. However, the effects were not significant and the differences among participants in phases A and B render these results inconclusive. This investigation provides some limited evidence to suggest tactile cues used in conjunction with traditional articulation therapy can increase accuracy in fricative productions.
