Children with phonological disorder are at risk of developing reading and writing impairments. Phonological difficulties may also influence a child’s social interaction and it is for this reason that effective treatment of phonological disorder is important. One factor that may influence treatment efficacy, is treatment intensity. There has been little research done in Sweden, on the effects of intensity of phonological intervention. Further research into phonological intervention is therefore needed to determine which treatment intensity is the most effective. The aim of this study is to evaluate the possible effects of intensive treatment of two preschool children with phonological disorder. The research questions focus on the nature of the possible effects of phonological treatment and if they lead to generalization, and whether caregivers notice any changes in their children’s speech. A single-subject design was used with three baseline measurements, followed by treatment and two follow up measurements. The treatment was given three times a week over the course of three weeks, and every treatment session lasted for approximately 40 minutes. The results of the baseline and follow ups were calculated with Percentage Consonants Correct (PCC), Percentage Words Correct (PWC), and the percentage of manner of articulation correct. Both participants displayed improvements between the baseline and the second follow up, in all the measurements. Changes could be seen in the target phonemes both in new positions and in new words, but also in untrained phonemes. The caregivers of both participants experienced an improvement in their children's speech. How the estimated intensity affected the results is unclear. However, the results indicated that intensive treatment led to generalization and that it showed effect. Thus, the results of the present study could have clinical relevance. / Förskolebarn med fonologiska svårigheter riskerar att få läs- och skrivsvårigheter i skolåldern och påverkan på det sociala samspelet. Det är därför viktigt med effektiv fonologisk intervention, som kan påverkas av intensiteten. Det finns sparsamt med svenska studier om intensitetens påverkan vid fonologisk intervention. Föreliggande studie syftar till att utvärdera eventuell effekt av intensiv behandling hos två förskolebarn med fonologiska svårigheter. Frågeställningarna innefattar hur den eventuella effekten av fonologisk behandling ser ut, om den leder till generalisering, samt om vårdnadshavarna upplever någon förändring.  Studien hade en single-subject design med tre baslinjemätningar och två uppföljande mätningar. Fonemtestet LINköpingsUnderSökningen (LINUS) användes vid samtliga mätningar. Behandlingen genomfördes vid nio tillfällen, tre gånger i veckan i tre veckor. Varje behandlingstillfälle var cirka 40 minuter långt. Resultatet av LINUS-testningen beräknades med Percentage Consonants Correct (PCC), Percentage Words Correct (PWC) och andel korrekt artikulationssätt och analyserades även kvalitativt. Resultaten jämfördes mellan de olika mätningarna. Båda deltagarna uppvisade förbättringar för samtliga mått mellan baslinjemätningarna och den sista uppföljande mätningen. Förändringar kunde ses av tränade ljud till nya ord och positioner samt av ljud som inte tränades i behandling. Vårdnadshavarna till de deltagande barnen upplevde att deras barns tal hade förbättrats efter behandlingen. Det är svårt att uttala sig om vilken inverkan den uppskattade intensiteten hade på behandlingsutgången. Resultatet indikerar dock att intensiv behandling hade effekt och att den ledde till generalisering, och skulle således kunna vara till nytta i klinisk verksamhet.

Reading is one of the most important skills (although a complex cognitive activity) a learner has to master during the early years of schooling. The reading process involves elements of a learner’s psychological, physical, linguistic, cognitive, emotional and social worlds. Despite the fact that all learners have to be able to read, there is an increasing awareness among professionals of the developmental and educational implications of reading difficulties with school-going learners world wide. Reading is a critical tool for the mastery of all other subjects a learner will meet and one of the best predictors of long-term learning achievement. Therefore, the need for support must be considered a priority area. After a thorough investigation and literary study, it is evident that the effective identification of learning difficulties needs a thorough understanding. Educators must realise that a given learner, who responds favourably to one instructional system, may respond very unfavourably to another, because learners are all unique individuals. To be able to combine speech sounds in a way that recipients can understand the message, learners have to be ready to develop an understanding of phonology, morphology and syntax, therefore maturation must always precede learning and, in the context of this study, emergent literacy must precede reading. Maturation is characterised by a fixed order of progression wherein the pace may vary, but not the sequence. The creative use of language is entirely dependent on the ability to assemble simple building blocks of sound into the complex structure we call sentences.It is widely accepted that music may be used to promote language development and the most crucial aspect in both music and language development is the perception of sound and the core in music and language are the ability to listen. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of music and related activities as part of an intervention strategy to improve reading skills, such as phonics, of learners who have reading difficulties. The researcher proved that a wellplanned intervention method and learning strategy through music activities may be used to develop the reading skills in learners who have reading difficulties. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

Reading is one of the most important skills (although a complex cognitive activity) a learner has to master during the early years of schooling. The reading process involves elements of a learner’s psychological, physical, linguistic, cognitive, emotional and social worlds. Despite the fact that all learners have to be able to read, there is an increasing awareness among professionals of the developmental and educational implications of reading difficulties with school-going learners world wide. Reading is a critical tool for the mastery of all other subjects a learner will meet and one of the best predictors of long-term learning achievement. Therefore, the need for support must be considered a priority area. After a thorough investigation and literary study, it is evident that the effective identification of learning difficulties needs a thorough understanding. Educators must realise that a given learner, who responds favourably to one instructional system, may respond very unfavourably to another, because learners are all unique individuals. To be able to combine speech sounds in a way that recipients can understand the message, learners have to be ready to develop an understanding of phonology, morphology and syntax, therefore maturation must always precede learning and, in the context of this study, emergent literacy must precede reading. Maturation is characterised by a fixed order of progression wherein the pace may vary, but not the sequence. The creative use of language is entirely dependent on the ability to assemble simple building blocks of sound into the complex structure we call sentences.It is widely accepted that music may be used to promote language development and the most crucial aspect in both music and language development is the perception of sound and the core in music and language are the ability to listen. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of music and related activities as part of an intervention strategy to improve reading skills, such as phonics, of learners who have reading difficulties. The researcher proved that a wellplanned intervention method and learning strategy through music activities may be used to develop the reading skills in learners who have reading difficulties. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Inclusive Education)