Since 1943, six studies have been made of speech education in Oregon public schools. Several make reference to forensics, but none discuss this aspect of speech education in depth. As a result, the role of forensics in the schools has been assumed or denied. With the educational situation as it is, however, it is necessary that we have a greater under.standing of the relationship between forensics and general speech education and language arts education.

The normal development of articulation is built upon the normal development of motor skills (Morris, 1970). Cerebral palsy is caused by brain damage and is characterized by neuromuscular incoordination. This interferes with normal development of motor skills. It also may interfere with normal development of speech if dysarthria is present. Because of these factors, the synergy of movement of the oral muscles used in feeding, in speech and in execution of diadochokinetic movements of the oral muscles is affected. The purpose of the study was to determine whether or not the performance of feeding skill movements or the performance of diadochokinesis of the oral muscles was significantly related to the synergy of movement for speech. The end purpose of the design was to determine whether or not articulatory proficiency in cerebral palsied children might be predicted from a feeding skills or diadochokinetic test.

Garner Ted Armstrong is fast becoming a well known religious and political commentator. The purpose of this thesis was to describe and discuss the techniques and characteristics of Mr. Armstrong's rhetoric. The question to be answered was "What are the characteristics of a successful religious broadcaster?" The method used-in the selection of the speeches to be used in this study consisted of selection a number of speeches (56), then breaking them down into theme categories. After analysis, there were eleven categories. One speech was selected from each category, and these eleven speeches were the speeches that were used in the study. The results of my study showed that Mr. Armstrong uses various forms of persuasive techniques, among them, for-example, the simile. The logical development of Mr. Armstrong's speeches leaves a great deal to be desired. He does not support his assertions and leaves the audience to supply a great deal of the support and verification for his arguments. His greatest attribute is his voice and personality. He has a very pleasant voice and his personality is similar to that of an entertainer. Possibly his inventory of subjects is one of the main attractions of his broadcast. He speaks, generally, on social problems such as pollution, crime, and drugs. He is a successful broadcaster, and quite possibly it is the combination of these characteristics that make him so successful.

The purpose of this study was to compare the expressive and comprehensive language structure skills of a selected sample of normal males and adolescent autistic males, using the Michigan Picture Language Inventory (MPLI) as the investigating instrument in order to determine if a statistically significant difference existed between the two groups. The autistic and normal subjects were matched for mental age scores within plus or minus two months as measured by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), Form B. Seven autistic male and seven normal male subjects were selected from the greater Portland metropolitan area to be included in this study. Variables controlled were chronological ages of the autistic males and the mental age scores of the normal subjects. The autistic males were matched for mental age scores as measured by the PPVT (Form B). The results of this study revealed no statistically significant differences between the performance of the autistic and normal subjects relative to the overall expression and comprehension language structure skills. An analysis of the nine word classes indicated that the autistic subjects performed significantly better than the normals on the expressive personal pronouns and the expressive adjectives. In addition, a statistically significant difference was found between the experimental and control subjects on the comprehension of singular and plural nouns with the autistic males performing better. The findings of this investigation indicate that most of the autistic subjects obtained scores which were relatively close to their matched normals; however it should be noted that there was a considerable chronological age difference between the autistics and their matched normals. The “intact auditory memory” and the familiarity with this type of testing procedure may account for the lack of statistically significant difference in overall expression and comprehension scores. The poorer performance of the autistics on pronoun items is in agreement with many researchers who have studied autistic language and stated that the autistic child may lack the rule for correct pronoun assignments and may “echo” what is heard. The better performance of the autistic subjects on the comprehension of singular and plural nouns, as well as the poorer performance on personal pronouns and adjectives could possibly be explained by the proficient use of concrete versus abstract language.

In order for the hearing handicapped child to derive maximum benefit of language acquisition through maturation, a method of receptive communication is essential at the earliest age possible. It is felt that speechreading is this method. The need for a method of training speechreading cues to prelingual, aurally handicapped children is based on the fact that most visual speechreading methods require the use of language. If speechreading can be regarded as a learning process involving the discrimination of visual cues that maybe disassociated from language expression then training the child to discriminate various facial expressions may actually enhance speech-reading ability. If such a training method proved to be highly connected with speechreading learning, then it also might prove useful in helping the deaf pre-school child acquire the necessary attentive and discriminitive behaviors consistent with speechreading. Ten pre-school, normal hearing children participated in an oral-gestural training program which was carried out in three parts: 1) Administration of the revised Children's Speechreading Test, 2) Training for discrimination of oral-gestural pairs as "same" or "different" until a 100 percent correct response criterion had been obtained, 3) Evaluation of the oral-gestural training through readministration of the revised Children's Speechreading Test. A t-test of the difference between the baseline mean and post training speechreading mean revealed significance beyond the .05 level of confidence. This supported the original proposal that speechreading skills for propositional words can be acquired by means of visual discrimination training in oral-facial movements. It is thus proposed that such training will prove useful in helping the hearing handicapped preschool child acquire the necessary behaviors consistent with speechreadlng, namely attention and visual discrimination. This study involved normal hearing subjects in which language was already established. Since the Oral-Gestural Training program is designed for the hearing handicapped prelingual child, further investigation with such a population appears necessary to confirm the findings of this investigation. Other questions that arose during the study such as sex and age differences of a larger sample, and the significance of the number of oral-gestural training sessions as related to the post-training test score, are other related areas that need consideration before a final conclusion can be drawn. Although no formal data was obtained on attention span, it was observed subjectively that this capacity improved markedly among these subjects. This is a clinical observation and should be subjected to further investigation. In conclusion, it appears through the findings of this study, that such a training method may be highly related with speechreading training and may indeed prove useful in helping prelingual, aurally handicapped children acquire the necessary behaviors consistent with speechreading.

The primary purpose of the investigation was to compare the responses of white, lower-class kindergartners and first graders with white, middle-class kindergartners and first graders on the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts (BTBC) in order to determine if a statistically significant difference existed between socioeconomic level and the number of concepts correctly identified on the BTBC. A secondary purpose was to determine is a significant relationship existed between concept development as measure by the BTBC and intelligence from an assessment of receptive vocabulary by using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT). One hundred white, lower middle socioeconomic level children from two elementary schools in Portland were selected as subjects to be included in this study. Variable controlled were grade level, auditory acuity, emotional stability, and sooioeconomioc status. The BTBC consists of fifty pictorial items, arranged in approximate order of difficulty and divided evenly between two booklets. Included in the fifty items are twenty-three spatial concepts, four time concepts, eighteen quantity concepts, and five concepts classified as miscellaneous. The PPVT was used to provide an estimate of subject’s verbal intelligence though a measurement of his receptive vocabulary. On both tests, the subject was instructed to point to the picture representing the stimulus item. The results of this study revealed a relationship exists between socioeconomic status and the number of concepts correctly identified on the BTBC. This relationship was observed when the lower-class subjects were compared with their middle-class peers at each grade level, when all kindergarteners were compared to all first graders, and in a comparison of the fifty lower-class and fifty middle-class subjects. The subjects of the middle socioeconomic level tended to identify more concepts correctly than the subjects of the lower socioeconomic level, while the first grade subjects, generally, identified more concepts correctly than the kindergartners. An analysis of the conceptual areas of space, time, and quantity revealed that socioeconomic status was related to the number of concepts correctly identified when the fifty lower-class subjects were compared to the fifty middle-class subjects. The children of the middle-class identified more concepts correctly in each area than the lower-class subjects. Grade level also was related to the number of concepts correctly identified in each of' the concept areas. The first graders tended to identify more concepts in each area than the kindergarteners. When the scores of the lower- and middleclass subjects at the kindergarten level were compared, there was no relationship between socioeconomic status and the number of concepts correctly identified in each of the three areas. No relationship was observed between the scores of the two groups of first graders on the spatial concepts. Socioeconomic level, however, did effect the number of time and quantity concepts correctly identified. The subjects of the middle socioeconomic level, generally, identified more time and quantity concepts correctly than the subjects of the lower socioeconomic level. These results suggest a higher .degree of abstraction abilities may be found with increased age and a higher socioeconomic level. The findings also tend to support the views of many researchers in the field of conceptual development who have stated that the language of the disadvantaged child inhibits his ability to abstract. Results of a Pearson's Product-Moment correlation calculated between the subjects’ scores on each of the tests indicated no significant correlation between the children's I.Q. scores and the number of concepts correctly identified.

This investigation compared maternal remarks to language delayed offspring and maternal remarks to normal language developing offspring in an attempt to determine if and where differences occurred. The following questions were asked: 1) Do mothers of language delayed children present their children with a significantly different percentage of verbal constraints (commands and question) than do mothers of normal language developing children in a play situation? 2) Do mothers of language delayed children present their children with an equal number of utterances as mothers of normal language developing children in a play situation? 3) Is the maternal mean length of response equal? 4) Do mothers of language delayed children present their children with a significantly different percentage of types of remarks than mothers of normal language developing children?

The purpose of this study was to compare the visual-motor integrative abilities of preschool children with their articulatory and syntactical development. Two questions were posed: Do children having accelerated visual-motor integrative skills perform at a higher level than children having delayed visual-motor integration skills in 1) their articulation proficiency, and 2) their syntactical abilities?

In articulation treatment and diagnosis, it is essential to possess a thorough knowledge of what is “normal” as well as what is “defective” articulation. The /r/ phoneme is one of the most frequently occurring and most commonly defective sounds. There are two different tongue positions for the /r/ phoneme described in the literature (retroflex and central hump), with many assumptions about which tongue position is “normal” or “most common.” None of these assumptions, however, are based on empirical data. The purpose of this study was to provide some normative data regarding which of the two tongue positions is most common in children who have learned to produce the /r/ phoneme normally with no clinical assistance. Six research questions were posed: (1) Do children produce the /r/ phoneme more commonly with retroflex or central hump tongue position? (2) Are there sex-related differences? (3) Are there differences in tongue position when the /r/ is used as a consonant or vowel? (4) Are there differences in tongue position when the vocalic \r\ is stressed or un-stressed? (5) Are there differences in tongue position relating to the position of the /r/ phoneme within a syllable? (6) Does phonetic context affect the tongue position of the /r/ phoneme?

The use of so many different therapeutic approaches to stuttering raises frequent questions about methodology and treatment. Confidence in a methodology and treatment approach depends upon follow-up research conducted with systemic analysis of the individuals prior to treatment and following treatment. The purpose of this study was to conduct a follow-up evaluation on R.L. Casteel's Four Stage Stuttering Program at Portland State University and to examine the degree of maintained fluency in relation to entering baseline, time in program, and exit stage.