A systemic perspective was employed in completing a phonological analysis and developing an intervention plan for Jarrod, a 7;0 year old child who exhibited a severe speech sound disorder characterized by inconsistency. Results of the Systemic Phonological Analysis of Child Speech (SPACS) revealed a limited sound system that was characterized by phonotactic inventory constraints, positional constraints, and sequence constraints. Mapping the child-to-adult sound systems through phoneme collapses revealed a logical and symmetrical system that maintained systematicity, yet permitted variability. Based on the organizational principles suggested by the phoneme collapses, targets were identified for intervention using the distance metric approach, which is based on the function of sounds within a given system rather than the characteristics of a given sound, and assumes that targets will interact dynamically with the child's unique sound system. Finally, a multiple oppositions treatment approach intended to facilitate learning across phoneme collapses and lead to system-wide phonological restructuring was described.

Children with phonological problems often come in contact with a speech and language pathologist for intervention. The intervention can be based on different theoretical frameworks, whereof non-linear phonology is one. The present study was carried out as a multiple single-case study with three participants aged 4;3-4;4 years. They had all been diagnosed with speech sound disorder but not yet been given any treatment. Before the intervention was started, three baseline measurements were made with the Swedish phonology test LINUS. The intervention took place once a week for five weeks and ended with two follow-up measurements. The first follow-up measurement occurred in connection to the last intervention and the other one after three weeks. The children’s caretakers filled in a questionnaire about their perception of the intervention at the last follow up measurement. Correctly produced segments and clusters in the words in LINUS were calculated and compared to the children’s productions at the base-line measurements. Percentage Phonemes Correct and Reliable Change Index were calculated to check whether any change was reliable. The targeted segments and clusters improved to a greater extent than other segments. Clusters demonstrated greater result regarding to the segments. The RCI-index was >1,96 for all participants indicating that the results were reliable in terms of improved phonological ability. In the parental questionnaire, it was indicated that the caretakers thought that the treatment was valuable, that they perceived improvements in their children’s speech and that the children thought that the treatment was funny. The study shows that an intervention based on a nonlinear phonological analysis is effective and can be used clinically. / Barn som har fonologiska svårigheter kommer ofta till en logoped för utredning och eventuell intervention. Den logopediska utredningen och efterföljande intervention kan utgå från olika teoretiska ramverk, varav icke-linjär fonologi är ett. Föreliggande studie var en multipel fallstudie med tre deltagare i åldern 4;3-4;4 år. Deltagarna hade fått diagnosen fonologisk språkstörning men ännu inte erhållit någon behandling. Före interventionsstart gjordes tre baslinjemätningar med det svenska fonologiska bedömningsmaterialet LINköpingUnderSökningen (LINUS). Interventionen gavs sedan en gång i veckan i fem veckor och avslutades med två uppföljande mätningar. Den första uppföljande mätningen skedde i samband med sista behandlingstillfället och den andra uppföljande mätningen skedde efter tre veckor. Vårdnadshavarna till barnen fick vid sista uppföljande mätningen även fylla i en utvärdering om hur de upplevde behandlingen. Korrekt producerade segment och kluster i orden i LINUS beräknades och jämfördes med barnens produktion vid baslinjemätningarna. Percentage Phonems Correct och Reliable Change Index för deltagarnas samtliga bedömningar beräknades för att ta reda på om eventuell förändring var reliabel. De segment och kluster som utgjorde mål för interventionen förbättrades mer än andra segment och kluster. Kluster förbättrades i högre grad än enskilda segment. RCI-index var >1,96 för samtliga deltagare, vilket innebär att förbättringen var reliabel. Baserat på vårdnadshavarnas utvärdering framkom det att behandlingen varit värdefull för dem, att de hörde en förbättring hos barnen samt att de upplevde att barnen fann behandlingen rolig. Studien visar att en intervention baserad på en icke-linjär fonologisk analys är effektiv och med fördel kan användas kliniskt.