Remediation of Phonological Disorders in Preschool Age Children: Evidence for the Cycles Approach
EBP Briefs
Hassink, J. M., & Wendt, O. (2010).
EBP Briefs, 5(2), 1-7.
This systematic review investigates the effect of the Cycles Approach or a modified Cycles Approach on the occurrence of phonological processes or on the remediation of phonological disorders in preschool age children (2.5 to 6 years old) who are diagnosed with a phonological disorder.
Not stated
Up to December 2009
Experimental studies; quasi-experimental studies; descriptive/non-experimental group design studies
6
One study indicated that "the Cycles Approach is able to remediate a greater number of speech sound errors in a shorter period of time by targeting sound patterns instead of individual phonemes" (Inconclusive Evidence; p. 5).
Although evidence was limited, several studies indicated that "it is plausible that the Cycles Approach results in improved consonant production in conversational contexts ..., that children with less severe phonological and language impairments improve in both domains when the Cycles Approach is used ..., and that earlier implementation of the Cycles Approach results in improved outcome" (Suggestive Evidence; p. 4).
<div>There were inconclusive findings from several studies whether the Cycles Approach reduces phonological processes and generalizes to production of non-target phonemes. It was also inconclusive as to whether this intervention is effective in a group setting. One study showed weak evidence that a combined Cycles Approach-phonological awareness program may improve speech production.</div>
