What is in a name: Taxonomy of speech sound disorders from a cross-linguistic perspective.

Abstract

In response to the call for papers under the theme "What is in a name" proposed by the Scientific Child Speech Committee of the International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders (IALP), the current paper discusses taxonomy and its relation to speech sound disorders (SSD) from a cross-linguistic perspective. This paper starts with a brief description of specific SSD frameworks and nomenclature. The authors draw from international theoretical and clinical research which underscore the importance of taxonomy systems in SSD. The current papers stresses the importance of the contribution to differential diagnosis and prognosis of children with protracted speech profiles on the bases of taxonomy profiles and systems for SSD. The advantages and shortcomings of taxonomy in SSD are also discussed from a cross-linguistic context. The language of focus includes the Greek dialectal variation of Cypriot-Greek. The paper adds to the importance of taxonomy and SSD subsystems which allow differential diagnosis of SSD and the implementation of appropriate intervention methods. What is already known on this subject The use of various taxonomy systems regarding SSD are widely available for English-speaking populations. Such systems in the cross-linguistic framework remain underexplored. What this paper adds to existing knowledge The paper underscores the need for the development, adaptation and use of taxonomy systems that will add to the existing databases and taxonomy subsystems used in English What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Potential clinical implications include the development and implementation of taxonomy systems in profile SSD productions in children.