Perceptual-oral training of two hearing-impaired children in the recognition and production of /s/ and /z/.

Two hearing-impaired children were tested and trained in the utilization of an artificial acoustic cue that signalled the presence of /s/ and /z/ in verbal stimuli. These sounds, chosen because they are among the most important morphemes in English, were both perceived and produced significantly better by the subjects following only seven training sessions when the cue, automatically signalled by a specially designed laboratory device, was presented at a 20 dB sensation level in a frequency range immediately above the subjects' upper limits of hearing for amplified speech. The implications of the study are briefly discussed in relation to testing and training procedures involving sensory aids.