Honoring the past Portraying the present Foreshadowing the future

In this 25th anniversary year of Topics in Language Disorders, the third issue offers "Clinical Perspectives on Speech Sound Disorders." This classical topic is addressed by a group of respected experts who explain new twists that hold promise for the future of both research and practice. The able issue editor is Ruth Huntley Bahr, PhD, Associate Professor at the University of South Florida and past editor of Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. It is due to Dr. Bahr's foresight and leadership (stimulated by an invitation of editorial board member Elaine Silliman, to whom we are grateful) that we have this issue packed full of new ideas and cogent explanations of complex topics with practical implications. It is a wonderful synopsis of current trends grounded in past understandings of speech sound production and disorders, opening a window to the future.

The study of difficulty in speech sound production has a rich and influential past within the study of language development and disorders. In fact, speech sound disorders constitute a cornerstone in the foundation of clinical perspectives on childhood language and communication disorders. The relationships between speech and language were summarized by Kent (2004):

Speech is but one modality for the expression of language; however, speech has special importance because it is the primary, first-learned modality for hearing language users. Speech is a system in the sense that it consistently and usefully relates the meanings of a language with the sounds by which the language is communicated. (p. 1)

Phonology often is named first, in fact, in the five systems that constitute language: phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. Speech production is also a motor act, however, with intricate demands for coordinated activation and sensory-motor control of interactive physiological systems, including respiration, phonation, articulation, and resonation. Thus, the act of speech sound production within words, and words within running speech, is one of the most complex, intricate, and integrated tasks in which human beings engage. It is more a wonder that so many children figure out the system and how to make it work than that some need professional help to do so.

The present state of knowledge about speech sound disorders is richly supported with new theoretical influences in an evolving framework whose shape is still changing and growing. The possibilities for informing clinical practice are expanding as well. Evidence is accumulating from clinically motivated studies, many of which have been conducted by the contributors to this issue. The questions addressed in these pages pass the classical test of practicality by offering guidance about "what to do Monday morning." Within these pages, readers will find helpful information for understanding factors that influence a child's ability to learn new sounds, how assessment procedures can guide target selection and treatment decisions, how target selection and stimuli can influence treatment efficiency and effectiveness, and how newer linguistic theories influence the answers to these clinical questions about assessment and treatment. We have learned much from this group of challenging but enlightening articles, and we are most pleased to offer them to the readers of Topics in Language Disorders as a 25th anniversary treat.

Katharine G. Butler, PhD, Editor

Nickola Wolf Nelson, PhD, Associate Editor

REFERENCE