Speech Motor Control in Normal and Disordered Speech

Speaking is one of the most complex skills that humans perform. In our everyday communication, we transfer sentences, concepts, thoughts, and ideas. How though, is the speaker able to convert these into movements of the speech apparatus? These speech movements are the observable end-product, but what neurological, psycholinguistic, and perceptual—motor processes lie behind their production?

To fully understand speech disorders, such as stuttering, apraxia of speech, and Parkinsonian dysarthria, the disruptions in this complex interplay are highly relevant. Equally important is the question of how the infant develops from random babbling to precisely controlled production of words, syllables, and phonemes.

This volume presents state of the art research in the science of speech motor control and speech disorders. All the chapters take a fundamental, model-oriented perspective, as introduced in the first section of the volume. Further topics covered in this book are: brain imaging studies and the rapid progression in comprehending neural mechanisms; developmental studies revealing perceptual-motor continuities and discontinuities; psycholinguistic experimentation showing higher-order influences on speech motor control; and recent notions and applications to the understanding of speech disorders.

This will be an important volume for all those involved in speech research and speech pathology, including those from the disciplines of psychology, neurology, and ENT.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Geralyn M. Schulz, PhD, CCC-SLP(George Washington University)
Description:As the title implies, this book is a state-of-the-art review of the clinical and theoretical issues involved in motor control for speech. The 16 chapters represent the highlights of the Fourth International Conference on Speech Motor Control, held in Nimegen, June 13-19, 2001. These highlights shed light on the current state of research in models of speech motor control, neural processes, speech motor development, the interface between motor, linguistic, and cognitive processes, and disorders of speech motor control.
Purpose:The purpose is to present recent theoretical developments in the area of speech motor control and to offer an up-to-date review of the nature of speech motor control disorders. This book represents the most current thinking from the leading researchers in the area of motor speech. These researchers synthesize the recent surge in research that attempts to integrate the role of sensory input and cognitive participation in motor control and motor learning as it applies to speech. The editors have accomplished their goals in this compilation of chapters.
Audience:It is written for the graduate student and any professional interested in the state-of-the-art theory behind the motor control of speech. Some of the topics assume a basis of knowledge that most beginning graduate students would not have. However, each of the chapters is written by the leading researchers in their areas and can be understood by any graduate student who has a solid basis in understanding speech production.
Features:No other book that I know of bring together the wealth of knowledge about the current theoretical issues in speech motor control. The authors of each chapter are leaders in the field (e.g., Ray Kent, Bruce Murdoch, Christopher Moore, John Locke, Anne Smith, etc.) who present theoretical issues and ideas in a completely accessible manner. This book would be welcomed by any student or researcher interested in the current state-of-the-art in motor control for speech.
Assessment:There are no other books that I know of that bring together the wealth of knowledge regarding the current theoretical issues in speech motor control. The authors of each chapter are leaders in the field (e.g., Ray Kent, Bruce Murdoch, Christopher Moore, John Locke, Anne Smith, etc.) who present theoretical issues and ideas in a completely accessible manner. This volume would be a welcome addition to any student or researcher interested in the current state of the art in the area of the motor control for speech.

Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center

University of Toronto

Nijmegen Institute for Cognition and Information