EDITORIAL In an age which has seen transition both swift and encompassing, it is an achievement for a publication such as this journal to reach its twentieth year. The South African Logopedic Society is a relatively small one; it has experienced set-backs and frustrations, but this achievement does reflect the continuing growth and interest in the field of speech therapy in South Africa. Those who pioneered this project in 1948 faced a more difficult task than we do today. Scientific research was meagre and unsophisticated: each therapist was his own scientist. The public was uninformed, so that there was a paucity of cases; therapeutic practices and techniques were experimental and often unreliable. Today, thanks to the endeavours of the past, there is a growing interest in research, a variety of cases and well- defined techniques to meet them. For some time the need has been felt for a cumulative index of the journal, and it is appropriate that it should be published in this issue. Apart from its intrinsic function, perusal of the writings since 1948 indicates some interesting trends. It is evident that the chief concern of therapists in South Africa has been therapy; the patient has been the central figure. That this attitude is laudable, none will deny, and it is to be hoped that nothing will diminish the concept of therapy as the major force in our work. However, the need for an empirical approach to our particular problems is becoming urgent. We need to become aware of the finer aspects of speech and language, as well as the disorders arising from these, among the polyglot groups in this country. This is only one facet of the research potential that exists in our field; it is for the speech therapist, despite inadequate financial resources, to seek the means of instigating research programmes into speech, language, communication and hearing problems which are peculiarly South African. This plea is made in the belief that research will not be done for its own sake, but will enhance the knowledge and ability of the worker in her role as therapist. A new trend observed in the field recently, and an important one, is the application of psycholinguistics to our work. We publish a study based on a system of generative grammar, which discusses the relationship between articulatory and syntactic difficulties, and suggests therapeutic procedures as well as possibilities for further investigation. Another important trend revealed by examination of the cumulative index is the swift development of learning theory and its practical appli- cation which has become a dominant force in our field during the past decade. In 1957, Margaret Marks wrote an article entided Stuttering as learned behaviour: theoretical and therapeutic implications * In this issue we have reached the stage where the same writer discusses Are we good *J. S. Afr. Logoped. Soc., 1957, 4, 10-12. Tydskrif van die Suid-Afrikaanse Logopediese Vereniging, Vol. 15, Nr. 1: Des. 1968 R ep ro du ce d by S ab in et G at ew ay u nd er li ce nc e gr an te d by th e P ub lis he r (d at ed 2 01 2) Editorial 4 behaviourists? (P. 19)—a considerable step from experiment to philosophy in ten years. Of the five articles published in this issue, two others discuss work directly influenced by learning theory viz: the effect of operant conditioning techniques on dysphonia in childhood, and the part operant conditioning plays in altering the speech and behaviour of autistic children. Valuable therapeutic measures have emerged from both studies, as well as suggestions for research. We are fortunate in being able to publish an article by one who may be described as the doyen of speech therapists—Dr. C. Van Riper. Research will probably disclose that more has been written on stuttering than on any topic in the field—certainly this is true of the journals of the-S.A. Logopedic Society—with the predictable result that it is difficult to discern a clear line of thought in any aspect of the problem. In his review of the Prognostic factors in Stuttering, Van Riper has succeeded in indicating this line, to the benefit of therapists and students. It is regrettable that lack of funds should prevent the continued publi- cation of two issues a year. In the halcyon days of cheap printing, there were years when it was possible to do this; we hope that it may be possible again in the future. We look forward to the next twenty years of publication of this journal in the same spirit that directed the. achievements of the past—a spirit compounded of curiosity, enquiry and concern which will engender the progress we hope to see in the future. Journal of the South African Logopedic Society, Vol. 15, No. 1: December 1968 R ep ro du ce d by S ab in et G at ew ay u nd er li ce nc e gr an te d by th e P ub lis he r (d at ed 2 01 2) REDAKSIONEEL In 'η eeu waarin verandering so vinnig. en ingrypend plaasvind, is dit voorwaar 'n prestasie vir 'n tydskrif soos hierdie om sy twintigste jaar van publikasie te bereik. Die Suid-Afrikaanse Logopediese Vereniging is relatief klein en het menige terugslag en frustrasie deurleef, tog weerspieel hierdie prestasie die steeds groeiende belangstelling in spraakterapie in Suid-Afrika. Die persone wat bemoeid was met die publikasie van die eerste uitgawe van die tydskrif in 1948, se taak was moeiliker as ons taak vandag. Weten- skaplike navorsing was beperk en onwetenskaplik: elke terapeut was sy eie wetenskaplike. Die publiek was oningelig, en gevolglik was daar 'n tekort aan gevalle; terapietegnieke was in 'n eksperimentele stadium en dikwels onbetroubaar. Te danke aan pogings van die verlede, is daar vandag 'n groeiende belangstelling in navorsing; 'n verskeidenheid van gevalle en duidelik gedefinieerde tegnieke om daarby aan te pas. Vir geruime tyd was daar 'n behoefte aan 'n samevattende indeks van die tydskrif en dit is toepaslik om dit in hierdie uitgawe te publiseer. Raadpleging van geskrifte sedert 1948 toon behalwe die intrinsieke funksie daarvan 00k sommige interessante neigings. Dit is voor die hand liggend dat die terapeut in Suid-Afrika in die eerste plek in terapie belang gestel het; die pasient was altyd die sentrale figuur. Hierdie benadering was voorwaar prysenswaardig en die hoop bestaan dat terapie steeds die dryf- veer in ons werk sal bly. Die noodsaaklikheid van 'n empiriese benadering word egter steeds dringender. Bewuswordihg van die fynere aspekte van spraak en taal, asook die belemmerings wat hieruit mag voortspruit, binne die veeltalige gemeenskapsgroepe in hierdie land, is noodsaaklik. Hierdie is maar een aspek van die navorsingspotensiaal wat hierdie veld vir ons inhou; die onus rus op die spraakterapeut om, ontoereikende finansiele bates tenspyt, die middele te vind vir die loodsing van navorsingsprojekte op die gebied van spraak-, taal-, kommunikasie- en gehoorprobleme wat tipies Suid-Afrikaans is. Hierdie oproep word gemaak met die hoop dat navorsing gedoen sal word, nie vir sy eie belang nie, maar om die kennis en bekwaam- heid van die werker in die rol van terapeut te bevoordeel. 'n Belangrike nuwe neiging, is die toepassing van psigolinguistiek op spraakheelkunde. Ons publiseer 'n studie gebaseer op 'n stelsel van genera- tiewe grammatika wat die verwantskap tussen artikulatoriese en sintaktiese probleme bespreek, en heelkundige prosedure asook moontlikhede vir verdere ondersoek voorstel. Ondersoek van die samevattende indeks bring 'n ander belangrike rigting aan die lig, nl. die vlugge ontwikkeling van die leerteorie en die praktiese toepassing daarvan. Hierdie rigting het gedurende die afgelope dekade in 'n oorheersende dryfveer, binne die gebied van spraakterapie ontwikkel. In 1957 het daar uit die pen van Margaret Marks 'n artikel onder die titel Tydskrif van die Suid-Afrikaanse Logopediese Vereniging, Vol 15, Nr. : Des. 1968 R ep ro du ce d by S ab in et G at ew ay u nd er li ce nc e gr an te d by th e P ub lis he r (d at ed 2 01 2) 6 Redaksioneel *Stuttering as learned behaviour: theoretical and therapeutic implications? verskyn. Ons bereik in hierdie uitgawe die stadium waar die skryfster die onderwerp Are we good behaviourists? (Bl. 19) bespreek—'n aansien- like sprong van eksperiment na filosofie in tien jaar. Van die vyf artikels wat in hierdie uitgawe verskyn, bespreek twee ander werke wat regstreeks deur die leerteorie be'invloed word, nl. die invloed van operante kondisio- neringstegnieke op disfonie by die kind, en die rol wat operante kondi- sionering speel by die verandering van spraak en gedrag van outistiese kinders. Albei studies het waardevolle heelkundige norme sowel as navorsingsmoontlikhede blootgele. Ons is in die bevoorregte posisie om 'n artikel te kan publiseer deur die persoon wat beskryf kan word as die doyen van spraakheelkunde—Dr. C. Van Riper. Ondersoek sal aan die lig bring dat daar meer oor hakkel as oor enige ander onderwerp binne die gebied van spraakheelkunde geskryf is—dit is ongetwyfeld waar in die geval van die tydskrifte van die S.A. Logopediese Vereniging—met die voorspelbare verwagting dat dit moeilik is om 'n duidelike gedagtelyn met betrekking tot enige aspek van die probleem te onderskei. Van Riper slaag daarin om in sy oorsig: Prognostic factors in stuttering, hierdie lyn aan te wys ter bevoordeling van terapeute en studente. 1 Dit is betreurenswaardig dat 'n tekort aan fondse die voortgesette pub- likasie van twee uitgawes per jaar verhinder; ons hoop egter dat in die toekoms ons daarmee kan voortgaan. Ons sien met gretigheid uit na die volgende twintig jaar van publikasie van die tydskrif en glo dat dit in dieselfde gees, wat die dryfveer was van die prestasies van die verlede, sal geskied—'n gees bestaande uit weetgierigheid, belangstelling en ondersoek wat die vooruitgang waarop ons hoop in die toekoms, sal aanhits. *Tydskr. S.A. Logoped. Veren., 1957, 4, 10-12. Journal of the South African Logopedic, Society, Vol. 15, No. 1: December 1968 R ep ro du ce d by S ab in et G at ew ay u nd er li ce nc e gr an te d by th e P ub lis he r (d at ed 2 01 2)