In the treatment of difficult and severe cases it is interesting to follow their progress in this way. It becomes possible to state in figures what would other- wise have to be subjectively evaluated. I do not propose to discuss the problem of whether a test administered by means of pictures in preference to oral stimulation is more satisfactory, but it may be said that either test cannot replace the other as each tests different things. A picture test examines spontaneous speech, the ability to recall linguistic expressive units which already exist within the child's mind. T h e answers evoked by oral stimulation are influenced by knowledge of the linguistic units of the language as well as the given stimulation and the person's ability to use this stimulation. The latter depends on how much previous stimulation he has had which has resulted in a knowledge of the expres- sive units. It is only possible for a person to repeat words and sentences if he has a knowledge of the expressive units of that language. An English speak- ing person will hardly be able to repeat Zulu words and sentences the first time he hears them. The graph shown here represents the curve of pro- gress of a Danish boy. The point 54/225 obtained at the first examination on the 19th April, 1955, can be compared with the point 202/225 obtained on the 16th September, 1956 at the last examination. The graph thus demonstrates the rapid increase in the boy's ability to repeat the expressive units of the language. The question may be asked whether the correctly repeated linguistic units will be carried over into spontaneous speech. The answer to this must be — not always. It is not to be expected that the ability to mobilize i.e. to recall the expressive units in spontaneous speech is identical with the ability to repeat them after oral stimulation in words. Also, if the correctly repeated units are correctly used in spontaneous speech, it does not necessarily mean that other words with the same sound combinations will be correctly used in spon- taneous speech. The term '"articulation testing" is therefore mis- leading as one does not test articulatory motor ability but purely central linguistic ability, namely the use of the expressive units of the language. It is useful to know how many of these units have been mastered and how they have been mastered. Since 1952 I have used this method of describing the development of the mastery of language in the children I have treated. A comparison of a great number of units might perhaps give us some valuable information. BOOK REVIEWS LEARNING TO TALK — A guide for Parents by M . C. L. G R E E N E William Heinemann Medical Books Ltd., London, 1960 This delightful little book (75 pages), written by a speech therapist, is intended to add something to parents' enjoyment of their children's speech through an understanding of the pattern of normal speech development. With its emphasis on the normalacy of distorted speech in young children, this book should be of great help to parents of children who have, or are suspected of having speech defects. The author gives many charming and human examples of her own daughter's speech, e.g. "I ex- pressed the pious hope that when Judy came to tea with us, Heather would let her play with her beautiful doll's house. "I won't". "Well then, you will have to play in your bedroom." "Yes, I take my dolly's house with me and I lock the door." Mrs. Greene outlines motor, social and emotional development (including feeding problems, toilet training, the importance of routine, discipline, etc.) and shows very clearly how they inter-act with each other, and contribute to the growth of language. She describes each stage (called simply "The first twelve months", "From one to two", etc. u p to five years), with illustrations of speech and language characteris- tics, stressing individual differences in maturation. Her suggestions to parents are practical and clearly expressed, e.g. "A baby learns more easily from the following sample of motherly prattle than the more adult way in which one might address him. "Now up you get. Off with your pyjamas. Here's your vest. Over your head it goes. That's fine. Now your pants. In go your feet", etc. Almost incidentally, she describes certain speech difficulties which may be encountered, and her hand- ling of this aspect is, in my opinion, very good. Repetitions and hesitations are dealt with in a matter-of-fact way. She suggests that, when these occur, and when the child's speech seems confused, the parent should ask a question here and there, as it may 'break the tension and get the words flowing again' etc. " T h e car ever so fast went wham into the-and-and- the-the." JOURNAL OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN LOGOPEDIC SOCIETY 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) This is the moment to put in something like this since he seems to have forgotten the word "other". "And the other car? What happened?" T h e author points out that if a speech difficulty persists, however, or if the parent is concerned about the child's speech, it is advisable to consult a therapist, who will be able to give expert help if necessary. This is a stimulating little book of interest I would say to parents and speech therapists, and of real value to the parents of a child with a speech problem. P A T A L L S O P P STUTTERING — A SYMPOSIUM J O N E I S E N S O N , Editor Harper and Brothers Publishers, New York. 1958 This excellent book is a most significant contribu- tion to the literature on stuttering. Jon Eisenson has as his basic premise the fact that, in order to find "some answers to the disorder or disorders of speech referred to as stuttering, many different points of view need to be presented." He has therefore selected the foremost authorities in the field to present their viewpoints and so attempt to clarify many of the problems associated with stuttering. The contributors to the symposium include Oliver Bloodstein, I. Peter Glauber, Joseph Sheehan, Robert West, Jon Eisenson and Charles van Riper. Wendell Johnson has written the preface. He has, in accordance with his semantic approach, attempted to indicate to the reader that much of the disagreement between authorities is to be found in their language usage. Jon Eisenson, as editor, imposed upon each con- tributor the limitation that they should attempt to answer the following questions: "(1) What is stuttering? (2) What is the cause or what are the causes of stuttering? (3) In the light of your concept of stuttering, what are your suggestions for the treatment of stutterers." It is Bloodstein's belief that stuttering is a "joint product of more than one factor." In his chapter "Stuttering as an Anticipatory Struggle Reaction" he gives a great deal of evidence to support this hypo- thesis. · A resume of salient factors in therapy, including the handling of resistance, is presented in a most lucid way. Glauber's chapter on "The Psychoanalysis of Stuttering" presents the viewpoint that stuttering is a neurotic disorder and therefore that an understanding of "unconcious mental life" is essential to the rehabili- tation of the stutterer. Sheehan presents his concept that stuttering is an approach-avoidance conflict. His scientific approach to the problem and the application of his hypothesis to therapy makes Sheehan's contribution one of the most valuable. West titles his chapter "An Agnostics Speculations about Stuttering" because he doubts that "answers are availalble to certain fundamental questions." He attempts to relate stuttering to certain physical dis- orders thus emphasizing a physiololgical basis to stuttering. Eisenson presents his own chapter on "A Persevera- tive Theory of Stuttering". According to his view- point stuttering "is a transient disturbance in commu- nicative, propositional language usage." His emphasis of the communicative aspects of the disorder make this a most thought provoking chapter. Van Riper's contribution to the sympoium takes the form of a report on "Experiments in Stuttering Therapy". It represents an exploration of the disorder for over twenty years. An almost day to day account is given of the therapy carried out with groups of stutterers. The practical knowledge to be gained from this chapter is great because the emphasis is on therapy. It is my opinion that this book is an excellent addition to the available lilterature. F R U M E T . LUBINSKY — < f WESTDENE PRODUCTS (PTY.) LTD. for books on speech defects and therapy Johannesburg: 23 E S S A N B Y HOUSE, 175 Jeppe Street (23-0314) Cape Town: 408 G R A N D P A R A D E C E N T R E , Castle St. (41-1061), Durban: 66/67 N A T I O N A L M U T U A L BLDG., Smith St. (2-4975) ; Pretoria: 210 M E D I C A L C E N T R E , Pretorius St. (3-3487) ί • 4 JOURNAL OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN LOGOPEDIC SOCIETY December 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)