Ultrasound in the Assessment and Treatment of Speech Sound Disorders in Brazilian Portuguese

Introduction: Ultrasound is a valuable tool for assessment and intervention in children, adolescents, and adults with Speech Sound Disorders (SSDs). It has been applied in different clinical groups (residual speech errors, childhood apraxia of speech, etc). However, its adoption in clinical practice and its cross-linguistic adaptation have been more limited. ULTRAX 2020 was a project developed in Scotland, UK, to support the clinical application of ultrasound by creating an open access treatment manual and a database of ultrasound videos documenting the speech of children with SSDs. However, this resource was designed for English-speaking children. In Brazil, there is a lack of assessment and intervention protocols for SSDs that leverage instrumental resources such as ultrasound. Objective: This study aims to translate and culturally adapt materials to support the use of ultrasound for the evaluation and treatment of Brazilian individuals with SSDs based on the ULTRAX 2020. Method: This is an initial stage in the validation process of the ULTRAX 2020 for Brazilian Portuguese(BP). The translation was carried out by three English-Brazilian Portuguese translators. The synthesis and adaptation of the materials was carried out by the first author with access to translators. Then the synthesis was evaluated by two external evaluators, with expertise in speech ultrasound. The translated version (BP) was then back-translated into the source language (English). After the manual was applied to 5 children with SSDs. Videos illustrating specific speech errors in BP will be integrated into the tutorial, with validation by experts. Results: The following changes were made from the original version: update of the current literature in the original version, the evidence base for ultrasound (in preparation); selecting clients, new figures illustrating equipment; Adding examples of vowels and consonants in BP and Brazilian Phonological Assessment. We removed irrelevant error patterns (e.g. retroflexion) from English and added some from BP (phonological processes including liquids). Atypical speech ultrasound data will be included and errors have already been previously analyzed to be included in the tutorial. Conclusion: By integrating ultrasound technology into speech therapy, it aims to improve clinical practices and research outcomes for Brazilian children with SSDs.