The Effectiveness of Ultrasound Visual Biofeedback in Articulation Therapy for Children and Adolescents With Speech Sound Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Most included studies were single-case designs, and the meta-analysis used 15 single-case studies plus one group study, so group trial evidence was limited. The pooled effect was positive, but heterogeneity was high (I2 = 97.0%) and the predictive interval was -0.59 to 3.22. The funnel plot showed rightward asymmetry (z = 2.478, p = 0.013), and the authors reported potential publication bias. All included studies were from English-speaking countries, so results may not apply to non-English speech sound disorders. Ultrasound visual biofeedback was often combined with or alternated with traditional therapy, motor-based approaches, electropalatography, or auditory perception training, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. Effect-size calculations used approximations when standard deviations or standard errors were missing, which may introduce imprecision. Gender, specific speech sound disorder details and comorbid diagnoses were not fully reported across all studies.

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude that ultrasound visual biofeedback alone reliably improves speech in all children with speech sound disorders. The studies often combined or alternated it with traditional therapy, motor-based approaches, electropalatography, or auditory perception training, and the contribution of any single component cannot be separated.