October 6, 2026 · 0:47 · Prosody · DTTC
Why We Vary Prosody in DTTC: Dirt Road or Six-Lane Highway?
Varying prosody gives a target many routes instead of one: the same word said soft, loud, happy, sad, mad and as a question, at the first three levels of the DTTC hierarchy.
Full transcript
So why do we vary prosody in DTTC? If we want to help our children lay down the motor plan for a target, do we want a dirt road, or the flexibility of a six-lane highway?
"Open." "Open." "Open." "Open." "Open." "Open?" (The same word said soft, loud, happy, sad, mad, and as a question.)
Same target, a new way each time. That's why varying prosody is built into the hierarchy at simultaneous production, direct imitation, and delayed imitation.
We vary prosody so the same word gets practiced with different movements, and children with CAS practice changing their pitch, loudness, and length from the very start.
