Treatment of the empty set is described as which of the following?

• A. Uses pairs of words containing two maximally opposing sounds that are unknown to the child
• B. Uses single-phoneme contrasts only
• C. Is identical to cycles therapy
• D. Focuses exclusively on stimulability

Answer: (B)

When a sound has an empty set of contrasts in the child’s speech system, you build a new phonemic category by introducing the target sound in isolation against a sound the child already uses. This means using single-phoneme contrasts only—one clear contrast at a time—the target versus a known sound. By focusing on one contrast, the child learns how the new sound differs from a familiar one, establishing a stable representation and gradually expanding the system from there. Other approaches that pair two unknown sounds, cycle through many targets, or focus only on sounds the child is already able to imitate don’t fit the scenario of an empty set, where the goal is to create a new, singular contrast for the target.