國際上關於語音知覺發展研究的主題，在過去數十年中，從探索新生兒能否聽辨母語和外語語言中的語音差異，影響語音知覺發展的機制：「母語經驗」、「統計式學習」及「社會互動」，到語言相關障礙的學齡兒童能否精緻地形成語音表徵以學習語言等議題，研究成果頗為豐碩。這些研究除了展現語音知覺從出生到學齡隨年紀而成長的發展過程，同時也檢視發展心理學基本議題，如心智成長的初始狀態及文化因素在心智發展上的角色。本文回顧臺灣地區研究者在2000-2012年之間出版和語音知覺發展有關的期刊及學位論文，首先回顧正常發展兒童從嬰兒到學齡階段的語音區辨敏感度變化，並特別關注語音知覺發展機制，以及屬於聲調語言特有的「聲調」知覺發展。其次，回顧語言相關發展障礙兒童的語音知覺處理特性，涵蓋植入人工電子耳的聽覺障礙兒童、特定型語言障礙和閱讀障礙兒童等三類發展障礙兒童的語音知覺特性。整體而言，國內的語音知覺研究和國外的研究互相輝映，並提供語言特定的研究發現來檢視知覺發展的議題。本文最後討論有待國內語音知覺研究者進一步探索的議題。

Researchers have explored many topics of speech perception development, from assessing whether newborns were able to distinguish speech sounds of native and foreign languages to investigate whether school-aged children with language-related impairment experienced any speech processing difficulties and adversely affected the development of language. Developmental mechanisms of speech perception included, listening experience with the native language, statistical learning and social interaction. Studies have not only documented the developmental path of speech perception from newborns to middle childhood, but also provided critical evidence to examine basic issues of developmental psychology, such as the initial state of mental development and effects of culture on development. This paper reviews thesis and journal articles published between 2000 and 2012 by Taiwan researchers on speech perception development and organized in two topics. First, we review studies on speech perception development in typically-developing children, especially focused on the developmental mechanisms and the perceptual develop ment of “lexical tones,” the unique phonetic unit in tonal languages. Second, we review speech perception studies on Mandarin-speaking children with language impairments, including hearing-impairment children with cochlear implants, children with specific language impairment, and children with reading impairment. In conclusion, studies on speech perception development in Taiwan has kept pace with current research trends in the western world and provides evidence to examine issues of language-specific influences on speech perception development. Issues for future studies are discussed.