VOT in speech-disordered individuals: History, theory, data, reminiscence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weismer, Gary

2004-05-01

Forty years ago Lisker and Abramson published their landmark paper on VOT; the speech-research world has never been the same. The concept of VOT as a measure relevant to phonology, speech physiology, and speech perception made it a prime choice for scientists who saw an opportunity to exploit the techniques and analytic frameworks of ``speech science'' in the study of speech disorders. Modifications of VOT in speech disorders have been used to draw specific inferences concerning phonological representations, glottal-supraglottal timing, and speech intelligibility. This presentation will provide a review of work on VOT in speech disorders, including (among others) stuttering, hearing impairment, and neurogenic disorders. An attempt will be made to collect published data in summary graphic form, and to discuss their implications. Emphasis will be placed on how VOT has been used to inform theories of disordered speech production. I will close with some personal comments about the influence (unbeknowest to them) these two outstanding scientists had on me in the 1970s, when under the spell of their work I first became aware that the world of speech research did not start and end with moving parts.

Effects of social cognitive impairment on speech disorder in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Docherty, Nancy M; McCleery, Amanda; Divilbiss, Marielle; Schumann, Emily B; Moe, Aubrey; Shakeel, Mohammed K

2013-05-01

Disordered speech in schizophrenia impairs social functioning because it impedes communication with others. Treatment approaches targeting this symptom have been limited by an incomplete understanding of its causes. This study examined the process underpinnings of speech disorder, assessed in terms of communication failure. Contributions of impairments in 2 social cognitive abilities, emotion perception and theory of mind (ToM), to speech disorder were assessed in 63 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and 21 nonpsychiatric participants, after controlling for the effects of verbal intelligence and impairments in basic language-related neurocognitive abilities. After removal of the effects of the neurocognitive variables, impairments in emotion perception and ToM each explained additional variance in speech disorder in the patients but not the controls. The neurocognitive and social cognitive variables, taken together, explained 51% of the variance in speech disorder in the patients. Schizophrenic disordered speech may be less a concomitant of "positive" psychotic process than of illness-related limitations in neurocognitive and social cognitive functioning.

Speech sound disorder at 4 years: prevalence, comorbidities, and predictors in a community cohort of children.

PubMed

Eadie, Patricia; Morgan, Angela; Ukoumunne, Obioha C; Ttofari Eecen, Kyriaki; Wake, Melissa; Reilly, Sheena

2015-06-01

The epidemiology of preschool speech sound disorder is poorly understood. Our aims were to determine: the prevalence of idiopathic speech sound disorder; the comorbidity of speech sound disorder with language and pre-literacy difficulties; and the factors contributing to speech outcome at 4 years. One thousand four hundred and ninety-four participants from an Australian longitudinal cohort completed speech, language, and pre-literacy assessments at 4 years. Prevalence of speech sound disorder (SSD) was defined by standard score performance of ≤79 on a speech assessment. Logistic regression examined predictors of SSD within four domains: child and family; parent-reported speech; cognitive-linguistic; and parent-reported motor skills. At 4 years the prevalence of speech disorder in an Australian cohort was 3.4%. Comorbidity with SSD was 40.8% for language disorder and 20.8% for poor pre-literacy skills. Sex, maternal vocabulary, socio-economic status, and family history of speech and language difficulties predicted SSD, as did 2-year speech, language, and motor skills. Together these variables provided good discrimination of SSD (area under the curve=0.78). This is the first epidemiological study to demonstrate prevalence of SSD at 4 years of age that was consistent with previous clinical studies. Early detection of SSD at 4 years should focus on family variables and speech, language, and motor skills measured at 2 years. © 2014 Mac Keith Press.

Verbal Short-Term Memory Span in Speech-Disordered Children: Implications for Articulatory Coding in Short-Term Memory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raine, Adrian; And Others

1991-01-01

Children with speech disorders had lower short-term memory capacity and smaller word length effect than control children. Children with speech disorders also had reduced speech-motor activity during rehearsal. Results suggest that speech rate may be a causal determinant of verbal short-term memory capacity. (BC)

The Prevalence of Stuttering, Voice, and Speech-Sound Disorders in Primary School Students in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKinnon, David H.; McLeod, Sharynne; Reilly, Sheena

2007-01-01

Purpose: The aims of this study were threefold: to report teachers' estimates of the prevalence of speech disorders (specifically, stuttering, voice, and speech-sound disorders); to consider correspondence between the prevalence of speech disorders and gender, grade level, and socioeconomic status; and to describe the level of support provided to…

The influence of (central) auditory processing disorder in speech sound disorders.

PubMed

Barrozo, Tatiane Faria; Pagan-Neves, Luciana de Oliveira; Vilela, Nadia; Carvallo, Renata Mota Mamede; Wertzner, Haydée Fiszbein

2016-01-01

Considering the importance of auditory information for the acquisition and organization of phonological rules, the assessment of (central) auditory processing contributes to both the diagnosis and targeting of speech therapy in children with speech sound disorders. To study phonological measures and (central) auditory processing of children with speech sound disorder. Clinical and experimental study, with 21 subjects with speech sound disorder aged between 7.0 and 9.11 years, divided into two groups according to their (central) auditory processing disorder. The assessment comprised tests of phonology, speech inconsistency, and metalinguistic abilities. The group with (central) auditory processing disorder demonstrated greater severity of speech sound disorder. The cutoff value obtained for the process density index was the one that best characterized the occurrence of phonological processes for children above 7 years of age. The comparison among the tests evaluated between the two groups showed differences in some phonological and metalinguistic abilities. Children with an index value above 0.54 demonstrated strong tendencies towards presenting a (central) auditory processing disorder, and this measure was effective to indicate the need for evaluation in children with speech sound disorder. Copyright © 2015 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Extensions to the Speech Disorders Classification System (SDCS)

PubMed Central

Shriberg, Lawrence D.; Fourakis, Marios; Hall, Sheryl D.; Karlsson, Heather B.; Lohmeier, Heather L.; McSweeny, Jane L.; Potter, Nancy L.; Scheer-Cohen, Alison R.; Strand, Edythe A.; Tilkens, Christie M.; Wilson, David L.

2010-01-01

This report describes three extensions to a classification system for pediatric speech sound disorders termed the Speech Disorders Classification System (SDCS). Part I describes a classification extension to the SDCS to differentiate motor speech disorders from speech delay and to differentiate among three subtypes of motor speech disorders. Part II describes the Madison Speech Assessment Protocol (MSAP), an approximately two-hour battery of 25 measures that includes 15 speech tests and tasks. Part III describes the Competence, Precision, and Stability Analytics (CPSA) framework, a current set of approximately 90 perceptual- and acoustic-based indices of speech, prosody, and voice used to quantify and classify subtypes of Speech Sound Disorders (SSD). A companion paper, Shriberg, Fourakis, et al. (2010) provides reliability estimates for the perceptual and acoustic data reduction methods used in the SDCS. The agreement estimates in the companion paper support the reliability of SDCS methods and illustrate the complementary roles of perceptual and acoustic methods in diagnostic analyses of SSD of unknown origin. Examples of research using the extensions to the SDCS described in the present report include diagnostic findings for a sample of youth with motor speech disorders associated with galactosemia (Shriberg, Potter, & Strand, 2010) and a test of the hypothesis of apraxia of speech in a group of children with autism spectrum disorders (Shriberg, Paul, Black, & van Santen, 2010). All SDCS methods and reference databases running in the PEPPER (Programs to Examine Phonetic and Phonologic Evaluation Records; [Shriberg, Allen, McSweeny, & Wilson, 2001]) environment will be disseminated without cost when complete. PMID:20831378

Motor Speech Disorders Associated with Primary Progressive Aphasia

PubMed Central

Duffy, Joseph R.; Strand, Edythe A.; Josephs, Keith A.

2014-01-01

Background Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and conditions that overlap with it can be accompanied by motor speech disorders. Recognition and understanding of motor speech disorders can contribute to a fuller clinical understanding of PPA and its management as well as its localization and underlying pathology. Aims To review the types of motor speech disorders that may occur with PPA, its primary variants, and its overlap syndromes (progressive supranuclear palsy syndrome, corticobasal syndrome, motor neuron disease), as well as with primary progressive apraxia of speech. Main Contribution The review should assist clinicians' and researchers' understanding of the relationship between motor speech disorders and PPA and its major variants. It also highlights the importance of recognizing neurodegenerative apraxia of speech as a condition that can occur with little or no evidence of aphasia. Conclusion Motor speech disorders can occur with PPA. Their recognition can contribute to clinical diagnosis and management of PPA and to understanding and predicting the localization and pathology associated with PPA variants and conditions that can overlap with them. PMID:25309017

Proposal for classifying the severity of speech disorder using a fuzzy model in accordance with the implicational model of feature complexity.

PubMed

Brancalioni, Ana Rita; Magnago, Karine Faverzani; Keske-Soares, Marcia

2012-09-01

The objective of this study is to create a new proposal for classifying the severity of speech disorders using a fuzzy model in accordance with a linguistic model that represents the speech acquisition of Brazilian Portuguese. The fuzzy linguistic model was run in the MATLAB software fuzzy toolbox from a set of fuzzy rules, and it encompassed three input variables: path routing, level of complexity and phoneme acquisition. The output was the Speech Disorder Severity Index, and it used the following fuzzy subsets: severe, moderate severe, mild moderate and mild. The proposal was used for 204 children with speech disorders who were monolingual speakers of Brazilian Portuguese. The fuzzy linguistic model provided the Speech Disorder Severity Index for all of the evaluated phonological systems in a fast and practical manner. It was then possible to classify the systems according to the severity of the speech disorder as severe, moderate severe, mild moderate and mild; the speech disorders could also be differentiated according to the severity index.

The influence of (central) auditory processing disorder on the severity of speech-sound disorders in children.

PubMed

Vilela, Nadia; Barrozo, Tatiane Faria; Pagan-Neves, Luciana de Oliveira; Sanches, Seisse Gabriela Gandolfi; Wertzner, Haydée Fiszbein; Carvallo, Renata Mota Mamede

2016-02-01

To identify a cutoff value based on the Percentage of Consonants Correct-Revised index that could indicate the likelihood of a child with a speech-sound disorder also having a (central) auditory processing disorder . Language, audiological and (central) auditory processing evaluations were administered. The participants were 27 subjects with speech-sound disorders aged 7 to 10 years and 11 months who were divided into two different groups according to their (central) auditory processing evaluation results. When a (central) auditory processing disorder was present in association with a speech disorder, the children tended to have lower scores on phonological assessments. A greater severity of speech disorder was related to a greater probability of the child having a (central) auditory processing disorder. The use of a cutoff value for the Percentage of Consonants Correct-Revised index successfully distinguished between children with and without a (central) auditory processing disorder. The severity of speech-sound disorder in children was influenced by the presence of (central) auditory processing disorder. The attempt to identify a cutoff value based on a severity index was successful.

Interventions for Speech Sound Disorders in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, A. Lynn, Ed.; McLeod, Sharynne, Ed.; McCauley, Rebecca J., Ed.

2010-01-01

With detailed discussion and invaluable video footage of 23 treatment interventions for speech sound disorders (SSDs) in children, this textbook and DVD set should be part of every speech-language pathologist's professional preparation. Focusing on children with functional or motor-based speech disorders from early childhood through the early…

42 CFR 440.110 - Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and services for individuals with speech, hearing, and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... services for individuals with speech, hearing, and language disorders. 440.110 Section 440.110 Public..., occupational therapy, and services for individuals with speech, hearing, and language disorders. (a) Physical...) Services for individuals with speech, hearing, and language disorders. (1) Services for individuals with...

Population Health in Pediatric Speech and Language Disorders: Available Data Sources and a Research Agenda for the Field.

PubMed

Raghavan, Ramesh; Camarata, Stephen; White, Karl; Barbaresi, William; Parish, Susan; Krahn, Gloria

2018-05-17

The aim of the study was to provide an overview of population science as applied to speech and language disorders, illustrate data sources, and advance a research agenda on the epidemiology of these conditions. Computer-aided database searches were performed to identify key national surveys and other sources of data necessary to establish the incidence, prevalence, and course and outcome of speech and language disorders. This article also summarizes a research agenda that could enhance our understanding of the epidemiology of these disorders. Although the data yielded estimates of prevalence and incidence for speech and language disorders, existing sources of data are inadequate to establish reliable rates of incidence, prevalence, and outcomes for speech and language disorders at the population level. Greater support for inclusion of speech and language disorder-relevant questions is necessary in national health surveys to build the population science in the field.

Speech and Communication Disorders

MedlinePlus

... to being completely unable to speak or understand speech. Causes include Hearing disorders and deafness Voice problems, ... or those caused by cleft lip or palate Speech problems like stuttering Developmental disabilities Learning disorders Autism ...

Surgical improvement of speech disorder caused by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

PubMed

Saigusa, Hideto; Yamaguchi, Satoshi; Nakamura, Tsuyoshi; Komachi, Taro; Kadosono, Osamu; Ito, Hiroyuki; Saigusa, Makoto; Niimi, Seiji

2012-12-01

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive debilitating neurological disease. ALS disturbs the quality of life by affecting speech, swallowing and free mobility of the arms without affecting intellectual function. It is therefore of significance to improve intelligibility and quality of speech sounds, especially for ALS patients with slowly progressive courses. Currently, however, there is no effective or established approach to improve speech disorder caused by ALS. We investigated a surgical procedure to improve speech disorder for some patients with neuromuscular diseases with velopharyngeal closure incompetence. In this study, we performed the surgical procedure for two patients suffering from severe speech disorder caused by slowly progressing ALS. The patients suffered from speech disorder with hypernasality and imprecise and weak articulation during a 6-year course (patient 1) and a 3-year course (patient 2) of slowly progressing ALS. We narrowed bilateral lateral palatopharyngeal wall at velopharyngeal port, and performed this surgery under general anesthesia without muscle relaxant for the two patients. Postoperatively, intelligibility and quality of their speech sounds were greatly improved within one month without any speech therapy. The patients were also able to generate longer speech phrases after the surgery. Importantly, there was no serious complication during or after the surgery. In summary, we performed bilateral narrowing of lateral palatopharyngeal wall as a speech surgery for two patients suffering from severe speech disorder associated with ALS. With this technique, improved intelligibility and quality of speech can be maintained for longer duration for the patients with slowly progressing ALS.

Developing a Weighted Measure of Speech Sound Accuracy

PubMed Central

Preston, Jonathan L.; Ramsdell, Heather L.; Oller, D. Kimbrough; Edwards, Mary Louise; Tobin, Stephen J.

2010-01-01

Purpose The purpose is to develop a system for numerically quantifying a speaker’s phonetic accuracy through transcription-based measures. With a focus on normal and disordered speech in children, we describe a system for differentially weighting speech sound errors based on various levels of phonetic accuracy with a Weighted Speech Sound Accuracy (WSSA) score. We then evaluate the reliability and validity of this measure. Method Phonetic transcriptions are analyzed from several samples of child speech, including preschoolers and young adolescents with and without speech sound disorders and typically developing toddlers. The new measure of phonetic accuracy is compared to existing measures, is used to discriminate typical and disordered speech production, and is evaluated to determine whether it is sensitive to changes in phonetic accuracy over time. Results Initial psychometric data indicate that WSSA scores correlate with other measures of phonetic accuracy as well as listeners’ judgments of severity of a child’s speech disorder. The measure separates children with and without speech sound disorders. WSSA scores also capture growth in phonetic accuracy in toddler’s speech over time. Conclusion Results provide preliminary support for the WSSA as a valid and reliable measure of phonetic accuracy in children’s speech. PMID:20699344

The Comorbidity between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Children and Arabic Speech Sound Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hariri, Ruaa Osama

2016-01-01

Children with Attention-Deficiency/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) often have co-existing learning disabilities and developmental weaknesses or delays in some areas including speech (Rief, 2005). Seeing that phonological disorders include articulation errors and other forms of speech disorders, studies pertaining to children with ADHD symptoms who…

Applications of orofacial myofunctional techniques to speech therapy.

PubMed

Landis, C F

1994-11-01

A speech-language pathologist describes how she uses oral myofunctional therapy techniques in the treatment of speech articulation disorders, voice disorders, stuttering and apraxia of speech. Specific exercises are detailed.

The Prevalence of Speech Disorders among University Students in Jordan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alaraifi, Jehad Ahmad; Amayreh, Mousa Mohammad; Saleh, Mohammad Yusef

2014-01-01

Problem: There are no available studies on the prevalence, and distribution of speech disorders among Arabic speaking undergraduate students in Jordan. Method: A convenience sample of 400 undergraduate students at the University of Jordan was screened for speech disorders. Two spontaneous speech samples and an oral reading of a passage were…

Perceptual and Acoustic Reliability Estimates for the Speech Disorders Classification System (SDCS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shriberg, Lawrence D.; Fourakis, Marios; Hall, Sheryl D.; Karlsson, Heather B.; Lohmeier, Heather L.; McSweeny, Jane L.; Potter, Nancy L.; Scheer-Cohen, Alison R.; Strand, Edythe A.; Tilkens, Christie M.; Wilson, David L.

2010-01-01

A companion paper describes three extensions to a classification system for paediatric speech sound disorders termed the Speech Disorders Classification System (SDCS). The SDCS uses perceptual and acoustic data reduction methods to obtain information on a speaker's speech, prosody, and voice. The present paper provides reliability estimates for…

Variations in Articulatory Movement with Changes in Speech Task.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tasko, Stephen M.; McClean, Michael D.

2004-01-01

Studies of normal and disordered articulatory movement often rely on the use of short, simple speech tasks. However, the severity of speech disorders can be observed to vary markedly with task. Understanding task-related variations in articulatory kinematic behavior may allow for an improved understanding of normal and disordered speech motor…

Maxillary dental arch dimensions in 6-year-old children with articulatory speech disorders.

PubMed

Heliövaara, Arja

2011-01-01

To evaluate maxillary dental arch dimensions in 6-year-old children with articulatory speech disorders and to compare their dental arch dimensions with age- and sex-matched controls without speech disorders. Fifty-two children (15 girls) with errors in the articulation of the sounds /r/, /s/ or /l/ were compared retrospectively with age- and sex-matched controls from dental casts taken at a mean age of 6.4 years (range 5.0-8.4). All children with articulatory speech disorders had been referred to City of Helsinki Health Care, Dental Care Department by a phoniatrician or a speech therapist in order to get oral-motor activators (removable palatal plates) to be used in their speech therapy. A χ2-test and paired Student's t tests were used in the statistical analyses. The children with articulatory speech disorders had similar maxillary dental arch widths but smaller maxillary dental arch length than the controls. This small series suggests that 6-year-old children with articulatory speech disorders may have decreased maxillary dental arch length. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Developing a weighted measure of speech sound accuracy.

PubMed

Preston, Jonathan L; Ramsdell, Heather L; Oller, D Kimbrough; Edwards, Mary Louise; Tobin, Stephen J

2011-02-01

To develop a system for numerically quantifying a speaker's phonetic accuracy through transcription-based measures. With a focus on normal and disordered speech in children, the authors describe a system for differentially weighting speech sound errors on the basis of various levels of phonetic accuracy using a Weighted Speech Sound Accuracy (WSSA) score. The authors then evaluate the reliability and validity of this measure. Phonetic transcriptions were analyzed from several samples of child speech, including preschoolers and young adolescents with and without speech sound disorders and typically developing toddlers. The new measure of phonetic accuracy was validated against existing measures, was used to discriminate typical and disordered speech production, and was evaluated to examine sensitivity to changes in phonetic accuracy over time. Reliability between transcribers and consistency of scores among different word sets and testing points are compared. Initial psychometric data indicate that WSSA scores correlate with other measures of phonetic accuracy as well as listeners' judgments of the severity of a child's speech disorder. The measure separates children with and without speech sound disorders and captures growth in phonetic accuracy in toddlers' speech over time. The measure correlates highly across transcribers, word lists, and testing points. Results provide preliminary support for the WSSA as a valid and reliable measure of phonetic accuracy in children's speech.

Eczema Is Associated with Childhood Speech Disorder: A Retrospective Analysis from the National Survey of Children's Health and the National Health Interview Survey.

PubMed

Strom, Mark A; Silverberg, Jonathan I

2016-01-01

To determine if eczema is associated with an increased risk of a speech disorder. We analyzed data on 354,416 children and adolescents from 19 US population-based cohorts: the 2003-2004 and 2007-2008 National Survey of Children's Health and 1997-2013 National Health Interview Survey, each prospective, questionnaire-based cohorts. In multivariate survey logistic regression models adjusting for sociodemographics and comorbid allergic disease, eczema was significantly associated with higher odds of speech disorder in 12 of 19 cohorts (P < .05). The pooled prevalence of speech disorder in children with eczema was 4.7% (95% CI 4.5%-5.0%) compared with 2.2% (95% CI 2.2%-2.3%) in children without eczema. In pooled multivariate analysis, eczema was associated with increased odds of speech disorder (aOR [95% CI] 1.81 [1.57-2.05], P < .001). In a single study assessing eczema severity, mild (1.36 [1.02-1.81], P = .03) and severe eczema (3.56 [1.70-7.48], P < .001) were associated with higher odds of speech disorder. History of eczema was associated with moderate (2.35 [1.34-4.10], P = .003) and severe (2.28 [1.11-4.72], P = .03) speech disorder. Finally, significant interactions were found, such that children with both eczema and attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity or sleep disturbance had vastly increased risk of speech disorders than either by itself. Pediatric eczema may be associated with increased risk of speech disorder. Further, prospective studies are needed to characterize the exact nature of this association. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Eczema Is Associated with Childhood Speech Disorder: A Retrospective Analysis from the National Survey of Children’s Health and the National Health Interview Survey

PubMed Central

Strom, Mark A.; Silverberg, Jonathan I.

2016-01-01

Objective To determine if eczema is associated with an increased risk of a speech disorder. Study design We analyzed data on 354 416 children and adolescents from 19 US population-based cohorts: the 2003–2004 and 2007–2008 National Survey of Children’s Health and 1997–2013 National Health Interview Survey, each prospective, questionnaire-based cohorts. Results In multivariate survey logistic regression models adjusting for sociodemographics and comorbid allergic disease, eczema was significantly associated with higher odds of speech disorder in 12 of 19 cohorts (P < .05). The pooled prevalence of speech disorder in children with eczema was 4.7% (95% CI 4.5%–5.0%) compared with 2.2% (95% CI 2.2%–2.3%) in children without eczema. In pooled multivariate analysis, eczema was associated with increased odds of speech disorder (aOR [95% CI] 1.81 [1.57–2.05], P < .001). In a single study assessing eczema severity, mild (1.36 [1.02–1.81], P = .03) and severe eczema (3.56 [1.70–7.48], P < .001) were associated with higher odds of speech disorder. History of eczema was associated with moderate (2.35 [1.34–4.10], P = .003) and severe (2.28 [1.11–4.72], P = .03) speech disorder. Finally, significant interactions were found, such that children with both eczema and attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity or sleep disturbance had vastly increased risk of speech disorders than either by itself. Conclusions Pediatric eczema may be associated with increased risk of speech disorder. Further, prospective studies are needed to characterize the exact nature of this association. PMID:26520915

Auditory-Motor Interactions in Pediatric Motor Speech Disorders: Neurocomputational Modeling of Disordered Development

PubMed Central

Terband, H.; Maassen, B.; Guenther, F.H.; Brumberg, J.

2014-01-01

Background/Purpose Differentiating the symptom complex due to phonological-level disorders, speech delay and pediatric motor speech disorders is a controversial issue in the field of pediatric speech and language pathology. The present study investigated the developmental interaction between neurological deficits in auditory and motor processes using computational modeling with the DIVA model. Method In a series of computer simulations, we investigated the effect of a motor processing deficit alone (MPD), and the effect of a motor processing deficit in combination with an auditory processing deficit (MPD+APD) on the trajectory and endpoint of speech motor development in the DIVA model. Results Simulation results showed that a motor programming deficit predominantly leads to deterioration on the phonological level (phonemic mappings) when auditory self-monitoring is intact, and on the systemic level (systemic mapping) if auditory self-monitoring is impaired. Conclusions These findings suggest a close relation between quality of auditory self-monitoring and the involvement of phonological vs. motor processes in children with pediatric motor speech disorders. It is suggested that MPD+APD might be involved in typically apraxic speech output disorders and MPD in pediatric motor speech disorders that also have a phonological component. Possibilities to verify these hypotheses using empirical data collected from human subjects are discussed. PMID:24491630

Aversive eye gaze during a speech in virtual environment in patients with social anxiety disorder.

PubMed

Kim, Haena; Shin, Jung Eun; Hong, Yeon-Ju; Shin, Yu-Bin; Shin, Young Seok; Han, Kiwan; Kim, Jae-Jin; Choi, Soo-Hee

2018-03-01

One of the main characteristics of social anxiety disorder is excessive fear of social evaluation. In such situations, anxiety can influence gaze behaviour. Thus, the current study adopted virtual reality to examine eye gaze pattern of social anxiety disorder patients while presenting different types of speeches. A total of 79 social anxiety disorder patients and 51 healthy controls presented prepared speeches on general topics and impromptu speeches on self-related topics to a virtual audience while their eye gaze was recorded. Their presentation performance was also evaluated. Overall, social anxiety disorder patients showed less eye gaze towards the audience than healthy controls. Types of speech did not influence social anxiety disorder patients' gaze allocation towards the audience. However, patients with social anxiety disorder showed significant correlations between the amount of eye gaze towards the audience while presenting self-related speeches and social anxiety cognitions. The current study confirms that eye gaze behaviour of social anxiety disorder patients is aversive and that their anxiety symptoms are more dependent on the nature of topic.

Motor speech skills in children with Down syndrome: A descriptive study.

PubMed

Rupela, Vani; Velleman, Shelley L; Andrianopoulos, Mary V

2016-10-01

Motor speech characteristics of children with Down syndrome (DS) have historically been viewed as either Childhood Dysarthria (CD) or, more infrequently, as Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). The objective of this study was to investigate motor speech deficits in a systematic manner, considering characteristics from both CAS and CD. Motor speech assessments were carried out on seven 3;4-8;11-year old children with DS in comparison with younger, typically-developing children using a Language-Neutral Assessment of Motor Speech for young children (LAMS). Additionally, the motor speech and non-speech oral motor skills of all participants were analysed qualitatively using an investigator checklist of characteristics of CAS, CD and Motor Speech Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (MSD-NOS). Results indicated that the children with DS exhibited symptoms of CAS, CD and MSD-NOS, with variability within the group and overlapping symptoms of the disorder types. This finding is different from previous assumptions that children with DS have either CD or CAS. The motor speech disorder accompanying DS is complex. The data provide some preliminary descriptions of motor speech disorders in this population and some tools that clinicians would find useful when assessing motor speech skills of young children with DS.

"The caterpillar": a novel reading passage for assessment of motor speech disorders.

PubMed

Patel, Rupal; Connaghan, Kathryn; Franco, Diana; Edsall, Erika; Forgit, Dory; Olsen, Laura; Ramage, Lianna; Tyler, Emily; Russell, Scott

2013-02-01

A review of the salient characteristics of motor speech disorders and common assessment protocols revealed the need for a novel reading passage tailored specifically to differentiate between and among the dysarthrias (DYSs) and apraxia of speech (AOS). "The Caterpillar" passage was designed to provide a contemporary, easily read, contextual speech sample with specific tasks (e.g., prosodic contrasts, words of increasing length and complexity) targeted to inform the assessment of motor speech disorders. Twenty-two adults, 15 with DYS or AOS and 7 healthy controls (HC), were recorded reading "The Caterpillar" passage to demonstrate its utility in examining motor speech performance. Analysis of performance across a subset of segmental and prosodic variables illustrated that "The Caterpillar" passage showed promise for extracting individual profiles of impairment that could augment current assessment protocols and inform treatment planning in motor speech disorders.

Oral breathing and speech disorders in children.

PubMed

Hitos, Silvia F; Arakaki, Renata; Solé, Dirceu; Weckx, Luc L M

2013-01-01

To assess speech alterations in mouth-breathing children, and to correlate them with the respiratory type, etiology, gender, and age. A total of 439 mouth-breathers were evaluated, aged between 4 and 12 years. The presence of speech alterations in children older than 5 years was considered delayed speech development. The observed alterations were tongue interposition (TI), frontal lisp (FL), articulatory disorders (AD), sound omissions (SO), and lateral lisp (LL). The etiology of mouth breathing, gender, age, respiratory type, and speech disorders were correlated. Speech alterations were diagnosed in 31.2% of patients, unrelated to the respiratory type: oral or mixed. Increased frequency of articulatory disorders and more than one speech disorder were observed in males. TI was observed in 53.3% patients, followed by AD in 26.3%, and by FL in 21.9%. The co-occurrence of two or more speech alterations was observed in 24.8% of the children. Mouth breathing can affect speech development, socialization, and school performance. Early detection of mouth breathing is essential to prevent and minimize its negative effects on the overall development of individuals. Copyright © 2013 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

[Non-speech oral motor treatment efficacy for children with developmental speech sound disorders].

PubMed

Ygual-Fernandez, A; Cervera-Merida, J F

2016-01-01

In the treatment of speech disorders by means of speech therapy two antagonistic methodological approaches are applied: non-verbal ones, based on oral motor exercises (OME), and verbal ones, which are based on speech processing tasks with syllables, phonemes and words. In Spain, OME programmes are called 'programas de praxias', and are widely used and valued by speech therapists. To review the studies conducted on the effectiveness of OME-based treatments applied to children with speech disorders and the theoretical arguments that could justify, or not, their usefulness. Over the last few decades evidence has been gathered about the lack of efficacy of this approach to treat developmental speech disorders and pronunciation problems in populations without any neurological alteration of motor functioning. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association has advised against its use taking into account the principles of evidence-based practice. The knowledge gathered to date on motor control shows that the pattern of mobility and its corresponding organisation in the brain are different in speech and other non-verbal functions linked to nutrition and breathing. Neither the studies on their effectiveness nor the arguments based on motor control studies recommend the use of OME-based programmes for the treatment of pronunciation problems in children with developmental language disorders.

Multilingual Aspects of Speech Sound Disorders in Children. Communication Disorders across Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLeod, Sharynne; Goldstein, Brian

2012-01-01

Multilingual Aspects of Speech Sound Disorders in Children explores both multilingual and multicultural aspects of children with speech sound disorders. The 30 chapters have been written by 44 authors from 16 different countries about 112 languages and dialects. The book is designed to translate research into clinical practice. It is divided into…

Incidence and types of speech disorders in stroke patients.

PubMed

Vidović, Mirjana; Sinanović, Osman; Sabaskić, Lejla; Haticić, Adisa; Brkić, Ensala

2011-12-01

The aim of the study was to determine the incidence and types of speech disorders in patients with acute stroke. The study was performed in 936 acute stroke patients admitted to University Department of Neurology, Tuzla University Clinical Center, in the period from January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2008. Out of 936 study patients, speech disorders were verified on admission in 771 (82.37%) patients. Dysarthria was present in 540 (57.69%) and aphasia in 231 (24.67%) patients. In the group with speech disturbances, dysarthria was present in 70.04% and aphasia in 29.96% of patients. During hospital stay, lethal outcome was recorded in 51 patients, significantly higher in the group with speech disorders (P = 0.004). At discharge from the hospital, speech disorders persisted in 671 (75.81%), dysarthria in 468 (69.75%), and different types of aphasia in 203 (30.25%) of 885 surviving patients. Among patients with aphasia at both admission and discharge, global aphasia was most common, followed by motor aphasia (Broca's aphasia) and nominal aphasia. Although the rate of patients with speech disorders was lower at discharge, the difference was not statistically significant. On admission, 82.37% of patients were considered to have a speech-language disorder, dysarthria being most common. Concerning the type of aphasia, global aphasia was most frequent. Study results suggested the importance and need of speech-language therapy in the early rehabilitation of post-stroke patients; it should be initiated during their hospital stay and continued at long-term.

Speech disorders in Israeli Arab children.

PubMed

Jaber, L; Nahmani, A; Shohat, M

1997-10-01

The aim of this work was to study the frequency of speech disorders in Israeli Arab children and its association with parental consanguinity. A questionnaire was sent to the parents of 1,495 Arab children attending kindergarten and the first two grades of the seven primary schools in the town of Taibe. Eight-six percent (1,282 parents) responded. The answers to the questionnaire revealed that 25% of the children reportedly had a speech and language disorder. Of the children identified by their parents as having a speech disorder, 44 were selected randomly for examination by a speech specialist. The disorders noted in this subgroup included errors in articulation (48.0%), poor language (18%), poor voice quality (15.9%); stuttering (13.6%), and other problems (4.5%). Rates of affected children of consanguineous and non-consanguineous marriages were 31% and 22.4%, respectively (p < 0.01). We conclude that speech disorders are an important problem among Israeli Arab schoolchildren. More comprehensive programs are needed to facilitate diagnosis and treatment.

Speech and nonspeech: What are we talking about?

PubMed

Maas, Edwin

2017-08-01

Understanding of the behavioural, cognitive and neural underpinnings of speech production is of interest theoretically, and is important for understanding disorders of speech production and how to assess and treat such disorders in the clinic. This paper addresses two claims about the neuromotor control of speech production: (1) speech is subserved by a distinct, specialised motor control system and (2) speech is holistic and cannot be decomposed into smaller primitives. Both claims have gained traction in recent literature, and are central to a task-dependent model of speech motor control. The purpose of this paper is to stimulate thinking about speech production, its disorders and the clinical implications of these claims. The paper poses several conceptual and empirical challenges for these claims - including the critical importance of defining speech. The emerging conclusion is that a task-dependent model is called into question as its two central claims are founded on ill-defined and inconsistently applied concepts. The paper concludes with discussion of methodological and clinical implications, including the potential utility of diadochokinetic (DDK) tasks in assessment of motor speech disorders and the contraindication of nonspeech oral motor exercises to improve speech function.

Effect of gap detection threshold on consistency of speech in children with speech sound disorder.

PubMed

Sayyahi, Fateme; Soleymani, Zahra; Akbari, Mohammad; Bijankhan, Mahmood; Dolatshahi, Behrooz

2017-02-01

The present study examined the relationship between gap detection threshold and speech error consistency in children with speech sound disorder. The participants were children five to six years of age who were categorized into three groups of typical speech, consistent speech disorder (CSD) and inconsistent speech disorder (ISD).The phonetic gap detection threshold test was used for this study, which is a valid test comprised six syllables with inter-stimulus intervals between 20-300ms. The participants were asked to listen to the recorded stimuli three times and indicate whether they heard one or two sounds. There was no significant difference between the typical and CSD groups (p=0.55), but there were significant differences in performance between the ISD and CSD groups and the ISD and typical groups (p=0.00). The ISD group discriminated between speech sounds at a higher threshold. Children with inconsistent speech errors could not distinguish speech sounds during time-limited phonetic discrimination. It is suggested that inconsistency in speech is a representation of inconsistency in auditory perception, which causes by high gap detection threshold. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Communication Supports for People with Motor Speech Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanson, Elizabeth K.; Fager, Susan K.

2017-01-01

Communication supports for people with motor speech disorders can include strategies and technologies to supplement natural speech efforts, resolve communication breakdowns, and replace natural speech when necessary to enhance participation in all communicative contexts. This article emphasizes communication supports that can enhance…

Speech-Language Pathologists' Assessment Practices for Children with Suspected Speech Sound Disorders: Results of a National Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skahan, Sarah M.; Watson, Maggie; Lof, Gregory L.

2007-01-01

Purpose: This study examined assessment procedures used by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) when assessing children suspected of having speech sound disorders (SSD). This national survey also determined the information participants obtained from clients' speech samples, evaluation of non-native English speakers, and time spent on assessment.…

Speech Characteristics of 8-Year-Old Children: Findings from a Prospective Population Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wren, Yvonne; McLeod, Sharynne; White, Paul; Miller, Laura L.; Roulstone, Sue

2013-01-01

Speech disorder that continues into middle childhood is rarely studied compared with speech disorder in the early years. Speech production in single words, connected speech and nonword repetition was assessed for 7390 eight-year-old children within the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). The majority (n=6399) had typical…

Attitudes toward Speech Disorders: Sampling the Views of Cantonese-Speaking Americans.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bebout, Linda; Arthur, Bradford

1997-01-01

A study of 60 Chinese Americans and 46 controls found the Chinese Americans were more likely to believe persons with speech disorders could improve speech by "trying hard," to view people using deaf speech and people with cleft palates as perhaps being emotionally disturbed, and to regard deaf speech as a limitation. (Author/CR)

When Does Speech Sound Disorder Matter for Literacy? The Role of Disordered Speech Errors, Co-Occurring Language Impairment and Family Risk of Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayiou-Thomas, Marianna E.; Carroll, Julia M.; Leavett, Ruth; Hulme, Charles; Snowling, Margaret J.

2017-01-01

Background: This study considers the role of early speech difficulties in literacy development, in the context of additional risk factors. Method: Children were identified with speech sound disorder (SSD) at the age of 3½ years, on the basis of performance on the Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology. Their literacy skills were…

Neural Correlates of Phonological Processing in Speech Sound Disorder: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tkach, Jean A.; Chen, Xu; Freebairn, Lisa A.; Schmithorst, Vincent J.; Holland, Scott K.; Lewis, Barbara A.

2011-01-01

Speech sound disorders (SSD) are the largest group of communication disorders observed in children. One explanation for these disorders is that children with SSD fail to form stable phonological representations when acquiring the speech sound system of their language due to poor phonological memory (PM). The goal of this study was to examine PM in…

A Diagnostic Marker to Discriminate Childhood Apraxia of Speech From Speech Delay: I. Development and Description of the Pause Marker

PubMed Central

Strand, Edythe A.; Fourakis, Marios; Jakielski, Kathy J.; Hall, Sheryl D.; Karlsson, Heather B.; Mabie, Heather L.; McSweeny, Jane L.; Tilkens, Christie M.; Wilson, David L.

2017-01-01

Purpose The goal of this article (PM I) is to describe the rationale for and development of the Pause Marker (PM), a single-sign diagnostic marker proposed to discriminate early or persistent childhood apraxia of speech from speech delay. Method The authors describe and prioritize 7 criteria with which to evaluate the research and clinical utility of a diagnostic marker for childhood apraxia of speech, including evaluation of the present proposal. An overview is given of the Speech Disorders Classification System, including extensions completed in the same approximately 3-year period in which the PM was developed. Results The finalized Speech Disorders Classification System includes a nosology and cross-classification procedures for childhood and persistent speech disorders and motor speech disorders (Shriberg, Strand, & Mabie, 2017). A PM is developed that provides procedural and scoring information, and citations to papers and technical reports that include audio exemplars of the PM and reference data used to standardize PM scores are provided. Conclusions The PM described here is an acoustic-aided perceptual sign that quantifies one aspect of speech precision in the linguistic domain of phrasing. This diagnostic marker can be used to discriminate early or persistent childhood apraxia of speech from speech delay. PMID:28384779

Linkage of Speech Sound Disorder to Reading Disability Loci

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Shelley D.; Pennington, Bruce F.; Boada, Richard; Shriberg, Lawrence D.

2005-01-01

Background: Speech sound disorder (SSD) is a common childhood disorder characterized by developmentally inappropriate errors in speech production that greatly reduce intelligibility. SSD has been found to be associated with later reading disability (RD), and there is also evidence for both a cognitive and etiological overlap between the two…

HEARING, LANGUAGE, AND SPEECH DISORDERS. NINDB RESEARCH PROFILE NUMBER 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Inst. of Neurological Diseases and Blindness (NIH), Bethesda, MD.

AS PART OF HIS ANNUAL STATEMENT TO CONGRESS, THE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISEASES AND BLINDNESS DESCRIBES RESEARCH ACTIVITIES IN SPEECH AND HEARING DISORDERS. THIS REPORT SUMMARIZES INFORMATION CONCERNING THE PREVALENCE AND CAUSES OF COMMUNICATIVE DISORDERS (HEARING, SPEECH, LANGUAGE, VOICE, AND READING) IN CHILDREN AND…

Prevalence of communication, swallowing and orofacial myofunctional disorders in children and adolescents at the time of admission at a cancer hospital.

PubMed

Coça, Kaliani Lima; Bergmann, Anke; Ferman, Sima; Angelis, Elisabete Carrara de; Ribeiro, Márcia Gonçalves

2018-03-01

Describe the prevalence of communication, swallowing and orofacial myofunctional disorders in a group of children and adolescents at the time of registration at a cancer hospital. A cross-sectional study conducted with children aged ≥2 and adolescents, of both genders, admitted to the Pediatric Oncology Section of the Instituto Nacional de Câncer José de Alencar Gomes da Silva (INCA) from March 2014 to April 2015 for investigation and/or treatment of solid tumors. A protocol was used to record the sociodemographic and clinical information and findings of the speech-language pathology clinical evaluation, which included aspects of the oral sensorimotor system, swallowing, speech, language, voice, and hearing. Eighty-eight children/adolescents (41.3%) presented some type of speech-language disorder. The most frequent speech-language disorders were orofacial myofunctional disorder, dysphonia, and language impairments, whereas the less frequent ones were dysacusis, tongue paralysis, and trismus. Site of the lesion was the clinical variable that presented statistically significant correlation with presence of speech-language disorders. High prevalence of speech-language disorders was observed in children and adolescents at the time of admission at a cancer hospital. Occurrence of speech-language disorders was higher in participants with lesions in the central nervous system and in the head and neck region.

Obstructive sleep apnea, seizures, and childhood apraxia of speech.

PubMed

Caspari, Susan S; Strand, Edythe A; Kotagal, Suresh; Bergqvist, Christina

2008-06-01

Associations between obstructive sleep apnea and motor speech disorders in adults have been suggested, though little has been written about possible effects of sleep apnea on speech acquisition in children with motor speech disorders. This report details the medical and speech history of a nonverbal child with seizures and severe apraxia of speech. For 6 years, he made no functional gains in speech production, despite intensive speech therapy. After tonsillectomy for obstructive sleep apnea at age 6 years, he experienced a reduction in seizures and rapid growth in speech production. The findings support a relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and childhood apraxia of speech. The rather late diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, especially in light of what was such a life-altering outcome (gaining functional speech), has significant implications. Most speech sounds develop during ages 2-5 years, which is also the peak time of occurrence of adenotonsillar hypertrophy and childhood obstructive sleep apnea. Hence it is important to establish definitive diagnoses, and to consider early and more aggressive treatments for obstructive sleep apnea, in children with motor speech disorders.

Small intragenic deletion in FOXP2 associated with childhood apraxia of speech and dysarthria.

PubMed

Turner, Samantha J; Hildebrand, Michael S; Block, Susan; Damiano, John; Fahey, Michael; Reilly, Sheena; Bahlo, Melanie; Scheffer, Ingrid E; Morgan, Angela T

2013-09-01

Relatively little is known about the neurobiological basis of speech disorders although genetic determinants are increasingly recognized. The first gene for primary speech disorder was FOXP2, identified in a large, informative family with verbal and oral dyspraxia. Subsequently, many de novo and familial cases with a severe speech disorder associated with FOXP2 mutations have been reported. These mutations include sequencing alterations, translocations, uniparental disomy, and genomic copy number variants. We studied eight probands with speech disorder and their families. Family members were phenotyped using a comprehensive assessment of speech, oral motor function, language, literacy skills, and cognition. Coding regions of FOXP2 were screened to identify novel variants. Segregation of the variant was determined in the probands' families. Variants were identified in two probands. One child with severe motor speech disorder had a small de novo intragenic FOXP2 deletion. His phenotype included features of childhood apraxia of speech and dysarthria, oral motor dyspraxia, receptive and expressive language disorder, and literacy difficulties. The other variant was found in a family in two of three family members with stuttering, and also in the mother with oral motor impairment. This variant was considered a benign polymorphism as it was predicted to be non-pathogenic with in silico tools and found in database controls. This is the first report of a small intragenic deletion of FOXP2 that is likely to be the cause of severe motor speech disorder associated with language and literacy problems. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ictal speech and language dysfunction in adult epilepsy: Clinical study of 95 seizures.

PubMed

Dussaule, C; Cauquil, C; Flamand-Roze, C; Gagnepain, J-P; Bouilleret, V; Denier, C; Masnou, P

2017-04-01

To analyze the semiological characteristics of the language and speech disorders arising during epileptic seizures, and to describe the patterns of language and speech disorders that can predict laterality of the epileptic focus. This study retrospectively analyzed 95 consecutive videos of seizures with language and/or speech disorders in 44 patients admitted for diagnostic video-EEG monitoring. Laterality of the epileptic focus was defined according to electro-clinical correlation studies and structural and functional neuroimaging findings. Language and speech disorders were analyzed by a neurologist and a speech therapist blinded to these data. Language and/or speech disorders were subdivided into eight dynamic patterns: pure anterior aphasia; anterior aphasia and vocal; anterior aphasia and "arthria"; pure posterior aphasia; posterior aphasia and vocal; pure vocal; vocal and arthria; and pure arthria. The epileptic focus was in the left hemisphere in more than 4/5 of seizures presenting with pure anterior aphasia or pure posterior aphasia patterns, while discharges originated in the right hemisphere in almost 2/3 of seizures presenting with a pure vocal pattern. No laterality value was found for the other patterns. Classification of the language and speech disorders arising during epileptic seizures into dynamic patterns may be useful for the optimal analysis of anatomo-electro-clinical correlations. In addition, our research has led to the development of standardized tests for analyses of language and speech disorders arising during seizures that can be conducted during video-EEG sessions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Training a new generation of speech-language pathologists with competences in the management of literacy disorders and learning disabilities in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Yuen, Kevin C P

2014-01-01

One of the recent developments in the education of speech-language pathology is to include literacy disorders and learning disabilities as key training components in the training curriculum. Disorders in reading and writing are interwoven with disorders in speaking and listening, which should be managed holistically, particularly in children and adolescents. With extensive training in clinical linguistics, language disorders, and other theoretical knowledge and clinical skills, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are the best equipped and most competent professionals to screen, identify, diagnose, and manage individuals with literacy disorders. To tackle the challenges of and the huge demand for services in literacy as well as language and learning disorders, the Hong Kong Institute of Education has recently developed the Master of Science Programme in Educational Speech-Language Pathology and Learning Disabilities, which is one of the very first speech-language pathology training programmes in Asia to blend training components of learning disabilities, literacy disorders, and social-emotional-behavioural-developmental disabilities into a developmentally and medically oriented speech-language pathology training programme. This new training programme aims to prepare a new generation of SLPs to be able to offer comprehensive support to individuals with speech, language, literacy, learning, communication, and swallowing disorders of different developmental or neurogenic origins, particularly to infants and adolescents as well as to their family and educational team. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Word production inconsistency of Singaporean-English-speaking adolescents with Down Syndrome.

PubMed

Wong, Betty; Brebner, Chris; McCormack, Paul; Butcher, Andy

2015-01-01

The nature of speech disorders in individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) remains controversial despite various explanations put forth in the literature to account for the observed speech profiles. A high level of word production inconsistency in children with DS has led researchers to query whether the inconsistency continues into adolescence, and if the inconsistency stems from inconsistent phonological disorder (IPD) or childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Of the studies that have been published, most suggest that the speech profile of individuals with DS is delayed, while a few recent studies suggest a combination of delayed and disordered patterns. However, no studies have explored the nature of word production inconsistency in this population, and the relationship between word production inconsistency, receptive vocabulary and severity of speech disorder. To investigate in a pilot study the extent of word production inconsistency in adolescents with DS and to examine the correlations between word production inconsistency, measures of receptive vocabulary, severity of speech disorder and oromotor skills in adolescents with DS. The participants were 32 native speakers of Singaporean-English adolescents, comprising 16 participants with DS and 16 typically developing (TD) participants. The participants completed a battery of standardized speech and language assessments, including The Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology (DEAP) assessment. Results from each test were correlated to determine relationships. Qualitative analyses were also carried out on all the data collected. In this study, seven out of 16 participants with DS scored above 40% on word production inconsistency, a diagnostic criterion for IPD. In addition, all participants with DS performed poorly on the oromotor assessment of DEAP. The overall speech profile observed did not exactly correspond with the cluster symptoms observed in children with IPD or CAS. Word production inconsistency is a noticeable feature in the speech of individuals with DS. In addition, the speech profiles of individuals with DS consist of atypical and unusual errors alongside developmental errors. Significant correlations were found between the measures investigated, suggesting that speech disorder in DS is multifactorial. The results from this study will help to improve differential diagnosis of speech disorders and individualized treatment plans in the population with DS. © 2015 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Automatic speech recognition (ASR) based approach for speech therapy of aphasic patients: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jamal, Norezmi; Shanta, Shahnoor; Mahmud, Farhanahani; Sha'abani, MNAH

2017-09-01

This paper reviews the state-of-the-art an automatic speech recognition (ASR) based approach for speech therapy of aphasic patients. Aphasia is a condition in which the affected person suffers from speech and language disorder resulting from a stroke or brain injury. Since there is a growing body of evidence indicating the possibility of improving the symptoms at an early stage, ASR based solutions are increasingly being researched for speech and language therapy. ASR is a technology that transfers human speech into transcript text by matching with the system's library. This is particularly useful in speech rehabilitation therapies as they provide accurate, real-time evaluation for speech input from an individual with speech disorder. ASR based approaches for speech therapy recognize the speech input from the aphasic patient and provide real-time feedback response to their mistakes. However, the accuracy of ASR is dependent on many factors such as, phoneme recognition, speech continuity, speaker and environmental differences as well as our depth of knowledge on human language understanding. Hence, the review examines recent development of ASR technologies and its performance for individuals with speech and language disorders.

Alternative Speech Communication System for Persons with Severe Speech Disorders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selouani, Sid-Ahmed; Sidi Yakoub, Mohammed; O'Shaughnessy, Douglas

2009-12-01

Assistive speech-enabled systems are proposed to help both French and English speaking persons with various speech disorders. The proposed assistive systems use automatic speech recognition (ASR) and speech synthesis in order to enhance the quality of communication. These systems aim at improving the intelligibility of pathologic speech making it as natural as possible and close to the original voice of the speaker. The resynthesized utterances use new basic units, a new concatenating algorithm and a grafting technique to correct the poorly pronounced phonemes. The ASR responses are uttered by the new speech synthesis system in order to convey an intelligible message to listeners. Experiments involving four American speakers with severe dysarthria and two Acadian French speakers with sound substitution disorders (SSDs) are carried out to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed methods. An improvement of the Perceptual Evaluation of the Speech Quality (PESQ) value of 5% and more than 20% is achieved by the speech synthesis systems that deal with SSD and dysarthria, respectively.

Speech sound classification and detection of articulation disorders with support vector machines and wavelets.

PubMed

Georgoulas, George; Georgopoulos, Voula C; Stylios, Chrysostomos D

2006-01-01

This paper proposes a novel integrated methodology to extract features and classify speech sounds with intent to detect the possible existence of a speech articulation disorder in a speaker. Articulation, in effect, is the specific and characteristic way that an individual produces the speech sounds. A methodology to process the speech signal, extract features and finally classify the signal and detect articulation problems in a speaker is presented. The use of support vector machines (SVMs), for the classification of speech sounds and detection of articulation disorders is introduced. The proposed method is implemented on a data set where different sets of features and different schemes of SVMs are tested leading to satisfactory performance.

Asthma, hay fever, and food allergy are associated with caregiver-reported speech disorders in US children

PubMed Central

Strom, Mark A.; Silverberg, Jonathan I.

2016-01-01

Background Children with asthma, hay fever, and food allergy may have several factors that increase their risk of speech disorder, including allergic inflammation, ADD/ADHD, and sleep disturbance. However, few studies have examined a relationship between asthma, allergic disease, and speech disorder. We sought to determine whether asthma, hay fever, and food allergy are associated with speech disorder in children and whether disease severity, sleep disturbance, or ADD/ADHD modified such associations. Methods We analyzed cross-sectional data on 337,285 children aged 2–17 years from 19 US population-based studies, including the 1997–2013 National Health Interview Survey and the 2003/4 and 2007/8 National Survey of Children’s Health. Results In multivariate models, controlling for age, demographic factors, healthcare utilization, and history of eczema, lifetime history of asthma (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.18 [1.04–1.34], p = 0.01), and one-year history of hay fever (1.44 [1.28–1.62], p < 0.0001) and food allergy (1.35 [1.13–1.62], p = 0.001) were associated with increased odds of speech disorder. Children with current (1.37 [1.15–1.59] p = 0.0003) but not past (p = 0.06) asthma had increased risk of speech disorder. In one study that assessed caregiver-reported asthma severity, mild (1.58 [1.20–2.08], p = 0.001) and moderate (2.99 [1.54–3.41], p < 0.0001) asthma were associated with increased odds of speech disorder; however, severe asthma was associated with the highest odds of speech disorder (5.70 [2.36–13.78], p = 0.0001). Conclusion Childhood asthma, hay fever, and food allergy are associated with increased risk of speech disorder. Future prospective studies are needed to characterize the associations. PMID:27091599

Asthma, hay fever, and food allergy are associated with caregiver-reported speech disorders in US children.

PubMed

Strom, Mark A; Silverberg, Jonathan I

2016-09-01

Children with asthma, hay fever, and food allergy may have several factors that increase their risk of speech disorder, including allergic inflammation, ADD/ADHD, and sleep disturbance. However, few studies have examined a relationship between asthma, allergic disease, and speech disorder. We sought to determine whether asthma, hay fever, and food allergy are associated with speech disorder in children and whether disease severity, sleep disturbance, or ADD/ADHD modified such associations. We analyzed cross-sectional data on 337,285 children aged 2-17 years from 19 US population-based studies, including the 1997-2013 National Health Interview Survey and the 2003/4 and 2007/8 National Survey of Children's Health. In multivariate models, controlling for age, demographic factors, healthcare utilization, and history of eczema, lifetime history of asthma (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.18 [1.04-1.34], p = 0.01), and one-year history of hay fever (1.44 [1.28-1.62], p < 0.0001) and food allergy (1.35 [1.13-1.62], p = 0.001) were associated with increased odds of speech disorder. Children with current (1.37 [1.15-1.59] p = 0.0003) but not past (p = 0.06) asthma had increased risk of speech disorder. In one study that assessed caregiver-reported asthma severity, mild (1.58 [1.20-2.08], p = 0.001) and moderate (2.99 [1.54-3.41], p < 0.0001) asthma were associated with increased odds of speech disorder; however, severe asthma was associated with the highest odds of speech disorder (5.70 [2.36-13.78], p = 0.0001). Childhood asthma, hay fever, and food allergy are associated with increased risk of speech disorder. Future prospective studies are needed to characterize the associations. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Dimensions of Early Speech Sound Disorders: A Factor Analytic Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Barbara A.; Freebairn, Lisa A.; Hansen, Amy J.; Stein, Catherine M.; Shriberg, Lawrence D.; Iyengar, Sudha K.; Taylor, H. Gerry

2006-01-01

The goal of this study was to classify children with speech sound disorders (SSD) empirically, using factor analytic techniques. Participants were 3-7-year olds enrolled in speech/language therapy (N=185). Factor analysis of an extensive battery of speech and language measures provided support for two distinct factors, representing the skill…

Central Timing Deficits in Subtypes of Primary Speech Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peter, Beate; Stoel-Gammon, Carol

2008-01-01

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a proposed speech disorder subtype that interferes with motor planning and/or programming, affecting prosody in many cases. Pilot data (Peter & Stoel-Gammon, 2005) were consistent with the notion that deficits in timing accuracy in speech and music-related tasks may be associated with CAS. This study…

Treatment of Children with Speech Oral Placement Disorders (OPDs): A Paradigm Emerges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bahr, Diane; Rosenfeld-Johnson, Sara

2010-01-01

Epidemiological research was used to develop the Speech Disorders Classification System (SDCS). The SDCS is an important speech diagnostic paradigm in the field of speech-language pathology. This paradigm could be expanded and refined to also address treatment while meeting the standards of evidence-based practice. The article assists that process…

Between-Word Simplification Patterns in the Continuous Speech of Children with Speech Sound Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klein, Harriet B.; Liu-Shea, May

2009-01-01

Purpose: This study was designed to identify and describe between-word simplification patterns in the continuous speech of children with speech sound disorders. It was hypothesized that word combinations would reveal phonological changes that were unobserved with single words, possibly accounting for discrepancies between the intelligibility of…

Identifying Residual Speech Sound Disorders in Bilingual Children: A Japanese-English Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preston, Jonathan L.; Seki, Ayumi

2011-01-01

Purpose: To describe (a) the assessment of residual speech sound disorders (SSDs) in bilinguals by distinguishing speech patterns associated with second language acquisition from patterns associated with misarticulations and (b) how assessment of domains such as speech motor control and phonological awareness can provide a more complete…

International aspirations for speech-language pathologists' practice with multilingual children with speech sound disorders: development of a position paper.

PubMed

McLeod, Sharynne; Verdon, Sarah; Bowen, Caroline

2013-01-01

A major challenge for the speech-language pathology profession in many cultures is to address the mismatch between the "linguistic homogeneity of the speech-language pathology profession and the linguistic diversity of its clientele" (Caesar & Kohler, 2007, p. 198). This paper outlines the development of the Multilingual Children with Speech Sound Disorders: Position Paper created to guide speech-language pathologists' (SLPs') facilitation of multilingual children's speech. An international expert panel was assembled comprising 57 researchers (SLPs, linguists, phoneticians, and speech scientists) with knowledge about multilingual children's speech, or children with speech sound disorders. Combined, they had worked in 33 countries and used 26 languages in professional practice. Fourteen panel members met for a one-day workshop to identify key points for inclusion in the position paper. Subsequently, 42 additional panel members participated online to contribute to drafts of the position paper. A thematic analysis was undertaken of the major areas of discussion using two data sources: (a) face-to-face workshop transcript (133 pages) and (b) online discussion artifacts (104 pages). Finally, a moderator with international expertise in working with children with speech sound disorders facilitated the incorporation of the panel's recommendations. The following themes were identified: definitions, scope, framework, evidence, challenges, practices, and consideration of a multilingual audience. The resulting position paper contains guidelines for providing services to multilingual children with speech sound disorders (http://www.csu.edu.au/research/multilingual-speech/position-paper). The paper is structured using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: Children and Youth Version (World Health Organization, 2007) and incorporates recommendations for (a) children and families, (b) SLPs' assessment and intervention, (c) SLPs' professional practice, and (d) SLPs' collaboration with other professionals. Readers will 1. recognize that multilingual children with speech sound disorders have both similar and different needs to monolingual children when working with speech-language pathologists. 2. Describe the challenges for speech-language pathologists who work with multilingual children. 3. Recall the importance of cultural competence for speech-language pathologists. 4. Identify methods for international collaboration and consultation. 5. Recognize the importance of engaging with families and people within their local communities for supporting multilingual children in context. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sensorimotor speech disorders in Parkinson's disease: Programming and execution deficits.

PubMed

Ortiz, Karin Zazo; Brabo, Natalia Casagrande; Minett, Thais Soares C

2016-01-01

Dysfunction in the basal ganglia circuits is a determining factor in the physiopathology of the classic signs of Parkinson's disease (PD) and hypokinetic dysarthria is commonly related to PD. Regarding speech disorders associated with PD, the latest four-level framework of speech complicates the traditional view of dysarthria as a motor execution disorder. Based on findings that dysfunctions in basal ganglia can cause speech disorders, and on the premise that the speech deficits seen in PD are not related to an execution motor disorder alone but also to a disorder at the motor programming level, the main objective of this study was to investigate the presence of sensorimotor disorders of programming (besides the execution disorders previously described) in PD patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 60 adults matched for gender, age and education: 30 adult patients diagnosed with idiopathic PD (PDG) and 30 healthy adults (CG). All types of articulation errors were reanalyzed to investigate the nature of these errors. Interjections, hesitations and repetitions of words or sentences (during discourse) were considered typical disfluencies; blocking, episodes of palilalia (words or syllables) were analyzed as atypical disfluencies. We analysed features including successive self-initiated trial, phoneme distortions, self-correction, repetition of sounds and syllables, prolonged movement transitions, additions or omissions of sounds and syllables, in order to identify programming and/or execution failures. Orofacial agility was also investigated. The PDG had worse performance on all sensorimotor speech tasks. All PD patients had hypokinetic dysarthria. The clinical characteristics found suggest both execution and programming sensorimotor speech disorders in PD patients.

Central timing deficits in subtypes of primary speech disorders.

PubMed

Peter, Beate; Stoel-Gammon, Carol

2008-03-01

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a proposed speech disorder subtype that interferes with motor planning and/or programming, affecting prosody in many cases. Pilot data (Peter & Stoel-Gammon, 2005) were consistent with the notion that deficits in timing accuracy in speech and music-related tasks may be associated with CAS. This study replicated and expanded earlier findings. Eleven children with speech disorders and age-and gender-matched controls participated in non-word imitation, clapped rhythm imitation, and paced repetitive tapping tasks. Results suggest a central timing deficit, expressed in both the oral and the limb modality, and observable in two different types of timing measures, overall rhythmic structures and small-scale durations. Associations among timing measures were strongest in the participants with speech disorders, who also showed lower timing accuracy than the controls in all measures. The number of observed CAS characteristics was associated with timing deficits.

Attitudes toward speech disorders: sampling the views of Cantonese-speaking Americans.

PubMed

Bebout, L; Arthur, B

1997-01-01

Speech-language pathologists who serve clients from cultural backgrounds that are not familiar to them may encounter culturally influenced attitudinal differences. A questionnaire with statements about 4 speech disorders (dysfluency, cleft pallet, speech of the deaf, and misarticulations) was given to a focus group of Chinese Americans and a comparison group of non-Chinese Americans. The focus group was much more likely to believe that persons with speech disorders could improve their own speech by "trying hard," was somewhat more likely to say that people who use deaf speech and people with cleft palates might be "emotionally disturbed," and generally more likely to view deaf speech as a limitation. The comparison group was more pessimistic about stuttering children's acceptance by their peers than was the focus group. The two subject groups agreed about other items, such as the likelihood that older children with articulation problems are "less intelligent" than their peers.

The impact of demographic and socio-economic conditions on the prevalence of speech disorders in preschool children in Bitola.

PubMed

Rajchanovska, Domnika; Ivanovska, Beti Zaifirova

2015-01-01

Speech development in preschool children should be consistent with a child's overall development. However, disorders of speech in childhood are not uncommon. The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of demographic and socio-economic conditions on the prevalence of speech disorders in preschool children in Bitola. The study is observational and prospective with two years duration. During the period from May 2009 to June 2011, 1607 children aged 3 and 5 years, who came for regular examinations, were observed. The following research methods were applied: pediatric examination, psychological testing (Test of Chuturik), interviews with parents and a questionnaire for behavior of children (Child Behavior Checklist - CBCL). 1,607 children were analyzed, 772 aged three years, 835 aged five years, 51.65% male and 49.35% female.The prevalence of speech disorders was 37.65%. Statistical analysis showed that these disorders were more frequent in three years old children, males living in rural areas and in larger families.They did not have their own rooms at home, they were using mobile phones and were spending many hours per day watching television, (p<0.01). Also, children whose parents had lower levels of education and were engaged in agriculture, often had significant speech disorders, (p<0.01). Speech disorders in preschool children in Bitola have a high prevalence. Because of their influence on later cognitive development of children, the process requires cooperation among parents, children, speech and the audiologist with the significant role in prevention, early detection and treatment.

Patterns of Post-Stroke Brain Damage that Predict Speech Production Errors in Apraxia of Speech and Aphasia Dissociate

PubMed Central

Basilakos, Alexandra; Rorden, Chris; Bonilha, Leonardo; Moser, Dana; Fridriksson, Julius

2015-01-01

Background and Purpose Acquired apraxia of speech (AOS) is a motor speech disorder caused by brain damage. AOS often co-occurs with aphasia, a language disorder in which patients may also demonstrate speech production errors. The overlap of speech production deficits in both disorders has raised questions regarding if AOS emerges from a unique pattern of brain damage or as a sub-element of the aphasic syndrome. The purpose of this study was to determine whether speech production errors in AOS and aphasia are associated with distinctive patterns of brain injury. Methods Forty-three patients with history of a single left-hemisphere stroke underwent comprehensive speech and language testing. The Apraxia of Speech Rating Scale was used to rate speech errors specific to AOS versus speech errors that can also be associated with AOS and/or aphasia. Localized brain damage was identified using structural MRI, and voxel-based lesion-impairment mapping was used to evaluate the relationship between speech errors specific to AOS, those that can occur in AOS and/or aphasia, and brain damage. Results The pattern of brain damage associated with AOS was most strongly associated with damage to cortical motor regions, with additional involvement of somatosensory areas. Speech production deficits that could be attributed to AOS and/or aphasia were associated with damage to the temporal lobe and the inferior pre-central frontal regions. Conclusion AOS likely occurs in conjunction with aphasia due to the proximity of the brain areas supporting speech and language, but the neurobiological substrate for each disorder differs. PMID:25908457

Auditory-Perceptual Assessment of Fluency in Typical and Neurologically Disordered Speech

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Penttilä, Nelly; Korpijaakko-Huuhka, Anna-Maija; Kent, Ray D.

2018-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate how speech fluency in typical and atypical speech is perceptually assessed by speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Our research questions were as follows: (a) How do SLPs rate fluency in speakers with and without neurological communication disorders? (b) Do they differentiate the speaker groups? and…

The Hypothesis of Apraxia of Speech in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shriberg, Lawrence D.; Paul, Rhea; Black, Lois M.; van Santen, Jan P.

2011-01-01

In a sample of 46 children aged 4-7 years with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and intelligible speech, there was no statistical support for the hypothesis of concomitant Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). Perceptual and acoustic measures of participants' speech, prosody, and voice were compared with data from 40 typically-developing children, 13…

The Clinical Practice of Speech and Language Therapists with Children with Phonologically Based Speech Sound Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliveira, Carla; Lousada, Marisa; Jesus, Luis M. T.

2015-01-01

Children with speech sound disorders (SSD) represent a large number of speech and language therapists' caseloads. The intervention with children who have SSD can involve different therapy approaches, and these may be articulatory or phonologically based. Some international studies reveal a widespread application of articulatory based approaches in…

The Performance of Preschoolers with Speech/Language Disorders on the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, Robert L.; And Others

1992-01-01

Administered McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities to preschool children of normal intelligence with (n=25) and without (n=25) speech/language disorders. Speech/language disorders group had significantly lower scores on all scales except Motor; showed difficulty in short-term auditory memory skills but not in visual memory skills; and had…

Patterns of poststroke brain damage that predict speech production errors in apraxia of speech and aphasia dissociate.

PubMed

Basilakos, Alexandra; Rorden, Chris; Bonilha, Leonardo; Moser, Dana; Fridriksson, Julius

2015-06-01

Acquired apraxia of speech (AOS) is a motor speech disorder caused by brain damage. AOS often co-occurs with aphasia, a language disorder in which patients may also demonstrate speech production errors. The overlap of speech production deficits in both disorders has raised questions on whether AOS emerges from a unique pattern of brain damage or as a subelement of the aphasic syndrome. The purpose of this study was to determine whether speech production errors in AOS and aphasia are associated with distinctive patterns of brain injury. Forty-three patients with history of a single left-hemisphere stroke underwent comprehensive speech and language testing. The AOS Rating Scale was used to rate speech errors specific to AOS versus speech errors that can also be associated with both AOS and aphasia. Localized brain damage was identified using structural magnetic resonance imaging, and voxel-based lesion-impairment mapping was used to evaluate the relationship between speech errors specific to AOS, those that can occur in AOS or aphasia, and brain damage. The pattern of brain damage associated with AOS was most strongly associated with damage to cortical motor regions, with additional involvement of somatosensory areas. Speech production deficits that could be attributed to AOS or aphasia were associated with damage to the temporal lobe and the inferior precentral frontal regions. AOS likely occurs in conjunction with aphasia because of the proximity of the brain areas supporting speech and language, but the neurobiological substrate for each disorder differs. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.

Community Health Workers perceptions in relation to speech and language disorders.

PubMed

Knochenhauer, Carla Cristina Lins Santos; Vianna, Karina Mary de Paiva

2016-01-01

To know the perception of the Community Health Workers (CHW) about the speech and language disorders. Cross-sectional study, which involved a questionnaire with questions related to the knowledge of CHW on speech and language disorders. The research was carried out with CHW allocated in the Centro Sanitary District of Florianópolis. We interviewed 35 CHW, being mostly (80%) female gender, with a average age of 47 years (standard deviation = 2.09 years). From the total number of interviewed professionals, 57% said that they knew the work of the speech therapist, 57% believe that there is no relationship between chronic diseases and speech therapy and 97% who think the participation of Speech, Hearing and Language Sciences is important in primary care. As for capacity development, 88% of CHW claim not to have had any training performed by a speech therapist, 75% of professionals stated they had done the training Estratégia Amamenta e Alimenta Brasil, 57% of the Programa Capital Criança and 41% of the Programa Capital Idoso. The knowledge of CHW about the work of a speech therapist is still limited, but the importance of speech and language disorders is recognized in primary care. The lack of knowledge, with regard to speech and language disorders, may be related to lack of qualification of the CHW in actions and/or continuing education courses that could clarify and educate these professionals to identify and better educate the population in their home visits. This study highlights the need for further research on training actions of these professionals.

Bipolar Disorder in Children: Implications for Speech-Language Pathologists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quattlebaum, Patricia D.; Grier, Betsy C.; Klubnik, Cynthia

2012-01-01

In the United States, bipolar disorder is an increasingly common diagnosis in children, and these children can present with severe behavior problems and emotionality. Many studies have documented the frequent coexistence of behavior disorders and speech-language disorders. Like other children with behavior disorders, children with bipolar disorder…

Sensorimotor speech disorders in Parkinson's disease: Programming and execution deficits

PubMed Central

Ortiz, Karin Zazo; Brabo, Natalia Casagrande; Minett, Thais Soares C.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Introduction: Dysfunction in the basal ganglia circuits is a determining factor in the physiopathology of the classic signs of Parkinson's disease (PD) and hypokinetic dysarthria is commonly related to PD. Regarding speech disorders associated with PD, the latest four-level framework of speech complicates the traditional view of dysarthria as a motor execution disorder. Based on findings that dysfunctions in basal ganglia can cause speech disorders, and on the premise that the speech deficits seen in PD are not related to an execution motor disorder alone but also to a disorder at the motor programming level, the main objective of this study was to investigate the presence of sensorimotor disorders of programming (besides the execution disorders previously described) in PD patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 60 adults matched for gender, age and education: 30 adult patients diagnosed with idiopathic PD (PDG) and 30 healthy adults (CG). All types of articulation errors were reanalyzed to investigate the nature of these errors. Interjections, hesitations and repetitions of words or sentences (during discourse) were considered typical disfluencies; blocking, episodes of palilalia (words or syllables) were analyzed as atypical disfluencies. We analysed features including successive self-initiated trial, phoneme distortions, self-correction, repetition of sounds and syllables, prolonged movement transitions, additions or omissions of sounds and syllables, in order to identify programming and/or execution failures. Orofacial agility was also investigated. Results: The PDG had worse performance on all sensorimotor speech tasks. All PD patients had hypokinetic dysarthria. Conclusion: The clinical characteristics found suggest both execution and programming sensorimotor speech disorders in PD patients. PMID:29213457

Speech Abilities in Preschool Children with Speech Sound Disorder with and without Co-Occurring Language Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macrae, Toby; Tyler, Ann A.

2014-01-01

Purpose: The authors compared preschool children with co-occurring speech sound disorder (SSD) and language impairment (LI) to children with SSD only in their numbers and types of speech sound errors. Method: In this post hoc quasi-experimental study, independent samples t tests were used to compare the groups in the standard score from different…

Preschool Speech Error Patterns Predict Articulation and Phonological Awareness Outcomes in Children with Histories of Speech Sound Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preston, Jonathan L.; Hull, Margaret; Edwards, Mary Louise

2013-01-01

Purpose: To determine if speech error patterns in preschoolers with speech sound disorders (SSDs) predict articulation and phonological awareness (PA) outcomes almost 4 years later. Method: Twenty-five children with histories of preschool SSDs (and normal receptive language) were tested at an average age of 4;6 (years;months) and were followed up…

Stability and Composition of Functional Synergies for Speech Movements in Children with Developmental Speech Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terband, H.; Maassen, B.; van Lieshout, P.; Nijland, L.

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the consistency and composition of functional synergies for speech movements in children with developmental speech disorders. Kinematic data were collected on the reiterated productions of syllables spa(/spa[image omitted]/) and paas(/pa[image omitted]s/) by 10 6- to 9-year-olds with developmental speech…

Audiovisual Speech Perception in Children with Developmental Language Disorder in Degraded Listening Conditions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meronen, Auli; Tiippana, Kaisa; Westerholm, Jari; Ahonen, Timo

2013-01-01

Purpose: The effect of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) on the perception of audiovisual speech in children with and without developmental language disorder (DLD) was investigated by varying the noise level and the sound intensity of acoustic speech. The main hypotheses were that the McGurk effect (in which incongruent visual speech alters the…

Speech problems affect more than one in two children with cerebral palsy: Swedish population-based study.

PubMed

Nordberg, A; Miniscalco, C; Lohmander, A; Himmelmann, K

2013-02-01

To describe speech ability in a population-based study of children with cerebral palsy (CP), in relation to CP subtype, motor function, cognitive level and neuroimaging findings. A retrospective chart review of 129 children (66 girls, 63 boys) with CP, born in 1999-2002, was carried out. Speech ability and background information, such as type of CP, motor function, cognitive level and neuroimaging data, were collected and analysed. Speech disorders were found in 21% of the children and were present in all types of CP. Forty-one per cent of the children with speech disorders also had mental retardation, and 42% were able to walk independently. A further 32% of the children were nonverbal, and maldevelopment and basal ganglia lesions were most common in this group. The remaining 47% had no speech disorders, and this group was most likely to display white matter lesions of immaturity. More than half of the children in this CP cohort had a speech disorder (21%) or were nonverbal (32%). Speech ability was related to the type of CP, gross motor function, the presence of mental retardation and the localization of brain maldevelopment and lesions. Neuroimaging results differed between the three speech ability groups. ©2012 The Author(s)/Acta Paediatrica ©2012 Foundation Acta Paediatrica.

Intensive treatment of speech disorders in robin sequence: a case report.

PubMed

Pinto, Maria Daniela Borro; Pegoraro-Krook, Maria Inês; Andrade, Laura Katarine Félix de; Correa, Ana Paula Carvalho; Rosa-Lugo, Linda Iris; Dutka, Jeniffer de Cássia Rillo

2017-10-23

To describe the speech of a patient with Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS) and severe speech disorders before and after participating in an Intensive Speech Therapy Program (ISTP). The ISTP consisted of two daily sessions of therapy over a 36-week period, resulting in a total of 360 therapy sessions. The sessions included the phases of establishment, generalization, and maintenance. A combination of strategies, such as modified contrast therapy and speech sound perception training, were used to elicit adequate place of articulation. The ISTP addressed correction of place of production of oral consonants and maximization of movement of the pharyngeal walls with a speech bulb reduction program. Therapy targets were addressed at the phonetic level with a gradual increase in the complexity of the productions hierarchically (e.g., syllables, words, phrases, conversation) while simultaneously addressing the velopharyngeal hypodynamism with speech bulb reductions. Re-evaluation after the ISTP revealed normal speech resonance and articulation with the speech bulb. Nasoendoscopic assessment indicated consistent velopharyngeal closure for all oral sounds with the speech bulb in place. Intensive speech therapy, combined with the use of the speech bulb, yielded positive outcomes in the rehabilitation of a clinical case with severe speech disorders associated with velopharyngeal dysfunction in Pierre Robin Sequence.

Factors Influencing School-Based Speech and Language Pathologists in the Selection of Communication Assessments for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Why We Do What We Do

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwartz, Lorna T.

2010-01-01

Speech and language pathologists (SLPs) are collaborators in a diagnostic process that reflects an increasing number of referrals of children with autism spectrums disorders (ASD). Also, current practices leading to the remediation of speech and language disorders have come under scrutiny for limitations in effective carryover of targeted goals…

Sensory integration dysfunction affects efficacy of speech therapy on children with functional articulation disorders.

PubMed

Tung, Li-Chen; Lin, Chin-Kai; Hsieh, Ching-Lin; Chen, Ching-Chi; Huang, Chin-Tsan; Wang, Chun-Hou

2013-01-01

Articulation disorders in young children are due to defects occurring at a certain stage in sensory and motor development. Some children with functional articulation disorders may also have sensory integration dysfunction (SID). We hypothesized that speech therapy would be less efficacious in children with SID than in those without SID. Hence, the purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of speech therapy in two groups of children with functional articulation disorders: those without and those with SID. A total of 30 young children with functional articulation disorders were divided into two groups, the no-SID group (15 children) and the SID group (15 children). The number of pronunciation mistakes was evaluated before and after speech therapy. There were no statistically significant differences in age, sex, sibling order, education of parents, and pretest number of mistakes in pronunciation between the two groups (P > 0.05). The mean and standard deviation in the pre- and post-test number of mistakes in pronunciation were 10.5 ± 3.2 and 3.3 ± 3.3 in the no-SID group, and 10.1 ± 2.9 and 6.9 ± 3.5 in the SID group, respectively. Results showed great changes after speech therapy treatment (F = 70.393; P < 0.001) and interaction between the pre/post speech therapy treatment and groups (F = 11.119; P = 0.002). Speech therapy can improve the articulation performance of children who have functional articulation disorders whether or not they have SID, but it results in significantly greater improvement in children without SID. SID may affect the treatment efficiency of speech therapy in young children with articulation disorders.

Sensory integration dysfunction affects efficacy of speech therapy on children with functional articulation disorders

PubMed Central

Tung, Li-Chen; Lin, Chin-Kai; Hsieh, Ching-Lin; Chen, Ching-Chi; Huang, Chin-Tsan; Wang, Chun-Hou

2013-01-01

Background Articulation disorders in young children are due to defects occurring at a certain stage in sensory and motor development. Some children with functional articulation disorders may also have sensory integration dysfunction (SID). We hypothesized that speech therapy would be less efficacious in children with SID than in those without SID. Hence, the purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of speech therapy in two groups of children with functional articulation disorders: those without and those with SID. Method: A total of 30 young children with functional articulation disorders were divided into two groups, the no-SID group (15 children) and the SID group (15 children). The number of pronunciation mistakes was evaluated before and after speech therapy. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in age, sex, sibling order, education of parents, and pretest number of mistakes in pronunciation between the two groups (P > 0.05). The mean and standard deviation in the pre- and post-test number of mistakes in pronunciation were 10.5 ± 3.2 and 3.3 ± 3.3 in the no-SID group, and 10.1 ± 2.9 and 6.9 ± 3.5 in the SID group, respectively. Results showed great changes after speech therapy treatment (F = 70.393; P < 0.001) and interaction between the pre/post speech therapy treatment and groups (F = 11.119; P = 0.002). Conclusions: Speech therapy can improve the articulation performance of children who have functional articulation disorders whether or not they have SID, but it results in significantly greater improvement in children without SID. SID may affect the treatment efficiency of speech therapy in young children with articulation disorders. PMID:23355780

How Can Comorbidity with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Aid Understanding of Language and Speech Disorders?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomblin, J. Bruce; Mueller, Kathyrn L.

2012-01-01

This article provides a background for the topic of comorbidity of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and spoken and written language and speech disorders that extends through this issue of "Topics in Language Disorders." Comorbidity is common within developmental disorders and may be explained by many possible reasons. Some of these can be…

Transitioning from analog to digital audio recording in childhood speech sound disorders.

PubMed

Shriberg, Lawrence D; McSweeny, Jane L; Anderson, Bruce E; Campbell, Thomas F; Chial, Michael R; Green, Jordan R; Hauner, Katherina K; Moore, Christopher A; Rusiewicz, Heather L; Wilson, David L

2005-06-01

Few empirical findings or technical guidelines are available on the current transition from analog to digital audio recording in childhood speech sound disorders. Of particular concern in the present context was whether a transition from analog- to digital-based transcription and coding of prosody and voice features might require re-standardizing a reference database for research in childhood speech sound disorders. Two research transcribers with different levels of experience glossed, transcribed, and prosody-voice coded conversational speech samples from eight children with mild to severe speech disorders of unknown origin. The samples were recorded, stored, and played back using representative analog and digital audio systems. Effect sizes calculated for an array of analog versus digital comparisons ranged from negligible to medium, with a trend for participants' speech competency scores to be slightly lower for samples obtained and transcribed using the digital system. We discuss the implications of these and other findings for research and clinical practise.

Transitioning from analog to digital audio recording in childhood speech sound disorders

PubMed Central

Shriberg, Lawrence D.; McSweeny, Jane L.; Anderson, Bruce E.; Campbell, Thomas F.; Chial, Michael R.; Green, Jordan R.; Hauner, Katherina K.; Moore, Christopher A.; Rusiewicz, Heather L.; Wilson, David L.

2014-01-01

Few empirical findings or technical guidelines are available on the current transition from analog to digital audio recording in childhood speech sound disorders. Of particular concern in the present context was whether a transition from analog- to digital-based transcription and coding of prosody and voice features might require re-standardizing a reference database for research in childhood speech sound disorders. Two research transcribers with different levels of experience glossed, transcribed, and prosody-voice coded conversational speech samples from eight children with mild to severe speech disorders of unknown origin. The samples were recorded, stored, and played back using representative analog and digital audio systems. Effect sizes calculated for an array of analog versus digital comparisons ranged from negligible to medium, with a trend for participants’ speech competency scores to be slightly lower for samples obtained and transcribed using the digital system. We discuss the implications of these and other findings for research and clinical practise. PMID:16019779

Prevalence and Phenotype of Childhood Apraxia of Speech In Youth with Galactosemia

PubMed Central

Shriberg, Lawrence D.; Potter, Nancy L.; Strand, Edythe A.

2010-01-01

Purpose We address the hypothesis that the severe and persistent speech disorder reported in persons with galactosemia meets contemporary diagnostic criteria for Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). A positive finding for CAS in this rare metabolic disorder has the potential to impact treatment of persons with galactosemia and inform explanatory perspectives on CAS in neurological, neurodevelopmental, and idiopathic contexts. Method Thirty-three youth with galactosemia and significant prior or persistent speech sound disorder were assessed in their homes in 17 states. Participants completed a protocol yielding information on their cognitive, structural, sensorimotor, language, speech, prosody, and voice status and function. Results Eight of the 33 participants (24%) met contemporary diagnostic criteria for CAS. Two participants, one of whom was among the 8 with CAS, met criteria for ataxic or hyperkinetic dysarthria. Group-wise findings for the remaining 24 participants are consistent with a classification category termed Motor Speech Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (MSD-NOS; Shriberg, Fourakis, et al., in press-a). Conclusion We estimate the prevalence of CAS in galactosemia at 18 per hundred, 180 times the estimated risk for idiopathic CAS. Findings support the need to study risk factors for the high occurrence of motor speech disorders in galactosemia, despite early compliant dietary management. PMID:20966389

Auditory evoked potentials: predicting speech therapy outcomes in children with phonological disorders.

PubMed

Leite, Renata Aparecida; Wertzner, Haydée Fiszbein; Gonçalves, Isabela Crivellaro; Magliaro, Fernanda Cristina Leite; Matas, Carla Gentile

2014-03-01

This study investigated whether neurophysiologic responses (auditory evoked potentials) differ between typically developed children and children with phonological disorders and whether these responses are modified in children with phonological disorders after speech therapy. The participants included 24 typically developing children (Control Group, mean age: eight years and ten months) and 23 children clinically diagnosed with phonological disorders (Study Group, mean age: eight years and eleven months). Additionally, 12 study group children were enrolled in speech therapy (Study Group 1), and 11 were not enrolled in speech therapy (Study Group 2). The subjects were submitted to the following procedures: conventional audiological, auditory brainstem response, auditory middle-latency response, and P300 assessments. All participants presented with normal hearing thresholds. The study group 1 subjects were reassessed after 12 speech therapy sessions, and the study group 2 subjects were reassessed 3 months after the initial assessment. Electrophysiological results were compared between the groups. Latency differences were observed between the groups (the control and study groups) regarding the auditory brainstem response and the P300 tests. Additionally, the P300 responses improved in the study group 1 children after speech therapy. The findings suggest that children with phonological disorders have impaired auditory brainstem and cortical region pathways that may benefit from speech therapy.

Temperament, Speech and Language: An Overview

PubMed Central

Conture, Edward G.; Kelly, Ellen M.; Walden, Tedra A.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this article is to discuss definitional and measurement issues as well as empirical evidence regarding temperament, especially with regard to children's (a)typical speech and language development. Although all ages are considered, there is a predominant focus on children. Evidence from considerable empirical research lends support to the association between temperament, childhood development and social competence. With regard to communication disorders, extant literature suggests that at least certain elements of temperament (e.g., attention regulation, inhibitory control) are associated with the presence of certain communication disorders. However, the precise nature of this association remains unclear. Three possible accounts of the association between temperament and speech-language disorder are presented. One, the disability model (i.e., certain disorders impact psychological processes leading to changes in these processes, personality, etc., Roy & Bless, 2000a) suggests speech-language disorders may lead to or cause changes in psychological or temperamental characteristics. The disability account cannot be categorically refuted based on currently available research findings. The (pre)dispositional or vulnerability model (i.e., certain psychological processes directly cause the disorder or indirectly modify the course or expression of the disorder, Roy & Bless, 2000a) suggests that psychological or temperamental characteristics may lead to or cause changes in speech-language disorders. The vulnerability account has received some empirical support with regard to stuttering and voice disorders but has not received widespread empirical testing for most speech-language disorders. A third, interaction account, suggests that “disability” and ““vulnerability” may both impact communication disorders in a complex, dynamically-changing manner, a possibility that must await further empirical study. Suggestions for future research directions are provided. PMID:23273707

Subtyping Children with Speech Sound Disorders by Endophenotypes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Barbara A.; Avrich, Allison A.; Freebairn, Lisa A.; Taylor, H. Gerry; Iyengar, Sudha K.; Stein, Catherine M.

2011-01-01

Purpose: The present study examined associations of 5 endophenotypes (i.e., measurable skills that are closely associated with speech sound disorders and are useful in detecting genetic influences on speech sound production), oral motor skills, phonological memory, phonological awareness, vocabulary, and speeded naming, with 3 clinical criteria…

Cognitive Flexibility in Children with and without Speech Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crosbie, Sharon; Holm, Alison; Dodd, Barbara

2009-01-01

Most children's speech difficulties are "functional" (i.e. no known sensory, motor or intellectual deficits). Speech disorder may, however, be associated with cognitive deficits considered core abilities in executive function: rule abstraction and cognitive flexibility. The study compares the rule abstraction and cognitive flexibility of…

Automatic detection of articulation disorders in children with cleft lip and palate.

PubMed

Maier, Andreas; Hönig, Florian; Bocklet, Tobias; Nöth, Elmar; Stelzle, Florian; Nkenke, Emeka; Schuster, Maria

2009-11-01

Speech of children with cleft lip and palate (CLP) is sometimes still disordered even after adequate surgical and nonsurgical therapies. Such speech shows complex articulation disorders, which are usually assessed perceptually, consuming time and manpower. Hence, there is a need for an easy to apply and reliable automatic method. To create a reference for an automatic system, speech data of 58 children with CLP were assessed perceptually by experienced speech therapists for characteristic phonetic disorders at the phoneme level. The first part of the article aims to detect such characteristics by a semiautomatic procedure and the second to evaluate a fully automatic, thus simple, procedure. The methods are based on a combination of speech processing algorithms. The semiautomatic method achieves moderate to good agreement (kappa approximately 0.6) for the detection of all phonetic disorders. On a speaker level, significant correlations between the perceptual evaluation and the automatic system of 0.89 are obtained. The fully automatic system yields a correlation on the speaker level of 0.81 to the perceptual evaluation. This correlation is in the range of the inter-rater correlation of the listeners. The automatic speech evaluation is able to detect phonetic disorders at an experts'level without any additional human postprocessing.

Nonspeech oral motor treatment issues related to children with developmental speech sound disorders.

PubMed

Ruscello, Dennis M

2008-07-01

This article examines nonspeech oral motor treatments (NSOMTs) in the population of clients with developmental speech sound disorders. NSOMTs are a collection of nonspeech methods and procedures that claim to influence tongue, lip, and jaw resting postures; increase strength; improve muscle tone; facilitate range of motion; and develop muscle control. In the case of developmental speech sound disorders, NSOMTs are employed before or simultaneous with actual speech production treatment. First, NSOMTs are defined for the reader, and there is a discussion of NSOMTs under the categories of active muscle exercise, passive muscle exercise, and sensory stimulation. Second, different theories underlying NSOMTs along with the implications of the theories are discussed. Finally, a review of pertinent investigations is presented. The application of NSOMTs is questionable due to a number of reservations that include (a) the implied cause of developmental speech sound disorders, (b) neurophysiologic differences between the limbs and oral musculature, (c) the development of new theories of movement and movement control, and (d) the paucity of research literature concerning NSOMTs. There is no substantive evidence to support NSOMTs as interventions for children with developmental speech sound disorders.

Speech-language pathology findings in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: a systematic literature review.

PubMed

Machado-Nascimento, Nárli; Melo E Kümmer, Arthur; Lemos, Stela Maris Aguiar

2016-01-01

To systematically review the scientific production on the relationship between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Speech-language Pathology and to methodologically analyze the observational studies on the theme. Systematic review of the literature conducted at the databases Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System online (MEDLINE, USA), Literature of Latin America and the Caribbean Health Sciences (LILACS, Brazil) and Spanish Bibliographic Index of Health Sciences (IBECS, Spain) using the descriptors: "Language", "Language Development", "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder", "ADHD" and "Auditory Perception". Articles published between 2008 and 2013. Inclusion criteria: full articles published in national and international journals from 2008 to 2013. Exclusion criteria: articles not focused on the speech-language pathology alterations present in the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The articles were read in full and the data were extracted for characterization of methodology and content. The 23 articles found were separated according to two themes: Speech-language Pathology and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The study of the scientific production revealed that the alterations most commonly discussed were reading disorders and that there are few reports on the relationship between auditory processing and these disorders, as well as on the role of the speech-language pathologist in the evaluation and treatment of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Listeners' Perceptions of Speech and Language Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allard, Emily R.; Williams, Dale F.

2008-01-01

Using semantic differential scales with nine trait pairs, 445 adults rated five audio-taped speech samples, one depicting an individual without a disorder and four portraying communication disorders. Statistical analyses indicated that the no disorder sample was rated higher with respect to the trait of employability than were the articulation,…

An Internet-Based Telerehabilitation System for the Assessment of Motor Speech Disorders: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Anne J.; Theodoros, Deborah G.; Russell, Trevor G.; Cahill, Louise M.; Ward, Elizabeth C.; Clark, Kathy M.

2006-01-01

Purpose: This pilot study explored the feasibility and effectiveness of an Internet-based telerehabilitation application for the assessment of motor speech disorders in adults with acquired neurological impairment. Method: Using a counterbalanced, repeated measures research design, 2 speech-language pathologists assessed 19 speakers with…

Speech–Language Pathology Evaluation and Management of Hyperkinetic Disorders Affecting Speech and Swallowing Function

PubMed Central

Barkmeier-Kraemer, Julie M.; Clark, Heather M.

2017-01-01

Background Hyperkinetic dysarthria is characterized by abnormal involuntary movements affecting respiratory, phonatory, and articulatory structures impacting speech and deglutition. Speech–language pathologists (SLPs) play an important role in the evaluation and management of dysarthria and dysphagia. This review describes the standard clinical evaluation and treatment approaches by SLPs for addressing impaired speech and deglutition in specific hyperkinetic dysarthria populations. Methods A literature review was conducted using the data sources of PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. Search terms included 1) hyperkinetic dysarthria, essential voice tremor, voice tremor, vocal tremor, spasmodic dysphonia, spastic dysphonia, oromandibular dystonia, Meige syndrome, orofacial, cervical dystonia, dystonia, dyskinesia, chorea, Huntington’s Disease, myoclonus; and evaluation/treatment terms: 2) Speech–Language Pathology, Speech Pathology, Evaluation, Assessment, Dysphagia, Swallowing, Treatment, Management, and diagnosis. Results The standard SLP clinical speech and swallowing evaluation of chorea/Huntington’s disease, myoclonus, focal and segmental dystonia, and essential vocal tremor typically includes 1) case history; 2) examination of the tone, symmetry, and sensorimotor function of the speech structures during non-speech, speech and swallowing relevant activities (i.e., cranial nerve assessment); 3) evaluation of speech characteristics; and 4) patient self-report of the impact of their disorder on activities of daily living. SLP management of individuals with hyperkinetic dysarthria includes behavioral and compensatory strategies for addressing compromised speech and intelligibility. Swallowing disorders are managed based on individual symptoms and the underlying pathophysiology determined during evaluation. Discussion SLPs play an important role in contributing to the differential diagnosis and management of impaired speech and deglutition associated with hyperkinetic disorders. PMID:28983422

What an otolaryngologist should know about evaluation of a child referred for delay in speech development.

PubMed

Tonn, Christopher R; Grundfast, Kenneth M

2014-03-01

Otolaryngologists are asked to evaluate children who a parent, physician, or someone else believes is slow in developing speech. Therefore, an otolaryngologist should be familiar with milestones for normal speech development, the causes of delay in speech development, and the best ways to help assure that children develop the ability to speak in a normal way. To provide information for otolaryngologists that is helpful in the evaluation and management of children perceived to be delayed in developing speech. Data were obtained via literature searches, online databases, textbooks, and the most recent national guidelines on topics including speech delay and language delay and the underlying disorders that can cause delay in developing speech. Emphasis was placed on epidemiology, pathophysiology, most common presentation, and treatment strategies. Most of the sources referenced were published within the past 5 years. Our article is a summary of major causes of speech delay based on reliable sources as listed herein. Speech delay can be the manifestation of a spectrum of disorders affecting the language comprehension and/or speech production pathways, ranging from disorders involving global developmental limitations to motor dysfunction to hearing loss. Determining the cause of a child's delay in speech production is a time-sensitive issue because a child loses valuable opportunities in intellectual development if his or her communication defect is not addressed and ameliorated with treatment. Knowing several key items about each disorder can help otolaryngologists direct families to the correct health care provider to maximize the child's learning potential and intellectual growth curve.

Speech and gait in Parkinson's disease: When rhythm matters.

PubMed

Ricciardi, Lucia; Ebreo, Michela; Graziosi, Adriana; Barbuto, Marianna; Sorbera, Chiara; Morgante, Letterio; Morgante, Francesca

2016-11-01

Speech disturbances in Parkinson's disease (PD) are heterogeneous, ranging from hypokinetic to hyperkinetic types. Repetitive speech disorder has been demonstrated in more advanced disease stages and has been considered the speech equivalent of freezing of gait (FOG). We aimed to verify a possible relationship between speech and FOG in patients with PD. Forty-three consecutive PD patients and 20 healthy control subjects underwent standardized speech evaluation using the Italian version of the Dysarthria Profile (DP), for its motor component, and subsets of the Battery for the Analysis of the Aphasic Deficit (BADA), for its procedural component. DP is a scale composed of 7 sub-sections assessing different features of speech; the rate/prosody section of DP includes items investigating the presence of repetitive speech disorder. Severity of FOG was evaluated with the new freezing of gait questionnaire (NFGQ). PD patients performed worse at DP and BADA compared to healthy controls; patients with FOG or with Hoehn-Yahr >2 reported lower scores in the articulation, intellibility, rate/prosody sections of DP and in the semantic verbal fluency test. Logistic regression analysis showed that only age and rate/prosody scores were significantly associated to FOG in PD. Multiple regression analysis showed that only the severity of FOG was associated to rate/prosody score. Our data demonstrate that repetitive speech disorder is related to FOG and is associated to advanced disease stages and independent of disease duration. Speech dysfluency represents a disorder of motor speech control, possibly sharing pathophysiological mechanisms with FOG. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multilevel Analysis in Analyzing Speech Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guddattu, Vasudeva; Krishna, Y.

2011-01-01

The speech produced by human vocal tract is a complex acoustic signal, with diverse applications in phonetics, speech synthesis, automatic speech recognition, speaker identification, communication aids, speech pathology, speech perception, machine translation, hearing research, rehabilitation and assessment of communication disorders and many…

Untrained listeners' ratings of speech disorders in a group with cleft palate: a comparison with speech and language pathologists' ratings.

PubMed

Brunnegård, Karin; Lohmander, Anette; van Doorn, Jan

2009-01-01

Hypernasal resonance, audible nasal air emission and/or nasal turbulence, and articulation errors are typical speech disorders associated with the speech of children with cleft lip and palate. Several studies indicate that hypernasal resonance tends to be perceived negatively by listeners. Most perceptual studies of speech disorders related to cleft palate are carried out with speech and language pathologists as listeners, whereas only a few studies have been conducted to explore how judgements by untrained listeners compare with expert assessments. These types of studies can be used to determine whether children for whom speech and language pathologists recommend intervention have a significant speech deviance that is also detected by untrained listeners. To compare ratings by untrained listeners with ratings by speech and language pathologists for cleft palate speech. An assessment form for untrained listeners was developed using statements and a five-point scale. The assessment form was tailored to facilitate comparison with expert judgements. Twenty-eight untrained listeners assessed the speech of 26 speakers with cleft palate and ten speakers without cleft in a comparison group. This assessment was compared with the joint assessment of two expert speech and language pathologists. Listener groups generally agreed on which speakers were nasal. The untrained listeners detected hyper- and hyponasality when it was present in speech and considered moderate to severe hypernasality to be serious enough to call for intervention. The expert listeners assessed audible nasal air emission and/or nasal turbulence to be present in twice as many speakers as the untrained listeners who were much less sensitive to audible nasal air emission and/or nasal turbulence. The results of untrained listeners' ratings in this study in the main confirm the ratings of speech and language pathologists and show that cleft palate speech disorders may have an impact in the everyday life of the speaker.

Speech and swallowing disorders in Parkinson disease.

PubMed

Sapir, Shimon; Ramig, Lorraine; Fox, Cynthia

2008-06-01

To review recent research and clinical studies pertaining to the nature, diagnosis, and treatment of speech and swallowing disorders in Parkinson disease. Although some studies indicate improvement in voice and speech with dopamine therapy and deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus, others show minimal or adverse effects. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the mouth motor cortex and injection of collagen in the vocal folds have preliminary data supporting improvement in phonation in people with Parkinson disease. Treatments focusing on vocal loudness, specifically LSVT LOUD (Lee Silverman Voice Treatment), have been effective for the treatment of speech disorders in Parkinson disease. Changes in brain activity due to LSVT LOUD provide preliminary evidence for neural plasticity. Computer-based technology makes the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment available to a large number of users. A rat model for studying neuropharmacologic effects on vocalization in Parkinson disease has been developed. New diagnostic methods of speech and swallowing are also available as the result of recent studies. Speech rehabilitation with the LSVT LOUD is highly efficacious and scientifically tested. There is a need for more studies to improve understanding, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of speech and swallowing disorders in Parkinson disease.

Rhythm as a Coordinating Device: Entrainment With Disordered Speech

PubMed Central

Borrie, Stephanie A.; Liss, Julie M.

2014-01-01

Purpose The rhythmic entrainment (coordination) of behavior during human interaction is a powerful phenomenon, considered essential for successful communication, supporting social and emotional connection, and facilitating sense-making and information exchange. Disruption in entrainment likely occurs in conversations involving those with speech and language impairment, but its contribution to communication disorders has not been defined. As a first step to exploring this phenomenon in clinical populations, the present investigation examined the influence of disordered speech on the speech production properties of healthy interactants. Method Twenty-nine neurologically healthy interactants participated in a quasi-conversational paradigm, in which they read sentences (response) in response to hearing prerecorded sentences (exposure) from speakers with dysarthria (n = 4) and healthy controls (n = 4). Recordings of read sentences prior to the task were also collected (habitual). Results Findings revealed that interactants modified their speaking rate and pitch variation to align more closely with the disordered speech. Production shifts in these rhythmic properties, however, remained significantly different from corresponding properties in dysarthric speech. Conclusion Entrainment offers a new avenue for exploring speech and language impairment, addressing a communication process not currently explained by existing frameworks. This article offers direction for advancing this line of inquiry. PMID:24686410

Construct-related validity of the TOCS measures: comparison of intelligibility and speaking rate scores in children with and without speech disorders.

PubMed

Hodge, Megan M; Gotzke, Carrie L

2014-01-01

This study evaluated construct-related validity of the Test of Children's Speech (TOCS). Intelligibility scores obtained using open-set word identification tasks (orthographic transcription) for the TOCS word and sentence tests and rate scores for the TOCS sentence test (words per minute or WPM and intelligible words per minute or IWPM) were compared for a group of 15 adults (18-30 years of age) with normal speech production and three groups of children: 48 3-6 year-olds with typical speech development and neurological histories (TDS), 48 3-6 year-olds with a speech sound disorder of unknown origin and no identified neurological impairment (SSD-UNK), and 22 3-10 year-olds with dysarthria and cerebral palsy (DYS). As expected, mean intelligibility scores and rates increased with age in the TDS group. However, word test intelligibility, WPM and IWPM scores for the 6 year-olds in the TDS group were significantly lower than those for the adults. The DYS group had significantly lower word and sentence test intelligibility and WPM and IWPM scores than the TDS and SSD-UNK groups. Compared to the TDS group, the SSD-UNK group also had significantly lower intelligibility scores for the word and sentence tests, and significantly lower IWPM, but not WPM scores on the sentence test. The results support the construct-related validity of TOCS as a tool for obtaining intelligibility and rate scores that are sensitive to group differences in 3-6 year-old children, with and without speech sound disorders, and to 3+ year-old children with speech disorders, with and without dysarthria. Readers will describe the word and sentence intelligibility and speaking rate performance of children with typically developing speech at age levels of 3, 4, 5 and 6 years, as measured by the Test of Children's Speech, and how these compare with adult speakers and two groups of children with speech disorders. They will also recognize what measures on this test differentiate children with speech sound disorders of unknown origin from children with cerebral palsy and dysarthria. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Behavioral and neurobiological correlates of childhood apraxia of speech in Italian children.

PubMed

Chilosi, Anna Maria; Lorenzini, Irene; Fiori, Simona; Graziosi, Valentina; Rossi, Giuseppe; Pasquariello, Rosa; Cipriani, Paola; Cioni, Giovanni

2015-11-01

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a neurogenic Speech Sound Disorder whose etiology and neurobiological correlates are still unclear. In the present study, 32 Italian children with idiopathic CAS underwent a comprehensive speech and language, genetic and neuroradiological investigation aimed to gather information on the possible behavioral and neurobiological markers of the disorder. The results revealed four main aggregations of behavioral symptoms that indicate a multi-deficit disorder involving both motor-speech and language competence. Six children presented with chromosomal alterations. The familial aggregation rate for speech and language difficulties and the male to female ratio were both very high in the whole sample, supporting the hypothesis that genetic factors make substantial contribution to the risk of CAS. As expected in accordance with the diagnosis of idiopathic CAS, conventional MRI did not reveal macrostructural pathogenic neuroanatomical abnormalities, suggesting that CAS may be due to brain microstructural alterations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Phonological Encoding in Speech-Sound Disorder: Evidence from a Cross-Modal Priming Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Munson, Benjamin; Krause, Miriam O. P.

2017-01-01

Background: Psycholinguistic models of language production provide a framework for determining the locus of language breakdown that leads to speech-sound disorder (SSD) in children. Aims: To examine whether children with SSD differ from their age-matched peers with typical speech and language development (TD) in the ability phonologically to…

Brainstem Transcription of Speech Is Disrupted in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russo, Nicole; Nicol, Trent; Trommer, Barbara; Zecker, Steve; Kraus, Nina

2009-01-01

Language impairment is a hallmark of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The origin of the deficit is poorly understood although deficiencies in auditory processing have been detected in both perception and cortical encoding of speech sounds. Little is known about the processing and transcription of speech sounds at earlier (brainstem) levels or…

Evidence-Based Practice for Children with Speech Sound Disorders: Part 1 Narrative Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Elise; McLeod, Sharynne

2011-01-01

Purpose: This article provides a comprehensive narrative review of intervention studies for children with speech sound disorders (SSD). Its companion paper (Baker & McLeod, 2011) provides a tutorial and clinical example of how speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can engage in evidence-based practice (EBP) for this clinical population. Method:…

Effects of Background Noise on Cortical Encoding of Speech in Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russo, Nicole; Zecker, Steven; Trommer, Barbara; Chen, Julia; Kraus, Nina

2009-01-01

This study provides new evidence of deficient auditory cortical processing of speech in noise in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Speech-evoked responses (approximately 100-300 ms) in quiet and background noise were evaluated in typically-developing (TD) children and children with ASD. ASD responses showed delayed timing (both conditions) and…

76 FR 66734 - National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Draft 2012-2016 Strategic Plan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-27

... areas of hearing and balance; smell and taste; and voice, speech, and language. The Strategic Plan... research training in the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech... into three program areas: Hearing and balance; smell and taste; and voice, speech, and language. The...

Dynamic Assessment of Phonological Awareness for Children with Speech Sound Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillam, Sandra Laing; Ford, Mikenzi Bentley

2012-01-01

The current study was designed to examine the relationships between performance on a nonverbal phoneme deletion task administered in a dynamic assessment format with performance on measures of phoneme deletion, word-level reading, and speech sound production that required verbal responses for school-age children with speech sound disorders (SSDs).…

"The Caterpillar": A Novel Reading Passage for Assessment of Motor Speech Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patel, Rupal; Connaghan, Kathryn; Franco, Diana; Edsall, Erika; Forgit, Dory; Olsen, Laura; Ramage, Lianna; Tyler, Emily; Russell, Scott

2013-01-01

Purpose: A review of the salient characteristics of motor speech disorders and common assessment protocols revealed the need for a novel reading passage tailored specifically to differentiate between and among the dysarthrias (DYSs) and apraxia of speech (AOS). Method: "The Caterpillar" passage was designed to provide a contemporary, easily read,…

Profile of Australian Preschool Children with Speech Sound Disorders at Risk for Literacy Difficulties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLeod, Sharynne; Crowe, Kathryn; Masso, Sarah; Baker, Elise; McCormack, Jane; Wren, Yvonne; Roulstone, Susan; Howland, Charlotte

2017-01-01

Speech sound disorders are a common communication difficulty in preschool children. Teachers indicate difficulty identifying and supporting these children. The aim of this research was to describe speech and language characteristics of children identified by their parents and/or teachers as having possible communication concerns. 275 Australian 4-…

Impairments of Speech Fluency in Lewy Body Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ash, Sharon; McMillan, Corey; Gross, Rachel G.; Cook, Philip; Gunawardena, Delani; Morgan, Brianna; Boller, Ashley; Siderowf, Andrew; Grossman, Murray

2012-01-01

Few studies have examined connected speech in demented and non-demented patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). We assessed the speech production of 35 patients with Lewy body spectrum disorder (LBSD), including non-demented PD patients, patients with PD dementia (PDD), and patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), in a semi-structured…

Prevalence and Phenotype of Childhood Apraxia of Speech in Youth with Galactosemia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shriberg, Lawrence D.; Potter, Nancy L.; Strand, Edythe A.

2011-01-01

Purpose: In this article, the authors address the hypothesis that the severe and persistent speech disorder reported in persons with galactosemia meets contemporary diagnostic criteria for Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). A positive finding for CAS in this rare metabolic disorder has the potential to impact treatment of persons with galactosemia…

Intervention for Children with Severe Speech Disorder: A Comparison of Two Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crosbie, Sharon; Holm, Alison; Dodd, Barbara

2005-01-01

Background: Children with speech disorder are a heterogeneous group (e.g. in terms of severity, types of errors and underlying causal factors). Much research has ignored this heterogeneity, giving rise to contradictory intervention study findings. This situation provides clinical motivation to identify the deficits in the speech-processing chain…

Divergent neural responses to narrative speech in disorders of consciousness.

PubMed

Iotzov, Ivan; Fidali, Brian C; Petroni, Agustin; Conte, Mary M; Schiff, Nicholas D; Parra, Lucas C

2017-11-01

Clinical assessment of auditory attention in patients with disorders of consciousness is often limited by motor impairment. Here, we employ intersubject correlations among electroencephalography responses to naturalistic speech in order to assay auditory attention among patients and healthy controls. Electroencephalographic data were recorded from 20 subjects with disorders of consciousness and 14 healthy controls during of two narrative audio stimuli, presented both forwards and time-reversed. Intersubject correlation of evoked electroencephalography signals were calculated, comparing responses of both groups to those of the healthy control subjects. This analysis was performed blinded and subsequently compared to the diagnostic status of each patient based on the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised. Subjects with disorders of consciousness exhibit significantly lower intersubject correlation than healthy controls during narrative speech. Additionally, while healthy subjects had higher intersubject correlation values in forwards versus backwards presentation, neural responses did not vary significantly with the direction of playback in subjects with disorders of consciousness. Increased intersubject correlation values in the backward speech condition were noted with improving disorder of consciousness diagnosis, both in cross-sectional analysis and in a subset of patients with longitudinal data. Intersubject correlation of neural responses to narrative speech audition differentiates healthy controls from patients and appears to index clinical diagnoses in disorders of consciousness.

CNTNAP2 Is Significantly Associated With Speech Sound Disorder in the Chinese Han Population.

PubMed

Zhao, Yun-Jing; Wang, Yue-Ping; Yang, Wen-Zhu; Sun, Hong-Wei; Ma, Hong-Wei; Zhao, Ya-Ru

2015-11-01

Speech sound disorder is the most common communication disorder. Some investigations support the possibility that the CNTNAP2 gene might be involved in the pathogenesis of speech-related diseases. To investigate single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the CNTNAP2 gene, 300 unrelated speech sound disorder patients and 200 normal controls were included in the study. Five single-nucleotide polymorphisms were amplified and directly sequenced. Significant differences were found in the genotype (P = .0003) and allele (P = .0056) frequencies of rs2538976 between patients and controls. The excess frequency of the A allele in the patient group remained significant after Bonferroni correction (P = .0280). A significant haplotype association with rs2710102T/+rs17236239A/+2538976A/+2710117A (P = 4.10e-006) was identified. A neighboring single-nucleotide polymorphism, rs10608123, was found in complete linkage disequilibrium with rs2538976, and the genotypes exactly corresponded to each other. The authors propose that these CNTNAP2 variants increase the susceptibility to speech sound disorder. The single-nucleotide polymorphisms rs10608123 and rs2538976 may merge into one single-nucleotide polymorphism. © The Author(s) 2015.

Mild Developmental Foreign Accent Syndrome and Psychiatric Comorbidity: Altered White Matter Integrity in Speech and Emotion Regulation Networks

PubMed Central

Berthier, Marcelo L.; Roé-Vellvé, Núria; Moreno-Torres, Ignacio; Falcon, Carles; Thurnhofer-Hemsi, Karl; Paredes-Pacheco, José; Torres-Prioris, María J.; De-Torres, Irene; Alfaro, Francisco; Gutiérrez-Cardo, Antonio L.; Baquero, Miquel; Ruiz-Cruces, Rafael; Dávila, Guadalupe

2016-01-01

Foreign accent syndrome (FAS) is a speech disorder that is defined by the emergence of a peculiar manner of articulation and intonation which is perceived as foreign. In most cases of acquired FAS (AFAS) the new accent is secondary to small focal lesions involving components of the bilaterally distributed neural network for speech production. In the past few years FAS has also been described in different psychiatric conditions (conversion disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia) as well as in developmental disorders (specific language impairment, apraxia of speech). In the present study, two adult males, one with atypical phonetic production and the other one with cluttering, reported having developmental FAS (DFAS) since their adolescence. Perceptual analysis by naïve judges could not confirm the presence of foreign accent, possibly due to the mildness of the speech disorder. However, detailed linguistic analysis provided evidence of prosodic and segmental errors previously reported in AFAS cases. Cognitive testing showed reduced communication in activities of daily living and mild deficits related to psychiatric disorders. Psychiatric evaluation revealed long-lasting internalizing disorders (neuroticism, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia, depression, alexithymia, hopelessness, and apathy) in both subjects. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data from each subject with DFAS were compared with data from a group of 21 age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects. Diffusion parameters (MD, AD, and RD) in predefined regions of interest showed changes of white matter microstructure in regions previously related with AFAS and psychiatric disorders. In conclusion, the present findings militate against the possibility that these two subjects have FAS of psychogenic origin. Rather, our findings provide evidence that mild DFAS occurring in the context of subtle, yet persistent, developmental speech disorders may be associated with structural brain anomalies. We suggest that the simultaneous involvement of speech and emotion regulation networks might result from disrupted neural organization during development, or compensatory or maladaptive plasticity. Future studies are required to examine whether the interplay between biological trait-like diathesis (shyness, neuroticism) and the stressful experience of living with mild DFAS lead to the development of internalizing psychiatric disorders. PMID:27555813

Non-speech oral motor treatment for children with developmental speech sound disorders.

PubMed

Lee, Alice S-Y; Gibbon, Fiona E

2015-03-25

Children with developmental speech sound disorders have difficulties in producing the speech sounds of their native language. These speech difficulties could be due to structural, sensory or neurophysiological causes (e.g. hearing impairment), but more often the cause of the problem is unknown. One treatment approach used by speech-language therapists/pathologists is non-speech oral motor treatment (NSOMT). NSOMTs are non-speech activities that aim to stimulate or improve speech production and treat specific speech errors. For example, using exercises such as smiling, pursing, blowing into horns, blowing bubbles, and lip massage to target lip mobility for the production of speech sounds involving the lips, such as /p/, /b/, and /m/. The efficacy of this treatment approach is controversial, and evidence regarding the efficacy of NSOMTs needs to be examined. To assess the efficacy of non-speech oral motor treatment (NSOMT) in treating children with developmental speech sound disorders who have speech errors. In April 2014 we searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Ovid MEDLINE (R) and Ovid MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, EMBASE, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), PsycINFO and 11 other databases. We also searched five trial and research registers, checked the reference lists of relevant titles identified by the search and contacted researchers to identify other possible published and unpublished studies. Randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials that compared (1) NSOMT versus placebo or control; and (2) NSOMT as adjunctive treatment or speech intervention versus speech intervention alone, for children aged three to 16 years with developmental speech sound disorders, as judged by a speech and language therapist. Individuals with an intellectual disability (e.g. Down syndrome) or a physical disability were not excluded. The Trials Search Co-ordinator of the Cochrane Developmental, Psychosocial and Learning Problems Group and one review author ran the searches. Two review authors independently screened titles and abstracts to eliminate irrelevant studies, extracted data from the included studies and assessed risk of bias in each of these studies. In cases of ambiguity or information missing from the paper, we contacted trial authors. This review identified three studies (from four reports) involving a total of 22 children that investigated the efficacy of NSOMT as adjunctive treatment to conventional speech intervention versus conventional speech intervention for children with speech sound disorders. One study, a randomised controlled trial (RCT), included four boys aged seven years one month to nine years six months - all had speech sound disorders, and two had additional conditions (one was diagnosed as "communication impaired" and the other as "multiply disabled"). Of the two quasi-randomised controlled trials, one included 10 children (six boys and four girls), aged five years eight months to six years nine months, with speech sound disorders as a result of tongue thrust, and the other study included eight children (four boys and four girls), aged three to six years, with moderate to severe articulation disorder only. Two studies did not find NSOMT as adjunctive treatment to be more effective than conventional speech intervention alone, as both intervention and control groups made similar improvements in articulation after receiving treatments. One study reported a change in postintervention articulation test results but used an inappropriate statistical test and did not report the results clearly. None of the included studies examined the effects of NSOMTs on any other primary outcomes, such as speech intelligibility, speech physiology and adverse effects, or on any of the secondary outcomes such as listener acceptability.The RCT was judged at low risk for selection bias. The two quasi-randomised trials used randomisation but did not report the method for generating the random sequence and were judged as having unclear risk of selection bias. The three included studies were deemed to have high risk of performance bias as, given the nature of the intervention, blinding of participants was not possible. Only one study implemented blinding of outcome assessment and was at low risk for detection bias. One study showed high risk of other bias as the baseline characteristics of participants seemed to be unequal. The sample size of each of the included studies was very small, which means it is highly likely that participants in these studies were not representative of its target population. In the light of these serious limitations in methodology, the overall quality of the evidence provided by the included trials is judged to be low. Therefore, further research is very likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of treatment effect and is likely to change the estimate. The three included studies were small in scale and had a number of serious methodological limitations. In addition, they covered limited types of NSOMTs for treating children with speech sound disorders of unknown origin with the sounds /s/ and /z/. Hence, we judged the overall applicability of the evidence as limited and incomplete. Results of this review are consistent with those of previous reviews: Currently no strong evidence suggests that NSOMTs are an effective treatment or an effective adjunctive treatment for children with developmental speech sound disorders. Lack of strong evidence regarding the treatment efficacy of NSOMTs has implications for clinicians when they make decisions in relation to treatment plans. Well-designed research is needed to carefully investigate NSOMT as a type of treatment for children with speech sound disorders.

Congenital Myopathy

MedlinePlus

... any of these disorders. Supportive treatment may involve orthopedic treatments, as well as physical, occupational or speech ... any of these disorders. Supportive treatment may involve orthopedic treatments, as well as physical, occupational or speech ...

Speech disorders - children

MedlinePlus

... Ferriero DM, et al, eds. Swaiman's Pediatric Neurology: Principles and Practice . 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2017:chap 53. Zajac DJ. Evaluation and management of speech disorders for the patient with cleft ...

Reliability of Interaural Time Difference-Based Localization Training in Elderly Individuals with Speech-in-Noise Perception Disorder.

PubMed

Delphi, Maryam; Lotfi, M-Yones; Moossavi, Abdollah; Bakhshi, Enayatollah; Banimostafa, Maryam

2017-09-01

Previous studies have shown that interaural-time-difference (ITD) training can improve localization ability. Surprisingly little is, however, known about localization training vis-à-vis speech perception in noise based on interaural time difference in the envelope (ITD ENV). We sought to investigate the reliability of an ITD ENV-based training program in speech-in-noise perception among elderly individuals with normal hearing and speech-in-noise disorder. The present interventional study was performed during 2016. Sixteen elderly men between 55 and 65 years of age with the clinical diagnosis of normal hearing up to 2000 Hz and speech-in-noise perception disorder participated in this study. The training localization program was based on changes in ITD ENV. In order to evaluate the reliability of the training program, we performed speech-in-noise tests before the training program, immediately afterward, and then at 2 months' follow-up. The reliability of the training program was analyzed using the Friedman test and the SPSS software. Significant statistical differences were shown in the mean scores of speech-in-noise perception between the 3 time points (P=0.001). The results also indicated no difference in the mean scores of speech-in-noise perception between the 2 time points of immediately after the training program and 2 months' follow-up (P=0.212). The present study showed the reliability of an ITD ENV-based localization training in elderly individuals with speech-in-noise perception disorder.

Assessing Attentional Biases with Stuttering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lowe, Robyn; Menzies, Ross; Packman, Ann; O'Brian, Sue; Jones, Mark; Onslow, Mark

2016-01-01

Background: Many adults who stutter presenting for speech treatment experience social anxiety disorder. The presence of mental health disorders in adults who stutter has been implicated in a failure to maintain speech treatment benefits. Contemporary theories of social anxiety disorder propose that the condition is maintained by negative…

Speech-Sound Disorders and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Barbara A.; Short, Elizabeth J.; Iyengar, Sudha K.; Taylor, H. Gerry; Freebairn, Lisa; Tag, Jessica; Avrich, Allison A.; Stein, Catherine M.

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the association of speech-sound disorders (SSD) with symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by the severity of the SSD and the mode of transmission of SSD within the pedigrees of children with SSD. Participants and Methods: The participants were 412 children who were enrolled…

Polysyllable Speech Accuracy and Predictors of Later Literacy Development in Preschool Children with Speech Sound Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masso, Sarah; Baker, Elise; McLeod, Sharynne; Wang, Cen

2017-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine if polysyllable accuracy in preschoolers with speech sound disorders (SSD) was related to known predictors of later literacy development: phonological processing, receptive vocabulary, and print knowledge. Polysyllables--words of three or more syllables--are important to consider because unlike…

Phonological Awareness and Types of Sound Errors in Preschoolers with Speech Sound Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preston, Jonathan; Edwards, Mary Louise

2010-01-01

Purpose: Some children with speech sound disorders (SSD) have difficulty with literacy-related skills, particularly phonological awareness (PA). This study investigates the PA skills of preschoolers with SSD by using a regression model to evaluate the degree to which PA can be concurrently predicted by types of speech sound errors. Method:…

Translating Principles of Neural Plasticity into Research on Speech Motor Control Recovery and Rehabilitation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ludlow, Christy L.; Hoit, Jeannette; Kent, Raymond; Ramig, Lorraine O.; Shrivastav, Rahul; Strand, Edythe; Yorkston, Kathryn; Sapienza, Christine M.

2008-01-01

Purpose: To review the principles of neural plasticity and make recommendations for research on the neural bases for rehabilitation of neurogenic speech disorders. Method: A working group in speech motor control and disorders developed this report, which examines the potential relevance of basic research on the brain mechanisms involved in neural…

Philosophy of Research in Motor Speech Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weismer, Gary

2006-01-01

The primary objective of this position paper is to assess the theoretical and empirical support that exists for the Mayo Clinic view of motor speech disorders in general, and for oromotor, nonverbal tasks as a window to speech production processes in particular. Literature both in support of and against the Mayo clinic view and the associated use…

Building a Model of Support for Preschool Children with Speech and Language Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, Natalie; Ohi, Sarah

2016-01-01

Speech and language disorders impede young children's abilities to communicate and are often associated with a number of behavioural problems arising in the preschool classroom. This paper reports a small-scale study that investigated 23 Australian educators' and 7 Speech Pathologists' experiences in working with three to five year old children…

Phonological Awareness, Reading Accuracy and Spelling Ability of Children with Inconsistent Phonological Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holm, Alison; Farrier, Faith; Dodd, Barbara

2008-01-01

Background: Although children with speech disorder are at increased risk of literacy impairments, many learn to read and spell without difficulty. They are also a heterogeneous population in terms of the number and type of speech errors and their identified speech processing deficits. One problem lies in determining which preschool children with…

Parental Beliefs and Experiences Regarding Involvement in Intervention for Their Child with Speech Sound Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watts Pappas, Nicole; McAllister, Lindy; McLeod, Sharynne

2016-01-01

Parental beliefs and experiences regarding involvement in speech intervention for their child with mild to moderate speech sound disorder (SSD) were explored using multiple, sequential interviews conducted during a course of treatment. Twenty-one interviews were conducted with seven parents of six children with SSD: (1) after their child's initial…

Oral and Hand Movement Speeds Are Associated with Expressive Language Ability in Children with Speech Sound Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peter, Beate

2012-01-01

This study tested the hypothesis that children with speech sound disorder have generalized slowed motor speeds. It evaluated associations among oral and hand motor speeds and measures of speech (articulation and phonology) and language (receptive vocabulary, sentence comprehension, sentence imitation), in 11 children with moderate to severe SSD…

Impairments of speech fluency in Lewy body spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Ash, Sharon; McMillan, Corey; Gross, Rachel G; Cook, Philip; Gunawardena, Delani; Morgan, Brianna; Boller, Ashley; Siderowf, Andrew; Grossman, Murray

2012-03-01

Few studies have examined connected speech in demented and non-demented patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). We assessed the speech production of 35 patients with Lewy body spectrum disorder (LBSD), including non-demented PD patients, patients with PD dementia (PDD), and patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), in a semi-structured narrative speech sample in order to characterize impairments of speech fluency and to determine the factors contributing to reduced speech fluency in these patients. Both demented and non-demented PD patients exhibited reduced speech fluency, characterized by reduced overall speech rate and long pauses between sentences. Reduced speech rate in LBSD correlated with measures of between-utterance pauses, executive functioning, and grammatical comprehension. Regression analyses related non-fluent speech, grammatical difficulty, and executive difficulty to atrophy in frontal brain regions. These findings indicate that multiple factors contribute to slowed speech in LBSD, and this is mediated in part by disease in frontal brain regions. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Describing Speech Usage in Daily Activities in Typical Adults.

PubMed

Anderson, Laine; Baylor, Carolyn R; Eadie, Tanya L; Yorkston, Kathryn M

2016-01-01

"Speech usage" refers to what people want or need to do with their speech to meet communication demands in life roles. The purpose of this study was to contribute to validation of the Levels of Speech Usage scale by providing descriptive data from a sample of adults without communication disorders, comparing this scale to a published Occupational Voice Demands scale and examining predictors of speech usage levels. This is a survey design. Adults aged ≥25 years without reported communication disorders were recruited nationally to complete an online questionnaire. The questionnaire included the Levels of Speech Usage scale, questions about relevant occupational and nonoccupational activities (eg, socializing, hobbies, childcare, and so forth), and demographic information. Participants were also categorized according to Koufman and Isaacson occupational voice demands scale. A total of 276 participants completed the questionnaires. People who worked for pay tended to report higher levels of speech usage than those who do not work for pay. Regression analyses showed employment to be the major contributor to speech usage; however, considerable variance left unaccounted for suggests that determinants of speech usage and the relationship between speech usage, employment, and other life activities are not yet fully defined. The Levels of Speech Usage may be a viable instrument to systematically rate speech usage because it captures both occupational and nonoccupational speech demands. These data from a sample of typical adults may provide a reference to help in interpreting the impact of communication disorders on speech usage patterns. Copyright © 2016 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cost of speech-language interventions for children and youth with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Canada.

PubMed

Popova, Svetlana; Lange, Shannon; Burd, Larry; Shield, Kevin; Rehm, Jürgen

2014-12-01

This study, which is part of a large economic project on the overall burden and cost associated with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in Canada, estimated the cost of 1:1 speech-language interventions among children and youth with FASD for Canada in 2011. The number of children and youth with FASD and speech-language disorder(s) (SLD), the distribution of the level of severity, and the number of hours needed to treat were estimated using data from the available literature. 1:1 speech-language interventions were computed using the average cost per hour for speech-language pathologists. It was estimated that ˜ 37,928 children and youth with FASD had SLD in Canada in 2011. Using the most conservative approach, the annual cost of 1:1 speech-language interventions among children and youth with FASD is substantial, ranging from $72.5 million to $144.1 million Canadian dollars. Speech-language pathologists should be aware of the disproportionate number of children and youth with FASD who have SLD and the need for early identification to improve access to early intervention. Early identification and access to high quality services may have a role in decreasing the risk of developing the secondary disabilities and in reducing the economic burden of FASD on society.

Written Language Disorders: Speech-Language Pathologists' Training, Knowledge, and Confidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blood, Gordon W.; Mamett, Callie; Gordon, Rebecca; Blood, Ingrid M.

2010-01-01

Purpose: This study examined speech-language pathologists' (SLPs') perceptions of their (a) educational and clinical training in evaluating and treating written language disorders, (b) knowledge bases in this area, (c) sources of knowledge about written language disorders, (d) confidence levels, and (e) predictors of confidence in working with…

The Relationship between Psychopathology and Speech and Language Disorders in Neurologic Patients.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sapir, Shimon; Aronson, Arnold E.

1990-01-01

This paper reviews findings that suggest a causal relationship between depression, anxiety, or conversion reaction and voice, speech, and language disorders in neurologic patients. The paper emphasizes the need to consider the psychosocial and psychopathological aspects of neurologic communicative disorders, the link between emotional and…

A voice-input voice-output communication aid for people with severe speech impairment.

PubMed

Hawley, Mark S; Cunningham, Stuart P; Green, Phil D; Enderby, Pam; Palmer, Rebecca; Sehgal, Siddharth; O'Neill, Peter

2013-01-01

A new form of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device for people with severe speech impairment-the voice-input voice-output communication aid (VIVOCA)-is described. The VIVOCA recognizes the disordered speech of the user and builds messages, which are converted into synthetic speech. System development was carried out employing user-centered design and development methods, which identified and refined key requirements for the device. A novel methodology for building small vocabulary, speaker-dependent automatic speech recognizers with reduced amounts of training data, was applied. Experiments showed that this method is successful in generating good recognition performance (mean accuracy 96%) on highly disordered speech, even when recognition perplexity is increased. The selected message-building technique traded off various factors including speed of message construction and range of available message outputs. The VIVOCA was evaluated in a field trial by individuals with moderate to severe dysarthria and confirmed that they can make use of the device to produce intelligible speech output from disordered speech input. The trial highlighted some issues which limit the performance and usability of the device when applied in real usage situations, with mean recognition accuracy of 67% in these circumstances. These limitations will be addressed in future work.

[Hearing capacity and speech production in 417 children with facial cleft abnormalities].

PubMed

Schönweiler, R; Schönweiler, B; Schmelzeisen, R

1994-11-01

Children with cleft palates often suffer from chronic conductive hearing losses, delayed language acquisition and speech disorders. This study presents results of speech and language outcomes in relation to hearing function and types of palatal malformations found. 417 children with cleft palates were examined during followup evaluations that extended over several years. Disorders were studied as they affected the ears, nose and throat, audiometry and speech and language pathology. Children with isolated cleft lips were excluded. Among the total group, 8% had normal speech and language development while 92% had speech or language disorders. 80% of these latter children had hearing problems that predominantly consisted of fluctuating conductive hearing losses caused by otitis media with effusion. 5% had sensorineural hearing losses. Fifty-eight children (14%) with rhinolalia aperta were not improved by speech therapy and required velopharyngoplasties, using a cranial-based pharyngeal flap. Language skills did not depend on the type of cleft palate presents but on the frequency and amount of hearing loss found. Otomicroscopy and audiometric follow-ups with insertions of ventilation tubes were considered to be most important for language development in those children with repeated middle ear infections. Speech or language therapy was necessary in 49% of the children.

Evidence-Based Practice for Children with Speech Sound Disorders: Part 2 Application to Clinical Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Elise; McLeod, Sharynne

2011-01-01

Purpose: This article provides both a tutorial and a clinical example of how speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can conduct evidence-based practice (EBP) when working with children with speech sound disorders (SSDs). It is a companion paper to the narrative review of 134 intervention studies for children who have an SSD (Baker & McLeod, 2011).…

Contributions of Morphological Awareness Skills to Word-Level Reading and Spelling in First-Grade Children with and without Speech Sound Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Apel, Kenn; Lawrence, Jessika

2011-01-01

Purpose: In this study, the authors compared the morphological awareness abilities of children with speech sound disorder (SSD) and children with typical speech skills and examined how morphological awareness ability predicted word-level reading and spelling performance above other known contributors to literacy development. Method: Eighty-eight…

How Should Children with Speech Sound Disorders be Classified? A Review and Critical Evaluation of Current Classification Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waring, R.; Knight, R.

2013-01-01

Background: Children with speech sound disorders (SSD) form a heterogeneous group who differ in terms of the severity of their condition, underlying cause, speech errors, involvement of other aspects of the linguistic system and treatment response. To date there is no universal and agreed-upon classification system. Instead, a number of…

Characterizing Intonation Deficit in Motor Speech Disorders: An Autosegmental-Metrical Analysis of Spontaneous Speech in Hypokinetic Dysarthria, Ataxic Dysarthria, and Foreign Accent Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lowit, Anja; Kuschmann, Anja

2012-01-01

Purpose: The autosegmental-metrical (AM) framework represents an established methodology for intonational analysis in unimpaired speaker populations but has found little application in describing intonation in motor speech disorders (MSDs). This study compared the intonation patterns of unimpaired participants (CON) and those with Parkinson's…

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Chronic Dysarthric Speech after Childhood Brain Injury: Reliance on a Left-Hemisphere Compensatory Network

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, Angela T.; Masterton, Richard; Pigdon, Lauren; Connelly, Alan; Liegeois, Frederique J.

2013-01-01

Severe and persistent speech disorder, dysarthria, may be present for life after brain injury in childhood, yet the neural correlates of this chronic disorder remain elusive. Although abundant literature is available on language reorganization after lesions in childhood, little is known about the capacity of motor speech networks to reorganize…

[Peripheral nervous system and speech disorders].

PubMed

Ferri, Lluís

2014-02-24

Disorders affecting the lower motor neurons in childhood, with a congenital or acquired aetiology, give rise to difficulties in neuromotor response and, therefore, motor disorders affecting speech in a period that is especially critical for the development of language. The low incidence of this pathology, its comorbidity with other brain conditions and its uncertain prognosis make it a particularly interesting area of study. The purpose of this work is to review the motor disorders affecting speech in flaccid dysarthria, together with its functional evaluation and speech therapy interventions. The study aims to carry out the clinical characterisation of the disorders affecting verbal production of a peripheral origin, and more specifically flaccid dysarthria and its respiratory, phonatory, resonance, articulatory and prosodic manifestations. The analysis then goes on to outline the functional evaluation and lines of intervention for its treatment are proposed. The clinical manifestations of flaccid dysarthria are very heterogeneous and range from very slight difficulties in articulation to severe disorders that seriously limit the capacity for verbal expression. In most cases, a functional examination yields valuable findings for its identification and classification, for determining the need for complementary evaluations and for establishing the most suitable programme of speech therapy. The guided participation of the family and the interdisciplinary approach are factors that play a decisive role in improving these processes.

Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder (ANSD) (For Parents)

MedlinePlus

... speech-language-pathologist, who will monitor speech and language development to make sure the child is on track. ... Speech-Language Therapy Cochlear Implants Delayed Speech or Language Development Your Child's Checkup: Newborn Hearing Evaluation in Children ...

[Asperger's syndrome: continuum or spectrum of autistic disorders?].

PubMed

Bryńska, Anita

2011-01-01

Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PPD) refers to the group of disorders characterised by delayed or inappropriate development of multiple basic functions including socialisation, communication, behaviour and cognitive functioning. The term,,autistic spectrum disorders" was established as a result of the magnitude of the intensity of symptoms and their proportions observed in all types of pervasive developmental disorders. Asperger's Syndrome (AS) remains the most controversial diagnosis in terms of its place within autism spectrum disorders. AS if often described as an equivalent of High Functioning Autism (HFA) or as a separate spectrum-related disorder with unique diagnostic criteria. Another important issue is the relationship between AS and speech disorders. Although it is relatively easy to draw a line between children with classical autism and speech disorders, the clear cut frontiers between them still remain to be found. The main distinguishing feature is the lack of stereotypic interests and unimpaired social interaction observed in children with speech disorders, such as semantic-pragmatic disorder.

Quantitative assessment of motor speech abnormalities in idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder.

PubMed

Rusz, Jan; Hlavnička, Jan; Tykalová, Tereza; Bušková, Jitka; Ulmanová, Olga; Růžička, Evžen; Šonka, Karel

2016-03-01

Patients with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) are at substantial risk for developing Parkinson's disease (PD) or related neurodegenerative disorders. Speech is an important indicator of motor function and movement coordination, and therefore may be an extremely sensitive early marker of changes due to prodromal neurodegeneration. Speech data were acquired from 16 RBD subjects and 16 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. Objective acoustic assessment of 15 speech dimensions representing various phonatory, articulatory, and prosodic deviations was performed. Statistical models were applied to characterise speech disorders in RBD and to estimate sensitivity and specificity in differentiating between RBD and control subjects. Some form of speech impairment was revealed in 88% of RBD subjects. Articulatory deficits were the most prominent findings in RBD. In comparison to controls, the RBD group showed significant alterations in irregular alternating motion rates (p = 0.009) and articulatory decay (p = 0.01). The combination of four distinctive speech dimensions, including aperiodicity, irregular alternating motion rates, articulatory decay, and dysfluency, led to 96% sensitivity and 79% specificity in discriminating between RBD and control subjects. Speech impairment was significantly more pronounced in RBD subjects with the motor score of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale greater than 4 points when compared to other RBD individuals. Simple quantitative speech motor measures may be suitable for the reliable detection of prodromal neurodegeneration in subjects with RBD, and therefore may provide important outcomes for future therapy trials. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Speech characteristics in a Ugandan child with a rare paramedian craniofacial cleft: a case report.

PubMed

Van Lierde, K M; Bettens, K; Luyten, A; De Ley, S; Tungotyo, M; Balumukad, D; Galiwango, G; Bauters, W; Vermeersch, H; Hodges, A

2013-03-01

The purpose of this study is to describe the speech characteristics in an English-speaking Ugandan boy of 4.5 years who has a rare paramedian craniofacial cleft (unilateral lip, alveolar, palatal, nasal and maxillary cleft, and associated hypertelorism). Closure of the lip together with the closure of the hard and soft palate (one-stage palatal closure) was performed at the age of 5 months. Objective as well as subjective speech assessment techniques were used. The speech samples were perceptually judged for articulation, intelligibility and nasality. The Nasometer was used for the objective measurement of the nasalance values. The most striking communication problems in this child with the rare craniofacial cleft are an incomplete phonetic inventory, a severely impaired speech intelligibility with the presence of very severe hypernasality, mild nasal emission, phonetic disorders (omission of several consonants, decreased intraoral pressure in explosives, insufficient frication of fricatives and the use of a middorsum palatal stop) and phonological disorders (deletion of initial and final consonants and consonant clusters). The increased objective nasalance values are in agreement with the presence of the audible nasality disorders. The results revealed that several phonetic and phonological articulation disorders together with a decreased speech intelligibility and resonance disorders are present in the child with a rare craniofacial cleft. To what extent a secondary surgery for velopharyngeal insufficiency, combined with speech therapy, will improve speech intelligibility, articulation and resonance characteristics is a subject for further research. The results of such analyses may ultimately serve as a starting point for specific surgical and logopedic treatment that addresses the specific needs of children with rare facial clefts. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

When does speech sound disorder matter for literacy? The role of disordered speech errors, co-occurring language impairment and family risk of dyslexia.

PubMed

Hayiou-Thomas, Marianna E; Carroll, Julia M; Leavett, Ruth; Hulme, Charles; Snowling, Margaret J

2017-02-01

This study considers the role of early speech difficulties in literacy development, in the context of additional risk factors. Children were identified with speech sound disorder (SSD) at the age of 3½ years, on the basis of performance on the Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology. Their literacy skills were assessed at the start of formal reading instruction (age 5½), using measures of phoneme awareness, word-level reading and spelling; and 3 years later (age 8), using measures of word-level reading, spelling and reading comprehension. The presence of early SSD conferred a small but significant risk of poor phonemic skills and spelling at the age of 5½ and of poor word reading at the age of 8. Furthermore, within the group with SSD, the persistence of speech difficulties to the point of school entry was associated with poorer emergent literacy skills, and children with 'disordered' speech errors had poorer word reading skills than children whose speech errors indicated 'delay'. In contrast, the initial severity of SSD was not a significant predictor of reading development. Beyond the domain of speech, the presence of a co-occurring language impairment was strongly predictive of literacy skills and having a family risk of dyslexia predicted additional variance in literacy at both time-points. Early SSD alone has only modest effects on literacy development but when additional risk factors are present, these can have serious negative consequences, consistent with the view that multiple risks accumulate to predict reading disorders. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Facial-muscle weakness, speech disorders and dysphagia are common in patients with classic infantile Pompe disease treated with enzyme therapy.

PubMed

van Gelder, C M; van Capelle, C I; Ebbink, B J; Moor-van Nugteren, I; van den Hout, J M P; Hakkesteegt, M M; van Doorn, P A; de Coo, I F M; Reuser, A J J; de Gier, H H W; van der Ploeg, A T

2012-05-01

Classic infantile Pompe disease is an inherited generalized glycogen storage disorder caused by deficiency of lysosomal acid α-glucosidase. If left untreated, patients die before one year of age. Although enzyme-replacement therapy (ERT) has significantly prolonged lifespan, it has also revealed new aspects of the disease. For up to 11 years, we investigated the frequency and consequences of facial-muscle weakness, speech disorders and dysphagia in long-term survivors. Sequential photographs were used to determine the timing and severity of facial-muscle weakness. Using standardized articulation tests and fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing, we investigated speech and swallowing function in a subset of patients. This study included 11 patients with classic infantile Pompe disease. Median age at the start of ERT was 2.4 months (range 0.1-8.3 months), and median age at the end of the study was 4.3 years (range 7.7 months -12.2 years). All patients developed facial-muscle weakness before the age of 15 months. Speech was studied in four patients. Articulation was disordered, with hypernasal resonance and reduced speech intelligibility in all four. Swallowing function was studied in six patients, the most important findings being ineffective swallowing with residues of food (5/6), penetration or aspiration (3/6), and reduced pharyngeal and/or laryngeal sensibility (2/6). We conclude that facial-muscle weakness, speech disorders and dysphagia are common in long-term survivors receiving ERT for classic infantile Pompe disease. To improve speech and reduce the risk for aspiration, early treatment by a speech therapist and regular swallowing assessments are recommended.

Devices for hearing loss

MedlinePlus

... NIDCD). Assistive devices for people with hearing, voice, speech, or language disorders. Nidcd.nih.gov Web site. www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/assistive-devices-people-hearing-voice-speech-or-language-disorders . Updated March 6, 2017. Accessed July 5, 2017. ...

Is Language a Factor in the Perception of Foreign Accent Syndrome?

PubMed

Jose, Linda; Read, Jennifer; Miller, Nick

2016-06-01

Neurogenic foreign accent syndrome (FAS) is diagnosed when listeners perceive speech associated with motor speech impairments as foreign rather than disordered. Speakers with foreign accent syndrome typically have aphasia. It remains unclear how far language changes might contribute to the perception of foreign accent syndrome independent of accent. Judges with and without training in language analysis rated orthographic transcriptions of speech from people with foreign accent syndrome, speech-language disorder and no foreign accent syndrome, foreign accent without neurological impairment and healthy controls on scales of foreignness, normalness and disorderedness. Control speakers were judged as significantly more normal, less disordered and less foreign than other groups. Foreign accent syndrome speakers' transcriptions consistently profiled most closely to those of foreign speakers and significantly different to speakers with speech-language disorder. On normalness and foreignness ratings there were no significant differences between foreign and foreign accent syndrome speakers. For disorderedness, foreign accent syndrome participants fell midway between foreign speakers and those with speech-language impairment only. Slower rate, more hesitations, pauses within and between utterances influenced judgments, delineating control scripts from others. Word-level syntactic and morphological deviations and reduced syntactic and semantic repertoire linked strongly with foreignness perceptions. Greater disordered ratings related to word fragments, poorly intelligible grammatical structures and inappropriate word selection. Language changes influence foreignness perception. Clinical and theoretical issues are addressed.

GRIN2A: an aptly named gene for speech dysfunction.

PubMed

Turner, Samantha J; Mayes, Angela K; Verhoeven, Andrea; Mandelstam, Simone A; Morgan, Angela T; Scheffer, Ingrid E

2015-02-10

To delineate the specific speech deficits in individuals with epilepsy-aphasia syndromes associated with mutations in the glutamate receptor subunit gene GRIN2A. We analyzed the speech phenotype associated with GRIN2A mutations in 11 individuals, aged 16 to 64 years, from 3 families. Standardized clinical speech assessments and perceptual analyses of conversational samples were conducted. Individuals showed a characteristic phenotype of dysarthria and dyspraxia with lifelong impact on speech intelligibility in some. Speech was typified by imprecise articulation (11/11, 100%), impaired pitch (monopitch 10/11, 91%) and prosody (stress errors 7/11, 64%), and hypernasality (7/11, 64%). Oral motor impairments and poor performance on maximum vowel duration (8/11, 73%) and repetition of monosyllables (10/11, 91%) and trisyllables (7/11, 64%) supported conversational speech findings. The speech phenotype was present in one individual who did not have seizures. Distinctive features of dysarthria and dyspraxia are found in individuals with GRIN2A mutations, often in the setting of epilepsy-aphasia syndromes; dysarthria has not been previously recognized in these disorders. Of note, the speech phenotype may occur in the absence of a seizure disorder, reinforcing an important role for GRIN2A in motor speech function. Our findings highlight the need for precise clinical speech assessment and intervention in this group. By understanding the mechanisms involved in GRIN2A disorders, targeted therapy may be designed to improve chronic lifelong deficits in intelligibility. © 2015 American Academy of Neurology.

Extralinguistic speech characteristics of children with conduct and anxiety disorders.

PubMed

Kotsopoulos, S; Mellor, C

1986-01-01

Nine children with conduct and nine with anxiety disorder participated in the study. The subjects were requested to respond to verbal tasks (counting, picture description, story telling). Disturbance of conduct was associated with short initial hesitation before speaking. It is suggested that the initial hesitation variables are measures of reflection and cognitive planning. Anxiety across subjects was associated with increased breath rate and lower output of speech per breath. It is suggested speech breath variables are reliable measures of anxiety. Implication for the diagnosis and management of child psychiatric disorders are discussed.

Communication Disorders in Speakers of Tone Languages: Etiological Bases and Clinical Considerations

PubMed Central

Wong, Patrick C. M.; Perrachione, Tyler K.; Gunasekera, Geshri; Chandrasekaran, Bharath

2009-01-01

Lexical tones are a phonetic contrast necessary for conveying meaning in a majority of the world’s languages. Various hearing, speech, and language disorders affect the ability to perceive or produce lexical tones, thereby seriously impairing individuals’ communicative abilities. The number of tone language speakers is increasing, even in otherwise English-speaking nations, yet insufficient emphasis has been placed on clinical assessment and rehabilitation of lexical tone disorders. The similarities and dissimilarities between lexical tones and other speech sounds make a richer scientific understanding of their physiological bases paramount to more effective remediation of speech and language disorders in general. Here we discuss the cognitive and biological bases of lexical tones, emphasizing the neural structures and networks that support their acquisition, perception, and cognitive representation. We present emerging research on lexical tone learning in the context of the clinical disorders of hearing, speech, and language that this body of research will help to address. PMID:19711234

Finding Susceptibility Genes for Developmental Disorders of Speech: The Long and Winding Road.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Felsenfeld, Susan

2002-01-01

This article explores the gene-finding process for developmental speech disorders (DSDs), specifically disorders of articulation/phonology and stuttering. It reviews existing behavioral genetic studies of these phenotypes, discusses roadblocks that may impede the molecular study of DSDs, and reviews the findings of the small number of molecular…

Speech Disorders in Neurofibromatosis Type 1: A Sample Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cosyns, Marjan; Vandeweghe, Lies; Mortier, Geert; Janssens, Sandra; Van Borsel, John

2010-01-01

Background: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal-dominant neurocutaneous disorder with an estimated prevalence of two to three cases per 10 000 population. While the physical characteristics have been well documented, speech disorders have not been fully characterized in NF1 patients. Aims: This study serves as a pilot to identify key…

Communication Deficits and the Motor System: Exploring Patterns of Associations in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mody, M.; Shui, A. M.; Nowinski, L. A.; Golas, S. B.; Ferrone, C.; O'Rourke, J. A.; McDougle, C. J.

2017-01-01

Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have notable difficulties in motor, speech and language domains. The connection between motor skills (oral-motor, manual-motor) and speech and language deficits reported in other developmental disorders raises important questions about a potential relationship between motor skills and…

Psychosocial Outcomes at 15 Years of Children with a Preschool History of Speech-Language Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snowling, Margaret J.; Bishop, D. V. M.; Stothard, Susan E.; Chipchase, Barry; Kaplan, Carole

2006-01-01

Background: Evidence suggests there is a heightened risk of psychiatric disorder in children with speech-language impairments. However, not all forms of language impairment are strongly associated with psychosocial difficulty, and some psychiatric disorders (e.g., attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)) are more prevalent than others in…

Speech Motor Control in Fluent and Dysfluent Speech Production of an Individual with Apraxia of Speech and Broca's Aphasia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Lieshout, Pascal H. H. M.; Bose, Arpita; Square, Paula A.; Steele, Catriona M.

2007-01-01

Apraxia of speech (AOS) is typically described as a motor-speech disorder with clinically well-defined symptoms, but without a clear understanding of the underlying problems in motor control. A number of studies have compared the speech of subjects with AOS to the fluent speech of controls, but only a few have included speech movement data and if…

Brief Report: Predicting Inner Speech Use amongst Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)--The Roles of Verbal Ability and Cognitive Profile

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, David M.; Jarrold, Christopher

2010-01-01

Studies of inner speech use in ASD have produced conflicting results. Lidstone et al., J "Autism Dev Disord" (2009) hypothesised that Cognitive Profile (i.e., "discrepancy" between non-verbal and verbal abilities) is a predictor of inner speech use amongst children with ASD. They suggested other, contradictory results might be explained in terms…

Speech Sound Disorders in Preschool Children: Correspondence between Clinical Diagnosis and Teacher and Parent Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrison, Linda J.; McLeod, Sharynne; McAllister, Lindy; McCormack, Jane

2017-01-01

This study sought to assess the level of correspondence between parent and teacher report of concern about young children's speech and specialist assessment of speech sound disorders (SSD). A sample of 157 children aged 4-5 years was recruited in preschools and long day care centres in Victoria and New South Wales (NSW). SSD was assessed…

The Impact of Interrupted Use of a Speech Generating Device on the Communication Acts of a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neeley, Richard A.; Pulliam, Mary Hannah; Catt, Merrill; McDaniel, D. Mike

2015-01-01

This case study examined the initial and renewed impact of speech generating devices on the expressive communication behaviors of a child with autism spectrum disorder. The study spanned six years of interrupted use of two speech generating devices. The child's communication behaviors were analyzed from video recordings and included communication…

Automated analysis of connected speech reveals early biomarkers of Parkinson's disease in patients with rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder.

PubMed

Hlavnička, Jan; Čmejla, Roman; Tykalová, Tereza; Šonka, Karel; Růžička, Evžen; Rusz, Jan

2017-02-02

For generations, the evaluation of speech abnormalities in neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD) has been limited to perceptual tests or user-controlled laboratory analysis based upon rather small samples of human vocalizations. Our study introduces a fully automated method that yields significant features related to respiratory deficits, dysphonia, imprecise articulation and dysrhythmia from acoustic microphone data of natural connected speech for predicting early and distinctive patterns of neurodegeneration. We compared speech recordings of 50 subjects with rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (RBD), 30 newly diagnosed, untreated PD patients and 50 healthy controls, and showed that subliminal parkinsonian speech deficits can be reliably captured even in RBD patients, which are at high risk of developing PD or other synucleinopathies. Thus, automated vocal analysis should soon be able to contribute to screening and diagnostic procedures for prodromal parkinsonian neurodegeneration in natural environments.

Whole-exome sequencing supports genetic heterogeneity in childhood apraxia of speech.

PubMed

Worthey, Elizabeth A; Raca, Gordana; Laffin, Jennifer J; Wilk, Brandon M; Harris, Jeremy M; Jakielski, Kathy J; Dimmock, David P; Strand, Edythe A; Shriberg, Lawrence D

2013-10-02

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a rare, severe, persistent pediatric motor speech disorder with associated deficits in sensorimotor, cognitive, language, learning and affective processes. Among other neurogenetic origins, CAS is the disorder segregating with a mutation in FOXP2 in a widely studied, multigenerational London family. We report the first whole-exome sequencing (WES) findings from a cohort of 10 unrelated participants, ages 3 to 19 years, with well-characterized CAS. As part of a larger study of children and youth with motor speech sound disorders, 32 participants were classified as positive for CAS on the basis of a behavioral classification marker using auditory-perceptual and acoustic methods that quantify the competence, precision and stability of a speaker's speech, prosody and voice. WES of 10 randomly selected participants was completed using the Illumina Genome Analyzer IIx Sequencing System. Image analysis, base calling, demultiplexing, read mapping, and variant calling were performed using Illumina software. Software developed in-house was used for variant annotation, prioritization and interpretation to identify those variants likely to be deleterious to neurodevelopmental substrates of speech-language development. Among potentially deleterious variants, clinically reportable findings of interest occurred on a total of five chromosomes (Chr3, Chr6, Chr7, Chr9 and Chr17), which included six genes either strongly associated with CAS (FOXP1 and CNTNAP2) or associated with disorders with phenotypes overlapping CAS (ATP13A4, CNTNAP1, KIAA0319 and SETX). A total of 8 (80%) of the 10 participants had clinically reportable variants in one or two of the six genes, with variants in ATP13A4, KIAA0319 and CNTNAP2 being the most prevalent. Similar to the results reported in emerging WES studies of other complex neurodevelopmental disorders, our findings from this first WES study of CAS are interpreted as support for heterogeneous genetic origins of this pediatric motor speech disorder with multiple genes, pathways and complex interactions. We also submit that our findings illustrate the potential use of WES for both gene identification and case-by-case clinical diagnostics in pediatric motor speech disorders.

The development of co-speech gesture in the communication of children with autism spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Sowden, Hannah; Clegg, Judy; Perkins, Michael

2013-12-01

Co-speech gestures have a close semantic relationship to speech in adult conversation. In typically developing children co-speech gestures which give additional information to speech facilitate the emergence of multi-word speech. A difficulty with integrating audio-visual information is known to exist for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which may affect development of the speech-gesture system. A longitudinal observational study was conducted with four children with ASD, aged 2;4 to 3;5 years. Participants were video-recorded for 20 min every 2 weeks during their attendance on an intervention programme. Recording continued for up to 8 months, thus affording a rich analysis of gestural practices from pre-verbal to multi-word speech across the group. All participants combined gesture with either speech or vocalisations. Co-speech gestures providing additional information to speech were observed to be either absent or rare. Findings suggest that children with ASD do not make use of the facilitating communicative effects of gesture in the same way as typically developing children.

Speech fluency profile on different tasks for individuals with Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Juste, Fabiola Staróbole; Andrade, Claudia Regina Furquim de

2017-07-20

To characterize the speech fluency profile of patients with Parkinson's disease. Study participants were 40 individuals of both genders aged 40 to 80 years divided into 2 groups: Research Group - RG (20 individuals with diagnosis of Parkinson's disease) and Control Group - CG (20 individuals with no communication or neurological disorders). For all of the participants, three speech samples involving different tasks were collected: monologue, individual reading, and automatic speech. The RG presented a significant larger number of speech disruptions, both stuttering-like and typical dysfluencies, and higher percentage of speech discontinuity in the monologue and individual reading tasks compared with the CG. Both groups presented reduced number of speech disruptions (stuttering-like and typical dysfluencies) in the automatic speech task; the groups presented similar performance in this task. Regarding speech rate, individuals in the RG presented lower number of words and syllables per minute compared with those in the CG in all speech tasks. Participants of the RG presented altered parameters of speech fluency compared with those of the CG; however, this change in fluency cannot be considered a stuttering disorder.

Detecting Abnormal Word Utterances in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: Machine-Learning-Based Voice Analysis Versus Speech Therapists.

PubMed

Nakai, Yasushi; Takiguchi, Tetsuya; Matsui, Gakuyo; Yamaoka, Noriko; Takada, Satoshi

2017-10-01

Abnormal prosody is often evident in the voice intonations of individuals with autism spectrum disorders. We compared a machine-learning-based voice analysis with human hearing judgments made by 10 speech therapists for classifying children with autism spectrum disorders ( n = 30) and typical development ( n = 51). Using stimuli limited to single-word utterances, machine-learning-based voice analysis was superior to speech therapist judgments. There was a significantly higher true-positive than false-negative rate for machine-learning-based voice analysis but not for speech therapists. Results are discussed in terms of some artificiality of clinician judgments based on single-word utterances, and the objectivity machine-learning-based voice analysis adds to judging abnormal prosody.

Evidence for the treatment of co-occurring stuttering and speech sound disorder: A clinical case series.

PubMed

Unicomb, Rachael; Hewat, Sally; Spencer, Elizabeth; Harrison, Elisabeth

2017-06-01

There is a paucity of evidence to guide treatment for children with co-occurring stuttering and speech sound disorder. Some guidelines suggest treating the two disorders simultaneously using indirect treatment approaches; however, the research supporting these recommendations is over 20 years old. In this clinical case series, we investigate whether these co-occurring disorders could be treated concurrently using direct treatment approaches supported by up-to-date, high-level evidence, and whether this could be done in an efficacious, safe and efficient manner. Five pre-school-aged participants received individual concurrent, direct intervention for both stuttering and speech sound disorder. All participants used the Lidcombe Program, as manualised. Direct treatment for speech sound disorder was individualised based on analysis of each child's sound system. At 12 months post commencement of treatment, all except one participant had completed the Lidcombe Program, and were less than 1.0% syllables stuttered on samples gathered within and beyond the clinic. These four participants completed Stage 1 of the Lidcombe Program in between 14 and 22 clinic visits, consistent with current benchmark data for this programme. At the same assessment point, all five participants exhibited significant increases in percentage of consonants correct and were in alignment with age-expected estimates of this measure. Further, they were treated in an average number of clinic visits that compares favourably with other research on treatment for speech sound disorder. These preliminary results indicate that young children with co-occurring stuttering and speech sound disorder may be treated concurrently using direct treatment approaches. This method of service delivery may have implications for cost and time efficiency and may also address the crucial need for early intervention in both disorders. These positive findings highlight the need for further research in the area and contribute to the limited evidence base.

Genetics Home Reference: FOXP2-related speech and language disorder

MedlinePlus

... relatively uncommon cause of problems with speech and language development. The total prevalence of childhood apraxia of speech ... in their activity lead to abnormal speech and language development. Additional features that are sometimes associated with FOXP2 - ...

Speech preference is associated with autistic-like behavior in 18-months-olds at risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Curtin, Suzanne; Vouloumanos, Athena

2013-09-01

We examined whether infants' preference for speech at 12 months is associated with autistic-like behaviors at 18 months in infants who are at increased risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) because they have an older sibling diagnosed with ASD and in low-risk infants. Only low-risk infants listened significantly longer to speech than to nonspeech at 12 months. In both groups, relative preference for speech correlated positively with general cognitive ability at 12 months. However, in high-risk infants only, preference for speech was associated with autistic-like behavior at 18 months, while in low-risk infants, preference for speech correlated with language abilities. This suggests that in children at risk for ASD an atypical species-specific bias for speech may underlie atypical social development.

"… Trial and error …": Speech-language pathologists' perspectives of working with Indigenous Australian adults with acquired communication disorders.

PubMed

Cochrane, Frances Clare; Brown, Louise; Siyambalapitiya, Samantha; Plant, Christopher

2016-10-01

This study explored speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) perspectives about factors that influence clinical management of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults with acquired communication disorders (e.g. aphasia, motor speech disorders). Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, seven SLPs working in North Queensland, Australia with experience working with this population participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify categories and overarching themes within the data. Four categories, in relation to barriers and facilitators, were identified from participants' responses: (1) The Practice Context; (2) Working Together; (3) Client Factors; and (4) Speech-Language Pathologist Factors. Three overarching themes were also found to influence effective speech pathology services: (1) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Practices; (2) Information and Communication; and (3) Time. This study identified many complex and inter-related factors which influenced SLPs' effective clinical management of this caseload. The findings suggest that SLPs should employ a flexible, holistic and collaborative approach in order to facilitate effective clinical management with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with acquired communication disorders.

The Levels of Speech Usage rating scale: comparison of client self-ratings with speech pathologist ratings.

PubMed

Gray, Christina; Baylor, Carolyn; Eadie, Tanya; Kendall, Diane; Yorkston, Kathryn

2012-01-01

The term 'speech usage' refers to what people want or need to do with their speech to fulfil the communication demands in their life roles. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) need to know about clients' speech usage to plan appropriate interventions to meet their life participation goals. The Levels of Speech Usage is a categorical scale intended for client self-report of speech usage, but SLPs may want the option to use it as a proxy-report tool. The relationship between self-report and clinician ratings should be examined before the instrument is used in a proxy format. The primary purpose of this study was to compare client self-ratings with SLP ratings on the Levels of Speech Usage scale. The secondary purpose was to determine if the SLP ratings differed depending on whether or not the SLPs knew about the clients' medical condition. Self-ratings of adults with communication disorders on the Levels of Speech Usage scale were available from prior research. Vignettes about these individuals were created from existing data. Two sets of vignettes were created. One set contained information about demographic information, living situation, occupational status and hobbies or social activities. The second set was identical to the first with the addition of information about the clients' medical conditions and communication disorders. Various communication disorders were represented including dysarthria, voice disorders, laryngectomy, and mild cognitive and language disorders. Sixty SLPs were randomly divided into two groups with each group rating one set of vignettes. The task was completed online. While this does not replicate typical in-person clinical interactions, it was a feasible method for this study. For data analysis, the client self-ratings were considered fixed points and the percentage of SLP ratings in agreement with the self-ratings was calculated. The percentage of SLP ratings in exact agreement with client self-ratings was 44.9%. Agreement was lowest for the less-demanding speech usage categories and highest for the most demanding usage category. There was no significant difference between the two groups of SLPs based on knowledge of medical condition. SLPs often need to document the speech usage levels of clients. This study suggests the potential for SLPs to misjudge how clients see their own speech demands. Further research is needed to determine if similar results would be found in actual clinical interactions. Until then, SLPs should seek the input of their clients when using this instrument. © 2012 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

A motor speech assessment for children with severe speech disorders: reliability and validity evidence.

PubMed

Strand, Edythe A; McCauley, Rebecca J; Weigand, Stephen D; Stoeckel, Ruth E; Baas, Becky S

2013-04-01

In this article, the authors report reliability and validity evidence for the Dynamic Evaluation of Motor Speech Skill (DEMSS), a new test that uses dynamic assessment to aid in the differential diagnosis of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Participants were 81 children between 36 and 79 months of age who were referred to the Mayo Clinic for diagnosis of speech sound disorders. Children were given the DEMSS and a standard speech and language test battery as part of routine evaluations. Subsequently, intrajudge, interjudge, and test-retest reliability were evaluated for a subset of participants. Construct validity was explored for all 81 participants through the use of agglomerative cluster analysis, sensitivity measures, and likelihood ratios. The mean percentage of agreement for 171 judgments was 89% for test-retest reliability, 89% for intrajudge reliability, and 91% for interjudge reliability. Agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis showed that total DEMSS scores largely differentiated clusters of children with CAS vs. mild CAS vs. other speech disorders. Positive and negative likelihood ratios and measures of sensitivity and specificity suggested that the DEMSS does not overdiagnose CAS but sometimes fails to identify children with CAS. The value of the DEMSS in differential diagnosis of severe speech impairments was supported on the basis of evidence of reliability and validity.

Comparing Feedback Types in Multimedia Learning of Speech by Young Children With Common Speech Sound Disorders: Research Protocol for a Pretest Posttest Independent Measures Control Trial.

PubMed

Doubé, Wendy; Carding, Paul; Flanagan, Kieran; Kaufman, Jordy; Armitage, Hannah

2018-01-01

Children with speech sound disorders benefit from feedback about the accuracy of sounds they make. Home practice can reinforce feedback received from speech pathologists. Games in mobile device applications could encourage home practice, but those currently available are of limited value because they are unlikely to elaborate "Correct"/"Incorrect" feedback with information that can assist in improving the accuracy of the sound. This protocol proposes a "Wizard of Oz" experiment that aims to provide evidence for the provision of effective multimedia feedback for speech sound development. Children with two common speech sound disorders will play a game on a mobile device and make speech sounds when prompted by the game. A human "Wizard" will provide feedback on the accuracy of the sound but the children will perceive the feedback as coming from the game. Groups of 30 young children will be randomly allocated to one of five conditions: four types of feedback and a control which does not play the game. The results of this experiment will inform not only speech sound therapy, but also other types of language learning, both in general, and in multimedia applications. This experiment is a cost-effective precursor to the development of a mobile application that employs pedagogically and clinically sound processes for speech development in young children.

Comparing Feedback Types in Multimedia Learning of Speech by Young Children With Common Speech Sound Disorders: Research Protocol for a Pretest Posttest Independent Measures Control Trial

PubMed Central

Doubé, Wendy; Carding, Paul; Flanagan, Kieran; Kaufman, Jordy; Armitage, Hannah

2018-01-01

Children with speech sound disorders benefit from feedback about the accuracy of sounds they make. Home practice can reinforce feedback received from speech pathologists. Games in mobile device applications could encourage home practice, but those currently available are of limited value because they are unlikely to elaborate “Correct”/”Incorrect” feedback with information that can assist in improving the accuracy of the sound. This protocol proposes a “Wizard of Oz” experiment that aims to provide evidence for the provision of effective multimedia feedback for speech sound development. Children with two common speech sound disorders will play a game on a mobile device and make speech sounds when prompted by the game. A human “Wizard” will provide feedback on the accuracy of the sound but the children will perceive the feedback as coming from the game. Groups of 30 young children will be randomly allocated to one of five conditions: four types of feedback and a control which does not play the game. The results of this experiment will inform not only speech sound therapy, but also other types of language learning, both in general, and in multimedia applications. This experiment is a cost-effective precursor to the development of a mobile application that employs pedagogically and clinically sound processes for speech development in young children. PMID:29674986

Data-Driven Subclassification of Speech Sound Disorders in Preschool Children

PubMed Central

Vick, Jennell C.; Campbell, Thomas F.; Shriberg, Lawrence D.; Green, Jordan R.; Truemper, Klaus; Rusiewicz, Heather Leavy; Moore, Christopher A.

2015-01-01

Purpose The purpose of the study was to determine whether distinct subgroups of preschool children with speech sound disorders (SSD) could be identified using a subgroup discovery algorithm (SUBgroup discovery via Alternate Random Processes, or SUBARP). Of specific interest was finding evidence of a subgroup of SSD exhibiting performance consistent with atypical speech motor control. Method Ninety-seven preschool children with SSD completed speech and nonspeech tasks. Fifty-three kinematic, acoustic, and behavioral measures from these tasks were input to SUBARP. Results Two distinct subgroups were identified from the larger sample. The 1st subgroup (76%; population prevalence estimate = 67.8%–84.8%) did not have characteristics that would suggest atypical speech motor control. The 2nd subgroup (10.3%; population prevalence estimate = 4.3%– 16.5%) exhibited significantly higher variability in measures of articulatory kinematics and poor ability to imitate iambic lexical stress, suggesting atypical speech motor control. Both subgroups were consistent with classes of SSD in the Speech Disorders Classification System (SDCS; Shriberg et al., 2010a). Conclusion Characteristics of children in the larger subgroup were consistent with the proportionally large SDCS class termed speech delay; characteristics of children in the smaller subgroup were consistent with the SDCS subtype termed motor speech disorder—not otherwise specified. The authors identified candidate measures to identify children in each of these groups. PMID:25076005

Speech-to-Speech Relay Service

MedlinePlus

... are specifically trained in understanding a variety of speech disorders, which enables them to repeat what the caller says in a manner that makes the caller’s words clear and understandable to the ... people with speech disabilities cannot communicate by telephone because the parties ...

GRIN2A

PubMed Central

Turner, Samantha J.; Mayes, Angela K.; Verhoeven, Andrea; Mandelstam, Simone A.; Morgan, Angela T.

2015-01-01

Objective: To delineate the specific speech deficits in individuals with epilepsy-aphasia syndromes associated with mutations in the glutamate receptor subunit gene GRIN2A. Methods: We analyzed the speech phenotype associated with GRIN2A mutations in 11 individuals, aged 16 to 64 years, from 3 families. Standardized clinical speech assessments and perceptual analyses of conversational samples were conducted. Results: Individuals showed a characteristic phenotype of dysarthria and dyspraxia with lifelong impact on speech intelligibility in some. Speech was typified by imprecise articulation (11/11, 100%), impaired pitch (monopitch 10/11, 91%) and prosody (stress errors 7/11, 64%), and hypernasality (7/11, 64%). Oral motor impairments and poor performance on maximum vowel duration (8/11, 73%) and repetition of monosyllables (10/11, 91%) and trisyllables (7/11, 64%) supported conversational speech findings. The speech phenotype was present in one individual who did not have seizures. Conclusions: Distinctive features of dysarthria and dyspraxia are found in individuals with GRIN2A mutations, often in the setting of epilepsy-aphasia syndromes; dysarthria has not been previously recognized in these disorders. Of note, the speech phenotype may occur in the absence of a seizure disorder, reinforcing an important role for GRIN2A in motor speech function. Our findings highlight the need for precise clinical speech assessment and intervention in this group. By understanding the mechanisms involved in GRIN2A disorders, targeted therapy may be designed to improve chronic lifelong deficits in intelligibility. PMID:25596506

Speech Preference Is Associated with Autistic-Like Behavior in 18-Months-Olds at Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curtin, Suzanne; Vouloumanos, Athena

2013-01-01

We examined whether infants' preference for speech at 12 months is associated with autistic-like behaviors at 18 months in infants who are at increased risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) because they have an older sibling diagnosed with ASD and in low-risk infants. Only low-risk infants listened significantly longer to speech than to…

Proposal for Classifying the Severity of Speech Disorder Using a Fuzzy Model in Accordance with the Implicational Model of Feature Complexity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brancalioni, Ana Rita; Magnago, Karine Faverzani; Keske-Soares, Marcia

2012-01-01

The objective of this study is to create a new proposal for classifying the severity of speech disorders using a fuzzy model in accordance with a linguistic model that represents the speech acquisition of Brazilian Portuguese. The fuzzy linguistic model was run in the MATLAB software fuzzy toolbox from a set of fuzzy rules, and it encompassed…

Language and motor abilities of preschool children who stutter: Evidence from behavioral and kinematic indices of nonword repetition performance

PubMed Central

Smith, Anne; Goffman, Lisa; Sasisekaran, Jayanthi; Weber-Fox, Christine

2012-01-01

Stuttering is a disorder of speech production that typically arises in the preschool years, and many accounts of its onset and development implicate language and motor processes as critical underlying factors. There have, however, been very few studies of speech motor control processes in preschool children who stutter. Hearing novel nonwords and reproducing them engages multiple neural networks, including those involved in phonological analysis and storage and speech motor programming and execution. We used this task to explore speech motor and language abilities of 31 children aged 4–5 years who were diagnosed as stuttering. We also used sensitive and specific standardized tests of speech and language abilities to determine which of the children who stutter had concomitant language and/or phonological disorders. Approximately half of our sample of stuttering children had language and/or phonological disorders. As previous investigations would suggest, the stuttering children with concomitant language or speech sound disorders produced significantly more errors on the nonword repetition task compared to typically developing children. In contrast, the children who were diagnosed as stuttering, but who had normal speech sound and language abilities, performed the nonword repetition task with equal accuracy compared to their normally fluent peers. Analyses of interarticulator motions during accurate and fluent productions of the nonwords revealed that the children who stutter (without concomitant disorders) showed higher variability in oral motor coordination indices. These results provide new evidence that preschool children diagnosed as stuttering lag their typically developing peers in maturation of speech motor control processes. Educational objectives The reader will be able to: (a) discuss why performance on nonword repetition tasks has been investigated in children who stutter; (b) discuss why children who stutter in the current study had a higher incidence of concomitant language deficits compared to several other studies; (c) describe how performance differed on a nonword repetition test between children who stutter who do and do not have concomitant speech or language deficits; (d) make a general statement about speech motor control for nonword production in children who stutter compared to controls. PMID:23218217

Speech Sound Disorders in a Community Study of Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLeod, Sharynne; Harrison, Linda J.; McAllister, Lindy; McCormack, Jane

2013-01-01

Purpose: To undertake a community (nonclinical) study to describe the speech of preschool children who had been identified by parents/teachers as having difficulties "talking and making speech sounds" and compare the speech characteristics of those who had and had not accessed the services of a speech-language pathologist (SLP). Method:…

A Resource Manual for Speech and Hearing Programs in Oklahoma.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oklahoma State Dept. of Education, Oklahoma City.

Administrative aspects of the Oklahoma speech and hearing program are described, including state requirements, school administrator role, and organizational and operational procedures. Information on speech and language development and remediation covers language, articulation, stuttering, voice disorders, cleft palate, speech improvement,…

Florida Journal of Communication Disorders, 1996.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Langhans, Joseph J., Ed.

1996-01-01

This annual volume is a compilation of professional articles and proceedings from a conference addressing timely issues in speech-language pathology and audiology. Featured articles include: (1) "Glottal Airflow: Instrumentation and Interpretation" (Christine M. Sapienza); (2) "Clinical Implications of Motor Speech Disorders in…

Cross-Cultural Attitudes toward Speech Disorders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bebout, Linda; Arthur, Bradford

1992-01-01

University students (n=166) representing English-speaking North American culture and several other cultures completed questionnaires examining attitudes toward four speech disorders (cleft palate, dysfluency, hearing impairment, and misarticulations). Results showed significant group differences in beliefs about the emotional health of persons…

Sensitivity and specificity of the Percentage of Consonants Correct-Revised in the identification of speech sound disorder.

PubMed

Barrozo, Tatiane Faria; Pagan-Neves, Luciana de Oliveira; Pinheiro da Silva, Joyce; Wertzner, Haydée Fiszbein

2017-05-22

The purpose of the study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity, and to establish cutoff points for the severity index Percentage of Consonants Correct - Revised (PCC-R) in Brazilian Portuguese-speaking children with and without speech sound disorders. 72 children between 5:00 and 7:11 years old - 36 children without speech and language complaints and 36 children with speech sound disorders. The PCC-R was applied to the figure naming and word imitation tasks that are part of the ABFW Child Language Test. Results were statistically analyzed. The ROC curve was performed and sensitivity and specificity values ​​of the index were verified. The group of children without speech sound disorders presented greater PCC-R values in both tasks, regardless of the gender of the participants. The cutoff value observed for the picture naming task was 93.4%, with a sensitivity value of 0.89 and specificity of 0.94 (age independent). For the word imitation task, results were age-dependent: for age group ≤6:5 years old, the cutoff value was 91.0% (sensitivity of 0.77 and specificity of 0.94) and for age group >6:5 years-old, the cutoff value was 93.9% (sensitivity of 0.93 and specificity of 0.94). Given the high sensitivity and specificity of PCC-R, we can conclude that the index was effective in discriminating and identifying children with and without speech sound disorders.

[Assessment of the efficiency of the auditory training in children with dyslalia and auditory processing disorders].

PubMed

Włodarczyk, Elżbieta; Szkiełkowska, Agata; Skarżyński, Henryk; Piłka, Adam

2011-01-01

To assess effectiveness of the auditory training in children with dyslalia and central auditory processing disorders. Material consisted of 50 children aged 7-9-years-old. Children with articulation disorders stayed under long-term speech therapy care in the Auditory and Phoniatrics Clinic. All children were examined by a laryngologist and a phoniatrician. Assessment included tonal and impedance audiometry and speech therapists' and psychologist's consultations. Additionally, a set of electrophysiological examinations was performed - registration of N2, P2, N2, P2, P300 waves and psychoacoustic test of central auditory functions: FPT - frequency pattern test. Next children took part in the regular auditory training and attended speech therapy. Speech assessment followed treatment and therapy, again psychoacoustic tests were performed and P300 cortical potentials were recorded. After that statistical analyses were performed. Analyses revealed that application of auditory training in patients with dyslalia and other central auditory disorders is very efficient. Auditory training may be a very efficient therapy supporting speech therapy in children suffering from dyslalia coexisting with articulation and central auditory disorders and in children with educational problems of audiogenic origin. Copyright © 2011 Polish Otolaryngology Society. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner (Poland). All rights reserved.

Phonology and Vocal Behavior in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorders

PubMed Central

Schoen, Elizabeth; Paul, Rhea; Chawarska, Katyrzyna

2011-01-01

Scientific Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine the phonological and other vocal productions of children, 18-36 months, with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and to compare these productions to those of age-matched and language-matched controls. Speech samples were obtained from 30 toddlers with ASD, 11 age-matched toddlers and 23 language-matched toddlers during either parent-child or clinician-child play sessions. Samples were coded for a variety of speech-like and non-speech vocalization productions. Toddlers with ASD produced speech-like vocalizations similar to those of language-matched peers, but produced significantly more atypical non-speech vocalizations when compared to both control groups.Toddlers with ASD show speech-like sound production that is linked to their language level, in a manner similar to that seen in typical development. The main area of difference in vocal development in this population is in the production of atypical vocalizations. Findings suggest that toddlers with autism spectrum disorders might not tune into the language model of their environment. Failure to attend to the ambient language environment negatively impacts the ability to acquire spoken language. PMID:21308998

Speech Output Technologies in Interventions for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Scoping Review.

PubMed

Schlosser, Ralf W; Koul, Rajinder K

2015-01-01

The purpose of this scoping review was to (a) map the research evidence on the effectiveness of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions using speech output technologies (e.g., speech-generating devices, mobile technologies with AAC-specific applications, talking word processors) for individuals with autism spectrum disorders, (b) identify gaps in the existing literature, and (c) posit directions for future research. Outcomes related to speech, language, and communication were considered. A total of 48 studies (47 single case experimental designs and 1 randomized control trial) involving 187 individuals were included. Results were reviewed in terms of three study groupings: (a) studies that evaluated the effectiveness of treatment packages involving speech output, (b) studies comparing one treatment package with speech output to other AAC modalities, and (c) studies comparing the presence with the absence of speech output. The state of the evidence base is discussed and several directions for future research are posited.

Speech disorders did not correlate with age at onset of Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Dias, Alice Estevo; Barbosa, Maira Tonidandel; Limongi, João Carlos Papaterra; Barbosa, Egberto Reis

2016-02-01

Speech disorders are common manifestations of Parkinson´s disease. Objective To compare speech articulation in patients according to age at onset of the disease. Methods Fifty patients was divided into two groups: Group I consisted of 30 patients with age at onset between 40 and 55 years; Group II consisted of 20 patients with age at onset after 65 years. All patients were evaluated based on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores, Hoehn and Yahr scale and speech evaluation by perceptual and acoustical analysis. Results There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding neurological involvement and speech characteristics. Correlation analysis indicated differences in speech articulation in relation to staging and axial scores of rigidity and bradykinesia for middle and late-onset. Conclusions Impairment of speech articulation did not correlate with age at onset of disease, but was positively related with disease duration and higher scores in both groups.

Automatic initial and final segmentation in cleft palate speech of Mandarin speakers

PubMed Central

Liu, Yin; Yin, Heng; Zhang, Junpeng; Zhang, Jing; Zhang, Jiang

2017-01-01

The speech unit segmentation is an important pre-processing step in the analysis of cleft palate speech. In Mandarin, one syllable is composed of two parts: initial and final. In cleft palate speech, the resonance disorders occur at the finals and the voiced initials, while the articulation disorders occur at the unvoiced initials. Thus, the initials and finals are the minimum speech units, which could reflect the characteristics of cleft palate speech disorders. In this work, an automatic initial/final segmentation method is proposed. It is an important preprocessing step in cleft palate speech signal processing. The tested cleft palate speech utterances are collected from the Cleft Palate Speech Treatment Center in the Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, which has the largest cleft palate patients in China. The cleft palate speech data includes 824 speech segments, and the control samples contain 228 speech segments. The syllables are extracted from the speech utterances firstly. The proposed syllable extraction method avoids the training stage, and achieves a good performance for both voiced and unvoiced speech. Then, the syllables are classified into with “quasi-unvoiced” or with “quasi-voiced” initials. Respective initial/final segmentation methods are proposed to these two types of syllables. Moreover, a two-step segmentation method is proposed. The rough locations of syllable and initial/final boundaries are refined in the second segmentation step, in order to improve the robustness of segmentation accuracy. The experiments show that the initial/final segmentation accuracies for syllables with quasi-unvoiced initials are higher than quasi-voiced initials. For the cleft palate speech, the mean time error is 4.4ms for syllables with quasi-unvoiced initials, and 25.7ms for syllables with quasi-voiced initials, and the correct segmentation accuracy P30 for all the syllables is 91.69%. For the control samples, P30 for all the syllables is 91.24%. PMID:28926572

Automatic initial and final segmentation in cleft palate speech of Mandarin speakers.

PubMed

He, Ling; Liu, Yin; Yin, Heng; Zhang, Junpeng; Zhang, Jing; Zhang, Jiang

2017-01-01

The speech unit segmentation is an important pre-processing step in the analysis of cleft palate speech. In Mandarin, one syllable is composed of two parts: initial and final. In cleft palate speech, the resonance disorders occur at the finals and the voiced initials, while the articulation disorders occur at the unvoiced initials. Thus, the initials and finals are the minimum speech units, which could reflect the characteristics of cleft palate speech disorders. In this work, an automatic initial/final segmentation method is proposed. It is an important preprocessing step in cleft palate speech signal processing. The tested cleft palate speech utterances are collected from the Cleft Palate Speech Treatment Center in the Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, which has the largest cleft palate patients in China. The cleft palate speech data includes 824 speech segments, and the control samples contain 228 speech segments. The syllables are extracted from the speech utterances firstly. The proposed syllable extraction method avoids the training stage, and achieves a good performance for both voiced and unvoiced speech. Then, the syllables are classified into with "quasi-unvoiced" or with "quasi-voiced" initials. Respective initial/final segmentation methods are proposed to these two types of syllables. Moreover, a two-step segmentation method is proposed. The rough locations of syllable and initial/final boundaries are refined in the second segmentation step, in order to improve the robustness of segmentation accuracy. The experiments show that the initial/final segmentation accuracies for syllables with quasi-unvoiced initials are higher than quasi-voiced initials. For the cleft palate speech, the mean time error is 4.4ms for syllables with quasi-unvoiced initials, and 25.7ms for syllables with quasi-voiced initials, and the correct segmentation accuracy P30 for all the syllables is 91.69%. For the control samples, P30 for all the syllables is 91.24%.

Speech processing in children with functional articulation disorders.

PubMed

Gósy, Mária; Horváth, Viktória

2015-03-01

This study explored auditory speech processing and comprehension abilities in 5-8-year-old monolingual Hungarian children with functional articulation disorders (FADs) and their typically developing peers. Our main hypothesis was that children with FAD would show co-existing auditory speech processing disorders, with different levels of these skills depending on the nature of the receptive processes. The tasks included (i) sentence and non-word repetitions, (ii) non-word discrimination and (iii) sentence and story comprehension. Results suggest that the auditory speech processing of children with FAD is underdeveloped compared with that of typically developing children, and largely varies across task types. In addition, there are differences between children with FAD and controls in all age groups from 5 to 8 years. Our results have several clinical implications.

An informatics approach to integrating genetic and neurological data in speech and language neuroscience.

PubMed

Bohland, Jason W; Myers, Emma M; Kim, Esther

2014-01-01

A number of heritable disorders impair the normal development of speech and language processes and occur in large numbers within the general population. While candidate genes and loci have been identified, the gap between genotype and phenotype is vast, limiting current understanding of the biology of normal and disordered processes. This gap exists not only in our scientific knowledge, but also in our research communities, where genetics researchers and speech, language, and cognitive scientists tend to operate independently. Here we describe a web-based, domain-specific, curated database that represents information about genotype-phenotype relations specific to speech and language disorders, as well as neuroimaging results demonstrating focal brain differences in relevant patients versus controls. Bringing these two distinct data types into a common database ( http://neurospeech.org/sldb ) is a first step toward bringing molecular level information into cognitive and computational theories of speech and language function. One bridge between these data types is provided by densely sampled profiles of gene expression in the brain, such as those provided by the Allen Brain Atlases. Here we present results from exploratory analyses of human brain gene expression profiles for genes implicated in speech and language disorders, which are annotated in our database. We then discuss how such datasets can be useful in the development of computational models that bridge levels of analysis, necessary to provide a mechanistic understanding of heritable language disorders. We further describe our general approach to information integration, discuss important caveats and considerations, and offer a specific but speculative example based on genes implicated in stuttering and basal ganglia function in speech motor control.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Who Do Not Develop Phrase Speech in the Preschool Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norrelgen, Fritjof; Fernell, Elisabeth; Eriksson, Mats; Hedvall, Asa; Persson, Clara; Sjölin, Maria; Gillberg, Christopher; Kjellmer, Liselotte

2015-01-01

There is uncertainty about the proportion of children with autism spectrum disorders who do not develop phrase speech during the preschool years. The main purpose of this study was to examine this ratio in a population-based community sample of children. The cohort consisted of 165 children (141 boys, 24 girls) with autism spectrum disorders aged…

Multicultural Perspectives in Communication Disorders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Screen, Robert Martin; Anderson, Noma Bennett

This text provides information about the impact of multiculturalism on services for individuals with communication disorders. It examines the involvement of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and multicultural speech, language, and hearing organizations as they respond to the challenges created by multiculturalism. An…

77 FR 5734 - New Medical Criteria for Evaluating Language and Speech Disorders

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-06

... Medical Criteria for Evaluating Language and Speech Disorders AGENCY: Social Security Administration... Security numbers or medical information. 1. Internet: We strongly recommend that you submit your comments... INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl A. Williams, Office of Medical Listings Improvement, Social Security...

45 CFR 1308.9 - Eligibility criteria: Speech or language impairments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES THE ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN... language impairments. (a) A speech or language impairment means a communication disorder such as stuttering... language disorder may be characterized by difficulty in understanding and producing language, including...

Lexical and phonological variability in preschool children with speech sound disorder.

PubMed

Macrae, Toby; Tyler, Ann A; Lewis, Kerry E

2014-02-01

The authors of this study examined relationships between measures of word and speech error variability and between these and other speech and language measures in preschool children with speech sound disorder (SSD). In this correlational study, 18 preschool children with SSD, age-appropriate receptive vocabulary, and normal oral motor functioning and hearing were assessed across 2 sessions. Experimental measures included word and speech error variability, receptive vocabulary, nonword repetition (NWR), and expressive language. Pearson product–moment correlation coefficients were calculated among the experimental measures. The correlation between word and speech error variability was slight and nonsignificant. The correlation between word variability and receptive vocabulary was moderate and negative, although nonsignificant. High word variability was associated with small receptive vocabularies. The correlations between speech error variability and NWR and between speech error variability and the mean length of children's utterances were moderate and negative, although both were nonsignificant. High speech error variability was associated with poor NWR and language scores. High word variability may reflect unstable lexical representations, whereas high speech error variability may reflect indistinct phonological representations. Preschool children with SSD who show abnormally high levels of different types of speech variability may require slightly different approaches to intervention.

Measuring word complexity in speech screening: single-word sampling to identify phonological delay/disorder in preschool children.

PubMed

Anderson, Carolyn; Cohen, Wendy

2012-01-01

Children's speech sound development is assessed by comparing speech production with the typical development of speech sounds based on a child's age and developmental profile. One widely used method of sampling is to elicit a single-word sample along with connected speech. Words produced spontaneously rather than imitated may give a more accurate indication of a child's speech development. A published word complexity measure can be used to score later-developing speech sounds and more complex word patterns. There is a need for a screening word list that is quick to administer and reliably differentiates children with typically developing speech from children with patterns of delayed/disordered speech. To identify a short word list based on word complexity that could be spontaneously named by most typically developing children aged 3;00-5;05 years. One hundred and five children aged between 3;00 and 5;05 years from three local authority nursery schools took part in the study. Items from a published speech assessment were modified and extended to include a range of phonemic targets in different word positions in 78 monosyllabic and polysyllabic words. The 78 words were ranked both by phonemic/phonetic complexity as measured by word complexity and by ease of spontaneous production. The ten most complex words (hereafter Triage 10) were named spontaneously by more than 90% of the children. There was no significant difference between the complexity measures for five identified age groups when the data were examined in 6-month groups. A qualitative analysis revealed eight children with profiles of phonological delay or disorder. When these children were considered separately, there was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.005) between the mean word complexity measure of the group compared with the mean for the remaining children in all other age groups. The Triage 10 words reliably differentiated children with typically developing speech from those with delayed or disordered speech patterns. The Triage 10 words can be used as a screening tool for triage and general assessment and have the potential to monitor progress during intervention. Further testing is being undertaken to establish reliability with children referred to speech and language therapy services. © 2012 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Parent-child interaction in motor speech therapy.

PubMed

Namasivayam, Aravind Kumar; Jethava, Vibhuti; Pukonen, Margit; Huynh, Anna; Goshulak, Debra; Kroll, Robert; van Lieshout, Pascal

2018-01-01

This study measures the reliability and sensitivity of a modified Parent-Child Interaction Observation scale (PCIOs) used to monitor the quality of parent-child interaction. The scale is part of a home-training program employed with direct motor speech intervention for children with speech sound disorders. Eighty-four preschool age children with speech sound disorders were provided either high- (2×/week/10 weeks) or low-intensity (1×/week/10 weeks) motor speech intervention. Clinicians completed the PCIOs at the beginning, middle, and end of treatment. Inter-rater reliability (Kappa scores) was determined by an independent speech-language pathologist who assessed videotaped sessions at the midpoint of the treatment block. Intervention sensitivity of the scale was evaluated using a Friedman test for each item and then followed up with Wilcoxon pairwise comparisons where appropriate. We obtained fair-to-good inter-rater reliability (Kappa = 0.33-0.64) for the PCIOs using only video-based scoring. Child-related items were more strongly influenced by differences in treatment intensity than parent-related items, where a greater number of sessions positively influenced parent learning of treatment skills and child behaviors. The adapted PCIOs is reliable and sensitive to monitor the quality of parent-child interactions in a 10-week block of motor speech intervention with adjunct home therapy. Implications for rehabilitation Parent-centered therapy is considered a cost effective method of speech and language service delivery. However, parent-centered models may be difficult to implement for treatments such as developmental motor speech interventions that require a high degree of skill and training. For children with speech sound disorders and motor speech difficulties, a translated and adapted version of the parent-child observation scale was found to be sufficiently reliable and sensitive to assess changes in the quality of the parent-child interactions during intervention. In developmental motor speech interventions, high-intensity treatment (2×/week/10 weeks) facilitates greater changes in the parent-child interactions than low intensity treatment (1×/week/10 weeks). On one hand, parents may need to attend more than five sessions with the clinician to learn how to observe and address their child's speech difficulties. On the other hand, children with speech sound disorders may need more than 10 sessions to adapt to structured play settings even when activities and therapy materials are age-appropriate.

Difficulties in Automatic Speech Recognition of Dysarthric Speakers and Implications for Speech-Based Applications Used by the Elderly: A Literature Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Victoria; Mihailidis, Alex

2010-01-01

Despite their growing presence in home computer applications and various telephony services, commercial automatic speech recognition technologies are still not easily employed by everyone; especially individuals with speech disorders. In addition, relatively little research has been conducted on automatic speech recognition performance with older…

The influence of maternal language responsiveness on the expressive speech production of children with autism spectrum disorders: a microanalysis of mother-child play interactions.

PubMed

Walton, Katherine M; Ingersoll, Brooke R

2015-05-01

Adult responsiveness is related to language development both in young typically developing children and in children with autism spectrum disorders, such that parents who use more responsive language with their children have children who develop better language skills over time. This study used a micro-analytic technique to examine how two facets of maternal utterances, relationship to child focus of attention and degree of demandingness, influenced the immediate use of appropriate expressive language of preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorders (n = 28) and toddlers with typical development (n = 16) within a naturalistic mother-child play session. Mothers' use of follow-in demanding language was most likely to elicit appropriate expressive speech in both children with autism spectrum disorders and children with typical development. For children with autism spectrum disorders, but not children with typical development, mothers' use of orienting cues conferred an additional benefit for expressive speech production. These findings are consistent with the naturalistic behavioral intervention philosophy and suggest that following a child's lead while prompting for language is likely to elicit speech production in children with autism spectrum disorders and children with typical development. Furthermore, using orienting cues may help children with autism spectrum disorders to verbally respond. © The Author(s) 2014.

Differential Diagnosis of Speech Sound Disorder (Phonological Disorder): Audiological Assessment beyond the Pure-tone Audiogram.

PubMed

Iliadou, Vasiliki Vivian; Chermak, Gail D; Bamiou, Doris-Eva

2015-04-01

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, diagnosis of speech sound disorder (SSD) requires a determination that it is not the result of other congenital or acquired conditions, including hearing loss or neurological conditions that may present with similar symptomatology. To examine peripheral and central auditory function for the purpose of determining whether a peripheral or central auditory disorder was an underlying factor or contributed to the child's SSD. Central auditory processing disorder clinic pediatric case reports. Three clinical cases are reviewed of children with diagnosed SSD who were referred for audiological evaluation by their speech-language pathologists as a result of slower than expected progress in therapy. Audiological testing revealed auditory deficits involving peripheral auditory function or the central auditory nervous system. These cases demonstrate the importance of increasing awareness among professionals of the need to fully evaluate the auditory system to identify auditory deficits that could contribute to a patient's speech sound (phonological) disorder. Audiological assessment in cases of suspected SSD should not be limited to pure-tone audiometry given its limitations in revealing the full range of peripheral and central auditory deficits, deficits which can compromise treatment of SSD. American Academy of Audiology.

Speech summer camp for treating articulation disorders in cleft palate patients.

PubMed

Pamplona, Carmen; Ysunza, Antonio; Patiño, Carmeluza; Ramírez, Elena; Drucker, Mónica; Mazón, Juán J

2005-03-01

Compensatory articulation disorder (CAD) severely affects speech intelligibility of cleft palate children. CAD must be treated with speech therapy. Children can manage articulation better when they use language in event contexts such as every day routines. The purpose of this paper is to study and compare two modalities of speech intervention in cleft palate children with associated CAD. The first modality is a conventional approach providing speech therapy in 1-h sessions, twice a week. The second modality is a speech summer camp in which children received therapy 4h per day, 5 days a week for a period of 3 weeks. We were aimed to determine if a speech summer camp could significantly enhance articulation in CP children with CAD. Forty-five children with repaired cleft palates who exhibited CAD were studied. A matched control group of 45 children with repaired cleft palate who also exhibited CAD were identified. The patients included in the first group attended a speech summer camp for 3 weeks. The matched control subjects included in the second group received speech therapy aimed to correct CAD twice per-week in 1-h sessions. At the onset of either the summer camp or the speech therapy period, the severity of CAD was evenly distributed with non-significant differences across both groups of patients (p > 0.05). After the summer camp (3 weeks) or 12 months of speech therapy sessions at a frequency of twice per-week, both groups of patients showed a significant decrease in the severity of their CAD (p < 0.05). However, when the distribution of the severity of CAD was compared at the end of the summer camp or the speech therapy period, non-significant differences were found between both groups of patients (p > 0.05). A speech summer camp is a valid and efficient method for providing speech therapy in cleft palate children with compensatory articulation disorder.

DEVELOPMENT AND DISORDERS OF SPEECH IN CHILDHOOD.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

KARLIN, ISAAC W.; AND OTHERS

THE GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT, AND ABNORMALITIES OF SPEECH IN CHILDHOOD ARE DESCRIBED IN THIS TEXT DESIGNED FOR PEDIATRICIANS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, EDUCATORS, MEDICAL STUDENTS, THERAPISTS, PATHOLOGISTS, AND PARENTS. THE NORMAL DEVELOPMENT OF SPEECH AND LANGUAGE IS DISCUSSED, INCLUDING THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN OF SPEECH IN MAN AND FACTORS INFLUENCING THE NORMAL…

Cognitive Functions in Childhood Apraxia of Speech

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nijland, Lian; Terband, Hayo; Maassen, Ben

2015-01-01

Purpose: Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is diagnosed on the basis of specific speech characteristics, in the absence of problems in hearing, intelligence, and language comprehension. This does not preclude the possibility that children with this speech disorder might demonstrate additional problems. Method: Cognitive functions were investigated…

Help with Hearing

MedlinePlus

... Infections and Hearing ...................................................................................4 Tubes ............................................................................................................................4 Speech and Language Development .......................................................................6 Common Speech Disorders Related to Persistent Ear ... may be placed early to help speech and language development. If your child needs “tubes” (see below), they ...

A highly penetrant form of childhood apraxia of speech due to deletion of 16p11.2

PubMed Central

Fedorenko, Evelina; Morgan, Angela; Murray, Elizabeth; Cardinaux, Annie; Mei, Cristina; Tager-Flusberg, Helen; Fisher, Simon E; Kanwisher, Nancy

2016-01-01

Individuals with heterozygous 16p11.2 deletions reportedly suffer from a variety of difficulties with speech and language. Indeed, recent copy-number variant screens of children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), a specific and rare motor speech disorder, have identified three unrelated individuals with 16p11.2 deletions. However, the nature and prevalence of speech and language disorders in general, and CAS in particular, is unknown for individuals with 16p11.2 deletions. Here we took a genotype-first approach, conducting detailed and systematic characterization of speech abilities in a group of 11 unrelated children ascertained on the basis of 16p11.2 deletions. To obtain the most precise and replicable phenotyping, we included tasks that are highly diagnostic for CAS, and we tested children under the age of 18 years, an age group where CAS has been best characterized. Two individuals were largely nonverbal, preventing detailed speech analysis, whereas the remaining nine met the standard accepted diagnostic criteria for CAS. These results link 16p11.2 deletions to a highly penetrant form of CAS. Our findings underline the need for further precise characterization of speech and language profiles in larger groups of affected individuals, which will also enhance our understanding of how genetic pathways contribute to human communication disorders. PMID:26173965

Specific Syndromes and Associated Communication Disorders: A Review.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanger, Dixie D.; And Others

1984-01-01

The review, intended to provide speech-language pathologists and special educators with an awareness of genetics and specific syndromes involving speech, language, and hearing components, discusses basic etiologies of abnormal development and selected syndromes (such as Down's and Klinefelter's) that include communication disorders. (CL)

Comparison of mapping quantitative theta encephalograms during directed and required visual-verbal activity and passive period in children with different disorders of speech-language functioning.

PubMed

Radicevic, Zoran; Jelicic Dobrijevic, Ljiljana; Sovilj, Mirjana; Barlov, Ivana

2009-06-01

Aim of the research was to examine similarities and differences between the periods of experiencing visually stimulated directed speech-language information and periods of undirected attention. The examined group comprised N = 64 children, aged 4-5, with different speech-language disorders (developmental dysphasia, hyperactive syndrome with attention disorder, children with borderline intellectual abilities, autistic complex). Theta EEG was registered in children in the period of watching and describing the picture ("task"), and in the period of undirected attention ("passive period"). The children were recorded in standard EEG conditions, at 19 points of EEG registration and in longitudinal bipolar montage. Results in the observed age-operative theta rhythm indicated significant similarities and differences in the prevalence of spatial engagement of certain regions between the two hemispheres at the input and output of processing, which opens the possibility for more detailed analysis of conscious control of speech-language processing and its disorders.

Psychopathology of catatonic speech disorders and the dilemma of catatonia: a selective review.

PubMed

Ungvari, G S; White, E; Pang, A H

1995-12-01

Over the past decade there has been an upsurge of interest in the prevalence, nosological position, treatment response and pathophysiology of catatonia. However, the psychopathology of catatonia has received only scant attention. Once the hallmark of catatonia, speech disorders--particularly logorrhoea, verbigeration and echolalia--seem to have been neglected in modern literature. The aims of the present paper are to outline the conceptual history of catatonic speech disorders and to follow their development in contemporary clinical research. The English-language psychiatric literature for the last 60 years on logorrhoea, verbigeration and echolalia was searched through Medline and cross-referencing. Kahlbaum, Wernicke, Jaspers, Kraepelin, Bleuler, Kleist and Leonhard's oft cited classical texts supplemented the search. In contrast to classical psychopathological sources, very few recent papers were found on catatonic speech disorders. Current clinical research failed to incorporate the observations of traditional descriptive psychopathology. Modern catatonia research operates with simplified versions of psychopathological terms devised and refined by generations of classical writers.

Speech evaluation in children with temporomandibular disorders.

PubMed

Pizolato, Raquel Aparecida; Fernandes, Frederico Silva de Freitas; Gavião, Maria Beatriz Duarte

2011-10-01

The aims of this study were to evaluate the influence of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) on speech in children, and to verify the influence of occlusal characteristics. Speech and dental occlusal characteristics were assessed in 152 Brazilian children (78 boys and 74 girls), aged 8 to 12 (mean age 10.05 ± 1.39 years) with or without TMD signs and symptoms. The clinical signs were evaluated using the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (RDC/TMD) (axis I) and the symptoms were evaluated using a questionnaire. The following groups were formed: Group TMD (n=40), TMD signs and symptoms (Group S and S, n=68), TMD signs or symptoms (Group S or S, n=33), and without signs and symptoms (Group N, n=11). Articulatory speech disorders were diagnosed during spontaneous speech and repetition of the words using the "Phonological Assessment of Child Speech" for the Portuguese language. It was also applied a list of 40 phonological balanced words, read by the speech pathologist and repeated by the children. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Fisher's exact or Chi-square tests (α=0.05). A slight prevalence of articulatory disturbances, such as substitutions, omissions and distortions of the sibilants /s/ and /z/, and no deviations in jaw lateral movements were observed. Reduction of vertical amplitude was found in 10 children, the prevalence being greater in TMD signs and symptoms children than in the normal children. The tongue protrusion in phonemes /t/, /d/, /n/, /l/ and frontal lips in phonemes /s/ and /z/ were the most prevalent visual alterations. There was a high percentage of dental occlusal alterations. There was no association between TMD and speech disorders. Occlusal alterations may be factors of influence, allowing distortions and frontal lisp in phonemes /s/ and /z/ and inadequate tongue position in phonemes /t/; /d/; /n/; /l/.

Speech disorders in neurofibromatosis type 1: a sample survey.

PubMed

Cosyns, Marjan; Vandeweghe, Lies; Mortier, Geert; Janssens, Sandra; Van Borsel, John

2010-01-01

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal-dominant neurocutaneous disorder with an estimated prevalence of two to three cases per 10,000 population. While the physical characteristics have been well documented, speech disorders have not been fully characterized in NF1 patients. This study serves as a pilot to identify key issues in the speech of NF1 patients. In particular, the aim is to explore further the occurrence and nature of problems associated with speech as perceived by the patients themselves. A questionnaire was sent to 149 patients with NF1 registered at the Department of Genetics, Ghent University Hospital. The questionnaire inquired about articulation, hearing, breathing, voice, resonance and fluency. Sixty individuals ranging in age from 4.5 to 61.3 years returned completed questionnaires and these served as the database for the study. The results of this sample survey were compared with data of the normal population. About two-thirds of participants experienced at least one speech or speech-related problem of any type. Compared with the normal population, the NF1 group indicated more articulation difficulties, hearing impairment, abnormalities in loudness, and stuttering. The results indicate that speech difficulties are an area of interest in the NF1 population. Further research to elucidate these findings is needed.

Brief Report: A Mobile Application to Treat Prosodic Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Communication Impairments: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Simmons, Elizabeth Schoen; Paul, Rhea; Shic, Frederick

2016-01-01

This study examined the acceptability of a mobile application, SpeechPrompts, designed to treat prosodic disorders in children with ASD and other communication impairments. Ten speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in public schools and 40 of their students, 5-19 years with prosody deficits participated. Students received treatment with the software over eight weeks. Pre- and post-treatment speech samples and student engagement data were collected. Feedback on the utility of the software was also obtained. SLPs implemented the software with their students in an authentic education setting. Student engagement ratings indicated students' attention to the software was maintained during treatment. Although more testing is warranted, post-treatment prosody ratings suggest that SpeechPrompts has potential to be a useful tool in the treatment of prosodic disorders.

Minimal Pair Distinctions and Intelligibility in Preschool Children with and without Speech Sound Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodge, Megan M.; Gotzke, Carrie L.

2011-01-01

Listeners' identification of young children's productions of minimally contrastive words and predictive relationships between accurately identified words and intelligibility scores obtained from a 100-word spontaneous speech sample were determined for 36 children with typically developing speech (TDS) and 36 children with speech sound disorders…

Developing a Weighted Measure of Speech Sound Accuracy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preston, Jonathan L.; Ramsdell, Heather L.; Oller, D. Kimbrough; Edwards, Mary Louise; Tobin, Stephen J.

2011-01-01

Purpose: To develop a system for numerically quantifying a speaker's phonetic accuracy through transcription-based measures. With a focus on normal and disordered speech in children, the authors describe a system for differentially weighting speech sound errors on the basis of various levels of phonetic accuracy using a Weighted Speech Sound…

Speech and Language Therapy Intervention in Schizophrenia: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clegg, Judy; Brumfitt, Shelagh; Parks, Randolph W.; Woodruff, Peter W. R.

2007-01-01

Background: There is a significant body of evidence documenting the speech and language abnormalities found in adult psychiatric disorders. These speech and language impairments can create additional social barriers for the individual and may hinder effective communication in psychiatric treatment and management. However, the role of speech and…

Atypical speech versus non-speech detection and discrimination in 4- to 6- yr old children with autism spectrum disorder: An ERP study.

PubMed

Galilee, Alena; Stefanidou, Chrysi; McCleery, Joseph P

2017-01-01

Previous event-related potential (ERP) research utilizing oddball stimulus paradigms suggests diminished processing of speech versus non-speech sounds in children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, brain mechanisms underlying these speech processing abnormalities, and to what extent they are related to poor language abilities in this population remain unknown. In the current study, we utilized a novel paired repetition paradigm in order to investigate ERP responses associated with the detection and discrimination of speech and non-speech sounds in 4- to 6-year old children with ASD, compared with gender and verbal age matched controls. ERPs were recorded while children passively listened to pairs of stimuli that were either both speech sounds, both non-speech sounds, speech followed by non-speech, or non-speech followed by speech. Control participants exhibited N330 match/mismatch responses measured from temporal electrodes, reflecting speech versus non-speech detection, bilaterally, whereas children with ASD exhibited this effect only over temporal electrodes in the left hemisphere. Furthermore, while the control groups exhibited match/mismatch effects at approximately 600 ms (central N600, temporal P600) when a non-speech sound was followed by a speech sound, these effects were absent in the ASD group. These findings suggest that children with ASD fail to activate right hemisphere mechanisms, likely associated with social or emotional aspects of speech detection, when distinguishing non-speech from speech stimuli. Together, these results demonstrate the presence of atypical speech versus non-speech processing in children with ASD when compared with typically developing children matched on verbal age.

Atypical speech versus non-speech detection and discrimination in 4- to 6- yr old children with autism spectrum disorder: An ERP study

PubMed Central

Stefanidou, Chrysi; McCleery, Joseph P.

2017-01-01

Previous event-related potential (ERP) research utilizing oddball stimulus paradigms suggests diminished processing of speech versus non-speech sounds in children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, brain mechanisms underlying these speech processing abnormalities, and to what extent they are related to poor language abilities in this population remain unknown. In the current study, we utilized a novel paired repetition paradigm in order to investigate ERP responses associated with the detection and discrimination of speech and non-speech sounds in 4- to 6—year old children with ASD, compared with gender and verbal age matched controls. ERPs were recorded while children passively listened to pairs of stimuli that were either both speech sounds, both non-speech sounds, speech followed by non-speech, or non-speech followed by speech. Control participants exhibited N330 match/mismatch responses measured from temporal electrodes, reflecting speech versus non-speech detection, bilaterally, whereas children with ASD exhibited this effect only over temporal electrodes in the left hemisphere. Furthermore, while the control groups exhibited match/mismatch effects at approximately 600 ms (central N600, temporal P600) when a non-speech sound was followed by a speech sound, these effects were absent in the ASD group. These findings suggest that children with ASD fail to activate right hemisphere mechanisms, likely associated with social or emotional aspects of speech detection, when distinguishing non-speech from speech stimuli. Together, these results demonstrate the presence of atypical speech versus non-speech processing in children with ASD when compared with typically developing children matched on verbal age. PMID:28738063

Speech Development

MedlinePlus

... pay for speech therapy for children born with cleft lip and palate, though they may limit the number of therapy ... Hardin-Jones, Karnell (2000). Communicative Disorders Related to Cleft Lip and Palate . Bzoch (1997). Cleft Palate Speech Management: A Multidisciplinary ...

Fifty years of progress in acoustic phonetics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stevens, Kenneth N.

2004-10-01

Three events that occurred 50 or 60 years ago shaped the study of acoustic phonetics, and in the following few decades these events influenced research and applications in speech disorders, speech development, speech synthesis, speech recognition, and other subareas in speech communication. These events were: (1) the source-filter theory of speech production (Chiba and Kajiyama; Fant); (2) the development of the sound spectrograph and its interpretation (Potter, Kopp, and Green; Joos); and (3) the birth of research that related distinctive features to acoustic patterns (Jakobson, Fant, and Halle). Following these events there has been systematic exploration of the articulatory, acoustic, and perceptual bases of phonological categories, and some quantification of the sources of variability in the transformation of this phonological representation of speech into its acoustic manifestations. This effort has been enhanced by studies of how children acquire language in spite of this variability and by research on speech disorders. Gaps in our knowledge of this inherent variability in speech have limited the directions of applications such as synthesis and recognition of speech, and have led to the implementation of data-driven techniques rather than theoretical principles. Some examples of advances in our knowledge, and limitations of this knowledge, are reviewed.

Disorders of Articulation. Prentice-Hall Foundations of Speech Pathology Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carrell, James A.

Designed for students of speech pathology and audiology and for practicing clinicians, the text considers the nature of the articulation process, criteria for diagnosis, and classification and etiology of disorders. Also discussed are phonetic characteristics, including phonemic errors and configurational and contextual defects; and functional…

Voice Therapy Techniques Adapted to Treatment of Habit Cough: A Pilot Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blager, Florence B.; And Others

1988-01-01

Individuals with long-standing habit cough having no organic basis can be successfully treated with a combination of psychotherapy and speech therapy. Techniques for speech therapy are adapted from those used with hyperfunctional voice disorders to fit this debilitating laryngeal disorder. (Author)

The First Lincolnland Conference on Dialectology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffith, Jerry, Ed.; Miner, L. E., Ed.

The First Lincolnland Conference on Dialectology, held at Eastern Illinois University in March 1968, was attended by linguists and speech pathologists specializing in the areas of speech science, dialects, articulation disorders, language development and language disorders. The purposes of the conference were: (1) to review research dealing with…

Treatment model in children with speech disorders and its therapeutic efficiency.

PubMed

Barberena, Luciana; Keske-Soares, Márcia; Cervi, Taís; Brandão, Mariane

2014-07-01

Introduction Speech articulation disorders affect the intelligibility of speech. Studies on therapeutic models show the effectiveness of the communication treatment. Objective To analyze the progress achieved by treatment with the ABAB-Withdrawal and Multiple Probes Model in children with different degrees of phonological disorders. Methods The diagnosis of speech articulation disorder was determined by speech and hearing evaluation and complementary tests. The subjects of this research were eight children, with the average age of 5:5. The children were distributed into four groups according to the degrees of the phonological disorders, based on the percentage of correct consonants, as follows: severe, moderate to severe, mild to moderate, and mild. The phonological treatment applied was the ABAB-Withdrawal and Multiple Probes Model. The development of the therapy by generalization was observed through the comparison between the two analyses: contrastive and distinctive features at the moment of evaluation and reevaluation. Results The following types of generalization were found: to the items not used in the treatment (other words), to another position in the word, within a sound class, to other classes of sounds, and to another syllable structure. Conclusion The different types of generalization studied showed the expansion of production and proper use of therapy-trained targets in other contexts or untrained environments. Therefore, the analysis of the generalizations proved to be an important criterion to measure the therapeutic efficacy.

Modelling Errors in Automatic Speech Recognition for Dysarthric Speakers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caballero Morales, Santiago Omar; Cox, Stephen J.

2009-12-01

Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder characterized by weakness, paralysis, or poor coordination of the muscles responsible for speech. Although automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems have been developed for disordered speech, factors such as low intelligibility and limited phonemic repertoire decrease speech recognition accuracy, making conventional speaker adaptation algorithms perform poorly on dysarthric speakers. In this work, rather than adapting the acoustic models, we model the errors made by the speaker and attempt to correct them. For this task, two techniques have been developed: (1) a set of "metamodels" that incorporate a model of the speaker's phonetic confusion matrix into the ASR process; (2) a cascade of weighted finite-state transducers at the confusion matrix, word, and language levels. Both techniques attempt to correct the errors made at the phonetic level and make use of a language model to find the best estimate of the correct word sequence. Our experiments show that both techniques outperform standard adaptation techniques.

Pharmacotherapy and Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Tutorial for Speech-Language Pathologists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Self, Trisha L.; Hale, LaDonna S.; Crumrine, Daiquirie

2010-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this tutorial is to provide speech-language pathologists (SLPs) with general information regarding the most commonly prescribed medications for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; e.g., central nervous system stimulants, noradrenergic reuptake inhibitors, alpha-2 adrenergic agonists, antipsychotics,…

Speech-Language Pathologists' Opinions on Communication Disorders and Violence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanger, Dixie; Moore-Brown, Barbara J.; Montgomery, Judy; Hellerich, Susan

2004-01-01

Purpose: This study investigated the opinions of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) regarding their role, education, and training in serving students with communication disorders who have been involved in violence. Method: A survey consisting of 26 items was given to 598 SLPs from eight states representing geographic regions of the United…

Brief Report: Arrested Development of Audiovisual Speech Perception in Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevenson, Ryan A.; Siemann, Justin K.; Woynaroski, Tiffany G.; Schneider, Brittany C.; Eberly, Haley E.; Camarata, Stephen M.; Wallace, Mark T.

2014-01-01

Atypical communicative abilities are a core marker of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). A number of studies have shown that, in addition to auditory comprehension differences, individuals with autism frequently show atypical responses to audiovisual speech, suggesting a multisensory contribution to these communicative differences from their…

Multisensory Speech Perception in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woynaroski, Tiffany G.; Kwakye, Leslie D.; Foss-Feig, Jennifer H.; Stevenson, Ryan A.; Stone, Wendy L.; Wallace, Mark T.

2013-01-01

This study examined unisensory and multisensory speech perception in 8-17 year old children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and typically developing controls matched on chronological age, sex, and IQ. Consonant-vowel syllables were presented in visual only, auditory only, matched audiovisual, and mismatched audiovisual ("McGurk")…

Children with Speech Sound Disorders at School: Challenges for Children, Parents and Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniel, Graham R.; McLeod, Sharynne

2017-01-01

Teachers play a major role in supporting children's educational, social, and emotional development although may be unprepared for supporting children with speech sound disorders. Interviews with 34 participants including six focus children, their parents, siblings, friends, teachers and other significant adults in their lives highlighted…

DIAGNOSIS AND APPRAISAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS. PRENTICE-HALL FOUNDATIONS OF SPEECH PATHOLOGY SERIES.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DARLEY, FREDERIC L.

THIS TEXT GIVES THE STUDENT AN OUTLINE OF THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF SCIENTIFIC METHODOLOGY WHICH UNDERLIE EVALUATIVE WORK IN SPEECH DISORDERS. RATIONALE AND ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES ARE GIVEN FOR EXAMINATION OF THE BASIC COMMUNICATION PROCESSES OF SYMBOLIZATION, RESPIRATION, PHONATION, ARTICULATION-RESONANCE, PROSODY, ASSOCIATED SENSORY AND PERCEPTUAL…

Speech-Language Pathologists' Attitudes and Involvement Regarding Language and Reading.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casby, Michael W.

1988-01-01

The study analyzed responses of 105 public school speech-language pathologists to a survey of perceptions of their knowledge, competencies, educational needs, and involvement with children regarding the relationship between oral language and reading disorders. Most reported they were not very involved with children with reading disorders though…

Severe Speech Sound Disorders: An Integrated Multimodal Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Amie M.; Hengst, Julie A.; DeThorne, Laura S.

2013-01-01

Purpose: This study introduces an integrated multimodal intervention (IMI) and examines its effectiveness for the treatment of persistent and severe speech sound disorders (SSD) in young children. The IMI is an activity-based intervention that focuses simultaneously on increasing the "quantity" of a child's meaningful productions of target words…

Clinical Characteristics of Voice, Speech, and Swallowing Disorders in Oromandibular Dystonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kreisler, Alexandre; Vepraet, Anne Caroline; Veit, Solène; Pennel-Ployart, Odile; Béhal, Hélène; Duhamel, Alain; Destée, Alain

2016-01-01

Purpose: To better define the clinical characteristics of idiopathic oromandibular dystonia, we studied voice, speech, and swallowing disorders and their impact on activities of daily living. Method: Fourteen consecutive patients with idiopathic oromandibular dystonia and 14 matched, healthy control subjects were included in the study. Results:…

Speech and Language Disorders in Children with Intellectual Disability.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Georgieva, Dobrinka; Cholakova, Maya

This study of 148 Bulgarian children with mild intellectual disabilities investigated the incidence of various types of speech and language disorders in children with intellectual disabilities. A questionnaire was given to the parents and relatives of the children requiring information about the pupils' pre-, peri-, and early postnatal…

Study Guide for Teacher Certification Test in Speech and Language Pathology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Umberger, Forrest G.

This study guide is designed for individuals preparing to take the Georgia Teacher Certification Test (TCT) in speech and language pathology. The test covers five subareas: (1) fundamentals of speech and language; (2) speech and language disorders; (3) related handicapping conditions; (4) hearing impairment; and (5) program management and…

Dramatic Effects of Speech Task on Motor and Linguistic Planning in Severely Dysfluent Parkinsonian Speech

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Lancker Sidtis, Diana; Cameron, Krista; Sidtis, John J.

2012-01-01

In motor speech disorders, dysarthric features impacting intelligibility, articulation, fluency and voice emerge more saliently in conversation than in repetition, reading or singing. A role of the basal ganglia in these task discrepancies has been identified. Further, more recent studies of naturalistic speech in basal ganglia dysfunction have…

Issues in Perceptual Speech Analysis in Cleft Palate and Related Disorders: A Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sell, Debbie

2005-01-01

Perceptual speech assessment is central to the evaluation of speech outcomes associated with cleft palate and velopharyngeal dysfunction. However, the complexity of this process is perhaps sometimes underestimated. To draw together the many different strands in the complex process of perceptual speech assessment and analysis, and make…

A Sibling-Mediated Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Using the Natural Language Paradigm (NLP).

PubMed

Spector, Vicki; Charlop, Marjorie H

2018-05-01

We taught three typically developing siblings to occasion speech by implementing the Natural Language Paradigm (NLP) with their brothers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A non-concurrent multiple baseline design across children with ASD and sibling dyads was used. Ancillary behaviors of happiness, play, and joint attention for the children with ASD were recorded. Generalization of speech for the children with ASD across setting and peers was also measured. During baseline, the children with ASD displayed few target speech behaviors and the siblings inconsistently occasioned speech from their brothers. After sibling training, however, they successfully delivered NLP, and in turn, for two of the brothers with ASD, speech reached criterion. Implications of this research suggest the inclusion of siblings in interventions.

Introducing the White Noise task in childhood: associations between speech illusions and psychosis vulnerability.

PubMed

Rimvall, M K; Clemmensen, L; Munkholm, A; Rask, C U; Larsen, J T; Skovgaard, A M; Simons, C J P; van Os, J; Jeppesen, P

2016-10-01

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) are common during development and may arise due to dysregulation in top-down processing of sensory input. This study was designed to examine the frequency and correlates of speech illusions measured using the White Noise (WN) task in children from the general population. Associations between speech illusions and putative risk factors for psychotic disorder and negative affect were examined. A total of 1486 children aged 11-12 years of the Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000 were examined with the WN task. Psychotic experiences and negative affect were determined using the Kiddie-SADS-PL. Register data described family history of mental disorders. Exaggerated Theory of Mind functioning (hyper-ToM) was measured by the ToM Storybook Frederik. A total of 145 (10%) children experienced speech illusions (hearing speech in the absence of speech stimuli), of which 102 (70%) experienced illusions perceived by the child as positive or negative (affectively salient). Experiencing hallucinations during the last month was associated with affectively salient speech illusions in the WN task [general cognitive ability: adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-3.93]. Negative affect, both last month and lifetime, was also associated with affectively salient speech illusions (aOR 2.01, 95% CI 1.05-3.83 and aOR 1.79, 95% CI 1.11-2.89, respectively). Speech illusions were not associated with delusions, hyper-ToM or family history of mental disorders. Speech illusions were elicited in typically developing children in a WN-test paradigm, and point to an affective pathway to AVH mediated by dysregulation in top-down processing of sensory input.

Monogenic and chromosomal causes of isolated speech and language impairment.

PubMed

Barnett, C P; van Bon, B W M

2015-11-01

The importance of a precise molecular diagnosis for children with intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy has become widely accepted and genetic testing is an integral part of the diagnostic evaluation of these children. In contrast, children with an isolated speech or language disorder are not often genetically evaluated, despite recent evidence supporting a role for genetic factors in the aetiology of these disorders. Several chromosomal copy number variants and single gene disorders associated with abnormalities of speech and language have been identified. Individuals without a precise genetic diagnosis will not receive optimal management including interventions such as early testosterone replacement in Klinefelter syndrome, otorhinolaryngological and audiometric evaluation in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, cardiovascular surveillance in 7q11.23 duplications and early dietary management to prevent obesity in proximal 16p11.2 deletions. This review summarises the clinical features, aetiology and management options of known chromosomal and single gene disorders that are associated with speech and language pathology in the setting of normal or only mildly impaired cognitive function. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Developmental language and speech disability.

PubMed

Spiel, G; Brunner, E; Allmayer, B; Pletz, A

2001-09-01

Speech disabilities (articulation deficits) and language disorders--expressive (vocabulary) receptive (language comprehension) are not uncommon in children. An overview of these along with a global description of the impairment of communication as well as clinical characteristics of language developmental disorders are presented in this article. The diagnostic tables, which are applied in the European and Anglo-American speech areas, ICD-10 and DSM-IV, have been explained and compared. Because of their strengths and weaknesses an alternative classification of language and speech developmental disorders is proposed, which allows a differentiation between expressive and receptive language capabilities with regard to the semantic and the morphological/syntax domains. Prevalence and comorbidity rates, psychosocial influences, biological factors and the biological social interaction have been discussed. The necessity of the use of standardized examinations is emphasised. General logopaedic treatment paradigms, specific therapy concepts and an overview of prognosis have been described.

Content analysis of the professional journal of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, III: 1966-2015-into the 21st century.

PubMed

Armstrong, Linda; Stansfield, Jois; Bloch, Steven

2017-11-01

Following content analyses of the first 30 years of the UK speech and language therapy professional body's journal, this study was conducted to survey the published work of the speech (and language) therapy profession over the last 50 years and trace key changes and themes. To understand better the development of the UK speech and language therapy profession over the last 50 years. All volumes of the professional journal of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists published between 1966 and 2015 (British Journal of Communication Disorders, European Journal of Communication Disorders and International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders) were examined using content analysis. The content was compared with that of the same journal as it appeared from 1935 to 1965. The journal has shown a trend towards more multi-authored and international papers, and a formalization of research methodologies. The volume of papers has increased considerably. Topic areas have expanded, but retain many of the areas of study found in earlier issues of the journal. The journal and its articles reflect the growing complexity of conditions being researched by speech and language therapists and their professional colleagues and give an indication of the developing evidence base for intervention and the diverse routes which speech and language therapy practice has taken over the last 50 years. © 2017 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Speech rate in Parkinson's disease: A controlled study.

PubMed

Martínez-Sánchez, F; Meilán, J J G; Carro, J; Gómez Íñiguez, C; Millian-Morell, L; Pujante Valverde, I M; López-Alburquerque, T; López, D E

2016-09-01

Speech disturbances will affect most patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) over the course of the disease. The origin and severity of these symptoms are of clinical and diagnostic interest. To evaluate the clinical pattern of speech impairment in PD patients and identify significant differences in speech rate and articulation compared to control subjects. Speech rate and articulation in a reading task were measured using an automatic analytical method. A total of 39 PD patients in the 'on' state and 45 age-and sex-matched asymptomatic controls participated in the study. None of the patients experienced dyskinesias or motor fluctuations during the test. The patients with PD displayed a significant reduction in speech and articulation rates; there were no significant correlations between the studied speech parameters and patient characteristics such as L-dopa dose, duration of the disorder, age, and UPDRS III scores and Hoehn & Yahr scales. Patients with PD show a characteristic pattern of declining speech rate. These results suggest that in PD, disfluencies are the result of the movement disorder affecting the physiology of speech production systems. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Speech Rate Entrainment in Children and Adults With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Wynn, Camille J; Borrie, Stephanie A; Sellers, Tyra P

2018-05-03

Conversational entrainment, a phenomenon whereby people modify their behaviors to match their communication partner, has been evidenced as critical to successful conversation. It is plausible that deficits in entrainment contribute to the conversational breakdowns and social difficulties exhibited by people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study examined speech rate entrainment in children and adult populations with and without ASD. Sixty participants including typically developing children, children with ASD, typically developed adults, and adults with ASD participated in a quasi-conversational paradigm with a pseudoconfederate. The confederate's speech rate was digitally manipulated to create slow and fast speech rate conditions. Typically developed adults entrained their speech rate in the quasi-conversational paradigm, using a faster rate during the fast speech rate conditions and a slower rate during the slow speech rate conditions. This entrainment pattern was not evident in adults with ASD or in children populations. Findings suggest that speech rate entrainment is a developmentally acquired skill and offers preliminary evidence of speech rate entrainment deficits in adults with ASD. Impairments in this area may contribute to the conversational breakdowns and social difficulties experienced by this population. Future work is needed to advance this area of inquiry.

Implications of diadochokinesia in children with speech sound disorder.

PubMed

Wertzner, Haydée Fiszbein; Pagan-Neves, Luciana de Oliveira; Alves, Renata Ramos; Barrozo, Tatiane Faria

2013-01-01

To verify the performance of children with and without speech sound disorder in oral motor skills measured by oral diadochokinesia according to age and gender and to compare the results by two different methods of analysis. Participants were 72 subjects aged from 5 years to 7 years and 11 months divided into four subgroups according to the presence of speech sound disorder (Study Group and Control Group) and age (<6 years and 5 months and >6 years and 5 months). Diadochokinesia skills were assessed by the repetition of the sequences 'pa', 'ta', 'ka' and 'pataka' measured both manually and by the software Motor Speech Profile®. Gender was statistically different for both groups but it did not influence on the number of sequences per second produced. Correlation between the number of sequences per second and age was observed for all sequences (except for 'ka') only for the control group children. Comparison between groups did not indicate differences between the number of sequences per second and age. Results presented strong agreement between the values of oral diadochokinesia measured manually and by MSP. This research demonstrated the importance of using different methods of analysis on the functional evaluation of oro-motor processing aspects of children with speech sound disorder and evidenced the oro-motor difficulties on children aged under than eight years old.

Telerehabilitation, virtual therapists, and acquired neurologic speech and language disorders.

PubMed

Cherney, Leora R; van Vuuren, Sarel

2012-08-01

Telerehabilitation (telerehab) offers cost-effective services that potentially can improve access to care for those with acquired neurologic communication disorders. However, regulatory issues including licensure, reimbursement, and threats to privacy and confidentiality hinder the routine implementation of telerehab services into the clinical setting. Despite these barriers, rapid technological advances and a growing body of research regarding the use of telerehab applications support its use. This article reviews the evidence related to acquired neurologic speech and language disorders in adults, focusing on studies that have been published since 2000. Research studies have used telerehab systems to assess and treat disorders including dysarthria, apraxia of speech, aphasia, and mild Alzheimer disease. They show that telerehab is a valid and reliable vehicle for delivering speech and language services. The studies represent a progression of technological advances in computing, Internet, and mobile technologies. They range on a continuum from working synchronously (in real-time) with a speech-language pathologist to working asynchronously (offline) with a stand-in virtual therapist. One such system that uses a virtual therapist for the treatment of aphasia, the Web-ORLA™ (Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL) system, is described in detail. Future directions for the advancement of telerehab for clinical practice are discussed. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Exploring Australian speech-language pathologists' use and perceptions ofnon-speech oral motor exercises.

PubMed

Rumbach, Anna F; Rose, Tanya A; Cheah, Mynn

2018-01-29

To explore Australian speech-language pathologists' use of non-speech oral motor exercises, and rationales for using/not using non-speech oral motor exercises in clinical practice. A total of 124 speech-language pathologists practising in Australia, working with paediatric and/or adult clients with speech sound difficulties, completed an online survey. The majority of speech-language pathologists reported that they did not use non-speech oral motor exercises when working with paediatric or adult clients with speech sound difficulties. However, more than half of the speech-language pathologists working with adult clients who have dysarthria reported using non-speech oral motor exercises with this population. The most frequently reported rationale for using non-speech oral motor exercises in speech sound difficulty management was to improve awareness/placement of articulators. The majority of speech-language pathologists agreed there is no clear clinical or research evidence base to support non-speech oral motor exercise use with clients who have speech sound difficulties. This study provides an overview of Australian speech-language pathologists' reported use and perceptions of non-speech oral motor exercises' applicability and efficacy in treating paediatric and adult clients who have speech sound difficulties. The research findings provide speech-language pathologists with insight into how and why non-speech oral motor exercises are currently used, and adds to the knowledge base regarding Australian speech-language pathology practice of non-speech oral motor exercises in the treatment of speech sound difficulties. Implications for Rehabilitation Non-speech oral motor exercises refer to oral motor activities which do not involve speech, but involve the manipulation or stimulation of oral structures including the lips, tongue, jaw, and soft palate. Non-speech oral motor exercises are intended to improve the function (e.g., movement, strength) of oral structures. The majority of speech-language pathologists agreed there is no clear clinical or research evidence base to support non-speech oral motor exercise use with clients who have speech sound disorders. Non-speech oral motor exercise use was most frequently reported in the treatment of dysarthria. Non-speech oral motor exercise use when targeting speech sound disorders is not widely endorsed in the literature.

Social Skills and Social Acceptance in Children with Anxiety Disorders.

PubMed

Scharfstein, Lindsay A; Beidel, Deborah C

2015-01-01

Whereas much is known about the deficits in social behaviors and social competence in youth with social anxiety disorder (SAD), less is known about those characteristics among youth with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). This study aimed to better elucidate the social repertoire and peer acceptance of youth with SAD and youth with GAD, relative to normal control (NC) youth. The sample consisted of 58 primarily Caucasian children, ages 6 to 13 years: 20 SAD (12 female), 18 GAD (12 female), and 20 NC (9 female). Diagnoses were based on Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV: Children and Parent Versions interviews. A multimodal assessment strategy included parent and child reports, observer ratings of social performance, computer-based analysis of vocal qualities of speech, and peer ratings of likeability and friendship potential. Whereas self- and parental report did not differentiate the two diagnostic groups, differences on observable behaviors were apparent. Children with SAD exhibited anxious speech patterns, extended speech latencies, a paucity of speech, few spontaneous vocalizations, and ineffective social responses; they were perceived by peers as less likeable and socially desirable. Children with GAD had typical speech patterns and were well liked by their peers but displayed fewer spontaneous comments and questions than NC children. Parent and child reports are less sensitive to what could be important differences in social skill between youth with SAD and GAD. Direct observations, computer-based measures of speech quality, and peer ratings identify specific group differences, suggesting the need for a comprehensive evaluation to inform treatment planning.

Speech and language adverse effects after thalamotomy and deep brain stimulation in patients with movement disorders: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Alomar, Soha; King, Nicolas K K; Tam, Joseph; Bari, Ausaf A; Hamani, Clement; Lozano, Andres M

2017-01-01

The thalamus has been a surgical target for the treatment of various movement disorders. Commonly used therapeutic modalities include ablative and nonablative procedures. A major clinical side effect of thalamic surgery is the appearance of speech problems. This review summarizes the data on the development of speech problems after thalamic surgery. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed using nine databases, including Medline, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. We also checked for articles by searching citing and cited articles. We retrieved studies between 1960 and September 2014. Of a total of 2,320 patients, 19.8% (confidence interval: 14.8-25.9) had speech difficulty after thalamotomy. Speech difficulty occurred in 15% (confidence interval: 9.8-22.2) of those treated with a unilaterally and 40.6% (confidence interval: 29.5-52.8) of those treated bilaterally. Speech impairment was noticed 2- to 3-fold more commonly after left-sided procedures (40.7% vs. 15.2%). Of the 572 patients that underwent DBS, 19.4% (confidence interval: 13.1-27.8) experienced speech difficulty. Subgroup analysis revealed that this complication occurs in 10.2% (confidence interval: 7.4-13.9) of patients treated unilaterally and 34.6% (confidence interval: 21.6-50.4) treated bilaterally. After thalamotomy, the risk was higher in Parkinson's patients compared to patients with essential tremor: 19.8% versus 4.5% in the unilateral group and 42.5% versus 13.9% in the bilateral group. After DBS, this rate was higher in essential tremor patients. Both lesioning and stimulation thalamic surgery produce adverse effects on speech. Left-sided and bilateral procedures are approximately 3-fold more likely to cause speech difficulty. This effect was higher after thalamotomy compared to DBS. In the thalamotomy group, the risk was higher in Parkinson's patients, whereas in the DBS group it was higher in patients with essential tremor. Understanding the pathophysiology of speech disturbance after thalamic procedures is a priority. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. © 2016 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Auditory rehabilitation after stroke: treatment of auditory processing disorders in stroke patients with personal frequency-modulated (FM) systems.

PubMed

Koohi, Nehzat; Vickers, Deborah; Chandrashekar, Hoskote; Tsang, Benjamin; Werring, David; Bamiou, Doris-Eva

2017-03-01

Auditory disability due to impaired auditory processing (AP) despite normal pure-tone thresholds is common after stroke, and it leads to isolation, reduced quality of life and physical decline. There are currently no proven remedial interventions for AP deficits in stroke patients. This is the first study to investigate the benefits of personal frequency-modulated (FM) systems in stroke patients with disordered AP. Fifty stroke patients had baseline audiological assessments, AP tests and completed the (modified) Amsterdam Inventory for Auditory Disability and Hearing Handicap Inventory for Elderly questionnaires. Nine out of these 50 patients were diagnosed with disordered AP based on severe deficits in understanding speech in background noise but with normal pure-tone thresholds. These nine patients underwent spatial speech-in-noise testing in a sound-attenuating chamber (the "crescent of sound") with and without FM systems. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for 50% correct speech recognition performance was measured with speech presented from 0° azimuth and competing babble from ±90° azimuth. Spatial release from masking (SRM) was defined as the difference between SNRs measured with co-located speech and babble and SNRs measured with spatially separated speech and babble. The SRM significantly improved when babble was spatially separated from target speech, while the patients had the FM systems in their ears compared to without the FM systems. Personal FM systems may substantially improve speech-in-noise deficits in stroke patients who are not eligible for conventional hearing aids. FMs are feasible in stroke patients and show promise to address impaired AP after stroke. Implications for Rehabilitation This is the first study to investigate the benefits of personal frequency-modulated (FM) systems in stroke patients with disordered AP. All cases significantly improved speech perception in noise with the FM systems, when noise was spatially separated from the speech signal by 90° compared with unaided listening. Personal FM systems are feasible in stroke patients, and may be of benefit in just under 20% of this population, who are not eligible for conventional hearing aids.

Relationship between speech motor control and speech intelligibility in children with speech sound disorders.

PubMed

Namasivayam, Aravind Kumar; Pukonen, Margit; Goshulak, Debra; Yu, Vickie Y; Kadis, Darren S; Kroll, Robert; Pang, Elizabeth W; De Nil, Luc F

2013-01-01

The current study was undertaken to investigate the impact of speech motor issues on the speech intelligibility of children with moderate to severe speech sound disorders (SSD) within the context of the PROMPT intervention approach. The word-level Children's Speech Intelligibility Measure (CSIM), the sentence-level Beginner's Intelligibility Test (BIT) and tests of speech motor control and articulation proficiency were administered to 12 children (3:11 to 6:7 years) before and after PROMPT therapy. PROMPT treatment was provided for 45 min twice a week for 8 weeks. Twenty-four naïve adult listeners aged 22-46 years judged the intelligibility of the words and sentences. For CSIM, each time a recorded word was played to the listeners they were asked to look at a list of 12 words (multiple-choice format) and circle the word while for BIT sentences, the listeners were asked to write down everything they heard. Words correctly circled (CSIM) or transcribed (BIT) were averaged across three naïve judges to calculate percentage speech intelligibility. Speech intelligibility at both the word and sentence level was significantly correlated with speech motor control, but not articulatory proficiency. Further, the severity of speech motor planning and sequencing issues may potentially be a limiting factor in connected speech intelligibility and highlights the need to target these issues early and directly in treatment. The reader will be able to: (1) outline the advantages and disadvantages of using word- and sentence-level speech intelligibility tests; (2) describe the impact of speech motor control and articulatory proficiency on speech intelligibility; and (3) describe how speech motor control and speech intelligibility data may provide critical information to aid treatment planning. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Autism Spectrum Disorders: Experience, Training, and Confidence Levels of School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plumb, Allison M.; Plexico, Laura W.

2013-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the graduate training experiences of school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working with children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Comparisons were made between recent graduates (post 2006) and pre-2006 graduates to determine if differences existed in their academic and clinical experiences or their…

Pre-Literacy Skills of Subgroups of Children with Speech Sound Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raitano, Nancy A.; Pennington, Bruce F.; Tunick, Rachel A.; Boada, Richard; Shriberg, Lawrence D.

2004-01-01

Background: The existing literature has conflicting findings about the literacy outcome of children with speech sound disorders (SSD), which may be due to the heterogeneity within SSD. Previous studies have documented that two important dimensions of heterogeneity are the presence of a comorbid language impairment (LI) and the persistence of SSD,…

Intervention Efficacy and Intensity for Children with Speech Sound Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Melissa M.

2013-01-01

Purpose: Clinicians do not have an evidence base they can use to recommend optimum intervention intensity for preschool children who present with speech sound disorder (SSD). This study examined the effect of dose frequency on phonological performance and the efficacy of the multiple oppositions approach. Method: Fifty-four preschool children with…

Perception and Production of Prosody by Speakers with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paul, Rhea; Augustyn, Amy; Klin, Ami; Volkmar, Fred R.

2005-01-01

Speakers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) show difficulties in suprasegmental aspects of speech production, or "prosody," those aspects of speech that accompany words and sentences and create what is commonly called "tone of voice." However, little is known about the perception of prosody, or about the specific aspects of…

Exploring Speech Recognition Technology: Children with Learning and Emotional/Behavioral Disorders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faris-Cole, Debra; Lewis, Rena

2001-01-01

Intermediate grade students with disabilities in written expression and emotional/behavioral disorders were trained to use discrete or continuous speech input devices for written work. The study found extreme variability in the fidelity of the devices, PowerSecretary and Dragon NaturallySpeaking ranging from 49 percent to 87 percent. Both devices…

Reading Skills of Students with Speech Sound Disorders at Three Stages of Literacy Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skebo, Crysten M.; Lewis, Barbara A.; Freebairn, Lisa A.; Tag, Jessica; Ciesla, Allison Avrich; Stein, Catherine M.

2013-01-01

Purpose: The relationship between phonological awareness, overall language, vocabulary, and nonlinguistic cognitive skills to decoding and reading comprehension was examined for students at 3 stages of literacy development (i.e., early elementary school, middle school, and high school). Students with histories of speech sound disorders (SSD) with…

Phonological Processing and Reading in Children with Speech Sound Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rvachew, Susan

2007-01-01

Purpose: To examine the relationship between phonological processing skills prior to kindergarten entry and reading skills at the end of 1st grade, in children with speech sound disorders (SSD). Method: The participants were 17 children with SSD and poor phonological processing skills (SSD-low PP), 16 children with SSD and good phonological…

What Influences Literacy Outcome in Children with Speech Sound Disorder?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Robin L.; Pennington, Bruce F.; Shriberg, Lawrence D.; Boada, Richard

2009-01-01

Purpose: In this study, the authors evaluated literacy outcome in children with histories of speech sound disorder (SSD) who were characterized along 2 dimensions: broader language function and persistence of SSD. In previous studies, authors have demonstrated that each dimension relates to literacy but have not disentangled their effects.…

Phonetic Variability in Residual Speech Sound Disorders: Exploration of Subtypes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preston, Jonathan L.; Koenig, Laura L.

2011-01-01

Purpose: To explore whether subgroups of children with residual speech sound disorders (R-SSDs) can be identified through multiple measures of token-to-token phonetic variability (changes in one spoken production to the next). Method: Children with R-SSDs were recorded during a rapid multisyllabic picture naming task and an oral diadochokinetic…

Correlates of Phonological Awareness in Preschoolers with Speech Sound Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rvachew, Susan; Grawburg, Meghann

2006-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among variables that may contribute to poor phonological awareness (PA) skills in preschool-aged children with speech sound disorders (SSD). Method: Ninety-five 4- and 5-year-old children with SSD were assessed during the spring of their prekindergarten year. Linear structural…

Intelligibility as a Clinical Outcome Measure Following Intervention with Children with Phonologically Based Speech-Sound Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lousada, M.; Jesus, Luis M. T.; Hall, A.; Joffe, V.

2014-01-01

Background: The effectiveness of two treatment approaches (phonological therapy and articulation therapy) for treatment of 14 children, aged 4;0-6;7 years, with phonologically based speech-sound disorder (SSD) has been previously analysed with severity outcome measures (percentage of consonants correct score, percentage occurrence of phonological…

Early Intervening for Students with Speech Sound Disorders: Lessons from a School District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mire, Stephen P.; Montgomery, Judy K.

2009-01-01

The concept of early intervening services was introduced into public school systems with the implementation of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004. This article describes a program developed for students with speech sound disorders that incorporated concepts of early intervening services, response to…

Nonspeech Oral Motor Treatment Issues Related to Children with Developmental Speech Sound Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruscello, Dennis M.

2008-01-01

Purpose: This article examines nonspeech oral motor treatments (NSOMTs) in the population of clients with developmental speech sound disorders. NSOMTs are a collection of nonspeech methods and procedures that claim to influence tongue, lip, and jaw resting postures; increase strength; improve muscle tone; facilitate range of motion; and develop…

Evaluation of Core Vocabulary Intervention for Treatment of Inconsistent Phonological Disorder: Three Treatment Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McIntosh, Beth; Dodd, Barbara

2009-01-01

Children with unintelligible speech differ in severity, underlying deficit, type of surface error patterns and response to treatment. Detailed treatment case studies, evaluating specific intervention protocols for particular diagnostic groups, can identify best practice for children with speech disorder. Three treatment case studies evaluated the…

Transitioning from Analog to Digital Audio Recording in Childhood Speech Sound Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shriberg, Lawrence D.; Mcsweeny, Jane L.; Anderson, Bruce E.; Campbell, Thomas F.; Chial, Michael R.; Green, Jordan R.; Hauner, Katherina K.; Moore, Christopher A.; Rusiewicz, Heather L.; Wilson, David L.

2005-01-01

Few empirical findings or technical guidelines are available on the current transition from analog to digital audio recording in childhood speech sound disorders. Of particular concern in the present context was whether a transition from analog- to digital-based transcription and coding of prosody and voice features might require re-standardizing…

Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Caseload Characteristics, and Interventions Implemented by Speech-Language Therapists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Deborah L.; Gillon, Gail T.

2004-01-01

This study investigated the caseload characteristics and the types of intervention implemented for children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). A survey was developed and distributed to 75 speech-language therapists working for Special Education within the New Zealand Ministry of Education. A total of 34 surveys were completed and returned.…

Segments, Letters and Gestures: Thoughts on Doing and Teaching Phonetics and Transcription

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muller, Nicole; Papakyritsis, Ioannis

2011-01-01

This brief article reflects on some pitfalls inherent in the learning and teaching of segmental phonetic transcription. We suggest that a gestural interpretation to disordered speech data, in conjunction with segmental phonetic transcription, can add valuable insight into patterns of disordered speech, and that a gestural orientation should form…

Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders and Speech-Generating Devices: Communication in Different Activities at Home

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thunberg, Gunilla; Ahlsen, Elisabeth; Sandberg, Annika Dahlgren

2007-01-01

The communication of four children with autistic spectrum disorder was investigated when they were supplied with a speech-generating device (SGD) in three different activities in their home environment: mealtime, story reading and "sharing experiences of the preschool day". An activity based communication analysis, in which collective and…

Hebrew and Palestinian Arabic in Israel: Linguistic Frameworks and Speech-Language Pathology Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uziel-Karl, Sigal; Kanaan, Fadi; Yifat, Rachel; Meir, Irit; Abugov, Netta; Ravid, Dorit

2014-01-01

This article is the result of cooperation between Israeli Jewish and Arab psycholinguists and speech-language disorders specialists. It presents two facets of the Israeli communications disorders scene: (1) a review of some linguistic, psycholinguistic, and sociolinguistic facets of Hebrew and Palestinian Arabic, two Semitic languages whose…

The Role of Visual Image and Perception in Speech Development of Children with Speech Pathology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsvetkova, L. S.; Kuznetsova, T. M.

1977-01-01

Investigated with 125 children (4-14 years old) with speech, language, or emotional disorders was the assumption that the naming function can be underdeveloped because of defects in the word's gnostic base. (Author/DB)

Using electropalatography (EPG) to diagnose and treat articulation disorders associated with mild cerebral palsy: a case study.

PubMed

Gibbon, Fiona E; Wood, Sara E

2003-01-01

Some children with mild cerebral palsy have articulation disorders that are resistant to conventional speech therapy techniques. This preliminary study investigated the use of electropalatography (EPG) to diagnose and treat a long-standing articulation disorder that had not responded to conventional speech therapy techniques in an 8-year-old boy (D) with a congenital left hemiplegia. The targets for EPG therapy were speech errors affecting velar targets /k, g, eta/, which were consistently fronted to alveolar placement [t, d, n]. After 15 sessions of EPG therapy over a 4-month period, D's ability to produce velars improved significantly. The EPG data revealed two features of diagnostic importance. The first was an unusually asymmetrical pattern of tongue-palate contact and the second was unusually long stop closure durations. These features are interpreted as a subtle form of impaired speech motor control that could be related to a mild residual neurological deficit. The results suggest that EPG is of potential benefit for diagnosing and treating articulation disorders in individuals with mild cerebral palsy.

Intracellular distribution of a speech/language disorder associated FOXP2 mutant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mizutani, Akifumi; Department of Pediatrics, Jichi Medical University, Yakushiji 3311-1, Shimotsukeshi, Tochigi 329-0498; Matsuzaki, Ayumi

Although a mutation (R553H) in the forkhead box (FOX)P2 gene is associated with speech/language disorder, little is known about the function of FOXP2 or its relevance to this disorder. In the present study, we identify the forkhead nuclear localization domains that contribute to the cellular distribution of FOXP2. Nuclear localization of FOXP2 depended on two distally separated nuclear localization signals in the forkhead domain. A truncated version of FOXP2 lacking the leu-zip, Zn{sup 2+} finger, and forkhead domains that was observed in another patient with speech abnormalities demonstrated an aggregated cytoplasmic localization. Furthermore, FOXP2 (R553H) mainly exhibited a cytoplasmic localizationmore » despite retaining interactions with nuclear transport proteins (importin {alpha} and {beta}). Interestingly, wild type FOXP2 promoted the transport of FOXP2 (R553H) into the nucleus. Mutant and wild type FOXP2 heterodimers in the nucleus or FOXP2 R553H in the cytoplasm may underlie the pathogenesis of the autosomal dominant speech/language disorder.« less

Preschool speech error patterns predict articulation and phonological awareness outcomes in children with histories of speech sound disorders

PubMed Central

Preston, Jonathan L.; Hull, Margaret; Edwards, Mary Louise

2012-01-01

Purpose To determine if speech error patterns in preschoolers with speech sound disorders (SSDs) predict articulation and phonological awareness (PA) outcomes almost four years later. Method Twenty-five children with histories of preschool SSDs (and normal receptive language) were tested at an average age of 4;6 and followed up at 8;3. The frequency of occurrence of preschool distortion errors, typical substitution and syllable structure errors, and atypical substitution and syllable structure errors were used to predict later speech sound production, PA, and literacy outcomes. Results Group averages revealed below-average school-age articulation scores and low-average PA, but age-appropriate reading and spelling. Preschool speech error patterns were related to school-age outcomes. Children for whom more than 10% of their speech sound errors were atypical had lower PA and literacy scores at school-age than children who produced fewer than 10% atypical errors. Preschoolers who produced more distortion errors were likely to have lower school-age articulation scores. Conclusions Different preschool speech error patterns predict different school-age clinical outcomes. Many atypical speech sound errors in preschool may be indicative of weak phonological representations, leading to long-term PA weaknesses. Preschool distortions may be resistant to change over time, leading to persisting speech sound production problems. PMID:23184137

Preschool speech error patterns predict articulation and phonological awareness outcomes in children with histories of speech sound disorders.

PubMed

Preston, Jonathan L; Hull, Margaret; Edwards, Mary Louise

2013-05-01

To determine if speech error patterns in preschoolers with speech sound disorders (SSDs) predict articulation and phonological awareness (PA) outcomes almost 4 years later. Twenty-five children with histories of preschool SSDs (and normal receptive language) were tested at an average age of 4;6 (years;months) and were followed up at age 8;3. The frequency of occurrence of preschool distortion errors, typical substitution and syllable structure errors, and atypical substitution and syllable structure errors was used to predict later speech sound production, PA, and literacy outcomes. Group averages revealed below-average school-age articulation scores and low-average PA but age-appropriate reading and spelling. Preschool speech error patterns were related to school-age outcomes. Children for whom >10% of their speech sound errors were atypical had lower PA and literacy scores at school age than children who produced <10% atypical errors. Preschoolers who produced more distortion errors were likely to have lower school-age articulation scores than preschoolers who produced fewer distortion errors. Different preschool speech error patterns predict different school-age clinical outcomes. Many atypical speech sound errors in preschoolers may be indicative of weak phonological representations, leading to long-term PA weaknesses. Preschoolers' distortions may be resistant to change over time, leading to persisting speech sound production problems.

Effect of "developmental speech and language training through music" on speech production in children with autism spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Lim, Hayoung A

2010-01-01

The study compared the effect of music training, speech training and no-training on the verbal production of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Participants were 50 children with ASD, age range 3 to 5 years, who had previously been evaluated on standard tests of language and level of functioning. They were randomly assigned to one of three 3-day conditions. Participants in music training (n = 18) watched a music video containing 6 songs and pictures of the 36 target words; those in speech training (n = 18) watched a speech video containing 6 stories and pictures, and those in the control condition (n = 14) received no treatment. Participants' verbal production including semantics, phonology, pragmatics, and prosody was measured by an experimenter designed verbal production evaluation scale. Results showed that participants in both music and speech training significantly increased their pre to posttest verbal production. Results also indicated that both high and low functioning participants improved their speech production after receiving either music or speech training; however, low functioning participants showed a greater improvement after the music training than the speech training. Children with ASD perceive important linguistic information embedded in music stimuli organized by principles of pattern perception, and produce the functional speech.

Family-Centered Services for Children with ASD and Limited Speech: The Experiences of Parents and Speech-Language Pathologists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mandak, Kelsey; Light, Janice

2018-01-01

Although family-centered services have long been discussed as essential in providing successful services to families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ideal implementation is often lacking. This study aimed to increase understanding of how families with children with ASD and limited speech receive services from speech-language…

What Is Needed to Prepare Speech Pathologists to Work in Adult Palliative Care?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pascoe, Ashleigh; Breen, Lauren J.; Cocks, Naomi

2018-01-01

Background: Speech pathologists have a pivotal role in palliative care, assisting patients with swallowing and communication disorders, yet very little is known about the preparedness of speech pathologists to work in this field. Aims: To investigate the preparedness of speech pathologists for working in palliative care. The term 'palliative care'…

Differential Diagnosis of Children with Suspected Childhood Apraxia of Speech

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Elizabeth; McCabe, Patricia; Heard, Robert; Ballard, Kirrie J.

2015-01-01

Purpose: The gold standard for diagnosing childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is expert judgment of perceptual features. The aim of this study was to identify a set of objective measures that differentiate CAS from other speech disorders. Method: Seventy-two children (4-12 years of age) diagnosed with suspected CAS by community speech-language…

Educators' Perspectives on Facilitating Computer-Assisted Speech Intervention in Early Childhood Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crowe, Kathryn; Cumming, Tamara; McCormack, Jane; Baker, Elise; McLeod, Sharynne; Wren, Yvonne; Roulstone, Sue; Masso, Sarah

2017-01-01

Early childhood educators are frequently called on to support preschool-aged children with speech sound disorders and to engage these children in activities that target their speech production. This study explored factors that acted as facilitators and/or barriers to the provision of computer-based support for children with speech sound disorders…

Ingressive Speech Errors: A Service Evaluation of Speech-Sound Therapy in a Child Aged 4;6

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hrastelj, Laura; Knight, Rachael-Anne

2017-01-01

Background: A pattern of ingressive substitutions for word-final sibilants can be identified in a small number of cases in child speech disorder, with growing evidence suggesting it is a phonological difficulty, despite the unusual surface form. Phonological difficulty implies a problem with the cognitive process of organizing speech into sound…

Refinement of Speech Breathing in Healthy 4- to 6-Year-Old Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boliek, Carol A.; Hixon, Thomas J.; Watson, Peter J.; Jones, Patricia B.

2009-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to offer a better understanding of the development of neuromotor control for speech breathing and provide a normative data set that can serve as a useful standard for clinical evaluation and management of young children with speech disorders involving the breathing subsystem. Method: Speech breathing was…

How should children with speech sound disorders be classified? A review and critical evaluation of current classification systems.

PubMed

Waring, R; Knight, R

2013-01-01

Children with speech sound disorders (SSD) form a heterogeneous group who differ in terms of the severity of their condition, underlying cause, speech errors, involvement of other aspects of the linguistic system and treatment response. To date there is no universal and agreed-upon classification system. Instead, a number of theoretically differing classification systems have been proposed based on either an aetiological (medical) approach, a descriptive-linguistic approach or a processing approach. To describe and review the supporting evidence, and to provide a critical evaluation of the current childhood SSD classification systems. Descriptions of the major specific approaches to classification are reviewed and research papers supporting the reliability and validity of the systems are evaluated. Three specific paediatric SSD classification systems; the aetiologic-based Speech Disorders Classification System, the descriptive-linguistic Differential Diagnosis system, and the processing-based Psycholinguistic Framework are identified as potentially useful in classifying children with SSD into homogeneous subgroups. The Differential Diagnosis system has a growing body of empirical support from clinical population studies, across language error pattern studies and treatment efficacy studies. The Speech Disorders Classification System is currently a research tool with eight proposed subgroups. The Psycholinguistic Framework is a potential bridge to linking cause and surface level speech errors. There is a need for a universally agreed-upon classification system that is useful to clinicians and researchers. The resulting classification system needs to be robust, reliable and valid. A universal classification system would allow for improved tailoring of treatments to subgroups of SSD which may, in turn, lead to improved treatment efficacy. © 2012 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

[Family characteristics of stuttering children].

PubMed

Simić-Ruzić, Budimirka; Jovanović, Aleksandar A

2008-01-01

Stuttering is a functional impairment of speech, which is manifested by conscious, but nonintentionally interrupted, disharmonic and disrhythmic fluctuation of sound varying in frequency and intensity. Aetiology of this disorder has been conceived within the frame of theoretical models, which tend to connect genetic and epigenetic factors. The goal of the paper was to study the characteristics of the family functioning of stuttering children in comparison to the family functioning of children without speech disorder, which confirmed the justification of the introduction of family orientated therapeutic interventions into the therapy spectrum of child stuttering. Seventy-nine nucleus families of 3 to 6-year-old children were examined; of these, 39 families had stuttering children and 40 had children without speech disorder. The assessment of family characteristics was made using the Family Health Scale, an observer-rating scale which according to semistructured interview and operational criteria, measures 6 basic dimensions of family functioning: Emotional State, Communication, Borders, Alliances, Adaptability & Stability, Family Skills. A total score calculated from the basic dimensions, is considered as a global index of family health. Families with stuttering children compared to families with children without speech disorder showed significantly lower scores in all the basic dimension of family functioning, as well as in the total score on the Family Health Scale. Our research results have shown that stuttering children in comparison with children without speech disorder live in families with unfavourable emotional atmosphere, impaired communication and worse control over situational and developmental difficulties, which affect children's development and well-being. In the light of previous research, the application of family therapy modified according to the child's needs is now considered indispensable in the therapeutic approach to stuttering children. The assessment of family characteristics with special reference to the ability of parents to recognize specific needs of children with speech disorder and adequate interaction, as well as readiness of parents for therapeutic collaboration are the necessary elements in legal custody evaluations.

Identifying Residual Speech Sound Disorders in Bilingual Children: A Japanese-English Case Study

PubMed Central

Preston, Jonathan L.; Seki, Ayumi

2012-01-01

Purpose The purposes are to (1) describe the assessment of residual speech sound disorders (SSD) in bilinguals by distinguishing speech patterns associated with second language acquisition from patterns associated with misarticulations, and (2) describe how assessment of domains such as speech motor control and phonological awareness can provide a more complete understanding of SSDs in bilinguals. Method A review of Japanese phonology is provided to offer a context for understanding the transfer of Japanese to English productions. A case study of an 11-year-old is presented, demonstrating parallel speech assessments in English and Japanese. Speech motor and phonological awareness tasks were conducted in both languages. Results Several patterns were observed in the participant’s English that could be plausibly explained by the influence of Japanese phonology. However, errors indicating a residual SSD were observed in both Japanese and English. A speech motor assessment suggested possible speech motor control problems, and phonological awareness was judged to be within the typical range of performance in both languages. Conclusion Understanding the phonological characteristics of L1 can help clinicians recognize speech patterns in L2 associated with transfer. Once these differences are understood, patterns associated with a residual SSD can be identified. Supplementing a relational speech analysis with measures of speech motor control and phonological awareness can provide a more comprehensive understanding of a client’s strengths and needs. PMID:21386046

The speech perception skills of children with and without speech sound disorder.

PubMed

Hearnshaw, Stephanie; Baker, Elise; Munro, Natalie

To investigate whether Australian-English speaking children with and without speech sound disorder (SSD) differ in their overall speech perception accuracy. Additionally, to investigate differences in the perception of specific phonemes and the association between speech perception and speech production skills. Twenty-five Australian-English speaking children aged 48-60 months participated in this study. The SSD group included 12 children and the typically developing (TD) group included 13 children. Children completed routine speech and language assessments in addition to an experimental Australian-English lexical and phonetic judgement task based on Rvachew's Speech Assessment and Interactive Learning System (SAILS) program (Rvachew, 2009). This task included eight words across four word-initial phonemes-/k, ɹ, ʃ, s/. Children with SSD showed significantly poorer perceptual accuracy on the lexical and phonetic judgement task compared with TD peers. The phonemes /ɹ/ and /s/ were most frequently perceived in error across both groups. Additionally, the phoneme /ɹ/ was most commonly produced in error. There was also a positive correlation between overall speech perception and speech production scores. Children with SSD perceived speech less accurately than their typically developing peers. The findings suggest that an Australian-English variation of a lexical and phonetic judgement task similar to the SAILS program is promising and worthy of a larger scale study. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

New developments in the management of speech and language disorders.

PubMed

Harding, Celia; Gourlay, Sara

2008-05-01

Speech and language disorders, which include swallowing difficulties, are usually managed by speech and language therapists. Such a diverse, complex and challenging clinical group of symptoms requires practitioners with detailed knowledge and understanding of research within those areas, as well as the ability to implement appropriate therapy strategies within many environments. These environments range from neonatal units, acute paediatric wards and health centres through to nurseries, schools and children's homes. This paper summarises the key issues that are fundamental to our understanding of this client group.

Association between Symptoms of Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Speech in Children with Craniofacial Malformations

PubMed Central

Moraleda-Cibrián, Marta; Berger, Mary; Edwards, Sean P.; Kasten, Steven J.; Buchman, Steven R.; O'Brien, Louise M.

2014-01-01

Study Objective: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and speech difficulties are common problems in children with craniofacial malformations (CFM). The present study was designed to investigate whether resonance issues identified during speech assessment are associated with parental report of SDB symptoms in children with CFM. Methods: Children aged 2-18 years with congenital CFM attending at the Craniofacial Anomalies Program from March 2007 to April 2011 were screened for SDB symptoms using the Sleep-Related Breathing Disturbance Scale of the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire. Speech evaluation, based on the Pittsburgh Weighted Speech Scale score, was the tool used to investigate velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD) based on speech perceptual assessment. Results: A total of 488 children with congenital CFM were included. Overall 81% were Caucasian and 24% were overweight/obese. Twenty-four percent of children screened positive for SDB and 35% had VPD. Children with VPD were no more likely to screen positive for SDB than children without VPD (26% vs. 23%, p = 0.38). However, children with previous sphincter pharyngoplasty (SP) were more likely to have hyponasality (51% vs. 12%, p = 0.0001) and reduced or absent nasal emission (33% vs. 16%, p = 0.008). In a logistic regression, the adjusted odds ratio for SDB for those with hyponasality was 2.10 (95%CI 1.21-3.61, p = 0.008) and for those with reduced or absent nasal emission was 1.75 (95%CI 1.06-2.88, p = 0.028). Conclusion: Symptoms of sleep disordered breathing are common in children with craniofacial malformations especially if they have undergone sphincter pharyngoplasty; many of these children can be identified by measures of resonance on routine speech evaluation. Citation: Moraleda-Cibrián M, Berger M, Edwards SP, Kasten SJ, Buchman SR, O'Brien LM. Association between symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing and speech in children with craniofacial malformations. J Clin Sleep Med 2014;10(6):671-676. PMID:24932148

Speech evaluation in children with temporomandibular disorders

PubMed Central

PIZOLATO, Raquel Aparecida; FERNANDES, Frederico Silva de Freitas; GAVIÃO, Maria Beatriz Duarte

2011-01-01

Objectives The aims of this study were to evaluate the influence of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) on speech in children, and to verify the influence of occlusal characteristics. Material and methods Speech and dental occlusal characteristics were assessed in 152 Brazilian children (78 boys and 74 girls), aged 8 to 12 (mean age 10.05 ± 1.39 years) with or without TMD signs and symptoms. The clinical signs were evaluated using the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (RDC/TMD) (axis I) and the symptoms were evaluated using a questionnaire. The following groups were formed: Group TMD (n=40), TMD signs and symptoms (Group S and S, n=68), TMD signs or symptoms (Group S or S, n=33), and without signs and symptoms (Group N, n=11). Articulatory speech disorders were diagnosed during spontaneous speech and repetition of the words using the "Phonological Assessment of Child Speech" for the Portuguese language. It was also applied a list of 40 phonological balanced words, read by the speech pathologist and repeated by the children. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Fisher's exact or Chi-square tests (α=0.05). Results A slight prevalence of articulatory disturbances, such as substitutions, omissions and distortions of the sibilants /s/ and /z/, and no deviations in jaw lateral movements were observed. Reduction of vertical amplitude was found in 10 children, the prevalence being greater in TMD signs and symptoms children than in the normal children. The tongue protrusion in phonemes /t/, /d/, /n/, /l/ and frontal lips in phonemes /s/ and /z/ were the most prevalent visual alterations. There was a high percentage of dental occlusal alterations. Conclusions There was no association between TMD and speech disorders. Occlusal alterations may be factors of influence, allowing distortions and frontal lisp in phonemes /s/ and /z/ and inadequate tongue position in phonemes /t/; /d/; /n/; /l/. PMID:21986655

Speech rate and fluency in children with phonological disorder.

PubMed

Novaes, Priscila Maronezi; Nicolielo-Carrilho, Ana Paola; Lopes-Herrera, Simone Aparecida

2015-01-01

To identify and describe the speech rate and fluency of children with phonological disorder (PD) with and without speech-language therapy. Thirty children, aged 5-8 years old, both genders, were divided into three groups: experimental group 1 (G1) — 10 children with PD in intervention; experimental group 2 (G2) — 10 children with PD without intervention; and control group (CG) — 10 children with typical development. Speech samples were collected and analyzed according to parameters of specific protocol. The children in CG had higher number of words per minute compared to those in G1, which, in turn, performed better in this aspect compared to children in G2. Regarding the number of syllables per minute, the CG showed the best result. In this aspect, the children in G1 showed better results than those in G2. Comparing children's performance in the assessed groups regarding the tests, those with PD in intervention had higher time of speech sample and adequate speech rate, which may be indicative of greater auditory monitoring of their own speech as a result of the intervention.

Effects of dopaminergic replacement therapy on motor speech disorders in Parkinson's disease: longitudinal follow-up study on previously untreated patients.

PubMed

Rusz, Jan; Tykalová, Tereza; Klempíř, Jiří; Čmejla, Roman; Růžička, Evžen

2016-04-01

Although speech disorders represent an early and common manifestation of Parkinson's disease (PD), little is known about their progression and relationship to dopaminergic replacement therapy. The aim of the current study was to examine longitudinal motor speech changes after the initiation of pharmacotherapy in PD. Fifteen newly-diagnosed, untreated PD patients and ten healthy controls of comparable age were investigated. PD patients were tested before the introduction of antiparkinsonian therapy and then twice within the following 6 years. Quantitative acoustic analyses of seven key speech dimensions of hypokinetic dysarthria were performed. At baseline, PD patients showed significantly altered speech including imprecise consonants, monopitch, inappropriate silences, decreased quality of voice, slow alternating motion rates, imprecise vowels and monoloudness. At follow-up assessment, preservation or slight improvement of speech performance was objectively observed in two-thirds of PD patients within the first 3-6 years of dopaminergic treatment, primarily associated with the improvement of stop consonant articulation. The extent of speech improvement correlated with L-dopa equivalent dose (r = 0.66, p = 0.008) as well as with reduction in principal motor manifestations based on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (r = -0.61, p = 0.02), particularly reflecting treatment-related changes in bradykinesia but not in rigidity, tremor, or axial motor manifestations. While speech disorders are frequently present in drug-naive PD patients, they tend to improve or remain relatively stable after the initiation of dopaminergic treatment and appear to be related to the dopaminergic responsiveness of bradykinesia.

Differentiating psychosis versus fluent aphasia.

PubMed

Lane, Zac Paul; Singer, Adam; Roffwarg, David Elliot; Messias, Erick

2011-01-01

Following a stroke, a patient may present with varying degrees of neurological impairment, depending on the area of the brain which is damaged. Specifically, damage to the left cortical hemisphere may result in aphasia. The characteristic speech in a patient with an aphasia caused by a stroke can be similar to the speech in some patients with schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders. In a new patient without a reliable history who presents with suspected aphasia, it is important to include psychotic disorders as part of the differential diagnosis. Failure to differentiate psychotic disorders from aphasia could result in either a lack of treatment that would improve the patient's thought process, thought content, or language, or in a delayed treatment for a stroke, respectively. While a number of psychotic disorders exist and must be differentiated from one another in accordance with DSM-IV guidelines, speech abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia are well described in the literature. For this reason, schizophrenia is the psychotic disorder of focus in this paper. This case report illustrates a clinical situation where a patient required both a psychiatric and neurological consultation in order to determine the etiology of his language disorder. The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the need to consider both psychiatric disorders and aphasia in patients with unknown histories who present with language abnormalities, and to help the clinician critically examine the patient's speech so that, in conjunction with other clinical data, the correct diagnosis can be made and appropriate treatment initiated.

The Psychologist as an Interlocutor in Autism Spectrum Disorder Assessment: Insights from a Study of Spontaneous Prosody

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bone, Daniel; Lee, Chi-Chun; Black, Matthew P.; Williams, Marian E.; Lee, Sungbok; Levitt, Pat; Narayanan, Shrikanth

2014-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between prosodic speech cues and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) severity, hypothesizing a mutually interactive relationship between the speech characteristics of the psychologist and the child. The authors objectively quantified acoustic-prosodic cues of the psychologist and of the…

Understanding Why Speech-Language Pathologists Rarely Pursue a PhD in Communication Sciences and Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myotte, Theodore; Hutchins, Tiffany L.; Cannizzaro, Michael S.; Belin, Gayle

2011-01-01

Masters-level speech-language pathologists in communication sciences and disorders (n = 122) completed a survey soliciting their reasons for not pursuing doctoral study. Factor analysis revealed a four-factor solution including one reflecting a lack of interest in doctoral study (Factor 2) and one reflecting practical financial concerns (Factor…

Voice Disorder Management Competencies: A Survey of School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists in Nebraska

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teten, Amy F.; DeVeney, Shari L.; Friehe, Mary J.

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this survey was to determine the self-perceived competence levels in voice disorders of practicing school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and identify correlated variables. Method: Participants were 153 master's level, school-based SLPs with a Nebraska teaching certificate and/or licensure who completed a survey,…

School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists' Knowledge and Perceptions of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Bullying

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ofe, Erin E.; Plumb, Allison M.; Plexico, Laura W.; Haak, Nancy J.

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of the current investigation was to examine speech-language pathologists' (SLPs') knowledge and perceptions of bullying, with an emphasis on autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Method: A 46-item, web-based survey was used to address the purposes of this investigation. Participants were recruited through e-mail and electronic…

Familiarity Breeds Support: Speech-Language Pathologists' Perceptions of Bullying of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blood, Gordon W.; Blood, Ingrid M.; Coniglio, Amy D.; Finke, Erinn H.; Boyle, Michael P.

2013-01-01

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are primary targets for bullies and victimization. Research shows school personnel may be uneducated about bullying and ways to intervene. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in schools often work with children with ASD and may have victims of bullying on their caseloads. These victims may feel most…

Multilingual Aspects of Fluency Disorders. Communication Disorders across Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howell, Peter; Van Borsel, John

2011-01-01

This book contains contributions by scholars working on diverse aspects of speech who bring their findings to bear on the practical issue of how to treat stuttering in different language groups and in multilingual speakers. The book considers classic issues in speech production research, as well as whether regions of the brain that are affected in…

Differentiating Speech Sound Disorders from Phonological Dialect Differences: Implications for Assessment and Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Velleman, Shelley L.; Pearson, Barbara Zurer

2010-01-01

B. Z. Pearson, S. L. Velleman, T. J. Bryant, and T. Charko (2009) demonstrated phonological differences in typically developing children learning African American English as their first dialect vs. General American English only. Extending this research to children with speech sound disorders (SSD) has key implications for intervention. A total of…

Evidence for a Familial Speech Sound Disorder Subtype in a Multigenerational Study of Oral and Hand Motor Sequencing Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peter, Beate; Raskind, Wendy H.

2011-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate phenotypic expressions of speech sound disorder (SSD) in multigenerational families with evidence of familial forms of SSD. Method: Members of five multigenerational families (N = 36) produced rapid sequences of monosyllables and disyllables and tapped computer keys with repetitive and alternating movements. Results: Measures…

What Factors Place Children with Speech Sound Disorders at Risk for Reading Problems?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anthony, Jason L.; Aghara, Rachel Greenblatt; Dunkelberger, Martha J.; Anthony, Teresa I.; Williams, Jeffrey M.; Zhang, Zhou

2011-01-01

Purpose: To identify weaknesses in print awareness and phonological processing that place children with speech sound disorders (SSDs) at increased risk for reading difficulties. Method: Language, literacy, and phonological skills of 3 groups of preschool-age children were compared: a group of 68 children with SSDs, a group of 68 peers with normal…

Well-Being and Resilience in Children with Speech and Language Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lyons, Rena; Roulstone, Sue

2018-01-01

Purpose: Children with speech and language disorders are at risk in relation to psychological and social well-being. The aim of this study was to understand the experiences of these children from their own perspectives focusing on risks to their well-being and protective indicators that may promote resilience. Method: Eleven 9- to 12-year-old…

A Survey of University Professors Teaching Speech Sound Disorders: Nonspeech Oral Motor Exercises and Other Topics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Maggie M.; Lof, Gregory L.

2009-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this article was to obtain and organize information from instructors who teach course work on the subject of children's speech sound disorders (SSD) regarding their use of teaching resources, involvement in students' clinical practica, and intervention approaches presented to students. Instructors also reported if they…

A Longitudinal Investigation of Morpho-Syntax in Children with Speech Sound Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mortimer, Jennifer; Rvachew, Susan

2010-01-01

Purpose: The intent of this study was to examine the longitudinal morpho-syntactic progression of children with Speech Sound Disorders (SSD) grouped according to Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) scores. Methods: Thirty-seven children separated into four clusters were assessed in their pre-kindergarten and Grade 1 years. Cluster 1 were children with…

Teaching Picture Naming to Two Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders Using Systematic Instruction and Speech-Generating Devices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kagohara, Debora M.; van der Meer, Larah; Achmadi, Donna; Green, Vanessa A.; O'Reilly, Mark F.; Lancioni, Giulio E.; Sutherland, Dean; Lang, Russell; Marschik, Peter B.; Sigafoos, Jeff

2012-01-01

We evaluated an intervention aimed at teaching two adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) to name pictures using speech-generating devices (SGDs). The effects of intervention were evaluated in two studies using multiple-probe across participants designs. Intervention--consisting of time delay, least-to-most prompting, and differential…

Foreign Accent Syndrome: An Organic Disorder?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Borsel, John; Janssens, Leen; Santens, Patrick

2005-01-01

This paper reports the case of a 32-year-old Dutch speaking woman who presented with foreign accent syndrome (FAS). There are good reasons to believe that the speech disturbance in this patient was of psychogenic origin. This case suggests that attested brain damage is not a prerequisite for a speech disorder to qualify as FAS and that FAS is not…

Alternating Motion Rate as an Index of Speech Motor Disorder in Traumatic Brain Injury

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Yu-Tsai; Kent, Ray D.; Duffy, Joseph R.; Thomas, Jack E.; Weismer, Gary

2004-01-01

The task of syllable alternating motion rate (AMR) (also called diadochokinesis) is suitable for examining speech disorders of varying degrees of severity and in individuals with varying levels of linguistic and cognitive ability. However, very limited information on this task has been published for subjects with traumatic brain injury (TBI). This…

Current Methods of Evaluating Speech-Language Outcomes for Preschoolers with Communication Disorders: A Scoping Review Using the ICF-CY

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cunningham, Barbara Jane; Washington, Karla N.; Binns, Amanda; Rolfe, Katelyn; Robertson, Bernadette; Rosenbaum, Peter

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this scoping review was to identify current measures used to evaluate speech-language outcomes for preschoolers with communication disorders within the framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-Children and Youth Version (ICF-CY; World Health Organization, 2007). Method: The review…

Intact Inner Speech Use in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Evidence from a Short-Term Memory Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, David; Happe, Francesca; Jarrold, Christopher

2008-01-01

Background: Inner speech has been linked to higher-order cognitive processes including "theory of mind", self-awareness and executive functioning, all of which are impaired in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Individuals with ASD, themselves, report a propensity for visual rather than verbal modes of thinking. This study explored the extent to…

Results of the Sensory Profile in Children with Suspected Childhood Apraxia of Speech

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newmeyer Amy J.; Grether, Sandra; Aylward, Christa; deGrauw, Ton; Akers, Rachel; Grasha, Carol; Ishikawa, Keiko; White, Jaye

2009-01-01

Speech-sound disorders are common in preschool-age children, and are characterized by difficulty in the planning and production of speech sounds and their combination into words and sentences. The objective of this study was to review and compare the results of the "Sensory Profile" ([Dunn, 1999]) in children with a specific type of speech-sound…

Accountability Steps for Highly Reluctant Speech: Tiered-Services Consultation in a Head Start Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howe, Heather; Barnett, David

2013-01-01

This consultation description reports parent and teacher problem solving for a preschool child with no typical speech directed to teachers or peers, and, by parent report, normal speech at home. This child's initial pattern of speech was similar to selective mutism, a low-incidence disorder often first detected during the preschool years, but…

A Motor Speech Assessment for Children with Severe Speech Disorders: Reliability and Validity Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strand, Edythe A.; McCauley, Rebecca J.; Weigand, Stephen D.; Stoeckel, Ruth E.; Baas, Becky S.

2013-01-01

Purpose: In this article, the authors report reliability and validity evidence for the Dynamic Evaluation of Motor Speech Skill (DEMSS), a new test that uses dynamic assessment to aid in the differential diagnosis of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Method: Participants were 81 children between 36 and 79 months of age who were referred to the…

Reliability of Speech Diadochokinetic Test Measurement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gadesmann, Miriam; Miller, Nick

2008-01-01

Background: Measures of articulatory diadochokinesis (DDK) are widely used in the assessment of motor speech disorders and they play a role in detecting abnormality, monitoring speech performance changes and classifying syndromes. Although in clinical practice DDK is generally measured perceptually, without support from instrumental methods that…

Oral Motor Abilities Are Task Dependent: A Factor Analytic Approach to Performance Rate.

PubMed

Staiger, Anja; Schölderle, Theresa; Brendel, Bettina; Bötzel, Kai; Ziegler, Wolfram

2017-01-01

Measures of performance rates in speech-like or volitional nonspeech oral motor tasks are frequently used to draw inferences about articulation rate abnormalities in patients with neurologic movement disorders. The study objective was to investigate the structural relationship between rate measures of speech and of oral motor behaviors different from speech. A total of 130 patients with neurologic movement disorders and 130 healthy subjects participated in the study. Rate data was collected for oral reading (speech), rapid syllable repetition (speech-like), and rapid single articulator movements (nonspeech). The authors used factor analysis to determine whether the different rate variables reflect the same or distinct constructs. The behavioral data were most appropriately captured by a measurement model in which the different task types loaded onto separate latent variables. The data on oral motor performance rates show that speech tasks and oral motor tasks such as rapid syllable repetition or repetitive single articulator movements measure separate traits.

The impact of workplace factors on evidence-based speech-language pathology practice for children with autism spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Cheung, Gladys; Trembath, David; Arciuli, Joanne; Togher, Leanne

2013-08-01

Although researchers have examined barriers to implementing evidence-based practice (EBP) at the level of the individual, little is known about the effects workplaces have on speech-language pathologists' implementation of EBP. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of workplace factors on the use of EBP amongst speech-language pathologists who work with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This study sought to (a) explore views about EBP amongst speech-language pathologists who work with children with ASD, (b) identify workplace factors which, in the participants' opinions, acted as barriers or enablers to their provision of evidence-based speech-language pathology services, and (c) examine whether or not speech-language pathologists' responses to workplace factors differed based on the type of workplace or their years of experience. A total of 105 speech-language pathologists from across Australia completed an anonymous online questionnaire. The results indicate that, although the majority of speech-language pathologists agreed that EBP is necessary, they experienced barriers to their implementation of EBP including workplace culture and support, lack of time, cost of EBP, and the availability and accessibility of EBP resources. The barriers reported by speech-language pathologists were similar, regardless of their workplace (private practice vs organization) and years of experience.

[Fool's gold standards in language screening. Sensitivity and specificity of the Hessian child language screening test (Kindersprachscreening, KiSS)].

PubMed

Neumann, K; Holler-Zittlau, I; van Minnen, S; Sick, U; Zaretsky, Y; Euler, H A

2011-01-01

The German Kindersprachscreening (KiSS) is a universal speech and language screening test for large-scale identification of Hessian kindergarten children requiring special educational language training or clinical speech/language therapy. To calculate the procedural screening validity, 257 children (aged 4.0 to 4.5 years) were tested using KiSS and four language tests (Reynell Development Language Scales III, Patholinguistische Diagnostik, PLAKSS, AWST-R). The majority or consensus judgements of three speech-language professionals, based on the language test results, served as a reference criterion. The base (fail) rates of the professionals were either self-determined or preset based on known prevalence rates. Screening validity was higher for preset than for self-determined base rates due to higher inter-judge agreement. The confusion matrices of the overall index classification of the KiSS (speech-language abnormalities with educational or clinical needs) with the fixed base rate expert judgement about language impairment, including fluency or voice disorders, yielded a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 78%, for just language impairment 84% and 75%, respectively. Specificities for disorders requiring clinical diagnostics in the KiSS (language impairment alone or combined with fluency/voice disorders) related to the test-based consensus expert judgment was about 93%. Sensitivities were unsatisfactory because the differentiation between educational and clinical needs requires improvement. Since the judgement concordances between the speech-language professionals was only moderate, the development of a comprehensive German reference test for speech and language disorders with evidence-based algorithmic decision rules rather than subjective clinical judgement is advocated.

Animal models of speech and vocal communication deficits associated with psychiatric disorders

PubMed Central

Konopka, Genevieve; Roberts, Todd F.

2015-01-01

Disruptions in speech, language and vocal communication are hallmarks of several neuropsychiatric disorders, most notably autism spectrum disorders. Historically, the use of animal models to dissect molecular pathways and connect them to behavioral endophenotypes in cognitive disorders has proven to be an effective approach for developing and testing disease-relevant therapeutics. The unique aspects of human language when compared to vocal behaviors in other animals make such an approach potentially more challenging. However, the study of vocal learning in species with analogous brain circuits to humans may provide entry points for understanding this human-specific phenotype and diseases. Here, we review animal models of vocal learning and vocal communication, and specifically link phenotypes of psychiatric disorders to relevant model systems. Evolutionary constraints in the organization of neural circuits and synaptic plasticity result in similarities in the brain mechanisms for vocal learning and vocal communication. Comparative approaches and careful consideration of the behavioral limitations among different animal models can provide critical avenues for dissecting the molecular pathways underlying cognitive disorders that disrupt speech, language and vocal communication. PMID:26232298

Facilitating Transition from High School and Special Education to Adult Life: Focus on Youth with Learning Disorders, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and Speech/Language Impairments.

PubMed

Ascherman, Lee I; Shaftel, Julia

2017-04-01

Youth with learning disorders, speech/language disorders, and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder may experience significant struggles during the transition from high school to postsecondary education and employment. These disorders often occur in combination or concurrently with behavioral and emotional difficulties. Incomplete evaluation may not fully identify the factors underlying academic and personal challenges. This article reviews these disorders, the role of special education law for transitional age youth in public schools, and the Americans with Disabilities Act in postsecondary educational and employment settings. The role of the child and adolescent psychiatrist and the importance of advocacy for these youth are presented. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Mental impairment in children with cerebral palsy: diagnosis and treatment].

PubMed

Nemkova, S A

2018-01-01

The article covers the problems of diagnosis and treatment of mental impairment in children with cerebral palsy. Mental disorders in cerebral palsy include cognitive impairment (disorders of perception, memory, attention, motor-visual coordination, intelligence and speech), border disorders (cerebral/asthenic, neurosis-like, psychopathic-like syndromes) and personality disorders (accentuation of character, mental infantilism). Diagnosis of mental disorders in patients with cerebral palsy is a challenging task, due to various combinations of them with physical, speech and sensory disorders, which requires a differentiated approach. Current trends in comprehensive system of rehabilitation, including medical and social, and psychological-pedagogical correction of cognitive, emotional and behavioral disorders, in cerebral palsy are reviewed. Experience of using cortexin, which compensates for cognitive impairment and improves social adaptation, is discussed.

Speech Appliances in the Treatment of Phonological Disorders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruscello, Dennis M.

1995-01-01

This article addresses the rationale for and issues related to the use of speech appliances, especially a removable speech appliance that positions the tongue to produce the correct /r/ phoneme. Research results suggest that this appliance was successful with a large group of clients. (Author/DB)

[Speech syndrome and its course in patients who have sustained an ischemic stroke (clinico-tomographic study)].

PubMed

Stoliarova, L G; Varakin, Iu Ia; Vavilov, S B

1981-01-01

Clinical and tomographic examinations of 40 patients with aphasia developed after an ischemic stroke were carried out. In more than half of them no correlation between the aphasia gravity and character on the one hand, and the size and localization of the ischemic focus (or foci) in the brain on the other was noted. With similar character and gravity of the speech disorder the size and localization of the ischemic foci may be different, ad vice versa. It has been shown that the interrelations between the focal pathology of the brain and the character and gravity of speech disorders are very complicated. One should take into consideration the possibility of individual organization of the speech functions, the degree of the speech activity automatism before the disease, and the state of the cerebrovascular system as a whole.

Using ultrasound visual biofeedback to treat persistent primary speech sound disorders.

PubMed

Cleland, Joanne; Scobbie, James M; Wrench, Alan A

2015-01-01

Growing evidence suggests that speech intervention using visual biofeedback may benefit people for whom visual skills are stronger than auditory skills (for example, the hearing-impaired population), especially when the target articulation is hard to describe or see. Diagnostic ultrasound can be used to image the tongue and has recently become more compact and affordable leading to renewed interest in it as a practical, non-invasive visual biofeedback tool. In this study, we evaluate its effectiveness in treating children with persistent speech sound disorders that have been unresponsive to traditional therapy approaches. A case series of seven different children (aged 6-11) with persistent speech sound disorders were evaluated. For each child, high-speed ultrasound (121 fps), audio and lip video recordings were made while probing each child's specific errors at five different time points (before, during and after intervention). After intervention, all the children made significant progress on targeted segments, evidenced by both perceptual measures and changes in tongue-shape.

Speech deficits in serious mental illness: a cognitive resource issue?

PubMed

Cohen, Alex S; McGovern, Jessica E; Dinzeo, Thomas J; Covington, Michael A

2014-12-01

Speech deficits, notably those involved in psychomotor retardation, blunted affect, alogia and poverty of content of speech, are pronounced in a wide range of serious mental illnesses (e.g., schizophrenia, unipolar depression, bipolar disorders). The present project evaluated the degree to which these deficits manifest as a function of cognitive resource limitations. We examined natural speech from 52 patients meeting criteria for serious mental illnesses (i.e., severe functional deficits with a concomitant diagnosis of schizophrenia, unipolar and/or bipolar affective disorders) and 30 non-psychiatric controls using a range of objective, computer-based measures tapping speech production ("alogia"), variability ("blunted vocal affect") and content ("poverty of content of speech"). Subjects produced natural speech during a baseline condition and while engaging in an experimentally-manipulated cognitively-effortful task. For correlational analysis, cognitive ability was measured using a standardized battery. Generally speaking, speech deficits did not differ as a function of SMI diagnosis. However, every speech production and content measure was significantly abnormal in SMI versus control groups. Speech variability measures generally did not differ between groups. For both patients and controls as a group, speech during the cognitively-effortful task was sparser and less rich in content. Relative to controls, patients were abnormal under cognitive load with respect only to average pause length. Correlations between the speech variables and cognitive ability were only significant for this same variable: average pause length. Results suggest that certain speech deficits, notably involving pause length, may manifest as a function of cognitive resource limitations. Implications for treatment, research and assessment are discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Speech motor planning and execution deficits in early childhood stuttering.

PubMed

Walsh, Bridget; Mettel, Kathleen Marie; Smith, Anne

2015-01-01

Five to eight percent of preschool children develop stuttering, a speech disorder with clearly observable, hallmark symptoms: sound repetitions, prolongations, and blocks. While the speech motor processes underlying stuttering have been widely documented in adults, few studies to date have assessed the speech motor dynamics of stuttering near its onset. We assessed fundamental characteristics of speech movements in preschool children who stutter and their fluent peers to determine if atypical speech motor characteristics described for adults are early features of the disorder or arise later in the development of chronic stuttering. Orofacial movement data were recorded from 58 children who stutter and 43 children who do not stutter aged 4;0 to 5;11 (years; months) in a sentence production task. For single speech movements and multiple speech movement sequences, we computed displacement amplitude, velocity, and duration. For the phrase level movement sequence, we computed an index of articulation coordination consistency for repeated productions of the sentence. Boys who stutter, but not girls, produced speech with reduced amplitudes and velocities of articulatory movement. All children produced speech with similar durations. Boys, particularly the boys who stuttered, had more variable patterns of articulatory coordination compared to girls. This study is the first to demonstrate sex-specific differences in speech motor control processes between preschool boys and girls who are stuttering. The sex-specific lag in speech motor development in many boys who stutter likely has significant implications for the dramatically different recovery rates between male and female preschoolers who stutter. Further, our findings document that atypical speech motor development is an early feature of stuttering.

Development and functional significance of private speech among attention-deficit hyperactivity disordered and normal boys.

PubMed

Berk, L E; Potts, M K

1991-06-01

We compared the development of spontaneous private speech and its relationship to self-controlled behavior in a sample of 6- to 12-year-olds with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and matched normal controls. Thirty-eight boys were observed in their classrooms while engaged in math seatwork. Results revealed that ADHD children were delayed in private speech development in that they engaged in more externalized, self-fuiding and less inaudible, internalized speech than normal youngsters. Several findings suggest that the developmental lag was a consequence of a highly unmanageable attentional system that prevents ADHD children's private speech from gaining efficient mastery over behavior. First, self-guiding speech was associated with greater attentional focus only among the least distractible ADHD boys. Second, the most mature, internalized speech forms were correlated with self-stimulating behavior for ADHD subjects but not for controls. Third, observations of ADHD children both on and off stimulant medication indicated that reducing their symptoms substantially increased the maturity of private speech and its association with motor quiescence and attention to task. Results suggest that the Vygotskian hypothesis of a unidirectional path of influence from private speech to self-controlled behavior should be expanded into a bidirectional model. These findings may also shed light on why treatment programs that train children with attentional deficits in speech-to-self have shown limited efficacy.

Are individuals with Parkinson's disease capable of speech-motor learning? - A preliminary evaluation.

PubMed

Kaipa, Ramesh; Jones, Richard D; Robb, Michael P

2016-07-01

The benefits of different practice conditions in limb-based rehabilitation of motor disorders are well documented. Conversely, the role of practice structure in the treatment of motor-based speech disorders has only been minimally investigated. Considering this limitation, the current study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of selected practice conditions in spatial and temporal learning of novel speech utterances in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Participants included 16 individuals with PD who were randomly and equally assigned to constant, variable, random, and blocked practice conditions. Participants in all four groups practiced a speech phrase for two consecutive days, and reproduced the speech phrase on the third day without further practice or feedback. There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) between participants across the four practice conditions with respect to either spatial or temporal learning of the speech phrase. Overall, PD participants demonstrated diminished spatial and temporal learning in comparison to healthy controls. Tests of strength of association between participants' demographic/clinical characteristics and speech-motor learning outcomes did not reveal any significant correlations. The findings from the current study suggest that repeated practice facilitates speech-motor learning in individuals with PD irrespective of the type of practice. Clinicians need to be cautious in applying practice conditions to treat speech deficits associated with PD based on the findings of non-speech-motor learning tasks. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selective mutism - resources

MedlinePlus

Resources - selective mutism ... The following organizations are good resources for information on selective mutism : American Speech-Language-Hearing Association -- www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/selectivemutism/ Selective Mutism Association -- www. ...

Characteristics of Fluency and Speech in Two Families With High Incidences of Stuttering.

PubMed

Stager, Sheila V; Freeman, Frances J; Braun, Allen

2015-10-01

This study presents data from 2 families with high incidence of stuttering, comparing methods of phenotype assignment and exploring the presence of other fluency disorders and corresponding speech characteristics. Three methods for assigning phenotype of stuttering were used: self-identification, family identification, and expert identification. Agreement on which individuals were assigned by each of these methods was studied. Multiple measures of fluency and speech production were obtained. Self-reports and descriptions of blocking rather than self-identification as a person who stutters demonstrated the best agreement with expert identification of stuttering. Family identification showed poor agreement with both expert and self-identification of stuttering. Using binary categories of fluent or stuttering, 90% of individuals in 1 family were classified by expert consensus. Only 70% of the other family could be similarly categorized. Experts required 2 other categories, cluttering and other fluency disorders, to fully characterize dysfluency within this family. These 2 families also demonstrated differences in speech production. Some families with high incidence of stuttering may also have high incidence of other fluency disorders and other speech-production difficulties. This finding may have ramifications for genetic studies, including criteria for defining phenotype and collapsing data across multiple families.

How Autism Affects Speech Understanding in Multitalker Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

Page 1 AD_________________ Award Number: W81XWH-12-1-0363 TITLE: How Autism Affects Speech Understanding in Multitalker Environments PRINCIPAL...COVERED 30 Sep 2012 - 29 Sep 2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER How Autism Affects Speech Understanding in Multitalker 5b. GRANT NUMBER...that adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders have particular difficulty recognizing speech in acoustically-hostile environments (e.g., Alcantara et al

Electroencephalographic Abnormalities during Sleep in Children with Developmental Speech-Language Disorders: A Case-Control Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parry-Fielder, Bronwyn; Collins, Kevin; Fisher, John; Keir, Eddie; Anderson, Vicki; Jacobs, Rani; Scheffer, Ingrid E.; Nolan, Terry

2009-01-01

Earlier research has suggested a link between epileptiform activity in the electroencephalogram (EEG) and developmental speech-language disorder (DSLD). This study investigated the strength of this association by comparing the frequency of EEG abnormalities in 45 language-normal children (29 males, 16 females; mean age 6y 11mo, SD 1y 10mo, range…

Principals' Opinions on the Role of Speech-Language Pathologists Serving Students with Communication Disorders Involved in Violence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ritzman, Mitzi J.; Sanger, Dixie

2007-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to survey the opinions of principals concerning the role of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) serving students with communication disorders who have been involved in violence. Method: A mixed methods design involving 678 questionnaires was mailed to elementary, middle, and high school principals in a…

Addressing Math Comprehension of Children with Attention, Speech, and Language Disabilities: A Case Study on Singapore Math

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uzhansky, Jane

2018-01-01

The co-occurrence of learning disabilities (LD), such as speech and language impairment (SLI) and attention deficit disorder/attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD), also classified as other health impairment (OHI), is significant. Many of these students are being placed in the general education setting and need to obtain the learning…

Risk for Speech Disorder Associated with Early Recurrent Otitis Media with Effusion: Two Retrospective Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shriberg, Lawrence D.; Flipsen, Peter, Jr.; Thielke, Helen; Kwiatkowski, Joan; Kertoy, Marilyn K.; Katcher, Murray L.; Nellis, Robert A.; Block, Michael G.

2000-01-01

A study of 35 3-year-olds followed since infancy in a university-affiliated pediatrics clinic and 50 Native American children followed since infancy in a tribal health clinic found early recurrent otitis media with effusion was only associated with increased risk for speech disorder in the Native American children. (Contains extensive references.)…

A Further Comparison of Manual Signing, Picture Exchange, and Speech-Generating Devices as Communication Modes for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Meer, Larah; Sutherland, Dean; O'Reilly, Mark F.; Lancioni, Giulio E.; Sigafoos, Jeff

2012-01-01

We compared acquisition of, and preference for, manual signing (MS), picture exchange (PE), and speech-generating devices (SGDs) in four children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Intervention was introduced across participants in a non-concurrent multiple-baseline design and acquisition of the three communication modes was compared in an…

Brief Report: Further Evidence for a Link between Inner Speech Limitations and Executive Function in High-Functioning Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell-Smith, Suzanna N.; Comerford, Bronwynn J. E.; Maybery, Murray T.; Whitehouse, Andrew J. O.

2014-01-01

This study investigated the involvement of inner speech limitations in the executive dysfunction associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Seventeen children with ASD and 18 controls, statistically-matched in age and IQ, performed a computer-based card sorting test (CST) to assess cognitive flexibility under four conditions: baseline, with…

Brief Report: A Mobile Application to Treat Prosodic Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Communication Impairments: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simmons, Elizabeth Schoen; Paul, Rhea; Shic, Frederick

2016-01-01

This study examined the acceptability of a mobile application, "SpeechPrompts," designed to treat prosodic disorders in children with ASD and other communication impairments. Ten speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in public schools and 40 of their students, 5-19 years with prosody deficits participated. Students received treatment with…

Prevalence of Speech Disorders in Elementary School Students in Jordan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Jazi, Aya Bassam; Al-Khamra, Rana

2015-01-01

Goal: The aim of this study was to find the prevalence of speech (articulation, voice, and fluency) disorders among elementary school students from first grade to fourth grade. This research was based on the screening implemented as part of the Madrasati Project, which is designed to serve the school system in Jordan. Method: A sample of 1,231…

The Use of an Autonomous Pedagogical Agent and Automatic Speech Recognition for Teaching Sight Words to Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saadatzi, Mohammad Nasser; Pennington, Robert C.; Welch, Karla C.; Graham, James H.; Scott, Renee E.

2017-01-01

In the current study, we examined the effects of an instructional package comprised of an autonomous pedagogical agent, automatic speech recognition, and constant time delay during the instruction of reading sight words aloud to young adults with autism spectrum disorder. We used a concurrent multiple baseline across participants design to…

"When He's around His Brothers ... He's Not so Quiet": The Private and Public Worlds of School-Aged Children with Speech Sound Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLeod, Sharynne; Daniel, Graham; Barr, Jacqueline

2013-01-01

Children interact with people in context: including home, school, and in the community. Understanding children's relationships within context is important for supporting children's development. Using child-friendly methodologies, the purpose of this research was to understand the lives of children with speech sound disorder (SSD) in context.…

The Use of Nonspeech Oral Motor Treatments for Developmental Speech Sound Production Disorders: Interventions and Interactions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powell, Thomas W.

2008-01-01

Purpose: The use of nonspeech oral motor treatments (NSOMTs) in the management of pediatric speech sound production disorders is controversial. This article serves as a prologue to a clinical forum that examines this topic in depth. Method: Theoretical, historical, and ethical issues are reviewed to create a series of clinical questions that…

Literacy Outcomes of Children with Early Childhood Speech Sound Disorders: Impact of Endophenotypes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Barbara A.; Avrich, Allison A.; Freebairn, Lisa A.; Hansen, Amy J.; Sucheston, Lara E.; Kuo, Iris; Taylor, H. Gerry; Iyengar, Sudha K.; Stein, Catherine M.

2011-01-01

Purpose: To demonstrate that early childhood speech sound disorders (SSD) and later school-age reading, written expression, and spelling skills are influenced by shared endophenotypes that may be in part genetic. Method: Children with SSD and their siblings were assessed at early childhood (ages 4-6 years) and followed at school age (7-12 years).…

Electropalatography in the Description and Treatment of Speech Disorders in Five Children with Cerebral Palsy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nordberg, Ann; Carlsson, Goran; Lohmander, Anette

2011-01-01

Some children with cerebral palsy have articulation disorders that are resistant to conventional speech therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the visual feedback method of electropalatography (EPG) could be an effective tool for treating five children (mean age of 9.4 years) with dysarthria and cerebral palsy and to explore…

Teachers' Perceptions of Students with Speech Sound Disorders: A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Overby, Megan; Carrell, Thomas; Bernthal, John

2007-01-01

Purpose: This study examined 2nd-grade teachers' perceptions of the academic, social, and behavioral competence of students with speech sound disorders (SSDs). Method: Forty-eight 2nd-grade teachers listened to 2 groups of sentences differing by intelligibility and pitch but spoken by a single 2nd grader. For each sentence group, teachers rated…

Effectiveness of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) on Communication and Speech for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flippin, Michelle; Reszka, Stephanie; Watson, Linda R.

2010-01-01

Purpose: The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a popular communication-training program for young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This meta-analysis reviews the current empirical evidence for PECS in affecting communication and speech outcomes for children with ASD. Method: A systematic review of the literature on PECS…

The Impact of the Picture Exchange Communication System on Requesting and Speech Development in Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Similar Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ganz, Jennifer B.; Simpson, Richard L.; Corbin-Newsome, Jawanda

2008-01-01

By definition children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) experience difficulty understanding and using language. Accordingly, visual and picture-based strategies such as the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) show promise in ameliorating speech and language deficits. This study reports the results of a multiple baseline across…

Teaching Advanced Operation of an iPod-Based Speech-Generating Device to Two Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Achmadi, Donna; Kagohara, Debora M.; van der Meer, Larah; O'Reilly, Mark F.; Lancioni, Giulio E.; Sutherland, Dean; Lang, Russell; Marschik, Peter B.; Green, Vanessa A.; Sigafoos, Jeff

2012-01-01

We evaluated a program for teaching two adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) to perform more advanced operations on an iPod-based speech-generating device (SGD). The effects of the teaching program were evaluated in a multiprobe multiple baseline across participants design that included two intervention phases. The first intervention…

A Letter to the Parent(s) of a Child with Developmental Apraxia of Speech. Part III: Other Problems Often Associated with the Disorder.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Penelope K.

2000-01-01

One of a series of letters to parents of children with developmental apraxia of speech, this letter discusses other problems associated with the disorder including language development problems, academic problems, motor skill problems, and chewing and swallowing difficulties. An annotated bibliography of two further readings for parents is…

A Systematic Review and Classification of Interventions for Speech-Sound Disorder in Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wren, Yvonne; Harding, Sam; Goldbart, Juliet; Roulstone, Sue

2018-01-01

Background: Multiple interventions have been developed to address speech sound disorder (SSD) in children. Many of these have been evaluated but the evidence for these has not been considered within a model which categorizes types of intervention. The opportunity to carry out a systematic review of interventions for SSD arose as part of a larger…

Nonspeech Oral Movements and Oral Motor Disorders: A Narrative Review.

PubMed

Kent, Ray D

2015-11-01

Speech and other oral functions such as swallowing have been compared and contrasted with oral behaviors variously labeled quasispeech, paraspeech, speechlike, and nonspeech, all of which overlap to some degree in neural control, muscles deployed, and movements performed. Efforts to understand the relationships among these behaviors are hindered by the lack of explicit and widely accepted definitions. This review article offers definitions and taxonomies for nonspeech oral movements and for diverse speaking tasks, both overt and covert. Review of the literature included searches of Medline, Google Scholar, HighWire Press, and various online sources. Search terms pertained to speech, quasispeech, paraspeech, speechlike, and nonspeech oral movements. Searches also were carried out for associated terms in oral biology, craniofacial physiology, and motor control. Nonspeech movements have a broad spectrum of clinical applications, including developmental speech and language disorders, motor speech disorders, feeding and swallowing difficulties, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, trismus, and tardive stereotypies. The role and benefit of nonspeech oral movements are controversial in many oral motor disorders. It is argued that the clinical value of these movements can be elucidated through careful definitions and task descriptions such as those proposed in this review article.

Nonspeech Oral Movements and Oral Motor Disorders: A Narrative Review

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Purpose Speech and other oral functions such as swallowing have been compared and contrasted with oral behaviors variously labeled quasispeech, paraspeech, speechlike, and nonspeech, all of which overlap to some degree in neural control, muscles deployed, and movements performed. Efforts to understand the relationships among these behaviors are hindered by the lack of explicit and widely accepted definitions. This review article offers definitions and taxonomies for nonspeech oral movements and for diverse speaking tasks, both overt and covert. Method Review of the literature included searches of Medline, Google Scholar, HighWire Press, and various online sources. Search terms pertained to speech, quasispeech, paraspeech, speechlike, and nonspeech oral movements. Searches also were carried out for associated terms in oral biology, craniofacial physiology, and motor control. Results and Conclusions Nonspeech movements have a broad spectrum of clinical applications, including developmental speech and language disorders, motor speech disorders, feeding and swallowing difficulties, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, trismus, and tardive stereotypies. The role and benefit of nonspeech oral movements are controversial in many oral motor disorders. It is argued that the clinical value of these movements can be elucidated through careful definitions and task descriptions such as those proposed in this review article. PMID:26126128

Spasmodic Dysphonia: a Laryngeal Control Disorder Specific to Speech

PubMed Central

Ludlow, Christy L.

2016-01-01

Spasmodic dysphonia (SD) is a rare neurological disorder that emerges in middle age, is usually sporadic, and affects intrinsic laryngeal muscle control only during speech. Spasmodic bursts in particular laryngeal muscles disrupt voluntary control during vowel sounds in adductor SD and interfere with voice onset after voiceless consonants in abductor SD. Little is known about its origins; it is classified as a focal dystonia secondary to an unknown neurobiological mechanism that produces a chronic abnormality of laryngeal motor neuron regulation during speech. It develops primarily in females and does not interfere with breathing, crying, laughter, and shouting. Recent postmortem studies have implicated the accumulation of clusters in the parenchyma and perivascular regions with inflammatory changes in the brainstem in one to two cases. A few cases with single mutations in THAP1, a gene involved in transcription regulation, suggest that a weak genetic predisposition may contribute to mechanisms causing a nonprogressive abnormality in laryngeal motor neuron control for speech but not for vocal emotional expression. Research is needed to address the basic cellular and proteomic mechanisms that produce this disorder to provide intervention that could target the pathogenesis of the disorder rather than only providing temporary symptom relief. PMID:21248101

Spasmodic dysphonia: a laryngeal control disorder specific to speech.

PubMed

Ludlow, Christy L

2011-01-19

Spasmodic dysphonia (SD) is a rare neurological disorder that emerges in middle age, is usually sporadic, and affects intrinsic laryngeal muscle control only during speech. Spasmodic bursts in particular laryngeal muscles disrupt voluntary control during vowel sounds in adductor SD and interfere with voice onset after voiceless consonants in abductor SD. Little is known about its origins; it is classified as a focal dystonia secondary to an unknown neurobiological mechanism that produces a chronic abnormality of laryngeal motor neuron regulation during speech. It develops primarily in females and does not interfere with breathing, crying, laughter, and shouting. Recent postmortem studies have implicated the accumulation of clusters in the parenchyma and perivascular regions with inflammatory changes in the brainstem in one to two cases. A few cases with single mutations in THAP1, a gene involved in transcription regulation, suggest that a weak genetic predisposition may contribute to mechanisms causing a nonprogressive abnormality in laryngeal motor neuron control for speech but not for vocal emotional expression. Research is needed to address the basic cellular and proteomic mechanisms that produce this disorder to provide intervention that could target the pathogenesis of the disorder rather than only providing temporary symptom relief.

[Modeling developmental aspects of sensorimotor control of speech production].

PubMed

Kröger, B J; Birkholz, P; Neuschaefer-Rube, C

2007-05-01

Detailed knowledge of the neurophysiology of speech acquisition is important for understanding the developmental aspects of speech perception and production and for understanding developmental disorders of speech perception and production. A computer implemented neural model of sensorimotor control of speech production was developed. The model is capable of demonstrating the neural functions of different cortical areas during speech production in detail. (i) Two sensory and two motor maps or neural representations and the appertaining neural mappings or projections establish the sensorimotor feedback control system. These maps and mappings are already formed and trained during the prelinguistic phase of speech acquisition. (ii) The feedforward sensorimotor control system comprises the lexical map (representations of sounds, syllables, and words of the first language) and the mappings from lexical to sensory and to motor maps. The training of the appertaining mappings form the linguistic phase of speech acquisition. (iii) Three prelinguistic learning phases--i. e. silent mouthing, quasi stationary vocalic articulation, and realisation of articulatory protogestures--can be defined on the basis of our simulation studies using the computational neural model. These learning phases can be associated with temporal phases of prelinguistic speech acquisition obtained from natural data. The neural model illuminates the detailed function of specific cortical areas during speech production. In particular it can be shown that developmental disorders of speech production may result from a delayed or incorrect process within one of the prelinguistic learning phases defined by the neural model.

Tracking Speech Sound Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powell, Thomas W.

2011-01-01

This article describes a procedure to aid in the clinical appraisal of child speech. The approach, based on the work by Dinnsen, Chin, Elbert, and Powell (1990; Some constraints on functionally disordered phonologies: Phonetic inventories and phonotactics. "Journal of Speech and Hearing Research", 33, 28-37), uses a railway idiom to track gains in…

Toward Diagnostic and Phenotype Markers for Genetically Transmitted Speech Delay

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shriberg, Lawrence D.; Lewis, Barbara A.; Tomblin, J. Bruce; McSweeny, Jane L.; Karlsson, Heather B.; Scheer, Alison R.

2005-01-01

Converging evidence supports the hypothesis that the most common subtype of childhood speech sound disorder (SSD) of currently unknown origin is genetically transmitted. We report the first findings toward a set of diagnostic markers to differentiate this proposed etiological subtype (provisionally termed "speech delay-genetic") from other…

Neurogenic Communication Disorders and Paralleling Agraphic Disturbances: Implications for Concerns in Basic Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Jarnette, Glenda

Vertical and lateral integration are two important nervous system integrations that affect the development of oral behaviors. There are three progressions in the vertical integration process for speech nervous system development: R-complex speech (ritualistic, memorized expressions), limbic speech (emotional expressions), and cortical speech…

Visual-Auditory Integration during Speech Imitation in Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Justin H. G.; Massaro, Dominic W.; Peel, Natalie J.; Bosseler, Alexis; Suddendorf, Thomas

2004-01-01

Children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) may have poor audio-visual integration, possibly reflecting dysfunctional "mirror neuron" systems which have been hypothesised to be at the core of the condition. In the present study, a computer program, utilizing speech synthesizer software and a "virtual" head (Baldi), delivered speech stimuli for…

Linguistic Correlates of Social Anxiety Disorder

PubMed Central

Hofmann, Stefan G.; Moore, Philippa M.; Gutner, Cassidy; Weeks, Justin W.

2012-01-01

The goal of this study was to examine the linguistic correlates of social anxiety disorder (SAD). Twenty-four individuals with SAD (8 of them with a generalized subtype) and 21 nonanxious controls were asked to give speeches in front of an audience. The transcribed speeches were examined for the frequency of negations, I-statements, we-statements, negative emotion words, and positive emotion words. During their speech, individuals with either SAD subtype used positive emotion words more often than controls. No significant differences were observed in the other linguistic categories. These results are discussed in the context of evolutionary and cognitive perspectives of SAD. PMID:21851248

The use of electropalatography in the assessment and treatment of acquired motor speech disorders in adults: current knowledge and future directions.

PubMed

McAuliffe, Megan J; Ward, Elizabeth C

2006-01-01

Electropalatography (EPG) has been employed to measure speech articulation since the mid-1970s. This technique has predominately been used in experimental phonetic research and in the diagnosis and treatment of articulation disorders in children. However, there is a growing body of research employing EPG to diagnose and treat articulatory impairment associated with acquired motor speech disorder (MSD) in adults. The purpose of this paper was to (1) review the findings of studies pertaining to the assessment and treatment of MSDs in adults using EPG, (2) highlight current methodologies employed, and (3) discuss the potential limitations of EPG in the assessment and treatment of MSDs and examine directions for future applied research and treatment studies.

Speech Deficits in Serious mental Illness: A Cognitive Resource Issue?

PubMed Central

Cohen, Alex S.; McGovern, Jessica E.; Dinzeo, Thomas J.; Covington, Michael A.

2014-01-01

Speech deficits, notably those involved in psychomotor retardation, blunted affect, alogia and poverty of content of speech, are pronounced in a wide range of serious mental illnesses (e.g., schizophrenia, unipolar depression, bipolar disorders). The present project evaluated the degree to which these deficits manifest as a function of cognitive resource limitations. We examined natural speech from 52 patients meeting criteria for serious mental illnesses (i.e., severe functional deficits with a concomitant diagnosis of schizophrenia, unipolar and/or bipolar affective disorders) and 30 non-psychiatric controls using a range of objective, computer-based measures tapping speech production (“alogia”), variability (“blunted vocal affect”) and content (“poverty of content of speech”). Subjects produced natural speech during a baseline condition and while engaging in an experimentally-manipulated cognitively-effortful task. For correlational analysis, cognitive ability was measured using a standardized battery. Generally speaking, speech deficits did not differ as a function of SMI diagnosis. However, every speech production and content measure was significantly abnormal in SMI versus control groups. Speech variability measures generally did not differ between groups. For both patients and controls as a group, speech during the cognitively-effortful task was sparser and less rich in content. Relative to controls, patients were abnormal under cognitive load with respect only to average pause length. Correlations between the speech variables and cognitive ability were only significant for this same variable: average pause length. Results suggest that certain speech deficits, notably involving pause length, may manifest as a function of cognitive resource limitations. Implications for treatment, research and assessment are discussed. PMID:25464920

Nonverbal oral apraxia in primary progressive aphasia and apraxia of speech.

PubMed

Botha, Hugo; Duffy, Joseph R; Strand, Edythe A; Machulda, Mary M; Whitwell, Jennifer L; Josephs, Keith A

2014-05-13

The goal of this study was to explore the prevalence of nonverbal oral apraxia (NVOA), its association with other forms of apraxia, and associated imaging findings in patients with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and progressive apraxia of speech (PAOS). Patients with a degenerative speech or language disorder were prospectively recruited and diagnosed with a subtype of PPA or with PAOS. All patients had comprehensive speech and language examinations. Voxel-based morphometry was performed to determine whether atrophy of a specific region correlated with the presence of NVOA. Eighty-nine patients were identified, of which 34 had PAOS, 9 had agrammatic PPA, 41 had logopenic aphasia, and 5 had semantic dementia. NVOA was very common among patients with PAOS but was found in patients with PPA as well. Several patients exhibited only one of NVOA or apraxia of speech. Among patients with apraxia of speech, the severity of the apraxia of speech was predictive of NVOA, whereas ideomotor apraxia severity was predictive of the presence of NVOA in those without apraxia of speech. Bilateral atrophy of the prefrontal cortex anterior to the premotor area and supplementary motor area was associated with NVOA. Apraxia of speech, NVOA, and ideomotor apraxia are at least partially separable disorders. The association of NVOA and apraxia of speech likely results from the proximity of the area reported here and the premotor area, which has been implicated in apraxia of speech. The association of ideomotor apraxia and NVOA among patients without apraxia of speech could represent disruption of modules shared by nonverbal oral movements and limb movements.

Nonverbal oral apraxia in primary progressive aphasia and apraxia of speech

PubMed Central

Botha, Hugo; Duffy, Joseph R.; Strand, Edythe A.; Machulda, Mary M.; Whitwell, Jennifer L.

2014-01-01

Objective: The goal of this study was to explore the prevalence of nonverbal oral apraxia (NVOA), its association with other forms of apraxia, and associated imaging findings in patients with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and progressive apraxia of speech (PAOS). Methods: Patients with a degenerative speech or language disorder were prospectively recruited and diagnosed with a subtype of PPA or with PAOS. All patients had comprehensive speech and language examinations. Voxel-based morphometry was performed to determine whether atrophy of a specific region correlated with the presence of NVOA. Results: Eighty-nine patients were identified, of which 34 had PAOS, 9 had agrammatic PPA, 41 had logopenic aphasia, and 5 had semantic dementia. NVOA was very common among patients with PAOS but was found in patients with PPA as well. Several patients exhibited only one of NVOA or apraxia of speech. Among patients with apraxia of speech, the severity of the apraxia of speech was predictive of NVOA, whereas ideomotor apraxia severity was predictive of the presence of NVOA in those without apraxia of speech. Bilateral atrophy of the prefrontal cortex anterior to the premotor area and supplementary motor area was associated with NVOA. Conclusions: Apraxia of speech, NVOA, and ideomotor apraxia are at least partially separable disorders. The association of NVOA and apraxia of speech likely results from the proximity of the area reported here and the premotor area, which has been implicated in apraxia of speech. The association of ideomotor apraxia and NVOA among patients without apraxia of speech could represent disruption of modules shared by nonverbal oral movements and limb movements. PMID:24727315

Comparison of adults who stutter with and without social anxiety disorder.

PubMed

Iverach, Lisa; Jones, Mark; Lowe, Robyn; O'Brian, Susan; Menzies, Ross G; Packman, Ann; Onslow, Mark

2018-06-01

Social anxiety disorder is a debilitating anxiety disorder associated with significant life impairment. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate overall functioning for adults who stutter with and without a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder. Participants were 275 adults who stuttered (18-80 years), including 219 males (79.6%) and 56 females (20.4%), who were enrolled to commence speech treatment for stuttering. Comparisons were made between participants diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (n = 82, 29.8%) and those without that diagnosis (n = 193, 70.2%). Although the socially anxious group was significantly younger than the non-socially anxious group, no other demographic differences were found. When compared to the non-socially anxious group, the socially anxious group did not demonstrate significantly higher self-reported stuttering severity or percentage of syllables stuttered. Yet the socially anxious group reported more speech dissatisfaction and avoidance of speaking situations, significantly more psychological problems, and a greater negative impact of stuttering. Significant differences in speech and psychological variables between groups suggest that, despite not demonstrating more severe stuttering, socially anxious adults who stutter demonstrate more psychological difficulties and have a more negative view of their speech. The present findings suggest that the demographic status of adults who stutter is not worse for those with social anxiety disorder. These findings pertain to a clinical sample, and cannot be generalized to the wider population of adults who stutter from the general community. Further research is needed to understand the longer-term impact of social anxiety disorder for those who stutter. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Speech Problems

MedlinePlus

... if you're in your teens and still stuttering, you may not feel like it's so endearing. ... million Americans have the speech disorder known as stuttering (or stammering, as it's known in Britain). It's ...

Redefining the survival of the fittest: communication disorders in the 21st century.

PubMed

Ruben, R J

2000-02-01

To determine the economic effect on the US economy of the cost of caring for people with communication disorders as well as the cost of lost or degraded employment opportunities for people with such disorders, including disorders of hearing, voice, speech, and language. Survey of available historical and contemporary governmental and scholarly data concerning work force distribution and the epidemiology of disorders of hearing, voice, speech, and language. Analysis of epidemiological and economic data for industrialized countries, North America, and the United States. Communication disorders are estimated to have a prevalence of 5% to 10%. People with communication disorders may be more economically disadvantaged than those with less severe disabilities The data suggest that people with severe speech disabilities are more often found to be unemployed or in a lower economic class than people with hearing loss or other disabilities. Communication disorders may cost the United States from $154 billion to $186 billion per year, which is equal to 2.5% to 3% of the Gross National Product. Communication disorders reduce the economic output of the United States, whose economy has become dependent on communication-based employment. This trend will increase during the next century. The economic cost and the prevalence rates of communication disorders in the United States indicate that they will be a major public health challenge for the 21st century.

Multiple benefits of personal FM system use by children with auditory processing disorder (APD).

PubMed

Johnston, Kristin N; John, Andrew B; Kreisman, Nicole V; Hall, James W; Crandell, Carl C

2009-01-01

Children with auditory processing disorders (APD) were fitted with Phonak EduLink FM devices for home and classroom use. Baseline measures of the children with APD, prior to FM use, documented significantly lower speech-perception scores, evidence of decreased academic performance, and psychosocial problems in comparison to an age- and gender-matched control group. Repeated measures during the school year demonstrated speech-perception improvement in noisy classroom environments as well as significant academic and psychosocial benefits. Compared with the control group, the children with APD showed greater speech-perception advantage with FM technology. Notably, after prolonged FM use, even unaided (no FM device) speech-perception performance was improved in the children with APD, suggesting the possibility of fundamentally enhanced auditory system function.

Psycholinguistic and motor theories of apraxia of speech.

PubMed

Ziegler, Wolfram

2002-11-01

This article sketches the relationships between modern conceptions of apraxia of speech (AOS) and current models of neuromotor and neurolinguistic disorders. The first section is devoted to neurophysiological perspectives of AOS, and its relation to dysarthrias and to limb apraxia is discussed. The second section introduces the logogen model and considers AOS in relation to supramodal aspects of aphasia. In the third section, AOS with the background of psycholinguistic models of spoken language production, including the Levelt model and connectionist models, is discussed. In the fourth section, the view of AOS as a disorder of speech motor programming is discussed against the background of theories from experimental psychology. The final section considers two models of speech motor control and their relation to AOS. The article discusses the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches.

A meme's eye view of speech-language pathology.

PubMed

Kamhi, Alan G

2004-04-01

In this article, the reason why certain terms, labels, and ideas prevail, whereas others fail to gain acceptance, will be considered. Borrowing the concept of "meme" from the study of evolution of ideas, it will be clear why language-based and phonological disorders have less widespread appeal than, for example, auditory processing and sensory integration disorders. Discussion will also center on why most speech-language pathologists refer to themselves as speech therapists or speech pathologists, and why it is more desirable to have dyslexia than to have a reading disability. In a meme's eye view, science and logic do not always win out because selection favors ideas (memes) that are easy to understand, remember, and copy. An unfortunate consequence of these selection forces is that successful memes typically provide superficially plausible answers for complex questions.

Examining the Echolalia Literature: Where Do Speech-Language Pathologists Stand?

PubMed

Stiegler, Lillian N

2015-11-01

Echolalia is a common element in the communication of individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Recent contributions to the literature reflect significant disagreement regarding how echolalia should be defined, understood, and managed. The purpose of this review article is to give speech-language pathologists and others a comprehensive view of the available perspectives on echolalia. Published literature from the disciplines of behavioral intervention, linguistics, and speech-language intervention is discussed. Special areas of focus include operational definitions, rationales associated with various approaches, specific procedures used to treat or study echolalic behavior, and reported conclusions. Dissimilarities in the definition and understanding of echolalia have led to vastly different approaches to management. Evidence-based practice protocols are available to guide speech-language interventionists in their work with individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

Inner Speech and Clarity of Self-Concept in Thought Disorder and Auditory-Verbal Hallucinations

PubMed Central

de Sousa, Paulo; Sellwood, William; Spray, Amy; Fernyhough, Charles; Bentall, Richard P.

2016-01-01

Abstract Eighty patients and thirty controls were interviewed using one interview that promoted personal disclosure and another about everyday topics. Speech was scored using the Thought, Language and Communication scale (TLC). All participants completed the Self-Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS) and the Varieties of Inner Speech Questionnaire (VISQ). Patients scored lower than comparisons on the SCCS. Low scores were associated the disorganized dimension of TD. Patients also scored significantly higher on condensed and other people in inner speech, but not on dialogical or evaluative inner speech. The poverty of speech dimension of TD was associated with less dialogical inner speech, other people in inner speech, and less evaluative inner speech. Hallucinations were significantly associated with more other people in inner speech and evaluative inner speech. Clarity of self-concept and qualities of inner speech are differentially associated with dimensions of TD. The findings also support inner speech models of hallucinations. PMID:27898489

Inner Speech and Clarity of Self-Concept in Thought Disorder and Auditory-Verbal Hallucinations.

PubMed

de Sousa, Paulo; Sellwood, William; Spray, Amy; Fernyhough, Charles; Bentall, Richard P

2016-12-01

Eighty patients and thirty controls were interviewed using one interview that promoted personal disclosure and another about everyday topics. Speech was scored using the Thought, Language and Communication scale (TLC). All participants completed the Self-Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS) and the Varieties of Inner Speech Questionnaire (VISQ). Patients scored lower than comparisons on the SCCS. Low scores were associated the disorganized dimension of TD. Patients also scored significantly higher on condensed and other people in inner speech, but not on dialogical or evaluative inner speech. The poverty of speech dimension of TD was associated with less dialogical inner speech, other people in inner speech, and less evaluative inner speech. Hallucinations were significantly associated with more other people in inner speech and evaluative inner speech. Clarity of self-concept and qualities of inner speech are differentially associated with dimensions of TD. The findings also support inner speech models of hallucinations.

Speech and language disorders in children from public schools in Belo Horizonte

PubMed Central

Rabelo, Alessandra Terra Vasconcelos; Campos, Fernanda Rodrigues; Friche, Clarice Passos; da Silva, Bárbara Suelen Vasconcelos; Friche, Amélia Augusta de Lima; Alves, Claudia Regina Lindgren; Goulart, Lúcia Maria Horta de Figueiredo

2015-01-01

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of oral language, orofacial motor skill and auditory processing disorders in children aged 4-10 years and verify their association with age and gender. Methods: Cross-sectional study with stratified, random sample consisting of 539 students. The evaluation consisted of three protocols: orofacial motor skill protocol, adapted from the Myofunctional Evaluation Guidelines; the Child Language Test ABFW - Phonology; and a simplified auditory processing evaluation. Descriptive and associative statistical analyses were performed using Epi Info software, release 6.04. Chi-square test was applied to compare proportion of events and analysis of variance was used to compare mean values. Significance was set at p≤0.05. Results: Of the studied subjects, 50.1% had at least one of the assessed disorders; of those, 33.6% had oral language disorder, 17.1% had orofacial motor skill impairment, and 27.3% had auditory processing disorder. There were significant associations between auditory processing skills’ impairment, oral language impairment and age, suggesting a decrease in the number of disorders with increasing age. Similarly, the variable "one or more speech, language and hearing disorders" was also associated with age. Conclusions: The prevalence of speech, language and hearing disorders in children was high, indicating the need for research and public health efforts to cope with this problem. PMID:26300524

Using auditory-visual speech to probe the basis of noise-impaired consonant-vowel perception in dyslexia and auditory neuropathy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramirez, Joshua; Mann, Virginia

2005-08-01

Both dyslexics and auditory neuropathy (AN) subjects show inferior consonant-vowel (CV) perception in noise, relative to controls. To better understand these impairments, natural acoustic speech stimuli that were masked in speech-shaped noise at various intensities were presented to dyslexic, AN, and control subjects either in isolation or accompanied by visual articulatory cues. AN subjects were expected to benefit from the pairing of visual articulatory cues and auditory CV stimuli, provided that their speech perception impairment reflects a relatively peripheral auditory disorder. Assuming that dyslexia reflects a general impairment of speech processing rather than a disorder of audition, dyslexics were not expected to similarly benefit from an introduction of visual articulatory cues. The results revealed an increased effect of noise masking on the perception of isolated acoustic stimuli by both dyslexic and AN subjects. More importantly, dyslexics showed less effective use of visual articulatory cues in identifying masked speech stimuli and lower visual baseline performance relative to AN subjects and controls. Last, a significant positive correlation was found between reading ability and the ameliorating effect of visual articulatory cues on speech perception in noise. These results suggest that some reading impairments may stem from a central deficit of speech processing.

The effects of music therapy incorporated with applied behavior analysis verbal behavior approach for children with autism spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Lim, Hayoung A; Draper, Ellary

2011-01-01

This study compared a common form of Applied Behavior Analysis Verbal Behavior (ABA VB) approach and music incorporated with ABA VB method as part of developmental speech-language training in the speech production of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This study explored how the perception of musical patterns incorporated in ABA VB operants impacted the production of speech in children with ASD. Participants were 22 children with ASD, age range 3 to 5 years, who were verbal or pre verbal with presence of immediate echolalia. They were randomly assigned a set of target words for each of the 3 training conditions: (a) music incorporated ABA VB, (b) speech (ABA VB) and (c) no-training. Results showed both music and speech trainings were effective for production of the four ABA verbal operants; however, the difference between music and speech training was not statistically different. Results also indicated that music incorporated ABA VB training was most effective in echoic production, and speech training was most effective in tact production. Music can be incorporated into the ABA VB training method, and musical stimuli can be used as successfully as ABA VB speech training to enhance the functional verbal production in children with ASD.

Speech Perception and Phonological Short-Term Memory Capacity in Language Impairment: Preliminary Evidence from Adolescents with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loucas, Tom; Riches, Nick Greatorex; Charman, Tony; Pickles, Andrew; Simonoff, Emily; Chandler, Susie; Baird, Gillian

2010-01-01

Background: The cognitive bases of language impairment in specific language impairment (SLI) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) were investigated in a novel non-word comparison task which manipulated phonological short-term memory (PSTM) and speech perception, both implicated in poor non-word repetition. Aims: This study aimed to investigate the…

Training Peer Partners to Use a Speech-Generating Device with Classmates with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Exploring Communication Outcomes across Preschool Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thiemann-Bourque, Kathy S.; McGuff, Sara; Goldstein, Howard

2017-01-01

Purpose: This study examined effects of a peer-mediated intervention that provided training on the use of a speech-generating device for preschoolers with severe autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and peer partners. Method: Effects were examined using a multiple probe design across 3 children with ASD and limited to no verbal skills. Three peers…

Prevalence and Predictors of Persistent Speech Sound Disorder at Eight Years Old: Findings from a Population Cohort Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wren, Yvonne; Miller, Laura L.; Peters, Tim J.; Emond, Alan; Roulstone, Sue

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine prevalence and predictors of persistent speech sound disorder (SSD) in children aged 8 years after disregarding children presenting solely with common clinical distortions (i.e., residual errors). Method: Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (Boyd et al., 2012) were used.…

Narrative Ability of Children with Speech Sound Disorders and the Prediction of Later Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wellman, Rachel L.; Lewis, Barbara A.; Freebairn, Lisa A.; Avrich, Allison A.; Hansen, Amy J.; Stein, Catherine M.

2011-01-01

Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to examine how children with isolated speech sound disorders (SSDs; n = 20), children with combined SSDs and language impairment (LI; n = 20), and typically developing children (n = 20), ages 3;3 (years;months) to 6;6, differ in narrative ability. The second purpose was to determine if early narrative…

South African Teachers' Attitudes toward Learners with Barriers to Learning: Attention-Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder and Little or No Functional Speech

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bornman, Juan; Donohue, Dana K.

2013-01-01

This study examined teachers' attitudes toward learners with two types of barriers to learning: a learner with attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and a learner with little or no functional speech (LNFS). The results indicated that although teachers reported that the learner with ADHD would be more disruptive in class and have a…

Prosodic Patterns in Interaction of Low-Risk and At-Risk-of-Autism Spectrum Disorders Infants and Their Mothers at 12 and 18 Months

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quigley, Jean; McNally, Sinéad; Lawson, Sarah

2016-01-01

Research has indicated differences in prosodic expression for infants-at-risk-of-autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and it has been proposed that caregiver speech to these infants may also be moderated prosodically. In typical development, the pitch range of maternal infant-directed speech (IDS) narrows and utterance intensity decreases with infant…

A Profile of the Patients at the Hearing and Speech Clinic from 2009 to 2014: A Retrospective Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haj-Tas, Maisa Atef; Alaraifi, Jehad Ahmad

2015-01-01

Goal: The goal of this study was to measure the percentage of patients who exhibited communication disorders in the Speech and Hearing Clinic (HSC) at the University of Jordan (UJ); percentages were examined by patient age and gender. Method: The profiles of 1,140 patients who presented with communication disorders were studied. Patients attended…

Speech, Language, and Communication Disorders. Papers Presented at the Annual International Convention of the Council for Exceptional Children (48th, Chicago, Illinois, April 19-25, 1970).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council for Exceptional Children, Arlington, VA.

Speech, language, and communication disorders were among the topics of papers presented at the convention of the Council for Exceptional Children in Chicago, 1970. Discussions include evaluation theory and caseload selection by Lear Ashmore, differential diagnosis in a rural school by William L. Shinder, the practical application of differential…

Effects of a Conversation-Based Intervention on the Linguistic Skills of Children with Motor Speech Disorders Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soto, Gloria; Clarke, Michael T.

2017-01-01

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of a conversation-based intervention on the expressive vocabulary and grammatical skills of children with severe motor speech disorders and expressive language delay who use augmentative and alternative communication. Method: Eight children aged from 8 to 13 years participated in the study.…

Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating the Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Intervention Delivered by Educators for Children with Speech Sound Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLeod, Sharynne; Baker, Elise; McCormack, Jane; Wren, Yvonne; Roulstone, Sue; Crowe, Kathryn; Masso, Sarah; White, Paul; Howland, Charlotte

2017-01-01

Purpose: The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of computer-assisted input-based intervention for children with speech sound disorders (SSD). Method: The Sound Start Study was a cluster-randomized controlled trial. Seventy-nine early childhood centers were invited to participate, 45 were recruited, and 1,205 parents and educators of 4- and…

The Development of Co-Speech Gesture and Its Semantic Integration with Speech in 6- to 12-Year-Old Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

So, Wing-Chee; Wong, Miranda Kit-Yi; Lui, Ming; Yip, Virginia

2015-01-01

Previous work leaves open the question of whether children with autism spectrum disorders aged 6-12?years have delay in producing gestures compared to their typically developing peers. This study examined gestural production among school-aged children in a naturalistic context and how their gestures are semantically related to the accompanying…

ARTICULATION DISORDERS IN SERBIAN LANGUAGE IN CHILDREN WITH SPEECH PATHOLOGY.

PubMed

Dmitrić, Tanja; Veselinović, Mila; Mitrović, Slobodan M

2015-01-01

Articulation is the result of speech organs and it means clean, clear and distinct pronunciation of voices in words. A prospective study included 24 children between 5 and 15 years of age, of both sexes. All children were monolingual, Serbian being their native language. The quality of articulation was tested with Triage articulation test. Neither omission nor distortion of plosives was observed in any of them, whereas substitution of plosives occurred in 12% of patients. Omission of affricates was not observed in any of the subjects, but substitution and distortion occurred in 29%, and 76% of subjects, respectively. Omission of fricatives was found in 29% subjects, substitution in 52%, and distortion in 82% of subjects. Omission and distortion of nasals was not recorded in any of the subjects, and substitution occurred in 6% of children. Omission of laterals was observed in 6%, substitution in 46% and distortion in 52% of subjects with articulation disorders. Discussion and Articulation disorders were observed not only in children diagnosed with dyslalia but in those with dysphasia and stuttering as well. Children with speech disorders articulate vowels best, then nasals and plosives. Articulation of fricatives and laterals was found to be most severely deviated, including all three disorders, i.e. substitution, omission and distortion. Spasms of speech muscles and vegetative reactions were also observed in this study, but only in children with stuttering.

Speech-Language Pathologists' Knowledge of Tongue/Palate Contact for Consonants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLeod, Sharynne

2011-01-01

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) rely on knowledge of tongue placement to assess and provide intervention. A total of 175 SLPs who worked with children with speech sound disorders (SSDs) drew coronal diagrams of tongue/palate contact for 24 English consonants. Comparisons were made between their responses and typical English-speaking adults'…

A Noninvasive Imaging Approach to Understanding Speech Changes following Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Narayana, Shalini; Jacks, Adam; Robin, Donald A.; Poizner, Howard; Zhang, Wei; Franklin, Crystal; Liotti, Mario; Vogel, Deanie; Fox, Peter T.

2009-01-01

Purpose: To explore the use of noninvasive functional imaging and "virtual" lesion techniques to study the neural mechanisms underlying motor speech disorders in Parkinson's disease. Here, we report the use of positron emission tomography (PET) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to explain exacerbated speech impairment following…

THE DEAF. PRENTICE-HALL FOUNDATIONS OF SPEECH PATHOLOGY SERIES.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DI CARLO, LOUIS M.

DESIGNED FOR STUDENTS OF SPEECH PATHOLOGY AND AUDIOLOGY AND PRACTICING CLINICIANS, THIS BOOK PRESENTS AN HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF ATTEMPTS TO TEACH THE DEAF FROM BEFORE THE 15TH CENTURY THROUGH THE 20TH CENTURY. A DISCUSSION OF DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES FOR AUDITORY DISORDERS IN CHILDREN INCLUDED INFORMAL TESTING, PLAY AUDIOMETRY, SPEECH TESTS,…

Speech Pathology and Dialect Differences. Dialects and Educational Equity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolfram, Walt

Discussions in speech and language pathology often contain references to language differences and the ways these differences compare with speech and language disorders. There is ongoing research on the regional varieties of English, and within the past decade, information on social and ethnic variation in language has been accumulating. Based on…

Assessment of Intelligibility Using Children's Spontaneous Speech: Methodological Aspects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lagerberg, Tove B.; Åsberg, Jakob; Hartelius, Lena; Persson, Christina

2014-01-01

Background: Intelligibility is a speaker's ability to convey a message to a listener. Including an assessment of intelligibility is essential in both research and clinical work relating to individuals with communication disorders due to speech impairment. Assessment of the intelligibility of spontaneous speech can be used as an overall…

Relationship between Speech, Oromotor, Language and Cognitive Abilities in Children with Down's Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cleland, Joanne; Wood, Sara; Hardcastle, William; Wishart, Jennifer; Timmins, Claire

2010-01-01

Background: Children and young people with Down's syndrome present with deficits in expressive speech and language, accompanied by strengths in vocabulary comprehension compared with non-verbal mental age. Intelligibility is particularly low, but whether speech is delayed or disordered is a controversial topic. Most studies suggest a delay, but no…

A Study of Public Awareness of Speech-Language Pathology in Amman

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahmoud, Hana; Aljazi, Aya; Alkhamra, Rana

2014-01-01

Background: Statistical levels of awareness and knowledge of speech-language pathology and of communication disorders are currently unknown among the public in the Middle East, including Jordan. Aims: This study reports the results of an investigation of public awareness and knowledge of speech-language pathology in Amman-Jordan. It also…

Speech Development of Autistic Children by Interactive Computer Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rahman, Mustafizur; Ferdous, S. M.; Ahmed, Syed Ishtiaque; Anwar, Anika

2011-01-01

Purpose: Speech disorder is one of the most common problems found with autistic children. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the introduction of computer-based interactive games along with the traditional therapies in order to help improve the speech of autistic children. Design/methodology/approach: From analysis of the works of Ivar…

Speech disorders of Parkinsonism: a review.

PubMed Central

Critchley, E M

1981-01-01

Study of the speech disorders of Parkinsonism provides a paradigm of the integration of phonation, articulation and language in the production of speech. The initial defect in the untreated patient is a failure to control respiration for the purpose of speech and there follows a forward progression of articulatory symptoms involving larynx, pharynx, tongue and finally lips. There is evidence that the integration of speech production is organised asymmetrically at thalamic level. Experimental or therapeutic lesions in the region of the inferior medial portion of ventro-lateral thalamus may influence the initiation, respiratory control, rate and prosody of speech. Higher language functions may also be involved in thalamic integration: different forms of anomia are reported with pulvinar and ventrolateral thalamic lesions and transient aphasia may follow stereotaxis. The results of treatment with levodopa indicates that neurotransmitter substances enhance the clarity, volume and persistence of phonation and the latency and smoothness of articulation. The improvement of speech performance is not necessarily in phase with locomotor changes. The dose-related dyskinetic effects of levodopa, which appear to have a physiological basis in observations previously made in post-encephalitic Parkinsonism, not only influence the prosody of speech with near-mutism, hesitancy and dysfluency but may affect work-finding ability and in instances of excitement (erethism) even involve the association of long-term memory with speech. In future, neurologists will need to examine more closely the role of neurotransmitters in speech production and formulation. PMID:7031185

Bullying: what speech-language pathologists should know.

PubMed

Hughes, Stephanie

2014-01-01

The purpose of this tutorial is to introduce speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to the broad issues surrounding the problem of school bullying in childhood and adolescence. Specifically, types of bullying and their causes are considered, as are the roles students take when bullying occurs and the effects of bullying on students with communication disorders. Strategies and suggestions to help SLPs more effectively prevent and manage bullying of students with communication disorders are discussed. A review of the scholarly literature in education, psychology, child and adolescent development, and speech-language pathology was conducted. Recommendations for how SLPs can prevent and intervene in bullying incidences were extrapolated from the reviewed literature. Students with communication disorders are at particularly high risk for being bullied by peers. Some students with communication disorders are "provocative victims" in that they demonstrate impairments in social skills that draw the attention of bullies. Both provocative victims and typical students may react aggressively when bullied and bully others in retaliation. SLPs can and should help to create an inclusive environment for all students while addressing bullying of students with communication disorders via therapeutic activities.

Toward diagnostic and phenotype markers for genetically transmitted speech delay.

PubMed

Shriberg, Lawrence D; Lewis, Barbara A; Tomblin, J Bruce; McSweeny, Jane L; Karlsson, Heather B; Scheer, Alison R

2005-08-01

Converging evidence supports the hypothesis that the most common subtype of childhood speech sound disorder (SSD) of currently unknown origin is genetically transmitted. We report the first findings toward a set of diagnostic markers to differentiate this proposed etiological subtype (provisionally termed speech delay-genetic) from other proposed subtypes of SSD of unknown origin. Conversational speech samples from 72 preschool children with speech delay of unknown origin from 3 research centers were selected from an audio archive. Participants differed on the number of biological, nuclear family members (0 or 2+) classified as positive for current and/or prior speech-language disorder. Although participants in the 2 groups were found to have similar speech competence, as indexed by their Percentage of Consonants Correct scores, their speech error patterns differed significantly in 3 ways. Compared with children who may have reduced genetic load for speech delay (no affected nuclear family members), children with possibly higher genetic load (2+ affected members) had (a) a significantly higher proportion of relative omission errors on the Late-8 consonants; (b) a significantly lower proportion of relative distortion errors on these consonants, particularly on the sibilant fricatives /s/, /z/, and //; and (c) a significantly lower proportion of backed /s/ distortions, as assessed by both perceptual and acoustic methods. Machine learning routines identified a 3-part classification rule that included differential weightings of these variables. The classification rule had diagnostic accuracy value of 0.83 (95% confidence limits = 0.74-0.92), with positive and negative likelihood ratios of 9.6 (95% confidence limits = 3.1-29.9) and 0.40 (95% confidence limits = 0.24-0.68), respectively. The diagnostic accuracy findings are viewed as promising. The error pattern for this proposed subtype of SSD is viewed as consistent with the cognitive-linguistic processing deficits that have been reported for genetically transmitted verbal disorders.

Atypical speech lateralization in adults with developmental coordination disorder demonstrated using functional transcranial Doppler ultrasound.

PubMed

Hodgson, Jessica C; Hudson, John M

2017-03-01

Research using clinical populations to explore the relationship between hemispheric speech lateralization and handedness has focused on individuals with speech and language disorders, such as dyslexia or specific language impairment (SLI). Such work reveals atypical patterns of cerebral lateralization and handedness in these groups compared to controls. There are few studies that examine this relationship in people with motor coordination impairments but without speech or reading deficits, which is a surprising omission given the prevalence of theories suggesting a common neural network underlying both functions. We use an emerging imaging technique in cognitive neuroscience; functional transcranial Doppler (fTCD) ultrasound, to assess whether individuals with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) display reduced left-hemisphere lateralization for speech production compared to control participants. Twelve adult control participants and 12 adults with DCD, but no other developmental/cognitive impairments, performed a word-generation task whilst undergoing fTCD imaging to establish a hemispheric lateralization index for speech production. All participants also completed an electronic peg-moving task to determine hand skill. As predicted, the DCD group showed a significantly reduced left lateralization pattern for the speech production task compared to controls. Performance on the motor skill task showed a clear preference for the dominant hand across both groups; however, the DCD group mean movement times were significantly higher for the non-dominant hand. This is the first study of its kind to assess hand skill and speech lateralization in DCD. The results reveal a reduced leftwards asymmetry for speech and a slower motor performance. This fits alongside previous work showing atypical cerebral lateralization in DCD for other cognitive processes (e.g., executive function and short-term memory) and thus speaks to debates on theories of the links between motor control and language production. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Neuropsychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.

Autistic traits and attention to speech: Evidence from typically developing individuals.

PubMed

Korhonen, Vesa; Werner, Stefan

2017-04-01

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder have a preference for attending to non-speech stimuli over speech stimuli. We are interested in whether non-speech preference is only a feature of diagnosed individuals, and whether we can we test implicit preference experimentally. In typically developed individuals, serial recall is disrupted more by speech stimuli than by non-speech stimuli. Since behaviour of individuals with autistic traits resembles that of individuals with autism, we have used serial recall to test whether autistic traits influence task performance during irrelevant speech sounds. The errors made on the serial recall task during speech or non-speech sounds were counted as a measure of speech or non-speech preference in relation to no sound condition. We replicated the serial order effect and found the speech to be more disruptive than the non-speech sounds, but were unable to find any associations between the autism quotient scores and the non-speech sounds. Our results may indicate a learnt behavioural response to speech sounds.

The role of the speech-language pathologist in identifying and treating children with auditory processing disorder.

PubMed

Richard, Gail J

2011-07-01

A summary of issues regarding auditory processing disorder (APD) is presented, including some of the remaining questions and challenges raised by the articles included in the clinical forum. Evolution of APD as a diagnostic entity within audiology and speech-language pathology is reviewed. A summary of treatment efficacy results and issues is provided, as well as the continuing dilemma for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) charged with providing treatment for referred APD clients. The role of the SLP in diagnosing and treating APD remains under discussion, despite lack of efficacy data supporting auditory intervention and questions regarding the clinical relevance and validity of APD.

Smartphone Application for the Analysis of Prosodic Features in Running Speech with a Focus on Bipolar Disorders: System Performance Evaluation and Case Study.

PubMed

Guidi, Andrea; Salvi, Sergio; Ottaviano, Manuel; Gentili, Claudio; Bertschy, Gilles; de Rossi, Danilo; Scilingo, Enzo Pasquale; Vanello, Nicola

2015-11-06

Bipolar disorder is one of the most common mood disorders characterized by large and invalidating mood swings. Several projects focus on the development of decision support systems that monitor and advise patients, as well as clinicians. Voice monitoring and speech signal analysis can be exploited to reach this goal. In this study, an Android application was designed for analyzing running speech using a smartphone device. The application can record audio samples and estimate speech fundamental frequency, F0, and its changes. F0-related features are estimated locally on the smartphone, with some advantages with respect to remote processing approaches in terms of privacy protection and reduced upload costs. The raw features can be sent to a central server and further processed. The quality of the audio recordings, algorithm reliability and performance of the overall system were evaluated in terms of voiced segment detection and features estimation. The results demonstrate that mean F0 from each voiced segment can be reliably estimated, thus describing prosodic features across the speech sample. Instead, features related to F0 variability within each voiced segment performed poorly. A case study performed on a bipolar patient is presented.

Sensitivity to Structure in the Speech Signal by Children with Speech Sound Disorder and Reading Disability

PubMed Central

Johnson, Erin Phinney; Pennington, Bruce F.; Lowenstein, Joanna H.; Nittrouer, Susan

2011-01-01

Purpose Children with speech sound disorder (SSD) and reading disability (RD) have poor phonological awareness, a problem believed to arise largely from deficits in processing the sensory information in speech, specifically individual acoustic cues. However, such cues are details of acoustic structure. Recent theories suggest that listeners also need to be able to integrate those details to perceive linguistically relevant form. This study examined abilities of children with SSD, RD, and SSD+RD not only to process acoustic cues but also to recover linguistically relevant form from the speech signal. Method Ten- to 11-year-olds with SSD (n = 17), RD (n = 16), SSD+RD (n = 17), and Controls (n = 16) were tested to examine their sensitivity to (1) voice onset times (VOT); (2) spectral structure in fricative-vowel syllables; and (3) vocoded sentences. Results Children in all groups performed similarly with VOT stimuli, but children with disorders showed delays on other tasks, although the specifics of their performance varied. Conclusion Children with poor phonemic awareness not only lack sensitivity to acoustic details, but are also less able to recover linguistically relevant forms. This is contrary to one of the main current theories of the relation between spoken and written language development. PMID:21329941

Smartphone Application for the Analysis of Prosodic Features in Running Speech with a Focus on Bipolar Disorders: System Performance Evaluation and Case Study

PubMed Central

Guidi, Andrea; Salvi, Sergio; Ottaviano, Manuel; Gentili, Claudio; Bertschy, Gilles; de Rossi, Danilo; Scilingo, Enzo Pasquale; Vanello, Nicola

2015-01-01

Bipolar disorder is one of the most common mood disorders characterized by large and invalidating mood swings. Several projects focus on the development of decision support systems that monitor and advise patients, as well as clinicians. Voice monitoring and speech signal analysis can be exploited to reach this goal. In this study, an Android application was designed for analyzing running speech using a smartphone device. The application can record audio samples and estimate speech fundamental frequency, F0, and its changes. F0-related features are estimated locally on the smartphone, with some advantages with respect to remote processing approaches in terms of privacy protection and reduced upload costs. The raw features can be sent to a central server and further processed. The quality of the audio recordings, algorithm reliability and performance of the overall system were evaluated in terms of voiced segment detection and features estimation. The results demonstrate that mean F0 from each voiced segment can be reliably estimated, thus describing prosodic features across the speech sample. Instead, features related to F0 variability within each voiced segment performed poorly. A case study performed on a bipolar patient is presented. PMID:26561811

Characteristics of Fluency and Speech in Two Families With High Incidences of Stuttering

PubMed Central

Freeman, Frances J.; Braun, Allen

2015-01-01

Purpose This study presents data from 2 families with high incidence of stuttering, comparing methods of phenotype assignment and exploring the presence of other fluency disorders and corresponding speech characteristics. Method Three methods for assigning phenotype of stuttering were used: self-identification, family identification, and expert identification. Agreement on which individuals were assigned by each of these methods was studied. Multiple measures of fluency and speech production were obtained. Results Self-reports and descriptions of blocking rather than self-identification as a person who stutters demonstrated the best agreement with expert identification of stuttering. Family identification showed poor agreement with both expert and self-identification of stuttering. Using binary categories of fluent or stuttering, 90% of individuals in 1 family were classified by expert consensus. Only 70% of the other family could be similarly categorized. Experts required 2 other categories, cluttering and other fluency disorders, to fully characterize dysfluency within this family. These 2 families also demonstrated differences in speech production. Conclusion Some families with high incidence of stuttering may also have high incidence of other fluency disorders and other speech-production difficulties. This finding may have ramifications for genetic studies, including criteria for defining phenotype and collapsing data across multiple families. PMID:26126023

Can a model of overlapping gestures account for scanning speech patterns?

PubMed

Tjaden, K

1999-06-01

A simple acoustic model of overlapping, sliding gestures was used to evaluate whether coproduction was reduced for neurologic speakers with scanning speech patterns. F2 onset frequency was used as an acoustic measure of coproduction or gesture overlap. The effects of speaking rate (habitual versus fast) and utterance position (initial versus medial) on F2 frequency, and presumably gesture overlap, were examined. Regression analyses also were used to evaluate the extent to which across-repetition temporal variability in F2 trajectories could be explained as variation in coproduction for consonants and vowels. The lower F2 onset frequencies for disordered speakers suggested that gesture overlap was reduced for neurologic individuals with scanning speech. Speaking rate change did not influence F2 onset frequencies, and presumably gesture overlap, for healthy or disordered speakers. F2 onset frequency differences for utterance-initial and -medial repetitions were interpreted to suggest reduced coproduction for the utterance-initial position. The utterance-position effects on F2 onset frequency, however, likely were complicated by position-related differences in articulatory scaling. The results of the regression analysis indicated that gesture sliding accounts, in part, for temporal variability in F2 trajectories. Taken together, the results of this study provide support for the idea that speech production theory for healthy talkers helps to account for disordered speech production.

A false sense of security: safety behaviors erode objective speech performance in individuals with social anxiety disorder.

PubMed

Rowa, Karen; Paulitzki, Jeffrey R; Ierullo, Maria D; Chiang, Brenda; Antony, Martin M; McCabe, Randi E; Moscovitch, David A

2015-05-01

In the current study, 55 participants with a diagnosis of generalized social anxiety disorder (SAD), 23 participants with a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder other than SAD with no comorbid SAD, and 50 healthy controls completed a speech task as well as self-reported measures of safety behavior use. Speeches were videotaped and coded for global and specific indicators of performance by two raters who were blind to participants' diagnostic status. Results suggested that the objective performance of people with SAD was poorer than that of both control groups, who did not differ from each other. Moreover, self-reported use of safety behaviors during the speech strongly mediated the relationship between diagnostic group and observers' performance ratings. These results are consistent with contemporary cognitive-behavioral and interpersonal models of SAD and suggest that socially anxious individuals' performance skills may be undermined by the use of safety behaviors. These data provide further support for recommendations from previous studies that the elimination of safety behaviors ought to be a priority in cognitive behavioral therapy for SAD. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Atypical preference for infant-directed speech as an early marker of autism spectrum disorders? A literature review and directions for further research.

PubMed

Filipe, Marisa G; Watson, Linda; Vicente, Selene G; Frota, Sónia

2018-01-01

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) refer to a complex group of neurodevelopmental disorders causing difficulties with communication and interpersonal relationships, as well as restricted and repetitive behaviours and interests. As early identification, diagnosis, and intervention provide better long-term outcomes, early markers of ASD have gained increased research attention. This review examines evidence that auditory processing enhanced by social interest, in particular auditory preference of speech directed towards infants and young children (i.e. infant-directed speech - IDS), may be an early marker of risk for ASD. Although this review provides evidence for IDS preference as, indeed, a potential early marker of ASD, the explanation for differences in IDS processing among children with ASD versus other children remains unclear, as are the implications of these impairments for later social-communicative development. Therefore, it is crucial to explore atypicalities in IDS processing early on development and to understand whether preferential listening to specific types of speech sounds in the first years of life may help to predict the impairments in social and language development.

An Exploratory Study of the Influence of Load and Practice on Segmental and Articulatory Variability in Children with Speech Sound Disorders

PubMed Central

Vuolo, Janet; Goffman, Lisa

2017-01-01

This exploratory treatment study used phonetic transcription and speech kinematics to examine changes in segmental and articulatory variability. Nine children, ages 4- to 8-years-old, served as participants, including two with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), five with speech sound disorder (SSD), and two who were typically developing (TD). Children practised producing agent + action phrases in an imitation task (low linguistic load) and a retrieval task (high linguistic load) over five sessions. In the imitation task in session one, both participants with CAS showed high degrees of segmental and articulatory variability. After five sessions, imitation practice resulted in increased articulatory variability for five participants. Retrieval practice resulted in decreased articulatory variability in three participants with SSD. These results suggest that short-term speech production practice in rote imitation disrupts articulatory control in children with and without CAS. In contrast, tasks that require linguistic processing may scaffold learning for children with SSD but not CAS. PMID:27960554

[Swallowing and Voice Disorders in Cancer Patients].

PubMed

Tanuma, Akira

2015-07-01

Dysphagia sometimes occurs in patients with head and neck cancer, particularly in those undergoing surgery and radiotherapy for lingual, pharyngeal, and laryngeal cancer. It also occurs in patients with esophageal cancer and brain tumor. Patients who undergo glossectomy usually show impairment of the oral phase of swallowing, whereas those with pharyngeal, laryngeal, and esophageal cancer show impairment of the pharyngeal phase of swallowing. Videofluoroscopic examination of swallowing provides important information necessary for rehabilitation of swallowing in these patients. Appropriate swallowing exercises and compensatory strategies can be decided based on the findings of the evaluation. Palatal augmentation prostheses are sometimes used for rehabilitation in patients undergoing glossectomy. Patients who undergo total laryngectomy or total pharyngolaryngoesophagectomy should receive speech therapy to enable them to use alaryngeal speech methods, including electrolarynx, esophageal speech, or speech via tracheoesophageal puncture. Regaining swallowing function and speech can improve a patient's emotional health and quality of life. Therefore, it is important to manage swallowing and voice disorders appropriately.

A multimedia PDA/PC speech and language therapy tool for patients with aphasia.

PubMed

Reeves, Nina; Jefferies, Laura; Cunningham, Sally-Jo; Harris, Catherine

2007-01-01

Aphasia is a speech disorder usually caused by stroke or head injury and may involve a variety of communication difficulties. As 30% of stroke sufferers have a persisting speech and language disorder and therapy resources are low, there is clear scope for the development of technology to support patients between therapy sessions. This paper reports on an empirical study which evaluated SoundHelper, a multimedia application to demonstrate how to pronounce target speech sounds. Two prototypes, involving either video or animation, were developed and evaluated with 20 Speech and Language Therapists. Participants responded positively to both, with the video being preferred because of the perceived extra information provided. The potential for the use on portable devices, since internet access is limited in hospitals, is explored in the light of opinions of Augmented and Alternative Communication (AAC) device users in the UK nd Europe who have expressed a strong desire for more use of internet services.

Sleep and Speech Outcomes After Superior Adenoidectomy in Children with Cleft Palate.

PubMed

Waselchuk, Emily; Sidman, James D; Lander, Timothy; Tibesar, Robert; Roby, Brianne B

2018-01-21

Objective To describe the sleep and speech outcomes in patients with cleft palate who underwent superior adenoidectomy. Subjectives and methods This is a case series with chart review of patients with diagnoses of cleft palate and sleep disordered breathing (SDB), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or nasal obstruction treated with superior adenoidectomy from 1991-2015 at the Children's Hospital of Minnesota. Postoperative clinic notes documented the changes in symptoms following surgery. All speech outcomes were recorded. Results Fifty patients (23 females, 27 males) aged 11 months to 17 years were included. Forty-six patients (92%) had improvement of sleep symptoms including snoring, nighttime restlessness, and witnessed apnea events, following superior adenoidectomy. Forty-two of the 46 patients (91%) had stable speech postoperatively with either no development or no worsening of velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI). Conclusion Superior adenoidectomy is an effective procedure to alleviate symptoms of sleep disordered breathing in patients with cleft palate without significantly affecting speech.

Longitudinal decline in speech production in Parkinson's disease spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Ash, Sharon; Jester, Charles; York, Collin; Kofman, Olga L; Langey, Rachel; Halpin, Amy; Firn, Kim; Dominguez Perez, Sophia; Chahine, Lama; Spindler, Meredith; Dahodwala, Nabila; Irwin, David J; McMillan, Corey; Weintraub, Daniel; Grossman, Murray

2017-08-01

We examined narrative speech production longitudinally in non-demented (n=15) and mildly demented (n=8) patients with Parkinson's disease spectrum disorder (PDSD), and we related increasing impairment to structural brain changes in specific language and motor regions. Patients provided semi-structured speech samples, describing a standardized picture at two time points (mean±SD interval=38±24months). The recorded speech samples were analyzed for fluency, grammar, and informativeness. PDSD patients with dementia exhibited significant decline in their speech, unrelated to changes in overall cognitive or motor functioning. Regression analysis in a subset of patients with MRI scans (n=11) revealed that impaired language performance at Time 2 was associated with reduced gray matter (GM) volume at Time 1 in regions of interest important for language functioning but not with reduced GM volume in motor brain areas. These results dissociate language and motor systems and highlight the importance of non-motor brain regions for declining language in PDSD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Phonologically-based biomarkers for major depressive disorder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trevino, Andrea Carolina; Quatieri, Thomas Francis; Malyska, Nicolas

2011-12-01

Of increasing importance in the civilian and military population is the recognition of major depressive disorder at its earliest stages and intervention before the onset of severe symptoms. Toward the goal of more effective monitoring of depression severity, we introduce vocal biomarkers that are derived automatically from phonologically-based measures of speech rate. To assess our measures, we use a 35-speaker free-response speech database of subjects treated for depression over a 6-week duration. We find that dissecting average measures of speech rate into phone-specific characteristics and, in particular, combined phone-duration measures uncovers stronger relationships between speech rate and depression severity than global measures previously reported for a speech-rate biomarker. Results of this study are supported by correlation of our measures with depression severity and classification of depression state with these vocal measures. Our approach provides a general framework for analyzing individual symptom categories through phonological units, and supports the premise that speaking rate can be an indicator of psychomotor retardation severity.

A Systematic Review of Tablet Computers and Portable Media Players as Speech Generating Devices for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lorah, Elizabeth R.; Parnell, Ashley; Whitby, Peggy Schaefer; Hantula, Donald

2015-01-01

Powerful, portable, off-the-shelf handheld devices, such as tablet based computers (i.e., iPad®; Galaxy®) or portable multimedia players (i.e., iPod®), can be adapted to function as speech generating devices for individuals with autism spectrum disorders or related developmental disabilities. This paper reviews the research in this new and rapidly…

Speech and Language Deficits in Early-Treated Children with Galactosemia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waisbren, Susan E.; And Others

1983-01-01

Intelligence and speech-language development of eight children (3.6 to 11.6 years old) with classic galactosemia were assessed by standardized tests. Each of the children had delays of early speech difficulties, and all but one had language disorders in at least one area. Available from: Journal of Pediatrics, C.V. Mosby Co., 11830 Westline…

Speech & Language Impairments. NICHCY Disability Fact Sheet #11

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, 2011

2011-01-01

There are many kinds of speech and language disorders that can affect children. This fact sheet will present four major areas in which these impairments occur. These are the areas of: (1) Articulation; (2) Fluency; (3) Voice; and (4) Language. Following a brief narrative on a day in the life of a Speech Language Pathologist, this fact sheet…

Reconceptualizing Practice with Multilingual Children with Speech Sound Disorders: People, Practicalities and Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verdon, Sarah; McLeod, Sharynne; Wong, Sandie

2015-01-01

Background: The speech and language therapy profession is required to provide services to increasingly multilingual caseloads. Much international research has focused on the challenges of speech and language therapists' (SLTs) practice with multilingual children. Aims: To draw on the experience and knowledge of experts in the field to: (1)…

Management of Non-Progressive Dysarthria: Practice Patterns of Speech and Language Therapists in the Republic of Ireland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conway, Aifric; Walshe, Margaret

2015-01-01

Background: Dysarthria is a commonly acquired speech disorder. Rising numbers of people surviving stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI) mean the numbers of people with non-progressive dysarthria are likely to increase, with increased challenges for speech and language therapists (SLTs), service providers and key stakeholders. The evidence base…

Clinical Use of AEVP- and AERP-Measures in Childhood Speech Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maassen, Ben; Pasman, Jaco; Nijland, Lian; Rotteveel, Jan

2006-01-01

It has long been recognized that from the first months of life auditory perception plays a crucial role in speech and language development. Only in recent years, however, is the precise mechanism of auditory development and its interaction with the acquisition of speech and language beginning to be systematically revealed. This paper presents the…

Do Children with Autism "Switch Off" to Speech Sounds? An Investigation Using Event-Related Potentials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitehouse, Andrew J. O.; Bishop, Dorothy V. M.

2008-01-01

Autism is a disorder characterized by a core impairment in social behaviour. A prominent component of this social deficit is poor orienting to speech. It is unclear whether this deficit involves an impairment in allocating attention to speech sounds, or a sensory impairment in processing phonetic information. In this study, event-related…

Audiovisual materials are effective for enhancing the correction of articulation disorders in children with cleft palate.

PubMed

Pamplona, María Del Carmen; Ysunza, Pablo Antonio; Morales, Santiago

2017-02-01

Children with cleft palate frequently show speech disorders known as compensatory articulation. Compensatory articulation requires a prolonged period of speech intervention that should include reinforcement at home. However, frequently relatives do not know how to work with their children at home. To study whether the use of audiovisual materials especially designed for complementing speech pathology treatment in children with compensatory articulation can be effective for stimulating articulation practice at home and consequently enhancing speech normalization in children with cleft palate. Eighty-two patients with compensatory articulation were studied. Patients were randomly divided into two groups. Both groups received speech pathology treatment aimed to correct articulation placement. In addition, patients from the active group received a set of audiovisual materials to be used at home. Parents were instructed about strategies and ideas about how to use the materials with their children. Severity of compensatory articulation was compared at the onset and at the end of the speech intervention. After the speech therapy period, the group of patients using audiovisual materials at home demonstrated significantly greater improvement in articulation, as compared with the patients receiving speech pathology treatment on - site without audiovisual supporting materials. The results of this study suggest that audiovisual materials especially designed for practicing adequate articulation placement at home can be effective for reinforcing and enhancing speech pathology treatment of patients with cleft palate and compensatory articulation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Speech profile of patients undergoing primary palatoplasty.

PubMed

Menegueti, Katia Ignacio; Mangilli, Laura Davison; Alonso, Nivaldo; Andrade, Claudia Regina Furquim de

2017-10-26

To characterize the profile and speech characteristics of patients undergoing primary palatoplasty in a Brazilian university hospital, considering the time of intervention (early, before two years of age; late, after two years of age). Participants were 97 patients of both genders with cleft palate and/or cleft and lip palate, assigned to the Speech-language Pathology Department, who had been submitted to primary palatoplasty and presented no prior history of speech-language therapy. Patients were divided into two groups: early intervention group (EIG) - 43 patients undergoing primary palatoplasty before 2 years of age and late intervention group (LIG) - 54 patients undergoing primary palatoplasty after 2 years of age. All patients underwent speech-language pathology assessment. The following parameters were assessed: resonance classification, presence of nasal turbulence, presence of weak intraoral air pressure, presence of audible nasal air emission, speech understandability, and compensatory articulation disorder (CAD). At statistical significance level of 5% (p≤0.05), no significant difference was observed between the groups in the following parameters: resonance classification (p=0.067); level of hypernasality (p=0.113), presence of nasal turbulence (p=0.179); presence of weak intraoral air pressure (p=0.152); presence of nasal air emission (p=0.369), and speech understandability (p=0.113). The groups differed with respect to presence of compensatory articulation disorders (p=0.020), with the LIG presenting higher occurrence of altered phonemes. It was possible to assess the general profile and speech characteristics of the study participants. Patients submitted to early primary palatoplasty present better speech profile.

[Speech and language disorders in children from public schools in Belo Horizonte].

PubMed

Rabelo, Alessandra Terra Vasconcelos; Campos, Fernanda Rodrigues; Friche, Clarice Passos; da Silva, Bárbara Suelen Vasconcelos; de Lima Friche, Amélia Augusta; Alves, Claudia Regina Lindgren; de Figueiredo Goulart, Lúcia Maria Horta

2015-12-01

To investigate the prevalence of oral language, orofacial motor skill and auditory processing disorders in children aged 4-10 years old and verify their association with age and gender. Cross-sectional study with stratified, random sample consisting of 539 students. The evaluation consisted of three protocols: orofacial motor skill protocol, adapted from the Myofunctional Evaluation Guidelines; the Child Language Test ABFW--Phonology, and a simplified auditory processing evaluation. Descriptive and associative statistical analyses were performed using Epi Info software, release 6.04. Chi-square test was applied to compare proportion of events and analysis of variance was used to compare mean values. Significance was set at p≤0.05. Of the studied subjects, 50.1% had at least one of the assessed disorders; of those, 33.6% had oral language disorder, 17.1%, had orofacial motor skill impairment, and 27.3% had auditory processing disorder. There were significant associations between auditory processing skills' impairment, oral language impairment and age, suggesting a decrease in the number of disorders with increasing age. Similarly, the variable "one or more speech, language and hearing disorders" was also associated with age. The prevalence of speech, language and hearing disorders in children was high, indicating the need for research and public health efforts to cope with this problem. Copyright © 2015 Sociedade de Pediatria de São Paulo. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

FOXP2 variants in 14 individuals with developmental speech and language disorders broaden the mutational and clinical spectrum.

PubMed

Reuter, Miriam S; Riess, Angelika; Moog, Ute; Briggs, Tracy A; Chandler, Kate E; Rauch, Anita; Stampfer, Miriam; Steindl, Katharina; Gläser, Dieter; Joset, Pascal; Krumbiegel, Mandy; Rabe, Harald; Schulte-Mattler, Uta; Bauer, Peter; Beck-Wödl, Stefanie; Kohlhase, Jürgen; Reis, André; Zweier, Christiane

2017-01-01

Disruptions of the FOXP2 gene, encoding a forkhead transcription factor, are the first known monogenic cause of a speech and language disorder. So far, mainly chromosomal rearrangements such as translocations or larger deletions affecting FOXP2 have been reported. Intragenic deletions or convincingly pathogenic point mutations in FOXP2 have up to date only been reported in three families. We thus aimed at a further characterisation of the mutational and clinical spectrum. Chromosomal microarray testing, trio exome sequencing, multigene panel sequencing and targeted sequencing of FOXP2 were performed in individuals with variable developmental disorders, and speech and language deficits. We identified four different truncating mutations, two novel missense mutations within the forkhead domain and an intragenic deletion in FOXP2 in 14 individuals from eight unrelated families. Mutations occurred de novo in four families and were inherited from an affected parent in the other four. All index patients presented with various manifestations of language and speech impairment. Apart from two individuals with normal onset of speech, age of first words was between 4 and 7 years. Articulation difficulties such as slurred speech, dyspraxia, stuttering and poor pronunciation were frequently noted. Motor development was normal or only mildly delayed. Mild cognitive impairment was reported for most individuals. By identifying intragenic deletions or mutations in 14 individuals from eight unrelated families with variable developmental delay/cognitive impairment and speech and language deficits, we considerably broaden the mutational and clinical spectrum associated with aberrations in FOXP2. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

The affective reactivity of psychotic speech: The role of internal source monitoring in explaining increased thought disorder under emotional challenge.

PubMed

de Sousa, Paulo; Sellwood, William; Spray, Amy; Bentall, Richard P

2016-04-01

Thought disorder (TD) has been shown to vary in relation to negative affect. Here we examine the role internal source monitoring (iSM, i.e. ability to discriminate between inner speech and verbalized speech) in TD and whether changes in iSM performance are implicated in the affective reactivity effect (deterioration of TD when participants are asked to talk about emotionally-laden topics). Eighty patients diagnosed with schizophrenia-spectrum disorder and thirty healthy controls received interviews that promoted personal disclosure (emotionally salient) and interviews on everyday topics (non-salient) on separate days. During the interviews, participants were tested on iSM, self-reported affect and immediate auditory recall. Patients had more TD, poorer ability to discriminate between inner and verbalized speech, poorer immediate auditory recall and reported more negative affect than controls. Both groups displayed more TD and negative affect in salient interviews but only patients showed poorer performance on iSM. Immediate auditory recall did not change significantly across affective conditions. In patients, the relationship between self-reported negative affect and TD was mediated by deterioration in the ability to discriminate between inner speech and speech that was directed to others and socially shared (performance on the iSM) in both interviews. Furthermore, deterioration in patients' performance on iSM across conditions significantly predicted deterioration in TD across the interviews (affective reactivity of speech). Poor iSM is significantly associated with TD. Negative affect, leading to further impaired iSM, leads to increased TD in patients with psychosis. Avenues for future research as well as clinical implications of these findings are discussed. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Association between symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing and speech in children with craniofacial malformations.

PubMed

Moraleda-Cibrián, Marta; Berger, Mary; Edwards, Sean P; Kasten, Steven J; Buchman, Steven R; O'Brien, Louise M

2014-06-15

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and speech difficulties are common problems in children with craniofacial malformations (CFM). The present study was designed to investigate whether resonance issues identified during speech assessment are associated with parental report of SDB symptoms in children with CFM. Children aged 2-18 years with congenital CFM attending at the Craniofacial Anomalies Program from March 2007 to April 2011 were screened for SDB symptoms using the Sleep-Related Breathing Disturbance Scale of the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire. Speech evaluation, based on the Pittsburgh Weighted Speech Scale score, was the tool used to investigate velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD) based on speech perceptual assessment. A total of 488 children with congenital CFM were included. Overall 81% were Caucasian and 24% were overweight/obese. Twenty-four percent of children screened positive for SDB and 35% had VPD. Children with VPD were no more likely to screen positive for SDB than children without VPD (26% vs. 23%, p = 0.38). However, children with previous sphincter pharyngoplasty (SP) were more likely to have hyponasality (51% vs. 12%, p = 0.0001) and reduced or absent nasal emission (33% vs. 16%, p = 0.008). In a logistic regression, the adjusted odds ratio for SDB for those with hyponasality was 2.10 (95%CI 1.21-3.61, p = 0.008) and for those with reduced or absent nasal emission was 1.75 (95%CI 1.06-2.88, p = 0.028). Symptoms of sleep disordered breathing are common in children with craniofacial malformations especially if they have undergone sphincter pharyngoplasty; many of these children can be identified by measures of resonance on routine speech evaluation.

Sensitivity to Structure in the Speech Signal by Children with Speech Sound Disorder and Reading Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Erin Phinney; Pennington, Bruce F.; Lowenstein, Joanna H.; Nittrouer, Susan

2011-01-01

Research Design;Intervention;Biology;Biotechnology;Teaching Methods;Hands on Science;Professional Development;Comparative Analysis;Genetics;Evaluation;Pretests Posttests;Control Groups;Science Education;Science Instruction;Pedagogical Content Knowledge;

Speech impairment (adult)

MedlinePlus

... sound different from the way it normally sounds. Causes Some of these disorders develop gradually, but anyone can develop a speech and language impairment suddenly, usually in a trauma. APHASIA Alzheimer disease Brain tumor (more common in aphasia than ...

A Survey of Speech-Language-Hearing Therapists' Career Situation and Challenges in Mainland China.

PubMed

Lin, Qiang; Lu, Jianliang; Chen, Zhuoming; Yan, Jiajian; Wang, Hong; Ouyang, Hui; Mou, Zhiwei; Huang, Dongfeng; O'Young, Bryan

2016-01-01

The aim of this survey was to investigate the background of speech-language pathologists and their training needs to provide a profile of the current state of the profession in Mainland China. A survey was conducted of 293 speech-language therapists. The questionnaire used asked questions related to their career background and had a 24-item ranking scale covering almost all of the common speech-language-hearing disorders. A summary of the raw data was constructed by calculating the average ranking score for each answer choice in order to determine the academic training needs with the highest preference among the respondents. The majority of respondents were female, <35 years old and with a total service time of <5 years. More than three quarters of the training needs with the highest preference among the 24 items involved basic-level knowledge of common speech-language-hearing disorders, such as diagnosis, assessment and conventional treatment, but seldom specific advanced technology or current progress. The results revealed that speech-language therapists in Mainland China tend to be young, with little total working experience and at the first stage of their career. This may be due to the lack of systematic educational programs and national certification systems for speech-language therapists. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Teachers' perceptions of students with speech sound disorders: a quantitative and qualitative analysis.

PubMed

Overby, Megan; Carrell, Thomas; Bernthal, John

2007-10-01

This study examined 2nd-grade teachers' perceptions of the academic, social, and behavioral competence of students with speech sound disorders (SSDs). Forty-eight 2nd-grade teachers listened to 2 groups of sentences differing by intelligibility and pitch but spoken by a single 2nd grader. For each sentence group, teachers rated the speaker's academic, social, and behavioral competence using an adapted version of the Teacher Rating Scale of the Self-Perception Profile for Children (S. Harter, 1985) and completed 3 open-ended questions. The matched-guise design controlled for confounding speaker and stimuli variables that were inherent in prior studies. Statistically significant differences in teachers' expectations of children's academic, social, and behavioral performances were found between moderately intelligible and normal intelligibility speech. Teachers associated moderately intelligible low-pitched speech with more behavior problems than moderately intelligible high-pitched speech or either pitch with normal intelligibility. One third of the teachers reported that they could not accurately predict a child's school performance based on the child's speech skills, one third of the teachers causally related school difficulty to SSD, and one third of the teachers made no comment. Intelligibility and speaker pitch appear to be speech variables that influence teachers' perceptions of children's school performance.

A music perception disorder (congenital amusia) influences speech comprehension.

PubMed

Liu, Fang; Jiang, Cunmei; Wang, Bei; Xu, Yi; Patel, Aniruddh D

2015-01-01

This study investigated the underlying link between speech and music by examining whether and to what extent congenital amusia, a musical disorder characterized by degraded pitch processing, would impact spoken sentence comprehension for speakers of Mandarin, a tone language. Sixteen Mandarin-speaking amusics and 16 matched controls were tested on the intelligibility of news-like Mandarin sentences with natural and flat fundamental frequency (F0) contours (created via speech resynthesis) under four signal-to-noise (SNR) conditions (no noise, +5, 0, and -5dB SNR). While speech intelligibility in quiet and extremely noisy conditions (SNR=-5dB) was not significantly compromised by flattened F0, both amusic and control groups achieved better performance with natural-F0 sentences than flat-F0 sentences under moderately noisy conditions (SNR=+5 and 0dB). Relative to normal listeners, amusics demonstrated reduced speech intelligibility in both quiet and noise, regardless of whether the F0 contours of the sentences were natural or flattened. This deficit in speech intelligibility was not associated with impaired pitch perception in amusia. These findings provide evidence for impaired speech comprehension in congenital amusia, suggesting that the deficit of amusics extends beyond pitch processing and includes segmental processing. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Specific developmental disorder of speech and language in adulthood].

PubMed

Vlassopoulos, M; Anagnostopoulos, D C

2012-06-01

Specific developmental disorder of speech and language is part of a more general category of neurodevelopmental disorders, which is encountered in 7-10% of the childhood population. These children exhibit a significant impairment in speech and language development, which cannot be justified by hearing impairment, cognitive impairment, neuromuscular or orofacial disorders, as well as by emotional or environmental factors. Specific developmental disorders of speech and language are often comorbid with other neurodevelopmental disorders, such as motor coordination disorder and ADHD. These disorders are usually detected in early childhood and commonly treated during the preschool and school years. Despite this fact clinical and empirical evidence suggest that often these disorders persist beyond the school years, even though the symptomatology may be differentiated. In this literature review, we address the question of whether specific developmental language disorders are encountered only during childhood, and, if they persist, how they are manifested in adulthood. Finally, possible factors which may lead to these manifestations are analyzed. A considerable body of research has shown that even though the symptoms of children with specific developmental language disorders are resolved before the end of childhood, a significant part of this population continues to have persisting difficulties through adolescence and into adulthood. The continuity of this disorder may sometimes be directly linked to language disorder, as in the case of learning impairments or, on the other hand, symptoms may be related with those of conduct disorders, social adjustment disorder, emotional and psychiatric disorders in adolescence and adulthood. It therefore appears that specific developmental language disorder is often an early symptom of other disorders in the future. Even though the precise mechanisms which are responsible for these disorders are not yet known, it is possible that a fragile neurobiological substratum in these disorders may explain why early symptoms are usually manifested as language disorders and later develop into other disorders over time. However, these symptom changes may be linked to other parameters, such as the increasing social and emotional demands made on these individuals with increasing age, which may be a contributing environmental parameter to an already vulnerable system. Despite all of the limitations in the longterm study of these children, it is suggested that in some way, and not in all cases, pathology may continue into adulthood, although with a different symptomatology, which is linked to behavioural and social adjustment, as well as with more pervasive psychiatric disorders. In conclusion, it is suggested that a continuum of services may be necessary for these cases into adulthood.

Out-of-synchrony speech entrainment in developmental dyslexia.

PubMed

Molinaro, Nicola; Lizarazu, Mikel; Lallier, Marie; Bourguignon, Mathieu; Carreiras, Manuel

2016-08-01

Developmental dyslexia is a reading disorder often characterized by reduced awareness of speech units. Whether the neural source of this phonological disorder in dyslexic readers results from the malfunctioning of the primary auditory system or damaged feedback communication between higher-order phonological regions (i.e., left inferior frontal regions) and the auditory cortex is still under dispute. Here we recorded magnetoencephalographic (MEG) signals from 20 dyslexic readers and 20 age-matched controls while they were listening to ∼10-s-long spoken sentences. Compared to controls, dyslexic readers had (1) an impaired neural entrainment to speech in the delta band (0.5-1 Hz); (2) a reduced delta synchronization in both the right auditory cortex and the left inferior frontal gyrus; and (3) an impaired feedforward functional coupling between neural oscillations in the right auditory cortex and the left inferior frontal regions. This shows that during speech listening, individuals with developmental dyslexia present reduced neural synchrony to low-frequency speech oscillations in primary auditory regions that hinders higher-order speech processing steps. The present findings, thus, strengthen proposals assuming that improper low-frequency acoustic entrainment affects speech sampling. This low speech-brain synchronization has the strong potential to cause severe consequences for both phonological and reading skills. Interestingly, the reduced speech-brain synchronization in dyslexic readers compared to normal readers (and its higher-order consequences across the speech processing network) appears preserved through the development from childhood to adulthood. Thus, the evaluation of speech-brain synchronization could possibly serve as a diagnostic tool for early detection of children at risk of dyslexia. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2767-2783, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Addition of Kinesio Taping of the orbicularis oris muscles to speech therapy rapidly improves drooling in children with neurological disorders.

PubMed

Mikami, Denise Lica Yoshimura; Furia, Cristina Lemos Barbosa; Welker, Alexis Fonseca

2017-09-21

To evaluate the effects of Kinesio Taping (KT) of the orbicularis oris muscles as an adjunct to standard therapy for drooling. Fifteen children with neurological disorders and drooling received speech therapy and twice-weekly KT of the orbicularis muscles over a 30-day period. Drooling was assessed by six parameters: impact on the life of the child and caregiver; severity of drooling; frequency of drooling; drooling volume (estimated by number of bibs used); salivary leak; and interlabial gap. Seven markers of oral motor skills were also assessed. KT of the orbicularis oris region reduced the interlabial gap. All oral motor skills and almost all markers of drooling improved after 15 days of treatment. In this sample of children with neurological disorders, adding KT of the orbicularis oris muscles to speech therapy caused rapid improvement in oral motor skills and drooling.

Successful and rapid response of speech bulb reduction program combined with speech therapy in velopharyngeal dysfunction: a case report.

PubMed

Shin, Yu-Jeong; Ko, Seung-O

2015-12-01

Velopharyngeal dysfunction in cleft palate patients following the primary palate repair may result in nasal air emission, hypernasality, articulation disorder and poor intelligibility of speech. Among conservative treatment methods, speech aid prosthesis combined with speech therapy is widely used method. However because of its long time of treatment more than a year and low predictability, some clinicians prefer a surgical intervention. Thus, the purpose of this report was to increase an attention on the effectiveness of speech aid prosthesis by introducing a case that was successfully treated. In this clinical report, speech bulb reduction program with intensive speech therapy was applied for a patient with velopharyngeal dysfunction and it was rapidly treated by 5months which was unusually short period for speech aid therapy. Furthermore, advantages of pre-operative speech aid therapy were discussed.

Profiling Early Socio-Communicative Development in Five Young Girls with the Preserved Speech Variant of Rett Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marschik, Peter B.; Kaufmann, Walter E.; Einspieler, Christa; Bartl-Pokorny, Katrin D.; Wolin, Thomas; Pini, Giorgio; Budimirovic, Dejan B.; Zappella, Michele; Sigafoos, Jeff

2012-01-01

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a developmental disorder characterized by regression of purposeful hand skills and spoken language, although some affected children retain some ability to speech. We assessed the communicative abilities of five young girls, who were later diagnosed with the preserved speech variant of RTT, during the pre-regression period…

Teaching Phoneme Awareness to Pre-Literate Children with Speech Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hesketh, Anne; Dima, Evgenia; Nelson, Veronica

2007-01-01

Background: Awareness of individual phonemes in words is a late-acquired level of phonological awareness that usually develops in the early school years. It is generally agreed to have a close relationship with early literacy development, but its role in speech change is less well understood. Speech and language therapy for children with speech…

Phonological and Articulation Treatment Approaches in Portuguese Children with Speech and Language Impairments: A Randomized Controlled Intervention Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lousada, M.; Jesus, Luis M. T.; Capelas, S.; Margaca, C.; Simoes, D.; Valente, A.; Hall, A.; Joffe, V. L.

2013-01-01

Background: In Portugal, the routine clinical practice of speech and language therapists (SLTs) in treating children with all types of speech sound disorder (SSD) continues to be articulation therapy (AT). There is limited use of phonological therapy (PT) or phonological awareness training in Portugal. Additionally, at an international level there…

Effect of the Number of Presentations on Listener Transcriptions and Reliability in the Assessment of Speech Intelligibility in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lagerberg, Tove B.; Johnels, Jakob Åsberg; Hartelius, Lena; Persson, Christina

2015-01-01

Background: The assessment of intelligibility is an essential part of establishing the severity of a speech disorder. The intelligibility of a speaker is affected by a number of different variables relating, "inter alia," to the speech material, the listener and the listener task. Aims: To explore the impact of the number of…

Risk of Reading Difficulty among Students with a History of Speech or Language Impairment: Implications for Student Support Teams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zipoli, Richard P., Jr.; Merritt, Donna D.

2017-01-01

Many students with a history of speech or language impairment have an elevated risk of reading difficulty. Specific subgroups of these students remain at risk of reading problems even after clinical manifestations of a speech or language disorder have diminished. These students may require reading intervention within a general education system of…

The Particularities of the Monologue Speech Type Manifestations in Stuttering Schoolchildren with Tatar-Russian Bilingualism Compared to the Normality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osipovskaya, Marina P.; Sharifzyanova, Kadriya Sh.; Zamaletdinova, Zalfira I.

2016-01-01

Actuality of studying of an issue on specific manifestations of a monologue speech type in bilingual schoolchildren with stutter has been stipulated by the necessity of elaboration of a constituent concept on central mechanisms underlying this kind of communication disorder, on the nature of disturbances of speech formation mechanisms in the…

Processing melodic contour and speech intonation in congenital amusics with Mandarin Chinese.

PubMed

Jiang, Cunmei; Hamm, Jeff P; Lim, Vanessa K; Kirk, Ian J; Yang, Yufang

2010-07-01

Congenital amusia is a disorder in the perception and production of musical pitch. It has been suggested that early exposure to a tonal language may compensate for the pitch disorder (Peretz, 2008). If so, it is reasonable to expect that there would be different characterizations of pitch perception in music and speech in congenital amusics who speak a tonal language, such as Mandarin. In this study, a group of 11 adults with amusia whose first language was Mandarin were tested with melodic contour and speech intonation discrimination and identification tasks. The participants with amusia were impaired in discriminating and identifying melodic contour. These abnormalities were also detected in identifying both speech and non-linguistic analogue derived patterns for the Mandarin intonation tasks. In addition, there was an overall trend for the participants with amusia to show deficits with respect to controls in the intonation discrimination tasks for both speech and non-linguistic analogues. These findings suggest that the amusics' melodic pitch deficits may extend to the perception of speech, and could potentially result in some language deficits in those who speak a tonal language. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The human right to communicate and our need to listen: Learning from people with a history of childhood communication disorder.

PubMed

McCormack, Jane; Baker, Elise; Crowe, Kathryn

2018-02-01

In 2013, the Australian Government Senate formed a committee for inquiry and report into the prevalence of speech, language, and communication disorders and speech pathology services in Australia. Submissions were sought from individuals and organisations. In this paper, submissions made by individuals with a history of childhood communication disorder were examined to explore their life experiences and the impact on their lives when the right to communicate could not be enacted. There were 305 submissions to the Australian Government Senate Committee Inquiry, of which 288 were publically accessible. In this study, the submissions (n = 17) from children or adults with a history of communication disorder (including speech, language and stuttering), who provided personal accounts of their experiences, were analysed using an interpretative phenomenological approach. Four themes emerged relating to: personal identity, life with communication disorder, the importance of help, and how life would be different without a communication disorder. This paper gives voice to children and adults with communication disorder. In listening to these voices, the impact of communication disorder on the right to communicate and on other human rights can be heard, and the need for a response is clear. However, the challenge is to determine how the voices of these individuals, and others like them, can be enabled to exert real influence on practice and policy so communication disorder will no longer be a barrier to attainment of their human rights.

Should singing activities be included in speech and voice therapy for prepubertal children?

PubMed

Rinta, Tiija; Welch, Graham F

2008-01-01

Customarily, speaking and singing have tended to be regarded as two completely separate sets of behaviors in clinical and educational settings. The treatment of speech and voice disorders has focused on the client's speaking ability, as this is perceived to be the main vocal behavior of concern. However, according to a broader voice-science perspective, given that the same vocal structure is used for speaking and singing, it may be possible to include singing in speech and voice therapy. In this article, a theoretical framework is proposed that indicates possible benefits from the inclusion of singing in such therapeutic settings. Based on a literature review, it is demonstrated theoretically why singing activities can potentially be exploited in the treatment of prepubertal children suffering from speech and voice disorders. Based on this theoretical framework, implications for further empirical research and practice are suggested.

[Dynamics of functional MRI and speech function in patients after resection of frontal and temporal lobe tumors].

PubMed

Buklina, S B; Batalov, A I; Smirnov, A S; Poddubskaya, A A; Pitskhelauri, D I; Kobyakov, G L; Zhukov, V Yu; Goryaynov, S A; Kulikov, A S; Ogurtsova, A A; Golanov, A V; Varyukhina, M D; Pronin, I N

There are no studies on application of functional MRI (fMRI) for long-term monitoring of the condition of patients after resection of frontal and temporal lobe tumors. The study purpose was to correlate, using fMRI, reorganization of the speech system and dynamics of speech disorders in patients with left hemisphere gliomas before surgery and in the early and late postoperative periods. A total of 20 patients with left hemisphere gliomas were dynamically monitored using fMRI and comprehensive neuropsychological testing. The tumor was located in the frontal lobe in 12 patients and in the temporal lobe in 8 patients. Fifteen patients underwent primary surgery; 5 patients had repeated surgery. Sixteen patients had WHO Grade II and Grade III gliomas; the others had WHO Grade IV gliomas. Nineteen patients were examined preoperatively; 20 patients were examined at different times after surgery. Speech functions were assessed by a Luria's test; the dominant hand was determined using the Annette questionnaire; a family history of left-handedness was investigated. Functional MRI was performed on an HDtx 3.0 T scanner using BrainWavePA 2.0, Z software for fMRI data processing program for all calculations >7, p<0.001. In patients with extensive tumors and recurrent tumors, activation of right-sided homologues of the speech areas cold be detected even before surgery; but in most patients, the activation was detected 3 months or more after surgery. Therefore, reorganization of the speech system took time. Activation of right-sided homologues of the speech areas remained in all patients for up to a year. Simultaneous activation of right-sided homologues of both speech areas, the Broca's and Wernicke's areas, was detected more often in patients with frontal lobe tumors than in those with temporal lobe tumors. No additional activation foci in the left hemisphere were found at the thresholds used to process fMRI data. Recovery of the speech function, to a certain degree, occurred in all patients, but no clear correlation with fMRI data was found. Complex fMRI and neuropsychological studies in 20 patients after resection of frontal and temporal lobe tumors revealed individual features of speech system reorganization within one year follow-up. Probably, activation of right-sided homologues of the speech areas in the presence of left hemisphere tumors depends not only on the severity of speech disorder but also reflects individual involvement of the right hemisphere in enabling speech function. This is confirmed by right-sided activation, according to the fMRI data, in right-sided patients without aphasia and, conversely, the lack of activation of right-sided homologues of the speech areas in several patients with severe postoperative speech disorders during the entire follow-up period.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging of chronic dysarthric speech after childhood brain injury: reliance on a left-hemisphere compensatory network.

PubMed

Morgan, Angela T; Masterton, Richard; Pigdon, Lauren; Connelly, Alan; Liégeois, Frédérique J

2013-02-01

Severe and persistent speech disorder, dysarthria, may be present for life after brain injury in childhood, yet the neural correlates of this chronic disorder remain elusive. Although abundant literature is available on language reorganization after lesions in childhood, little is known about the capacity of motor speech networks to reorganize after injury. Here, we examine the structural and functional neural correlates associated with chronic dysarthria after childhood-onset traumatic brain injury. Forty-nine participants aged 12 years 3 months to 24 years 11 months were recruited to the study: (i) a group with chronic dysarthria (n = 17); matched for age and sex with two control groups of (ii) healthy control subjects (n = 17); and (iii) individuals without dysarthria after traumatic brain injury (n = 15). A high-resolution 3D T(1)-weighted whole-brain data set was acquired for voxel-based morphometry analyses of group differences in grey matter. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to localize activation associated with speaking single words (baseline: listening to words). Group differences on voxel-based morphometry revealed widespread grey matter reductions in the dysarthric group compared with healthy control subjects, including in numerous speech motor regions bilaterally, such as the cerebellum, the basal ganglia and primary motor cortex representation of the articulators. Relative to the non-dysarthric traumatic brain injury group, individuals with dysarthria showed reduced grey matter bilaterally in the ventral sensorimotor cortex, but this reduction was concomitant with increased functional activation only in the left-hemisphere cluster during speech. Finally, increased recruitment of Broca's area (Brodmann area 45, pars triangularis) but not its right homologue, correlated with better speech outcome, suggesting that this 'higher-level' area may be more critically involved with production when associated motor speech regions are damaged. We suggest that the bilateral morphological abnormalities within cortical speech networks in childhood prevented reorganization of speech function from the left- to right-hemisphere. Rather, functional reorganization involved over-recruitment of left-hemisphere motor regions, a reorganization method that was only partly relatively effective, given the presence of persisting yet mild speech deficits. The bilateral structural abnormalities found to limit functional reorganization here, may also be critical to poor speech prognosis for populations with congenital, degenerative or acquired neurological disorders throughout the lifespan.

Axon guidance pathways served as common targets for human speech/language evolution and related disorders.

PubMed

Lei, Huimeng; Yan, Zhangming; Sun, Xiaohong; Zhang, Yue; Wang, Jianhong; Ma, Caihong; Xu, Qunyuan; Wang, Rui; Jarvis, Erich D; Sun, Zhirong

2017-11-01

Human and several nonhuman species share the rare ability of modifying acoustic and/or syntactic features of sounds produced, i.e. vocal learning, which is the important neurobiological and behavioral substrate of human speech/language. This convergent trait was suggested to be associated with significant genomic convergence and best manifested at the ROBO-SLIT axon guidance pathway. Here we verified the significance of such genomic convergence and assessed its functional relevance to human speech/language using human genetic variation data. In normal human populations, we found the affected amino acid sites were well fixed and accompanied with significantly more associated protein-coding SNPs in the same genes than the rest genes. Diseased individuals with speech/language disorders have significant more low frequency protein coding SNPs but they preferentially occurred outside the affected genes. Such patients' SNPs were enriched in several functional categories including two axon guidance pathways (mediated by netrin and semaphorin) that interact with ROBO-SLITs. Four of the six patients have homozygous missense SNPs on PRAME gene family, one youngest gene family in human lineage, which possibly acts upon retinoic acid receptor signaling, similarly as FOXP2, to modulate axon guidance. Taken together, we suggest the axon guidance pathways (e.g. ROBO-SLIT, PRAME gene family) served as common targets for human speech/language evolution and related disorders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Changes of some functional speech disorders after surgical correction of skeletal anterior open bite.

PubMed

Knez Ambrožič, Mojca; Hočevar Boltežar, Irena; Ihan Hren, Nataša

2015-09-01

Skeletal anterior open bite (AOB) or apertognathism is characterized by the absence of contact of the anterior teeth and affects articulation parameters, chewing, biting and voice quality. The treatment of AOB consists of orthognatic surgical procedures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of treatment on voice quality, articulation and nasality in speech with respect to skeletal changes. The study was prospective; 15 patients with AOB were evaluated before and after surgery. Lateral cephalometric x-ray parameters (facial angle, interincisal distance, Wits appraisal) were measured to determine skeletal changes. Before surgery, nine patients still had articulation disorders despite speech therapy during childhood. The voice quality parameters were determined by acoustic analysis of the vowel sound /a/ (fundamental frequency-F0, jitter, shimmer). Spectral analysis of vowels /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/ was carried out by determining the mean frequency of the first (F1) and second (F2) formants. Nasality in speech was expressed as the ratio between the nasal and the oral sound energies during speech samples. After surgery, normalizations of facial skeletal parameters were observed in all patients, but no statistically significant changes in articulation and voice quality parameters occurred despite subjective observations of easier articulation. Any deterioration in velopharyngeal insufficiency was absent in all of the patients. In conclusion, the surgical treatment of skeletal AOB does not lead to deterioration in voice, resonance and articulation qualities. Despite surgical correction of the unfavourable skeletal situation of the speech apparatus, the pre-existing articulation disorder cannot improve without professional intervention.

Perception of Filtered Speech by Children with Developmental Dyslexia and Children with Specific Language Impairments

PubMed Central

Goswami, Usha; Cumming, Ruth; Chait, Maria; Huss, Martina; Mead, Natasha; Wilson, Angela M.; Barnes, Lisa; Fosker, Tim

2016-01-01

Here we use two filtered speech tasks to investigate children’s processing of slow (<4 Hz) versus faster (∼33 Hz) temporal modulations in speech. We compare groups of children with either developmental dyslexia (Experiment 1) or speech and language impairments (SLIs, Experiment 2) to groups of typically-developing (TD) children age-matched to each disorder group. Ten nursery rhymes were filtered so that their modulation frequencies were either low-pass filtered (<4 Hz) or band-pass filtered (22 – 40 Hz). Recognition of the filtered nursery rhymes was tested in a picture recognition multiple choice paradigm. Children with dyslexia aged 10 years showed equivalent recognition overall to TD controls for both the low-pass and band-pass filtered stimuli, but showed significantly impaired acoustic learning during the experiment from low-pass filtered targets. Children with oral SLIs aged 9 years showed significantly poorer recognition of band pass filtered targets compared to their TD controls, and showed comparable acoustic learning effects to TD children during the experiment. The SLI samples were also divided into children with and without phonological difficulties. The children with both SLI and phonological difficulties were impaired in recognizing both kinds of filtered speech. These data are suggestive of impaired temporal sampling of the speech signal at different modulation rates by children with different kinds of developmental language disorder. Both SLI and dyslexic samples showed impaired discrimination of amplitude rise times. Implications of these findings for a temporal sampling framework for understanding developmental language disorders are discussed. PMID:27303348

Cognitive, Linguistic, and Motor Abilities in a Multigenerational Family with Childhood Apraxia of Speech.

PubMed

Carrigg, Bronwyn; Parry, Louise; Baker, Elise; Shriberg, Lawrence D; Ballard, Kirrie J

2016-10-05

This study describes the phenotype in a large family with a strong, multigenerational history of severe speech sound disorder (SSD) persisting into adolescence and adulthood in approximately half the cases. Aims were to determine whether a core phenotype, broader than speech, separated persistent from resolved SSD cases; and to ascertain the uniqueness of the phenotype relative to published cases. Eleven members of the PM family (9-55 years) were assessed across cognitive, language, literacy, speech, phonological processing, numeracy, and motor domains. Between group comparisons were made using the Mann-Whitney U-test (p < 0.01). Participant performances were compared to normative data using standardized tests and to the limited published data on persistent SSD phenotypes. Significant group differences were evident on multiple speech, language, literacy, phonological processing, and verbal intellect measures without any overlapping scores. Persistent cases performed within the impaired range on multiple measures. Phonological memory impairment and subtle literacy weakness were present in resolved SSD cases. A core phenotype distinguished persistent from resolved SSD cases that was characterized by a multiple verbal trait disorder, including Childhood Apraxia of Speech. Several phenotypic differences differentiated the persistent SSD phenotype in the PM family from the few previously reported studies of large families with SSD, including the absence of comorbid dysarthria and marked orofacial apraxia. This study highlights how comprehensive phenotyping can advance the behavioral study of disorders, in addition to forming a solid basis for future genetic and neural studies. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Hearing, speech, language, and vestibular disorders in the fetal alcohol syndrome: a literature review.

PubMed

Church, M W; Kaltenbach, J A

1997-05-01

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is characterized in part by mental impairment, as well as craniofacial and ocular anomalies. These conditions are traditionally associated with childhood hearing disorders, because they all have a common embryonic origin in malformations of the first and second branchial arches, and have similar critical periods of vulnerability to toxic insult. A review of human and animal research indicates that there are four types of hearing disorders associated with FAS. These are: (1) a developmental delay in auditory maturation, (2) sensorineural hearing loss, (3) intermittent conductive hearing loss due to recurrent serous otitis media, and (4) central hearing loss. The auditory and vestibular systems share the same peripheral apparatuses (the inner ear and eighth cranial nerve) and are embryologically and structurally similar. Consequently, vestibular disorders in FAS children might be expected. The evidence for vestibular dysfunction in FAS is ambiguous, however. Like other syndromes associated with craniofacial anomalies, hearing disorders, and mental impairment, FAS is also characterized by a high prevalence of speech and language pathology. Hearing disorders are a form of sensory deprivation. If present during early childhood, they can result in permanent hearing, language, and mental impairment. Early identification and intervention to treat hearing, language, and speech disorders could therefore result in improved outcome for the FAS child. Specific recommendations are made for intervention and future research.

Predicting Voice Disorder Status From Smoothed Measures of Cepstral Peak Prominence Using Praat and Analysis of Dysphonia in Speech and Voice (ADSV).

PubMed

Sauder, Cara; Bretl, Michelle; Eadie, Tanya

2017-09-01

The purposes of this study were to (1) determine and compare the diagnostic accuracy of a single acoustic measure, smoothed cepstral peak prominence (CPPS), to predict voice disorder status from connected speech samples using two software systems: Analysis of Dysphonia in Speech and Voice (ADSV) and Praat; and (2) to determine the relationship between measures of CPPS generated from these programs. This is a retrospective cross-sectional study. Measures of CPPS were obtained from connected speech recordings of 100 subjects with voice disorders and 70 nondysphonic subjects without vocal complaints using commercially available ADSV and freely downloadable Praat software programs. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were used to evaluate and compare the diagnostic accuracy of CPPS measures. Relationships between CPPS measures from the programs were determined. Results showed acceptable overall accuracy rates (75% accuracy, ADSV; 82% accuracy, Praat) and area under the ROC curves (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.81, ADSV; AUC = 0.91, Praat) for predicting voice disorder status, with slight differences in sensitivity and specificity. CPPS measures derived from Praat were uniquely predictive of disorder status above and beyond CPPS measures from ADSV (χ 2 (1) = 40.71, P < 0.001). CPPS measures from both programs were significantly and highly correlated (r = 0.88, P < 0.001). A single acoustic measure of CPPS was highly predictive of voice disorder status using either program. Clinicians may consider using CPPS to complement clinical voice evaluation and screening protocols. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Diagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Its Behavioral, Neurological, and Genetic Roots

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mueller, Kathryn L.; Tomblin, J. Bruce

2012-01-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common developmental disorder often associated with other developmental disorders including speech, language, and reading disorders. Here, we review the principal features of ADHD and current diagnostic standards for the disorder. We outline the ADHD subtypes, which are based upon the dimensions…

Telephony-based voice pathology assessment using automated speech analysis.

PubMed

Moran, Rosalyn J; Reilly, Richard B; de Chazal, Philip; Lacy, Peter D

2006-03-01

A system for remotely detecting vocal fold pathologies using telephone-quality speech is presented. The system uses a linear classifier, processing measurements of pitch perturbation, amplitude perturbation and harmonic-to-noise ratio derived from digitized speech recordings. Voice recordings from the Disordered Voice Database Model 4337 system were used to develop and validate the system. Results show that while a sustained phonation, recorded in a controlled environment, can be classified as normal or pathologic with accuracy of 89.1%, telephone-quality speech can be classified as normal or pathologic with an accuracy of 74.2%, using the same scheme. Amplitude perturbation features prove most robust for telephone-quality speech. The pathologic recordings were then subcategorized into four groups, comprising normal, neuromuscular pathologic, physical pathologic and mixed (neuromuscular with physical) pathologic. A separate classifier was developed for classifying the normal group from each pathologic subcategory. Results show that neuromuscular disorders could be detected remotely with an accuracy of 87%, physical abnormalities with an accuracy of 78% and mixed pathology voice with an accuracy of 61%. This study highlights the real possibility for remote detection and diagnosis of voice pathology.

Phenotype of FOXP2 haploinsufficiency in a mother and son.

PubMed

Rice, Gregory M; Raca, Gordana; Jakielski, Kathy J; Laffin, Jennifer J; Iyama-Kurtycz, Christina M; Hartley, Sigan L; Sprague, Rae E; Heintzelman, Anne T; Shriberg, Lawrence D

2012-01-01

Disruptions in FOXP2, a transcription factor, are the only known monogenic cause of speech and language impairment. We report on clinical findings for two new individuals with a submicroscopic deletion of FOXP2: a boy with severe apraxia of speech and his currently moderately affected mother. A 1.57 Mb deletion on chromosome 7q31 was detected by array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH). In addition to FOXP2, the patients' deletion involves two other genes, MDFIC and PPP1R3A, neither of which has been associated with speech or language disorders. Thus, findings for these two family members provide informative phenotypic information on FOXP2 haploinsufficiency. Evaluation by a clinical geneticist indicated no major congenital anomalies or dysmorphic features. Evaluations by a clinical psychologist and occupational therapist indicated cognitive-linguistic processing and sensorimotor control deficits, but did not support a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Evaluation by clinical and research speech pathologists confirmed that both patients' speech deficits met contemporary criteria for apraxia of speech. Notably, the patients were not able to laugh, cough, or sneeze spontaneously, replicating findings reported for two other FOXP2 cases and a potential diagnostic sign of nonsyndromic apraxia of speech. Speech severity findings for the boy were not consistent with the hypothesis that loss of maternal FOXP2 should be relatively benign. Better understanding of the behavioral phenotype of FOXP2 disruptions will aid identification of patients, toward an eventual understanding of the pathophysiology of syndromic and nonsyndromic apraxia of speech. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Understanding the Comorbidity between Dyslexia and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boada, Richard; Willcutt, Erik G.; Pennington, Bruce F.

2012-01-01

Dyslexia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are 2 of the most prevalent complex neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood, each affecting approximately 5% of the population in the United States. These disorders are also each comorbid with speech sound disorder and language impairment. Understanding the nature of the comorbidity…

Perception of the Auditory-Visual Illusion in Speech Perception by Children with Phonological Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dodd, Barbara; McIntosh, Beth; Erdener, Dogu; Burnham, Denis

2008-01-01

An example of the auditory-visual illusion in speech perception, first described by McGurk and MacDonald, is the perception of [ta] when listeners hear [pa] in synchrony with the lip movements for [ka]. One account of the illusion is that lip-read and heard speech are combined in an articulatory code since people who mispronounce words respond…

Risk Factors for Speech Delay of Unknown Origin in Three-Year-Old Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Thomas F.; Dollaghan, Christine A.; Rockette, Howard E.; Paradise, Jack L.; Feldman, Heidi M.; Shriberg, Lawrence D.; Sabo, Diane L.; Kurs-Lasky, Marcia

2003-01-01

Compared 100 three-year-olds with speech delay of unknown origin and 539 same-age peers with respect to 6 speech disorder variables; also examined abnormal hearing in a subset of 279 children. Found significant odds ratios only for low maternal education, male sex, and positive family history; a child with all 3 factors was 7.71 times as likely to…

Apraxia of Speech and Phonological Errors in the Diagnosis of Nonfluent/Agrammatic and Logopenic Variants of Primary Progressive Aphasia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Croot, Karen; Ballard, Kirrie; Leyton, Cristian E.; Hodges, John R.

2012-01-01

Purpose: The International Consensus Criteria for the diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia (PPA; Gorno-Tempini et al., 2011) propose apraxia of speech (AOS) as 1 of 2 core features of nonfluent/agrammatic PPA and propose phonological errors or absence of motor speech disorder as features of logopenic PPA. We investigated the sensitivity and…

The Relationship between Spoken Language and Speech and Nonspeech Processing in Children with Autism: A Magnetic Event-Related Field Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yau, Shu Hui; Brock, Jon; McArthur, Genevieve

2016-01-01

It has been proposed that language impairments in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) stem from atypical neural processing of speech and/or nonspeech sounds. However, the strength of this proposal is compromised by the unreliable outcomes of previous studies of speech and nonspeech processing in ASD. The aim of this study was to…

SPEECH PATHOLOGY, DIAGNOSIS--THEORY AND PRACTICE, REPORT OF THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE COLLEGE OF SPEECH THERAPISTS (GLASGOW, JULY 25-29, 1966).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1967

TWENTY ARTICLES AND ABSTRACTS ON THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF DIAGNOSIS ARE INCLUDED IN THIS REPORT OF THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE COLLEGE OF SPEECH THERAPISTS IN GLASGOW IN 1966. FOUR PAPERS ON STAMMERING CONSIDER TONGUE THRUSTING, THE NEUROSES INVOLVED, PROGNOSIS, AND DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS IN DISORDERS OF FLUENCY. OTHER ARTICLES DISCUSS AREAS…

[Post-stroke speech disorder treated with acupuncture and psychological intervention combined with rehabilitation training: a randomized controlled trial].

PubMed

Wang, Ling; Liu, Shao-ming; Liu, Min; Li, Bao-jun; Hui, Zhen-liang; Gao, Xiang

2011-06-01

To assess the clinical efficacy on post-stroke speech disorder treated with acupuncture and psychological intervention combined with rehabilitation training. The multi-central randomized controlled study was adopted. One hundred and twenty cases of brain stroke were divided into a speech rehabilitation group (control group), a speech rehabilitation plus acupuncture group (observation group 1) and a speech rehabilitation plus acupuncture combined with psychotherapy group (observation group 2), 40 cases in each one. The rehabilitation training was conducted by a professional speech trainer. In acupuncture treatment, speech function area in scalp acupuncture, Jinjin (EX-HN 12) and Yuye (EX-HN 13) in tongue acupuncture and Lianquan (CV 23) were the basic points. The supplementary points were selected according to syndrome differentiation. Bloodletting method was used in combination with acupuncture. Psychotherapy was applied by the physician in psychiatric department of the hospital. The corresponding programs were used in each group. Examination of Aphasia of Chinese of Beijing Hospital was adopted to observe the oral speech expression, listening comprehension and reading and writing ability. After 21-day treatment, the total effective rate was 92.5% (37/40) in observation group 1, 97.5% (39/40) in observation group 2 and 87.5% (35/40) in control group. The efficacies were similar in comparison among 3 groups. The remarkable effective rate was 15.0% (6/40) in observation group 1, 50.0% (20/40) in observation group 2 and 2.5% (1/40) in control group. The result in observation group 2 was superior to the other two groups (P<0.01, P<0.001). In comparison of the improvements of oral expression, listening comprehension, reading and writing ability, all of the 3 groups had achieved the improvements to different extents after treatment (P<0.01, P<0.001). The results in observation group 2 were better than those in observation group 1 and control group. Acupuncture and psychological intervention combined with rehabilitation training is obviously advantageous in the treatment of post-stroke speech disorder.

Objective measurement of motor speech characteristics in the healthy pediatric population.

PubMed

Wong, A W; Allegro, J; Tirado, Y; Chadha, N; Campisi, P

2011-12-01

To obtain objective measurements of motor speech characteristics in normal children, using a computer-based motor speech software program. Cross-sectional, observational design in a university-based ambulatory pediatric otolaryngology clinic. Participants included 112 subjects (54 females and 58 males) aged 4-18 years. Participants with previously diagnosed hearing loss, voice and motor disorders, and children unable to repeat a passage in English were excluded. Voice samples were recorded and analysed using the Motor Speech Profile (MSP) software (KayPENTAX, Lincoln Park, NJ). The MSP produced measures of diadochokinetics, second formant transition, intonation, and syllabic rates. Demographic data, including sex, age, and cigarette smoke exposure were obtained. Normative data for several motor speech characteristics were derived for children ranging from age 4 to 18 years. A number of age-dependent changes were indentified, including an increase in average diadochokinetic rate (p<0.001) and standard syllabic duration (p<0.001) with age. There were no identified differences in motor speech characteristics between males and females across the measured age range. Variations in fundamental frequency (Fo) during speech did not change significantly with age for both males and females. To our knowledge, this is the first pediatric normative database for the MSP progam. The MSP is suitable for testing children and can be used to study developmental changes in motor speech. The analysis demonstrated that males and females behave similarly and show the same relationship with age for the motor speech characteristics studied. This normative database will provide essential comparative data for future studies exploring alterations in motor speech that may occur with hearing, voice, and motor disorders and to assess the results of targeted therapies. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Brainstem transcription of speech is disrupted in children with autism spectrum disorders

PubMed Central

Russo, Nicole; Nicol, Trent; Trommer, Barbara; Zecker, Steve; Kraus, Nina

2009-01-01

Language impairment is a hallmark of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The origin of the deficit is poorly understood although deficiencies in auditory processing have been detected in both perception and cortical encoding of speech sounds. Little is known about the processing and transcription of speech sounds at earlier (brainstem) levels or about how background noise may impact this transcription process. Unlike cortical encoding of sounds, brainstem representation preserves stimulus features with a degree of fidelity that enables a direct link between acoustic components of the speech syllable (e.g., onsets) to specific aspects of neural encoding (e.g., waves V and A). We measured brainstem responses to the syllable /da/, in quiet and background noise, in children with and without ASD. Children with ASD exhibited deficits in both the neural synchrony (timing) and phase locking (frequency encoding) of speech sounds, despite normal click-evoked brainstem responses. They also exhibited reduced magnitude and fidelity of speech-evoked responses and inordinate degradation of responses by background noise in comparison to typically developing controls. Neural synchrony in noise was significantly related to measures of core and receptive language ability. These data support the idea that abnormalities in the brainstem processing of speech contribute to the language impairment in ASD. Because it is both passively-elicited and malleable, the speech-evoked brainstem response may serve as a clinical tool to assess auditory processing as well as the effects of auditory training in the ASD population. PMID:19635083

Hearing loss and speech perception in noise difficulties in Fanconi anemia.

PubMed

Verheij, Emmy; Oomen, Karin P Q; Smetsers, Stephanie E; van Zanten, Gijsbert A; Speleman, Lucienne

2017-10-01

Fanconi anemia is a hereditary chromosomal instability disorder. Hearing loss and ear abnormalities are among the many manifestations reported in this disorder. In addition, Fanconi anemia patients often complain about hearing difficulties in situations with background noise (speech perception in noise difficulties). Our study aimed to describe the prevalence of hearing loss and speech perception in noise difficulties in Dutch Fanconi anemia patients. Retrospective chart review. A retrospective chart review was conducted at a Dutch tertiary care center. All patients with Fanconi anemia at clinical follow-up in our hospital were included. Medical files were reviewed to collect data on hearing loss and speech perception in noise difficulties. In total, 49 Fanconi anemia patients were included. Audiograms were available in 29 patients and showed hearing loss in 16 patients (55%). Conductive hearing loss was present in 24.1%, sensorineural in 20.7%, and mixed in 10.3%. A speech in noise test was performed in 17 patients; speech perception in noise was subnormal in nine patients (52.9%) and abnormal in two patients (11.7%). Hearing loss and speech perception in noise abnormalities are common in Fanconi anemia. Therefore, pure tone audiograms and speech in noise tests should be performed, preferably already at a young age, because hearing aids or assistive listening devices could be very valuable in developing language and communication skills. 4. Laryngoscope, 127:2358-2361, 2017. © 2016 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Speech perception in autism spectrum disorder: An activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis.

PubMed

Tryfon, Ana; Foster, Nicholas E V; Sharda, Megha; Hyde, Krista L

2018-02-15

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is often characterized by atypical language profiles and auditory and speech processing. These can contribute to aberrant language and social communication skills in ASD. The study of the neural basis of speech perception in ASD can serve as a potential neurobiological marker of ASD early on, but mixed results across studies renders it difficult to find a reliable neural characterization of speech processing in ASD. To this aim, the present study examined the functional neural basis of speech perception in ASD versus typical development (TD) using an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis of 18 qualifying studies. The present study included separate analyses for TD and ASD, which allowed us to examine patterns of within-group brain activation as well as both common and distinct patterns of brain activation across the ASD and TD groups. Overall, ASD and TD showed mostly common brain activation of speech processing in bilateral superior temporal gyrus (STG) and left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). However, the results revealed trends for some distinct activation in the TD group showing additional activation in higher-order brain areas including left superior frontal gyrus (SFG), left medial frontal gyrus (MFG), and right IFG. These results provide a more reliable neural characterization of speech processing in ASD relative to previous single neuroimaging studies and motivate future work to investigate how these brain signatures relate to behavioral measures of speech processing in ASD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Linking infant-directed speech and face preferences to language outcomes in infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Droucker, Danielle; Curtin, Suzanne; Vouloumanos, Athena

2013-04-01

In this study, the authors aimed to examine whether biases for infant-directed (ID) speech and faces differ between infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (SIBS-A) and infant siblings of typically developing children (SIBS-TD), and whether speech and face biases predict language outcomes and risk group membership. Thirty-six infants were tested at ages 6, 8, 12, and 18 months. Infants heard 2 ID and 2 adult-directed (AD) speech passages paired with either a checkerboard or a face. The authors assessed expressive language at 12 and 18 months and general functioning at 12 months using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (Mullen, 1995). Both infant groups preferred ID to AD speech and preferred faces to checkerboards. SIBS-TD demonstrated higher expressive language at 18 months than did SIBS-A, a finding that correlated with preferences for ID speech at 12 months. Although both groups looked longer to face stimuli than to the checkerboard, the magnitude of the preference was smaller in SIBS-A and predicted expressive vocabulary at 18 months in this group. Infants' preference for faces contributed to risk-group membership in a logistic regression analysis. Infants at heightened risk of ASD differ from typically developing infants in their preferences for ID speech and faces, which may underlie deficits in later language development and social communication.

Speech disturbances and quality of life in schizophrenia: differential impacts on functioning and life satisfaction.

PubMed

Tan, Eric J; Thomas, Neil; Rossell, Susan L

2014-04-01

Speech disturbances in schizophrenia impact on the individual's communicative ability. Although they are considered a core feature of schizophrenia, comparatively little work has been done to examine their impact on the life experiences of patients. This study aimed to examine the relationship between schizophrenia speech disturbances, including those traditionally known as formal thought disorder (TD), and quality of life (QoL). It assessed effects on functioning (objective QoL) and satisfaction (subjective QoL) concurrently, while controlling for the influence of neurocognition and depression. Fifty-four patients with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder were administered the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB), the PANSS, MADRS (with separate ratings for negative TD [verbal underproductivity] and positive TD [verbal disorganisation and pressured speech]) and Lehman's QOLI assessing both objective and subjective QoL. Ratings of positive and negative TD, depression, and general neurocognition were entered into hierarchical regressions to explore their relationship with both life functioning and satisfaction. Verbal underproductivity was a significant predictor of objective QoL, while pressured speech had a trend association with subjective QoL. This suggests a differential relationship between speech disturbances and QoL. Verbal underproductivity seems to affect daily functioning and relations with others, while pressured speech is predictive of satisfaction with life. The impact of verbal underproductivity on QoL suggests it to be an important target for rehabilitation in schizophrenia. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

IEP goals for school-age children with speech sound disorders.

PubMed

Farquharson, Kelly; Tambyraja, Sherine R; Justice, Laura M; Redle, Erin E

2014-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to describe the current state of practice for writing Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals for children with speech sound disorders (SSDs). IEP goals for 146 children receiving services for SSDs within public school systems across two states were coded for their dominant theoretical framework and overall quality. A dichotomous scheme was used for theoretical framework coding: cognitive-linguistic or sensory-motor. Goal quality was determined by examining 7 specific indicators outlined by an empirically tested rating tool. In total, 147 long-term and 490 short-term goals were coded. The results revealed no dominant theoretical framework for long-term goals, whereas short-term goals largely reflected a sensory-motor framework. In terms of quality, the majority of speech production goals were functional and generalizable in nature, but were not able to be easily targeted during common daily tasks or by other members of the IEP team. Short-term goals were consistently rated higher in quality domains when compared to long-term goals. The current state of practice for writing IEP goals for children with SSDs indicates that theoretical framework may be eclectic in nature and likely written to support the individual needs of children with speech sound disorders. Further investigation is warranted to determine the relations between goal quality and child outcomes. (1) Identify two predominant theoretical frameworks and discuss how they apply to IEP goal writing. (2) Discuss quality indicators as they relate to IEP goals for children with speech sound disorders. (3) Discuss the relationship between long-term goals level of quality and related theoretical frameworks. (4) Identify the areas in which business-as-usual IEP goals exhibit strong quality.

'Just wait then and see what he does': a speech act analysis of healthcare professionals' interaction coaching with parents of children with autism spectrum disorders.

PubMed

McKnight, Lindsay M; O'Malley-Keighran, Mary-Pat; Carroll, Clare

2016-11-01

There is evidence indicating that parent training programmes including interaction coaching of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can increase parental responsiveness, promote language development and social interaction skills in children with ASD. However, there is a lack of research exploring precisely how healthcare professionals use language in interaction coaching. To identify the speech acts of healthcare professionals during individual video-recorded interaction coaching sessions of a Hanen-influenced parent training programme with parents of children with ASD. This retrospective study used speech act analysis. Healthcare professional participants included two speech-language therapists and one occupational therapist. Sixteen videos were transcribed and a speech act analysis was conducted to identify the form and functions of the language used by the healthcare professionals. Descriptive statistics provided frequencies and percentages for the different speech acts used across the 16 videos. Six types of speech acts used by the healthcare professionals during coaching sessions were identified. These speech acts were, in order of frequency: Instructing, Modelling, Suggesting, Commanding, Commending and Affirming. The healthcare professionals were found to tailor their interaction coaching to the learning needs of the parents. A pattern was observed in which more direct speech acts were used in instances where indirect speech acts did not achieve the intended response. The study provides an insight into the nature of interaction coaching provided by healthcare professionals during a parent training programme. It identifies the types of language used during interaction coaching. It also highlights additional important aspects of interaction coaching such as the ability of healthcare professionals to adjust the directness of the coaching in order to achieve the intended parental response to the child's interaction. The findings may be used to increase the awareness of healthcare professionals about the types of speech acts used during interaction coaching as well as the manner in which coaching sessions are conducted. © 2016 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Speech-Language Pathologists and Primary Prevention: From Ideas to Action.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flynn, Pauline T.

1983-01-01

Speech-language pathologists can help prevent communication disorders by helping to promote disability awareness, focusing on good health, limiting noise pollution, and helping to prevent injuries due to vocal misuse. Suggested activities for each aspect are presented. (CL)

Treatment for speech disorder in Friedreich ataxia and other hereditary ataxia syndromes.

PubMed

Vogel, Adam P; Folker, Joanne; Poole, Matthew L

2014-10-28

Hereditary ataxia syndromes can result in significant speech impairment, a symptom thought to be responsive to treatment. The type of speech impairment most commonly reported in hereditary ataxias is dysarthria. Dysarthria is a collective term referring to a group of movement disorders affecting the muscular control of speech. Dysarthria affects the ability of individuals to communicate and to participate in society. This in turn reduces quality of life. Given the harmful impact of speech disorder on a person's functioning, treatment of speech impairment in these conditions is important and evidence-based interventions are needed. To assess the effects of interventions for speech disorder in adults and children with Friedreich ataxia and other hereditary ataxias. On 14 October 2013, we searched the Cochrane Neuromuscular Disease Group Specialized Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, PsycINFO, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA), Dissertation Abstracts and trials registries. We checked all references in the identified trials to identify any additional published data. We considered for inclusion randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs that compared treatments for hereditary ataxias with no treatment, placebo or another treatment or combination of treatments, where investigators measured speech production. Two review authors independently selected trials for inclusion, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies using the standard methodological procedures expected by The Cochrane Collaboration. The review authors collected information on adverse effects from included studies. We did not conduct a meta-analysis as no two studies utilised the same assessment procedures within the same treatment. Fourteen clinical trials, involving 721 participants, met the criteria for inclusion in the review. Thirteen studies compared a pharmaceutical treatment with placebo (or a low dose of the intervention), in heterogenous groups of degenerative cerebellar ataxias. Three compounds were studied in two trials each: a levorotatory form of 5-hydroxytryptophan (L-5HT), idebenone and thyrotropin-releasing hormone tartrate (TRH-T); each of the other compounds (riluzole, varenicline, buspirone, betamethasone, coenzyme Q10 with vitamin E, α-tocopheryl quinone and erythropoietin) were studied in one trial. The 14th trial, involving a mixed group of participants with spinocerebellar ataxia, compared the effectiveness of nonspecific physiotherapy and occupational therapy within an inpatient hospital setting to no treatment. No studies utilised traditional speech therapies. We defined the primary outcome measure in this review as the percentage change (improvement) in overall speech production immediately following completion of the intervention or later, measured by any validated speech assessment tool. None of the trials included speech as a primary outcome or examined speech using any validated speech assessment tool. Eleven studies reported speech outcomes derived from a subscale embedded within disease rating scales. The remaining three studies used alternative assessments to measure speech, including mean time to produce a standard sentence, a subjective rating of speech on a 14-point analogue scale, patient-reported assessment of the impact of dysarthria on activities of daily living and acoustic measures of syllable length. One study measured speech both subjectively as part of a disease rating scale and with further measures of speech timing. Three studies utilised the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) and one used the Child Health Questionnaire as measures of general quality of life. A further study utilised the Functional Independence Measure to assess functional health.Five studies reported statistically significant improvement on an overall disease rating scale in which a speech subscale was included. Only three of those studies provided specific data on speech performance; all were comparisons with placebo. Improvements in overall disease severity were observed with α-tocopheryl quinone; however, no significant changes were found on the speech subscale in a group of individuals with Friedreich ataxia. A statistically significant improvement in speech according to a speech disorders subscale was observed with betamethasone. Riluzole was found to have a statistically significant effect on speech in a group of participants with mixed hereditary, sporadic and unknown origin ataxias. No significant differences were observed between treatment and placebo in any other pharmaceutical study. A statistically significant improvement in functional independence occurred at the end of the treatment period in the rehabilitation study compared to the delayed treatment group but these effects were not present 12 to 24 weeks after treatment. Of the four studies that assessed quality of life, none found a significant effect. A variety of minor adverse events were reported for the 13 pharmaceutical therapies, including gastrointestinal side effects and nausea. Serious adverse effects were reported in two participants in one of the L-5HT trials (participants discontinued due to gastrointestinal effects), and in four participants (three taking idebenone, one taking placebo) in the idebenone studies. Serious adverse events with idebenone were gastrointestinal side effects and, in people with a previous history of these events, chest pain and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. The rehabilitation study did not report any adverse events.We considered six studies to be at high risk of bias in some respect. We suspected inadequate blinding of participants or assessors in four studies and poor randomisation in a further two studies. There was a high risk of reporting bias in two studies and attrition bias in four studies. Only one study had a low risk of bias across all criteria. Taken together with other limitations of the studies relating to the validity of the measurement scales used, we downgraded the quality of the evidence for many of the outcomes to low or very low. There is insufficient and low or very low quality evidence from either RCTs or observational studies to determine the effectiveness of any treatment for speech disorder in any of the hereditary ataxia syndromes.

Apraxia of speech: an overview.

PubMed

Ogar, Jennifer; Slama, Hilary; Dronkers, Nina; Amici, Serena; Gorno-Tempini, Maria Luisa

2005-12-01

Apraxia of speech (AOS) is a motor speech disorder that can occur in the absence of aphasia or dysarthria. AOS has been the subject of some controversy since the disorder was first named and described by Darley and his Mayo Clinic colleagues in the 1960s. A recent revival of interest in AOS is due in part to the fact that it is often the first symptom of neurodegenerative diseases, such as primary progressive aphasia and corticobasal degeneration. This article will provide a brief review of terminology associated with AOS, its clinical hallmarks and neuroanatomical correlates. Current models of motor programming will also be addressed as they relate to AOS and finally, typical treatment strategies used in rehabilitating the articulation and prosody deficits associated with AOS will be summarized.