bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Older Siblings on the Language Young Children Hear and Produce
Authors: Wellen Constance J.
Published: July 2014

Mothers told stories to their children, inserting 30 questions about each story under two conditions. In one situation, mothers were alone with their younger child, and in the other condition, an older sibling was also present. During the question-answer interactions, older siblings responded to 60%–65% of all mothers' questions before younger children had a chance to respond and provided direct answers to the questions in 57%–65% of those instances. Mothers responded by producing fewer rephrased questions, fewer questions providing hints and answers, fewer questions functioning as repetitions and expansions, and more directly repeated questions when the older sibling was present. The effect of older siblings' first responses also reduced by half the number of younger children's utterances. The younger children produced fewer noncontent and content answers and more imitated answers in the presence of the older sibling. It is concluded that the presence of older siblings may influence the language young children hear and produce.
Reliability of Threshold, Slope, and PB Max for Monosyllabic Words
Authors: Beattie Randall C. , Raffin Michael J.M.
Published: July 2014

The Auditec recordings of the CID W-22 monosyllables were used to generate test and retest intelligibility functions on normally hearing listeners and subjects with mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss. The normally hearing subjects were tested with 50-word lists at SPLs ranging from 15 to 50 dB. Lists of 25 words were used with the hearing-impaired group. The functions were analyzed to assess the reliability of threshold (50% point), slope (20%–80% points), and maximum intelligibility (PB max). The 50% point was obtained at 28 dB SPL for the normally hearing listeners and at a sensation level (SL) of 12 dB re spondaic thresholds for the hearing-impaired group. Very stable monosyllabic thresholds were found because 95% of the test-retest values were within 6 dB for both subject groups. Slopes of 4.9% per dB and 2.7% per dB were obtained for the normally hearing and hearing-impaired groups, respectively. Fair reliability was observed; 95% of the test-retest values encompassed a range of ± 1.9% per dB for the normally hearing subjects and ± 1.1% per dB for the hearing-impaired group. Although group slopes provide useful information for selecting the range and step size for generating psychometric functions, the value of routinely obtaining slope on an individual basis has not been demonstrated. Even though the same word lists were used for both test and retest measurements, reliability closely agreed with predicted results based on the binomial theorem. In contrast to the large variability for a single list of 25 words, very stable PB max scores were found when two or three scores were averaged on the plateau of the function.
Use of Abstracts, Orientations, and Codas Narration by Language-Disordered and Nondisordered Children
Authors: Sleight Christine C. , Prinz Philip M.
Published: July 2014

In this study language-disordered and nondisordered children viewed a nonverbal film, wrote the story, and narrated it to language-disordered and nondisordered peers who were unfamiliar with the film. The narratives were analyzed for the use of abstracts, orientations (background information), and codas. Language-disordered children made fewer references to the orientation clauses of props and activities than nondisordered children. Neither group modified their language in the areas examined to take into account the communicative status of their listeners. Therapeutic implications for the language-disordered children are presented as are suggestions for future research.
Latency and Amplitude Effects of Electrode Placement on the Early Auditory Evoked Response
Authors: Beattie Randall C. , Beguwala Fatema E. , Mills Dawna M. , Boyd Robyn L.
Published: July 2014

This study examined the effects of electrode placement on the early auditory evoked response in normally hearing subjects. The electrodes are termed noninverting, inverting, and common. Ten commonly used electrode combinations were evaluated. Both amplitudes and latencies of Waves I, III, and V were measured for each electrode combination. No mean differences in latencies were observed for Waves I, III, or V with any of the 10 electrode combinations. Similarly, no statistically significant Wave I or Wave III amplitude differences were found among the 10 electrode montages. However, larger Wave V amplitudes were found with placement of the noninverting electrode at the vertex (0.53 µv) as compared to the upper forehead (0.39 µv). Moreover, Wave V amplitudes were larger for inverting/common electrode placements at the seventh cervical vertebra/forehead, neck/forehead, and neck/neck (0.50 µv) than for mastoid/mastoid and mastoid/forehead placements (0.40 µv). Thus, three combinations of electrodes gave the largest Wave V amplitudes. These placements for the noninverting, inverting, and common electrodes, respectively, were (a) vertex-seventh-forehead, (b) vertex-neck-forehead, and (c) vertex-neck-neck.
Validity of Multiple-Sentence Reading Comprehension Tests for Aphasic Adults
Authors: Nicholas L. E. , MacLennan D. L. , Brookshire R. H.
Published: July 2014

This study assessed the passage dependency of multiple-sentence reading test items from the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (Goodglass & Kaplan, 1983), the Minnesota Test for Differential Diagnosis of Aphasia (Schuell, 1965), Examining for Aphasia (Eisenson, 1954), the Reading Comprehension Battery for Aphasia (LaPointe & Horner, 1979), and the Western Aphasia Battery (Kertesz, 1982). More than half of the test items from these reading tests were answered correctly by a significantly greater than chance number of both aphasic and non-brain-damaged adults without reading the passages whose comprehension the items purported to test. These results suggest that published tests for assessing aphasic persons' comprehension of multiple-sentence passages do not provide valid estimates of such persons' ability to comprehend information from printed texts.
The Use of Perceptual Methods by New Clinicians for Assessing Voice Quality
Authors: Bassich Celia J. , Ludlow Christy L.
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of using perceptual ratings for assessing voice quality in patients with vocal fold nodules or polyps. A 13-dimension perceptual rating system was modeled after systems currently in clinical use. To meet the criterion of 80% mean interjudge reliability, eight hours of training were required for four previously inexperienced listeners. Extended vowel phonations of patients and controls were then rated blindly by the same listeners. Interjudge reliability was greater than .90 for three dimensions judged in the pathological phonations, while intrajudge test-retest agreement was less than 75% on five dimensions. Validity was demonstrated with 100% correct assignment to group by computing a discriminant function employing all dimensions. Despite the extensive training procedures used, our reliability data were not comparable to those reported when highly experienced judges have been used, suggesting that the task of perceptually rating voice quality is difficult and requires extensive professional experience.
Symbolic Play and Social Participation Abilities of Language-Impaired and Normally Developing Children
Authors: Roth Froma P. , Clark Donna M.
Published: July 2014

The symbolic play and social participation behaviors of 6 language-impaired and 8 normal language-learning children were compared on three measures of play: (a) the Symbolic Play Test (Lowe & Costello, 1976), (b) the Brown-Lunzer Scale (Brown, Redmond, Bass, Liebergott, & Swope, 1975), and (c) the Scale of Social Participation in Play (Tizard, Philps, & Plewis, 1976). Subject groups were equated for MLU (Brown, 1973), Developmental Sentence Scoring (Lee, 1974), and performance on the Test of Auditory Comprehension of Language (Carrow, 1973). Results indicated that the language-impaired subjects demonstrated significant deficits in symbolic, adaptive, and integrative play behaviors in comparison with the linguistically equivalent normal subjects. The language-impaired group also evidenced significantly more nonplay and significantly less solitary and parallel play than their normal peers. Findings are discussed with respect to the developmental relationship between language and cognition.
Predicting Spoken Language Acquisition of Profoundly Hearing-Impaired Children
Authors: Geers Ann E. , Moog Jean S.
Published: July 2014

The Spoken Language Predictor (SLP) Index is a proposed guide for making recommendations regarding the most appropriate communication mode to be used in educating a given hearing-impaired child. The SLP Index is the sum of points obtained on five predictor factors that have been weighted according to their contribution to successful spoken language acquisition. The point values assigned for each factor as well as assignment of points to particular test scores within each factor was accomplished by subjective clinical judgment followed by trial application to actual clinic cases.

Three ranges of SLP indexes are associated with three educational recommendations: speech emphasis (SLP = 80–100), provisional speech instruction (SLP = 60–75), and sign language emphasis (SLP = 0–55). The purpose of this article is to describe the development and application of the SLP and preliminary evidence for its stability and validity.
Effects of Simulated Conductive Hearing Loss on Dichotic Listening Performance for Digits
Authors: Niccum Nancy , Speaks Charles , Katsuki-Nakamura Jun , Van Tasell Dianne
Published: July 2014

This experiment assessed conditions under which simulated conductive hearing loss would affect performance on a digit dichotic test. Losses were simulated by insertion of EAR plugs, and each subject served as his/her own control. Performance for left ear plugged and right ear plugged conditions was compared with performance in a normal hearing condition (neither ear plugged). Conductive losses did not affect dichotic performance at test intensities 12 dB above the "knees" of monotic performance-intensity functions for the plugged ears (95% correct points) but did affect dichotic performance for some listeners at intensities that were Within 8 dB of the monotic knees.
Maximum Performance Tests of Speech Production
Authors: Kent Ray D. , Kent Jane F. , Rosenbek John C.
Published: July 2014

The maximum performance tests of speech production are those tests that examine the upper limits of performance for selected speech tasks. Among the most commonly used maximum performance tests are the following: maximum duration of phonation, maximum fricative duration, maximum phonation volume, maximum expiratory pressure, fundamental frequency range, maximum sound pressure level, maximum occluding force of the articulators, and diadochokinetic (maximum repetition) rate. Many clinicians use at least some of these tasks as part of an assessment protocol. These tests are analogous to strength, range, or speed tests in clinical neurology. Given the widespread use of these tests and a rather scattered literature on normative values obtained for them, a survey of the data base seemed in order. This paper summarizes the published normative data, discusses the adequacy of these data for clinical application, and recommends interpretive guidelines to enhance the usefulness of maximum performance tests.
A Critique of Continuous Discourse Tracking as a Test Procedure
Authors: Tye-Murray Nancy , Tyler Richard S.
Published: July 2014

Continuous discourse tracking is a versatile aural rehabilitation procedure. However, it is frequently used as a test instrument to evaluate the effectiveness of communication aids and aural rehabilitation strategies or to compare communication performance using auditory and/or visual stimuli. In this report, shortcomings of this practice are reviewed. Continuous discourse tracking has numerous uncontrolled variables related to the sender (i.e., the tester), the receiver (i.e., the subject), the text materials, and repeated presentations. We suggest that tracking is inappropriate for across-subject designs. For within-subject test designs, stringent guidelines are offered to minimize some of the problems. Test developers should focus their future efforts on devising a test that reflects a natural communication interaction--one that engages the subject in a conversational style of listening.
Otitis Media in Early Childhood and Its Relationship to Later Phonological Development
Authors: Roberts Joanne Erwick , Burchinal Margaret R. , Koch Matthew A. , Footo Marianna M. , Henderson Frederick W.
Published: July 2014

The relationship between otitis media during the first 3 years of life and subsequent speech development was examined in 55 socioeconomically disadvantaged children who attended a research day-care program. The children were participants in a longitudinal study of child development in which the number of episodes of otitis media and the duration of each otitis episode were reported prospectively from infancy. Standardized tests of speech were administered between the ages of 2 ½ and 8 years. No significant relationship was found between otitis media in early childhood and number of common phonological processes or consonants in error used during the preschool years. However, the number of days of otitis media before age 3 was associated with the total number of phonological processes used by children between the ages of 4 ½ and 8 years. Although these findings suggest that phonological processes after age 4 ½ tend to drop out more slowly for children with a history of otitis media than for children Without histories, no consistent patterns were observed for individual phonological processes or for the total number of consonants in error in this age range.
The Concurrent Validity of the Minnesota Child Development Inventory as a Measure of Young Children's Language Development
Authors: Tomblin J. Bruce , Shonrock Cynthia M. , Hardy James C.
Published: July 2014

The extent to which the Minnesota Child Development Inventory (MCDI), could be used to estimate levels of language development in 2-year-old children was examined. Fifty-seven children between 23 and 28 months were given the Sequenced Inventory of Communication Development (SICD), and at the same time a parent completed the MCDI. In addition the mean length of utterance (MLU) was obtained for each child from a spontaneous speech sample. The MCDI Expressive Language scale was found to be a strong predictor of both the SICD Expressive scale and MLU. The MCDI Comprehension-Conceptual scale, presumably a receptive language measure, was moderately correlated with the SICD Receptive scale; however, it was also strongly correlated with the expressive measures. These results demonstrated that the Expressive Language scale of the MCDI was a valid predictor of expressive language for 2-year-old children. The MCDI Comprehension-Conceptual scale appeared to assess both receptive and expressive language, thus complicating its interpretation.
The Communicative Effectiveness Index
Authors: Lomas Jonathan , Pickard Laura , Bester Stella , Elbard Heather , Finlayson Alan , Zoghaib Carolyn
Published: July 2014

Groups of aphasic patients and their spouses generated a series of communication situations that they felt were important in their day-to-day life. Using criteria to ensure that the situations were generalizable across people, times, and places, we reduced the number of situations to 36 and constructed an index that allowed the significant others of 11 recovering and 11 stable aphasic individuals to rate their partners' performance in the situations on two occasions 6 weeks apart. These data were then used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Communicative Effectiveness Index (CETI) as a measure of change in functional communication ability. Further application of a generalization criterion reduced the final index to 16 situations. Results showed the CETI to be internally consistent and to have acceptable test-retest and interrater reliability. It was valid as a measure of functional communication according to the pattern of correlations found with other measures (Western Aphasia Battery, Speech Questionnaire, and global ratings). Finally, it was responsive to functionally important performance change between testings. Further research with the CETI and its usefulness for clinicians and researchers are discussed.
Phonologic Abilities of a Preschool Child with Prader-Willi Syndrome
Authors: Dyson Alice T. , Lombardino Linda J.
Published: July 2014

The case study follows the development of phonologic abilities in a child with Prader-Willi syndrome from age 2:7 to 6:1 during a period in which she was enrolled in language and phonologic remediation. Changes in her phonetic inventory, in the set of phonemes used correctly, and in phonologic processes are described. Although her phonologic system appeared to parallel those of normally developing children in many ways, some unusual sounds and patterns of usage were also seen. Because the effect of the treatment program on the development of her phonologic system cannot be adequately determined, clinicians should use caution when generalizing these results to other children with this syndrome.
Communicative Profiles of Preschool Children with Handicaps
Authors: Wetherby Amy M. , Yonclas Dianne G. , Bryan Amy A.
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this study was to compare the communicative profiles of preschool children with handicaps to those of normal children functioning in the prelinguistic and one-word stage using standard sampling procedures. The children with handicaps included 4 with Down syndrome, 4 with specific language impairments, and 3 with autism. Measures obtained from the communication samples included rates of intentional communication and proportions of communicative functions, discourse structure, communicative means, and syllabic shape. The results of the children with Down syndrome fell within the normal range on all parameters. The common pattern displayed by the children with specific language impairments was a deviation in syllabic shape. The children with autism displayed adequate rates of communicating but fell outside of the normal range for their language stage on the other communicative parameters. Clinical implications of these findings for the early identification of children with communicative impairments are discussed.
Comparisons of Perceptual and Acoustic Characteristics of Tracheoesophageal and Excellent Esophageal Speech
Authors: Sedory S. E. , Hamlet S. L. , Connor N. P.
Published: July 2014

The results of recent studies have established significant acoustic differences between tracheoesophageal (TE) and conventional esophageal speech. Listener preferences and acoustic differences between TE and excellent esophageal speech were examined in the present investigation. Although, as a group, TE speech was characterized by longer extended phonation, more syllables per breath, and increased intensity, there were no significant differences in listener preference between the groups.
Familial Concentration of Developmental Language Impairment
Authors: Tomblin J. Bruce
Published: July 2014

A questionnaire concerning the history of treatment of developmental language disorder was used to evaluate the prevalence of these problems within the immediate family members of second-grade children with and without language impairment. The data obtained from these families revealed strong evidence that such language problems are not randomly distributed across families but rather tend to concentrate within families. Although all family members of the language-impaired second graders demonstrated substantially increased odds for language impairment over those who came from families with normal second graders, a considerable range of increased odds for language impairment existed among the family members. Specifically, brothers and to a lesser degree sisters had a higher familial association with language impairment than did the parents. These results suggest that the factors that contribute to developmental language disorders are at least in part associated with the family unit.
Psycho-Behavioral Characteristics of Children with Vocal Nodules
Authors: Green Ginnie
Published: July 2014

The parents of 30 children referred to speech pathology because of vocal nodules completed the Walker Problem Behavior Identification Checklist (WPBIC) on their children. These checklist responses were then compared to those from the parents of a matched, vocally normal, control group. The nodule children had significantly higher scores on the scales for acting out, distractibility, disturbed peer relations, and immature behaviors. The implications of these results for nodule formation and intervention are discussed.
Key Word Signing
Authors: Windsor Jennifer , Fristoe Macalyne
Published: July 2014

Suprasegmental changes in speaker-signers' speech may be an important component of the results obtained in key-word-sign programs. The aim of this study was to investigate whether untrained listeners could tell a difference between the speech of a person using key word signing with speech and using speech only. Fifty untrained listeners heard an audiotape of six speaker-signers who sometimes used key word signing and sometimes used speech only in their production of 24 spoken narratives. The results demonstrated that listeners could accurately classify all keyword-signed communication of three speaker-signers and the spoken-only communication of all four speaker-signers who had been previously identified as demonstrating natural spoken communication. The major perceived differences between the use of key-word-signed communication and spoken-only communication were differences in speech rate and word emphasis and differences in pausing.
Clinical Studies in Psychogenic Stuttering of Adult Onset
Authors: Roth Carole R. , Aronson Arnold E. , Davis Leo J.
Published: July 2014

Twelve patients (6 men and 6 women), ages 21–79 years, who, as far as it could be determined from their case histories, began to stutter for the first time in adulthood were classified by examining physicians and speech-language pathologists as having psychogenic stuttering. The case histories of these patients were examined to determine the details of their speech and allied complaints, the course and duration of stuttering, and if any psychologically stressful events surrounded the onset and development of the disorder. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) data on 10 of the 12 patients were analyzed independently. The main findings were (a) stuttering was the chief complaint of 11 patients; (b) all 12 patients had additional neurologic-like complaints that turned out to be nonorganic; (c) duration of stuttering from onset to examination ranged from 4 hr to 1.5 years; (d) the stuttering of most patients was variable in severity and returned to normal either spontaneously or as a result of speech therapy or psychotherapy; (e) psychologic stress was associated with the onset in 10 patients: the stress was chronic in 4 patients and acute in 6; (t) MMPI profiles of 9 of 1O patients were abnormal, with four profiles reflective of a conversion reaction; (g) differentiating neurologic from psychogenic stuttering and the need for interdisciplinary collaboration were essential in all 12 cases; and (h) speech therapy and psychotherapy are justified when psychogenic stuttering is diagnosed.
Fast Mapping Word-Learning Abilities of Language-Delayed Preschoolers
Authors: Rice Mabel L. , Buhr JoAnn C. , Nemeth Mary
Published: July 2014

The fast mapping skills of language-delayed 5-year-old children were investigated. Children viewed a video presentation in which four kinds of unfamiliar words (object, action, attribute, and affective state) were incorporated into a narrative script. The pre- and postviewing comprehension of the targeted words was measured. The language-delayed children were compared to two groups, one matched for chronological age (CA) and the other matched for mean length of utterance (MLU). Children were randomly assigned to experimental and control conditions. All three groups indicated fast mapping of unfamiliar words, although the language-delayed children scored lower than the MLU-matched group, who in turn scored lower than the CA-matched group. The experimental effects were most pronounced for object and attribute words. The limited fast mapping of the language-delayed group was not accounted for by a restricted general vocabulary nor by a general delay in grammatical development.
Concomitant Speech and Language Disorders in Stuttering Children
Authors: Nippold Marilyn A.
Published: July 2014

This article presents a critical review of the literature concerning concomitant speech and language disorders in stuttering children. Studies published since the 1920s that examined language onset and disorders of articulation, syntax and morphology, semantics, and word finding are analyzed. Collectively, the studies present a mixed impression of stutterers, not only because of methodological variations, but also because of the tremendous variability that exists among children who stutter. Although the evidence is not convincing that stutterers as a group are more likely than nonstutterers to have deficits in any of these areas, it is clear that some stutterers do have concomitant speech and language problems that may bear some relationship to their stuttering. The message from this body of research is that individual differences among stuttering children should not be ignored during clinical or research activities.
Acknowledgment and Severity of Stuttering as Factors Influencing Nonstutterers' Perceptions of Stutterers
Authors: Collins Constance R. , Blood Gordon W.
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this study was to determine (a) if nonstutterers prefer to interact with mild and severe stutterers who acknowledge their stuttering and (b) if nonstutterers' perceptions of mild and severe stutterers' intelligence, personality, and appearance are altered as a function of stutterers' acknowledgment of their stuttering. Acknowledgment and nonacknowledgment videotapes of two mild and two severe male stutterers were made during interview situations. Eighty-four female subjects examined the interview tapes and were then instructed to answer questions and complete adjective scales. Findings indicate that significant numbers of female nonstutterers prefer to interact with severe stutterers who acknowledged their stuttering. Mild and severe stutterers who acknowledged their stuttering receive more favorable ratings on intelligence, personality, and appearance.
Communication Disorders and Emotional/Behavioral Disorders in Children and Adolescents
Authors: Prizant Barry M. , Audet Lisa R. , Burke Grace M. , Hummel Lauren J. , Maher Suzanne R. , Theadore Geraldine
Published: July 2014

Recent research in child psychiatry has demonstrated a high prevalence of speech, language, and communication disorders in children referred to psychiatric and mental health settings for emotional and behavioral problems. Conversely, children referred to speech and language clinics for communication disorders have been found to have a high rate of diagnosable psychiatric disorders. Most of the emerging knowledge regarding relationships between communication disorders and psychiatric disorders has been presented in the child psychiatric literature. Speech-language pathologists and audiologists also need to be familiar with this information; an understanding of the complex interrelationships between communication disorders and emotional and behavioral disorders is important for diagnosis, assessment, and treatment. The purpose of this article is to review recent research and discuss clinical implications for professionals in speech-language pathology and audiology working with children and adolescents who have, or who are at risk for, developing emotional and behavioral disorders. Issues to be addressed include differential diagnosis, prevention, intervention, and the role of speech-language pathologists serving these children and adolescents.
Maternal Recasts and Other Contingent Replies to Language-Impaired Children
Authors: Conti-Ramsden Gina
Published: July 2014

Mothers' recasts and other contingent replies to their children's utterances were examined in two groups of mother-child dyads. In one group there were 14 dyads that contained language-impaired children; in the other there were 14 dyads that contained non-language-impaired children. Results indicated that mothers' overall use of recasts, as well as other contingent replies, was highly similar for the two groups, except that complex recasts were used more often by the mothers of non-language-impaired children. Differences in discourse functions were also observed. Mothers of language-impaired children used recasts less often than mothers of non-language-impaired children to respond to, or request clarification of, their children's utterances. Further, they more often used such replies to serve the functions of information requests, assertion, or direction. Recasts were also found to vary in relation to observed differences in children's intelligibility and in contrasting patterns of dialogue initiation for the two kinds of dyads.
An Investigation into the Relationship Between Anxiety and Stuttering
Authors: Craig Ashley
Published: July 2014

The relationship between self-reported anxiety and stuttering was explored. Although previous research has mostly shown that persons who stutter are no more anxious than persons who do not stutter, many of these studies had inadequate power to detect significant differences. In this study, a large number of stutterers were assessed on state and trait anxiety before, and on trait anxiety after, intensive behavioral treatment. Their levels of anxiety were compared to those of nonstuttering controls matched for gender, age, and occupational status. Results showed that persons who stutter had significantly higher levels of fear (state anxiety) in a demanding speech situation. They were also shown to have higher levels of chronic anxiety (trait anxiety) than matched controls. However, trait anxiety measured after treatment was within normal levels. Although not allowing the conclusion that anxiety causes stuttering, these results do have important implications for the management of the disorder.
Delayed Recall Deficits in Aphasic Stroke Patients
Authors: Bayles Kathryn A. , Tomoeda Cheryl K.
Published: July 2014

In a comparative study of the performance of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), aphasia resulting from stroke, and normal elders on a variety of neuropsychological tasks, 3 aphasic patients performed similarly to AD patients in the delayed recall of verbal material. The memory deficit of these aphasic patients raised the question of incipient dementia because memory impairment is the hallmark characteristic of AD. However, when the performance profiles of the aphasic patients on all four memory measures administered in the study were compared to those of AD patients, differences made the presence of dementia unlikely. Nonetheless, the possibility remained that a deficit in delayed free recall might be the primordial symptom of dementia. Therefore, the four memory tasks were readministered to the 3 aphasic patients 2 years later, and intergroup performance comparisons again were made. The performance profiles of the aphasic patients obtained 2 years later were superior to and distinct from the AD patients, confirming the absence of dementia at Test Time 1.
Perceptual Characteristics of Consonant Production by Apraxic Speakers
Authors: Odell Katharine , McNeil Malcolm R. , Rosenbek John C. , Hunter Linda
Published: July 2014

Single-word repetitions by 4 brain-damaged adults with apraxia of speech (AOS) but without concomitant aphasia were transcribed using a standard narrow phonetic transcription system. Analysis of consonant productions yielded a profile of AOS slightly different from the traditionally accepted one. Among the results was the atypical finding that consonant distortions exceeded all other error types including sound substitutions. In addition, errors predominated in the medial position of words, and monosyllabic words had approximately the same error rate per number of consonants as did multisyllabic words. Results are discussed with reference to previous perceptual descriptions of AOS and in relationship to Broca's aphasia. Results are also interpreted relative to linguistic and motoric components of speech production models.
What is Stuttering?
Authors: Perkins William H.
Published: July 2014

The most definitive evidence about any aspect of stuttering is that listeners are unable to judge unit-by-unit occurrences of it acceptably. This result has been replicated repeatedly in every decade for a half century. Nonetheless, for virtually all research and most clinical practice, stuttering has been defined perceptually as if listeners could identify it accurately. Reasons for this state of affairs and its implications for therapy, theory, and research are analyzed. An alternative speech production definition with its implications is proposed. Further, a diagnostic method of validating authentic stuttering is described, as is an objective for fluency-skill therapy that reduces rather than reinforces avoidance behavior.
The Relationship between Psychopathology and Speech and Language Disorders in Neurologic Patients
Authors: Sapir Shimon , Aronson Arnold E.
Published: July 2014

Depression, anxiety, and conversion reaction are common in neurologic patients. These disorders can produce neurologic-like symptoms that either mask or intensify those produced by the neurologic disease. This paper reviews clinical and research findings relating psychopathology to the formation and remediation of speech and language disorders in neurologic patients. The need to consider the psychosocial and psychopathological aspects of neurologic communicative disorders, and the link between emotional and communicative processes, are emphasized. Diagnostic criteria for the identification of psychogenic communicative disorders are outlined.
Acoustic and Psychophysical Dimensions of the Perceived Speech Naturalness of Nonstutterers and Posttreatment Stutterers
Authors: Metz Dale Evan , Schiavetti Nicholas , Sacco Pat Richard
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this study was twofold: to determine through psychophysical comparison of scaling data whether speech naturalness is a prothetic or a metathetic continuum, and to examine the relationship between selected acoustic characteristics of the speech of nonstutterers and treated stutterers and listeners' judgments of their speech naturalness. Comparison of magnitude estimation and interval scaling data indicated that speech naturalness behaves like a metathetic continuum, suggesting that either scaling procedure is valid for the quantification of this dimension. The speech of the nonstutterers was judged more natural than the speech of the treated stutterers, and a global voice onset time (VOT) measure (averaged across places of articulation) and a sentence duration measure were found to be the acoustic parameters most highly correlated with and predictive of speech naturalness. These results suggest the possibility that stuttering treatments that employ strategies like gentle voicing onset and prolonged speech may result in somewhat slower posttherapy speech patterns characterized by prolonged VOTs that could influence listeners to judge the speech as more unnatural than the speech of nonstutterers.
Who shall be Called Language Disordered? Some Reflections and One Perspective
Authors: Lahey Margaret
Published: July 2014

This paper discusses some issues involved in identifying children who have language problems. The perspective taken is that (a) the goal of identification must be clearly distinguished from other goals of assessment; (b) identification of children with language disorders is better based on language performance than on inferences about the language knowledge that underlies this performance; (c) language performance must be sampled in more than one context, including, for purposes of identification, contexts that stress the language system; (d) the standards of expectations for comparing performance and determining differences must be explicit; (e) standards used to determine differences are better based on the performance of chronological-age peers than on the performance of children with similar mental abilities; and (f) children who do not evidence poor language performance but are considered at risk for language-related problems should be distinguished from children who demonstrate poor language skills.
Spoken and Written English Errors of Postsecondary Students with Severe Hearing Impairment
Authors: McAfee Mary C. , Kelly Jacquelyn F. , Samar Vincent J.
Published: July 2014

This investigation compared the spoken and written English errors of 20 hearing-impaired postsecondary students with intelligible speech and poor English language. Error categories used to assess the language samples were function, content, and structure. Spoken and written performances were distinguished only by a greater number of function word errors in writing samples. A trend toward greater complexity in writing was also found. Implications for instruction are discussed.
Partner Sensitivity to Communication Behavior of Young Children with Developmental Disabilities
Authors: Wilcox M. Jeanne , Kouri Theresa A. , Caswell Susan
Published: July 2014

Aspects of partner sensitivity to communication behaviors of 24 presymbolic children with developmental disabilities were examined. The children were grouped according to their movement abilities (normal vs. abnormal patterns) and communication status (intentional vs. preintentional). Participating communication partners were those with whom the children interacted on a regular basis and included their mothers, early childhood special educators, and speech-language pathologists. Procedures were developed whereby the partners served as informants in order to provide information regarding (a) recognition of the children's communicative cues and (b) consistency of cue recognition and descriptions across partners. Results indicated wide individual variability in the partners' basic recognition abilities as well as their consistency with each other. Further, the observed variations could not be attributed to the children's movement and communication abilities. It was concluded that sensitivity, as measured in the present investigation, was highly partner-child specific, with some children likely to be exposed to more optimal interactions than others.
Verbal Behaviors of Preschool Stutterers and Conversational Partners
Authors: Meyers Susan C.
Published: July 2014

Standard counseling practices with the families of young stutterers include recommendations that listeners' negative verbal behaviors be modified in order to reduce the likelihood of stuttering. This study tested the hypothesis that stuttering and normal disfluencies in preschool stutterers are related to selected verbal behaviors in conversational partners. Twelve 2- to 6-year-old stutterers were video recorded while playing with their mother, father, and a familiar peer. The resulting videotapes were transcribed and two types of social communicative analyses (total number of words and utterances, verbal intent of the speaker) were undertaken. Results suggested that fathers used more words and utterances than mothers and peers. Parents provided more positive interactions with their stutterer offspring than did peers. Parents also asked significantly more negative and routine questions when talking to their stuttering child. Peer playmates were significantly more negative and generally commented more frequently when interacting with stutterers than did the parents. Stutterers were involved in significantly more positive interactions with their fathers. The frequency of fluency failures did not differ significantly when stutterers communicated with their mother, father, or peer partners. Implications regarding verbal styles of partners in relationship to the stuttering of preschool children are discussed.
Aphasic and Non-Brain-Damaged Adults' Descriptions of Aphasia Test Pictures and Gender-Biased Pictures
Authors: Correia Louise , Brookshire Robert H. , Nicholas Linda E.
Published: July 2014

Twelve aphasic and 12 non-brain-damaged adult males described the speech elicitation pictures from the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (BDAE), the Minnesota Test for Differential Diagnosis of Aphasia (MTDDA), the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB), and six pictures representing male-biased or female-biased daily-life situations. For each speech sample we calculated number of words, words per minute, number of correct information units, percentage of words that were correct information units, and percentage of correct information units that were nouns or adjectives (amount of enumeration or naming). The WAB picture elicited more enumeration than the BDAE or MTDDA pictures, and information was produced at a slower rate in response to the WAB picture than the other two pictures. These differences were statistically significant and appear to be clinically important. Gender bias had statistically significant effects on two measures. Male-biased pictures elicited significantly more words and significantly more correct information units than female-biased pictures. However, these differences were small and do not appear to be clinically important. Two of the five measures (words per minute and percentage of words that were correct information units) differentiated non-brain-damaged speakers from aphasic speakers. The magnitude of these differences suggests that these measures provide clinically important information about the problems aphasic adults may have when they produce narrative discourse.
An Acoustic Method for Clinical Examination of the Ear
Authors: Zwislocki J.
Published: July 2014

An objective acoustic method is suggested for diagnostic examination of the ear. It provides supplementary information to the otoscopic and audiometric examinations. The acoustic method is based on impedance measurements at the eardrum by means of an acoustic bridge that is calibrated in absolute acoustic resistance and compliance units. The obtained values can be read directly on the instrument dials and no time consuming computations are required. The article includes an explanation of the concept of acoustic impedance, an analysis of the middle ear mechanism and of the acoustic effects of middle ear pathologies, in addition to a description of the suggested method.
Hearing in Mice via GSR Audiometry
Authors: Berlin Charles I.
Published: July 2014

Hearing in mice has been difficult to measure behaviorally. With GSR as the basic tool, the sensitivity curve to pure tones in mice has been successfully outlined. The most sensitive frequency-intensity combination was 15 000 cps at 0-5 dB re: 0.0002 dyne/cm
2
, with responses noted from 1 000 to beyond 70 000 cps. Some problems of reliability of conditioning were encountered, as well as findings concerning the inverse relationship between the size of GSR to unattenuated tones and the sound pressure necessary to elicit conditioned responses at or near threshold. These data agree well with the sensitivity of single units of the eighth nerve of the mouse.
Evoked Responses to Auditory Stimuli in Man Using a Summing Computer
Authors: McCandless Geary A. , Best LaVar
Published: July 2014

A special purpose analog computer system was used to measure evoked auditory responses in children and adults. The responses were studied as a function of stimulus intensity, electrode placement, monaural-binaural stimulus presentation, and stimulus repetition rate. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the use of a summing computer system as a device to assess hearing in children and adults. Consistent evoked responses were obtained near threshold levels. Evoked response patterns vary in different age groups, and the pattern is modified by changes in stimulus parameter and electrode placement. Results suggest that a summing computer may hold real promise as a tool for providing information concerning auditory function.
Hearing Loss and Auditory Lateralization
Authors: Melnick William , Bilger Robert C.
Published: July 2014

An experiment was conducted with 75 subjects (61 with hearing loss and 14 without) to determine if hard-of-hearing listeners could benefit from binaural cues to auditory space. Both speech and noise signals were presented through earphones, and the auditory cues to phenomenal space were provided by reversing the interaural phase of the noise. The results indicate that hard-of-hearing listeners are able to make approximately the same use of these binaural cues as listeners with normal hearing.
The Effect of Meprobamate on Recovery from Aphasia
Authors: West Robert , Stockel Susan
Published: July 2014

Language training was given to 29 aphasic patients under the influence of two psychotropic drugs. A double-blind procedure, using a placebo as a control, was employed. No significant differences were found.
The Relationship of Adaptation and Consistency to Improvement in Stuttering Therapy
Authors: Lanyon Richard I.
Published: July 2014

For 33 stutterers of at least average severity, two measures of adaptation and one of consistency were made prior to any therapy at the Iowa Speech Clinic. This study tested the hypothesis that high adaptation and low consistency scores are related to improvement in stuttering therapy. Each measure was correlated with three criteria of improvement (increase in rate of utterance, decrease in frequency of disfluencies, and decrease in judged severity) over a year’s continuous therapy. The hypothesis received partial support, though correlations were too small to be of any clinical significance. One need in future work is to improve the reliability of measurement.
Responses of Aged Males to Time-Altered Speech Stimuli
Authors: Luterman David M. , Welsh Oliver L. , Melrose Jay
Published: July 2014

The responses of 18 Spanish-American War veterans to compressed and expanded PB word lists were compared with the responses of two control groups composed of young hard-of-hearing subjects and young normal subjects. The responses were obtained at two levels of compression, 10% and 20%, and two levels of expansion, 10% and 20%.

All subjects in this study responded in a similar manner to the time-altered material. Neither the experimental nor the control groups' discrimination ability improved with expanded speech, or at standard or increased response time intervals. Both levels of speech compression were detrimental to subjects' performances relative to the unaltered condition. The 4-sec interval between presentation items on recorded speech appeared to be adequate for testing the hearing of aged subjects.
Age Recognition from Voice
Authors: Ptacek Paul H. , Sander Eric K.
Published: July 2014

The ability of 10 listeners to differentiate the voices of younger adults (under age 35) from older (over age 65) subjects on the basis of a prolonged vowel, a reading sample played backward, and a reading sample played forward was tested. Listeners were able to differentiate the voices of younger adults from aged speakers with impressive accuracy under each of the three successive listening conditions of decreasing difficulty.
The Effects of Response Contingent Shock on Stuttering
Authors: Martin Richard R. , Siegel Gerald M.
Published: July 2014

The effects of response contingent shock on stuttering frequency were studied in three adult male stutterers. Each subject’s stuttering frequency base rate was obtained, then response contingent shock and various discriminative stimuli were introduced.

The general findings were: (1) introduction of response contingent shock reduced stuttering frequency essentially to zero, while removal of shock occasioned a return to base rate frequency; (2) specific stuttering behaviors could be independently manipulated; (3) for two subjects, the shock procedure did not systematically alter word output level; (4) stuttering frequency was brought under discriminative stimulus control.