bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Aided Language Stimulation on Symbol Comprehension and Production in Children With Moderate Cognitive Disabilities
Authors: Harris Michael D. , Reichle Joe
Published: April 2006

Over the past decade, aided language stimulation has emerged as a strategy to promote both symbol comprehension and symbol production among individuals who use graphic mode communication systems. During aided language stimulation, an interventionist points to a graphic symbol while simultaneously producing the corresponding spoken word during natural communicative exchanges. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of aided language stimulation on children with moderate cognitive disabilities. Three preschool children with moderate cognitive disabilities who were functionally nonspeaking participated in the investigation. The investigator implemented a multiple-probe design across symbol sets/activities. Elicited probes were used to determine whether the children increased their comprehension and production of graphic symbols. Results indicated that all 3 children displayed increased symbol comprehension and production following the implementation of aided language stimulation.
Use of Narrative-Based Language Intervention With Children Who Have Specific Language Impairment
Authors: Swanson Lori A. , Fey Marc E. , Mills Carrie E. , Hood Lynn S.
Published: April 2006

Ten 7–8-year-old children with specific language impairment participated in a 6-week program of narrative-based language intervention (NBLI) in an effort to evaluate NBLI’s feasibility. Each intervention session targeted story content as well as story and sentence form using story retell and generation tasks. Eight children achieved the clinically significant improvement criterion from pre- and posttest comparisons of at least 1.45 points on a narrative quality (NQ) rating (
p
< .013). Throughout the NBLI program, the children were informally observed to show increased self-confidence in their narrative production skills. Nearly all children preferred story generation activities over story retell tasks, while story retell tasks were favored over sentence imitation drills. Pre- and posttest comparisons for number of different words, developmental sentence score, and a sentence imitation task were nonsignificant. This indicated no further evidence of positive outcomes for NBLI. Based on the significant findings for NQ, NBLI is worthy of further investigation. Modifications to enhance its ability to produce positive gains are discussed.
Measuring Severity of Involvement in Speech Delay
Authors: Flipsen Peter , Hammer Jill B. , Yost Kathryn M.
Published: April 2006

Purpose:
This study examined whether any of a series of segmental and whole-word measures of articulatory competence captured more of the variance in impressionistic ratings of severity of involvement in speech delay. It also examined whether knowing the age of the child affected severity ratings.

Method:
Ten very experienced speech-language pathologists rated severity of involvement from conversational speech samples obtained from 17 children with delayed speech. The ratings were then correlated with the candidate measures. The ratings by those who knew the ages of the children were also compared with the ratings by those who did not.

Results:
The severity ratings showed considerable variability. Ratings from 6 clinicians who largely agreed with each other (a "tin standard" group) were significantly associated with several of the candidate measures. Clinicians appeared to pay attention to number, type, and consistency of errors when rating severity. They also attended to both segmental and whole-word levels. Knowledge of the children’s ages did not appear to affect the ratings.

Conclusions:
The observed variability in the severity ratings raises significant questions about their usefulness. Objective measures such as some of those examined herein offer potential as more valid and reliable severity indexes.
Comparison of Alternatives to Multidimensional Scoring in the Assessment of Language Comprehension in Aphasia
Authors: Odekar Anshula , Hallowell Brooke
Published: April 2006

Purpose:
Multidimensional scoring methods yield valuable information about communication abilities. However, issues of training demands for valid and reliable scoring, especially in current service delivery contexts, may preclude common usage. Alternatives to multidimensional scoring were investigated in a sample of adults with aphasia.

Method:
One alternative method involved modified multidimensional scoring; the others incorporated correct/incorrect scoring. The scores for the 3 alternative methods were derived from the scores obtained using the traditional multidimensional method. Revised Token Test scores obtained using the traditional multidimensional method were collected from 10 participants with aphasia. These scores were manipulated to yield 3 additional sets of scores corresponding to the alternative methods.

Results:
There were no significant differences between the traditional multidimensional method and 1 of the correct/incorrect methods. Significant differences were found between traditional multidimensional scoring and each of the other 2 methods.

Conclusions:
The study findings suggest that simpler scoring systems might yield similar data to traditional multidimensional scoring. If simpler alternative methods yield similar results, using alternative scoring methods with published tests based on multidimensional scoring will help expand their use in everyday clinical practice.
Effects of Providing and Withholding Postfitting Fine-Tuning Adjustments on Outcome Measures in Novice Hearing Aid Users
Authors: Cunningham David R. , Williams Kristie J. , Goldsmith L. Jane
Published: April 2006

This pilot study was designed to examine the effects of either providing or withholding subject-driven, postfitting electroacoustic changes (fine tuning) on hearing aid performance as measured by tests of speech recognition in noise, sound quality, and benefit. A group of adult first-time hearing aid users with moderate, high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss was studied over a 5-month postfitting period. Half of the group served as a control group; half constituted the treatment group. Treatment consisted of making as many postfitting electroacoustic manipulations as the participants’ complaints/observations required. These adjustments were withheld from the control group individuals. Group performance differences were assessed using the COSI, two versions of the APHAB, a Satisfaction scale, a Sound Quality tool, and the SIN test. Analysis revealed no statistically significant differences in the control and treatment groups’ performances or perceived benefit at any of the five postfitting test sessions. These data suggested that there was no measurable advantage to be derived from making postfitting frequency-gain adjustments of 10 dB or less to hearing aids with wide dynamic range compression fitted in the manner described in this article. Definitive studies of the effects of postfitting electroacoustic fine tuning must be undertaken.
Neurophysiologic Basis for Cochlear and Auditory Brainstem Implants
Authors: Møller Aage R.
Published: April 2006

The physiologic basis for cochlear and brainstem implants is discussed. It is concluded that the success of cochlear implants may be explained by assuming that the auditory system can adequately discriminate complex sounds, such as speech sounds, on the basis of their temporal structure when that is encoded in a few separate frequency bands to offer moderate separation of spectral components. The most important roles of the cochlea seems to be to prepare complex sounds for temporal analysis and to create separate channels through which information in different frequency bands is transmitted separately to higher nervous centers for decoding of temporal information. It is then pertinent to ask how many channels are needed. Because speech discrimination is very important, it is probably sufficient to use enough channels to separate formants from each other.
Boston University Doctor of Science Degree Program
Authors: Kidd Gerald D. , Cox L. Clarke , Matthies Melanie L.
Published: April 2006

This article describes the development of the Boston University Clinical Doctoral Program in Audiology dating from its inception in 1985 to the present. The issues surrounding the establishment of the clinical doctorate, entering the program, and the curriculum are discussed. The unique features of this program and associated resources available within the clinical and scientific community of the greater Boston area are highlighted.
Speech Perception Benefits From Sound Field FM Amplification
Authors: Mendel Lisa Lucks , Roberts Richard A. , Walton Julie H.
Published: April 2006

The effects of sound field FM amplification (SFA) on speech perception performance were investigated in this 2-year study. Kindergarten children with normal hearing were randomly assigned to a treatment group, which comprised 7 classrooms that had SFA systems installed in them, and to a control group, which comprised another 7 classrooms that did not have any amplification available. The children were followed from the beginning of kindergarten through the end of first grade. Improvements in speech perception performance were measured for both groups, with the treatment group demonstrating progress much sooner than the control group. However, this difference was not apparent by the end of the study. The only significant difference measured between the treatment and control groups was that the treatment group performed significantly better than the control group when the stimuli were presented with SFA for the treatment group and without SFA for the control group. The teachers who used SFA enjoyed using amplification in their classrooms and felt that their students enjoyed using it as well.
Estimation of Hearing Loss in Children
Authors: Stueve Melissa Payne , O’Rourke CarolAnn
Published: April 2006

The current pediatric test battery is limited in the severe-to-profound hearing loss range by the inability to obtain frequency-specific thresholds. Auditory steady-state response (ASSR) is an evoked potential test that can accurately measure auditory sensitivity beyond the limits of other test methods. The limited amount of clinical research, however, has delayed the acceptance of ASSR into the standard pediatric test battery. This study compared thresholds from 76 children using ASSR, ABR, and behavioral test methods. Resulting correlations were strong and supported the inclusion of ASSR into the standard pediatric test battery. ASSR testing provides audiometric information that is essential in the management of children with severe-to-profound hearing loss.
Effects of Frequency Modulation (FM) Transmitter Microphone Directivity on Speech Perception in Noise
Authors: Lewis M. Samantha , Crandell Carl C. , Kreisman Nicole V.
Published: April 2006

Frequency modulation (FM) technology can significantly improve the speech perception ability of individuals with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in background noise. Previous investigations have demonstrated that the microphone design of the FM transmitter can have a significant impact on this improved speech perception. The purpose of this investigation was to compare 3 types of FM transmitter microphone designs: (a) wide angle (omnidirectional microphone), which amplifies sounds coming from all directions around the microphone equally; (b) zoom (1 directional microphone), which provides less amplification to signals coming from the rear, and (c) superzoom (2 directional microphones), which provides less amplification to signals originating from the rear and the sides. Fifteen adults with bilateral slight to moderately severe SNHL participated. Speech perception was assessed using the Hearing in Noise Test (M. Nilsson, S. Soli, & J. Sullivan, 1994). Speech spectrum shaped noise served as the noise competition. Results revealed that the best speech perception in noise was obtained when the FM transmitter was used in the zoom setting. The poorest performance was obtained when the FM transmitter was in the wide-angle mode. The clinical implications of these results are discussed.
The University of Texas at Dallas/Callier Center for Communication Disorders Doctor of Audiology Program
Authors: Roeser Ross J. , Thibodeau Linda , Cokely Carol
Published: April 2006

Purpose:
The purpose of this article is to describe the history and resources of the doctor of audiology (AuD) program at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD)/Callier Center for Communication Disorders, as well as to provide an overview of the program.

Method:
Data from 1999, when the AuD program was approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Program, to the present were reviewed.

Conclusions:
The UTD/Callier Center AuD program includes more than 40 faculty members, spans 3 campuses, and has 8 research laboratories. Total enrollment is 32 students (8 students are admitted each year for the 4-year program). Students have access to extensive resources and learning opportunities. The clinical and research programs at the UTD/Callier Center are actively involved in providing high-quality, indepth education to future doctors of audiology.
An Alternate MLU Calculation
Authors: Johnston Judith R.
Published: April 2006

This study investigated the effect of removing elliptical question responses, imitative utterances, and single-word Yes/No responses before calculating MLU. Forty-seven language samples from preschoolers with and without language impairment were analyzed. Initial MLUs ranged from 2.0 to 6.5 across both groups. The alternate calculation procedures resulted in an average 18% increase in the MLU index, with individual samples increasing as little as 3% or as much as 49%. The magnitude of the effect was primarily related to discourse properties, although in the SLI group there were secondary relationships to language level and proficiency. The observed variation in the discourse properties of language samples makes the alternate MLU index attractive to clinicians and researchers.
Recognition of Speech Produced in Noise
Authors: Pittman Andrea L. , Wiley Terry L.
Published: April 2006

A two-part study examined recognition of speech produced in quiet and in noise by normal hearing adults. In Part I 5 women produced 50 sentences consisting of an ambiguous carrier phrase followed by a unique target word. These sentences were spoken in three environments: quiet, wide band noise (WBN), and meaningful multi-talker babble (MMB). The WBN and MMB competitors were presented through insert earphones at 80 dB SPL. For each talker, the mean vocal level, long-term average speech spectra, and mean word duration were calculated for the 50 target words produced in each speaking environment. Compared to quiet, the vocal levels produced in WBN and MMB increased an average of 14.5 dB. The increase in vocal level was characterized by increased spectral energy in the high frequencies. Word duration also increased an average of 77 ms in WBN and MMB relative to the quiet condition. In Part II, the sentences produced by one of the 5 talkers were presented to 30 adults in the presence of multi-talker babble under two conditions. Recognition was evaluated for each condition. In the first condition, the sentences produced in quiet and in noise were presented at equal signal-to-noise ratios (SNR
E
). This served to remove the vocal level differences between the speech samples. In the second condition, the vocal level differences were preserved (SNR
P
). For the SNR
E
condition, recognition of the speech produced in WBN and MMB was on average 15% higher than that for the speech produced in quiet. For the SNR
P
condition, recognition increased an average of 69% for these same speech samples relative to speech produced in quiet. In general, correlational analyses failed to show a direct relation between the acoustic properties measured in Part I and the recognition measures in Part II.
Effects of Linguistic Cues and Stimulus Cohesion on Intelligibility of Severely Dysarthric Speech
Authors: Hustad Katherine C. , Beukelman David R.
Published: April 2006

This study examined the effects of supplemental cues on the intelligibility of unrelated sentences and related sentences (narratives) produced by 4 women with severe dysarthria secondary to cerebral palsy. Visual images containing alphabet, topic, combined (alphabet and topic together), and no cues were imposed in real time on audio speech samples and presented to 72 nondisabled listeners. Statistical results showed that cue conditions had similar effects on unrelated and on related sentence intelligibility. Combined cues resulted in higher intelligibility scores than any other cue condition, no cues resulted in lower intelligibility scores than any other cue condition, and alphabet cues yielded higher intelligibility scores than topic cues. Intelligibility of related and unrelated sentences differed only for alphabet cues where related sentences had greater intelligibility than unrelated sentences. Results are discussed relative to the quantity and type of cues.
Effects of Frequency-Shifted Auditory Feedback on Fundamental Frequency of Long Stressed and Unstressed Syllables
Authors: Natke Ulrich , Kalveram Karl Theodor
Published: April 2006

Twenty-four normally speaking subjects had to utter the test word /tatatas/with different stress patterns repeatedly. Auditory feedback was provided by headphones and was shifted downwards in frequency during randomly selected trials while the subjects were speaking the complete test word. If the first syllable was long stressed, fundamental frequency of the vowel significantly increased by 2 Hz (corresponding to 25.5 cents) under frequency-shifted auditory feedback of .5 octave downwards, whereas under a shift of one semitone downwards a trend of an increase could be observed. If the first syllable was unstressed, fundamental frequency remained unaffected. Regarding the second syllable, significant increases or a trend for an increase of fundamental frequency was found in both shifting conditions. Results indicate a negative feedback mechanism that controls the fundamental frequency via auditory feedback in speech production. However, within a syllable a response could be found only if the syllable duration was long enough. Compensation for frequency-shifted auditory feedback still is quite imperfect. It is concluded that control of fundamental frequency is rather important on a suprasegmental level.
Acoustical Analysis of Spanish Vowels Produced by Laryngectomized Subjects
Authors: Cervera Teresa , Miralles José L. , González-Àlvarez Julio
Published: April 2006

The purpose of this study was to describe the acoustic characteristics of Spanish vowels in subjects who had undergone a total laryngectomy and to compare the results with those obtained in a control group of subjects who spoke normally. Our results are discussed in relation to those obtained in previous studies with English-speaking laryngectomized patients. The comparison between English and Spanish, which differ widely in the size of their vowel inventories, will help us to determine specific or universal vowel production characteristics in these patients. Our second objective was to relate the acoustic properties of these vowels to the perceptual data obtained in our previous work (J. L. Miralles & T. Cervera, 1995). In that study, results indicated that vowels produced by alaryngeal speakers were well perceived in word context.

Vowels were produced in CVCV word context by two groups of patients who had undergone laryngectomy: tracheoesophageal speakers (TES) and esophageal speakers. In addition a control group of normal talkers was included. Audio recordings of 24 Spanish words produced by each speaker were analyzed using CSL (Kay Elemetrics). Results showed that F1, F2, and vowel duration of alaryngeal speakers differ significantly from normal values. In general, laryngectomized patients produce vowels with higher formant frequencies and longer durations than the group of laryngeal subjects. Thus, the data indicate modifications either in the frequency or temporal domain, following the same tendency found in previous studies with English-speaking laryngectomized speakers.
Longitudinal Changes in Articulation Rate and Phonetic Phrase Length in Children With Speech Delay
Authors: Flipsen Peter
Published: April 2006

This study examined long-term changes in articulation rate (the pace at which speech segments are produced) and phonetic phrase length in the conversational speech of two groups of children with speech delay (SD) of unknown origin. Initial testing for both groups occurred at preschool age, with follow-up testing conducted for the Early Follow-Up Group (
n
= 17) at age 9 years and for the Late Follow-Up Group (
n
= 36) at age 12–16 years. At follow-up testing both groups produced significantly faster articulation rates (measured in both syllables per second and phones per second) and significantly longer phonetic phrases (measured in both syllables and phones) than at initial testing. Articulation rates at both test times were also judged to be similar to published values from typically developing children of similar ages when measured in syllables per second. However, findings for rate in phones per second suggested that at least at initial testing the children were articulating speech at a slower rate than their typically developing peers. This latter finding, however, may have been an artifact of the high frequency of errors—such as cluster reduction and final consonant deletion —observed in the initial samples. It would appear, therefore, that children with SD of unknown origin may start out with slower than normal articulation rates but eventually catch up to their typically developing peers.
“Pitch” Accent in Alaryngeal Speech
Authors: Rossum M. A. van , Krom G. de , Nooteboom S. G. , Quené H.
Published: April 2006

Highly proficient alaryngeal speakers are known to convey prosody successfully. The present study investigated whether alaryngeal speakers not selected on grounds of proficiency were able to convey pitch accent (a pitch accent is realized on the word that is in focus, cf. Bolinger, 1958). The participating speakers (10 tracheoesophageal, 9 esophageal, and 10 laryngeal [control] speakers) produced sentences in which accent was cued by the preceding context. For each utterance, a group of listeners identified which word conveyed accent. All speakers were able to convey accent. Acoustic analyses showed that some alaryngeal speakers had little or no control over fundamental frequency. Contrary to expectation, these speakers did not compensate by using nonmelodic cues, whereas speakers using F0 did use nonmelodic cues. Thus, temporal and intensity cues are concomitant with the use of F0; if F0 is affected, these nonmelodic cues will be as well. A pitch perception experiment confirmed that alaryngeal speakers who had no control over F0 and who did not use nonmelodic cues were nevertheless able to produce pitch movements. Speakers with no control over F0 apparently relied on an alternative pitch system to convey accents and other pitch movements.
The Interaction of Ambient Frequency and Feature Complexity in the Diphthong Errors of Children With Phonological Disorders
Authors: Stokes Stephanie F. , Lau Jessica Tse-Kay , Ciocca Valter
Published: April 2006

This study examined the interaction of ambient frequency and feature complexity in the diphthong errors produced by Cantonese-speaking children with phonological disorders. A total of 611 diphthongs produced by 13 Cantonese-speaking children with speech disorders were subjected to perceptual analysis. The percentage accuracy of production and error patterns was examined. Perceptual analysis showed that /i/ and /ui/ were most frequently in error, whereas /ei/, /ou/, and /u/ were least frequently in error. Diphthong errors (usually diphthong reduction) arise as a function of both ambient frequency and feature complexity. The combination of ambient frequency and feature complexity yields a complexity metric reflecting accuracy of production. Treatment guidelines include consideration of three basic factors: ambient frequency, feature complexity, and error patterns.
Word-Learning by Preschoolers With Specific Language Impairment
Authors: Gray Shelley
Published: April 2006

Thirty preschool children with specific language impairment (SLI) and 30 agematched controls with normal language (NL) participated in a study to compare group performance and to examine the relationship between fast mapping and word learning and between comprehension and production of new words. The groups performed similarly on the fast-mapping task. The NL group comprehended and produced significantly more words than the SLI group, and did so in fewer trials. Language test scores did not predict word-learning performance for either group. Some children with SLI may need to hear a new word twice as many times as their NL peers before comprehending it and may need twice as many opportunities to practice producing the word before using it independently.
Perception of Vocal Tremor
Authors: Kreiman Jody , Gabelman Brian , Gerratt Bruce R.
Published: April 2006

Vocal tremors characterize many pathological voices, but acoustic-perceptual aspects of tremor are poorly understood. To investigate this relationship, 2 tremor models were implemented in a custom voice synthesizer. The first modulated fundamental frequency (F0) with a sine wave. The second provided irregular modulation. Control parameters in both models were the frequency and amplitude of the F0 modulating waveform. Thirty-two 1-s samples of /a/, produced by speakers with vocal pathology, were modeled in the synthesizer. Synthetic copies of each vowel were created by using tremor parameters derived from different features of F0 versus time plots of the natural stimuli or by using parameters chosen to match the original stimuli perceptually. Listeners compared synthetic and original stimuli in 3 experiments. Sine wave and irregular tremor models both provided excellent matches to subsets of the voices. The perceptual importance of the shape of the modulating waveform depended on the severity of the tremor, with the choice of tremor model increasing in importance as the tremor increased in severity. The average frequency deviation from the mean F0 proved a good predictor of the perceived amplitude of a tremor. Differences in tremor rates were easiest to hear when the tremor was sinusoidal and of small amplitude. Differences in tremor rate were difficult to judge for tremors of large amplitude or in the context of irregularities in the pattern of frequency modulation. These results suggest that difference limens are larger for modulation rates and amplitudes when the tremor pattern is complex. Further, tremor rate, regularity, and amplitude interact, so that the perceptual importance of any one dimension depends on values of the others.
Beginning to Communicate After Cochlear Implantation
Authors: Ertmer David J. , Strong Lynette M. , Sadagopan Neeraja
Published: April 2006

This longitudinal case study examined the emergence of a wide range of oral language skills in a deaf child whose cochlear implant was activated at 20 months. The main purposes of this study were to determine "Hannah's" rate of spoken language development during her second to fourth year of implant experience and to estimate the efficiency of her progress by comparing her performance to that of typically developing children. Mother-child interactions were also examined to determine changes in Hannah's communication competence. Normal or above-normal rates of development were observed in the following areas: (a) decreased production of nonwords, (b) increased receptive vocabulary, (c) type-token ratio, (d) regular use of word combinations, and (e) comprehension of phrases. Below-normal rates of development were observed in the following areas: (a) speech intelligibility, (b) number of word types and tokens, and (c) mean length of utterance in morphemes. Analysis of parent-child interactions showed a large increase in responses to questions during the third year of implant use. Data from Hannah's first post-implantation year (D. J. Ertmer & J. A. Mellon, 2001) indicated that some early language milestones were attained quite rapidly (e.g., canonical vocalizations and emergence of first word combinations). In contrast, the current study revealed that progress had slowed for related, but more advanced skills (e.g., production of intelligible speech and consistent use of word combinations). These changes in rate of development suggest that any advantages for language learning due to Hannah's advanced maturity (or other unknown factors) decreased with time and increasing-linguistic complexity.
Do Vocal Warm-Up Exercises Alleviate Vocal Fatigue?
Authors: Milbrath Rochelle L. , Solomon Nancy Pearl
Published: April 2006

Vocal warm-up (WU) exercises of varying types and durations have been suggested as a way of improving vocal function. However, limited research has been conducted to assess the effects of vocal WU exercises on normal or disordered voices. This study attempted to manipulate vocal function, assessed by phonation threshold pressure (PTP) and self-perceived phonatory effort (PPE) at 3 pitches, in 8 young women who reported symptoms of chronic vocal fatigue. Predictions were that PTP and PPE would decrease after 20 min of vocal WU exercises, increase after 1 hr of loud reading, and decrease after 30 min of vocal silence. Furthermore, greater increases in PTP and PPE were expected when the loud-reading task was preceded by a placebo condition of vocal rest than by vocal WU exercises. Results failed to reveal statistically significant changes in PTP or PPE after any of the experimental tasks. High between-subject variability contributed to this result. Removal of 1 outlier from the sample resulted in a statistically significant difference for PTP across tasks, although post hoc pairwise comparisons failed to detect specific effects. Informal inspection of the data indicated that the most obvious difference was an increase in PTP after the loud-reading task at the highest pitch.
Developmental Effects in the Masking-Level Difference
Authors: Hall Joseph W. , Buss Emily , Grose John H. , Dev Madhu B.
Published: April 2006

Adults and children (aged 5 years 1 month to 10 years 8 months) were tested in a masking-level difference (MLD) paradigm in which detection of brief signals was contrasted for signal placement in masker envelope maxima versus masker envelope minima. Maskers were 50-Hz-wide noise bands centered on 500 Hz, and the signals were So or Sπ 30-ms, 500-Hz tones. In agreement with previous studies, it was found that MLDs were greater for masker envelope minima placement than for masker envelope maxima placement. Across the age range of the children tested here, the binaural advantage associated with the masker envelope minima increased with the age of the child. One interpretation of the present results is that there is a developmental improvement in binaural temporal resolution over the age range tested here.
Effects of Peer Training and Written Text Cueing on Social Communication of School-Age Children With Pervasive Developmental Disorder
Authors: Thiemann Kathy S. , Goldstein Howard
Published: April 2006

This study consecutively examined the effects of 2 social interventions—peer training and written text treatment—on the social communication of 5 elementary students with pervasive developmental disorder. Each child with autism was paired with 2 peers without disabilities to form 5 triads. In Intervention 1 (peer training), peers were taught to use 5 facilitative social skills over 5 days. After peer training, 4 children with autism increased or used more stable rates of initiations and contingent responses overall. However, all children continued to demonstrate deficits in specific social-communication skills. Once Intervention 2 (direct instruction using written text cues) was implemented, increased use of 3 different communication skills was observed across all 5 participants. In addition, social validity outcomes revealed improved quality of child-peer interactions, 2 teacher reports of improved social skill development, and improved acceptance and friendship ratings for the children with autism. Results support the use of written text cues to improve children's social communication with peers, and suggest that combining approaches may be necessary to improve the quality of children's relationships.
Grade-Related Changes in the Production of African American English
Authors: Craig Holly K. , Washington Julie A.
Published: April 2006

This investigation examined grade as a source of systematic variation in the African American English (AAE) produced by students in preschool through fifth grades. Participants were 400 typically developing African American boys and girls residing in low- or middle-income homes in an urban-fringe community or midsize central city in the metropolitan Detroit area. Between preschoolers and kindergartners, and between first through fifth graders, there were no significant differences in the amounts of dialect produced during a picture description language elicitation context. However, there was a significant downward shift in dialect production at first grade. Students who evidenced dialect shifting outper-formed their nonshifting peers on standardized tests of reading achievement and vocabulary breadth.
Problem Behaviors of Low-Income Children With Language Delays
Authors: Qi Cathy Huaqing , Kaiser Ann P.
Published: April 2006

Children from low-income families are at increased risk for significant behavioral and language problems. Early identification of these problems is essential for effective intervention. The purpose of the present study was to use multiple behavioral assessments to examine the behavioral profiles of sixty 3- and 4-year-old children from low-income families enrolled in Head Start programs and to compare the behavior characteristics of 32 children with language delays with those of 28 children with typical language development. Teachers completed the Child Behavior Checklist/Caregiver-Teacher Report Form/2–5 (CTRF; T. M. Achenbach, 1997) and the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS; F. M. Gresham & S. N. Elliott, 1990), and children were observed in the classrooms during structured and unstructured activities. Children with language delays exhibited more problem behaviors and poorer social skills on some of the observational measures than did children with typical language development, as predicted, but not on all.
Speech Intelligibility of Pediatric Cochlear Implant Recipients With 7 Years of Device Experience
Authors: Peng Shu-Chen , Spencer Linda J. , Tomblin J. Bruce
Published: April 2006

Speech intelligibility of 24 prelingually deaf pediatric cochlear implant (CI) recipients with 84 months of device experience was investigated. Each CI participant's speech samples were judged by a panel of 3 listeners. Intelligibility scores were calculated as the average of the 3 listeners' responses. The average write-down intelligibility score was 71.54% (SD= 29.89), and the average rating-scale intelligibility score was 3.03 points (SD= 1.01). Write-down and rating-scale intelligibility scores were highly correlated (r= .91,p<.001). Linear regression analyses revealed that both age at implantation and different speech-coding strategies contribute to the variability of CI participants' speech intelligibility. Implantation at a younger age and the use of the spectral-peak speech-coding strategy yielded higher intelligibility scores than implantation at an older age and the use of the multipeak speech-coding strategy. These results serve as indices for clinical applications when long-term advancements in spoken-language development are considered for pediatric CI recipients.
Lexical Training Through Modeling and Elicitation Procedures With Late Talkers Who Have Specific Language Impairment and Developmental Delays
Authors: Kouri Theresa A.
Published: April 2006

Late talkers with specific language impairment and developmental delay make up a large portion of our early childhood caseloads; therefore, an understanding of best clinical practices for these populations is essential. Early lexical learning was examined in 2 interactive treatment approaches with 29 late-talking preschoolers with language and developmental disabilities. Children were randomly assigned to either a mand-elicited imitation (MEI) condition in which elicitations and imitative prompts were used or to a modeling with auditory bombardment (Mod-AB) condition in which auditory bombardment and play modeling were incorporated with no response demands on participants. Lexical production of target vocabulary words already comprehended was measured during a 10-session training period and then during two 50-min play interactions with a parent/caretaker in the home after treatment was completed. Results indicated that the MEI procedure was relatively more effective in facilitating frequency and rate of target word learning in the treatment setting, but no significant differences were found between conditions in the number or percentage of target words generalized to the home setting. Mod-AB children produced more target words that were limited to the home setting than did MEI children, whose productivity was more balanced across settings. Treatment by aptitude regression analyses indicated that none of the preintervention language, cognitive, or total development aptitude scores were predictive of child performance in 1 treatment condition or the other, although Battelle Developmental Inventory communication scores and sizes of preintervention lexicons were predictive of child performance across conditions. Empirical and clinical issues pertaining to the efficacy of modeling- and elicitation-based procedures for late-talking preschoolers are discussed.
Age 13 Language and Reading Outcomes in Late-Talking Toddlers
Authors: Rescorla Leslie
Published: April 2006

Language and reading outcomes at 13 years of age were examined in 28 children identified at 24 to 31 months as late talkers, all of whom came from middle- to upper-class socioeconomic status (SES) families and had normal nonverbal ability and age-adequate receptive language at intake. Late talkers were compared with a group of 25 typically developing children matched at intake on age, SES, and nonverbal ability. As a group, late talkers performed in the average range on all standardized language and reading tasks at age 13. However, they scored significantly lower than SES-matched peers on aggregate measures of vocabulary, grammar, and verbal memory, as well as on reading comprehension. They were similar to comparison peers in reading mechanics and writing aggregates. Intercorrelations between outcome measures were moderately high, suggesting considerable shared variance. Regression analyses indicated that age 2 Language Development Survey vocabulary score was a significant predictor of age 13 vocabulary, grammar, verbal memory, and reading comprehension. Findings suggest that slow language development at age 2–1/2 is associated with a weakness in language-related skills into adolescence relative to typically developing peers.
Auditory Brainstem Responses in Young Males With Fragile X Syndrome
Authors: Roberts Joanne , Hennon Elizabeth A. , Anderson Kathleen , Roush Jackson , Gravel Judith , Skinner Martie , Misenheimer Jan , Reitz Patricia
Published: April 2006

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common inherited cause of mental retardation resulting in developmental delays in males. Atypical outer ear morphology is characteristic of FXS and may serve as a marker for abnormal auditory function. Despite this abnormality, studies of the hearing of young males with FXS are generally lacking. A few studies have suggested that a significant proportion of individuals with FXS demonstrate prolonged auditory brainstem response (ABR) latencies. The purpose of this study was to determine whether young males with FXS display atypical auditory brainstem function compared to typically developing males when conductive and sensorineural hearing loss are ruled out as possible contributors to atypical findings. Participants were 23 males with FXS, 21 typically developing males who were matched for developmental age, and 17 typically developing males who were matched for chronological age. A battery of tests to assess peripheral hearing, cochlear function, and auditory pathway integrity through the level of the brainstem was completed. Males with FXS were similar to typically developing males who were matched for developmental age level or chronological age level on all measures. They had normal hearing sensitivity and middle ear function and scored similar to the typically developing children on the measures of auditory brainstem pathway integrity. In summary, ABRs in young males with FXS were within normal limits.
Developmental Role of Static, Dynamic, and Contextual Cues in Speech Perception
Authors: Hicks Candace Bourland , Ohde Ralph N.
Published: April 2006

The purpose of the current study was to examine the role of syllable duration context as well as static and dynamic acoustic properties in child and adult speech perception. Ten adults and eleven 4–5-year-old children identified a syllable as [b
a
] or [w
a
] (stop-glide contrast) in 3 conditions differing in synthetic continua. The 1st condition tested the potential existence of the syllable duration effect in young children, whereas the 2nd and 3rd conditions examined the developmental role of static and dynamic cues, respectively, as related to syllable duration context effects. In the 1st condition, the 1st and 2nd formant transition duration of stimuli varied from those appropriate for [b
a
] to those appropriate for [w
a
]. For the 2nd condition, a static burst was added to Condition 1 stimuli. For the 3rd condition, the dynamic transition frequency and transition duration for the first 3 formants varied as appropriate for [b
a
] and [w
a
]. In each condition, 3 syllable context durations of 105 ms, 170 ms, and 315 ms were tested. The results indicated that syllable duration context effects were present across all conditions for both adults and children. However, the adults and children did differ in the 3rd condition, in which both the transition frequency and the transition duration were altered. Thus, children used the dynamic formant transitions differently than adults when transition frequency was varied along with transition duration. These findings show that children have a bias toward formant transitions and indicate that young children of 4–5 years of age attend differently than adults to changes in dynamic cues such as formant transitions, as predicted by the developmental cue weighting shift model.
White light from polymer light-emitting diodes: Utilization of fluorenone defects and exciplex
Authors: Sun Q. J. , Fan B. H. , Tan Z. A. , Yang C. H. , Li Y. F. , Yang Y.
Published: April 2006

A white light polymer light-emitting diode was demonstrated with a double layer configuration: poly[N,N′-bis(4-butylphenyl)-N,N′-bis(phenyl)benzidine] (poly-TPD) blended with poly(N-vinylcarbazole) as both hole-transporting layer and electron-blocking layer, blue-emissive poly(9,9-dihexylfluorene-alt-co-2,5-dioctyloxy-para-phenylene) (PDHFDOOP) blended with green-emissive poly[6,6′-bi-(9,9′-dihexylfluorene)-co-(9,9′-dihexylfluorene-3-thiophene-5′-yl)] as an emissive layer. By annealing the emissive layer at a relatively high temperature, fluorenone defects were generated into PDHFDOOP, which formed an exciplex with poly-TPD, as a red emitter. The devices exhibit a maximum brightness of ∼4800cd∕m2 and a maximum luminous efficiency of ∼3cd∕A. Moreover, the Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage coordinates of the emitted light is close to that of pure white light and is insensitive to the applied voltages.
Patterns and Predictors of Inpatient Falls and Fall-Related Injuries in a Large Academic Hospital
Authors: Fischer Irene D. , Krauss Melissa J. , Dunagan William Claiborne , Birge Stanley , Hitcho Eileen , Johnson Shirley , Costantinou Eileen , Fraser Victoria J.
Published: April 2006

Objectives:

Most research on hospital falls has focused on predictors of falling, whereas less is known about predictors of serious fall-related injury. Our objectives were to characterize inpatients who fall and to determine predictors of serious fall-related injury.

Methods:

We performed a retrospective observational study of 1,082 patients who fell (1,235 falls) during January 2001 to June 2002 at an urban academic hospital. Multivariate analysis of potential risk factors for serious fall-related injury (vs no or minor injury) included in the hospital's adverse event reporting database was conducted with logistic regression to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI95).

Results:

The median age of patients who fell was 62 years (interquartile range, 49-77 years), 50% were women, and 20% were confused. The hospital fall rate was 3.1 falls per 1,000 patient-days, which varied by service from 0.86 (women and infants) to 6.36 (oncology). Some (6.1%) of the falls resulted in serious injury, ranging by service from 3.1% (women and infants) to 10.9% (psychiatry). The most common serious fall-related injuries were bleeding or laceration (53.6%), fracture or dislocation (15.9%), and hematoma or contusion (13%). Patients 75 years or older (aOR, 3.2; CI95, 1.3-8.1) and those on the geriatric psychiatry floor (aOR, 2.8; CI95,1.3-6.0) were more likely to sustain serious fall-related injuries.

Conclusions:

There is considerable variation in fall rates and fall-related injury percentages by service. More detailed studies should be conducted by floor or service to identify predictors of serious fall-related injury so that targeted interventions can be developed to reduce them.
Paired cysteine residues are required for high levels of the Helicobacter pylori autotransporter VacA
Authors: Letley Darren P. , Rhead Joanne L. , Bishop Keith , Atherton John C.
Published: April 2006

TheHelicobacter pylorivacuolating cytotoxin VacA shares homology in its C-terminal domain with many autotransporter proteins, suggesting a similar mechanism of secretion. Like most autotransporters, VacA contains a single pair of cysteine residues located near the C-terminus of the passenger domain. This study aimed to investigate the role of these conserved cysteine residues. This involved changing each cysteine in the VacA passenger domain to serine, quantifying the effect on VacA levels and assessing toxin activity inH. pylori. It was shown that both cysteine residues were required for high VacA levels, although mutation of each cysteine reduced toxin amounts to differing extents, implying that their importance was not simply for intramolecular disulphide bond formation. Although less VacA was observed for the cysteine mutants, vacuolating activity was detected, showing that the cysteines were not required for VacA function.