bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
"Do I Know What I Need to Do?" A Social Communication Intervention for Children With Complex Clinical Profiles
Authors: Timler Geralyn R. , Olswang Lesley B. , Coggins Truman E.
Published: April 2006

Purpose:
Speech-language pathologists frequently address social communication difficulties in children with diverse clinical profiles. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of a social communication intervention for a school-age child with a complex cognitive and behavioral profile secondary to diagnosis of a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Method:
A case study is presented to describe the implementation of the intervention targeting mental state verb production and social cognitive skills. The intervention included group role play of social scripts and a checklist to elicit the participant’s statements about others’ perspectives and strategies for completing the social script. Treatment data monitored the participant’s responses to the checklist questions. Probe sessions, consisting of theory of mind false belief tasks, were used to examine mental state verb use.

Results:
Treatment data demonstrated that the participant stated more strategies in response to checklist questions. The participant did not produce any mental state verbs during baseline probes, but did produce mental state verbs during the treatment phase.

Clinical Implications:
The results support use of this intervention to change children’s linguistic and social cognitive skills. Suggestions for extending this intervention to include a generalization plan targeting classroom social communication interactions are provided.
Vietnamese Children and Language-Based Processing Tasks
Authors: Hwa-Froelich Deborah A. , Matsuo Hisako
Published: April 2006

Purpose:
Vietnamese children’s performance on language-based processing tasks of fast-mapping (FM) word-learning and dynamic assessment (DA) word- and rule-learning tasks were investigated.

Method:
Twenty-one first- and second-generation Vietnamese preschool children participated in this study. All children were enrolled in 2 Head Start programs in a large city in the Midwest. All children had passed a developmental assessment and routine speech, language, and hearing screenings. All participants were taught 4 invented monosyllabic words in an FM word task, an invented monosyllabic suffix rule (-
po
) meaning "a part of" in a DA rule task, and 4 invented bisyllabic words in a DA word task. Potential relationships among task performances were investigated. Receptive task performances, expressive task performances, and task totals were added to create receptive total, expressive total, and accumulated performance total (APT) scores. Relationships among receptive total, expressive total, and APT scores were also investigated.

Results:
Significant correlations were found between FM word, DA rule, and the receptive total. The expressive total correlated with all task total scores, APT, age, and modifiability scores. Modifiability scores correlated with the two DA tasks, expressive total, and the APT. Findings indicate that FM word and the expressive total were positively correlated with most of the other tasks, composite totals, and age.

Clinical Implications:
Performance on language-based processing tasks may provide valuable information for separating typically developing Vietnamese preschool children from their peers with language disorders. Practitioners should consider linguistic characteristics of target stimuli. Comparisons should include task, receptive, expressive, and APT.
Accuracy of Four Language Analysis Procedures Performed Automatically
Authors: Long Steven H. , Channell Ron W.
Published: April 2006

Most software for language analysis has relied on an interaction between the metalinguistic skills of a human coder and the calculating ability of the machine to produce reliable results. However, probabilistic parsing algorithms are now capable of highly accurate and completely automatic identification of grammatical word classes. The program Computerized Profiling combines a probabilistic parser with modules customized to produce four clinical grammatical analyses: MLU, LARSP, IPSyn, and DSS. The accuracy of these analyses was assessed on 69 language samples from typically developing, speech-impaired, and language-impaired children, 2 years 6 months to 7 years 10 months. Values obtained with human coding and by the software alone were compared. Results for all four analyses produced automatically were comparable to published data on the manual interrater reliability of these procedures. Clinical decisions based on cutoff scores and productivity data were little affected by the use of automatic rather than human-generated analyses. These findings bode well for future clinical and research use of automatic language analysis software.
Language Changes Associated With Fast ForWord-Language
Authors: Loeb Diane Frome , Stoke Christene , Fey Marc E.
Published: April 2006

Based principally on reports of two experimental investigations, the Scientific Learning Corporation claims that Fast ForWord-Language (FFW-L) yields 1-1/2 to 3 years language gain over a 6-week period. We evaluated various aspects of this claim by measuring the language changes of four children who received FFW-L language intervention in their homes. Language change was assessed immediately following intervention and 3 months later, using standardized language measures, spontaneous measures of syntactic complexity, reading measures, pragmatic measures, and parent and teacher reports. Three of the four children successfully completed FFW-L, and all made gains on some of the same standardized measures used by P. Tallal et al. (1996), although the improvements we observed were generally smaller than those previously reported. All children also made gains on measures of pragmatic performance. However, very few changes were observed in the children's Developmental Sentence Scores (DSSs), indicating that gains in productive use of grammar changed only marginally. One child showed evidence of gains in standard assessment of his phonological awareness skills. According to questionnaire data, parents and teachers did not report many differences in performance after intervention; however, parental satisfaction with the program was generally high. Sixty-one percent of the gains observed at posttesting were maintained 3 months following intervention; however, a number also were not maintained. Of the total 595 items assessed at pretest and posttest, significant positive change occurred on 58 or 10% of the items. Our findings suggest that, although FFW-L delivered at home by parents may lead to some important changes in children's performance on structured tasks, broad, dramatic gains in spontaneous language use are less likely and may not be long-lasting. Future experimental investigations should include measures of pragmatic performance to substantiate the preliminary findings of these case studies.
Fluency of School-Aged Children With a History of Specific Expressive Language Impairment
Authors: Boscolo Brian , Ratner Nan Bernstein , Rescorla Leslie
Published: April 2006

A large volume of literature now links language demand and fluency behaviors in children. Although it might be reasonable to assume that children with relatively weak language skills might demonstrate higher levels of disfluency, the sparse literature on this topic is characterized by conflicting findings on the relationship between language impairment and disfluency. However, in studies finding elevated disfluency in children with specific language impairment, a higher frequency of disfluencies more characteristic of stuttering has been noted. This study asks whether children with long-standing histories of language delay and impairment are more disfluent, and display different types of disfluencies than their typically developing, age-matched peers. Elicited narratives from 22 pairs of 9-year-old children were analyzed for fluency characteristics. Half of the children had histories of specific expressive language impairment (HSLI-E), whereas the others had typical developmental histories. The children with HSLI-E were significantly more disfluent than their peers and produced more stutter-like disfluencies, although these behaviors were relatively infrequent in both groups. Implications for clinical intervention and future research are discussed.
Qualitative Research
Authors: Tetnowski John A. , Franklin Thomas C.
Published: April 2006

As clinical speech-language pathologists seeking different ways to understand the complexity of communication within naturalistic and social contexts, we are progressively adapting the qualitative research methods of the social sciences for our assessment purposes. This article discusses some basic principles and practices discussed previously in this forum on qualitative research and demonstrates how they can be employed to provide effective and sufficient clinical communicative assessment.
Diagnostic Criteria of Developmental Apraxia of Speech Used by Clinical Speech-Language Pathologists
Authors: Forrest Karen
Published: April 2006

The diagnostic criteria used to identify developmental apraxia of speech (DAS) have been at the center of controversy for decades. Despite the difficulty in determining the characteristics that differentiate DAS from other speech acquisition disorders, many children are identified with this disorder. The current report presents the criteria used by 75 speechlanguage pathologists to establish a diagnosis of DAS. Although 50 different characteristics were identified, 6 of these characteristics accounted for 51.5% of the responses. These characteristics included inconsistent productions, general oral-motor difficulties, groping, inability to imitate sounds, increasing difficulty with increased utterance length, and poor sequencing of sounds. These results are consistent with the general ambiguity of the diagnostic criteria of DAS and suggest that no single deficit is used among clinicians.
Mexican-American and Anglo-American Mothers’ Beliefs and Values About Child Rearing, Education, and Language Impairment
Authors: Rodriguez Barbara L. , Olswang Lesley B.
Published: April 2006

This study investigated the cross-cultural and intracultural diversity of mothers’ beliefs and values regarding child rearing, education, and the causes of language impairment. Thirty Mexican-American and 30 Anglo-American mothers of children with language impairments completed 2 questionnaires, and 10 randomly selected mothers from each group participated in an interview. In addition, the Mexican-American mothers completed an acculturation rating scale. Results indicated that Mexican-American mothers held more strongly traditional, authoritarian, and conforming educational and child rearing beliefs and values than Anglo-American mothers. Mexican-American mothers cited extrinsic attributes as the cause of their children’s language impairment, whereas Anglo-American mothers cited intrinsic attributes. Mexican-American mothers exhibited differences in their beliefs that were related to their level of acculturation to the mainstream culture.
Enhancing Socially Adaptive Communicative Repairs of Beginning Communicators With Disabilities
Authors: Halle Jim , Brady Nancy C. , Drasgow Erik
Published: April 2006

Young children with significant disability often have limited communicative repertoires. The means they have available to communicate with others might include natural gesturing, vocalizing, and occasionally challenging behavior. These forms frequently are unconventional, ambiguous, and idiosyncratic and are therefore difficult for partners to understand. As a result of these compromised repertoires, communication breakdowns are the rule rather than the exception and the children’s capacity to repair these breakdowns becomes critical. This article focuses on communication breakdowns and repairs by (a) identifying and defining their variations, (b) providing a rationale for their importance (especially for children with substantial language delays), and (c) developing a conceptual framework to facilitate their assessment and to assist in the design of interventions that are logically related to the assessment results. Guidelines for conducting the assessments and for implementing the interventions are provided.
Speaking for Another
Authors: Simmons-Mackie Nina , Kingston Debbie , Schultz Misty
Published: April 2006

A sociolinguistic analysis of an interaction between a woman with aphasia and a nonaphasic speaking partner was conducted to investigate participant framing in aphasia. Participant frames, or the stances that people take in conversation, help conversational participants structure their talk and collaboratively negotiate meaning (I. Goffman, 1974). This analysis revealed a configuration in which a person with severe aphasia enlisted her speaking partner to speak for her. That is, the interaction was framed such that the nonaphasic speaking partner served as the "spokesperson" for messages that were authored by the person with aphasia. The clinical requirements of adopting a "speaking for another" framework are discussed.
Listener Attitudes Toward Individuals With Cerebral Palsy Who Use Speech Supplementation Strategies
Authors: Hustad Katherine C. , Gearhart Kathryn J.
Published: April 2006

This study examined listener attitudes toward 7 speakers with dysarthria who implemented 3 speech supplementation strategies (topic cues, alphabet cues, and combined topic and alphabet cues) and a habitual speech control condition. Findings were similar, but not identical, to intelligibility results published in 2 earlier papers (K. C. Hustad, J. Auker, N. Natale, & R. Carlson, 2003; K. C. Hustad, T. Jones, & S. Dailey, 2003). For each speaker, alphabet cues and combined cues resulted in higher attitude ratings than habitual speech, and combined cues resulted in higher ratings than topic cues. Listener ratings pertaining to cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of attitude showed that ratings for the behavioral component were the highest for all but 1 speaker. The relationship between intelligibility scores and attitude ratings for each speaker were strong and positive, indicating that attitude ratings seem to increase linearly with intelligibility scores.
Velopharyngeal Incompetence
Authors: Pannbacker Mary
Published: April 2006

Speech-language pathologists are often involved in the diagnosis and treatment of velopharyngeal incompetence (VPI). Some speech-language pathologists have extensive educational and clinical experience with VPI; others have limited training and experience. Thus, the quality of speech-language services for people with VPI is heterogenous, and it ranges from poor to excellent. There are, as yet, no specific guidelines for speech-language pathologists providing services to people with VPI. Optimal services require specific guidelines for training and experience. The purpose of this article was to (a) review speech-language pathology standards and qualifications, (b) provide reasons for identifying qualified speech-language pathologists, and (c) identify strategies for reduction of risks involved in the delivery of speech-language services for people with VPI.
Evidence-Based Practice Among Speech-Language Pathologists
Authors: Zipoli Richard P. , Kennedy Marianne
Published: April 2006

A total of 240 speech-language pathologists responded to a questionnaire examining attitudes toward and use of research and evidence-based practice (EBP). Perceived barriers to EBP were also explored. Positive attitudes toward research and EBP were reported. Attitudes were predicted by exposure to research and EBP practice during graduate training and the clinical fellowship year (CFY). Clinical experience and opinions of colleagues were used to guide decision making more frequently than research studies or clinical practice guidelines. Only exposure to research and EBP during the CFY predicted use of evidence-based resources. Respondents reported a decline in exposure to research and EBP as they moved from graduate training into the CFY. A lack of time was perceived as a barrier to EBP.
Have Disfluency-Type Measures Contributed to the Understanding and Treatment of Developmental Stuttering?
Authors: Einarsdóttir Jóhanna , Ingham Roger J.
Published: April 2006

Purpose:
This article critically reviews evidence to determine whether the use of disfluency typologies, such as
syllable repetitions
or
prolongations
, has assisted the understanding or treatment of developmental stuttering. Consideration is given to whether there is a need for a fundamental shift in the basis for constructing measures of stuttering behavior.

Method:
The history of using specific types of disfluencies to assess stuttering, including more recent developments such as counts of stuttering-like disfluencies, is reviewed. The focus is on studies that have investigated the validity and reliability of these perceptually based assessment methods.

Conclusion:
The evidence from use of disfluency-type measures shows that the behavioral difference between stuttering and normally fluent speakers is solely related to the amount of observable stuttering; the differences are only partially realized within disfluency-type measures. Indeed, because disfluency-type measures show poor reliability and conflate stuttered
and
nonstuttered speech, they have only limited heuristic value for research and provide no obvious benefits for clinicians. At best, they should be regarded as imprecise descriptors of observable stuttering and not a fundamental measure of stuttering. A recommended solution to the problematic history of verbal-based definitions of stuttering behavior is continued development and investigation of exemplar-based definition and measurement.
The Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly Screening Version Adapted for Use with Elderly Chinese American Individuals
Authors: Jupiter Tina , Palagonia Cara L.
Published: April 2006

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE) screening version translated into Chinese can be used as a valid screening instrument for the identification of hearing impairment in Chinese-speaking elderly persons. One hundred elderly Chinese Americans were screened, and the majority of the subjects did not report hearing handicap. A comparison among different screening protocols (ASHA, 40 dB HL at 1000 and 2000 Hz; HHIE-S > 10 and HHIE-S > 10 and 40 dB HL at 1 and 2 kHz) suggested that the combined HHIE-S and 40 dB HL cutoff at 1000 and 2000 Hz achieved the best referral rates. Some hypotheses explaining the results are discussed relative to cultural and linguistic differences between elderly Chinese Americans and their white English-speaking counterparts.
Background Noise Levels and Reverberation Times in Unoccupied Classrooms
Authors: Knecht Heather A. , Nelson Peggy B. , Whitelaw Gail M. , Feth Lawrence L.
Published: April 2006

Classrooms are often filled with deterrents that hamper a child’s ability to listen and learn. It is evident that the acoustical environment in classrooms can be one such deterrent. Excessive background noise and reverberation can affect the achievement and educational performance of children with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and children with normal hearing sensitivity who have other auditory learning difficulties, as well as elementary school children with no verbal or hearing disabilities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extent of the problem of noise and reverberation in schools. To that end, we measured reverberation times and background noise levels in 32 different unoccupied elementary classrooms in eight public school buildings in central Ohio. The results were compared with the limits recommended in the American National Standards Institute standard for acoustical characteristics of classrooms in the United States (ANSI S12.60-2002). These measurements were also compared to the external and internal criteria variables developed by Crandell, Smaldino, & Flexer (1995) to determine if a simple checklist can accurately predict unwanted classroom background noise levels and reverberation. Results indicated that most classrooms were not in compliance with ANSI noise and reverberation standards. Further, our results suggested that a checklist was not a good predictor of the noisier and more reverberant rooms.
Pediatric Cochlear Implants
Authors: Discolo Christopher M. , Hirose Keiko
Published: April 2006

Cochlear implants are a safe and effective treatment for children with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss. As implant technology continues to improve and outcomes are analyzed, younger and younger children are being deemed candidates for implantation. The decision to operate is made after a thorough evaluation by a multidisciplinary team. This review will highlight the preoperative and postoperative issues related to pediatric cochlear implantation.
The Effects of Changes in Head Angle on Auditory and Visual Input for Omnidirectional and Directional Microphone Hearing Aids
Authors: Henry Paula , Ricketts Todd
Published: April 2006

Improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for individuals with hearing loss who are listening to speech in noise provides an obvious benefit. Although binaural hearing provides the greatest advantage over monaural hearing in noise, some individuals with symmetrical hearing loss choose to wear only one hearing aid. The present study tested the hypothesis that individuals with symmetrical hearing loss fit with one hearing aid would demonstrate improved speech recognition in background noise with increases in head turn. Fourteen individuals were fit monaurally with a Starkey Gemini in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aid with directional and omnidirectional microphone modes. Speech recognition performance in noise was tested using the audiovisual version of the Connected Speech Test (CST v.3). The test was administered in auditory-only conditions as well as with the addition of visual cues for each of three head angles: 0°, 20°, and 40°. Results indicated improvement in speech recognition performance with changes in head angle for the auditory-only presentation mode at the 20° and 40° head angles when compared to 0°. Improvement in speech recognition performance for the auditory + visual mode was noted for the 20° head angle when compared to 0°. Additionally, a decrement in speech recognition performance for the auditory + visual mode was noted for the 40° head angle when compared to 0°. These results support a speech recognition advantage for listeners fit with one ITE hearing aid listening in a close listener-to-speaker distance when they turn their head slightly in order to increase signal intensity.
Outer and Middle Ear Status and Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions in Children With Sickle Cell Disease
Authors: Walker Letitia J. , Stuart Andrew , Green Walter B.
Published: April 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and outer/middle ear status in 12 African American children with normal hearing and homozygous sickle cell disease (SCD) and age-, gender-, and ear-matched African American controls. C. R. Downs, A. Stuart, & D. Holbert (2000) reported that DPOAE amplitudes were significantly larger for children with SCD. Because the integrity of the middle ear system directly influences OAE characteristics, it was felt that concurrent investigation of DPOAE amplitudes and outer/middle ear function in children with SCD was warranted. DPOAEs were evoked by 13 primary-tone pairs with f2frequencies ranging from 1000 to 4500 Hz. Outer/middle ear status was assessed with tympanometry through indices of peak compensated static acoustic admittance, tympanometric width, tympanometric peak pressure, ear canal volume, and middle ear resonance frequency. Tympanograms were recorded with probe-tone frequencies of 226 and 678 Hz. DPOAE amplitudes were significantly larger for children with SCD (p< .05). There were no group differences in any of the middle ear indices (p> .05). These findings suggest that increased DPOAE amplitudes for children with SCD cannot be attributed to differences in outer/middle ear function as assessed with tympanometry.
Can Central Auditory Processing Tests Resist Supramodal Influences?
Authors: Katz Jack , Tillery Kim L.
Published: April 2006

For the past 10 years, Cacace and McFarland have contended that current central auditory processing tests are invalid because they cannot disassociate central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) from language, attention, and other problems. Over this period of time, they have not developed a battery of tests to compare with the current procedures, so the question cannot be resolved in a proper scientific fashion. Also, we disagree with their contention and demonstrate that an experienced audiologist, under double-blind research conditions, can reliably evaluate individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder for CAPD, whether therapeutically controlled for attention with Ritalin or taking a placebo. Further, we show how intra- and intertest comparisons, as well as a team approach, disassociate CAPD from potential contamination from supramodal factors.
Nonmainstream Dialect Use and Specific Language Impairment
Authors: Oetting Janna B. , McDonald Janet L.
Published: April 2006

Most work looking at specific language impairment (SLI) has been done in the context of mainstream dialects. This paper extends the study of SLI to two nonmainstream dialects: a rural version of Southern African American English (SAAE) and a rural version of Southern White English (SWE). Data were language samples from 93 4- to 6-year-olds who lived in southeastern Louisiana. Forty were classified as speakers of SAAE, and 53 were classified as speakers of SWE. A third were previously diagnosed as SLI; the others served as either agematched (6N) or language-matched (4N) controls.

The two dialects differed in frequency of usage on 14 of the 35 coded morphosyntactic surface patterns; speakers of these dialects could be successfully discriminated (94%) from each other in a discriminant analysis using just four of these patterns. Across dialects, four patterns resulted in main effects that were related to diagnostic condition (SLI vs. 6N), and a slightly different set of four patterns showed effects that were related to developmental processes (4N vs. 6N). More interestingly, the surface characteristics of SLI were found to manifest in the two dialects in different ways. A discriminant function based solely on SAAE speakers tended to misclassify SWE children with SLI as having normal language, and a discriminant function based on SWE speakers tended to misclassify SAAE unaffected children as SLI. Patterns within the SLI profile that cut across the two dialects included difficulties with tense marking and question formation. The results provide important direction for future studies and argue for the inclusion of contrastive as well as noncontrastive features of dialects within SLI research.
Sources of Age-Related Recognition Difficulty for Time-Compressed Speech
Authors: Gordon-Salant Sandra , Peter J. Fitzgibbons
Published: April 2006

Older people frequently show poorer recognition of rapid speech or time-compressed speech than younger listeners. The present investigation sought to determine if the age-related problem in recognition of time-compressed speech could be attributed primarily to a decline in the speed of information processing or to a decline in processing brief acoustic cues. The role of the availability of linguistic cues on recognition performance was examined also. Younger and older listeners with normal hearing and with hearing loss participated in the experiments. Stimuli were sentences, linguistic phrases, and strings of random words that were unmodified in duration or were time compressed with uniform time compression or with selective time compression of consonants, vowels, or pauses. Age effects were observed for recognition of unmodified random words, but not for sentences and linguistic phrases. Analysis of difference scores (unmodified speech versus time-compressed speech) showed age effects for time-compressed sentences and phrases. The forms of time compression that were notably difficult for older listeners were uniform time compression and selective time compression of consonants. Indeed, poor performance in recognizing uniformly time-compressed speech was attributed primarily to difficulty in recognizing speech that incorporated selective time compression of consonants. Hearing loss effects were observed also for most of the listening conditions, although these effects were independent of the aging effects. In general, the findings support the notion that the problems of older listeners in recognizing time-compressed speech are associated with difficulty in processing the brief, limited acoustic cues for consonants that are inherent in rapid speech.
Emergence of a Vowel System in a Young Cochlear Implant Recipient
Authors: Ertmer David J.
Published: April 2006

This report chronicles changes in vowel production by a congenitally deaf child who received a multichannel cochlear implant at 19 months. The emergence of Hannah’s vowel system was monitored by transcribing vocalic segments from spontaneous utterances produced during two 30-minute recording sessions before implant surgery and 12 monthly recording sessions after her implant was activated. Vowel types were included in her inventory whenever transcribers independently agreed that a vocalization contained an allophone of a given vowel type. Hannah exhibited three vowel types before implantation. A total of nine different vowel types were observed during her first year of implant experience, and a full range of place and height categories was represented. Acoustic analyses revealed that Hannah's vowel space was near normal in size and that the formant structures of /i/ and /u/ were distinctive from other point vowels. Formant regions for /æ/ and /α/ showed some overlap. Taken together with a previous report of her vocal development (D. J. Ertmer & J. A. Mellon, 2001), Hannah appears to have made substantial progress in speech development during her first year of implant use.
Language Development and Symbolic Play in Children With and Without Familial Risk for Dyslexia
Authors: Lyytinen Paula , Poikkeus Anna-Maija , Laakso Marja-Leena , Eklund Kenneth , Lyytinen Heikki
Published: April 2006

The purposes of this study were to investigate (a) whether children in families with a positive history of dyslexia were more likely to show delays in language development than children without family risk and (b) whether a delayed onset of expressive language (late talking) predicted later language development. We analyzed the language development of 200 children longitudinally at 14, 24, 30, and 42 months and assessed their symbolic play at 14 months. Half of the children (
N
=106) were from families with a history of dyslexia (the Dyslexia Risk [DR] group), and other children served as age-matched controls. Parental reports and structured tests were used to assess children’s receptive and expressive language and symbolic play. No differences emerged between the two groups in receptive language, symbolic play, or on the Bayley MDI. The groups, however, diverged in expressive language measures. The maximum sentence length at 2 years and object naming and inflectional morphology skills at 3.5 years were higher for the control group than for the DR group. Reynell receptive score at 2.5 years provided the greatest unique contribution to the prediction of the children’s receptive and expressive language. Children’s risk status did not contribute to receptive language, but provided a significant contribution to their expressive language at 3.5 years, even after the variance associated with parental education and children’s previous language skills was controlled. Late talkers in the DR group differed from the other members of the DR group in both receptive and expressive language at 3.5 years, although in the control group children with a late-talking history performed at age-level expectations. The findings suggest that children with a familial risk for dyslexia and with a history of late talking are at higher risk for delays in language acquisition than children without the familial risk for dyslexia.
Covariation of Cochlear Implant Users' Perception and Production of Vowel Contrasts and Their Identification by Listeners With Normal Hearing
Authors: Vick Jennell C. , Lane Harlan , Perkell Joseph S. , Matthies Melanie L. , Gould John , Zandipour Majid
Published: April 2006

This study investigates covariation of perception and production of vowel contrasts in speakers who use cochlear implants and identification of those contrasts by listeners with normal hearing. Formant measures were made of seven vowel pairs whose members are neighboring in acoustic space. The vowels were produced in carrier phrases by 8 postlingually deafened adults, before and after they received their cochlear implants (CI).

Improvements in a speaker's production and perception of a given vowel contrast and normally hearing listeners' identification of that contrast in masking noise tended to occur together. Specifically, speakers who produced vowel pairs with reduced contrast in the pre-CI condition (measured by separation in the acoustic vowel space) and who showed improvement in their perception of these contrasts post-CI (measured with a phoneme identification test) were found to have enhanced production contrasts post-CI in many cases. These enhanced production contrasts were associated, in turn, with enhanced masked word recognition, as measured from responses of a group of 10 normally hearing listeners. The results support the view that restoring self-hearing allows a speaker to adjust articulatory routines to ensure sufficient perceptual contrast for listeners.
Defining and Measuring Speech Movement Events
Authors: Tasko Stephen M. , Westbury John R.
Published: April 2006

A long-held view in speech research is that utterances are built up from a series of discrete units joined together. However, it is difficult to reconcile this view with the observation that speech movement waveforms are smooth and continuous. Developing methods for reliable identification of speech movement units is necessary for describing speech motor behavior and for addressing theoretically relevant questions about its organization. We describe a simple method of parsing movement signals into a series of individual movement "strokes," where a stroke is defined as the period between two successive local minima in the speed history of an articulator point, and use that method to segment speech-related movement of marker points placed on the tongue blade, tongue dorsum, lower lip, and jaw in a group of healthy young speakers. Articulator fleshpoints could be distinguished on the basis of kinematic features (i.e., peak and boundary speed, duration and distance) of the strokes they produce. Further, tongue blade and jaw fleshpoint strokes identified to temporally overlap with acoustic events identified as alveolar fricatives could be distinguished from speech strokes in general on the basis of a number of kinematic measures. Finally, the acoustic timing of alveolar fricatives did not appear to be related to the kinematic features of strokes presumed to be related to their production in any direct way. The advantages and disadvantages of this simple approach to defining movement units are discussed.
Listener Comprehension of Severely Dysarthric Speech
Authors: Hustad Katherine C. , Beukelman David R.
Published: April 2006

This study is the second in a two-part series examining the effects of linguistic variables on listener processing of dysarthric speech. The first study (see K. C. Hustad & D. R. Beukelman, 2001) examined the effects of experimentally imposed topic cues, alphabet cues, and combined cues along with a control condition in which no cues were provided onintelligibilityof unrelated and related sentences produced by 4 women with severe dysarthria secondary to cerebral palsy. The present study examined the effects of these same variables on listenercomprehensionof severely dysarthric speech produced by the same speakers. In addition, the relationship between intelligibility and comprehension was examined for each cue and stimulus cohesion condition. Consistent with intelligibility results, the present study found that combined cues resulted in higher comprehension scores than any other cue condition and that no cues resulted in lower comprehension scores than any other cue condition for both related and unrelated sentences. In addition, comprehension scores were higher for alphabet cues than for topic cues in the related-sentences condition. Findings dissimilar from intelligibility results were as follows: (a) comprehension scores associated with alphabet and topic cues did not differ for unrelated sentences, and (b) comprehension scores were higher for related than for unrelated sentences in each cue condition. Finally, significant positive relationships between intelligibility and comprehension data were found only for topic cues in the unrelatedsentences condition and for alphabet cues in the related-sentences condition.
Concurrent Validity of Caregiver/Parent Report Measures of Language for Children Who Are Learning Both English and Spanish
Authors: Marchman Virginia A. , Martínez-Sussmann Carmen
Published: April 2006

The validity of two analogous caregiver/parent report measures of early language development in young children who are learning both English and Spanish is examined. Caregiver/parent report indices of vocabulary production and grammar were obtained for 26 children using the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory: Words & Sentences (CDI; Fenson et al., 1994) and the Inventario del Desarrollo de Habilidades Comunicativas: Palabras y Enunciados (IDHC; Jackson-Maldonado, Bates, & Thal, 1992). Scores were significantly correlated with analogous laboratory measures in both English and Spanish, including a real-object naming task and spontaneous language use during freeplay. The findings offer evidence that the CDI and IDHC provide valid assessments of early language milestones in young English- and Spanish-speaking children. Factors that may influence the validity of these tools for use with this population are also discussed.
Kinematic Analyses of Speech, Orofacial Nonspeech, and Finger Movements in Stuttering and Nonstuttering Adults
Authors: Max Ludo , Caruso Anthony J. , Gracco Vincent L.
Published: April 2006

This work investigated the hypothesis that neuromotor differences between individuals who stutter and individuals who do not stutter are not limited to the movements involved in speech production. Kinematic data were obtained from gender- and age-matched stuttering (
n
=10) and nonstuttering (
n
=10) adults during speech movements, orofacial nonspeech movements, and finger movements. All movements were performed in 4 conditions differing in sequence length and location of the target movement within the sequence. Results revealed statistically significant differences between the stuttering and nonstuttering individuals on several measures of lip and jaw closing (but not opening) movements during perceptually fluent speech. The magnitude of these differences varied across different levels of utterance length (larger differences during shorter utterances) and across different locations of the target movement within an utterance (larger differences close to the beginning). Results further revealed statistically significant differences between the stuttering and nonstuttering groups in finger flexion (but not extension) movement duration and peak velocity latency. Overall, findings suggest that differences between stuttering and nonstuttering individuals are not confined to the sensorimotor processes underlying speech production or even movements of the orofacial system in general. Rather, it appears that the groups show generalized differences in the duration of certain goal-directed movements across unrelated motor systems.
Acoustic Startle Responses and Temperament in Individuals Who Stutter
Authors: Guitar Barry
Published: April 2006

Fourteen individuals who stutter and 14 individuals who do not stutter were presented with 10 bursts of white noise to assess the magnitude of their eyeblink responses as a measure of temperament. Both the magnitude of the eyeblink response to the initial noise burst and the mean of the 10 responses were significantly greater for the stuttering group. The Taylor-Johnson Temperament Analysis (R. M. Taylor & L. P. Morrison, 1996) did not distinguish between the two groups, but informal follow-up statistics indicated that the Nervous subscale showed a significant group difference. Scores on this subscale were also significantly positively correlated with the magnitude of the startle response. A discriminant analysis demonstrated that although both the startle response and the nervous trait differentiated the two groups, the startle response measures were more powerful in making this differentiation.
Phonological Features of Child African American English
Authors: Craig Holly K. , Thompson Connie A. , Washington Julie A. , Potter Stephanie L.
Published: April 2006

The production of phonological features of African American English (AAE) was examined for 64 typically developing African American children in the 2nd through the 5th grade. Students read aloud passages written in Standard American English. Sixty of the students read the passages using AAE, and 8 different phonological features were represented in their readings. Phonological features were more frequent than morphosyntactic features. The findings as a whole support use of the taxonomy developed for this investigation in characterizing the phonological features of child AAE.
Spectral Characteristics of Speech at the Ear
Authors: Pittman Andrea L. , Stelmachowicz Patricia G. , Lewis Dawna E. , Hoover Brenda M.
Published: April 2006

This study examined the long- and short-term spectral characteristics of speech simultaneously recorded at the ear and at a reference microphone position (30 cm at 0° azimuth). Twenty adults and 26 children (2–4 years of age) with normal hearing were asked to produce 9 short sentences in a quiet environment. Long-term average speech spectra (LTASS) were calculated for the concatenated sentences, and short-term spectra were calculated for selected phonemes within the sentences (/m/, /n/, /s/, /∫/, /f/, /a/, /u/, and /i/). Relative to the reference microphone position, the LTASS at the ear showed higher amplitudes for frequencies below 1 kHz and lower amplitudes for frequencies above 2 kHz for both groups. At both microphone positions, the short-term spectra of the children's phonemes revealed reduced amplitudes for /s/ and /∫/ and for vowel energy above 2 kHz relative to the adults' phonemes. The results of this study suggest that, for listeners with hearing loss (a) the talker's own voice through a hearing instrument would contain lower overall energy at frequencies above 2 kHz relative to speech originating in front of the talker, (b) a child's own speech would contain even lower energy above 2 kHz because of adult-child differences in overall amplitude, and (c) frequency regions important to normal speech development (e.g., high-frequency energy in the phonemes /s/ and /∫/) may not be amplified sufficiently by many hearing instruments.
The Effect of Short-Term Auditory Deprivation on the Control of Intraoral Pressure in Pediatric Cochlear Implant Users
Authors: Jones David L. , Gao Sujuan , Svirsky Mario A.
Published: April 2006

The purpose of this study was to determine whether 2 speech measures (peak intraoral air pressure [IOP] and IOP duration) obtained during the production of intervocalic stops would be altered as a function of the presence or absence of auditory stimulation provided by a cochlear implant (CI). Five pediatric CI users were required to produce repetitions of the words
puppy
and
baby
with their CIs turned on. The CIs were then turned off for 1 hr, at which time the speech sample was repeated with the CI still turned off. Seven children with normal hearing formed a comparison group. They were also tested twice, with a 1-hr intermediate interval. IOP and IOP duration were measured for the medial consonant in both auditory conditions. The results show that auditory condition affected peak IOP more so than IOP duration. Peak IOP was greater for /p/ than /b/ with the CI off, but some participants reduced or reversed this contrast when the CI was on. The findings suggest that different speakers with CIs may use different speech production strategies as they learn to use the auditory signal for speech.
The Role of Semantic Complexity in Treatment of Naming Deficits
Authors: Kiran Swathi , Thompson Cynthia K.
Published: April 2006

The effect of typicality of category exemplars on naming was investigated using a single subject experimental design across participants and behaviors in 4 patients with fluent aphasia. Participants received a semantic feature treatment to improve naming of either typical or atypical items within semantic categories, while generalization was tested to untrained items of the category. The order of typicality and category trained was counterbalanced across participants. Results indicated that patients trained on naming of atypical exemplars demonstrated generalization to naming of intermediate and typical items. However, patients trained on typical items demonstrated no generalized naming effect to intermediate or atypical examples. Furthermore, analysis of errors indicated an evolution of errors throughout training, from those with no apparent relationship to the target to primarily semantic and phonemic paraphasias. Performance on standardized language tests also showed changes as a function of treatment. Theoretical and clinical implications regarding the impact of considering semantic complexity on rehabilitation of naming deficits in aphasia are discussed.
The Role of the Input in the Acquisition of Third Person Singular Verbs in English
Authors: Theakston Anna L. , Lieven Elena V. M. , Tomasello Michael
Published: April 2006

During the early stages of language acquisition, children pass through a stage of development when they produce both finite and nonfinite verb forms in finite contexts (e.g., "it go there," "it goes there"). Theorists who assume that children operate with an abstract understanding of tense and agreement marking from the beginnings of language use tend to explain this phenomenon in terms of either performance limitations in production (e.g., V. Valian, 1991) or the optional use of finite forms in finite contexts due to a lack of knowledge that tense and agreement marking is obligatory (the optional infinitive hypothesis; K. Wexler, 1994, 1996). An alternative explanation, however, is that children's use of nonfinite forms is based on the presence of questions in the input ("Where does it go¿") where the grammatical subject is immediately followed by a nonfinite verb form. To compare these explanations, 2 groups of 24 children aged between 2 years 6 months and 3 years were exposed to 6 known and 3 novel verbs produced in either declaratives or questions or in both declaratives and questions. The children were then questioned to elicit use of the verbs in either finite or nonfinite contexts. The results show that for novel verbs, the children's patterns of verb use were closely related to the patterns of verb use modeled in the language to which they were exposed. For known verbs, there were no differences in the children's use of individual verbs, regardless of the specific patterns of verb use modeled in the language they heard. The implications of these findings for theories of early verb use are discussed.