bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multiple Orofacial Indices in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Authors: DePaul Roxanne , Brooks Benjamin R.
Published: July 2014

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by significant speech and swallowing problems resulting from upper and lower motor neuron loss. Weakness is the primary ALS disease-related sign, and measures of muscle strength have revealed nonuniform patterns of muscle weakness in orofacial muscles. To a large extent, muscle strength measures in these studies have not been evaluated in terms of functional significance, and few researchers have addressed the relation between weakness and motor neuron loss. This study addressed whether multiple measures, including static isometric maximum voluntary contraction (MVC), a dynamic measure of the peak rate of change of force (PRCF), an upper motor neuron (UMN) index, and a functional disability score (FDS) might enhance understanding of speech dysfunction in ALS. Ten males diagnosed with sporadic ALS showing mild speech impairment and an equal number of matched controls were studied. Tongue MVC and PRCF were more impaired than those of the lip and jaw, irrespective of the time post onset and site of initial symptoms. Results also suggested that disproportionate tongue impairment may be related to UMN deficits. However, impairments in the rate of contraction did not appear to be related to UMN deficits. Tongue weakness and tongue and lower lip PRCF were related to the degree of speech severity, but none of the measures was related to speech intelligibility. The value of a functional outcome measure like speech intelligibility and its role in characterizing orofacial involvement in the early stages of ALS bulbar impairment are discussed.
Suppression and Facilitation of Pragmatic Performance
Authors: Bloom Ronald L. , Borod Joan C. , Obler Loraine K. , Gerstman Louis J.
Published: July 2014

This study examines the effect of emotional content on the verbal pragmatic aspects of discourse production in right-brain-damaged (RBD), left-brain-damaged (LBD), and normal control (NC) right-handed adults. Subject groups were matched for gender, age, education, and occupation; brain-damaged groups did not differ on months post CVA onset and lesion location. Subjects were screened to ensure that they demonstrated adequate cognitive and visual perceptual skills to participate in the study. Pictorial stimuli were used to elicit discourse that contained emotional and nonemotional (procedural, visuospatial) content. Trained raters evaluated each discourse for appropriateness on seven verbal pragmatic features (e.g., conciseness, quantity, relevancy). Across all three conditions, the brain-damaged groups were impaired relative to NCs. In the nonemotional conditions, LBDs were particularly impaired in pragmatics, whereas in the emotional condition, RBDs demonstrated pragmatic deficits. Emotional content appeared to facilitate pragmatic performance among LBD aphasics and to suppress pragmatic performance among RBDs.
Morphological Deficits of Children With SLI
Authors: Rice Mabel L. , Oetting Janna B.
Published: July 2014

Three accounts of the grammatical deficits of children with specific language impairment (SLI), that is, Missing Feature, Surface Account, and Missing Agreement, were evaluated by examining children with SLI and language-matched non-SLI children’s acquisition of number marking and number agreement. The data consisted of spontaneous language transcripts from 108 preschool children. Number marking was evaluated using five indices of plural development: percent of use in obligatory contexts, lexical productivity, selectivity, contrastivity, and morphological productivity. Two levels of number agreement were examined: the traditional agreement between the verb and its subject, and a new measure of agreement within the noun phrase. The results indicated that children with SLI control number marking, counter to the predictions of the Missing Feature hypothesis and the Surface Account. On the other hand, as predicted, number agreement across clausal boundaries was more difficult for the children with SLI as compared to the children in the control group. A close analysis of number marking within the noun phrase revealed two distinctive contexts, determiner + noun versus quantifier + noun. Children with SLI had more difficulty with the latter than the former, whereas the two contexts were not differentiated for the control children. Syntactic and semantic explanations are discussed as interpretive options.
Nonlinear Phonology
Authors: Bernhardt Barbara , Stoel-Gammon Carol
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this tutorial is to introduce a recent advance in phonological theory, “nonlinear phonology,” which differs fundamentally from previous theories by focusing on the hierarchical nature of relationships among phonological units. We first introduce the basic concepts and assumptions of nonlinear phonological theory and then demonstrate clinical applications of the theory for assessment and intervention. Data from a child with a severe phonological disorder are used to illustrate aspects of nonlinear theory. The data are first analyzed in terms of phonological processes in order to provide the readers with a familiar starting point for comprehension and comparison. The nonlinear frameworks are shown to provide a deeper analysis of the child’s phonological system than the phonological process analyses and to lead to a more clearly defined intervention plan.
Relationships Between Language and Gesture in Normally Developing and Late-Talking Toddlers
Authors: Thai Donna , Tobias Stacy
Published: July 2014

Seventeen toddlers with specific expressive language delay (14 boys and 3 girls between 18 and 33 months of age) were compared to two control groups, one matched for language production and the other matched for age and language comprehension, on measures of spontaneous and imitated gesture production. Late talkers performed like age/comprehensionmatched controls on all experimental measures of gesture production and on production of later appearing, more symbolic gestures as reported by parents. Late talkers performed like language-matched controls on earlier appearing communicative gestures and gestural routines as reported by parents. All three groups produced more gestures in canonical imitation conditions than spontaneously. Results are discussed in the contexts of the Local Homology Model and characteristics of toddlers with specific expressive language delay.
The Reliability of Observational Data
Authors: Cordes Anne K.
Published: July 2014

Much research and clinical work in speech-language pathology depends on the validity and reliability of data gathered through the direct observation of human behavior. This paper reviews several definitions of reliability, concluding that behavior observation data are reliable if they, and the experimental conclusions drawn from them, are not affected by differences among observers or by other variations in the recording context. The theoretical bases of several methods commonly used to estimate reliability for observational data are reviewed, with examples of the use of these methods drawn from a recent volume of the
Journal of Speech and Hearing Research
(35, 1992). Although most recent research publications in speech-language pathology have addressed the issue of reliability for their observational data to some extent, most reliability estimates do not clearly establish that the data or the experimental conclusions were replicable or unaffected by differences among observers. Suggestions are provided for improving the usefulness of the reliability estimates published in speech-language pathology research.
Social Valence in Children With Specific Language Impairment During Imitation-Based and Conversation-Based Language Intervention
Authors: Haley Katarina L. , Camarata Stephen M. , Nelson Keith E.
Published: July 2014

This study investigated the level of social valence and type of social behaviors expressed in 15 children with specific language impairment as they engaged in typical language intervention activities during conversation-based and imitation-based language programs. These programs were both applied to each child over a period of several weeks. Videotapes of treatment sessions were analyzed for the presence of five verbal and 11 nonverbal behaviors selected to measure social valence. In addition, the child’s level of social valence was scored on a three-point rating scale. The results showed that although both types of treatments were predominantly associated with positive social valence ratings and a high frequency of smiling, laughing, and engagement in the activities, a significantly higher number of these positive ratings and behaviors were noted within conversation-based treatment. In contrast, although negative social valence ratings and expressions of boredom or dislike were very rare, these were observed more frequently under imitation-based treatment. There was a significantly higher rate of verbal initiations in the conversation-based treatment, and a significantly higher rate of quiet, passive participation in the imitation-based treatment. The findings are discussed in relation to treatment selection and viable strategies for assessing treatment acceptability in children.
The Effect of Noise Spectrum on Speech Recognition Performance-Intensity Functions
Authors: Studebaker Gerald A. , Taylor Rebecca , Sherbecoe Robert L.
Published: July 2014

Articulation theory predicts that a subject’s absolute or masked threshold configuration will affect the slope of the speech recognition performance-intensity (P-I) function. This study was carried out to test that prediction. Performance-intensity functions for the Technisonic Studios W-22 recordings were obtained from 12 subjects with normal hearing. Four continuous thermal noise maskers, high-pass (HP) noise, white noise, ANSI noise, and talker-spectrum-matched (TSM) noise, were used to shape threshold. P-I function slopes for the averaged data ranged from about 1.6%o/dB in HP noise to about 6.7%/dB in TSM noise. At low to moderate speech intensity levels, the positions and slopes of the P- functions were accurately estimated by an articulation index-type model that included corrections for subject proficiency and for high- and low-frequency spread of masking. At higher intensity levels, performance was overestimated by the model.
Physiological Assessment of Speech and Voice Production of Adults With Hearing Loss
Authors: Higgins Maureen B. , Carney Arlene E. , Schulte Laura
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this investigation was to study the impact of hearing loss on phonatory, velopharyngeal, and articulatory functioning using a comprehensive physiological approach. Electroglottograph (EGG), nasal/oral air flow, and intraoral air pressure signals were recorded simultaneously from adults with impaired and normal hearing as they produced syllables and words of varying physiological difficulty. The individuals with moderate-to-profound hearing loss had good to excellent oral communication skills. Intraoral pressure, nasal air flow, durations of lip, velum, and vocal fold articulations, estimated subglottal pressure, mean phonatory air flow, fundamental frequency, and EGG abduction quotient were compared between the two subject groups. Data from the subjects with hearing loss also were compared across aided and unaided conditions to investigate the influence of auditory feedback on speech motor control. The speakers with hearing loss had significantly higher intraoral pressures, subglottal pressures, laryngeal resistances, and fundamental frequencies than those with normal hearing. There was notable between-subject variability. All of the individuals with profound hearing loss had at least one speech/voice physiology measure that fell outside of the normal range, and most of the subjects demonstrated unique clusters of abnormal behaviors. Abnormal behaviors were more evident in the phonatory than articulatory or velopharyngeal systems and were generally consistent with vocal fold hyperconstriction. There was evidence from individual data that vocal fold posturing influenced articulatory timing. The results did not support the idea that the speech production skills of adults with moderate-to-profound hearing loss who are good oral communicators deteriorate when there are increased motoric demands on the velopharyngeal and phonatory mechanism. Although no significant differences were found between the aided and unaided conditions, 7 of 10 subjects showed the same direction of change for subglottal pressure, intraoral pressure, nasal air flow, and the duration of lip and vocal fold articulations. We conclude that physiological assessments provide important information about the speech/voice production abilities of individuals with moderate-to-profound hearing loss and are a valuable addition to standard assessment batteries.
Joint Book-Reading Strategies in Working-Class African American and White Mother-Toddler Dyads
Authors: Anderson-Yockel Julie , Haynes William O.
Published: July 2014

Twenty working-class mother-toddler dyads were videorecorded during three joint book-reading activities. Ten of the dyads were white, and 10 were African American, balanced for parent educational level, family income, and parental occupation. The children ranged in age from 18 to 30 months and were normally developing. The parents read an experimental book to their child two times and a favorite book they brought from home one time. Videotapes of the joint book-readings were analyzed to determine cultural differences and the effects of book familiarity on the occurrence of maternal and child communication behaviors. The results show many similarities between the cultural groups in joint book-reading behaviors. However, statistical analyses revealed a significant difference between the cultural groups in the use of questions. African American mothers used significantly fewer questioning behaviors compared to the white mothers. White children produced more question-related communications, and African American children produced more spontaneous verbalizations. Several effects of familiarity were also found. The findings are compared to anthropological reports on caretaker-child interaction in African American families and implications are discussed.
Effects of Grammar Facilitation on the Phonological Performance of Children With Speech and Language Impairments
Authors: Fey Marc E. , Cleave Patricia L. , Ravida Anna I. , Long Steven H. , Dejmal Amy E. , Easton Deborah L.
Published: July 2014

Although there is a great deal of evidence for a significant developmental relationship between grammar and phonology, the nature of this relationship and its implications for the intervention of children with impairments in both grammar and phonology are unclear. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether two approaches to grammar facilitation that placed no emphasis on phonology would have indirect effects on the phonological output of preschoolers with speech and language impairments. All 26 subjects, ages 44–70 months, had impairments both in grammar and in phonology. Ten subjects took part in a clinician-administered intervention program, eight subjects received a similar intervention program implemented by their parents, and eight children served as delayed intervention controls (Fey, Cleave, Long, & Hughes, 1993). The results indicated that despite a strong effect for the intervention on the children’s grammatical output, there were no indirect effects on the subjects’ phonological production. It is concluded that despite a close relationship between the development of grammar and phonology, language intervention approaches for children approximately 4 to 6 years of age should address phonological problems directly if significant effects on phonology are to be expected.
Gradual Emergence of Developmental Language Disorders
Authors: Locke John L.
Published: July 2014

This article presents a theory of normal and delayed development of language. According to the theory, linguistic capacity develops in critically timed phases that occur gradually and sequentially. Normally, the rapid accumulation of stored utterances activates analytical mechanisms that are needed for the development of linguistic grammar. Children with slowly developing brains have delays in the socially cognitive systems that store utterances, and a critical period for activation of experience-dependent grammatical mechanisms declines without optimal result. Continuing efforts to speak induct species-atypical allocations of neural resources into linguistic service. It is speculated that this compensatory activity leads to compensatory growth, which may ultimately be revealed as volumetric symmetry of perisylvian areas. Because rate of brain maturation is under genetic as well as environmental control, the stage is thus set for an impairment that will seem to be specific and a brain that will appear to be abnormal.
The Phonological Abilities of Cantonese-Speaking Children With Hearing Loss
Authors: Dodd Barbara J. , So Lydia K. H.
Published: July 2014

Little is known about the acquisition of phonology by children with hearing loss who learn languages other than English. In this study, the phonological abilities of 12 Cantonese-speaking children (ages 4:2 to 6:11) with prelingual hearing impairment are described. All but 3 children had almost complete syllable-initial consonant repertoires; all but 2 had complete syllable-final consonant and vowel repertoires; and only 1 child failed to produce all nine tones. Children’s perception of single words was assessed using sets of words that included tone, consonant, and semantic distractors. Although the performance of the subjects was not age appropriate, they nevertheless most often chose the target, with most errors observed for the tone distractor. The phonological rules used included those that characterize the speech of younger hearing children acquiring Cantonese (e.g., cluster reduction, stopping, and deaspiration). However, most children also used at least one unusual phonological rule (e.g., frication, addition, initial consonant deletion, and/or backing). These rules are common in the speech of Cantonesespeaking children diagnosed as phonologically disordered. The influence of the ambient language on children’s patterns of phonological errors is discussed.
Early Vocal Development in Tactually Aided Children With Severe-Profound Hearing Loss
Authors: Steffens Michele L. , Eilers Rebecca E. , Fishman Linda , Oller D. Kimbrough , Urbano Richard C.
Published: July 2014

The vocalizations of six children with severe-profound hearing loss were audio-recorded in two conditions during individual speech-language intervention sessions: (a) auditory amplification alone, and (b) auditory amplification plus the Tactaid II, a two-channel vibrotactile device (Franklin, 1986). Utterances were categorized according to the infraphonological framework described by Oller (1980, 1986) and Oller and Lynch (1992). Vocalizations were categorized in a developmental framework relative to mature speech. Those utterances containing well-formed consonant-vowel syllables were transcribed with broad phonetic transcription and analyzed at both the syllabic and segmental levels. Statistically significant differences were found between the two conditions for vocal volubility (i.e., quantity of vocalizations produced); subjects vocalized more when using both auditory amplification and the Tactaid II together than with auditory amplification alone. Trends in the early vocal development of these children with severe-profound hearing loss are described at the infraphonologic, segmental, and syllabic levels.
Intersyllabic Movement Timing in the Fluent Speech of Stutterers With Different Disfluency Levels
Authors: McClean Michael D. , Levandowski Donna R. , Cord Mary T.
Published: July 2014

The goal of this study was to identify possible differences in movement timing in the fluent speech of adult stutterers who show varying levels of speech disfluency. Strain gauge recordings of lip and jaw movements and electroglottographic recordings of laryngeal vibration were obtained in 31 subjects as they repeated simple speech utterances. Measures of the duration and variability of intersyllablic articulatory events were analyzed in relation to speech disfluency level and history of speech treatment. As expected, movement durations were longer in subjects who had been through speech treatment. No significant associations were observed between timing durations and disfluency level. However, more disfluent subjects tended to show reduced variability in timing durations, an effect that was independent of speech treatment. This finding is interpreted in relation to previous observations on control systems that show instability and disfunction in association with reduced output variability. When disfluency level was measured during physiologic testing, duration interacted with speech treatment, with more disfluent subjects in the treatment group showing increased durations in their fluent speech. This effect is attributed to volitional control intended to facilitate speech fluency.
Developmental Phonological Disorders I
Authors: Shriberg Lawrence D. , Kwiatkowski Joan
Published: July 2014

Detailed information on the speech, language, prosody, and voice characteristics of children with developmental phonological disorders is central to diverse research questions. The present study provides a clinical profile of 178 children with developmental phonological disorders. It includes information from prior reports (Shriberg & Kwiatkowski, 1982a; Shriberg, Kwiatkowski, Best, Hengst, & Terselic-Weber, 1986) and from several new measures on a sample of 64 children. The speech, prosody-voice, and causal-correlates profiles for the most recent sample are consistent with prior findings, providing a descriptive profile for forthcoming subgroup research and companion studies addressing short-term (Shriberg, Kwiatkowski, & Gruber, 1994) and long-term (Shriberg, Gruber, & Kwiatkowski, 1994) speech-sound normalization.
Use of Phonological Information in a Word-Finding Treatment for Children
Authors: McGregor Karla K.
Published: July 2014

Two children with word-finding deficits characterized largely by semantic substitutions participated in a treatment involving phonological information about target words. The treatment was motivated by models of naming where semantic information and phonological information are stored in independent ordered components. Given such models, it is possible to characterize some semantic word-finding substitutions as well as phonological word-finding substitutions as the result of breakdown at the level of the phonological output representation. The treatment was organized according to a single-subject multiple baseline design across behaviors and subjects. As hypothesized, the phonologically based treatment resulted in reduction not only of occasional phonological word-finding substitutions but also of the large number of semantic word-finding substitutions displayed during baseline and control measures of confrontation naming. In light of these data, the possible source of word-finding breakdowns in these children is explored.
Speaking Fundamental Frequency Changes Over Time in Women: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Russell Alison , Penny Lynda , Pemberton Cecilia
Published: July 2014

Archival recordings of the human voice are a relatively untapped resource for both longitudinal and cross-sectional research into the aging voice. Through the availability of collections of old sound recordings, speech pathologists and voice scientists have access to a wealth of data for research purposes. This article reports on the use of such archival data to examine the changes in speaking fundamental frequency (SFF) in a group of Australian women's voices over the past 50 years, and discusses the benefits and problems associated with using archival data. Recordings made in 1945 of women were compared with recordings of the same women made in 1993 to investigate the changes in SFF with age. The results demonstrate a significant lowering of SFF with age in this group of Australian women. The implications for the interpretation of cross-sectional data on the aging voice, the use of archival data in voice research, and the need for further research using archival data are discussed.
Sentence Comprehension in Children With Specific Language Impairment: The Role of Phonological Working Memory
Authors: Montgomery James W.
Published: July 2014

This study examined the influence of phonological working memory on sentence comprehension in children with specific language impairment (SLI). Fourteen children with SLI and 13 with normal language (NL) participated in two tasks. In the first, a nonsense word repetition task (index of phonological working memory), subjects repeated nonsense words varying in length from one syllable to four. In a sentence comprehension task, subjects listened to sentences under two conditions varying in linguistic redundancy (redundant, nonredundant). On the nonsense word repetition task, between- and within-group analyses revealed that subjects with SLI repeated significantly fewer 3-syllable and 4-syllable nonsense words. On the sentence comprehension task, between- and within-group analyses determined that subjects with SLI comprehended significantly fewer redundant (longer) sentences than nonredundant (shorter) sentences. A positive correlation was found between subjects' performance on the nonsense word repetition and sentence comprehension tasks. Results were interpreted to suggest that children with SLI have diminished phonological working memory capacity and that this capacity deficit compromises their sentence comprehension efforts.
Glottal Area and Vibratory Patterns Studied With Simultaneous Stroboscopy, Flow Glottography, and Electroglottography
Authors: Hertegård Stellan , Gauffin Jan
Published: July 2014

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between variations in glottal area and vibratory patterns during phonation studied with stroboscopy and glottographic methods. Two normal speaking male and three female subjects were examined by means of simultaneous stroboscopy, flow glottography, and electroglottography. Estimations were made of the glottal area from pressure and flow data using the formula described by van den Berg. Significant correlations were found for the male phonations between estimations and measurements of the minimum glottal area (glottal insufficiency). Estimations of the peak glottal area were also significantly correlated to measured peak glottal area for values below 25 mm
2
. The estimated minimum area tended to be higher, whereas the estimated peak area values were lower than the corresponding glottal area measurements. This might be explained by variations in glottal and supraglottal geometry for different modes of phonation and by sub- and supraglottal acoustic interaction. Several glottographic parameters for the male phonations were highly correlated with the measurements of glottal insufficiency and also differed significantly between normal, pressed, and breathy hypofunctional modes of phonation. The presence of a hump in the first part of the closed phase for the flow glottogram seems to indicate that a clearly visible mucosal wave is present during vocal fold vibration.
Dynamic Aspects of Lower Lip Movement in Parkinsonian and Neurologically Normal Geriatric Speakers’ Production of Stress
Authors: Forrest Karen , Weismer Gary
Published: July 2014

Lower lip+jaw movement was evaluated for parkinsonian dysarthric and age-matched, neurologically normal speakers during the production of alternating stress contrasts. Discrete measures of movement, including displacement amplitude, peak velocity, the relation of amplitude to peak velocity, and movement durations were compared across groups for stressed and unstressed syllables. Additionally, quantitative (parameter
c
and the ratio of acceleration to deceleration) and qualitative indices of dynamic characteristics of velocity profiles for lower lip+jaw opening and closing gestures were compared across the subject groups. Within the dysarthric group, the relation between each discrete and dynamic kinematic parameter and the perceived severity of the dysarthria was investigated. The discrete measures confirmed previous findings of reduced displacement and peak velocity for the parkinsonian speakers during opening and closing gestures for both the stressed and unstressed syllables. However, the relation between amplitude and velocity did not differ for the two subject groups for any gesture. Movement durations were equivalent for the two groups during the production of opening gestures, but were significantly shorter for the parkinsonian speakers during closing gestures. Quantitative indices of the velocity profiles also failed to differentiate between the subject groups or between dysarthric speakers as a function of severity. By contrast, the qualitative descriptions of the velocity profiles showed between-speaker differences that were more pronounced for subjects with more severe dysarthria. These qualitative differences were evident in opening gestures toward an unstressed vowel, only.
Intelligibility and Phonetic Contrast Errors in Highly Intelligible Speakers With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Authors: Riddel Joanne , McCauley Rebecca J. , Mulligan Moira , Tandan Rup
Published: July 2014

Intelligibility data, phonetic contrast errors, and information regarding subsystem involvement were examined in 29 highly intelligible subjects (18 women and 11 men) with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Results are discussed in terms of data for individual subjects, the group as a whole, and for subgroups based on dysarthric status and gender. Of particular interest are findings that suggest early laryngeal involvement as well as gender-related differences for several contrasts.
Acquisition of Speech by Children Who Have Prolonged Cochlear Implant Experience
Authors: Tye-Murray Nancy , Spencer Linda , Woodworth George G.
Published: July 2014

The four purposes of this investigation were to assess whether children acquire intelligible speech following prolonged cochlear-implant experience and examine their speech error patterns, to examine how age at implantation influences speech acquisition, to assess how speech production and speech perception skills relate, and to determine whether cochlear implant recipients who formerly used simultaneous communication (speech and manually coded English) begin to use speech without sign to communicate. Twenty-eight prelinguistically deafened children who use a Nucleus cochlear implant were assigned to one of three age groups, according to age at implantation: 2–5 yrs (N = 12), 5–8 yrs (N = 9), and 8–15 yrs (N = 7). All subjects had worn a cochlear implant for at least 24 mos, and an average of 36 mos. All subjects used simultaneous communication at the time of implantation. Subjects performed both imitative and structured spontaneous sampling speech tasks. The results permit the following conclusions: (a) children who have used a cochlear implant for at least 2 yrs acquire some intelligible speech; (b) children who receive a cochlear implant before the age of 5 yrs appear to show greater benefit in their speech production skills than children who are older, at least after a minimum of 2 yrs of use; (c) children who recognize more speech while wearing their cochlear implants are likely to speak more intelligibly; and, (d) signing does not disappear from a child’s communication mode following implantation.
Sequential Memory in Children With and Without Language Impairment
Authors: Gillam Ronald B. , Cowan Nelson , Day Linda S.
Published: July 2014

Serial recall was studied in children with language impairment and two groups of normally achieving controls: a group matched for age and a younger group matched for reading and memory capacity. Participants were presented lists of digits that were one item longer than their memory span, in conditions requiring either written or oral recall. Digit lists were presented either with or without a final nonword item, or “suffix,” that was capable of interfering with memory for items at the end of the list. The main finding was that the list-final suffix effect was substantially larger than normal in children with language impairment, even though other aspects of their recall were normal. This deficiency in children with language impairment was evident only under a scoring system that credited recall of items in their correct serial positions, not under scoring systems that credited memory for the presence of items or their sequence. Results are interpreted according to the hypothesis that children with language impairment are more dependent upon relatively unanalyzed acoustic and phonetic representations of speech than are other children.
Aphasics Can Distinguish Permuted Orders of Phonemes—But Only If Presented Rapidly
Authors: Warren Richard M. , Gardner Daniel A.
Published: July 2014

Speech consists of a rapid succession of phonemes, and receptive aphasia has been attributed to an impairment in temporal acuity that interferes with the ability to discriminate between different arrangements of brief sounds. The present study reports evidence that aphasic listeners could distinguish between permuted orders of steady-state vowels occurring at rates matching or exceeding those employed in natural speech production. They could not, however, distinguish between different arrangements when the rate of presentation was slowed, although this task could be accomplished with ease by nonaphasic listeners. Our results suggest that the poor comprehension of language by aphasics is not the consequence of deficits in the ordering of brief sounds, but rather involves difficulties in performing tasks requiring specific psycholinguistic skills.
A Study of the Tactual Reception of Sign Language
Authors: Reed Charlotte M. , Delhorne Lorraine A. , Durlach Nathaniel I. , Fischer Susan D.
Published: July 2014

One of the natural methods of tactual communication in common use among individuals who are both deaf and blind is the tactual reception of sign language. In this method, the receiver (who is deaf-blind) places a hand (or hands) on the dominant (or both) hand(s) of the signer in order to receive, through the tactual sense, the various formational properties associated with signs. In the study reported here, 10 experienced deaf-blind users of either American Sign Language (ASL) or Pidgin Sign English (PSE) participated in experiments to determine their ability to receive signed materials including isolated signs and sentences. A set of 122 isolated signs was received with an average accuracy of 87% correct. The most frequent type of error made in identifying isolated signs was related to misperception of individual phonological components of signs. For presentation of signed sentences (translations of the English CID sentences into ASL or PSE), the performance of individual subjects ranged from 60–85% correct reception of key signs. Performance on sentences was relatively independent of rate of presentation in signs/sec, which covered a range of roughly 1 to 3 signs/sec. Sentence errors were accounted for primarily by deletions and phonological and semantic/syntactic substitutions. Experimental results are discussed in terms of differences in performance for isolated signs and sentences, differences in error patterns for the ASL and PSE groups, and communication rates relative to visual reception of sign language and other natural methods of tactual communication.
Fluency Changes in Persons Who Stutter Following a Double Blind Trial of Clomipramine and Desipramine
Authors: Stager Sheila V. , Ludlow Christy L. , Gordon Charles T. , Cotelingam Monica , Rapoport Judith L.
Published: July 2014

This study compared fluency changes in adult developmental stuttering speakers treated with two tricyclic antidepressants, clomipramine and desipramine. Clomipramine is primarily a serotonergic reuptake inhibitor, and desipramine, primarily a noradrenergic reuptake inhibitor. Sixteen subjects who stuttered participated in a single-blind placebo, double-blind active drug crossover study lasting 12 weeks. Speech rate and percent fluency did not significantly improve in placebo compared to baseline. Speech rate significantly increased while repeating, reading or constructing sentences, and during a telephone conversation, but no significant changes in percent fluency were found under clomipramine compared to placebo. Speech rate during a telephone conversation and percent fluency while speaking in front of an audience of four to seven listeners significantly increased under clomipramine compared to desipramine. No significant improvements in percent fluency or speech rate were found for any speaking task under desipramine compared to placebo. Twelve of 16 subjects reported improved fluency compared to baseline using clomipramine, whereas 6 reported improvement using desipramine. Because more evidence of improvement was found under clomipramine compared to desipramine, fluency improvement may be related to clomipramine’s greater selectivity for serotonergic reuptake inhibition.
Effect of a Tracheostomy Speaking Valve on Secretions, Arterial Oxygenation, and Olfaction: A Quantitative Evaluation
Authors: Lichtman Steven W. , Birnbaum Ingrid L. , Sanfilippo Maria R. , Pellicone John T. , Damon William J. , King Marjorie L.
Published: July 2014

Tracheostomy speaking valves consist of a one-way valve that closes upon exhalation, causing a redirection of exhaled gas into the upper airway, thus allowing for the primary benefit of speech. the present study was undertaken to test various hypotheses concerning the secondary benefits of speaking valves. We hypothesized that use of a speaking valve will result in a decrease in accumulated secretions, an increase in arterial oxygenation and an improvement in olfactory function. A total of 8 tracheotomized patients met the following inclusion criteria: age >18; ability to tolerate wearing a speaking valve for at least 3 hours; no unstable medical conditions; no use ,pf thrombolytic agents. While using the speaking valve patients accumulated fewer secretions (74.3 ± 63.6 vs. 122.8 ± 44.6 ml/day,
p
= 0.004,
n
= 7) and had improved olfactory function (accuracy = 28.4 ± 5.2 vs. 8.1 ± 2.9%,
p
= 0.02; and percent correct = 64.2 ± 2.6 vs. 50.0 ± 3.9%,
p
= 0.03,
n
= 6) than when off the speaking valve. No significant differences were found in 24-hour arterial oxygen saturation (pulse oximetry and ABG analysis respectively,
n
= 7), arterial PO
2
, pH, PCO
2
, HCO
3
, or 24-hour heart rate (
n
= 7). Thus, the present study found a significant decrease in secretions and improvements in olfaction when tracheotomized patients wore a speaking valve, but no difference in arterial oxygenation.
Effects of a Sour Bolus on Oropharyngeal Swallowing Measures in Patients With Neurogenic Dysphagia
Authors: Logemann Jeri A. , Pauloski Barbara Roa , Colangelo Laura , Lazarus Cathy , Fujiu Masako , Kahrilas Peter J.
Published: July 2014

This study examines the effects of a sour bolus (50% lemon juice, 50% barium liquid) on pharyngeal swallow measures in two groups of patients with neurogenic dysphagia. Group 1 consisted of 19 patients who had suffered at least one stroke. Group 2 consisted of 8 patients with dysphagia related to other neurogenic etiologies. All patients were selected because they exhibited delays in the onset of the oral swallow and delays in triggering the pharyngeal swallow on boluses of 1 ml and 3 ml liquid barium during videofluoroscopy. Results showed significant improvement in oral onset of the swallow in both groups of patients and a significant reduction in pharyngeal swallow delay in Group 1 patients and in frequency of aspiration in Group 2 patients with the sour as compared to the non-sour boluses. Other selected swallow measures in both subject groups also improved with the sour bolus. Volume effects were present but not as consistently as in prior studies. Implications for swallow therapy are discussed.
Quantitative Assessment of Hyoid Bone Displacement From Video Images During Swallowing
Authors: Perlman Adrienne L. , VanDaele Douglas J. , Otterbacher Melissa S.
Published: July 2014

Given the relationship between hyoid displacement and aspiration, a simple, accurate, clinically useful method for identification of reduced hyoid displacement is needed. The purpose of this investigation was to validate a quantitative method for clinically assessing hyoid bone movement during swallowing. Videofluoroscopic evaluations of 20 male subjects—10 who had been subjectively assessed as demonstrating normal hyoid displacement during swallowing, and 10 who had been subjectively assessed as demonstrating reduced displacement during swallowing—were analyzed. A video measuring gauge was used, and a software spreadsheet was developed to perform trigonometric calculations for determination of anterior/ superior hyoid trajectories. Statistically significant differences were found between groups in both the anterior and superior directions of hyoid movement. No significant differences were found between liquid and paste swallows within groups. This method is simple in that it is necessary to identify only three to five points on two video images. Those values are then input onto a preprogrammed spreadsheet that automatically performs the necessary calculations. Although the present investigation focused on the movements of the hyoid bone during swallowing, this method of tracking displacement can be used for virtually any task or structure whose movements can be captured on videotape.
Specific Language Impairment: Preliminary Investigation of Factors Associated With Family History and With Patterns of Language Performance
Authors: Lahey Margaret , Edwards Jan
Published: July 2014

To examine patterns that might suggest etiologic subgroups of specific language impairment (SLI), information, including history of speech-language-learning (SLLD) problems in family members, was obtained on 53 children with SLI aged 4 to 9½ years. The results led to the generation of a number of hypotheses for future research. In particular, the findings suggested that family history is related to pattern of language performance. In comparison with children who had both expressive and receptive language deficits, children with deficits in only expressive language had a higher proportion of affected family members (.47 vs. .22), of affected mothers (.57 vs. .17), and of affected siblings (.53 vs. .27). These and other findings are discussed in terms of their consistency with other data, hypotheses relative to explanations of SLI, and their implications for further research.
Metrical Patterns of Words and Production Accuracy
Authors: Schwartz Richard G. , Goffman Lisa
Published: July 2014

This investigation examined the influence of metrical patterns of words (syllable stress and serial position) on the production accuracy of 20 children (22 to 28 months). The data were productions of six pairs of individualized two-syllable experimental words that referred to unfamiliar objects. Members of each pair differed only in the placement of stress (e.g., ['soti] vs. [so'ti]). Unstressed syllables were much more likely to be omitted, particularly at the beginning of words. Very few stressed syllables and unstressed second position syllables were omitted. One fourth of the word initial unstressed syllables were omitted. Consonant omissions, though few in number, tended to occur in initial position. Assimilation errors were not influenced by stress or serial position. When segmental errors due to syllable omissions were excluded, other consonant errors were not affected by stress or serial position. These findings indicate that young children's productions of syllables are influenced by the metrical patterns of words. However, the trochaic pattern of English is a statistical tendency, not an absolute constraint on two-syllable words. Metrical pattern also does not affect the consonant accuracy in syllables produced.
Discourse Comprehension of Synthetic Speech Across Three Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Output Methods
Authors: Higginbotham D. Jeffery , Scally Christine A. , Lundy Debra C. , Kowarsky Kim
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the relative effects of three different Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) speech output methods (word, sentence, mixed words and letters) on a listener's ability to summarize paragraph-length texts. Based on previous work on the discourse processing of synthetic speech, a monotonic trend in a listener's ability to accurately summarize texts produced by different output methods was hypothesized (word > sentence > mixed). Thirty able-bodied adults were individually tested over a 2-day period, listening to four texts produced by a DECtalk speech synthesizer at a speech presentation rate of 7.5 wpm. Using a discourse summarization taxonomy developed by Higginbotham, Lundy, and Scally (1993), the experimental hypothesis was confirmed. Word-method listeners produced significantly more accurate renditions of the original texts than sentence-method listeners, who, in turn, did better than mixed-method listeners. Statistically significant differences also were found for the topic familiarity of the texts. The role of the above variables on AAC device comprehension and technology design is discussed.
Effects of Age, Education, and Living Environment on Boston Naming Test Performance
Authors: Neils Jean , Baris Julie M. , Carter Cheryl , Dell'aira Angel L. , Nordloh Sharon J. , Weiler Ernest , Weisiger Bradford
Published: July 2014

The 60-item Boston Naming Test (BNT; Kaplan, Goodglass, & Weintraub, 1983) was administered to 323 normal elderly subjects between the ages of 65 and 97. The combined effects of age, education, and living environment (institutionalized/independent living) on total test score was determined. These three variables accounted for 32% of the variance in BNT performance. Educational background accounted for the greatest proportion of the variance, followed by age and living environment. There was also a significant interaction between age, education, and living environment. Overall, increased age adversely affected BNT scores. However, institutionalized subjects with a sixth–ninth grade education performed poorly on the BNT regardless of age. In addition, there was little difference in BNT performance according to age or living environment for the well educated. (The only exceptions were the oldest institutionalized subjects, who performed poorly on the BNT regardless of level of education.) The data presented in this study should be helpful for those clinicians who administer the BNT to elderly patients who are institutionalized or who have a limited educational background.
Required Number of Tokens to Determine Representative Voice Perturbation Values
Authors: Scherer Ronald C. , Vail Vernon J. , Guo Chwen Geng
Published: July 2014

Acoustic perturbation analyses of prolonged vowels are used in determining phonatory stability characteristics. When a number of tokens are analyzed, the average perturbation values create a stability profile of the voice. How many tokens are needed to obtain a representative perturbation value? In this study, five perturbation measures were considered, namely, jitter, shimmer, harmonics-to-noise ratio, coefficient of variation for amplitude, and coefficient of variation for frequency. Subject groups were chosen on the basis of individual average perturbation values. Results indicate that, except for the harmonics-to-noise ratio, generally, the less stable the voice, the greater is the number of tokens needed to obtain representative averages. For highly stable voices, at least six tokens are suggested; for voices with normal to high levels of instability, at least 15 tokens are recommended. Regardless of vocal stability, at least 10 tokens are suggested for the harmonics-to-noise ratio measure.