Articulatory Control in Childhood Apraxia of Speech in a Novel Word–Learning Task

Purpose

Articulatory control and speech production accuracy were examined in children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) and typically developing (TD) controls within a novel word–learning task to better understand the influence of planning and programming deficits in the production of unfamiliar words.

Method

Participants included 16 children between the ages of 5 and 6 years (8 CAS, 8 TD). Short- and long-term changes in lip and jaw movement, consonant and vowel accuracy, and token-to-token consistency were measured for 2 novel words that differed in articulatory complexity.

Results

Children with CAS displayed short- and long-term changes in consonant accuracy and consistency. Lip and jaw movements did not change over time. Jaw movement duration was longer in children with CAS than in TD controls. Movement stability differed between low- and high-complexity words in both groups.

Conclusions

Children with CAS displayed a learning effect for consonant accuracy and consistency. Lack of change in movement stability may indicate that children with CAS require additional practice to demonstrate changes in speech motor control, even within production of novel word targets with greater consonant and vowel accuracy and consistency. The longer movement duration observed in children with CAS is believed to give children additional time to plan and program movements within a novel skill.

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Loudness and Pitch Perception using Dynamically Compensated Virtual Channels

Publication date: Available online 7 December 2016
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Waldo Nogueira, Leonid Litvak, David M. Landsberger, Andreas Büchner
Reducing power consumption is important for the development of smaller cochlear implant (CI) speech processors. Simultaneous electrode stimulation may improve power efficiency by minimizing the required current applied to a given electrode. Simultaneous in-phase stimulation on adjacent electrodes (i.e. virtual channels) can be used to elicit pitch percepts intermediate to the ones provided by each of the physical electrodes in isolation. Virtual channels are typically implemented in monopolar stimulation mode, producing broad excitation patterns. Focused stimulation may reduce the excitation patterns, but is inefficient in terms of power consumption. To create a more power efficient virtual channel, we developed the Dynamically Compensated Virtual Channel (DC-VC) using four adjacent electrodes. The two central electrodes are current steered using the coefficient α (0<α<1 ) whereas the two flanking electrodes are used to focus/unfocus the stimulation with the coefficient σ (−1<σ<1). With increasing values of σ, power can be saved at the potential expense of generating broader electric fields. Additionally, reshaping the electric fields might also alter place pitch coding.The goal of the present study is to investigate the tradeoff between place pitch encoding and power savings using simultaneous electrode stimulation in the DC-VC configuration. A computational model and psychophysical experiments in CI users have been used for that purpose.Results from 10 adult Advanced Bionics CI users have been collected. Results show that the required current to produce comfortable levels is significantly reduced with increasing σ as predicted by the computational model. Moreover, no significant differences in the estimated number of discriminable steps were detected for the different values of σ. From these results, we conclude that DC-VCs can reduce power consumption without decreasing the number of discriminable place pitch steps.



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Age-Related Progressions in Story Structure in Young Children's Narratives

Purpose

Prior theoretical and empirical work has referenced several broad stages of narrative development, particularly in terms of young children's understanding of story structure. However, there is considerable variation in how story structure has been defined and assessed across these studies. The aims of the present study were threefold: (a) to test the unidimensionality of items designed to assess story-structure knowledge, (b) to examine story-structure item difficulty levels, and (c) to examine age-related progressions on individual story-structure components across 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-year-olds.

Method

Participants included 386 children (M = 4.8 years, SD = 11.67 months) from the Narrative Assessment Protocol study (http://ift.tt/2h9kCDY), which was designed to revise a new narrative assessment tool for children between the ages of 3 and 6 years.

Results

Factor analysis indicated that 16 of 21 items reflecting story-structure knowledge constituted a unidimensional construct. Individual story-structure item analyses further revealed that establishing subgoals and tracking the overall goals in the stories were particularly challenging for 3- and 4-year-olds.

Conclusion

These findings hold implications for refinement of theoretical models of story-structure emergence in early childhood.

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Involvement of the Central Cognitive Mechanism in Word Production in Adults Who Stutter

Purpose

The study examined whether semantic and phonological encoding processes were capacity demanding, involving the central cognitive mechanism, in adults who do and do not stutter (AWS and NS) to better understand the role of cognitive demand in linguistic processing and stuttering. We asked (a) whether the two linguistic processes in AWS are capacity demanding, which can temporally disrupt the processing of a concurrent nonlinguistic task, and (b) whether AWS and NS show similar patterns of temporal disruption in the two processes.

Method

Twenty AWS and 20 matched NS participated in the study. We examined semantic interference and phonological facilitation effects, using the picture–word interference paradigm, under concurrent and sequential processing of a secondary, nonlinguistic task.

Results

Both AWS and NS showed statistically significant semantic interference and phonological facilitation effects, and both effects caused temporal disruption to the processing of a secondary task to the predicted extent.

Conclusions

The observed result patterns in both AWS and NS suggest that both semantic and phonological encoding processes are capacity demanding and can be vulnerable to concurrent processing demands. This finding on NS is inconsistent with the current literature on young, fluent adults and warrants further investigation.

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An Exploration of the Use of Eye Gaze and Gestures in Females With Rett Syndrome

Purpose

This study investigated the communicative use of eye gaze and gestures in females with Rett syndrome.

Method

Data on 151 females with Rett syndrome participating in the Australian Rett Syndrome Database was used in this study. Items from the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile Infant–Toddler Checklist (Wetherby & Prizant, 2002) were used to measure communication. Relationships between the use of eye gaze and gestures for communication were investigated using logistic regression. The influences of MECP2 mutation type, age, and level of motor abilities on the use of eye gaze and gestures were investigated using multivariate linear regression.

Results

Both eye gaze and the use of gestures predicted the ability to make requests. Women aged 19 years or older had the lowest scores for eye gaze. Females with better gross motor abilities had higher scores for the use of eye gaze and gestures. The use of eye gaze did not vary across mutation groups, but those with a C-terminal deletion had the highest scores for use of gestures.

Conclusions

Eye gaze is used more frequently than gestures for communication, and this is related to age, MECP2 mutation type, and gross motor abilities.

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Recurrence Quantification Analysis of Sentence-Level Speech Kinematics

Purpose

Current approaches to assessing sentence-level speech variability rely on measures that quantify variability across utterances and use normalization procedures that alter raw trajectory data. The current work tests the feasibility of a less restrictive nonlinear approach—recurrence quantification analysis (RQA)—via a procedural example and subsequent analysis of kinematic data.

Method

To test the feasibility of RQA, lip aperture (i.e., the Euclidean distance between lip-tracking sensors) was recorded for 21 typically developing adult speakers during production of a simple utterance. The utterance was produced in isolation and in carrier structures differing just in length or in length and complexity. Four RQA indices were calculated: percent recurrence (%REC), percent determinism (%DET), stability (MAXLINE), and stationarity (TREND).

Results

Percent determinism (%DET) decreased only for the most linguistically complex sentence; MAXLINE decreased as a function of linguistic complexity but increased for the longer-only sentence; TREND decreased as a function of both length and linguistic complexity.

Conclusions

This research note demonstrates the feasibility of using RQA as a tool to compare speech variability across speakers and groups. RQA offers promise as a technique to assess effects of potential stressors (e.g., linguistic or cognitive factors) on the speech production system.

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Processing Binding Relations in Specific Language Impairment

Purpose

This sentence processing experiment examined the abilities of children with specific language impairment (SLI) and children with typical language development (TD) to establish relations between pronouns or reflexives and their antecedents in real time.

Method

Twenty-two children with SLI and 24 age-matched children with TD (7;3–10;11 [years;months]) participated in a cross-modal picture priming experiment to determine whether they selectively activated the correct referent at the pronoun or reflexive in sentences. Triplets of auditory sentences, identical except for the presence of a pronoun, a reflexive, or a noun phrase along with a picture probe were used.

Results

The children with TD were slightly more accurate in their animacy judgments of pictures, but the groups exhibited the same reaction time (RT) pattern. Both groups were slower for sentences with pronouns than with reflexives or noun phrases. The children with SLI had longer RTs than their peers with TD.

Conclusions

Children with SLI activated only the appropriate antecedent at the pronoun or reflexive, reflecting intact core knowledge of binding as was true for their TD peers. The overall slower RT for children with SLI suggests that any deficit may be the result of processing deficits, perhaps attributable to interference effects.

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New ASHA Press Book on Speech Motor Control: Free Sample Chapter on Apraxia of Speech Now Available!

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Continuity From Prelinguistic Communication to Later Language Ability: A Follow-Up Study From Infancy to Early School Age

Purpose

This longitudinal study examined the development of prelinguistic skills and the continuity of communication and language from the prelinguistic stage to school age.

Method

Prelinguistic communication of 427 Finnish children was followed repeatedly from 6 to 18 months of age (n = 203–322 at ages 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 months), and its associations with language ability at ages 2;0 (n = 104), 3;0 (n = 112), 4;7 (n = 253), 5;3 (n = 102), and 7;9 (n = 236) were examined using latent growth curve modeling.

Results

Prelinguistic development across several skills emerged as a rather stable intraindividual characteristic during the first 2 years of life. Continuity from prelinguistic development to later language ability was indicated. The common level and growth of prelinguistic skills were significant predictors of language ability between ages 2;0 (years;months) and 7;9; the percentage explained varied between 10.5% and 53.3%. A slow pace of development across multiple skills, in particular, led to weaker language skills.

Conclusions

The results support (a) the idea of a developmental continuum from prelinguistic to linguistic ability and (b) the dimensional view of language ability by indicating that individual variations in early communication skills show consistency that extends beyond the toddler years. Our results also advocate developmental surveillance of early communication by emphasizing the significance of growth in predicting language development.

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The Language Exposure Assessment Tool: Quantifying Language Exposure in Infants and Children

Purpose

The aim of this study was to develop the Language Exposure Assessment Tool (LEAT) and to examine its cross-linguistic validity, reliability, and utility. The LEAT is a computerized interview-style assessment that requests parents to estimate language exposure. The LEAT yields an automatic calculation of relative language exposure and captures qualitative aspects of early language experience.

Method

Relative language exposure as reported on the LEAT and vocabulary size at 17 months of age were measured in a group of bilingual language learners with varying levels of exposure to French and English or Spanish and English.

Results

The LEAT demonstrates high internal consistency and criterion validity. In addition, the LEAT's calculation of relative language exposure explains variability in vocabulary size above a single overall parent estimate.

Conclusions

The LEAT is a valid and efficient tool for characterizing early language experience across cultural settings and levels of language exposure. The LEAT could be a useful tool in clinical contexts to aid in determining whether assessment and intervention should be conducted in one or more languages.

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A Modeling Study of the Effects of Vocal Tract Movement Duration and Magnitude on the F2 Trajectory in CV Words

Purpose

This study used a computational vocal tract model to investigate the relationship of diphthong duration and vocal tract movement magnitude to measures of the F2 trajectory in CV words.

Method

Three words (bough, boy, and buy) were simulated on the basis of an adult female vocal tract model, in which the model parameters were estimated from audio recordings of a female talker. Model parameters were then modified to generate 35 simulations of each word corresponding to 7 different durations and 5 movement magnitude settings. In addition, these simulations were repeated with vocal tract lengths representative of an adult male and an approximately 6-year-old child.

Results

On the basis of univariate analysis, measures of frequency predicted changes in magnitude, and temporal measures predicted changes in speaking rate consistent with the hypothesis. The combined effects of duration and magnitude showed that F2 was more sensitive to changes in magnitude at shorter word durations compared with longer word durations. This finding held across words and vocal tract length.

Conclusions

Results suggest that there is an interaction between duration and magnitude that affects the slope of the F2 trajectory. The next step is to relate kinematics to F2 trajectory output using real speakers.

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Articulatory Control in Childhood Apraxia of Speech in a Novel Word–Learning Task

Purpose

Articulatory control and speech production accuracy were examined in children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) and typically developing (TD) controls within a novel word–learning task to better understand the influence of planning and programming deficits in the production of unfamiliar words.

Method

Participants included 16 children between the ages of 5 and 6 years (8 CAS, 8 TD). Short- and long-term changes in lip and jaw movement, consonant and vowel accuracy, and token-to-token consistency were measured for 2 novel words that differed in articulatory complexity.

Results

Children with CAS displayed short- and long-term changes in consonant accuracy and consistency. Lip and jaw movements did not change over time. Jaw movement duration was longer in children with CAS than in TD controls. Movement stability differed between low- and high-complexity words in both groups.

Conclusions

Children with CAS displayed a learning effect for consonant accuracy and consistency. Lack of change in movement stability may indicate that children with CAS require additional practice to demonstrate changes in speech motor control, even within production of novel word targets with greater consonant and vowel accuracy and consistency. The longer movement duration observed in children with CAS is believed to give children additional time to plan and program movements within a novel skill.

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Age-Related Progressions in Story Structure in Young Children's Narratives

Purpose

Prior theoretical and empirical work has referenced several broad stages of narrative development, particularly in terms of young children's understanding of story structure. However, there is considerable variation in how story structure has been defined and assessed across these studies. The aims of the present study were threefold: (a) to test the unidimensionality of items designed to assess story-structure knowledge, (b) to examine story-structure item difficulty levels, and (c) to examine age-related progressions on individual story-structure components across 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-year-olds.

Method

Participants included 386 children (M = 4.8 years, SD = 11.67 months) from the Narrative Assessment Protocol study (http://ift.tt/2h9kCDY), which was designed to revise a new narrative assessment tool for children between the ages of 3 and 6 years.

Results

Factor analysis indicated that 16 of 21 items reflecting story-structure knowledge constituted a unidimensional construct. Individual story-structure item analyses further revealed that establishing subgoals and tracking the overall goals in the stories were particularly challenging for 3- and 4-year-olds.

Conclusion

These findings hold implications for refinement of theoretical models of story-structure emergence in early childhood.

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via IFTTT

Involvement of the Central Cognitive Mechanism in Word Production in Adults Who Stutter

Purpose

The study examined whether semantic and phonological encoding processes were capacity demanding, involving the central cognitive mechanism, in adults who do and do not stutter (AWS and NS) to better understand the role of cognitive demand in linguistic processing and stuttering. We asked (a) whether the two linguistic processes in AWS are capacity demanding, which can temporally disrupt the processing of a concurrent nonlinguistic task, and (b) whether AWS and NS show similar patterns of temporal disruption in the two processes.

Method

Twenty AWS and 20 matched NS participated in the study. We examined semantic interference and phonological facilitation effects, using the picture–word interference paradigm, under concurrent and sequential processing of a secondary, nonlinguistic task.

Results

Both AWS and NS showed statistically significant semantic interference and phonological facilitation effects, and both effects caused temporal disruption to the processing of a secondary task to the predicted extent.

Conclusions

The observed result patterns in both AWS and NS suggest that both semantic and phonological encoding processes are capacity demanding and can be vulnerable to concurrent processing demands. This finding on NS is inconsistent with the current literature on young, fluent adults and warrants further investigation.

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2h9kNik
via IFTTT

An Exploration of the Use of Eye Gaze and Gestures in Females With Rett Syndrome

Purpose

This study investigated the communicative use of eye gaze and gestures in females with Rett syndrome.

Method

Data on 151 females with Rett syndrome participating in the Australian Rett Syndrome Database was used in this study. Items from the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile Infant–Toddler Checklist (Wetherby & Prizant, 2002) were used to measure communication. Relationships between the use of eye gaze and gestures for communication were investigated using logistic regression. The influences of MECP2 mutation type, age, and level of motor abilities on the use of eye gaze and gestures were investigated using multivariate linear regression.

Results

Both eye gaze and the use of gestures predicted the ability to make requests. Women aged 19 years or older had the lowest scores for eye gaze. Females with better gross motor abilities had higher scores for the use of eye gaze and gestures. The use of eye gaze did not vary across mutation groups, but those with a C-terminal deletion had the highest scores for use of gestures.

Conclusions

Eye gaze is used more frequently than gestures for communication, and this is related to age, MECP2 mutation type, and gross motor abilities.

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via IFTTT

Recurrence Quantification Analysis of Sentence-Level Speech Kinematics

Purpose

Current approaches to assessing sentence-level speech variability rely on measures that quantify variability across utterances and use normalization procedures that alter raw trajectory data. The current work tests the feasibility of a less restrictive nonlinear approach—recurrence quantification analysis (RQA)—via a procedural example and subsequent analysis of kinematic data.

Method

To test the feasibility of RQA, lip aperture (i.e., the Euclidean distance between lip-tracking sensors) was recorded for 21 typically developing adult speakers during production of a simple utterance. The utterance was produced in isolation and in carrier structures differing just in length or in length and complexity. Four RQA indices were calculated: percent recurrence (%REC), percent determinism (%DET), stability (MAXLINE), and stationarity (TREND).

Results

Percent determinism (%DET) decreased only for the most linguistically complex sentence; MAXLINE decreased as a function of linguistic complexity but increased for the longer-only sentence; TREND decreased as a function of both length and linguistic complexity.

Conclusions

This research note demonstrates the feasibility of using RQA as a tool to compare speech variability across speakers and groups. RQA offers promise as a technique to assess effects of potential stressors (e.g., linguistic or cognitive factors) on the speech production system.

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via IFTTT

Processing Binding Relations in Specific Language Impairment

Purpose

This sentence processing experiment examined the abilities of children with specific language impairment (SLI) and children with typical language development (TD) to establish relations between pronouns or reflexives and their antecedents in real time.

Method

Twenty-two children with SLI and 24 age-matched children with TD (7;3–10;11 [years;months]) participated in a cross-modal picture priming experiment to determine whether they selectively activated the correct referent at the pronoun or reflexive in sentences. Triplets of auditory sentences, identical except for the presence of a pronoun, a reflexive, or a noun phrase along with a picture probe were used.

Results

The children with TD were slightly more accurate in their animacy judgments of pictures, but the groups exhibited the same reaction time (RT) pattern. Both groups were slower for sentences with pronouns than with reflexives or noun phrases. The children with SLI had longer RTs than their peers with TD.

Conclusions

Children with SLI activated only the appropriate antecedent at the pronoun or reflexive, reflecting intact core knowledge of binding as was true for their TD peers. The overall slower RT for children with SLI suggests that any deficit may be the result of processing deficits, perhaps attributable to interference effects.

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New ASHA Press Book on Speech Motor Control: Free Sample Chapter on Apraxia of Speech Now Available!

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via IFTTT

Continuity From Prelinguistic Communication to Later Language Ability: A Follow-Up Study From Infancy to Early School Age

Purpose

This longitudinal study examined the development of prelinguistic skills and the continuity of communication and language from the prelinguistic stage to school age.

Method

Prelinguistic communication of 427 Finnish children was followed repeatedly from 6 to 18 months of age (n = 203–322 at ages 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 months), and its associations with language ability at ages 2;0 (n = 104), 3;0 (n = 112), 4;7 (n = 253), 5;3 (n = 102), and 7;9 (n = 236) were examined using latent growth curve modeling.

Results

Prelinguistic development across several skills emerged as a rather stable intraindividual characteristic during the first 2 years of life. Continuity from prelinguistic development to later language ability was indicated. The common level and growth of prelinguistic skills were significant predictors of language ability between ages 2;0 (years;months) and 7;9; the percentage explained varied between 10.5% and 53.3%. A slow pace of development across multiple skills, in particular, led to weaker language skills.

Conclusions

The results support (a) the idea of a developmental continuum from prelinguistic to linguistic ability and (b) the dimensional view of language ability by indicating that individual variations in early communication skills show consistency that extends beyond the toddler years. Our results also advocate developmental surveillance of early communication by emphasizing the significance of growth in predicting language development.

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via IFTTT

The Language Exposure Assessment Tool: Quantifying Language Exposure in Infants and Children

Purpose

The aim of this study was to develop the Language Exposure Assessment Tool (LEAT) and to examine its cross-linguistic validity, reliability, and utility. The LEAT is a computerized interview-style assessment that requests parents to estimate language exposure. The LEAT yields an automatic calculation of relative language exposure and captures qualitative aspects of early language experience.

Method

Relative language exposure as reported on the LEAT and vocabulary size at 17 months of age were measured in a group of bilingual language learners with varying levels of exposure to French and English or Spanish and English.

Results

The LEAT demonstrates high internal consistency and criterion validity. In addition, the LEAT's calculation of relative language exposure explains variability in vocabulary size above a single overall parent estimate.

Conclusions

The LEAT is a valid and efficient tool for characterizing early language experience across cultural settings and levels of language exposure. The LEAT could be a useful tool in clinical contexts to aid in determining whether assessment and intervention should be conducted in one or more languages.

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via IFTTT

A Modeling Study of the Effects of Vocal Tract Movement Duration and Magnitude on the F2 Trajectory in CV Words

Purpose

This study used a computational vocal tract model to investigate the relationship of diphthong duration and vocal tract movement magnitude to measures of the F2 trajectory in CV words.

Method

Three words (bough, boy, and buy) were simulated on the basis of an adult female vocal tract model, in which the model parameters were estimated from audio recordings of a female talker. Model parameters were then modified to generate 35 simulations of each word corresponding to 7 different durations and 5 movement magnitude settings. In addition, these simulations were repeated with vocal tract lengths representative of an adult male and an approximately 6-year-old child.

Results

On the basis of univariate analysis, measures of frequency predicted changes in magnitude, and temporal measures predicted changes in speaking rate consistent with the hypothesis. The combined effects of duration and magnitude showed that F2 was more sensitive to changes in magnitude at shorter word durations compared with longer word durations. This finding held across words and vocal tract length.

Conclusions

Results suggest that there is an interaction between duration and magnitude that affects the slope of the F2 trajectory. The next step is to relate kinematics to F2 trajectory output using real speakers.

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Articulatory Control in Childhood Apraxia of Speech in a Novel Word–Learning Task

Purpose

Articulatory control and speech production accuracy were examined in children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) and typically developing (TD) controls within a novel word–learning task to better understand the influence of planning and programming deficits in the production of unfamiliar words.

Method

Participants included 16 children between the ages of 5 and 6 years (8 CAS, 8 TD). Short- and long-term changes in lip and jaw movement, consonant and vowel accuracy, and token-to-token consistency were measured for 2 novel words that differed in articulatory complexity.

Results

Children with CAS displayed short- and long-term changes in consonant accuracy and consistency. Lip and jaw movements did not change over time. Jaw movement duration was longer in children with CAS than in TD controls. Movement stability differed between low- and high-complexity words in both groups.

Conclusions

Children with CAS displayed a learning effect for consonant accuracy and consistency. Lack of change in movement stability may indicate that children with CAS require additional practice to demonstrate changes in speech motor control, even within production of novel word targets with greater consonant and vowel accuracy and consistency. The longer movement duration observed in children with CAS is believed to give children additional time to plan and program movements within a novel skill.

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Loudness and Pitch Perception using Dynamically Compensated Virtual Channels

Publication date: Available online 7 December 2016
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Waldo Nogueira, Leonid Litvak, David M. Landsberger, Andreas Büchner
Reducing power consumption is important for the development of smaller cochlear implant (CI) speech processors. Simultaneous electrode stimulation may improve power efficiency by minimizing the required current applied to a given electrode. Simultaneous in-phase stimulation on adjacent electrodes (i.e. virtual channels) can be used to elicit pitch percepts intermediate to the ones provided by each of the physical electrodes in isolation. Virtual channels are typically implemented in monopolar stimulation mode, producing broad excitation patterns. Focused stimulation may reduce the excitation patterns, but is inefficient in terms of power consumption. To create a more power efficient virtual channel, we developed the Dynamically Compensated Virtual Channel (DC-VC) using four adjacent electrodes. The two central electrodes are current steered using the coefficient α (0<α<1 ) whereas the two flanking electrodes are used to focus/unfocus the stimulation with the coefficient σ (−1<σ<1). With increasing values of σ, power can be saved at the potential expense of generating broader electric fields. Additionally, reshaping the electric fields might also alter place pitch coding.The goal of the present study is to investigate the tradeoff between place pitch encoding and power savings using simultaneous electrode stimulation in the DC-VC configuration. A computational model and psychophysical experiments in CI users have been used for that purpose.Results from 10 adult Advanced Bionics CI users have been collected. Results show that the required current to produce comfortable levels is significantly reduced with increasing σ as predicted by the computational model. Moreover, no significant differences in the estimated number of discriminable steps were detected for the different values of σ. From these results, we conclude that DC-VCs can reduce power consumption without decreasing the number of discriminable place pitch steps.



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New ASHA Press Book on Speech Motor Control: Free Sample Chapter on Apraxia of Speech Now Available!

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Evaluating the Impact of a Multistrategy Inference Intervention for Middle-Grade Struggling Readers

Purpose

We examined the effectiveness of a multistrategy inference intervention designed to increase inference making and reading comprehension for middle-grade struggling readers.

Method

A total of 66 middle-grade struggling readers were randomized to treatment (n = 33) and comparison (n = 33) conditions. Students in the treatment group received explicit instruction in 4 inference strategies (i.e., clarification using text clues; activating and using prior knowledge; understanding character perspectives and author's purpose; answering inferential questions). In addition, narrative and informational texts were carefully chosen and sequenced to build requisite background knowledge to form inferences. Intervention was delivered in small groups of 3 students for 10 days of instruction.

Results

One-way analysis of covariance models on outcome measures with the respective pretest scores as a covariate revealed significant gains on a proximal measure of Egyptian-content knowledge (g = 1.37) and on a standardized measure of reading comprehension—i.e., Wechsler Individual Achievement Test–Third Edition Reading Comprehension (g = 0.46).

Conclusion

The moderate effect on a standardized measure of reading comprehension provides preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of this multistrategy inference intervention in improving reading comprehension of middle-grade struggling readers.

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Bilingual Language Assessment: Contemporary Versus Recommended Practice in American Schools

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to identify current practices of school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in the United States for bilingual language assessment and compare them to American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) best practice guidelines and mandates of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004).

Method

The study was modeled to replicate portions of Caesar and Kohler's (2007) study and expanded to include a nationally representative sample. A total of 166 respondents completed an electronic survey.

Results

Results indicated that the majority of respondents have performed bilingual language assessments. Furthermore, the most frequently used informal and standardized assessments were identified. SLPs identified supports, and barriers to assessment, as well as their perceptions of graduate preparation.

Conclusion

The findings of this study demonstrated that although SLPs have become more compliant to ASHA and IDEA guidelines, there is room for improvement in terms of adequate training in bilingual language assessment.

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New ASHA Press Book on Speech Motor Control: Free Sample Chapter on Apraxia of Speech Now Available!

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2hbTJ2h
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Evaluating the Impact of a Multistrategy Inference Intervention for Middle-Grade Struggling Readers

Purpose

We examined the effectiveness of a multistrategy inference intervention designed to increase inference making and reading comprehension for middle-grade struggling readers.

Method

A total of 66 middle-grade struggling readers were randomized to treatment (n = 33) and comparison (n = 33) conditions. Students in the treatment group received explicit instruction in 4 inference strategies (i.e., clarification using text clues; activating and using prior knowledge; understanding character perspectives and author's purpose; answering inferential questions). In addition, narrative and informational texts were carefully chosen and sequenced to build requisite background knowledge to form inferences. Intervention was delivered in small groups of 3 students for 10 days of instruction.

Results

One-way analysis of covariance models on outcome measures with the respective pretest scores as a covariate revealed significant gains on a proximal measure of Egyptian-content knowledge (g = 1.37) and on a standardized measure of reading comprehension—i.e., Wechsler Individual Achievement Test–Third Edition Reading Comprehension (g = 0.46).

Conclusion

The moderate effect on a standardized measure of reading comprehension provides preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of this multistrategy inference intervention in improving reading comprehension of middle-grade struggling readers.

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Bilingual Language Assessment: Contemporary Versus Recommended Practice in American Schools

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to identify current practices of school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in the United States for bilingual language assessment and compare them to American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) best practice guidelines and mandates of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004).

Method

The study was modeled to replicate portions of Caesar and Kohler's (2007) study and expanded to include a nationally representative sample. A total of 166 respondents completed an electronic survey.

Results

Results indicated that the majority of respondents have performed bilingual language assessments. Furthermore, the most frequently used informal and standardized assessments were identified. SLPs identified supports, and barriers to assessment, as well as their perceptions of graduate preparation.

Conclusion

The findings of this study demonstrated that although SLPs have become more compliant to ASHA and IDEA guidelines, there is room for improvement in terms of adequate training in bilingual language assessment.

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New ASHA Press Book on Speech Motor Control: Free Sample Chapter on Apraxia of Speech Now Available!

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Evaluating the Impact of a Multistrategy Inference Intervention for Middle-Grade Struggling Readers

Purpose

We examined the effectiveness of a multistrategy inference intervention designed to increase inference making and reading comprehension for middle-grade struggling readers.

Method

A total of 66 middle-grade struggling readers were randomized to treatment (n = 33) and comparison (n = 33) conditions. Students in the treatment group received explicit instruction in 4 inference strategies (i.e., clarification using text clues; activating and using prior knowledge; understanding character perspectives and author's purpose; answering inferential questions). In addition, narrative and informational texts were carefully chosen and sequenced to build requisite background knowledge to form inferences. Intervention was delivered in small groups of 3 students for 10 days of instruction.

Results

One-way analysis of covariance models on outcome measures with the respective pretest scores as a covariate revealed significant gains on a proximal measure of Egyptian-content knowledge (g = 1.37) and on a standardized measure of reading comprehension—i.e., Wechsler Individual Achievement Test–Third Edition Reading Comprehension (g = 0.46).

Conclusion

The moderate effect on a standardized measure of reading comprehension provides preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of this multistrategy inference intervention in improving reading comprehension of middle-grade struggling readers.

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Bilingual Language Assessment: Contemporary Versus Recommended Practice in American Schools

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to identify current practices of school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in the United States for bilingual language assessment and compare them to American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) best practice guidelines and mandates of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004).

Method

The study was modeled to replicate portions of Caesar and Kohler's (2007) study and expanded to include a nationally representative sample. A total of 166 respondents completed an electronic survey.

Results

Results indicated that the majority of respondents have performed bilingual language assessments. Furthermore, the most frequently used informal and standardized assessments were identified. SLPs identified supports, and barriers to assessment, as well as their perceptions of graduate preparation.

Conclusion

The findings of this study demonstrated that although SLPs have become more compliant to ASHA and IDEA guidelines, there is room for improvement in terms of adequate training in bilingual language assessment.

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A Retrospective Examination of the Effect of Diabetes on Sensory Processing in Older Adults

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to examine retrospectively the impact of diabetes mellitus on auditory, visual, and tactile processing in older adults.

Method

Fourteen (10.4%) of a sample of 135 older adults self-reported the presence of diabetes mellitus in a study of sensory and cognitive processing across the adult lifespan. In this study, the performance of the subgroup with diabetes on a number of psychophysical sensory-processing measures was compared with that of the 121 older adults without diabetes. Measures of sensory processing focused on temporal processing and threshold sensitivity in each of 3 sensory modalities: hearing, vision, and touch.

Results

The subgroup of older adults with diabetes differed significantly (p Conclusion

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Influence of Hearing Risk Information on the Motivation and Modification of Personal Listening Device Use

Purpose

The purpose of this study was (a) to investigate the behaviors, knowledge, and motivators associated with personal listening device (PLD) use and (b) to determine the influence of different types of hearing health risk education information (text with or without visual images) on motivation to modify PLD listening use behaviors in young adults.

Method

College-age students (N = 523) completed a paper-and-pencil survey tapping their behaviors, knowledge, and motivation regarding listening to music or media at high volume using PLDs. Participants rated their motivation to listen to PLDs at lower volume levels following each of three information sets: text only, behind-the-ear hearing aid image with text, and inner ear hair cell damage image with text.

Results

Acoustically pleasing and emotional motives were the most frequently cited (38%–45%) reasons for listening to music or media using a PLD at high volume levels. The behind-the-ear hearing aid image with text information was significantly (p Conclusions

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Preliminary Investigation of the Passively Evoked N400 as a Tool for Estimating Speech-in-Noise Thresholds

Purpose

Speech-in-noise testing relies on a number of factors beyond the auditory system, such as cognitive function, compliance, and motor function. It may be possible to avoid these limitations by using electroencephalography. The present study explored this possibility using the N400.

Method

Eleven adults with typical hearing heard high-constraint sentences with congruent and incongruent terminal words in the presence of speech-shaped noise. Participants ignored all auditory stimulation and watched a video. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was varied around each participant's behavioral threshold during electroencephalography recording. Speech was also heard in quiet.

Results

The amplitude of the N400 effect exhibited a nonlinear relationship with SNR. In the presence of background noise, amplitude decreased from high (+4 dB) to low (+1 dB) SNR but increased dramatically at threshold before decreasing again at subthreshold SNR (−2 dB).

Conclusions

The SNR of speech in noise modulates the amplitude of the N400 effect to semantic anomalies in a nonlinear fashion. These results are the first to demonstrate modulation of the passively evoked N400 by SNR in speech-shaped noise and represent a first step toward the end goal of developing an N400-based physiological metric for speech-in-noise testing.

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Using Cognitive Screening Tests in Audiology

Purpose

The population of the United States is aging. Those older adults are living longer than ever and have an increased desire for social participation. As a result, audiologists are likely to see an increased demand for service by older clients whose communication difficulty is caused by a combination of hearing loss and cognitive impairment. For these individuals, early detection of mild cognitive impairment is critical for providing timely medical intervention and social support.

Method

This tutorial provides information about cognition of older adults, mild cognitive impairment, and cognitive screening tests, with the purpose of assisting audiologists in identifying and appropriately referring potential cases of cognitive impairment.

Results

Topics addressed also include how to administer cognitive screening tests on individuals with hearing loss, how to use test results in audiology practice, and the potential of using cognitive screening tests for evaluating the benefit of clinical interventions.

Conclusions

As health care professionals who serve the aging population, audiologists are likely to encounter cases of undiagnosed cognitive impairment. In order to provide timely referral for medical assistance as well as an optimized individual outcome of audiologic interventions, audiologists should be trained to recognize an abnormality in older clients' cognitive status.

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Subjective Reports of Trouble Tolerating Sound in Daily Life versus Loudness Discomfort Levels

Purpose

A retrospective analysis of tonal and speech loudness discomfort levels (LDLs) relative to a subjective report of sound tolerance (SRST) was performed to explore the relation between the 2 commonly used clinical measures.

Method

Tonal LDLs and SRST were measured for 139 U.S. military veterans who were recruited into a study providing intervention for tinnitus. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were computed to assess the relation between the tonal and speech LDLs and the SRST.

Results

Only weak correlations were found between tonal LDLs and SRST and between speech LDLs and SRST.

Conclusion

If LDLs ratings of SRST measured the same phenomenon, the measures would be strongly negatively correlated. The weak correlations found between the measures suggest that LDLs do not accurately represent a patient's ability to tolerate sound in daily life.

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Trending Articles in AJA , Summer 2016

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A Retrospective Examination of the Effect of Diabetes on Sensory Processing in Older Adults

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to examine retrospectively the impact of diabetes mellitus on auditory, visual, and tactile processing in older adults.

Method

Fourteen (10.4%) of a sample of 135 older adults self-reported the presence of diabetes mellitus in a study of sensory and cognitive processing across the adult lifespan. In this study, the performance of the subgroup with diabetes on a number of psychophysical sensory-processing measures was compared with that of the 121 older adults without diabetes. Measures of sensory processing focused on temporal processing and threshold sensitivity in each of 3 sensory modalities: hearing, vision, and touch.

Results

The subgroup of older adults with diabetes differed significantly (p Conclusion

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Influence of Hearing Risk Information on the Motivation and Modification of Personal Listening Device Use

Purpose

The purpose of this study was (a) to investigate the behaviors, knowledge, and motivators associated with personal listening device (PLD) use and (b) to determine the influence of different types of hearing health risk education information (text with or without visual images) on motivation to modify PLD listening use behaviors in young adults.

Method

College-age students (N = 523) completed a paper-and-pencil survey tapping their behaviors, knowledge, and motivation regarding listening to music or media at high volume using PLDs. Participants rated their motivation to listen to PLDs at lower volume levels following each of three information sets: text only, behind-the-ear hearing aid image with text, and inner ear hair cell damage image with text.

Results

Acoustically pleasing and emotional motives were the most frequently cited (38%–45%) reasons for listening to music or media using a PLD at high volume levels. The behind-the-ear hearing aid image with text information was significantly (p Conclusions

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Preliminary Investigation of the Passively Evoked N400 as a Tool for Estimating Speech-in-Noise Thresholds

Purpose

Speech-in-noise testing relies on a number of factors beyond the auditory system, such as cognitive function, compliance, and motor function. It may be possible to avoid these limitations by using electroencephalography. The present study explored this possibility using the N400.

Method

Eleven adults with typical hearing heard high-constraint sentences with congruent and incongruent terminal words in the presence of speech-shaped noise. Participants ignored all auditory stimulation and watched a video. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was varied around each participant's behavioral threshold during electroencephalography recording. Speech was also heard in quiet.

Results

The amplitude of the N400 effect exhibited a nonlinear relationship with SNR. In the presence of background noise, amplitude decreased from high (+4 dB) to low (+1 dB) SNR but increased dramatically at threshold before decreasing again at subthreshold SNR (−2 dB).

Conclusions

The SNR of speech in noise modulates the amplitude of the N400 effect to semantic anomalies in a nonlinear fashion. These results are the first to demonstrate modulation of the passively evoked N400 by SNR in speech-shaped noise and represent a first step toward the end goal of developing an N400-based physiological metric for speech-in-noise testing.

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Using Cognitive Screening Tests in Audiology

Purpose

The population of the United States is aging. Those older adults are living longer than ever and have an increased desire for social participation. As a result, audiologists are likely to see an increased demand for service by older clients whose communication difficulty is caused by a combination of hearing loss and cognitive impairment. For these individuals, early detection of mild cognitive impairment is critical for providing timely medical intervention and social support.

Method

This tutorial provides information about cognition of older adults, mild cognitive impairment, and cognitive screening tests, with the purpose of assisting audiologists in identifying and appropriately referring potential cases of cognitive impairment.

Results

Topics addressed also include how to administer cognitive screening tests on individuals with hearing loss, how to use test results in audiology practice, and the potential of using cognitive screening tests for evaluating the benefit of clinical interventions.

Conclusions

As health care professionals who serve the aging population, audiologists are likely to encounter cases of undiagnosed cognitive impairment. In order to provide timely referral for medical assistance as well as an optimized individual outcome of audiologic interventions, audiologists should be trained to recognize an abnormality in older clients' cognitive status.

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Subjective Reports of Trouble Tolerating Sound in Daily Life versus Loudness Discomfort Levels

Purpose

A retrospective analysis of tonal and speech loudness discomfort levels (LDLs) relative to a subjective report of sound tolerance (SRST) was performed to explore the relation between the 2 commonly used clinical measures.

Method

Tonal LDLs and SRST were measured for 139 U.S. military veterans who were recruited into a study providing intervention for tinnitus. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were computed to assess the relation between the tonal and speech LDLs and the SRST.

Results

Only weak correlations were found between tonal LDLs and SRST and between speech LDLs and SRST.

Conclusion

If LDLs ratings of SRST measured the same phenomenon, the measures would be strongly negatively correlated. The weak correlations found between the measures suggest that LDLs do not accurately represent a patient's ability to tolerate sound in daily life.

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Trending Articles in AJA , Summer 2016

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A Retrospective Examination of the Effect of Diabetes on Sensory Processing in Older Adults

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to examine retrospectively the impact of diabetes mellitus on auditory, visual, and tactile processing in older adults.

Method

Fourteen (10.4%) of a sample of 135 older adults self-reported the presence of diabetes mellitus in a study of sensory and cognitive processing across the adult lifespan. In this study, the performance of the subgroup with diabetes on a number of psychophysical sensory-processing measures was compared with that of the 121 older adults without diabetes. Measures of sensory processing focused on temporal processing and threshold sensitivity in each of 3 sensory modalities: hearing, vision, and touch.

Results

The subgroup of older adults with diabetes differed significantly (p Conclusion

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Influence of Hearing Risk Information on the Motivation and Modification of Personal Listening Device Use

Purpose

The purpose of this study was (a) to investigate the behaviors, knowledge, and motivators associated with personal listening device (PLD) use and (b) to determine the influence of different types of hearing health risk education information (text with or without visual images) on motivation to modify PLD listening use behaviors in young adults.

Method

College-age students (N = 523) completed a paper-and-pencil survey tapping their behaviors, knowledge, and motivation regarding listening to music or media at high volume using PLDs. Participants rated their motivation to listen to PLDs at lower volume levels following each of three information sets: text only, behind-the-ear hearing aid image with text, and inner ear hair cell damage image with text.

Results

Acoustically pleasing and emotional motives were the most frequently cited (38%–45%) reasons for listening to music or media using a PLD at high volume levels. The behind-the-ear hearing aid image with text information was significantly (p Conclusions

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Preliminary Investigation of the Passively Evoked N400 as a Tool for Estimating Speech-in-Noise Thresholds

Purpose

Speech-in-noise testing relies on a number of factors beyond the auditory system, such as cognitive function, compliance, and motor function. It may be possible to avoid these limitations by using electroencephalography. The present study explored this possibility using the N400.

Method

Eleven adults with typical hearing heard high-constraint sentences with congruent and incongruent terminal words in the presence of speech-shaped noise. Participants ignored all auditory stimulation and watched a video. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was varied around each participant's behavioral threshold during electroencephalography recording. Speech was also heard in quiet.

Results

The amplitude of the N400 effect exhibited a nonlinear relationship with SNR. In the presence of background noise, amplitude decreased from high (+4 dB) to low (+1 dB) SNR but increased dramatically at threshold before decreasing again at subthreshold SNR (−2 dB).

Conclusions

The SNR of speech in noise modulates the amplitude of the N400 effect to semantic anomalies in a nonlinear fashion. These results are the first to demonstrate modulation of the passively evoked N400 by SNR in speech-shaped noise and represent a first step toward the end goal of developing an N400-based physiological metric for speech-in-noise testing.

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Using Cognitive Screening Tests in Audiology

Purpose

The population of the United States is aging. Those older adults are living longer than ever and have an increased desire for social participation. As a result, audiologists are likely to see an increased demand for service by older clients whose communication difficulty is caused by a combination of hearing loss and cognitive impairment. For these individuals, early detection of mild cognitive impairment is critical for providing timely medical intervention and social support.

Method

This tutorial provides information about cognition of older adults, mild cognitive impairment, and cognitive screening tests, with the purpose of assisting audiologists in identifying and appropriately referring potential cases of cognitive impairment.

Results

Topics addressed also include how to administer cognitive screening tests on individuals with hearing loss, how to use test results in audiology practice, and the potential of using cognitive screening tests for evaluating the benefit of clinical interventions.

Conclusions

As health care professionals who serve the aging population, audiologists are likely to encounter cases of undiagnosed cognitive impairment. In order to provide timely referral for medical assistance as well as an optimized individual outcome of audiologic interventions, audiologists should be trained to recognize an abnormality in older clients' cognitive status.

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Subjective Reports of Trouble Tolerating Sound in Daily Life versus Loudness Discomfort Levels

Purpose

A retrospective analysis of tonal and speech loudness discomfort levels (LDLs) relative to a subjective report of sound tolerance (SRST) was performed to explore the relation between the 2 commonly used clinical measures.

Method

Tonal LDLs and SRST were measured for 139 U.S. military veterans who were recruited into a study providing intervention for tinnitus. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were computed to assess the relation between the tonal and speech LDLs and the SRST.

Results

Only weak correlations were found between tonal LDLs and SRST and between speech LDLs and SRST.

Conclusion

If LDLs ratings of SRST measured the same phenomenon, the measures would be strongly negatively correlated. The weak correlations found between the measures suggest that LDLs do not accurately represent a patient's ability to tolerate sound in daily life.

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Trending Articles in AJA , Summer 2016

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Balance and mobility training with or without concurrent cognitive training does not improve posture, but improves reaction time in healthy older adults

Publication date: February 2017
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 52
Author(s): Deborah Jehu, Nicole Paquet, Yves Lajoie
Background and aimsThe purpose was to determine whether balance and mobility training (BMT) or balance and mobility plus cognitive training (BMT+C) would reduce postural sway and reaction time (RT) and maintain these improvements after a 12-week follow-up in healthy older adults.MethodsParticipants were allocated to the BMT (n=15; age: 70.2±3.2), BMT+C (n=14; age:68.7±5.5), or control group (n=13; age: 66.7±4.2). The BMT group trained one-on-one, 3×/wk for 12 weeks on a balance obstacle course. The BMT+C group trained one-on-one, 3×/week for 12 weeks on a balance obstacle course while completing cognitive tasks. Participants stood on a force plate for 30s in feet-apart (FA) and semi-tandem (ST) positions while completing simple RT and choice RT tasks at baseline, at the 12-week post-training, and at the 12-week follow-up. Participants were instructed to stand as still as possible while verbally responding as fast as possible to the auditory cues.ResultsNo group differences in center of pressure (COP) Area, COP Velocity, or Sample Entropy of the COP displacement were shown after the training or 12-week follow-up, but the BMT and BMT+C showed faster RT after training and maintained these improvements at the 12-week follow-up compared to the control group. No differences in postural sway or RT emerged between the BMT and BMT+C groups.ConclusionBoth training groups improved RT after the interventions and sustained these improvements over 12 weeks, but showed no reductions in postural sway. Multi-task balance training likely results in reduced attention demand.



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Balance and mobility training with or without concurrent cognitive training does not improve posture, but improves reaction time in healthy older adults

Publication date: February 2017
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 52
Author(s): Deborah Jehu, Nicole Paquet, Yves Lajoie
Background and aimsThe purpose was to determine whether balance and mobility training (BMT) or balance and mobility plus cognitive training (BMT+C) would reduce postural sway and reaction time (RT) and maintain these improvements after a 12-week follow-up in healthy older adults.MethodsParticipants were allocated to the BMT (n=15; age: 70.2±3.2), BMT+C (n=14; age:68.7±5.5), or control group (n=13; age: 66.7±4.2). The BMT group trained one-on-one, 3×/wk for 12 weeks on a balance obstacle course. The BMT+C group trained one-on-one, 3×/week for 12 weeks on a balance obstacle course while completing cognitive tasks. Participants stood on a force plate for 30s in feet-apart (FA) and semi-tandem (ST) positions while completing simple RT and choice RT tasks at baseline, at the 12-week post-training, and at the 12-week follow-up. Participants were instructed to stand as still as possible while verbally responding as fast as possible to the auditory cues.ResultsNo group differences in center of pressure (COP) Area, COP Velocity, or Sample Entropy of the COP displacement were shown after the training or 12-week follow-up, but the BMT and BMT+C showed faster RT after training and maintained these improvements at the 12-week follow-up compared to the control group. No differences in postural sway or RT emerged between the BMT and BMT+C groups.ConclusionBoth training groups improved RT after the interventions and sustained these improvements over 12 weeks, but showed no reductions in postural sway. Multi-task balance training likely results in reduced attention demand.



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Balance and mobility training with or without concurrent cognitive training does not improve posture, but improves reaction time in healthy older adults

Publication date: February 2017
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 52
Author(s): Deborah Jehu, Nicole Paquet, Yves Lajoie
Background and aimsThe purpose was to determine whether balance and mobility training (BMT) or balance and mobility plus cognitive training (BMT+C) would reduce postural sway and reaction time (RT) and maintain these improvements after a 12-week follow-up in healthy older adults.MethodsParticipants were allocated to the BMT (n=15; age: 70.2±3.2), BMT+C (n=14; age:68.7±5.5), or control group (n=13; age: 66.7±4.2). The BMT group trained one-on-one, 3×/wk for 12 weeks on a balance obstacle course. The BMT+C group trained one-on-one, 3×/week for 12 weeks on a balance obstacle course while completing cognitive tasks. Participants stood on a force plate for 30s in feet-apart (FA) and semi-tandem (ST) positions while completing simple RT and choice RT tasks at baseline, at the 12-week post-training, and at the 12-week follow-up. Participants were instructed to stand as still as possible while verbally responding as fast as possible to the auditory cues.ResultsNo group differences in center of pressure (COP) Area, COP Velocity, or Sample Entropy of the COP displacement were shown after the training or 12-week follow-up, but the BMT and BMT+C showed faster RT after training and maintained these improvements at the 12-week follow-up compared to the control group. No differences in postural sway or RT emerged between the BMT and BMT+C groups.ConclusionBoth training groups improved RT after the interventions and sustained these improvements over 12 weeks, but showed no reductions in postural sway. Multi-task balance training likely results in reduced attention demand.



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Analysis and Management of Complications in a Cohort of 1,065 Minimally Invasive Cochlear Implantations.

Objectives: To analyze complications associated with minimally invasive cochlear implantation by comparing data from different centers, to discuss major reasons for complications, and to refine implantation techniques to decrease them. Patients: Patients who underwent cochlear implantation at our center by the same surgeon (the corresponding author of this article) from March 2006 to March 2015 were enrolled. Intervention: First, a retrospective analysis of the complications associated with minimally invasive cochlear implantation at our center was performed. Second, published reports from other centers that describe complications were reviewed. Differences between complications in our cohort and other studies were evaluated. Main Outcome Measure: Strategies for reducing complications were assessed and modifications in surgical protocol proposed accordingly. Results: In total, 1,014 patients underwent 1,065 cochlear implantations. There were 28 complications (7 major, 21 minor) and only 2 reimplantations for the entire cohort, with no case of severe infection, flap necrosis, or device extrusion. The major complications were electrode misplacement, magnet displacement, implant failure secondary to trauma, and temporary cerebrospinal fluid leakage. The rates of major complications in our cohort were very low (0.6%) compared with those in the literature. Conclusion: Preoperative surgical planning based on individual patient anatomy and employment of soft surgical techniques can minimize surgical complications. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal. http://ift.tt/OBJ4xP Copyright (C) 2016 by Otology & Neurotology, Inc. Image copyright (C) 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health/Anatomical Chart Company

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Compensatory Saccades Are Associated With Physical Performance in Older Adults: Data From the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.

Objective: To determine whether compensatory saccade metrics observed in the video head impulse test, specifically saccade amplitude and latency, predict physical performance. Study Design: Cross-sectional analysis of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, a prospective cohort study. Setting: National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program Clinical Research Unit in Baltimore, Maryland. Patients: Community-dwelling older adults. Intervention(s): Video head impulse testing was performed, and compensatory saccades and horizontal vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain were measured. Physical performance was assessed using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), which included the feet side-by-side, semitandem, tandem, and single-leg stance; repeated chair stands; and usual gait speed measurements. Main Outcome Measure(s): Compensatory saccade amplitude and latency, VOR gain, and SPPB performance. Results: In 183 participants who underwent vestibular and SPPB testing (mean age 71.8 yr; 53% females), both higher mean saccade amplitude (odds ratio [OR] =1.62, p = 0.010) and shorter mean saccade latency (OR = 0.88, p = 0.004) were associated with a higher odds of failing the tandem stand task. In contrast, VOR gain was not associated with any physical performance measure. Conclusion: We observed in a cohort of healthy older adults that compensatory saccade amplitude and latency were associated with tandem stance performance. Compensatory saccade metrics may provide insights into capturing the impact of vestibular loss on physical function in older adults. Copyright (C) 2016 by Otology & Neurotology, Inc. Image copyright (C) 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health/Anatomical Chart Company

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