Reading Comprehension Deficits in Adolescents: Addressing Underlying Language Abilities

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to discuss reading comprehension deficits in adolescents in relation to their word reading skills and lexical and syntactic development. Although reading comprehension strategies (e.g., “Find the main idea”) are often recommended, it is argued that before these can be effective, students' underlying language deficits should be addressed.

Method

Data from a longitudinal study are analyzed to determine the relationship between reading comprehension, word reading, and lexical and syntactic development in adolescents.

Results

The findings indicate that poor reading comprehension in adolescents is predicted by concurrent deficits in word reading ability, lexical development, and syntactic development.

Conclusion

When poor comprehension is accompanied by deficits in word reading ability and/or lexical and syntactic development, intervention should target the underlying areas of deficiency. Studies designed to improve reading comprehension in adolescents are needed.

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Reading Comprehension Deficits in Adolescents: Addressing Underlying Language Abilities

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to discuss reading comprehension deficits in adolescents in relation to their word reading skills and lexical and syntactic development. Although reading comprehension strategies (e.g., “Find the main idea”) are often recommended, it is argued that before these can be effective, students' underlying language deficits should be addressed.

Method

Data from a longitudinal study are analyzed to determine the relationship between reading comprehension, word reading, and lexical and syntactic development in adolescents.

Results

The findings indicate that poor reading comprehension in adolescents is predicted by concurrent deficits in word reading ability, lexical development, and syntactic development.

Conclusion

When poor comprehension is accompanied by deficits in word reading ability and/or lexical and syntactic development, intervention should target the underlying areas of deficiency. Studies designed to improve reading comprehension in adolescents are needed.

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Reading Comprehension Deficits in Adolescents: Addressing Underlying Language Abilities

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to discuss reading comprehension deficits in adolescents in relation to their word reading skills and lexical and syntactic development. Although reading comprehension strategies (e.g., “Find the main idea”) are often recommended, it is argued that before these can be effective, students' underlying language deficits should be addressed.

Method

Data from a longitudinal study are analyzed to determine the relationship between reading comprehension, word reading, and lexical and syntactic development in adolescents.

Results

The findings indicate that poor reading comprehension in adolescents is predicted by concurrent deficits in word reading ability, lexical development, and syntactic development.

Conclusion

When poor comprehension is accompanied by deficits in word reading ability and/or lexical and syntactic development, intervention should target the underlying areas of deficiency. Studies designed to improve reading comprehension in adolescents are needed.

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Development of Grammatical Accuracy in English-Speaking Children With Cochlear Implants: A Longitudinal Study

Purpose

We sought to evaluate the development of grammatical accuracy in English-speaking children with cochlear implants (CIs) over a 3-year span.

Method

Ten children who received CIs before age 30 months participated in this study at 3, 4, and 5 years postimplantation. For the purpose of comparison, 10 children each at ages 3, 4, and 5 years with typical hearing were included as well. All children participated in a story-retell task. We computed percent grammatical communication units (PGCU) in the task.

Results

Children with CIs showed significant improvement in PGCU over the 3-year span. However, they produced lower PGCU than children with typical hearing who had matched hearing age at 4 and 5 years postimplantation. At the individual level, some children with CIs were able to produce PGCU comparable to children with typical hearing as early as 3 years after implantation. Better speech-perception skills at earlier time points were associated with higher PGCU at later time points. Moreover, children with and without CIs showed similar rankings in the types of grammatical errors.

Conclusion

Despite having auditory-perceptual and information-processing constraints, children who received CIs before age 30 months were able to produce grammatical sentences, albeit with a delayed pattern.

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Explicit and Implicit Verbal Response Inhibition in Preschool-Age Children Who Stutter

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine (a) explicit and implicit verbal response inhibition in preschool children who do stutter (CWS) and do not stutter (CWNS) and (b) the relationship between response inhibition and language skills.

Method

Participants were 41 CWS and 41 CWNS between the ages of 3;1 and 6;1 (years;months). Explicit verbal response inhibition was measured using a computerized version of the grass–snow task (Carlson & Moses, 2001), and implicit verbal response inhibition was measured using the baa–meow task. Main dependent variables were reaction time and accuracy.

Results

The CWS were significantly less accurate than the CWNS on the implicit task, but not the explicit task. The CWS also exhibited slower reaction times than the CWNS on both tasks. Between-group differences in performance could not be attributed to working memory demands. Overall, children's performance on the inhibition tasks corresponded with parents' perceptions of their children's inhibition skills in daily life.

Conclusions

CWS are less effective and efficient than CWNS in suppressing a dominant response while executing a conflicting response in the verbal domain.

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Speech Recognition in Adults With Cochlear Implants: The Effects of Working Memory, Phonological Sensitivity, and Aging

Purpose

Models of speech recognition suggest that “top-down” linguistic and cognitive functions, such as use of phonotactic constraints and working memory, facilitate recognition under conditions of degradation, such as in noise. The question addressed in this study was what happens to these functions when a listener who has experienced years of hearing loss obtains a cochlear implant.

Method

Thirty adults with cochlear implants and 30 age-matched controls with age-normal hearing underwent testing of verbal working memory using digit span and serial recall of words. Phonological capacities were assessed using a lexical decision task and nonword repetition. Recognition of words in sentences in speech-shaped noise was measured.

Results

Implant users had only slightly poorer working memory accuracy than did controls and only on serial recall of words; however, phonological sensitivity was highly impaired. Working memory did not facilitate speech recognition in noise for either group. Phonological sensitivity predicted sentence recognition for implant users but not for listeners with normal hearing.

Conclusion

Clinical speech recognition outcomes for adult implant users relate to the ability of these users to process phonological information. Results suggest that phonological capacities may serve as potential clinical targets through rehabilitative training. Such novel interventions may be particularly helpful for older adult implant users.

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Auditory Phenotype of Smith–Magenis Syndrome

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to describe the auditory phenotype of a large cohort with Smith–Magenis syndrome (SMS), a rare disorder including physical anomalies, cognitive deficits, sleep disturbances, and a distinct behavioral phenotype.

Method

Hearing-related data were collected for 133 individuals with SMS aged 1–49 years. Audiogram data (97 participants) were used for cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Caregivers completed a sound sensitivity survey for 98 individuals with SMS and a control group of 24 unaffected siblings.

Results

Nearly 80% of participants with interpretable audiograms (n = 76) had hearing loss, which was typically slight to mild in degree. When hearing loss type could be determined (40 participants), sensorineural hearing loss (48.1%) occurred most often in participants aged 11–49 years. Conductive hearing loss (35.2%) was typically observed in children aged 1–10 years. A pattern of fluctuating and progressive hearing decline was documented. Hyperacusis was reported in 73.5% of participants with SMS compared with 12.5% of unaffected siblings.

Conclusions

This study offers the most comprehensive characterization of the auditory phenotype of SMS to date. The auditory profile in SMS is multifaceted and can include a previously unreported manifestation of hyperacusis. Routine audiologic surveillance is recommended as part of standard clinical care.

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Time Course of Lexicalization During Sentence Production in Parkinson's Disease: Eye-Tracking While Speaking

Purpose

Growing evidence suggests that sentence formulation is affected in Parkinson's disease (PD); however, how speakers with PD coordinate sentence planning and speaking remains unclear. Within 2 competing models of sentence production, this study examined whether speakers with PD show advanced buffering of words to minimize disfluencies and increased demands during speech or whether they plan one word at a time, compromising accuracy and fluency of speech.

Method

Participants described 3 computer-displayed pictures using the sentence “the A and the B are above the C.” Name agreement (codability) was varied to be high (clock) or low (sofa/couch) for each object position (A, B, C), affecting difficulty of lexical selection. Participants' gaze durations to each object were recorded.

Results

Speakers with PD showed incremental word-by-word planning, retrieving only the first lexical item (A) before speech onset, similar to controls. However, they produced greater word-finding errors and disfluencies compared to controls for the low-codable pictures, but not for high-codable pictures.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that by following word-by-word incremental production, speakers with PD compromise fluency and accuracy of speech to a greater extent than healthy older speakers and that PD is associated with impaired inhibitory control during lexical selection.

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Vocalization Rate and Consonant Production in Toddlers at High and Low Risk for Autism

Background

Previous work has documented lower vocalization rate and consonant acquisition delays in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We investigated differences in these variables at 12, 18, and 24 months in toddlers at high and low risk for ASD.

Method

Vocalization rate and number of different consonants were obtained from speech samples from a prospective study of infant siblings of children with ASD. Three groups were compared: 18 toddlers at low risk for ASD (low-risk control), 18 high-risk siblings without ASD (HRA−), and 10 high-risk siblings with ASD (HRA+).

Results

All groups' mean language scores were within the normal range. HRA+ toddlers showed consistently lower vocalization rate; vocalization rate did not predict number of different consonants at 12 months for HRA+. HRA−, not HRA+, toddlers had the smallest number of different consonants and produced significantly fewer different consonants than predicted by their vocalization rate at 12 months. Consonant-acquisition trajectories differed between groups, with HRA− showing the greatest increase from 12 to 18 months.

Conclusion

Lower vocalization rate was not associated with reduced number of different consonants in these toddlers. Between-groups differences in developmental trajectories are discussed in the context of the social feedback loop and differential ability to benefit from adult feedback between groups.

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Planning of Hiatus-Breaking Inserted /ɹ/ in the Speech of Australian English–Speaking Children

Purpose

Non-rhotic varieties of English often use /ɹ/ insertion as a connected speech process to separate heterosyllabic V₁.V₂ hiatus contexts. However, there has been little research on children's development of this strategy. This study investigated whether children use /ɹ/ insertion and, if so, whether hiatus-breaking /ɹ/ can be considered planned, as evidenced by F3 lowering on V₁.

Method

Thirteen Australian English–speaking children (7 girls, 6 boys; mean age 6;1 [years;months]) participated in an elicited production task. The stimuli included carrier sentences containing 4 test words (linking /ɹ/ context: door, floor; intrusive /ɹ/ context: paw, claw) followed by of (e.g., “This is the paw of the cat”). After familiarization containing auditory and picture prompts, children produced test sentences upon presentation of picture prompts alone.

Results

Eight children produced /ɹ/ insertion; the others used (some) glottalization. The incidence of /ɹ/ did not vary across linking or intrusive contexts, and inserted /ɹ/ was associated with F3 lowering at V₁ onset relative to control items without /ɹ/.

Conclusion

Six-year-old Australian English–speaking children who use /ɹ/ insertion show evidence of planning ahead and inserting /ɹ/ as a segment. The implications for the development of speech-planning processes and phonological and lexical representations are discussed.

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Development of Grammatical Accuracy in English-Speaking Children With Cochlear Implants: A Longitudinal Study

Purpose

We sought to evaluate the development of grammatical accuracy in English-speaking children with cochlear implants (CIs) over a 3-year span.

Method

Ten children who received CIs before age 30 months participated in this study at 3, 4, and 5 years postimplantation. For the purpose of comparison, 10 children each at ages 3, 4, and 5 years with typical hearing were included as well. All children participated in a story-retell task. We computed percent grammatical communication units (PGCU) in the task.

Results

Children with CIs showed significant improvement in PGCU over the 3-year span. However, they produced lower PGCU than children with typical hearing who had matched hearing age at 4 and 5 years postimplantation. At the individual level, some children with CIs were able to produce PGCU comparable to children with typical hearing as early as 3 years after implantation. Better speech-perception skills at earlier time points were associated with higher PGCU at later time points. Moreover, children with and without CIs showed similar rankings in the types of grammatical errors.

Conclusion

Despite having auditory-perceptual and information-processing constraints, children who received CIs before age 30 months were able to produce grammatical sentences, albeit with a delayed pattern.

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Explicit and Implicit Verbal Response Inhibition in Preschool-Age Children Who Stutter

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine (a) explicit and implicit verbal response inhibition in preschool children who do stutter (CWS) and do not stutter (CWNS) and (b) the relationship between response inhibition and language skills.

Method

Participants were 41 CWS and 41 CWNS between the ages of 3;1 and 6;1 (years;months). Explicit verbal response inhibition was measured using a computerized version of the grass–snow task (Carlson & Moses, 2001), and implicit verbal response inhibition was measured using the baa–meow task. Main dependent variables were reaction time and accuracy.

Results

The CWS were significantly less accurate than the CWNS on the implicit task, but not the explicit task. The CWS also exhibited slower reaction times than the CWNS on both tasks. Between-group differences in performance could not be attributed to working memory demands. Overall, children's performance on the inhibition tasks corresponded with parents' perceptions of their children's inhibition skills in daily life.

Conclusions

CWS are less effective and efficient than CWNS in suppressing a dominant response while executing a conflicting response in the verbal domain.

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Speech Recognition in Adults With Cochlear Implants: The Effects of Working Memory, Phonological Sensitivity, and Aging

Purpose

Models of speech recognition suggest that “top-down” linguistic and cognitive functions, such as use of phonotactic constraints and working memory, facilitate recognition under conditions of degradation, such as in noise. The question addressed in this study was what happens to these functions when a listener who has experienced years of hearing loss obtains a cochlear implant.

Method

Thirty adults with cochlear implants and 30 age-matched controls with age-normal hearing underwent testing of verbal working memory using digit span and serial recall of words. Phonological capacities were assessed using a lexical decision task and nonword repetition. Recognition of words in sentences in speech-shaped noise was measured.

Results

Implant users had only slightly poorer working memory accuracy than did controls and only on serial recall of words; however, phonological sensitivity was highly impaired. Working memory did not facilitate speech recognition in noise for either group. Phonological sensitivity predicted sentence recognition for implant users but not for listeners with normal hearing.

Conclusion

Clinical speech recognition outcomes for adult implant users relate to the ability of these users to process phonological information. Results suggest that phonological capacities may serve as potential clinical targets through rehabilitative training. Such novel interventions may be particularly helpful for older adult implant users.

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Auditory Phenotype of Smith–Magenis Syndrome

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to describe the auditory phenotype of a large cohort with Smith–Magenis syndrome (SMS), a rare disorder including physical anomalies, cognitive deficits, sleep disturbances, and a distinct behavioral phenotype.

Method

Hearing-related data were collected for 133 individuals with SMS aged 1–49 years. Audiogram data (97 participants) were used for cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Caregivers completed a sound sensitivity survey for 98 individuals with SMS and a control group of 24 unaffected siblings.

Results

Nearly 80% of participants with interpretable audiograms (n = 76) had hearing loss, which was typically slight to mild in degree. When hearing loss type could be determined (40 participants), sensorineural hearing loss (48.1%) occurred most often in participants aged 11–49 years. Conductive hearing loss (35.2%) was typically observed in children aged 1–10 years. A pattern of fluctuating and progressive hearing decline was documented. Hyperacusis was reported in 73.5% of participants with SMS compared with 12.5% of unaffected siblings.

Conclusions

This study offers the most comprehensive characterization of the auditory phenotype of SMS to date. The auditory profile in SMS is multifaceted and can include a previously unreported manifestation of hyperacusis. Routine audiologic surveillance is recommended as part of standard clinical care.

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Time Course of Lexicalization During Sentence Production in Parkinson's Disease: Eye-Tracking While Speaking

Purpose

Growing evidence suggests that sentence formulation is affected in Parkinson's disease (PD); however, how speakers with PD coordinate sentence planning and speaking remains unclear. Within 2 competing models of sentence production, this study examined whether speakers with PD show advanced buffering of words to minimize disfluencies and increased demands during speech or whether they plan one word at a time, compromising accuracy and fluency of speech.

Method

Participants described 3 computer-displayed pictures using the sentence “the A and the B are above the C.” Name agreement (codability) was varied to be high (clock) or low (sofa/couch) for each object position (A, B, C), affecting difficulty of lexical selection. Participants' gaze durations to each object were recorded.

Results

Speakers with PD showed incremental word-by-word planning, retrieving only the first lexical item (A) before speech onset, similar to controls. However, they produced greater word-finding errors and disfluencies compared to controls for the low-codable pictures, but not for high-codable pictures.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that by following word-by-word incremental production, speakers with PD compromise fluency and accuracy of speech to a greater extent than healthy older speakers and that PD is associated with impaired inhibitory control during lexical selection.

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Vocalization Rate and Consonant Production in Toddlers at High and Low Risk for Autism

Background

Previous work has documented lower vocalization rate and consonant acquisition delays in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We investigated differences in these variables at 12, 18, and 24 months in toddlers at high and low risk for ASD.

Method

Vocalization rate and number of different consonants were obtained from speech samples from a prospective study of infant siblings of children with ASD. Three groups were compared: 18 toddlers at low risk for ASD (low-risk control), 18 high-risk siblings without ASD (HRA−), and 10 high-risk siblings with ASD (HRA+).

Results

All groups' mean language scores were within the normal range. HRA+ toddlers showed consistently lower vocalization rate; vocalization rate did not predict number of different consonants at 12 months for HRA+. HRA−, not HRA+, toddlers had the smallest number of different consonants and produced significantly fewer different consonants than predicted by their vocalization rate at 12 months. Consonant-acquisition trajectories differed between groups, with HRA− showing the greatest increase from 12 to 18 months.

Conclusion

Lower vocalization rate was not associated with reduced number of different consonants in these toddlers. Between-groups differences in developmental trajectories are discussed in the context of the social feedback loop and differential ability to benefit from adult feedback between groups.

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Planning of Hiatus-Breaking Inserted /ɹ/ in the Speech of Australian English–Speaking Children

Purpose

Non-rhotic varieties of English often use /ɹ/ insertion as a connected speech process to separate heterosyllabic V₁.V₂ hiatus contexts. However, there has been little research on children's development of this strategy. This study investigated whether children use /ɹ/ insertion and, if so, whether hiatus-breaking /ɹ/ can be considered planned, as evidenced by F3 lowering on V₁.

Method

Thirteen Australian English–speaking children (7 girls, 6 boys; mean age 6;1 [years;months]) participated in an elicited production task. The stimuli included carrier sentences containing 4 test words (linking /ɹ/ context: door, floor; intrusive /ɹ/ context: paw, claw) followed by of (e.g., “This is the paw of the cat”). After familiarization containing auditory and picture prompts, children produced test sentences upon presentation of picture prompts alone.

Results

Eight children produced /ɹ/ insertion; the others used (some) glottalization. The incidence of /ɹ/ did not vary across linking or intrusive contexts, and inserted /ɹ/ was associated with F3 lowering at V₁ onset relative to control items without /ɹ/.

Conclusion

Six-year-old Australian English–speaking children who use /ɹ/ insertion show evidence of planning ahead and inserting /ɹ/ as a segment. The implications for the development of speech-planning processes and phonological and lexical representations are discussed.

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Development of Grammatical Accuracy in English-Speaking Children With Cochlear Implants: A Longitudinal Study

Purpose

We sought to evaluate the development of grammatical accuracy in English-speaking children with cochlear implants (CIs) over a 3-year span.

Method

Ten children who received CIs before age 30 months participated in this study at 3, 4, and 5 years postimplantation. For the purpose of comparison, 10 children each at ages 3, 4, and 5 years with typical hearing were included as well. All children participated in a story-retell task. We computed percent grammatical communication units (PGCU) in the task.

Results

Children with CIs showed significant improvement in PGCU over the 3-year span. However, they produced lower PGCU than children with typical hearing who had matched hearing age at 4 and 5 years postimplantation. At the individual level, some children with CIs were able to produce PGCU comparable to children with typical hearing as early as 3 years after implantation. Better speech-perception skills at earlier time points were associated with higher PGCU at later time points. Moreover, children with and without CIs showed similar rankings in the types of grammatical errors.

Conclusion

Despite having auditory-perceptual and information-processing constraints, children who received CIs before age 30 months were able to produce grammatical sentences, albeit with a delayed pattern.

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Explicit and Implicit Verbal Response Inhibition in Preschool-Age Children Who Stutter

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine (a) explicit and implicit verbal response inhibition in preschool children who do stutter (CWS) and do not stutter (CWNS) and (b) the relationship between response inhibition and language skills.

Method

Participants were 41 CWS and 41 CWNS between the ages of 3;1 and 6;1 (years;months). Explicit verbal response inhibition was measured using a computerized version of the grass–snow task (Carlson & Moses, 2001), and implicit verbal response inhibition was measured using the baa–meow task. Main dependent variables were reaction time and accuracy.

Results

The CWS were significantly less accurate than the CWNS on the implicit task, but not the explicit task. The CWS also exhibited slower reaction times than the CWNS on both tasks. Between-group differences in performance could not be attributed to working memory demands. Overall, children's performance on the inhibition tasks corresponded with parents' perceptions of their children's inhibition skills in daily life.

Conclusions

CWS are less effective and efficient than CWNS in suppressing a dominant response while executing a conflicting response in the verbal domain.

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Speech Recognition in Adults With Cochlear Implants: The Effects of Working Memory, Phonological Sensitivity, and Aging

Purpose

Models of speech recognition suggest that “top-down” linguistic and cognitive functions, such as use of phonotactic constraints and working memory, facilitate recognition under conditions of degradation, such as in noise. The question addressed in this study was what happens to these functions when a listener who has experienced years of hearing loss obtains a cochlear implant.

Method

Thirty adults with cochlear implants and 30 age-matched controls with age-normal hearing underwent testing of verbal working memory using digit span and serial recall of words. Phonological capacities were assessed using a lexical decision task and nonword repetition. Recognition of words in sentences in speech-shaped noise was measured.

Results

Implant users had only slightly poorer working memory accuracy than did controls and only on serial recall of words; however, phonological sensitivity was highly impaired. Working memory did not facilitate speech recognition in noise for either group. Phonological sensitivity predicted sentence recognition for implant users but not for listeners with normal hearing.

Conclusion

Clinical speech recognition outcomes for adult implant users relate to the ability of these users to process phonological information. Results suggest that phonological capacities may serve as potential clinical targets through rehabilitative training. Such novel interventions may be particularly helpful for older adult implant users.

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Auditory Phenotype of Smith–Magenis Syndrome

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to describe the auditory phenotype of a large cohort with Smith–Magenis syndrome (SMS), a rare disorder including physical anomalies, cognitive deficits, sleep disturbances, and a distinct behavioral phenotype.

Method

Hearing-related data were collected for 133 individuals with SMS aged 1–49 years. Audiogram data (97 participants) were used for cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Caregivers completed a sound sensitivity survey for 98 individuals with SMS and a control group of 24 unaffected siblings.

Results

Nearly 80% of participants with interpretable audiograms (n = 76) had hearing loss, which was typically slight to mild in degree. When hearing loss type could be determined (40 participants), sensorineural hearing loss (48.1%) occurred most often in participants aged 11–49 years. Conductive hearing loss (35.2%) was typically observed in children aged 1–10 years. A pattern of fluctuating and progressive hearing decline was documented. Hyperacusis was reported in 73.5% of participants with SMS compared with 12.5% of unaffected siblings.

Conclusions

This study offers the most comprehensive characterization of the auditory phenotype of SMS to date. The auditory profile in SMS is multifaceted and can include a previously unreported manifestation of hyperacusis. Routine audiologic surveillance is recommended as part of standard clinical care.

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Time Course of Lexicalization During Sentence Production in Parkinson's Disease: Eye-Tracking While Speaking

Purpose

Growing evidence suggests that sentence formulation is affected in Parkinson's disease (PD); however, how speakers with PD coordinate sentence planning and speaking remains unclear. Within 2 competing models of sentence production, this study examined whether speakers with PD show advanced buffering of words to minimize disfluencies and increased demands during speech or whether they plan one word at a time, compromising accuracy and fluency of speech.

Method

Participants described 3 computer-displayed pictures using the sentence “the A and the B are above the C.” Name agreement (codability) was varied to be high (clock) or low (sofa/couch) for each object position (A, B, C), affecting difficulty of lexical selection. Participants' gaze durations to each object were recorded.

Results

Speakers with PD showed incremental word-by-word planning, retrieving only the first lexical item (A) before speech onset, similar to controls. However, they produced greater word-finding errors and disfluencies compared to controls for the low-codable pictures, but not for high-codable pictures.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that by following word-by-word incremental production, speakers with PD compromise fluency and accuracy of speech to a greater extent than healthy older speakers and that PD is associated with impaired inhibitory control during lexical selection.

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Vocalization Rate and Consonant Production in Toddlers at High and Low Risk for Autism

Background

Previous work has documented lower vocalization rate and consonant acquisition delays in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We investigated differences in these variables at 12, 18, and 24 months in toddlers at high and low risk for ASD.

Method

Vocalization rate and number of different consonants were obtained from speech samples from a prospective study of infant siblings of children with ASD. Three groups were compared: 18 toddlers at low risk for ASD (low-risk control), 18 high-risk siblings without ASD (HRA−), and 10 high-risk siblings with ASD (HRA+).

Results

All groups' mean language scores were within the normal range. HRA+ toddlers showed consistently lower vocalization rate; vocalization rate did not predict number of different consonants at 12 months for HRA+. HRA−, not HRA+, toddlers had the smallest number of different consonants and produced significantly fewer different consonants than predicted by their vocalization rate at 12 months. Consonant-acquisition trajectories differed between groups, with HRA− showing the greatest increase from 12 to 18 months.

Conclusion

Lower vocalization rate was not associated with reduced number of different consonants in these toddlers. Between-groups differences in developmental trajectories are discussed in the context of the social feedback loop and differential ability to benefit from adult feedback between groups.

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Planning of Hiatus-Breaking Inserted /ɹ/ in the Speech of Australian English–Speaking Children

Purpose

Non-rhotic varieties of English often use /ɹ/ insertion as a connected speech process to separate heterosyllabic V₁.V₂ hiatus contexts. However, there has been little research on children's development of this strategy. This study investigated whether children use /ɹ/ insertion and, if so, whether hiatus-breaking /ɹ/ can be considered planned, as evidenced by F3 lowering on V₁.

Method

Thirteen Australian English–speaking children (7 girls, 6 boys; mean age 6;1 [years;months]) participated in an elicited production task. The stimuli included carrier sentences containing 4 test words (linking /ɹ/ context: door, floor; intrusive /ɹ/ context: paw, claw) followed by of (e.g., “This is the paw of the cat”). After familiarization containing auditory and picture prompts, children produced test sentences upon presentation of picture prompts alone.

Results

Eight children produced /ɹ/ insertion; the others used (some) glottalization. The incidence of /ɹ/ did not vary across linking or intrusive contexts, and inserted /ɹ/ was associated with F3 lowering at V₁ onset relative to control items without /ɹ/.

Conclusion

Six-year-old Australian English–speaking children who use /ɹ/ insertion show evidence of planning ahead and inserting /ɹ/ as a segment. The implications for the development of speech-planning processes and phonological and lexical representations are discussed.

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Clinical and molecular findings in a Moroccan family with Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome: a case report.

Related Articles

Clinical and molecular findings in a Moroccan family with Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome: a case report.

J Med Case Rep. 2017 Apr 02;11(1):88

Authors: Adadi N, Lahrouchi N, Bouhouch R, Fellat I, Amri R, Alders M, Sefiani A, Bezzina C, Ratbi I

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man 220400) is a rare autosomal recessive cardioauditory ion channel disorder that affects 1/200,000 to 1/1,000,000 children. It is characterized by congenital profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, a long QT interval, ventricular tachyarrhythmias, and episodes of torsade de pointes on an electrocardiogram. Cardiac symptoms arise mostly in early childhood and consist of syncopal episodes during periods of stress, exercise, or fright and are associated with a high risk of sudden cardiac death. Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome is caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in KCNQ1 on 11p15.5 or KCNE1 on 1q22.1-q22.2.
CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 10-year-old Moroccan boy with congenital hearing loss and severely prolonged QT interval who presented with multiple episodes of syncope. His parents are first-degree cousins. We performed Sanger sequencing and identified a homozygous variant in KCNQ1 (c.1343dupC, p.Glu449Argfs*14).
CONCLUSIONS: The identification of the genetic substrate in this patient confirmed the clinical diagnosis of Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome and allowed us to provide him with appropriate management and genetic counseling to his family. In addition, this finding contributes to our understanding of genetic disease in the Moroccan population.

PMID: 28364778 [PubMed - in process]

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Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss and acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss: a comparison of the results of a nationwide epidemiological survey in Japan.

Related Articles

Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss and acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss: a comparison of the results of a nationwide epidemiological survey in Japan.

Acta Otolaryngol. 2017 Apr 01;:1-6

Authors: Yoshida T, Sone M, Kitoh R, Nishio SY, Ogawa K, Kanzaki S, Hato N, Fukuda S, Hara A, Ikezono T, Ishikawa K, Iwasaki S, Kaga K, Kakehata S, Matsubara A, Matsunaga T, Murata T, Naito Y, Nakagawa T, Nishizaki K, Noguchi Y, Sano H, Sato H, Suzuki M, Shojaku H, Takahashi H, Takeda H, Tono T, Yamashita H, Yamasoba T, Usami SI

Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the differences between idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), and acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss (ALHL) using the results of a nationwide survey database in Japan and to analyze the variables associated with their clinical features and the severity of hearing impairment, treatment, and prognosis.
METHODS: Participants were patients registered between April 2014 and March 2016 in a multicenter epidemiological survey database involving 30 university hospitals and medical centers across Japan. Statistical analysis was performed to clarify the factors associated with their clinical characteristics and the severity of hearing impairment, treatment, and prognosis.
RESULTS: Idiopathic SSNHL and ALHL differed significantly in terms of male-to-female ratio, age distribution, and time from onset to start of treatment. The treatment methods and hearing prognosis also differed markedly between the two diseases. A majority (92%) of idiopathic SSNHL patients were administered some type of corticosteroid, while half of the ALHL patients received corticosteroids and a diuretic agent.
CONCLUSION: The results suggested that idiopathic SSNHL and ALHL belonged to different categories of inner ear disease.

PMID: 28366083 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Relationships among drinking and smoking habits, history of diseases, body mass index and idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss in Japanese patients.

Related Articles

Relationships among drinking and smoking habits, history of diseases, body mass index and idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss in Japanese patients.

Acta Otolaryngol. 2017 Apr 01;:1-7

Authors: Umesawa M, Kobashi G, Kitoh R, Nishio SY, Ogawa K, Hato N, Sone M, Fukuda S, Hara A, Ikezono T, Ishikawa K, Iwasaki S, Kaga K, Kakehata S, Matsubara A, Matsunaga T, Murata T, Naito Y, Nakagawa T, Nishizaki K, Noguchi Y, Sano H, Sato H, Suzuki M, Shojaku H, Takahashi H, Takeda H, Tono T, Yamashita H, Yamasoba T, Usami SI

Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To present the cardiovascular risk factors in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) patients enrolled in a nationwide epidemiological survey of hearing disorders in Japan.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compiled the cardiovascular risk factors in 3073 idiopathic SSNHL subjects (1621 men and 1452 women) and compared their proportions with controls as part of the National Health and Nutrition Survey in Japan, 2014. The cardiovascular risk factors consisted of drinking and smoking habits, a history of five conditions related to cardiovascular disease and body mass index.
RESULTS: The proportion of current smokers was significantly higher among men aged 50-59, 60-69 and 70+ and among women aged 30-39, 40-49 and 60-69. The proportion of patients with a history of diabetes mellitus was significantly higher among men aged 50-59, 60-69 and 70+, but not in women. In addition, male and female SSNHL subjects aged 60-69 showed lower proportions of current drinking; and female SSNHL subjects aged 60-69 showed higher proportions of overweight (BMI ≥25 kg/m(2)).
CONCLUSIONS: The present cross-sectional study revealed showed significantly higher proportions of current smokers among both men and women as well as those with a history of diabetes mellitus among men across many age groups in patients with idiopathic SSNHL compared with the controls.

PMID: 28366076 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Epidemiological survey of acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss.

Related Articles

Epidemiological survey of acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss.

Acta Otolaryngol. 2017 Apr 01;:1-4

Authors: Sato H, Kuwashima S, Nishio SY, Kitoh R, Fukuda S, Hara A, Hato N, Ikezono T, Ishikawa K, Iwasaki S, Kaga K, Matsubara A, Matsunaga T, Murata T, Naito Y, Nakagawa T, Nishizaki K, Noguchi Y, Ogawa K, Sano H, Sone M, Shojaku H, Takahashi H, Tono T, Yamashita H, Yamasoba T, Usami SI

Abstract
OBJECTIVES: A nationwide epidemiological survey involving 23 hospitals in Japan was conducted and the predictive values of demographic data were examined statistically.
METHODS: A total of 642 patients from 23 hospitals, including 20 university hospitals, in Japan were enrolled in the study. Age ranged from 8 to 87 years, and all were diagnosed with acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss (ALHL) between 1994 and 2016. Demographic data for the patients, such as symptoms, gender, mean age, and distribution of ALHL grading, were collected and analyzed in relation to prognosis using Student's t-test, χ(2) test and logistic regression.
RESULTS: Female gender (p < .013), younger age (p < .001), low-grade hearing loss (p < .001), and shorter interval between onset and initial visit (p < .004) were significantly predictive of a good prognosis. The prognosis for definite ALHL was significantly better than that for probable ALHL (p < .007).
CONCLUSIONS: The severity of initial hearing loss, interval between onset and initial visit and age were important prognostic indicators for ALHL, while female gender was an important prognostic indicator peculiar to ALHL.

PMID: 28366042 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss and acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss: a comparison of the results of a nationwide epidemiological survey in Japan.

Related Articles

Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss and acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss: a comparison of the results of a nationwide epidemiological survey in Japan.

Acta Otolaryngol. 2017 Apr 01;:1-6

Authors: Yoshida T, Sone M, Kitoh R, Nishio SY, Ogawa K, Kanzaki S, Hato N, Fukuda S, Hara A, Ikezono T, Ishikawa K, Iwasaki S, Kaga K, Kakehata S, Matsubara A, Matsunaga T, Murata T, Naito Y, Nakagawa T, Nishizaki K, Noguchi Y, Sano H, Sato H, Suzuki M, Shojaku H, Takahashi H, Takeda H, Tono T, Yamashita H, Yamasoba T, Usami SI

Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the differences between idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), and acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss (ALHL) using the results of a nationwide survey database in Japan and to analyze the variables associated with their clinical features and the severity of hearing impairment, treatment, and prognosis.
METHODS: Participants were patients registered between April 2014 and March 2016 in a multicenter epidemiological survey database involving 30 university hospitals and medical centers across Japan. Statistical analysis was performed to clarify the factors associated with their clinical characteristics and the severity of hearing impairment, treatment, and prognosis.
RESULTS: Idiopathic SSNHL and ALHL differed significantly in terms of male-to-female ratio, age distribution, and time from onset to start of treatment. The treatment methods and hearing prognosis also differed markedly between the two diseases. A majority (92%) of idiopathic SSNHL patients were administered some type of corticosteroid, while half of the ALHL patients received corticosteroids and a diuretic agent.
CONCLUSION: The results suggested that idiopathic SSNHL and ALHL belonged to different categories of inner ear disease.

PMID: 28366083 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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via IFTTT

Relationships among drinking and smoking habits, history of diseases, body mass index and idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss in Japanese patients.

Related Articles

Relationships among drinking and smoking habits, history of diseases, body mass index and idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss in Japanese patients.

Acta Otolaryngol. 2017 Apr 01;:1-7

Authors: Umesawa M, Kobashi G, Kitoh R, Nishio SY, Ogawa K, Hato N, Sone M, Fukuda S, Hara A, Ikezono T, Ishikawa K, Iwasaki S, Kaga K, Kakehata S, Matsubara A, Matsunaga T, Murata T, Naito Y, Nakagawa T, Nishizaki K, Noguchi Y, Sano H, Sato H, Suzuki M, Shojaku H, Takahashi H, Takeda H, Tono T, Yamashita H, Yamasoba T, Usami SI

Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To present the cardiovascular risk factors in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) patients enrolled in a nationwide epidemiological survey of hearing disorders in Japan.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compiled the cardiovascular risk factors in 3073 idiopathic SSNHL subjects (1621 men and 1452 women) and compared their proportions with controls as part of the National Health and Nutrition Survey in Japan, 2014. The cardiovascular risk factors consisted of drinking and smoking habits, a history of five conditions related to cardiovascular disease and body mass index.
RESULTS: The proportion of current smokers was significantly higher among men aged 50-59, 60-69 and 70+ and among women aged 30-39, 40-49 and 60-69. The proportion of patients with a history of diabetes mellitus was significantly higher among men aged 50-59, 60-69 and 70+, but not in women. In addition, male and female SSNHL subjects aged 60-69 showed lower proportions of current drinking; and female SSNHL subjects aged 60-69 showed higher proportions of overweight (BMI ≥25 kg/m(2)).
CONCLUSIONS: The present cross-sectional study revealed showed significantly higher proportions of current smokers among both men and women as well as those with a history of diabetes mellitus among men across many age groups in patients with idiopathic SSNHL compared with the controls.

PMID: 28366076 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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via IFTTT

Epidemiological survey of acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss.

Related Articles

Epidemiological survey of acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss.

Acta Otolaryngol. 2017 Apr 01;:1-4

Authors: Sato H, Kuwashima S, Nishio SY, Kitoh R, Fukuda S, Hara A, Hato N, Ikezono T, Ishikawa K, Iwasaki S, Kaga K, Matsubara A, Matsunaga T, Murata T, Naito Y, Nakagawa T, Nishizaki K, Noguchi Y, Ogawa K, Sano H, Sone M, Shojaku H, Takahashi H, Tono T, Yamashita H, Yamasoba T, Usami SI

Abstract
OBJECTIVES: A nationwide epidemiological survey involving 23 hospitals in Japan was conducted and the predictive values of demographic data were examined statistically.
METHODS: A total of 642 patients from 23 hospitals, including 20 university hospitals, in Japan were enrolled in the study. Age ranged from 8 to 87 years, and all were diagnosed with acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss (ALHL) between 1994 and 2016. Demographic data for the patients, such as symptoms, gender, mean age, and distribution of ALHL grading, were collected and analyzed in relation to prognosis using Student's t-test, χ(2) test and logistic regression.
RESULTS: Female gender (p < .013), younger age (p < .001), low-grade hearing loss (p < .001), and shorter interval between onset and initial visit (p < .004) were significantly predictive of a good prognosis. The prognosis for definite ALHL was significantly better than that for probable ALHL (p < .007).
CONCLUSIONS: The severity of initial hearing loss, interval between onset and initial visit and age were important prognostic indicators for ALHL, while female gender was an important prognostic indicator peculiar to ALHL.

PMID: 28366042 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Continuous and difficult discrete cognitive tasks promote improved stability in older adults

Publication date: Available online 3 April 2017
Source:Gait & Posture
Author(s): Yves Lajoie, Deborah A. Jehu, Natalie Richer, Alan Chan
Directing attention away from postural control and onto a cognitive task affords the emergence of automatic control processes. Perhaps the continuous withdrawal of attention from the postural task facilitates an automatization of posture as opposed to only intermittent withdrawal; however this is unknown in the aging population. Twenty older adults (69.9±3.5years) stood with feet together on a force platform for 60 s while performing randomly assigned discrete and continuous cognitive tasks. Participants were instructed to stand comfortably with their arms by their sides while verbally responding to the auditory stimuli as fast as possible during the discrete tasks, or mentally performing the continuous cognitive tasks. Participants also performed single-task standing. Results demonstrate significant reductions in sway amplitude and sway variability for the difficult discrete task as well as the continuous tasks relative to single-task standing. The continuous cognitive tasks also prompted greater frequency of sway in the anterior-posterior direction compared to single-standing and discrete tasks, and greater velocity in both directions compared to single-task standing, which could suggest ankle stiffening. No differences in the simple discrete condition were shown compared to single-task standing, perhaps due to the simplicity of the task. Therefore, we propose that the level of difficulty of the task, the specific neuropsychological process engaged during the cognitive task, and the type of task (discrete vs. continuous) influence postural control in older adults. Dual-tasking is a common activity of daily living; this work provides insight into the age-related changes in postural stability and attention demand.



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Continuous and difficult discrete cognitive tasks promote improved stability in older adults

Publication date: Available online 3 April 2017
Source:Gait & Posture
Author(s): Yves Lajoie, Deborah A. Jehu, Natalie Richer, Alan Chan
Directing attention away from postural control and onto a cognitive task affords the emergence of automatic control processes. Perhaps the continuous withdrawal of attention from the postural task facilitates an automatization of posture as opposed to only intermittent withdrawal; however this is unknown in the aging population. Twenty older adults (69.9±3.5years) stood with feet together on a force platform for 60 s while performing randomly assigned discrete and continuous cognitive tasks. Participants were instructed to stand comfortably with their arms by their sides while verbally responding to the auditory stimuli as fast as possible during the discrete tasks, or mentally performing the continuous cognitive tasks. Participants also performed single-task standing. Results demonstrate significant reductions in sway amplitude and sway variability for the difficult discrete task as well as the continuous tasks relative to single-task standing. The continuous cognitive tasks also prompted greater frequency of sway in the anterior-posterior direction compared to single-standing and discrete tasks, and greater velocity in both directions compared to single-task standing, which could suggest ankle stiffening. No differences in the simple discrete condition were shown compared to single-task standing, perhaps due to the simplicity of the task. Therefore, we propose that the level of difficulty of the task, the specific neuropsychological process engaged during the cognitive task, and the type of task (discrete vs. continuous) influence postural control in older adults. Dual-tasking is a common activity of daily living; this work provides insight into the age-related changes in postural stability and attention demand.



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via IFTTT

Continuous and difficult discrete cognitive tasks promote improved stability in older adults

Publication date: Available online 3 April 2017
Source:Gait & Posture
Author(s): Yves Lajoie, Deborah A. Jehu, Natalie Richer, Alan Chan
Directing attention away from postural control and onto a cognitive task affords the emergence of automatic control processes. Perhaps the continuous withdrawal of attention from the postural task facilitates an automatization of posture as opposed to only intermittent withdrawal; however this is unknown in the aging population. Twenty older adults (69.9±3.5years) stood with feet together on a force platform for 60 s while performing randomly assigned discrete and continuous cognitive tasks. Participants were instructed to stand comfortably with their arms by their sides while verbally responding to the auditory stimuli as fast as possible during the discrete tasks, or mentally performing the continuous cognitive tasks. Participants also performed single-task standing. Results demonstrate significant reductions in sway amplitude and sway variability for the difficult discrete task as well as the continuous tasks relative to single-task standing. The continuous cognitive tasks also prompted greater frequency of sway in the anterior-posterior direction compared to single-standing and discrete tasks, and greater velocity in both directions compared to single-task standing, which could suggest ankle stiffening. No differences in the simple discrete condition were shown compared to single-task standing, perhaps due to the simplicity of the task. Therefore, we propose that the level of difficulty of the task, the specific neuropsychological process engaged during the cognitive task, and the type of task (discrete vs. continuous) influence postural control in older adults. Dual-tasking is a common activity of daily living; this work provides insight into the age-related changes in postural stability and attention demand.



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