Academic Vocabulary Learning in First Through Third Grade in Low-Income Schools: Effects of Automated Supplemental Instruction

Purpose

This study investigated cumulative effects of language learning, specifically whether prior vocabulary knowledge or special education status moderated the effects of academic vocabulary instruction in high-poverty schools.

Method

Effects of a supplemental intervention targeting academic vocabulary in first through third grades were evaluated with 241 students (6–9 years old) from low-income families, 48% of whom were retained for the 3-year study duration. Students were randomly assigned to vocabulary instruction or comparison groups.

Results

Curriculum-based measures of word recognition, receptive identification, expressive labeling, and decontextualized definitions showed large effects for multiple levels of word learning. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that students with higher initial Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test–Fourth Edition scores (Dunn & Dunn, 2007) demonstrated greater word learning, whereas students with special needs demonstrated less growth in vocabulary.

Conclusion

This model of vocabulary instruction can be applied efficiently in high-poverty schools through an automated, easily implemented adjunct to reading instruction in the early grades and holds promise for reducing gaps in vocabulary development.

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-L-17-0100/2662757/Academic-Vocabulary-Learning-in-First-Through
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Development of Pointing Gestures in Children With Typical and Delayed Language Acquisition

Purpose

This longitudinal study compared the development of hand and index-finger pointing in children with typical language development (TD) and children with language delay (LD). First, we examined whether the number and the form of pointing gestures during the second year of life are potential indicators of later LD. Second, we analyzed the influence of caregivers' gestural and verbal input on children's communicative development.

Method

Thirty children with TD and 10 children with LD were observed together with their primary caregivers in a seminatural setting in 5 sessions between the ages of 12 and 21 months. Language skills were assessed at 24 months.

Results

Compared with children with TD, children with LD used fewer index-finger points at 12 and 14 months but more pointing gestures in total at 21 months. There were no significant differences in verbal or gestural input between caregivers of children with or without LD.

Conclusions

Using more index-finger points at the beginning of the second year of life is associated with TD, whereas using more pointing gestures at the end of the second year of life is associated with delayed acquisition. Neither the verbal nor gestural input of caregivers accounted for differences in children's skills.

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-L-16-0129/2662755/Development-of-Pointing-Gestures-in-Children-With
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Age-Related Variability in Tongue Pressure Patterns for Maximum Isometric and Saliva Swallowing Tasks

Purpose

The ability to generate tongue pressure plays a major role in bolus transport in swallowing. In studies of motor control, stability or variability of movement is a feature that changes with age, disease, task complexity, and perturbation. In this study, we explored whether age and tongue strength influence the stability of the tongue pressure generation pattern during isometric and swallowing tasks in healthy volunteers.

Method

Tongue pressure data, collected using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument, were analyzed from 84 participants in sex-balanced and decade age-group strata. Tasks included maximum anterior and posterior isometric pressures and regular-effort saliva swallows. The cyclic spatiotemporal index (cSTI) was used to capture stability (vs. variability) in patterns of pressure generation. Mixed-model repeated measures analyses of covariance were performed separately for each task (anterior and posterior isometric pressures, saliva swallows) with between-participant factors of age group and sex, a within-participant factor of task repetition, and a continuous covariate of tongue strength.

Results

Neither age group nor sex effects were found. There was no significant relationship between tongue strength and the cSTI on the anterior isometric tongue pressure task (r = −.11). For the posterior isometric tongue pressure task, a significant negative correlation (r = −.395) was found between tongue strength and the cSTI. The opposite pattern of a significant positive correlation (r = .29) between tongue strength and the cSTI was seen for the saliva swallow task.

Conclusions

Tongue pressure generation patterns appear highly stable across repeated maximum isometric and saliva swallow tasks, despite advancing age. Greater pattern variability is seen with weaker posterior isometric pressures. Overall, saliva swallows had the lowest pressure amplitudes and highest pressure pattern variability as measured by the cSTI.

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-S-16-0356/2662759/AgeRelated-Variability-in-Tongue-Pressure-Patterns
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Distributional Learning in College Students With Developmental Language Disorder

Purpose

This study examined whether college students with developmental language disorder (DLD) could use distributional information in an artificial language to learn about grammatical category membership in a way similar to their typically developing (TD) peers.

Method

Seventeen college students with DLD and 17 TD college students participated in this task. We used an artificial grammar in which certain combinations of words never occurred during training. At test, participants had to use knowledge of category membership to determine which combinations were allowable in the grammar, even though they had not been heard.

Results

College students with DLD performed similarly to TD peers in distinguishing grammatical from ungrammatical combinations.

Conclusion

Differences in ratings between grammatical and ungrammatical items in this task suggest that college students with DLD can form grammatical categories from novel input and more broadly use distributional information.

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-L-17-0013/2662756/Distributional-Learning-in-College-Students-With
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Infant-Directed Speech Enhances Attention to Speech in Deaf Infants With Cochlear Implants

Purpose

Both theoretical models of infant language acquisition and empirical studies posit important roles for attention to speech in early language development. However, deaf infants with cochlear implants (CIs) show reduced attention to speech as compared with their peers with normal hearing (NH; Horn, Davis, Pisoni, & Miyamoto, 2005; Houston, Pisoni, Kirk, Ying, & Miyamoto, 2003), which may affect their acquisition of spoken language. The main purpose of this study was to determine (a) whether infant-directed speech (IDS) enhances attention to speech in infants with CIs, as compared with adult-directed speech (ADS), and (b) whether the degree to which infants with CIs pay attention to IDS is associated with later language outcomes.

Method

We tested 46 infants—12 prelingually deaf infants who received CIs before 24 months of age and had 12 months of hearing experience (CI group), 22 hearing experience–matched infants with NH (NH-HEM group), and 12 chronological age–matched infants with NH (NH-CAM group)—on their listening preference in 3 randomized blocks: IDS versus silence, ADS versus silence, and IDS versus ADS. We administered the Preschool Language Scale–Fourth Edition (PLS-4; Zimmerman, Steiner, & Pond, 2002) approximately 18 months after implantation to assess receptive and expressive language skills of infants with CIs.

Results

In the IDS versus silence block, all 3 groups looked significantly longer to IDS than to silence. In the ADS versus silence block, both the NH-HEM and NH-CAM groups looked significantly longer to ADS relative to silence; however, the CI group did not show any preference. In the IDS versus ADS block, whereas both the CI and NH-HEM groups preferred IDS over ADS, the NH-CAM group looked equally long to IDS and ADS. IDS preference quotient among infants with CIs in the IDS versus ADS block was associated with PLS-4 Auditory Comprehension and PLS-4 Expressive Communication measures.

Conclusions

Two major findings emerge: (a) IDS enhances attention to speech in deaf infants with CIs; (b) the degree of IDS preference over ADS relates to language development in infants with CIs. These results support a focus on input in developing intervention strategies to mitigate the effects of hearing loss on language development in infants with hearing loss.

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-H-17-0149/2662754/InfantDirected-Speech-Enhances-Attention-to-Speech
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Auditory Attentional Set-Shifting and Inhibition in Children Who Stutter

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether previously reported parental questionnaire-based differences in attentional shifting and inhibitory control (AS and IC; Eggers, De Nil, & Van den Bergh, 2010) would be supported by direct measurement of AS and IC using a computer task.

Method

Participants were 16 Finnish children who stutter (CWS; mean age = 7.06 years) and 16 Finnish children who do not stutter (mean age = 7.05 years). Participants were matched on age (±8 months) and gender. AS and IC were assessed by the auditory set-shifting task of the Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasks (De Sonneville, 2009).

Results

No group differences were found for the speed of auditory AS or IC. However, CWS, as a group, scored significantly lower on the accuracy (error percentage) of auditory AS. In addition, CWS, compared with the children who do not stutter, showed a higher increase in error percentages under AS and IC conditions.

Conclusions

The findings on error percentages partly corroborate earlier questionnaire-based findings showing difficulties in CWS on AS and IC. Moreover, it also seems to imply that CWS are less able to slow down their responses to achieve higher accuracy rates.

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-S-16-0096/2662758/Auditory-Attentional-SetShifting-and-Inhibition-in
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With Some Help From Others' Hands: Iconic Gesture Helps Semantic Learning in Children With Specific Language Impairment

Purpose

Semantic learning under 2 co-speech gesture conditions was investigated in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typically developing (TD) children. Learning was analyzed between conditions.

Method

Twenty children with SLI (aged 4 years), 20 TD children matched for age, and 20 TD children matched for language scores were taught rare nouns and verbs. Children heard the target words while seeing either iconic gestures illustrating a property of the referent or a control gesture focusing children's attention on the word. Following training, children were asked to define the words' meaning. Responses were coded for semantic information provided on each word.

Results

Performance of the SLI and age-matched groups proved superior to that of the language-matched group. Overall, children defined more words taught with iconic gestures than words taught with attention-getting gestures. However, only children with SLI, but not TD children, provided more semantic information on each word taught with iconic gestures. Performance did not differ in terms of word class.

Conclusions

Results suggest that iconic co-speech gestures help both children with and without SLI learn new words but, in particular, assist children with SLI understand and reflect the words' meaning.

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-L-17-0004/2661762/With-Some-Help-From-Others-Hands-Iconic-Gesture
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Academic Vocabulary Learning in First Through Third Grade in Low-Income Schools: Effects of Automated Supplemental Instruction

Purpose

This study investigated cumulative effects of language learning, specifically whether prior vocabulary knowledge or special education status moderated the effects of academic vocabulary instruction in high-poverty schools.

Method

Effects of a supplemental intervention targeting academic vocabulary in first through third grades were evaluated with 241 students (6–9 years old) from low-income families, 48% of whom were retained for the 3-year study duration. Students were randomly assigned to vocabulary instruction or comparison groups.

Results

Curriculum-based measures of word recognition, receptive identification, expressive labeling, and decontextualized definitions showed large effects for multiple levels of word learning. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that students with higher initial Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test–Fourth Edition scores (Dunn & Dunn, 2007) demonstrated greater word learning, whereas students with special needs demonstrated less growth in vocabulary.

Conclusion

This model of vocabulary instruction can be applied efficiently in high-poverty schools through an automated, easily implemented adjunct to reading instruction in the early grades and holds promise for reducing gaps in vocabulary development.

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-L-17-0100/2662757/Academic-Vocabulary-Learning-in-First-Through
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Development of Pointing Gestures in Children With Typical and Delayed Language Acquisition

Purpose

This longitudinal study compared the development of hand and index-finger pointing in children with typical language development (TD) and children with language delay (LD). First, we examined whether the number and the form of pointing gestures during the second year of life are potential indicators of later LD. Second, we analyzed the influence of caregivers' gestural and verbal input on children's communicative development.

Method

Thirty children with TD and 10 children with LD were observed together with their primary caregivers in a seminatural setting in 5 sessions between the ages of 12 and 21 months. Language skills were assessed at 24 months.

Results

Compared with children with TD, children with LD used fewer index-finger points at 12 and 14 months but more pointing gestures in total at 21 months. There were no significant differences in verbal or gestural input between caregivers of children with or without LD.

Conclusions

Using more index-finger points at the beginning of the second year of life is associated with TD, whereas using more pointing gestures at the end of the second year of life is associated with delayed acquisition. Neither the verbal nor gestural input of caregivers accounted for differences in children's skills.

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-L-16-0129/2662755/Development-of-Pointing-Gestures-in-Children-With
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Age-Related Variability in Tongue Pressure Patterns for Maximum Isometric and Saliva Swallowing Tasks

Purpose

The ability to generate tongue pressure plays a major role in bolus transport in swallowing. In studies of motor control, stability or variability of movement is a feature that changes with age, disease, task complexity, and perturbation. In this study, we explored whether age and tongue strength influence the stability of the tongue pressure generation pattern during isometric and swallowing tasks in healthy volunteers.

Method

Tongue pressure data, collected using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument, were analyzed from 84 participants in sex-balanced and decade age-group strata. Tasks included maximum anterior and posterior isometric pressures and regular-effort saliva swallows. The cyclic spatiotemporal index (cSTI) was used to capture stability (vs. variability) in patterns of pressure generation. Mixed-model repeated measures analyses of covariance were performed separately for each task (anterior and posterior isometric pressures, saliva swallows) with between-participant factors of age group and sex, a within-participant factor of task repetition, and a continuous covariate of tongue strength.

Results

Neither age group nor sex effects were found. There was no significant relationship between tongue strength and the cSTI on the anterior isometric tongue pressure task (r = −.11). For the posterior isometric tongue pressure task, a significant negative correlation (r = −.395) was found between tongue strength and the cSTI. The opposite pattern of a significant positive correlation (r = .29) between tongue strength and the cSTI was seen for the saliva swallow task.

Conclusions

Tongue pressure generation patterns appear highly stable across repeated maximum isometric and saliva swallow tasks, despite advancing age. Greater pattern variability is seen with weaker posterior isometric pressures. Overall, saliva swallows had the lowest pressure amplitudes and highest pressure pattern variability as measured by the cSTI.

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-S-16-0356/2662759/AgeRelated-Variability-in-Tongue-Pressure-Patterns
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Distributional Learning in College Students With Developmental Language Disorder

Purpose

This study examined whether college students with developmental language disorder (DLD) could use distributional information in an artificial language to learn about grammatical category membership in a way similar to their typically developing (TD) peers.

Method

Seventeen college students with DLD and 17 TD college students participated in this task. We used an artificial grammar in which certain combinations of words never occurred during training. At test, participants had to use knowledge of category membership to determine which combinations were allowable in the grammar, even though they had not been heard.

Results

College students with DLD performed similarly to TD peers in distinguishing grammatical from ungrammatical combinations.

Conclusion

Differences in ratings between grammatical and ungrammatical items in this task suggest that college students with DLD can form grammatical categories from novel input and more broadly use distributional information.

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-L-17-0013/2662756/Distributional-Learning-in-College-Students-With
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Infant-Directed Speech Enhances Attention to Speech in Deaf Infants With Cochlear Implants

Purpose

Both theoretical models of infant language acquisition and empirical studies posit important roles for attention to speech in early language development. However, deaf infants with cochlear implants (CIs) show reduced attention to speech as compared with their peers with normal hearing (NH; Horn, Davis, Pisoni, & Miyamoto, 2005; Houston, Pisoni, Kirk, Ying, & Miyamoto, 2003), which may affect their acquisition of spoken language. The main purpose of this study was to determine (a) whether infant-directed speech (IDS) enhances attention to speech in infants with CIs, as compared with adult-directed speech (ADS), and (b) whether the degree to which infants with CIs pay attention to IDS is associated with later language outcomes.

Method

We tested 46 infants—12 prelingually deaf infants who received CIs before 24 months of age and had 12 months of hearing experience (CI group), 22 hearing experience–matched infants with NH (NH-HEM group), and 12 chronological age–matched infants with NH (NH-CAM group)—on their listening preference in 3 randomized blocks: IDS versus silence, ADS versus silence, and IDS versus ADS. We administered the Preschool Language Scale–Fourth Edition (PLS-4; Zimmerman, Steiner, & Pond, 2002) approximately 18 months after implantation to assess receptive and expressive language skills of infants with CIs.

Results

In the IDS versus silence block, all 3 groups looked significantly longer to IDS than to silence. In the ADS versus silence block, both the NH-HEM and NH-CAM groups looked significantly longer to ADS relative to silence; however, the CI group did not show any preference. In the IDS versus ADS block, whereas both the CI and NH-HEM groups preferred IDS over ADS, the NH-CAM group looked equally long to IDS and ADS. IDS preference quotient among infants with CIs in the IDS versus ADS block was associated with PLS-4 Auditory Comprehension and PLS-4 Expressive Communication measures.

Conclusions

Two major findings emerge: (a) IDS enhances attention to speech in deaf infants with CIs; (b) the degree of IDS preference over ADS relates to language development in infants with CIs. These results support a focus on input in developing intervention strategies to mitigate the effects of hearing loss on language development in infants with hearing loss.

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-H-17-0149/2662754/InfantDirected-Speech-Enhances-Attention-to-Speech
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Auditory Attentional Set-Shifting and Inhibition in Children Who Stutter

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether previously reported parental questionnaire-based differences in attentional shifting and inhibitory control (AS and IC; Eggers, De Nil, & Van den Bergh, 2010) would be supported by direct measurement of AS and IC using a computer task.

Method

Participants were 16 Finnish children who stutter (CWS; mean age = 7.06 years) and 16 Finnish children who do not stutter (mean age = 7.05 years). Participants were matched on age (±8 months) and gender. AS and IC were assessed by the auditory set-shifting task of the Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasks (De Sonneville, 2009).

Results

No group differences were found for the speed of auditory AS or IC. However, CWS, as a group, scored significantly lower on the accuracy (error percentage) of auditory AS. In addition, CWS, compared with the children who do not stutter, showed a higher increase in error percentages under AS and IC conditions.

Conclusions

The findings on error percentages partly corroborate earlier questionnaire-based findings showing difficulties in CWS on AS and IC. Moreover, it also seems to imply that CWS are less able to slow down their responses to achieve higher accuracy rates.

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-S-16-0096/2662758/Auditory-Attentional-SetShifting-and-Inhibition-in
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With Some Help From Others' Hands: Iconic Gesture Helps Semantic Learning in Children With Specific Language Impairment

Purpose

Semantic learning under 2 co-speech gesture conditions was investigated in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typically developing (TD) children. Learning was analyzed between conditions.

Method

Twenty children with SLI (aged 4 years), 20 TD children matched for age, and 20 TD children matched for language scores were taught rare nouns and verbs. Children heard the target words while seeing either iconic gestures illustrating a property of the referent or a control gesture focusing children's attention on the word. Following training, children were asked to define the words' meaning. Responses were coded for semantic information provided on each word.

Results

Performance of the SLI and age-matched groups proved superior to that of the language-matched group. Overall, children defined more words taught with iconic gestures than words taught with attention-getting gestures. However, only children with SLI, but not TD children, provided more semantic information on each word taught with iconic gestures. Performance did not differ in terms of word class.

Conclusions

Results suggest that iconic co-speech gestures help both children with and without SLI learn new words but, in particular, assist children with SLI understand and reflect the words' meaning.

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-L-17-0004/2661762/With-Some-Help-From-Others-Hands-Iconic-Gesture
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Academic Vocabulary Learning in First Through Third Grade in Low-Income Schools: Effects of Automated Supplemental Instruction

Purpose

This study investigated cumulative effects of language learning, specifically whether prior vocabulary knowledge or special education status moderated the effects of academic vocabulary instruction in high-poverty schools.

Method

Effects of a supplemental intervention targeting academic vocabulary in first through third grades were evaluated with 241 students (6–9 years old) from low-income families, 48% of whom were retained for the 3-year study duration. Students were randomly assigned to vocabulary instruction or comparison groups.

Results

Curriculum-based measures of word recognition, receptive identification, expressive labeling, and decontextualized definitions showed large effects for multiple levels of word learning. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that students with higher initial Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test–Fourth Edition scores (Dunn & Dunn, 2007) demonstrated greater word learning, whereas students with special needs demonstrated less growth in vocabulary.

Conclusion

This model of vocabulary instruction can be applied efficiently in high-poverty schools through an automated, easily implemented adjunct to reading instruction in the early grades and holds promise for reducing gaps in vocabulary development.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-L-17-0100/2662757/Academic-Vocabulary-Learning-in-First-Through
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Development of Pointing Gestures in Children With Typical and Delayed Language Acquisition

Purpose

This longitudinal study compared the development of hand and index-finger pointing in children with typical language development (TD) and children with language delay (LD). First, we examined whether the number and the form of pointing gestures during the second year of life are potential indicators of later LD. Second, we analyzed the influence of caregivers' gestural and verbal input on children's communicative development.

Method

Thirty children with TD and 10 children with LD were observed together with their primary caregivers in a seminatural setting in 5 sessions between the ages of 12 and 21 months. Language skills were assessed at 24 months.

Results

Compared with children with TD, children with LD used fewer index-finger points at 12 and 14 months but more pointing gestures in total at 21 months. There were no significant differences in verbal or gestural input between caregivers of children with or without LD.

Conclusions

Using more index-finger points at the beginning of the second year of life is associated with TD, whereas using more pointing gestures at the end of the second year of life is associated with delayed acquisition. Neither the verbal nor gestural input of caregivers accounted for differences in children's skills.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-L-16-0129/2662755/Development-of-Pointing-Gestures-in-Children-With
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Age-Related Variability in Tongue Pressure Patterns for Maximum Isometric and Saliva Swallowing Tasks

Purpose

The ability to generate tongue pressure plays a major role in bolus transport in swallowing. In studies of motor control, stability or variability of movement is a feature that changes with age, disease, task complexity, and perturbation. In this study, we explored whether age and tongue strength influence the stability of the tongue pressure generation pattern during isometric and swallowing tasks in healthy volunteers.

Method

Tongue pressure data, collected using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument, were analyzed from 84 participants in sex-balanced and decade age-group strata. Tasks included maximum anterior and posterior isometric pressures and regular-effort saliva swallows. The cyclic spatiotemporal index (cSTI) was used to capture stability (vs. variability) in patterns of pressure generation. Mixed-model repeated measures analyses of covariance were performed separately for each task (anterior and posterior isometric pressures, saliva swallows) with between-participant factors of age group and sex, a within-participant factor of task repetition, and a continuous covariate of tongue strength.

Results

Neither age group nor sex effects were found. There was no significant relationship between tongue strength and the cSTI on the anterior isometric tongue pressure task (r = −.11). For the posterior isometric tongue pressure task, a significant negative correlation (r = −.395) was found between tongue strength and the cSTI. The opposite pattern of a significant positive correlation (r = .29) between tongue strength and the cSTI was seen for the saliva swallow task.

Conclusions

Tongue pressure generation patterns appear highly stable across repeated maximum isometric and saliva swallow tasks, despite advancing age. Greater pattern variability is seen with weaker posterior isometric pressures. Overall, saliva swallows had the lowest pressure amplitudes and highest pressure pattern variability as measured by the cSTI.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-S-16-0356/2662759/AgeRelated-Variability-in-Tongue-Pressure-Patterns
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Distributional Learning in College Students With Developmental Language Disorder

Purpose

This study examined whether college students with developmental language disorder (DLD) could use distributional information in an artificial language to learn about grammatical category membership in a way similar to their typically developing (TD) peers.

Method

Seventeen college students with DLD and 17 TD college students participated in this task. We used an artificial grammar in which certain combinations of words never occurred during training. At test, participants had to use knowledge of category membership to determine which combinations were allowable in the grammar, even though they had not been heard.

Results

College students with DLD performed similarly to TD peers in distinguishing grammatical from ungrammatical combinations.

Conclusion

Differences in ratings between grammatical and ungrammatical items in this task suggest that college students with DLD can form grammatical categories from novel input and more broadly use distributional information.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-L-17-0013/2662756/Distributional-Learning-in-College-Students-With
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Infant-Directed Speech Enhances Attention to Speech in Deaf Infants With Cochlear Implants

Purpose

Both theoretical models of infant language acquisition and empirical studies posit important roles for attention to speech in early language development. However, deaf infants with cochlear implants (CIs) show reduced attention to speech as compared with their peers with normal hearing (NH; Horn, Davis, Pisoni, & Miyamoto, 2005; Houston, Pisoni, Kirk, Ying, & Miyamoto, 2003), which may affect their acquisition of spoken language. The main purpose of this study was to determine (a) whether infant-directed speech (IDS) enhances attention to speech in infants with CIs, as compared with adult-directed speech (ADS), and (b) whether the degree to which infants with CIs pay attention to IDS is associated with later language outcomes.

Method

We tested 46 infants—12 prelingually deaf infants who received CIs before 24 months of age and had 12 months of hearing experience (CI group), 22 hearing experience–matched infants with NH (NH-HEM group), and 12 chronological age–matched infants with NH (NH-CAM group)—on their listening preference in 3 randomized blocks: IDS versus silence, ADS versus silence, and IDS versus ADS. We administered the Preschool Language Scale–Fourth Edition (PLS-4; Zimmerman, Steiner, & Pond, 2002) approximately 18 months after implantation to assess receptive and expressive language skills of infants with CIs.

Results

In the IDS versus silence block, all 3 groups looked significantly longer to IDS than to silence. In the ADS versus silence block, both the NH-HEM and NH-CAM groups looked significantly longer to ADS relative to silence; however, the CI group did not show any preference. In the IDS versus ADS block, whereas both the CI and NH-HEM groups preferred IDS over ADS, the NH-CAM group looked equally long to IDS and ADS. IDS preference quotient among infants with CIs in the IDS versus ADS block was associated with PLS-4 Auditory Comprehension and PLS-4 Expressive Communication measures.

Conclusions

Two major findings emerge: (a) IDS enhances attention to speech in deaf infants with CIs; (b) the degree of IDS preference over ADS relates to language development in infants with CIs. These results support a focus on input in developing intervention strategies to mitigate the effects of hearing loss on language development in infants with hearing loss.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-H-17-0149/2662754/InfantDirected-Speech-Enhances-Attention-to-Speech
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Auditory Attentional Set-Shifting and Inhibition in Children Who Stutter

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether previously reported parental questionnaire-based differences in attentional shifting and inhibitory control (AS and IC; Eggers, De Nil, & Van den Bergh, 2010) would be supported by direct measurement of AS and IC using a computer task.

Method

Participants were 16 Finnish children who stutter (CWS; mean age = 7.06 years) and 16 Finnish children who do not stutter (mean age = 7.05 years). Participants were matched on age (±8 months) and gender. AS and IC were assessed by the auditory set-shifting task of the Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasks (De Sonneville, 2009).

Results

No group differences were found for the speed of auditory AS or IC. However, CWS, as a group, scored significantly lower on the accuracy (error percentage) of auditory AS. In addition, CWS, compared with the children who do not stutter, showed a higher increase in error percentages under AS and IC conditions.

Conclusions

The findings on error percentages partly corroborate earlier questionnaire-based findings showing difficulties in CWS on AS and IC. Moreover, it also seems to imply that CWS are less able to slow down their responses to achieve higher accuracy rates.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-S-16-0096/2662758/Auditory-Attentional-SetShifting-and-Inhibition-in
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With Some Help From Others' Hands: Iconic Gesture Helps Semantic Learning in Children With Specific Language Impairment

Purpose

Semantic learning under 2 co-speech gesture conditions was investigated in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typically developing (TD) children. Learning was analyzed between conditions.

Method

Twenty children with SLI (aged 4 years), 20 TD children matched for age, and 20 TD children matched for language scores were taught rare nouns and verbs. Children heard the target words while seeing either iconic gestures illustrating a property of the referent or a control gesture focusing children's attention on the word. Following training, children were asked to define the words' meaning. Responses were coded for semantic information provided on each word.

Results

Performance of the SLI and age-matched groups proved superior to that of the language-matched group. Overall, children defined more words taught with iconic gestures than words taught with attention-getting gestures. However, only children with SLI, but not TD children, provided more semantic information on each word taught with iconic gestures. Performance did not differ in terms of word class.

Conclusions

Results suggest that iconic co-speech gestures help both children with and without SLI learn new words but, in particular, assist children with SLI understand and reflect the words' meaning.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-L-17-0004/2661762/With-Some-Help-From-Others-Hands-Iconic-Gesture
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The Effect of Visual Contrast on Human Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex Adaptation

Abstract

The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) is the main retinal image stabilising mechanism during rapid head movement. When the VOR does not stabilise the world or target image on the retina, retinal image slip occurs generating an error signal that drives the VOR response to increase or decrease until image slip is minimised, i.e. VOR adaptation occurs. Visual target contrast affects the human smooth pursuit and optokinetic reflex responses. We sought to determine if contrast also affected VOR adaptation. We tested 12 normal subjects, each over 16 separate sessions. For sessions 1–14, the ambient light level (lx) during adaptation training was as follows: dark, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1, 2, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 and 255 lx (light level for a typical room). For sessions 15–16, the laser target power (related to brightness) was halved with ambient light at 0 and 0.1 lx. The adaptation training lasted 15 min and consisted of left/right active head impulses. The VOR gain was challenged to increment, starting at unity, by 0.1 every 90 s for rotations to the designated adapting side and fixed at unity towards the non-adapting side. We measured active and passive VOR gains before and after adaptation training. We found that for both the active and passive VOR, there was a significant increase in gain only towards the adapting side due to training at contrast level 1.5 k and above (2 lx and below). At contrast level 261 and below (16 lx and above), adaptation training resulted in no difference between adapting and non-adapting side gains. Our modelling suggests that a contrast threshold of ~ 1000, which is 60 times higher than that provided by typical room lighting, must be surpassed for robust active and passive VOR adaptation. Our findings suggest contrast is an important factor for adaptation, which has implication for rehabilitation programs.

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Clinical Features of Psychogenic Voice Disorder and the Efficiency of Voice Therapy and Psychological Evaluation

Publication date: Available online 6 November 2017
Source:Journal of Voice
Author(s): Zahide Çiler Tezcaner, Muhammed Fatih Gökmen, Sibel Yıldırım, Gürsel Dursun
ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to define the clinical features of psychogenic voice disorder (PVD) and explore the treatment efficiency of voice therapy and psychological evaluation.MethodFifty-eight patients who received treatment following the PVD diagnosis and had no organic or other functional voice disorders were assessed retrospectively based on laryngoscopic examinations and subjective and objective assessments. Epidemiological characteristics, accompanying organic and psychological disorders, preferred methods of treatment, and previous treatment outcomes were examined for each patient. A comparison was made based on voice disorders and responses to treatment between patients who received psychotherapy and patients who did not.ResultsParticipants in this study comprised 58 patients, 10 male and 48 female. Voice therapy was applied in all patients, 54 (93.1%) of whom had improvement in their voice. Although all patients were advised to undergo psychological assessment, only 60.3% (35/58) of them underwent psychological assessment. No statistically significant difference was found between patients who did receive psychological support concerning their treatment responses and patients who did not. Relapse occurred in 14.7% (5/34) of the patients who applied for psychological assessment and in 50% (10/20) of those who did not. There was a statistically significant difference in relapse rates, which was higher among patients who did not receive psychological support (P < 0.005).ConclusionVoice therapy is an efficient treatment method for PVD. However, in the long-term follow-up, relapse of the disease is observed to be higher among patients who failed to follow up on the recommendation for psychological assessment.



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Reply to: “Reliability and Validity of Speech Evaluation in Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia; Common Mistake and Statistical Issues” by Saori Yanagida

Publication date: Available online 6 November 2017
Source:Journal of Voice
Author(s): Saori Yanagida




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Restructuring the Vocal Fatigue Index Using Mokken Scaling: Insights Into the Complex Nature of Vocal Fatigue

Publication date: Available online 6 November 2017
Source:Journal of Voice
Author(s): Chayadevie Nanjundeswaran, Miriam van Mersbergen, Kelli Morgan
Vocal fatigue is a frequent symptom and a debilitating condition affecting individuals with voice disorders. In spite of the various attempts to define and quantify vocal fatigue, this complex trait has not been well understood. Mokken scaling was performed on the Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI) to develop a hierarchical understanding of the latent trait of vocal fatigue. Two hundred nine patients with voice disorders completed the VFI and provided the item responses necessary to complete the Mokken scaling. Results revealed a moderately strong Mokken scale and that the VFI presents a hierarchical structure to the underlying trait of vocal fatigue. Mokken scaling contributes to the ongoing investigation to the underlying construct of vocal fatigue and may provide additional information about specific complaints within the population of those with voice disorders.



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Observer Agreement for Measurements in Videolaryngostroboscopy

Publication date: Available online 6 November 2017
Source:Journal of Voice
Author(s): Jan Wouter Brunings, Sophie Vanbelle, Annemarie Akkermans, Nienke M.M. Heemskerk, Bernd Kremer, Robert J. Stokroos, Laura W.J. Baijens
ObjectiveThis study evaluated the levels of intraobserver and interobserver agreement for measurements of visuoperceptual variables in videolaryngostroboscopic examinations and compared the observers' behavior during independent versus consensus panel rating.Study DesignThis is a retrospective study.SettingThis study was conducted in a single-center tertiary care facility.ParticipantsSixty-four patients with dysphonia of heterogeneous etiology were included.ExposureAll subjects underwent a standardized videolaryngostroboscopic examination.Main Outcome and MeasuresTwo experienced and trained observers scored exactly the same examinations, first independently and then on a consensus panel. Specific visuoperceptual variables and the clinical diagnosis (as recommended by the Committee on Phoniatrics and the Phonosurgery Committee of the European Laryngological Society and advised by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) were scored. Descriptive and kappa statistics were used.ResultsIn general, intraobserver agreement was better than agreement between observers for measurements of several variables. The intrapanel observer agreement levels were slightly higher than the intraobserver agreement levels on the independent rating task. When rating on the consensus panel, the observers deviated considerably from the scores they had previously given on the independent rating task.Conclusion and RelevanceObserver agreement in videolaryngostroboscopic assessment has important implications not only for the diagnosis and treatment of dysphonic patients but also for the interpretation of the results of scientific studies using videolaryngostroboscopic outcome parameters. The identification of factors that can influence the levels of observer agreement can provide a better understanding of the rating process and its limitations. The results of this study suggest that future research could achieve better agreement levels by rating the visuoperceptual variables in a panel setting.



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The Effects of Musician's Earplugs on Acoustic and Perceptual Measures of Choral and Solo Sound

Publication date: Available online 6 November 2017
Source:Journal of Voice
Author(s): Sheri L. Cook-Cunningham
ObjectivesThe purpose of this investigation was to assess the effects of earplugs on acoustical and perceptual measures of choral and solo sound.MethodsThe researcher tested the effects of musician's earplugs on choral and solo timbre and singer perceptions. Members of an intact women's university choir recorded Dona Nobis Pacem under two conditions, no earplugs and with earplugs over time. Approximately half of the choir members also participated as soloists, recording Over the Rainbow under the same two conditions. All recordings were analyzed using long-term average spectra (LTAS). After participating in each recording session, the participants responded to a questionnaire about ability to hear self (solo and choral context) and ability to hear others (choral context) under two conditions, no earplugs and with earplugs.ResultsLTAS results revealed that wearing earplugs in a choral setting caused decreased mean signal energy (>1 dB), resulting in less resonant singing. LTAS results also indicated that wearing earplugs in a solo setting had less effect on mean signal energy, resulting in a mean difference <1 dB in 3 of the 4 weeks studied. Singer questionnaire responses showed that wearing earplugs had a greater effect on participants' ability to hear others than it did on their ability to hear themselves.ConclusionsIn the context of this study, it seems that wearing earplugs had more effect on timbre and the ability to receive sufficient auditory feedback in a choral setting than it did in a solo setting. Findings from this study could provide important information when structuring hearing conservation strategies.



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Mobile assessment of the lower limb kinematics in healthy persons and in persons with degenerative knee disorders: A systematic review

Publication date: January 2018
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 59
Author(s): R. van der Straaten, L. De Baets, I. Jonkers, A. Timmermans
Inertial sensor systems are increasingly used in the assessment of persons with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and total knee replacement (TKR). This systematic review aims to (1) investigate the application of inertial sensor systems and kinematics derived from these systems, and (2) assess if current assessment protocols consist of tasks which are, according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) for KOA, relevant for persons with KOA and TKR. A search was conducted in six electronic databases (ACM, CINAHL, EMBASE, IEEE, PubMed, Web of Science) to include papers assessing the knee and one or more adjacent joints by means of inertial sensors in healthy persons or persons with KOA or TKR. Two reviewers checked the methodological quality. Twenty-three papers were included: 18 in healthy persons and five in persons with KOA or TKR. In healthy persons, 11 tasks were related to metrics of the ICF-function and ICF-activity level. In persons with KOA, only walking was assessed. Apart from walking, four additional tasks were related to the ICF-function and ICF-activity level in persons with TKR. In healthy persons, joints located proximally and distally to the knee were assessed, while in persons with KOA and TKR, only the knee and ankle were assessed. This is a shortcoming since hip and trunk motion potentially contain clinically relevant information, in terms of identifying (mal)adaptive compensatory movement strategies. Additionally, physically more demanding tasks should be evaluated as these might be superior in detecting compensatory movement strategies. Former considerations warrant attention in future research.



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Mobile assessment of the lower limb kinematics in healthy persons and in persons with degenerative knee disorders: A systematic review

Publication date: January 2018
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 59
Author(s): R. van der Straaten, L. De Baets, I. Jonkers, A. Timmermans
Inertial sensor systems are increasingly used in the assessment of persons with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and total knee replacement (TKR). This systematic review aims to (1) investigate the application of inertial sensor systems and kinematics derived from these systems, and (2) assess if current assessment protocols consist of tasks which are, according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) for KOA, relevant for persons with KOA and TKR. A search was conducted in six electronic databases (ACM, CINAHL, EMBASE, IEEE, PubMed, Web of Science) to include papers assessing the knee and one or more adjacent joints by means of inertial sensors in healthy persons or persons with KOA or TKR. Two reviewers checked the methodological quality. Twenty-three papers were included: 18 in healthy persons and five in persons with KOA or TKR. In healthy persons, 11 tasks were related to metrics of the ICF-function and ICF-activity level. In persons with KOA, only walking was assessed. Apart from walking, four additional tasks were related to the ICF-function and ICF-activity level in persons with TKR. In healthy persons, joints located proximally and distally to the knee were assessed, while in persons with KOA and TKR, only the knee and ankle were assessed. This is a shortcoming since hip and trunk motion potentially contain clinically relevant information, in terms of identifying (mal)adaptive compensatory movement strategies. Additionally, physically more demanding tasks should be evaluated as these might be superior in detecting compensatory movement strategies. Former considerations warrant attention in future research.



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Mobile assessment of the lower limb kinematics in healthy persons and in persons with degenerative knee disorders: A systematic review

Publication date: January 2018
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 59
Author(s): R. van der Straaten, L. De Baets, I. Jonkers, A. Timmermans
Inertial sensor systems are increasingly used in the assessment of persons with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and total knee replacement (TKR). This systematic review aims to (1) investigate the application of inertial sensor systems and kinematics derived from these systems, and (2) assess if current assessment protocols consist of tasks which are, according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) for KOA, relevant for persons with KOA and TKR. A search was conducted in six electronic databases (ACM, CINAHL, EMBASE, IEEE, PubMed, Web of Science) to include papers assessing the knee and one or more adjacent joints by means of inertial sensors in healthy persons or persons with KOA or TKR. Two reviewers checked the methodological quality. Twenty-three papers were included: 18 in healthy persons and five in persons with KOA or TKR. In healthy persons, 11 tasks were related to metrics of the ICF-function and ICF-activity level. In persons with KOA, only walking was assessed. Apart from walking, four additional tasks were related to the ICF-function and ICF-activity level in persons with TKR. In healthy persons, joints located proximally and distally to the knee were assessed, while in persons with KOA and TKR, only the knee and ankle were assessed. This is a shortcoming since hip and trunk motion potentially contain clinically relevant information, in terms of identifying (mal)adaptive compensatory movement strategies. Additionally, physically more demanding tasks should be evaluated as these might be superior in detecting compensatory movement strategies. Former considerations warrant attention in future research.



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