Grammar Clinical Marker Yields Substantial Heritability for Language Impairments in 16-Year-Old Twins

Purpose

There is a need for well-defined language phenotypes suitable for adolescents in twin studies and other large-scale research projects. Rice, Hoffman, and Wexler (2009) have developed a grammatical judgment measure as a clinical marker of language impairment, which has an extended developmental range to adolescence.

Method

We conducted the first twin analysis, along with associated phenotypic analyses of validity, of an abridged, 20-item version of this grammatical judgment measure (GJ-20), based on telephone administration using prerecorded stimuli to 405 pairs of 16-year-olds (148 monozygotic and 257 dizygotic) drawn from the Twins Early Development Study (Haworth, Davis, & Plomin, 2012).

Results

The distribution of scores is markedly skewed negatively, as expected for a potential clinical marker. Low performance on GJ-20 is associated with lower maternal education, reported learning disability (age 7 years), and low scores on language tests administered via the Twins Early Development Study (age 16 years) as well as General Certificate of Secondary Education English and Math examination performance (age 16 years). Liability threshold estimates for the genetic influence on low performance on GJ-20 are substantial, ranging from 36% with a lowest 10% criterion to 74% for a lowest 5% criterion.

Conclusions

The heritability of GJ-20 scores, especially at more extreme cutoffs, along with the score distribution and association with other indicators of language impairments, provides additional evidence for the potential value of this measure as a clinical marker of specific language impairment.

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Accuracy of a Screening Tool for Early Identification of Language Impairment

Purpose

A screening tool called the VTO Language Screening Instrument (VTO-LSI) was developed to enable more uniform and earlier detection of language impairment. This report, consisting of 2 retrospective studies, focuses on the effects of using the VTO-LSI compared to regular detection procedures.

Method

Study 1 retrospectively compared VTO-LSI with regular detection procedures. Outcome measure was the detection rate of language impairment among 24-month-old children. Data were retrieved from medical records of children attending a youth health care center. Study 2 retrospectively compared the effects of VTO-LSI and regular detection procedures on the age at referral for diagnostic investigations and the influence of sex. Data were retrieved from medical records from the speech and hearing center and analyzed with multivariate analysis of variance.

Results

With the VTO-LSI, significantly more cases with language impairment were identified compared with the regular detection procedure (2.4% vs. 0.4%). In regions where the VTO-LSI was used, girls were almost 2 years younger, and boys were 1 year younger when referred to diagnostic investigations than in regions with regular detection procedures.

Conclusion

The VTO-LSI was more effective than regular detection procedures.

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Do Transmasculine Speakers Present With Gender-Related Voice Problems? Insights From a Participant-Centered Mixed-Methods Study

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are indications of gender-related voice problems in our transmasculine participants and to analyze how discrepancies between participant self-evaluations and researcher-led examinations can be best negotiated to ensure a participant-centered interpretation.

Method

We conducted a participant-centered mixed-methods study combining qualitative content analyses of semistructured interviews, acoustical voice analyses, and an examination of gender attributions to voice. Fourteen German-speaking transmasculine people, 14 cisfemale control persons, and 7 cismale control persons participated. The data were examined for indications of gender-related voice problems pertaining to vocal gender presentation and gender attribution to voice received from others.

Results

Eleven participants (79%) presented with indications of gender-related voice problems. Problems included dissatisfaction with gender-related voice features, difficulties with control of vocal gender presentation, and mismatch between desired gender attribution and gender attributions received from others. Discrepancies between participant self-evaluations and researcher-led examinations were observed in a number of cases.

Conclusion

Transmasculine speakers may experience a range of gender-related voice problems. Research and clinical practice with transmasculine people need to be adapted to better match the diversity of the population and the complexity of the processes that shape the production of speaker vocal gender in interaction.

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The Relationship Between Motor Delays and Language Development in Very Low Birthweight Premature Children at 18 Months Corrected Age

Purpose

The aim of this study is to determine if there is a specific association between motor delays and receptive and expressive language function, respectively, in prematurely born children.

Method

Retrospective data review: 126 premature children ≤ 1,250-g birthweight from English-speaking families were evaluated on motor development (normal, mild delay, and moderate–severe delay) and the cognitive and language scales of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development–Third Edition (Bayley, 2006) at 18 months corrected age. Cognitive scores were categorized as normal, suspect, and abnormal. Gender, demographic, and perinatal variables were recorded and analyzed with respect to motor category.

Results

Lower birthweight, chronic need for oxygen, severe intraventricular hemorrhage, and intestinal infection/inflammation were related to poorer motor development. On receptive language, the normal motor group attained significantly higher scores than the moderate–severe motor group but did not differ significantly from the mild delay motor group. On expressive language, the normal motor group had significantly higher scores than both the mild and moderate–severe groups. Girls performed better than boys on receptive and expressive language, but there was no significant interaction between gender and motor category on any of the Bayley scores. Cognitive, but not motor, category significantly contributed to variance of receptive language scores; cognitive and motor category each independently contributed to the variance in expressive language.

Conclusion

Findings suggest that motor control areas of the brain may be implicated in expressive language development of premature children. Further research is needed to determine the underlying factors for the association between motor and expressive language function.

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Collinearity and Sample Coverage Issues in the Objective Measurement of Vocal Quality: The Case of Roughness and Breathiness

Purpose

The aim of the study was to address the reported inconsistencies in the relationship between objective acoustic measures and perceptual ratings of vocal quality.

Method

This tutorial moves away from the more widely examined problems related to obtaining the perceptual ratings and the acoustic measures and centers in less scrutinized issues regarding the procedure to establish the correspondence. Expressions for the most common measure of association between perceptual and acoustic measures (Pearson's r) are derived using a multiple linear regression model. The particular case where the multiple linear regression involves only roughness and breathiness is discussed to illustrate the issues.

Results

Most problems reported regarding inconsistent findings in the relationship between given acoustic measures and particular perceptual ratings could be linked to sample properties not directly related to the actual relationship. The influential sample properties are the collinearity between the regressors in the multiple linear regression and their relative variances. Recommendations on how to rule out this possible cause of inconsistency are given, varying in scope from data collection, reporting, manipulation, and results interpretation.

Conclusions

The problems described can be extended to more general cases than the exemplified roughness and breathiness sample's coverage. Ruling out this possible cause of inconsistency would increase the validity of the results reported.

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Erratum

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The Roles of Vowel Fronting, Lengthening, and Listener Variables in the Perception of Vocal Femininity

Purpose

The goal of this study was to test whether fronting and lengthening of lax vowels influence the perception of femininity in listeners whose dialect is characterized as already having relatively fronted and long lax vowels in male and female speech.

Method

Sixteen English words containing the /ɪ ɛ ʊ ɑ/ vowels were produced by a male speaker with 2 degrees of vowel fronting. Then, the vowel duration was manipulated in 3 steps. Thirty-nine listeners from the Southern United States judged how feminine each word sounded to them on an interval scale.

Results

The results of mixed-effects modeling showed that the words with more fronted and longer variants of the vowels were perceived as more feminine than the same words with less fronted and shorter variants of the vowels. These effects, however, were modulated by the vowel type, listener's area of upbringing, and gender.

Conclusions

Fronting (except for /ʊ/) and lengthening of lax vowels make words sound more feminine for Southern listeners, which has implications for clients who wish to modify the perception of femininity invoked by their speech. The relative strength of the gender and regional associations of these vowel characteristics should be further examined across dialects.

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Predicting Response to Treatment in a Tier 2 Supplemental Vocabulary Intervention

Purpose

To effectively implement a response to intervention approach, there is a need for timely and specific information about student learning in response to treatment to ensure that treatment decisions are appropriate. This exploratory study examined responsivity to a supplemental, Tier 2 vocabulary intervention delivered to preschool children with limited language abilities.

Method

A secondary analysis of a cluster-randomized trial of a supplemental vocabulary intervention was conducted. Responsivity (e.g., adequate learning) to the intervention was examined, and learning in the 1st few weeks of intervention was evaluated as a possible predictor of response to intervention.

Results

Using a criterion of learning of 20% of target vocabulary, nearly one third of participants were identified as poor responders. A 1st unit benchmark was identified that maximized the sensitivity to identification of children who were likely to respond to the intervention.

Conclusions

Even for generally effective interventions, there is likely to be a substantial proportion of children who are not responsive. Learning in the 1st few weeks of intervention may be a useful indicator of appropriate response to treatment and could inform instructional decisions.

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Gated Word Recognition by Postlingually Deafened Adults With Cochlear Implants: Influence of Semantic Context

Purpose

The main goal of this study was to investigate the minimum amount of sensory information required to recognize spoken words (isolation points [IPs]) in listeners with cochlear implants (CIs) and investigate facilitative effects of semantic contexts on the IPs.

Method

Listeners with CIs as well as those with normal hearing (NH) participated in the study. In Experiment 1, the CI users listened to unprocessed (full-spectrum) stimuli and individuals with NH listened to full-spectrum or vocoder processed speech. IPs were determined for both groups who listened to gated consonant-nucleus-consonant words that were selected based on lexical properties. In Experiment 2, the role of semantic context on IPs was evaluated. Target stimuli were chosen from the Revised Speech Perception in Noise corpus based on the lexical properties of the final words.

Results

The results indicated that spectrotemporal degradations impacted IPs for gated words adversely, and CI users as well as participants with NH listening to vocoded speech had longer IPs than participants with NH who listened to full-spectrum speech. In addition, there was a clear disadvantage due to lack of semantic context in all groups regardless of the spectral composition of the target speech (full spectrum or vocoded). Finally, we showed that CI users (and users with NH with vocoded speech) can overcome such word processing difficulties with the help of semantic context and perform as well as listeners with NH.

Conclusion

Word recognition occurs even before the entire word is heard because listeners with NH associate an acoustic input with its mental representation to understand speech. The results of this study provide insight into the role of spectral degradation on the processing of spoken words in isolation and the potential benefits of semantic context. These results may also explain why CI users rely substantially on semantic context.

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Erratum

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Talker Differences in Clear and Conversational Speech: Perceived Sentence Clarity for Young Adults With Normal Hearing and Older Adults With Hearing Loss

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine talker differences for subjectively rated speech clarity in clear versus conversational speech, to determine whether ratings differ for young adults with normal hearing (YNH listeners) and older adults with hearing impairment (OHI listeners), and to explore effects of certain talker characteristics (e.g., gender) on perceived clarity. Relationships among clarity ratings and other speech perceptual and acoustic measures were also explored.

Method

Twenty-one YNH and 15 OHI listeners rated clear and conversational sentences produced by 41 talkers on a scale of 1 (lowest possible clarity) to 7 (highest possible clarity).

Results

While clarity ratings varied significantly among talkers, listeners rated clear speech significantly clearer than conversational speech for all but 1 talker. OHI and YNH listeners gave similar ratings for conversational speech, but ratings for clear speech were significantly higher for OHI listeners. Talker gender effects differed for YNH and OHI listeners. Ratings of clear speech varied among subgroups of talkers with different amounts of experience talking to people with hearing loss.

Conclusions

Perceived clarity varies widely among talkers, but nearly all produce clear speech that sounds significantly clearer than their conversational speech. Few differences were seen between OHI and YNH listeners except the effect of talker gender.

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Do Infants Born Very Premature and Who Have Very Low Birth Weight Catch Up With Their Full Term Peers in Their Language Abilities by Early School Age?

Purpose

This study examined the extent to which children born preterm (< 37 weeks) and/or who have low birth weight (< 2,500 g) catch up with their full term peers in terms of their language abilities at early school age (≥ 5 to < 9 years).

Method

A systematic literature search identified empirical studies that fit the inclusion criteria. Data from the tests/questionnaires used for meta-analysis spanned the following language categories: total language score, expressive language, receptive language, pragmatics, phonological awareness, and grammar. The means (standard deviations) were extracted from the studies and were converted to mean difference and 95% confidence intervals to test for overall effect.

Results

Sixteen studies met the inclusionary criteria, for a total of 2,739 participants, of which 1,224 were born full term and 1,515 were born preterm. It is important to note that the preterm cohort represented very preterm infants who have a very low birth weight. The meta-analysis found that preterm infants scored significantly worse on total language (p < .001), receptive language (p < .001), expressive language (p < .001), phonological awareness (p < .001), and grammar (p = .03) than their full term peers. However, preterm infants did not score significantly worse than their peers on their pragmatics (p = .19).

Conclusions

Children born VPT and who have VLBW perform worse than their peers on their total language, receptive language, expressive language, phonological awareness, and grammar abilities by early school age. This information is important for speech-language pathologists to consider as children born prematurely reach school age.

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Comment on “Sensitivity of the Speech Intelligibility Index to the Assumed Dynamic Range,” by Jin et al. (2017)

Purpose

This letter to the editor is in response to a research note by Jin, Kates, and Arehart (2017), “Sensitivity of the Speech Intelligibility Index to the Assumed Dynamic Range,” published in June 2017 by the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research.

Conclusion

The authors argue that the approach and line of reasoning in the Jin et al. (2017) research note suggest new findings but do not lead to essentially new insights.

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Longitudinal Study of Language and Speech of Twins at 4 and 6 Years: Twinning Effects Decrease, Zygosity Effects Disappear, and Heritability Increases

Purpose

This study investigates the heritability of language, speech, and nonverbal cognitive development of twins at 4 and 6 years of age. Possible confounding effects of twinning and zygosity, evident at 2 years, were investigated among other possible predictors of outcomes.

Method

The population-based twin sample included 627 twin pairs and 1 twin without a co-twin (197 monozygotic and 431 dizygotic), 610 boys and 645 girls, 1,255 children in total. Nine phenotypes from the same comprehensive direct behavioral assessment protocol were investigated at 4 and 6 years of age. Twinning effects were estimated for each phenotype at each age using general linear mixed models using maximum likelihood.

Results

Twinning effects decreased from 4 to 6 years; zygosity effects disappeared by 6 years. Heritability increased from 4 to 6 years across all 9 phenotypes, and the heritability estimates were higher than reported previously, in the range of .44–.92 at 6 years. The highest estimate, .92, was for the clinical grammar marker.

Conclusions

Across multiple dimensions of speech, language, and nonverbal cognition, heritability estimates are robust. A finiteness marker of grammar shows the highest inherited influences in this early period of children's language acquisition.

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Author's Rebuttal to Smits et al. (2018), “Comment on ‘Sensitivity of the Speech Intelligibility Index to the Assumed Dynamic Range’ by Jin et al. (2017)”

Purpose

The purpose of this letter is to refute the comments written by Smits, Goverts, and Versfeld (2018).

Method

Refutations to each issue including the fixed mathematical relationship between dynamic range (DR) and a fitting constant (Q value), deviating results for small DRs, and determination of Speech Intelligibility Index (SII) model parameters are described.

Results

Although Smits et al. (2018) correctly identified several issues, those comments do not diminish the results of the original article (Jin, Kates, & Arehart, 2017) in providing new insights for the SII.

Conclusions

Jin et al. (2017) clearly provided the impact of languages and DR on the SII, which was the main result of the study.

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Masthead

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Grammar Clinical Marker Yields Substantial Heritability for Language Impairments in 16-Year-Old Twins

Purpose

There is a need for well-defined language phenotypes suitable for adolescents in twin studies and other large-scale research projects. Rice, Hoffman, and Wexler (2009) have developed a grammatical judgment measure as a clinical marker of language impairment, which has an extended developmental range to adolescence.

Method

We conducted the first twin analysis, along with associated phenotypic analyses of validity, of an abridged, 20-item version of this grammatical judgment measure (GJ-20), based on telephone administration using prerecorded stimuli to 405 pairs of 16-year-olds (148 monozygotic and 257 dizygotic) drawn from the Twins Early Development Study (Haworth, Davis, & Plomin, 2012).

Results

The distribution of scores is markedly skewed negatively, as expected for a potential clinical marker. Low performance on GJ-20 is associated with lower maternal education, reported learning disability (age 7 years), and low scores on language tests administered via the Twins Early Development Study (age 16 years) as well as General Certificate of Secondary Education English and Math examination performance (age 16 years). Liability threshold estimates for the genetic influence on low performance on GJ-20 are substantial, ranging from 36% with a lowest 10% criterion to 74% for a lowest 5% criterion.

Conclusions

The heritability of GJ-20 scores, especially at more extreme cutoffs, along with the score distribution and association with other indicators of language impairments, provides additional evidence for the potential value of this measure as a clinical marker of specific language impairment.

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Accuracy of a Screening Tool for Early Identification of Language Impairment

Purpose

A screening tool called the VTO Language Screening Instrument (VTO-LSI) was developed to enable more uniform and earlier detection of language impairment. This report, consisting of 2 retrospective studies, focuses on the effects of using the VTO-LSI compared to regular detection procedures.

Method

Study 1 retrospectively compared VTO-LSI with regular detection procedures. Outcome measure was the detection rate of language impairment among 24-month-old children. Data were retrieved from medical records of children attending a youth health care center. Study 2 retrospectively compared the effects of VTO-LSI and regular detection procedures on the age at referral for diagnostic investigations and the influence of sex. Data were retrieved from medical records from the speech and hearing center and analyzed with multivariate analysis of variance.

Results

With the VTO-LSI, significantly more cases with language impairment were identified compared with the regular detection procedure (2.4% vs. 0.4%). In regions where the VTO-LSI was used, girls were almost 2 years younger, and boys were 1 year younger when referred to diagnostic investigations than in regions with regular detection procedures.

Conclusion

The VTO-LSI was more effective than regular detection procedures.

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Do Transmasculine Speakers Present With Gender-Related Voice Problems? Insights From a Participant-Centered Mixed-Methods Study

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are indications of gender-related voice problems in our transmasculine participants and to analyze how discrepancies between participant self-evaluations and researcher-led examinations can be best negotiated to ensure a participant-centered interpretation.

Method

We conducted a participant-centered mixed-methods study combining qualitative content analyses of semistructured interviews, acoustical voice analyses, and an examination of gender attributions to voice. Fourteen German-speaking transmasculine people, 14 cisfemale control persons, and 7 cismale control persons participated. The data were examined for indications of gender-related voice problems pertaining to vocal gender presentation and gender attribution to voice received from others.

Results

Eleven participants (79%) presented with indications of gender-related voice problems. Problems included dissatisfaction with gender-related voice features, difficulties with control of vocal gender presentation, and mismatch between desired gender attribution and gender attributions received from others. Discrepancies between participant self-evaluations and researcher-led examinations were observed in a number of cases.

Conclusion

Transmasculine speakers may experience a range of gender-related voice problems. Research and clinical practice with transmasculine people need to be adapted to better match the diversity of the population and the complexity of the processes that shape the production of speaker vocal gender in interaction.

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The Relationship Between Motor Delays and Language Development in Very Low Birthweight Premature Children at 18 Months Corrected Age

Purpose

The aim of this study is to determine if there is a specific association between motor delays and receptive and expressive language function, respectively, in prematurely born children.

Method

Retrospective data review: 126 premature children ≤ 1,250-g birthweight from English-speaking families were evaluated on motor development (normal, mild delay, and moderate–severe delay) and the cognitive and language scales of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development–Third Edition (Bayley, 2006) at 18 months corrected age. Cognitive scores were categorized as normal, suspect, and abnormal. Gender, demographic, and perinatal variables were recorded and analyzed with respect to motor category.

Results

Lower birthweight, chronic need for oxygen, severe intraventricular hemorrhage, and intestinal infection/inflammation were related to poorer motor development. On receptive language, the normal motor group attained significantly higher scores than the moderate–severe motor group but did not differ significantly from the mild delay motor group. On expressive language, the normal motor group had significantly higher scores than both the mild and moderate–severe groups. Girls performed better than boys on receptive and expressive language, but there was no significant interaction between gender and motor category on any of the Bayley scores. Cognitive, but not motor, category significantly contributed to variance of receptive language scores; cognitive and motor category each independently contributed to the variance in expressive language.

Conclusion

Findings suggest that motor control areas of the brain may be implicated in expressive language development of premature children. Further research is needed to determine the underlying factors for the association between motor and expressive language function.

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Collinearity and Sample Coverage Issues in the Objective Measurement of Vocal Quality: The Case of Roughness and Breathiness

Purpose

The aim of the study was to address the reported inconsistencies in the relationship between objective acoustic measures and perceptual ratings of vocal quality.

Method

This tutorial moves away from the more widely examined problems related to obtaining the perceptual ratings and the acoustic measures and centers in less scrutinized issues regarding the procedure to establish the correspondence. Expressions for the most common measure of association between perceptual and acoustic measures (Pearson's r) are derived using a multiple linear regression model. The particular case where the multiple linear regression involves only roughness and breathiness is discussed to illustrate the issues.

Results

Most problems reported regarding inconsistent findings in the relationship between given acoustic measures and particular perceptual ratings could be linked to sample properties not directly related to the actual relationship. The influential sample properties are the collinearity between the regressors in the multiple linear regression and their relative variances. Recommendations on how to rule out this possible cause of inconsistency are given, varying in scope from data collection, reporting, manipulation, and results interpretation.

Conclusions

The problems described can be extended to more general cases than the exemplified roughness and breathiness sample's coverage. Ruling out this possible cause of inconsistency would increase the validity of the results reported.

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Erratum

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The Roles of Vowel Fronting, Lengthening, and Listener Variables in the Perception of Vocal Femininity

Purpose

The goal of this study was to test whether fronting and lengthening of lax vowels influence the perception of femininity in listeners whose dialect is characterized as already having relatively fronted and long lax vowels in male and female speech.

Method

Sixteen English words containing the /ɪ ɛ ʊ ɑ/ vowels were produced by a male speaker with 2 degrees of vowel fronting. Then, the vowel duration was manipulated in 3 steps. Thirty-nine listeners from the Southern United States judged how feminine each word sounded to them on an interval scale.

Results

The results of mixed-effects modeling showed that the words with more fronted and longer variants of the vowels were perceived as more feminine than the same words with less fronted and shorter variants of the vowels. These effects, however, were modulated by the vowel type, listener's area of upbringing, and gender.

Conclusions

Fronting (except for /ʊ/) and lengthening of lax vowels make words sound more feminine for Southern listeners, which has implications for clients who wish to modify the perception of femininity invoked by their speech. The relative strength of the gender and regional associations of these vowel characteristics should be further examined across dialects.

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Predicting Response to Treatment in a Tier 2 Supplemental Vocabulary Intervention

Purpose

To effectively implement a response to intervention approach, there is a need for timely and specific information about student learning in response to treatment to ensure that treatment decisions are appropriate. This exploratory study examined responsivity to a supplemental, Tier 2 vocabulary intervention delivered to preschool children with limited language abilities.

Method

A secondary analysis of a cluster-randomized trial of a supplemental vocabulary intervention was conducted. Responsivity (e.g., adequate learning) to the intervention was examined, and learning in the 1st few weeks of intervention was evaluated as a possible predictor of response to intervention.

Results

Using a criterion of learning of 20% of target vocabulary, nearly one third of participants were identified as poor responders. A 1st unit benchmark was identified that maximized the sensitivity to identification of children who were likely to respond to the intervention.

Conclusions

Even for generally effective interventions, there is likely to be a substantial proportion of children who are not responsive. Learning in the 1st few weeks of intervention may be a useful indicator of appropriate response to treatment and could inform instructional decisions.

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Gated Word Recognition by Postlingually Deafened Adults With Cochlear Implants: Influence of Semantic Context

Purpose

The main goal of this study was to investigate the minimum amount of sensory information required to recognize spoken words (isolation points [IPs]) in listeners with cochlear implants (CIs) and investigate facilitative effects of semantic contexts on the IPs.

Method

Listeners with CIs as well as those with normal hearing (NH) participated in the study. In Experiment 1, the CI users listened to unprocessed (full-spectrum) stimuli and individuals with NH listened to full-spectrum or vocoder processed speech. IPs were determined for both groups who listened to gated consonant-nucleus-consonant words that were selected based on lexical properties. In Experiment 2, the role of semantic context on IPs was evaluated. Target stimuli were chosen from the Revised Speech Perception in Noise corpus based on the lexical properties of the final words.

Results

The results indicated that spectrotemporal degradations impacted IPs for gated words adversely, and CI users as well as participants with NH listening to vocoded speech had longer IPs than participants with NH who listened to full-spectrum speech. In addition, there was a clear disadvantage due to lack of semantic context in all groups regardless of the spectral composition of the target speech (full spectrum or vocoded). Finally, we showed that CI users (and users with NH with vocoded speech) can overcome such word processing difficulties with the help of semantic context and perform as well as listeners with NH.

Conclusion

Word recognition occurs even before the entire word is heard because listeners with NH associate an acoustic input with its mental representation to understand speech. The results of this study provide insight into the role of spectral degradation on the processing of spoken words in isolation and the potential benefits of semantic context. These results may also explain why CI users rely substantially on semantic context.

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Erratum

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Talker Differences in Clear and Conversational Speech: Perceived Sentence Clarity for Young Adults With Normal Hearing and Older Adults With Hearing Loss

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine talker differences for subjectively rated speech clarity in clear versus conversational speech, to determine whether ratings differ for young adults with normal hearing (YNH listeners) and older adults with hearing impairment (OHI listeners), and to explore effects of certain talker characteristics (e.g., gender) on perceived clarity. Relationships among clarity ratings and other speech perceptual and acoustic measures were also explored.

Method

Twenty-one YNH and 15 OHI listeners rated clear and conversational sentences produced by 41 talkers on a scale of 1 (lowest possible clarity) to 7 (highest possible clarity).

Results

While clarity ratings varied significantly among talkers, listeners rated clear speech significantly clearer than conversational speech for all but 1 talker. OHI and YNH listeners gave similar ratings for conversational speech, but ratings for clear speech were significantly higher for OHI listeners. Talker gender effects differed for YNH and OHI listeners. Ratings of clear speech varied among subgroups of talkers with different amounts of experience talking to people with hearing loss.

Conclusions

Perceived clarity varies widely among talkers, but nearly all produce clear speech that sounds significantly clearer than their conversational speech. Few differences were seen between OHI and YNH listeners except the effect of talker gender.

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Do Infants Born Very Premature and Who Have Very Low Birth Weight Catch Up With Their Full Term Peers in Their Language Abilities by Early School Age?

Purpose

This study examined the extent to which children born preterm (< 37 weeks) and/or who have low birth weight (< 2,500 g) catch up with their full term peers in terms of their language abilities at early school age (≥ 5 to < 9 years).

Method

A systematic literature search identified empirical studies that fit the inclusion criteria. Data from the tests/questionnaires used for meta-analysis spanned the following language categories: total language score, expressive language, receptive language, pragmatics, phonological awareness, and grammar. The means (standard deviations) were extracted from the studies and were converted to mean difference and 95% confidence intervals to test for overall effect.

Results

Sixteen studies met the inclusionary criteria, for a total of 2,739 participants, of which 1,224 were born full term and 1,515 were born preterm. It is important to note that the preterm cohort represented very preterm infants who have a very low birth weight. The meta-analysis found that preterm infants scored significantly worse on total language (p < .001), receptive language (p < .001), expressive language (p < .001), phonological awareness (p < .001), and grammar (p = .03) than their full term peers. However, preterm infants did not score significantly worse than their peers on their pragmatics (p = .19).

Conclusions

Children born VPT and who have VLBW perform worse than their peers on their total language, receptive language, expressive language, phonological awareness, and grammar abilities by early school age. This information is important for speech-language pathologists to consider as children born prematurely reach school age.

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Comment on “Sensitivity of the Speech Intelligibility Index to the Assumed Dynamic Range,” by Jin et al. (2017)

Purpose

This letter to the editor is in response to a research note by Jin, Kates, and Arehart (2017), “Sensitivity of the Speech Intelligibility Index to the Assumed Dynamic Range,” published in June 2017 by the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research.

Conclusion

The authors argue that the approach and line of reasoning in the Jin et al. (2017) research note suggest new findings but do not lead to essentially new insights.

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Longitudinal Study of Language and Speech of Twins at 4 and 6 Years: Twinning Effects Decrease, Zygosity Effects Disappear, and Heritability Increases

Purpose

This study investigates the heritability of language, speech, and nonverbal cognitive development of twins at 4 and 6 years of age. Possible confounding effects of twinning and zygosity, evident at 2 years, were investigated among other possible predictors of outcomes.

Method

The population-based twin sample included 627 twin pairs and 1 twin without a co-twin (197 monozygotic and 431 dizygotic), 610 boys and 645 girls, 1,255 children in total. Nine phenotypes from the same comprehensive direct behavioral assessment protocol were investigated at 4 and 6 years of age. Twinning effects were estimated for each phenotype at each age using general linear mixed models using maximum likelihood.

Results

Twinning effects decreased from 4 to 6 years; zygosity effects disappeared by 6 years. Heritability increased from 4 to 6 years across all 9 phenotypes, and the heritability estimates were higher than reported previously, in the range of .44–.92 at 6 years. The highest estimate, .92, was for the clinical grammar marker.

Conclusions

Across multiple dimensions of speech, language, and nonverbal cognition, heritability estimates are robust. A finiteness marker of grammar shows the highest inherited influences in this early period of children's language acquisition.

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Author's Rebuttal to Smits et al. (2018), “Comment on ‘Sensitivity of the Speech Intelligibility Index to the Assumed Dynamic Range’ by Jin et al. (2017)”

Purpose

The purpose of this letter is to refute the comments written by Smits, Goverts, and Versfeld (2018).

Method

Refutations to each issue including the fixed mathematical relationship between dynamic range (DR) and a fitting constant (Q value), deviating results for small DRs, and determination of Speech Intelligibility Index (SII) model parameters are described.

Results

Although Smits et al. (2018) correctly identified several issues, those comments do not diminish the results of the original article (Jin, Kates, & Arehart, 2017) in providing new insights for the SII.

Conclusions

Jin et al. (2017) clearly provided the impact of languages and DR on the SII, which was the main result of the study.

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Masthead

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Effects of Bilateral Hearing Aid Use on Balance in Experienced Adult Hearing Aid Users

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the balance of experienced adult hearing aid users with and without their hearing aids via computerized posturography.

Method

Computerized posturography was accomplished by employing the Sensory Organization Test (SOT) on the NeuroCom Balance Master (Natus Medical Incorporated). The SOT assessed each participant's balance and the strategy used to maintain balance in 6 progressively challenging conditions. Twenty-two adults using bilateral at-the-ear hearing aids participated in the study. All participants completed all SOT protocols with and without their hearing aids.

Results

No statistically significant differences in participants' balance were identified regardless of the presence or absence of their hearing aids during the SOT.

Conclusions

These results failed to support previous research, which indicated that amplification of auditory input could benefit balance in individuals with hearing and balance disorders. Further research utilizing randomized controlled trials is needed to resolve the disparity between the current results and those of previous studies.

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Effects of Bilateral Hearing Aid Use on Balance in Experienced Adult Hearing Aid Users

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the balance of experienced adult hearing aid users with and without their hearing aids via computerized posturography.

Method

Computerized posturography was accomplished by employing the Sensory Organization Test (SOT) on the NeuroCom Balance Master (Natus Medical Incorporated). The SOT assessed each participant's balance and the strategy used to maintain balance in 6 progressively challenging conditions. Twenty-two adults using bilateral at-the-ear hearing aids participated in the study. All participants completed all SOT protocols with and without their hearing aids.

Results

No statistically significant differences in participants' balance were identified regardless of the presence or absence of their hearing aids during the SOT.

Conclusions

These results failed to support previous research, which indicated that amplification of auditory input could benefit balance in individuals with hearing and balance disorders. Further research utilizing randomized controlled trials is needed to resolve the disparity between the current results and those of previous studies.

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Effects of Bilateral Hearing Aid Use on Balance in Experienced Adult Hearing Aid Users

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the balance of experienced adult hearing aid users with and without their hearing aids via computerized posturography.

Method

Computerized posturography was accomplished by employing the Sensory Organization Test (SOT) on the NeuroCom Balance Master (Natus Medical Incorporated). The SOT assessed each participant's balance and the strategy used to maintain balance in 6 progressively challenging conditions. Twenty-two adults using bilateral at-the-ear hearing aids participated in the study. All participants completed all SOT protocols with and without their hearing aids.

Results

No statistically significant differences in participants' balance were identified regardless of the presence or absence of their hearing aids during the SOT.

Conclusions

These results failed to support previous research, which indicated that amplification of auditory input could benefit balance in individuals with hearing and balance disorders. Further research utilizing randomized controlled trials is needed to resolve the disparity between the current results and those of previous studies.

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CES 2018: Emerging Health Devices

The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) convened in Las Vegas, January 9-12, 2018. Roughly 4,000 exhibitors presented their latest technology and services to nearly 200,000 attendees from 150 countries in what has become the world’s largest electronics trade show. Participants were able to experience self-driving cars, 8K televisions, “smart” home accessories, biometric sensors, and, of course, hearables. 

Tweet

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Signia Expert Series: Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids - Opportunity or Disaster?

The current state of regulations is reviewed to put the OTC (over-the-counter) hearing aid conversation in context. The possible impact of OTCs on consumers and audiologists as well as how OTCs could enhance an audiology practice is discussed.

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Why Treat Tinnitus Patients

This course examines Widex Zen Therapy, its rationale, components, evidence, and clinical considerations, and discusses future trends in treating tinnitus.

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Signia Expert Series: Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids - Opportunity or Disaster?

The current state of regulations is reviewed to put the OTC (over-the-counter) hearing aid conversation in context. The possible impact of OTCs on consumers and audiologists as well as how OTCs could enhance an audiology practice is discussed.

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Why Treat Tinnitus Patients

This course examines Widex Zen Therapy, its rationale, components, evidence, and clinical considerations, and discusses future trends in treating tinnitus.

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Signia Expert Series: Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids - Opportunity or Disaster?

The current state of regulations is reviewed to put the OTC (over-the-counter) hearing aid conversation in context. The possible impact of OTCs on consumers and audiologists as well as how OTCs could enhance an audiology practice is discussed.

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Why Treat Tinnitus Patients

This course examines Widex Zen Therapy, its rationale, components, evidence, and clinical considerations, and discusses future trends in treating tinnitus.

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