The role of speech rate for Italian-speaking cochlear implant users: insights for everyday speech perception.

Related Articles

The role of speech rate for Italian-speaking cochlear implant users: insights for everyday speech perception.

Int J Audiol. 2018 Sep 04;:1-7

Authors: Dincer D'Alessandro H, Boyle PJ, Ballantyne D, De Vincentiis M, Mancini P

Abstract
This study investigated the effect of speech rate for Italian-speaking cochlear implant (CI) users with the aim of gaining insight into everyday listening situations where speaker's rate may vary considerably together with speech level in fluctuating background noise. The test material was prepared by processing the Italian STARR test with temporal compression of sentence material. Twelve adult CI users were divided into two subgroups based on their STARR performance: good and poor performers. The effect of varying speech rate was remarkable for both subgroups. Good performers showed significant performance deterioration for the faster speech rate, whereas outcomes for poor performers improved significantly for the slower speech rate. Background noise is inevitable during daily life and CI users face a variety of speakers, so must cope with changes in both speech level and rate. Traditional tests with a single talker speaking very clearly while using a moderate to low speech rate may overestimate everyday speech perception for CI users. The use of tests that mimic everyday perception is of great importance and should become a routine part of audiometric measures for hearing impaired people.

PMID: 30178699 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Patients' experiences of living with superior canal dehiscence syndrome.

Related Articles

Patients' experiences of living with superior canal dehiscence syndrome.

Int J Audiol. 2018 Sep 04;:1-6

Authors: Öhman J, Forssén A, Sörlin A, Tano K

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The study investigated how the symptoms of superior canal dehiscence syndrome (SCDS) affected patients in their daily life, and how patients coped with the disease.
DESIGN: This was a qualitative study; semi-structured interviews were performed and analysed according to the systematic text condensation method.
STUDY SAMPLE: Twelve of 13 identified patients with SCDS in the county of Norrbotten, Sweden, were included in the study.
RESULTS: Five main categories were created based on the patients' experiences of living with SCDS: (1) Experiencing strange symptoms: One "new" symptom was identified - mental fatigue. (2) A restricted life socially, physically and at work: All patients experienced some extent of limitation in their daily life. (3) To accept and to protect oneself: All patients had developed strategies to protect their ears from noise. (4) Misunderstood in health care: The diagnosis was sometimes delayed several years due to lack of knowledge among healthcare workers. (5) Carefully considering treatment (surgery): Symptoms were weighed against the risk of side effects.
CONCLUSIONS: SCDS was rendered an invisible disability. In the present study, we identified mental fatigue as a symptom not previously considered in the literature.

PMID: 30178689 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Construction and evaluation of the Mandarin Chinese matrix (CMNmatrix) sentence test for the assessment of speech recognition in noise.

Related Articles

Construction and evaluation of the Mandarin Chinese matrix (CMNmatrix) sentence test for the assessment of speech recognition in noise.

Int J Audiol. 2018 Sep 04;:1-13

Authors: Hu H, Xi X, Wong LLN, Hochmuth S, Warzybok A, Kollmeier B

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Development of the Mandarin Chinese matrix (CMNmatrix) sentence test for speech intelligibility measurements in noise according to the international standard procedure.
DESIGN: A 50-word base matrix representing the distribution of phonemes and lexical tones of spoken Mandarin was established. Hundred sentences capturing all the co-articulations of two consecutive words were recorded. Word-specific speech recognition functions, speech reception thresholds (SRT: signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), that provides 50% speech intelligibility) and slopes were obtained from measurements at fixed SNRs. The speech material was homogenised in intelligibility by applying level corrections up to ± 2 dB. Subsequently, the CMNmatrix test was evaluated, the comparability of test lists was measured at two fixed SNRs. To investigate the training effect and establish the reference data, speech recognition was measured adaptively.
STUDY SAMPLE: Overall, the study sample contained 80 normal-hearing native Mandarin-speaking listeners.
RESULTS: Multi-centre evaluation measurements confirmed that test lists are equivalent in intelligibility, with a mean SRT of -10.1 ± 0.1 dB SNR and a slope of 13.1 ± 0.9 %/dB. The reference SRT is -9.3 ± 0.8 and -11.2 ± 1.2 dB SNR for the open- and closed-set response format, respectively.
CONCLUSION: The CMNmatrix test is suitable for accurate and internationally comparable speech recognition measurements in noise.

PMID: 30178681 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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The role of speech rate for Italian-speaking cochlear implant users: insights for everyday speech perception.

Related Articles

The role of speech rate for Italian-speaking cochlear implant users: insights for everyday speech perception.

Int J Audiol. 2018 Sep 04;:1-7

Authors: Dincer D'Alessandro H, Boyle PJ, Ballantyne D, De Vincentiis M, Mancini P

Abstract
This study investigated the effect of speech rate for Italian-speaking cochlear implant (CI) users with the aim of gaining insight into everyday listening situations where speaker's rate may vary considerably together with speech level in fluctuating background noise. The test material was prepared by processing the Italian STARR test with temporal compression of sentence material. Twelve adult CI users were divided into two subgroups based on their STARR performance: good and poor performers. The effect of varying speech rate was remarkable for both subgroups. Good performers showed significant performance deterioration for the faster speech rate, whereas outcomes for poor performers improved significantly for the slower speech rate. Background noise is inevitable during daily life and CI users face a variety of speakers, so must cope with changes in both speech level and rate. Traditional tests with a single talker speaking very clearly while using a moderate to low speech rate may overestimate everyday speech perception for CI users. The use of tests that mimic everyday perception is of great importance and should become a routine part of audiometric measures for hearing impaired people.

PMID: 30178699 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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via IFTTT

Patients' experiences of living with superior canal dehiscence syndrome.

Related Articles

Patients' experiences of living with superior canal dehiscence syndrome.

Int J Audiol. 2018 Sep 04;:1-6

Authors: Öhman J, Forssén A, Sörlin A, Tano K

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The study investigated how the symptoms of superior canal dehiscence syndrome (SCDS) affected patients in their daily life, and how patients coped with the disease.
DESIGN: This was a qualitative study; semi-structured interviews were performed and analysed according to the systematic text condensation method.
STUDY SAMPLE: Twelve of 13 identified patients with SCDS in the county of Norrbotten, Sweden, were included in the study.
RESULTS: Five main categories were created based on the patients' experiences of living with SCDS: (1) Experiencing strange symptoms: One "new" symptom was identified - mental fatigue. (2) A restricted life socially, physically and at work: All patients experienced some extent of limitation in their daily life. (3) To accept and to protect oneself: All patients had developed strategies to protect their ears from noise. (4) Misunderstood in health care: The diagnosis was sometimes delayed several years due to lack of knowledge among healthcare workers. (5) Carefully considering treatment (surgery): Symptoms were weighed against the risk of side effects.
CONCLUSIONS: SCDS was rendered an invisible disability. In the present study, we identified mental fatigue as a symptom not previously considered in the literature.

PMID: 30178689 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Construction and evaluation of the Mandarin Chinese matrix (CMNmatrix) sentence test for the assessment of speech recognition in noise.

Related Articles

Construction and evaluation of the Mandarin Chinese matrix (CMNmatrix) sentence test for the assessment of speech recognition in noise.

Int J Audiol. 2018 Sep 04;:1-13

Authors: Hu H, Xi X, Wong LLN, Hochmuth S, Warzybok A, Kollmeier B

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Development of the Mandarin Chinese matrix (CMNmatrix) sentence test for speech intelligibility measurements in noise according to the international standard procedure.
DESIGN: A 50-word base matrix representing the distribution of phonemes and lexical tones of spoken Mandarin was established. Hundred sentences capturing all the co-articulations of two consecutive words were recorded. Word-specific speech recognition functions, speech reception thresholds (SRT: signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), that provides 50% speech intelligibility) and slopes were obtained from measurements at fixed SNRs. The speech material was homogenised in intelligibility by applying level corrections up to ± 2 dB. Subsequently, the CMNmatrix test was evaluated, the comparability of test lists was measured at two fixed SNRs. To investigate the training effect and establish the reference data, speech recognition was measured adaptively.
STUDY SAMPLE: Overall, the study sample contained 80 normal-hearing native Mandarin-speaking listeners.
RESULTS: Multi-centre evaluation measurements confirmed that test lists are equivalent in intelligibility, with a mean SRT of -10.1 ± 0.1 dB SNR and a slope of 13.1 ± 0.9 %/dB. The reference SRT is -9.3 ± 0.8 and -11.2 ± 1.2 dB SNR for the open- and closed-set response format, respectively.
CONCLUSION: The CMNmatrix test is suitable for accurate and internationally comparable speech recognition measurements in noise.

PMID: 30178681 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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The role of speech rate for Italian-speaking cochlear implant users: insights for everyday speech perception.

Related Articles

The role of speech rate for Italian-speaking cochlear implant users: insights for everyday speech perception.

Int J Audiol. 2018 Sep 04;:1-7

Authors: Dincer D'Alessandro H, Boyle PJ, Ballantyne D, De Vincentiis M, Mancini P

Abstract
This study investigated the effect of speech rate for Italian-speaking cochlear implant (CI) users with the aim of gaining insight into everyday listening situations where speaker's rate may vary considerably together with speech level in fluctuating background noise. The test material was prepared by processing the Italian STARR test with temporal compression of sentence material. Twelve adult CI users were divided into two subgroups based on their STARR performance: good and poor performers. The effect of varying speech rate was remarkable for both subgroups. Good performers showed significant performance deterioration for the faster speech rate, whereas outcomes for poor performers improved significantly for the slower speech rate. Background noise is inevitable during daily life and CI users face a variety of speakers, so must cope with changes in both speech level and rate. Traditional tests with a single talker speaking very clearly while using a moderate to low speech rate may overestimate everyday speech perception for CI users. The use of tests that mimic everyday perception is of great importance and should become a routine part of audiometric measures for hearing impaired people.

PMID: 30178699 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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via IFTTT

Patients' experiences of living with superior canal dehiscence syndrome.

Related Articles

Patients' experiences of living with superior canal dehiscence syndrome.

Int J Audiol. 2018 Sep 04;:1-6

Authors: Öhman J, Forssén A, Sörlin A, Tano K

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The study investigated how the symptoms of superior canal dehiscence syndrome (SCDS) affected patients in their daily life, and how patients coped with the disease.
DESIGN: This was a qualitative study; semi-structured interviews were performed and analysed according to the systematic text condensation method.
STUDY SAMPLE: Twelve of 13 identified patients with SCDS in the county of Norrbotten, Sweden, were included in the study.
RESULTS: Five main categories were created based on the patients' experiences of living with SCDS: (1) Experiencing strange symptoms: One "new" symptom was identified - mental fatigue. (2) A restricted life socially, physically and at work: All patients experienced some extent of limitation in their daily life. (3) To accept and to protect oneself: All patients had developed strategies to protect their ears from noise. (4) Misunderstood in health care: The diagnosis was sometimes delayed several years due to lack of knowledge among healthcare workers. (5) Carefully considering treatment (surgery): Symptoms were weighed against the risk of side effects.
CONCLUSIONS: SCDS was rendered an invisible disability. In the present study, we identified mental fatigue as a symptom not previously considered in the literature.

PMID: 30178689 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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via IFTTT

Construction and evaluation of the Mandarin Chinese matrix (CMNmatrix) sentence test for the assessment of speech recognition in noise.

Related Articles

Construction and evaluation of the Mandarin Chinese matrix (CMNmatrix) sentence test for the assessment of speech recognition in noise.

Int J Audiol. 2018 Sep 04;:1-13

Authors: Hu H, Xi X, Wong LLN, Hochmuth S, Warzybok A, Kollmeier B

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Development of the Mandarin Chinese matrix (CMNmatrix) sentence test for speech intelligibility measurements in noise according to the international standard procedure.
DESIGN: A 50-word base matrix representing the distribution of phonemes and lexical tones of spoken Mandarin was established. Hundred sentences capturing all the co-articulations of two consecutive words were recorded. Word-specific speech recognition functions, speech reception thresholds (SRT: signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), that provides 50% speech intelligibility) and slopes were obtained from measurements at fixed SNRs. The speech material was homogenised in intelligibility by applying level corrections up to ± 2 dB. Subsequently, the CMNmatrix test was evaluated, the comparability of test lists was measured at two fixed SNRs. To investigate the training effect and establish the reference data, speech recognition was measured adaptively.
STUDY SAMPLE: Overall, the study sample contained 80 normal-hearing native Mandarin-speaking listeners.
RESULTS: Multi-centre evaluation measurements confirmed that test lists are equivalent in intelligibility, with a mean SRT of -10.1 ± 0.1 dB SNR and a slope of 13.1 ± 0.9 %/dB. The reference SRT is -9.3 ± 0.8 and -11.2 ± 1.2 dB SNR for the open- and closed-set response format, respectively.
CONCLUSION: The CMNmatrix test is suitable for accurate and internationally comparable speech recognition measurements in noise.

PMID: 30178681 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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via IFTTT

The role of speech rate for Italian-speaking cochlear implant users: insights for everyday speech perception.

Related Articles

The role of speech rate for Italian-speaking cochlear implant users: insights for everyday speech perception.

Int J Audiol. 2018 Sep 04;:1-7

Authors: Dincer D'Alessandro H, Boyle PJ, Ballantyne D, De Vincentiis M, Mancini P

Abstract
This study investigated the effect of speech rate for Italian-speaking cochlear implant (CI) users with the aim of gaining insight into everyday listening situations where speaker's rate may vary considerably together with speech level in fluctuating background noise. The test material was prepared by processing the Italian STARR test with temporal compression of sentence material. Twelve adult CI users were divided into two subgroups based on their STARR performance: good and poor performers. The effect of varying speech rate was remarkable for both subgroups. Good performers showed significant performance deterioration for the faster speech rate, whereas outcomes for poor performers improved significantly for the slower speech rate. Background noise is inevitable during daily life and CI users face a variety of speakers, so must cope with changes in both speech level and rate. Traditional tests with a single talker speaking very clearly while using a moderate to low speech rate may overestimate everyday speech perception for CI users. The use of tests that mimic everyday perception is of great importance and should become a routine part of audiometric measures for hearing impaired people.

PMID: 30178699 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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via IFTTT

Patients' experiences of living with superior canal dehiscence syndrome.

Related Articles

Patients' experiences of living with superior canal dehiscence syndrome.

Int J Audiol. 2018 Sep 04;:1-6

Authors: Öhman J, Forssén A, Sörlin A, Tano K

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The study investigated how the symptoms of superior canal dehiscence syndrome (SCDS) affected patients in their daily life, and how patients coped with the disease.
DESIGN: This was a qualitative study; semi-structured interviews were performed and analysed according to the systematic text condensation method.
STUDY SAMPLE: Twelve of 13 identified patients with SCDS in the county of Norrbotten, Sweden, were included in the study.
RESULTS: Five main categories were created based on the patients' experiences of living with SCDS: (1) Experiencing strange symptoms: One "new" symptom was identified - mental fatigue. (2) A restricted life socially, physically and at work: All patients experienced some extent of limitation in their daily life. (3) To accept and to protect oneself: All patients had developed strategies to protect their ears from noise. (4) Misunderstood in health care: The diagnosis was sometimes delayed several years due to lack of knowledge among healthcare workers. (5) Carefully considering treatment (surgery): Symptoms were weighed against the risk of side effects.
CONCLUSIONS: SCDS was rendered an invisible disability. In the present study, we identified mental fatigue as a symptom not previously considered in the literature.

PMID: 30178689 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader https://ift.tt/2Nn0lxm
via IFTTT

Construction and evaluation of the Mandarin Chinese matrix (CMNmatrix) sentence test for the assessment of speech recognition in noise.

Related Articles

Construction and evaluation of the Mandarin Chinese matrix (CMNmatrix) sentence test for the assessment of speech recognition in noise.

Int J Audiol. 2018 Sep 04;:1-13

Authors: Hu H, Xi X, Wong LLN, Hochmuth S, Warzybok A, Kollmeier B

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Development of the Mandarin Chinese matrix (CMNmatrix) sentence test for speech intelligibility measurements in noise according to the international standard procedure.
DESIGN: A 50-word base matrix representing the distribution of phonemes and lexical tones of spoken Mandarin was established. Hundred sentences capturing all the co-articulations of two consecutive words were recorded. Word-specific speech recognition functions, speech reception thresholds (SRT: signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), that provides 50% speech intelligibility) and slopes were obtained from measurements at fixed SNRs. The speech material was homogenised in intelligibility by applying level corrections up to ± 2 dB. Subsequently, the CMNmatrix test was evaluated, the comparability of test lists was measured at two fixed SNRs. To investigate the training effect and establish the reference data, speech recognition was measured adaptively.
STUDY SAMPLE: Overall, the study sample contained 80 normal-hearing native Mandarin-speaking listeners.
RESULTS: Multi-centre evaluation measurements confirmed that test lists are equivalent in intelligibility, with a mean SRT of -10.1 ± 0.1 dB SNR and a slope of 13.1 ± 0.9 %/dB. The reference SRT is -9.3 ± 0.8 and -11.2 ± 1.2 dB SNR for the open- and closed-set response format, respectively.
CONCLUSION: The CMNmatrix test is suitable for accurate and internationally comparable speech recognition measurements in noise.

PMID: 30178681 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Erratum

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Perceptual Encoding in Auditory Brainstem Responses: Effects of Stimulus Frequency

Purpose

A central question about auditory perception concerns how acoustic information is represented at different stages of processing. The auditory brainstem response (ABR) provides a potentially useful index of the earliest stages of this process. However, it is unclear how basic acoustic characteristics (e.g., differences in tones spanning a wide range of frequencies) are indexed by ABR components. This study addresses this by investigating how ABR amplitude and latency track stimulus frequency for tones ranging from 250 to 8000 Hz.

Method

In a repeated-measures experimental design, listeners were presented with brief tones (250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, and 8000 Hz) in random order while electroencephalography was recorded. ABR latencies and amplitudes for Wave V (6–9 ms) and in the time window following the Wave V peak (labeled as Wave VI; 9–12 ms) were measured.

Results

Wave V latency decreased with increasing frequency, replicating previous work. In addition, Waves V and VI amplitudes tracked differences in tone frequency, with a nonlinear response from 250 to 8000 Hz and a clear log-linear response to tones from 500 to 8000 Hz.

Conclusions

Results demonstrate that the ABR provides a useful measure of early perceptual encoding for stimuli varying in frequency and that the tonotopic organization of the auditory system is preserved at this stage of processing for stimuli from 500 to 8000 Hz. Such a measure may serve as a useful clinical tool for evaluating a listener's ability to encode specific frequencies in sounds.

Supplemental Material

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.6987422

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Erratum

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader https://ift.tt/2Cph6Uo
via IFTTT

Perceptual Encoding in Auditory Brainstem Responses: Effects of Stimulus Frequency

Purpose

A central question about auditory perception concerns how acoustic information is represented at different stages of processing. The auditory brainstem response (ABR) provides a potentially useful index of the earliest stages of this process. However, it is unclear how basic acoustic characteristics (e.g., differences in tones spanning a wide range of frequencies) are indexed by ABR components. This study addresses this by investigating how ABR amplitude and latency track stimulus frequency for tones ranging from 250 to 8000 Hz.

Method

In a repeated-measures experimental design, listeners were presented with brief tones (250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, and 8000 Hz) in random order while electroencephalography was recorded. ABR latencies and amplitudes for Wave V (6–9 ms) and in the time window following the Wave V peak (labeled as Wave VI; 9–12 ms) were measured.

Results

Wave V latency decreased with increasing frequency, replicating previous work. In addition, Waves V and VI amplitudes tracked differences in tone frequency, with a nonlinear response from 250 to 8000 Hz and a clear log-linear response to tones from 500 to 8000 Hz.

Conclusions

Results demonstrate that the ABR provides a useful measure of early perceptual encoding for stimuli varying in frequency and that the tonotopic organization of the auditory system is preserved at this stage of processing for stimuli from 500 to 8000 Hz. Such a measure may serve as a useful clinical tool for evaluating a listener's ability to encode specific frequencies in sounds.

Supplemental Material

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.6987422

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Study Warns of the Unintended Effects of White Noise Therapy for Tinnitus

Noise exposure therapies may be doing more harm than good, suggested a review article recently published in JAMA Otolaryngology. While sound therapies like white noise provide short-term relief for people with various conditions, including tinnitus, they may undermine the overall functional and structural integrity of the brain, and even accelerate its aging.

Tinnitus affects over 50 million people in the United States. While there is no cure for this disabling condition, sound therapy is one of the most common approaches to manage tinnitus. In fact, there is some evidence that point to the benefits of noise-based sound therapy in providing relief from disturbing tinnitus percepts via auditory masking. However, neuroscientists from University of California San Francisco and with Posit Science argue that the potential adverse effects of auditory masking via noise therapy might actually outweigh its benefits. 

"Increasing evidence shows that the brain rewires for the worse when it is fed random information, such as white noise. Neural inhibition is reduced, temporal integration times increase, and cortical representations lose precision," lead author Mouna Attarha, PhD, told The Hearing Journal. "These maladaptive changes in the brain have consequences that, with time, exacerbate the tinnitus, degrade functioning of the auditory system, and compromise other important cognitive processes, such as language comprehension. A therapeutic strategy so often recommended needs to be more fully understood, including its unintended and often overlooked consequences."   

Evaluating therapies in the context of brain health and cognition is vital, noted the authors. "We became interested in writing this editorial after noting widespread use of white noise generators by health professionals across a number of settings – hospitals, treatment centers, therapy offices, ICUs," Attarha shared.

Noting the need for alternative therapies, the authors suggest exploring the potential of structure sounds and other strategies that don't have a negative impact on the brain.

"Health professionals should have a sense of how repeated exposure to randomly-generated information, even at low volume levels, remodels the brain and should offer structured sounds as the alternative," Attarha suggested. "Structured sounds – such as music and speech – can successfully mask or "cover" phantom sounds heard in the head without compromising the structural and functional integrity of the brain. Given how distressing tinnitus can be to some, a treatment program could also include emerging interventions to the extent that those interventions show initial efficacy and demonstrate low-risk."

These treatment programs include validated computerized brain training and stimulus timing dependent plasticity. "Ultimately, the resolution of tinnitus will require programs that can remodel and restore the organization of the brain," Attarha noted.  

Published: 9/4/2018 11:43:00 AM

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Study Warns of the Unintended Effects of White Noise Therapy for Tinnitus

Noise exposure therapies may be doing more harm than good, suggested a review article recently published in JAMA Otolaryngology. While sound therapies like white noise provide short-term relief for people with various conditions, including tinnitus, they may undermine the overall functional and structural integrity of the brain, and even accelerate its aging.

Tinnitus affects over 50 million people in the United States. While there is no cure for this disabling condition, sound therapy is one of the most common approaches to manage tinnitus. In fact, there is some evidence that point to the benefits of noise-based sound therapy in providing relief from disturbing tinnitus percepts via auditory masking. However, neuroscientists from University of California San Francisco and with Posit Science argue that the potential adverse effects of auditory masking via noise therapy might actually outweigh its benefits. 

"Increasing evidence shows that the brain rewires for the worse when it is fed random information, such as white noise. Neural inhibition is reduced, temporal integration times increase, and cortical representations lose precision," lead author Mouna Attarha, PhD, told The Hearing Journal. "These maladaptive changes in the brain have consequences that, with time, exacerbate the tinnitus, degrade functioning of the auditory system, and compromise other important cognitive processes, such as language comprehension. A therapeutic strategy so often recommended needs to be more fully understood, including its unintended and often overlooked consequences."   

Evaluating therapies in the context of brain health and cognition is vital, noted the authors. "We became interested in writing this editorial after noting widespread use of white noise generators by health professionals across a number of settings – hospitals, treatment centers, therapy offices, ICUs," Attarha shared.

Noting the need for alternative therapies, the authors suggest exploring the potential of structure sounds and other strategies that don't have a negative impact on the brain.

"Health professionals should have a sense of how repeated exposure to randomly-generated information, even at low volume levels, remodels the brain and should offer structured sounds as the alternative," Attarha suggested. "Structured sounds – such as music and speech – can successfully mask or "cover" phantom sounds heard in the head without compromising the structural and functional integrity of the brain. Given how distressing tinnitus can be to some, a treatment program could also include emerging interventions to the extent that those interventions show initial efficacy and demonstrate low-risk."

These treatment programs include validated computerized brain training and stimulus timing dependent plasticity. "Ultimately, the resolution of tinnitus will require programs that can remodel and restore the organization of the brain," Attarha noted.  

Published: 9/4/2018 11:43:00 AM

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Eficacia de un programa de fluidez lectora con escolares disléxicos

Publication date: Available online 5 September 2018

Source: Revista de Logopedia, Foniatría y Audiología

Author(s): Natalia Ferrada Quezada, Paula Outón Oviedo

Resumen

Antecedentes y objetivo

Una de las dificultades más comunes en la dislexia es la falta de fluidez lectora. Esta dificultad consiste en leer un texto con mucho esfuerzo, empleando excesivo tiempo y sin la expresión adecuada. El tratamiento de esta dificultad ha comprendido diversas estrategias, siendo la lectura oral repetida una de las más utilizadas. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron comprobar la eficacia de un programa de fluidez lectora centrado en la lectura repetida y expresiva de textos teatrales y determinar si su efectividad depende de la realidad sociocultural y económica de los estudiantes.

Método

En el estudio participaron 11 estudiantes de tercero y cuarto curso de educación primaria con dislexia, distribuidos en dos grupos según el centro educativo de procedencia (público o concertado). Para comprobar la eficacia del programa se optó por un diseño preexperimental pretest postest. Como variables dependientes de la fluidez se utilizaron la exactitud, la automatización y la prosodia, medidas a través de la lectura de textos teatrales, la prueba Fundar y una Escala de Apreciación de la Prosodia.

Resultados

Los resultados mostraron que los participantes mejoraron significativamente en automatización y prosodia, pero no tanto en exactitud lectora. Además, el programa obtuvo resultados similares en ambos grupos de estudiantes.

Conclusiones

Estos hallazgos coinciden con otros estudios y sugieren que la lectura de textos teatrales es una estrategia eficaz para la mejora de la fluidez lectora en el alumnado disléxico de estas edades.

Abstract

Background and objective

One of the most common difficulties for dyslexics is the lack of reading fluency. This difficulty involves a lot of effort in order to read a text, spending an excessive amount of time, and with a lack of expressiveness. For the treatment of this difficulty, several strategies have been considered, repeated reading being the most commonly used. The aims of this study are to determine the effectiveness of an intervention programme aimed at improving reading fluency through theatre scripts, and observe whether the results depend upon students’ sociocultural and economic background.

Method

The sample consisted of 11 third- and fourth-grade students with dyslexia distributed into two groups according to the educational centre of provenance (public or charter school). A pre-experimental design pre-test and post-test study approach was used to prove the effectiveness of the programme. Automation and prosody were evaluated as accuracy-dependent variables through the reading of theatrical texts, the Fundar Reading Proficiency test, and a Scale of Prosody Assessment.

Results

Results indicate that children improved significantly in automation and prosody, but not that much in reading accuracy. Furthermore, the programme obtained similar results in both groups.

Conclusions

These findings match other studies and suggest that the reading of theatrical texts is an effective strategy for improving reading fluency in dyslexic students of this age group.

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Eficacia de un programa de fluidez lectora con escolares disléxicos

Publication date: Available online 5 September 2018

Source: Revista de Logopedia, Foniatría y Audiología

Author(s): Natalia Ferrada Quezada, Paula Outón Oviedo

Resumen

Antecedentes y objetivo

Una de las dificultades más comunes en la dislexia es la falta de fluidez lectora. Esta dificultad consiste en leer un texto con mucho esfuerzo, empleando excesivo tiempo y sin la expresión adecuada. El tratamiento de esta dificultad ha comprendido diversas estrategias, siendo la lectura oral repetida una de las más utilizadas. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron comprobar la eficacia de un programa de fluidez lectora centrado en la lectura repetida y expresiva de textos teatrales y determinar si su efectividad depende de la realidad sociocultural y económica de los estudiantes.

Método

En el estudio participaron 11 estudiantes de tercero y cuarto curso de educación primaria con dislexia, distribuidos en dos grupos según el centro educativo de procedencia (público o concertado). Para comprobar la eficacia del programa se optó por un diseño preexperimental pretest postest. Como variables dependientes de la fluidez se utilizaron la exactitud, la automatización y la prosodia, medidas a través de la lectura de textos teatrales, la prueba Fundar y una Escala de Apreciación de la Prosodia.

Resultados

Los resultados mostraron que los participantes mejoraron significativamente en automatización y prosodia, pero no tanto en exactitud lectora. Además, el programa obtuvo resultados similares en ambos grupos de estudiantes.

Conclusiones

Estos hallazgos coinciden con otros estudios y sugieren que la lectura de textos teatrales es una estrategia eficaz para la mejora de la fluidez lectora en el alumnado disléxico de estas edades.

Abstract

Background and objective

One of the most common difficulties for dyslexics is the lack of reading fluency. This difficulty involves a lot of effort in order to read a text, spending an excessive amount of time, and with a lack of expressiveness. For the treatment of this difficulty, several strategies have been considered, repeated reading being the most commonly used. The aims of this study are to determine the effectiveness of an intervention programme aimed at improving reading fluency through theatre scripts, and observe whether the results depend upon students’ sociocultural and economic background.

Method

The sample consisted of 11 third- and fourth-grade students with dyslexia distributed into two groups according to the educational centre of provenance (public or charter school). A pre-experimental design pre-test and post-test study approach was used to prove the effectiveness of the programme. Automation and prosody were evaluated as accuracy-dependent variables through the reading of theatrical texts, the Fundar Reading Proficiency test, and a Scale of Prosody Assessment.

Results

Results indicate that children improved significantly in automation and prosody, but not that much in reading accuracy. Furthermore, the programme obtained similar results in both groups.

Conclusions

These findings match other studies and suggest that the reading of theatrical texts is an effective strategy for improving reading fluency in dyslexic students of this age group.

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