Debora Maria Befi-Lopes

Bio: Debora Maria Befi-Lopes is an academic researcher from University of São Paulo. The author has contributed to research in topics: Specific language impairment & Language development. The author has an hindex of 19, co-authored 122 publications receiving 1267 citations.

Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of instruments to the Brazilian Portuguese language

Abstract: BACKGROUND: translation and cross-cultural adaptation of instruments to the Brazilian Portuguese language. AIM: in Brazil, in the area of Speech-Language Pathology, there is a significant lack of commercially available formal and objective instruments that have as a purpose the evaluation and diagnosis of different communication disorders. Some researchers have tried to ease this problem by translating instruments available in other languages. Such procedure also contributes to the development of cross-cultural studies, which can bring knowledge about the communication disorders and their specificities in different languages. The aim of the present study is to discuss the procedures that should be adopted in this process. CONCLUSION: it is fundamental to adopt appropriate methodological procedures when translating and adapting foreign assessment instruments.

Executive functioning and reading achievement in school: a study of Brazilian children assessed by their teachers as “poor readers”

Abstract: This study examined executive functioning and reading achievement in 106 6- to 8-year-old Brazilian children from a range of social backgrounds of whom approximately half lived below the poverty line. A particular focus was to explore the executive function profile of children whose classroom reading performance was judged below standard by their teachers and who were matched to controls on chronological age, sex, school type (private or public), domicile (Salvador/BA or Sao Paulo/SP) and socioeconomic status. Children completed a battery of 12 executive function tasks that were conceptual tapping cognitive flexibility, working memory, inhibition and selective attention. Each executive function domain was assessed by several tasks. Principal component analysis extracted four factors that were labeled “Working Memory/Cognitive Flexibility,” “Interference Suppression,” “Selective Attention,” and “Response Inhibition.” Individual differences in executive functioning components made differential contributions to early reading achievement. The Working Memory/Cognitive Flexibility factor emerged as the best predictor of reading. Group comparisons on computed factor scores showed that struggling readers displayed limitations in Working Memory/Cognitive Flexibility, but not in other executive function components, compared to more skilled readers. These results validate the account that working memory capacity provides a crucial building block for the development of early literacy skills and extends it to a population of early readers of Portuguese from Brazil. The study suggests that deficits in working memory/cognitive flexibility might represent one contributing factor to reading difficulties in early readers. This might have important implications for how educators might intervene with children at risk of academic under achievement.

Cross-linguistic and cross-cultural effects on verbal working memory and vocabulary: testing language-minority children with an immigrant background.

Abstract: Purpose In this study, the authors explored the impact of test language and cultural status on vocabulary and working memory performance in multilingual language-minority children. Method Twenty 7-...

Children with cochlear implants: communication skills and quality of Life

Abstract: Dado o âmbito multidimensional do implante coclear, ha crescente necessidade em avaliar nao somente medidas clinicas de eficacia relacionadas as habilidades comunicativas, mas tambem aspectos mais genericos envolvidos na efetividade do tratamento, como a qualidade de vida. OBJETIVOS: Traducao e adaptacao de questionario internacional para o Portugues Brasileiro; analise das correlacoes entre fatores relacionados a qualidade de vida; analise das correlacoes entre qualidade de vida e medidas clinicas de resultado. MATERIAL E METODO: Estudo prospectivo realizado com pais de criancas com implante coclear consistindo na aplicacao de instrumentos validados para avaliar aspectos de qualidade de vida e habilidades comunicativas. RESULTADOS: A traducao e adaptacao cultural do questionario foi satisfatoriamente realizada e este estudo proporciona a disponibilizacao do questionario em versao para o Portugues Brasileiro. Pelos dados obtidos, o implante coclear apresentou efeito positivo na qualidade de vida das criancas implantadas e de suas familias. As correlacoes observadas para a variavel comunicacao demonstram uma relacao direta entre comunicacao oral e outras variaveis de qualidade de vida. CONCLUSAO: Este estudo disponibiliza o questionario em versao para o Portugues Brasileiro. Para os pais de criancas brasileiras usuarias de implante coclear, a habilidade lexical (aquisicao e uso das palavras) e a variavel de maior impacto na qualidade de vida de seus filhos.

The bilingual education of

Abstract: Bilingual education in universities and colleges is viewed as an effective and feasible measure to develop talented graduates more competent in the international market.Considering the present situation of bilingual teaching in Modern Control Theory,we pointed out the current problems restricting the teaching method in the four aspects: teaching mode in class,teacher training,teaching materials and English proficiency of students.To improve the efficiency of bilingual teaching in Modern Control Theory,we proposed some constructive and available approaches after we presented and analyzed each of these problems.