Showing papers in "International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders in 1990"
TL;DR: Non-invasive, sensitive equipment was designed to record nasal air flow, the timing and volume of milk flow, intraoral pressure and swallowing in normal full-term newborn babies artificially fed under strictly controlled conditions, suggesting an hypothesis of the probable sequence of events during an ideal feeding cycle under the test conditions.
Abstract: Non-invasive, sensitive equipment was designed to record nasal air flow, the timing and volume of milk flow, intraoral pressure and swallowing in normal full-term newborn babies artificially fed under strictly controlled conditions. Synchronous recordings of these events are presented in chart form. Interpretation of the charts, with the aid of applied anatomy, suggests an hypothesis of the probable sequence of events during an ideal feeding cycle under the test conditions. This emphasises the importance of complete coordination between breathing, sucking and swallowing. The feeding respiratory pattern and its relationship to the other events was different from the non-nutritive respiratory pattern. The complexity of the coordinated patterns, the small bolus size which influenced the respiratory pattern, together with the coordination of all these events when milk was present in the mouth, emphasise the importance of the sensory mechanisms. The discussion considers (1) the relationship between these results, those reported by other workers under other feeding conditions and the author's (WGS) clinical experience, (2) factors which appear to be essential to permit conventional bottle feeding and (3) the importance of the coordination between the muscles of articulation, by which babies obtain their nourishment in relation to normal development and maturation.
115 citations
TL;DR: Although questions remain regarding the most efficient form of treatment and the extent of its benefits outside the clinic, the existing results warrant greater optimism about the benefits of speech therapy offered to patients with Parkinson's disease.
Abstract: A review is undertaken of recent experimental studies of the effects of speech therapy offered to patients with Parkinson's disease. In contrast to earlier opinions based upon clinical impressions, the results of these studies indicate that the immediate gains from therapy measured within the clinical setting are readily detected, that these are perceived by patient's relatives and that there is reasonable evidence that benefits persist for some period after treatment. A further study is reported which tests the effects of a less intensive treatment regimen. This also gave positive results. Although questions remain regarding the most efficient form of treatment and the extent of its benefits outside the clinic, the existing results warrant greater optimism about the benefits of speech therapy offered to patients with Parkinson's disease.
91 citations
TL;DR: There were significant differences on most of the dimensions, despite the fact that there were no differences between the two groups on such scales as Beck's depression inventory and the mood adjective check list, in what vocalic and prosodic features account for these impressions.
Abstract: The voices of patients suffering from Parkinson's disease change in various ways. This paper sets out to examine the effect of these changes on the impressions made on listeners, and to try to see what vocalic and prosodic features account for these impressions. Tape recordings from segments of interviews with 4 patients, and 4 control subjects with ischaemic heart disease, were played to 16 naive listeners. These listeners were asked to rate their impressions of these voices on 15 dimensions of personality. There were significant differences on most of the dimensions, despite the fact that there were no differences between the two groups on such scales as Beck's depression inventory and the mood adjective check list. The parkinsonian patients were seen to be cold, withdrawn and anxious, not to relate well to the interviewer and to be enjoying the interview less than the controls. These ratings are very similar to those previously reported for the same patients, using silent video recordings only. The voice recordings were analysed along various dimensions of prosody. The factors which were different between the groups included the frequency and type of pauses in speech and the range or variability of the fundamental frequency. The implications of this exploratory study for intervention are discussed.
69 citations
TL;DR: Average verbal intelligence in environmentally low risk, extremely low birth weight children is an insufficient indicator of complex language functioning.
Abstract: Language development at 3 years of pre-term children born below 1000 g birth weight was compared with full-term controls matched for social background. The pre-term group used less complex expressive language and showed lower receptive understanding, auditory memory and verbal reasoning. Language outcome was related to intraventricular haemorrhage but not to global indication of postnatal illness such as number of days on the ventilator. Average verbal intelligence in environmentally low risk, extremely low birth weight children is an insufficient indicator of complex language functioning.
63 citations
TL;DR: Comparisons between the Bliss and signing groups suggest that neither augmentative system facilitated greater progress in sign/symbol acquisition and use than the other, however, there was wide variability in performance among the children within each group.
Abstract: A longitudinal study of augmentative communication training with 40 language-impaired, cerebral palsied children examined the acquisition of Blissymbols and Makaton Vocabulary signs and syntactic aspects of their use over an 18-month period. The children made measurable gains in these areas over time, but progress was very slow and they continued to show severe limitations in the repertoires of signs/symbols they acquired and in the average number, length and complexity of utterances they produced in semi-structured conversational settings. Possible reasons for these findings are discussed with reference to subject and system characteristics, and the teaching practices adopted in the schools. Comparisons between the Bliss and signing groups suggest that neither augmentative system facilitated greater progress in sign/symbol acquisition and use than the other. However, there was wide variability in performance among the children within each group.
59 citations
TL;DR: In this study, the technique of electropalatography was used to investigate tongue placement in two speech-impaired subjects (sisters), during their attempts to produce alveolar/velar stop contrasts, and their EPG printouts compared to those of a normal subject.
Abstract: Research is accumulating to suggest that, in the process of phonological acquisition, children pass through a stage of producing subphonemic acoustic cues to distinguish target phonemic contrasts. These subtle, or covert, distinctions occur unnoticed by a transcriber, yet their existence is viewed as having potentially important theoretical and clinical implications. In this study, the technique of electropalatography (EPG) was used to investigate tongue placement in two speech-impaired subjects (sisters), during their attempts to produce alveolar/velar stop contrasts, and their EPG printouts compared to those of a normal subject. Transcription of the impaired subjects' speech showed that, whilst one was able overtly to produce the contrast, the other was using the phonological process of alveolar backing, and so was judged not to have the contrast. However, contrary to the predictions made based on the auditory transcription, the EPG data revealed that both children were making similar, and clearly distinguishable, lingual-palate contacts for the two places of articulation. Examination of the data revealed that the subject who was overtly producing the contrast was able to control the precise sequence of tongue movements necessary in the release phase of the two classes of stops. This critical stage in alveolar/velar stop production had not been mastered by the subject who was not producing a perceptible distinction. The clinical relevance of these findings is discussed.
56 citations
TL;DR: The results indicate that children with apparently isolated defects of expressive syntax do, in fact, have subtle deficits of comprehension in comparison to age-matched controls.
Abstract: Two groups of language-impaired children, an 'expressive language impairment' group and a 'development dyspraxic' group, aged between 4 and 6 years, were assessed on a set of test sentences designed to tap syntactic comprehension. Expressive language was profiled for both experimental groups. A control group completed the syntactic comprehension test only. The results indicate that children with apparently isolated defects of expressive syntax do, in fact, have subtle deficits of comprehension in comparison to age-matched controls. The deficit can be detected in a syntactic decoding task. Comprehension strategies used by this group are examined. The 'dyspraxic' group did not perform significantly differently to controls.
56 citations
TL;DR: A discussion of the cultural, political and clinical problems encountered in this type of training, and the special difficulties encountered in the training of counterparts in the field of speech therapy in less developed countries are highlighted.
Abstract: This paper describes the training of five counterparts in cleft palate speech therapy which took place in Sri Lanka. The context in which this training occurred is described. The original aims of the training, and criteria drawn up for the selection of the counterparts, are contrasted with the modifications required to these once the British therapists started working in Sri Lanka. Information is given on the training objectives, syllabus, curriculum and methods of evaluation of the counterparts' progress. The achievements of the counterparts are described, and factors relating to the difficulties and ease with which the counterparts were trained are discussed. The paper concludes with a discussion of the cultural, political and clinical problems encountered in this type of training, and highlights the special difficulties encountered in the training of counterparts in the field of speech therapy in less developed countries.
30 citations
TL;DR: There are similarities in the pathology and symptomatology of the four severely brain-damaged young persons and all made measurable improvements albeit these did not start for some considerable time following injury, but improvements were seen to have functional relevance.
Abstract: This study gives detailed information regarding the changes of bulbar dysfunction in a long-term follow-up of four severely brain-damaged young persons. There are similarities in the pathology and symptomatology of the four and all made measurable improvements albeit these did not start for some considerable time following injury. Few gains in bulbar function were noted in the first 18 months. One subject began to improve after 24 months, another after 30 months with the most substantial changes for all subjects being seen by 48 months post-injury. Further small improvements continued to be recorded up until the end of the study. The four subjects with severe dysarthria and profound physical disability following head injury were monitored for 7 years. All were assessed using the Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment (FDA) at regular intervals. The gains were not so significant that any became independent oral speakers. Although the subjects remain severely dysarthric and all use communication aids, the improvements are seen to have functional relevance. The timing of the maximum improvement was noted to follow the cessation of specific remediation of bulbar function. The results of this study raise interesting questions with regard to neurological recovery and rehabilitation management. It is possible to speculate that oral/motor therapy should be implemented at a later stage with severely head-injured patients in an attempt to exploit and extend returning function.
27 citations
TL;DR: The patient CM participated in 2 months of sentence repetition treatment, after which he displayed improvement in both sentence repetition and picture description, and the reasons for such improvement and the general utility of the treatment programme are discussed.
Abstract: Repetition is viewed typically as a primary deficit in conduction aphasia. Consequently, repetition is considered to be a target of treatment, as opposed to an approach to treatment for this syndrome. However, our experience with a conduction aphasic who had greater speech fluency in repetition than in conversation encouraged us to develop a treatment programme based on sentence repetition. The treatment programme has three components: (1) a pre-/post-test of sentence repetition; (2) the treatment component, in which a new set of sentences is introduced each week in outpatient therapy for daily repetition; (3) analysis of verbal picture description prior to and following treatment as an independent language measure. The patient CM participated in 2 months of sentence repetition treatment, after which he displayed improvement in both sentence repetition and picture description. The reasons for such improvement and the general utility of the treatment programme are discussed.
26 citations
TL;DR: The vowel systems of a group of phonologically disordered children who show abnormalities in their vowel patterns are examined, and it is argued that there are relatively common context-free processes of simplification of the vowel system in the data.
Abstract: This article examines the vowel systems of a group of phonologically disordered children who show abnormalities in their vowel patterns. The conclusions emerging from the analysis of disordered speech are presented, along with examples from the data. It is argued that there are relatively common context-free processes of simplification of the vowel system in the data, and that these represent natural changes that may occur in normal development. Other less common processes may be idiosyncratic, and indicate some measure of disordered development. Some difficulties with vowels may relate to difficulties in the consonant system, or to difficulties with prosodic or paralinguistic features. Variability is an important part of the data, relevant to understanding the disorder and the process of development. It is hypothesised that the proposed framework will be relevant to clinical decision-making.
TL;DR: In this paper, 40 speech-language pathologists listen to randomised recorded samples of the 'Grandfather Passage' read aloud by 10 normal elderly male adults, 10 normal young male adults and 6 dysarthric subjects.
Abstract: Forty speech-language pathologists listened to randomised recorded samples of the ‘Grandfather Passage' read aloud by 10 normal elderly male adults, 10 normal young male adults and 6 dysarthric subjects. The speech samples were rated according to the 38 dimensions devised by Darley and colleagues for the study of the dysarthrias. The ratings of the speech of the older adults fell significantly further from ‘normal' on a seven-point continuum than those given to the young adults on nine of the dimensions. The most apparent young/old differences involved laryngeal dimensions. Ratings for the normal geriatric subjects resembled those of the dysarthric groups in some respects. Several instances of misclassification of the normal elderly individuals as ‘dysarthric' were also observed.
TL;DR: This study did not provide evidence in support of a birth order effect in developmental language impairment and the distribution of birth ranks of all language-impaired children within the sibships was not found to show evidence favouring either early or later born birth ranks.
Abstract: The birth order of second-grade children with and without developmental language impairment was obtained to determine if language-impaired children were more likely to be later born than earlier born. In this study the family size and socioeconomic status of the families for the language-impaired and normal groups were very similar. Comparison of the distribution of birth ranks between second-grade language-impaired and normal second-grade children failed to show a difference in birth ranks. Further, the distribution of birth ranks of all language-impaired children within the sibships was not found to show evidence favouring either early or later born birth ranks. Thus, contrary to previous research in which family size and socioeconomic status were not controlled, this study did not provide evidence in support of a birth order effect in developmental language impairment.
TL;DR: It is suggested in this paper that the evaluation and remediation of sign production errors is most usefully approached through an understanding of the phonological structure of sign language.
Abstract: The use of sign language as an augmentative medium of communication is a well-established approach in working with client groups who are handicapped in their effective use of verbal language. However, students with physical and learning disabilities may continue to experience problems in making themselves understood, because of inaccuracies in sign production which may be considered as analogous to phonological errors in speech. It is suggested in this paper that the evaluation and remediation of sign production errors is most usefully approached through an understanding of the phonological structure of sign language. The paper presents a review of the literature concerning the development of (1) motor patterns involved in sign production, and (2) the four major parameters of handshape, location, movement and orientation, in hearing-impaired and hearing children whose first language is sign, and in students with mental handicaps. A framework for assessing and monitoring sign production is suggested, and possible approaches to the development of intelligible signing are discussed. It is argued that the analysis and remediation of sign errors should always be related to the communication needs of the individual, rather than developed in isolation.
TL;DR: The conceptual framework for a newly instituted longitudinal research study into the costs and benefits of providing early intervention to very young, severely hearing-impaired children in the USA and the results of one of the studies after 2 years of intervention are presented.
Abstract: This paper presents the conceptual framework for a newly instituted longitudinal research study into the costs and benefits of providing early intervention to very young, severely hearing-impaired children in the USA and the results of one of the studies after 2 years of intervention. The research design employs randomised procedures, blind assessment and treatment verification. The overall project is part of a 20 experiment national study that addresses specific questions about the effects of early intervention on the psychological development of hearing-impaired children. Those questions regard age-at-start, treatment intensity and programme variation. Two of the three experiments with hearing-impaired children are still in developmental stages, whilst the third, a communication methods comparison, has been started. The preliminary findings of the third experiment (which include 2 years of intervention effects) are presented. Two groups of young, severely hearing-impaired children between the ages of 18 months and 5 years (one an oral-aural group and one called an English sign language group) have received 20 months of intervention in one or other of the groups. Their developmental progress has been measured using the Battelle Developmental Inventory, several specific English language measures and two family measures. Whilst both groups showed significant progress over intervention time on all measures, the performance differences between the two groups were not statistically significant in any of the psychological domains tested.
TL;DR: Investigating the linguistic environment of children with severe learning difficulties attending nursery school revealed that teachers are able to adjust their speech when interacting with children of differing abilities but they do so by assuming a dominating role in dialogue through initiation and the use of obliges.
Abstract: The present study aimed to investigate the linguistic environment of children with severe learning difficulties attending nursery school. Teacher-pupil talk with three normal language learners and five children-with severe learning difficulties was examined in segregated and integrated settings. A cognitively based dialogue system analysis was used to ascertain the style and level of teacher and pupil interactions. Results revealed that teachers are able to adjust their speech when interacting with children of differing abilities but they do so by assuming a dominating role in dialogue through initiation and the use of obliges.
TL;DR: In this present study, 14 deaf and hard-of-hearing children and youths who had been randomly assigned to one of two groups were given an original story entitled 'Peaches the Cat' and asked to read it and the figurative version did not prove to be more difficult than the literal version.
Abstract: The limited evidence on figurative language in deaf children, as well as ‘professional intuitions', has led those who teach them to conclude that reading comprehension will be significantly complicated by figurative language. However, there are disagreements among practitioners as to how best to manage figurative language when it appears in text. Generally, some sort of textual modification is made, although those for and against ‘simplified texts' are split on this issue. Those who favour them suggest either that complex vocabulary and syntax be reconstructed or that they be gradually introduced. However, reformulations are seldom standard nor are the figurative tropes such as metaphor, simile, personification etc. systematically introduced. Those against simplifed texts argue that the problem of figurative language control is not one of linguistic complexity, but one of cognitive processing: deaf children can grasp inferred or indirect meaning so long as the referential domain is made clear. Suc...
TL;DR: The purpose of this paper is to present, in a flow chart, the questions that need to be asked in the process of assessing a child's language development for the purpose of intervention, and to indicate the type of information that would be needed to answer the questions.
Abstract: The task of assessing a child's language for the purpose of intervention requires the ability to interpret information from a variety of sources. Knowing how that information is to be used during therapy plays an important part in deciding what type of information needs to be collected and how it will be interpreted. There needs to be a plan that will assist the speech therapist in analysing and interpreting most of the data that would be needed when making therapy-related diagnostic statements. A systems approach offers concepts and methods for devising a plan which will outline the necessary decisions. The purpose of this paper is to present, in a flow chart, the questions that need to be asked in the process of assessing a child's language development for the purpose of intervention; to indicate the type of information that would be needed to answer the questions; to state how the information would be interpreted; to suggest the type of tools that would be needed to collect this information; and to outline how the information can be presented so that a greater quantity of data can be summarised and interpreted in a systematic manner.
TL;DR: 6-year-old children with special needs could be taught to ask constraint questions and generalise this strategy using a self-evaluative teaching method and the number of constraint questions asked increased significantly using this method in comparison to the modelling teaching method.
Abstract: The current study was designed to determine whether efficient question-asking strategies can be taught to children who do not display them spontaneously The relative efficacy of two different teaching techniques was compared to determine which would increase the quality of question asking This study is descriptive in nature Twenty-eight students served as subjects The treatment took place during a 28-day time period and consisted of a pre-test, two teaching sessions and a post-test session, each 14 days apart An array of 25 pictorial objects and animals was used to stimulate constraint questions, which are more efficient than hypothesis questions for information seeking A major finding in this investigation was that 6-year-old children with special needs could be taught to ask constraint questions and generalise this strategy using a self-evaluative teaching method The number of constraint questions asked increased significantly using this method in comparison to the modelling teaching method The findings of this study contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between teaching methods and cognitive-linguistic strategy development
TL;DR: The Panjabi adaptation of the Aphasia Screening Test (AST) has been used with a small group of stroke patients and the preliminary results are reported.
Abstract: The Panjabi adaptation of the Aphasia Screening Test (AST) has been used with a small group of stroke patients and the preliminary results are reported. All the patients are described and their test results plotted. Observations are made about the test procedure, with recommendations for its further use.
TL;DR: The major use of hypnosis in fluency and voice disorders is as a means of achieving relaxation and of encouraging self-esteem in the client.
Abstract: Speech therapists trained in the use of hypnosis were asked to identify the client groups with whom hypnosis was used and the main benefits of hypnosis in the management of these clients. Thirty-six (42%) of the questionnaires produced usable data. The majority of respondents use hypnosis in the treatment of voice or fluency disorders although hypnosis is used in the treatment of acquired neurological disorders too. Respondents were less inclined to use hypnosis with children than with adults. The major use of hypnosis in fluency and voice disorders is as a means of achieving relaxation and of encouraging self-esteem in the client. Of respondents 87% use autohypnosis. Problems encountered in the use of hypnosis and autohypnosis are explored. The results suggest that a closer examination of the purpose and efficacy of hypnosis is called for.
TL;DR: Three stuttering subjects were used to test findings that voice-onset time in the fluent utterances of stuttered speech are slower than those of their normal-speaking peers, and EGG methodology is not sufficiently advanced to characterise reliably the range of laryngeal behaviours associated with stuttering.
Abstract: Three stuttering subjects were used to test findings that voice-onset time (VOT) in the fluent utterances of stuttered speech are slower than those of their normal-speaking peers. Acoustic analysis revealed the stutterers' VOTs to be slower, but when analysed by a t test the difference was found not to be significant at the P = 0.05 level. Electroglottographic (EGG) dynamics were also studied to provide comparative data for recent research which notes specific EGG activity amongst stutterers following severe blocks. Analysis revealed that both experimental and control subjects exhibited this pattern randomly. It is concluded that, at present, EGG methodology is not sufficiently advanced to be able to characterise reliably the range of laryngeal behaviours that are associated with stuttering. The technique therefore is not presently viable as a diagnostic tool.