Showing papers in "International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders in 1992"

Perception and awareness of phonemes in phonologically impaired children.

Abstract: SFourteen phonologically impaired children and 14 normally speaking controls were given tests of speech discrimination, in which they had to distinguish between similar phonemes, and tasks of rhyme judgement and matching words on the basis of their initial phoneme, which require the child to identify the same sounds across differing word contexts. Compared to the control group, children with phonological impairment were poor on the phoneme discrimination tasks, but there was wide variation in performance and seven of these children scored near ceiling levels. All children showed some ability to discriminate contrasts they could not produce. Substantial deficits were found in the ability of phonologically impaired children to identify phoneme constancy across differing word contexts. It is difficult to explain such findings in terms of impaired auditory discrimination. Results are discussed in relation to normal phonological development, and it is suggested that phonologically impaired children do ...

Developmental verbal dyspraxia I: A review and critique

Abstract: SDevelopmental verbal dyspraxia is examined from four perspectives: clinical, phonetic, linguistic and cognitive. The paper critically discusses the problems encountered when criteria for i...

A meta-analysis of studies carried out between 1946 and 1988 concerned with the efficacy of speech and language therapy treatment for aphasic patients.

Abstract: An examination of the empirical evidence for the efficacy of speech and language therapy treatment for adult aphasic patients is undertaken with the aid of meta-analysis which affords a statistical method of systematic data summary and synthesis. Patient characteristics and treatment outcomes are correlated to identify factors that contribute to the demonstration of a treatment effect. One of the most striking results of this retrospective study was the identification of the overwhelming failure to report data or include, in experimental controls, variables that might crucially affect outcome.

An evaluation study of voice therapy in non-organic dysphonia

Abstract: SThirty patients diagnosed as suffering from non-organic dysphonia were assigned to one of three treatment groups: direct therapy, indirect and no treatment for a period of 8 weeks. Therapeutic outcome was evaluated by independent judges, patient self-evaluation, electrolaryngograph ratings and measures of fundamental frequency. The direct treatment group showed the most significant improvement in the return to normal voice functioning followed by the indirect treatment group. One patient in the control group showed improvement without any intervention. This study provides evidence in support of the effectiveness of both direct and indirect therapy in the treatment of non-organic dysphonia and raises questions concerning individual patient responses to these approaches.Trente patients diagnostiques comme souffrant de dysphonie non-organique ont ete repartis en trois groupes de trailement pendant une periode de huit semaines: therapie directe, therapie indirecte et absence de soins. L'effel du trai...

Can the Lombard effect be used to improve low voice intensity in Parkinson's disease?

Abstract: SLow voice intensity is a common problem in Parkinson's disease. It is typically resistant to drug therapy and often persists despite extensive behavioural speech and language therapy. Based on previous findings that masking noise will produce a consistent increase in voice intensity in most normal individuals, the effects of white masking noise, presented at a sound pressure level of 90 dB, was examined in 10 parkinsonian patients with low voice intensity. Results indicated that all Parkinson's disease patients showed a marked increase in their voice intensity. Given this finding, it is proposed that masking noise may be an effective treatment for reduced voice intensity in parkinsonian speakers, particularly with the future adaptation of portable voice-activated maskers, such as the Edinburgh Masker.Chez les malades de Parkinson l'insuffisance d'intensite de la voix est un probleme frequent, et particulierement resistant a lafois a la medication et souvent aussi a tous les efforts de reeducation...

Developmental verbal dyspraxia II: A developmental perspective on two case studies

Abstract: A longitudinal study of the speech errors of two school-age children with what was described as developmental verbal dyspraxia is presented. By comparing them with a group of normally developing children matched on articulation age, it was possible to identify speech errors not typical of earlier speech development, involving problems with syllable structure planning and vocal tract coordination. The speech-disordered children could produce more words correctly than the controls, but, when they did make speech errors, these were more serious than those found in the younger children. The speech-disordered children were followed up 4 years later. Although their speech had improved, they presented with the same profile of error types. They had increased intelligibility by adding more word-specific articulations but still had difficulties with novel and complex material. The adoption of a developmental framework in this study allowed the identification of different levels of breakdown within the speech production process. The case-study method is recommended to investigate how these levels may interact and the clinical implications of the findings are outlined.

Language screening in preschool Chinese children

Abstract: The incidence of language delay in Chinese preschool children was studied by a stratified proportional sampling of all 3 year olds in Hong Kong. The Developmental Language Screening Scale (DLSS) devised for use with Cantonese speaking children was used to identify children with language delay. Of 855 children sampled in the stage I screening procedure, 4%, 2.8% and 3.3% were identified as having delay in verbal comprehension, expression or both respectively. The stage II clinical diagnostic study included a randomly selected group of children screened in stage I with or without any associated behavioural problem. Among these, 3.4% were identified as having a language delay using the Reynell Language Developmental Scale (RDLS) with a criterion of language age of less than or equal to two-thirds of the chronological age; 3% had specific language delay using the criteria of language age less than or equal to two-thirds the chronological age and developmental age more than or equal to two-thirds the chronological age. More boys were found to have language delay, although this was not statistically significant.

The effects of speech and language therapy for a case of dysarthria associated with Parkinson's disease

Abstract: We report the results of a single-subject multiple baseline across behaviours experiment of a 74-year-old woman presenting with Parkinson's disease. Her speech was typical of a hypokinetic dysarthria. The main features of her dysarthric speech were: a restriction in the modulation of fundamental frequency, an inappropriate pitch level and a rate disturbance. Three measures of prosody were operationally defined as follows: (1) linguistic modulation of fundamental frequency, (2) mean fundamental frequency and (3) rate. Treatment focused on ameliorating these aspects employing a multiple baseline design. Measures during and post-therapy documented improvement for each of these three aspects of prosody. Independent judges were also more capable of understanding her speech and her speech prosody after therapy. Upon follow-up measures 10 weeks later, most of the improvement was maintained.

The communication abilities of 2- to 4-year-old twins.

Abstract: The speech and language abilities of pre-school multiple-birth children (MBC) are often reported to be impaired. In this study, teh syntactic, semantic, pragmatic, articulation and phonological skills of 19 sets of MBC were assessed. The comparisons made were between MBC and matched singleton controls, between siblings within multiple-birth sets, and for each multiple-birth child with different conversational partners (sibling versus speech and language therapist). The results indicated that the MBC performed more poorly than the singleton controls on measures of syntax and phonology. Whilst there were quantitative and qualitative similarities between siblings' linguistic abilities, their phonologies were not identical, and the MBC's speech and language changed with different conversational partners. The implications of the results for the existence of 'twin language', choice of language sample for assessment of functional communication and the need for preventive intervention programmes are discussed.

The assessment of symbolic play in young children: a prototype test.

Abstract: In this paper it is argued that assessing symbolic play (defined as one object substituting for another, a property being attributed to an object which it does not have or an absent object being referred to as if present) is particularly useful for young children in whom language and/or play is not developing normally. A new test of symbolic play is described which assesses the child's ability to substitute her- or himself, a teddy or a non-representational object such as a piece of material for another object, to attribute a property to her- or himself or a teddy, and to refer to an absent object used by her- or himself or a teddy. The play may be modelled or instructed or the child may produce examples of her or his own. Some preliminary results from a group of 43 children are reported. It is concluded that this new test of symbolic play will provide clinicians working with children whose language and/or play is impaired with information of value in reaching a diagnosis and in understanding immediate treatment needs.

Frozen phonology thawed: The analysis and remediation of a developmental disorder of real word phonology

Abstract: SA 5-year-old boy presented with very deviant phonological production, as well as some delay in acquisition of vocabulary for comprehension. Investigations showed that, in contrast to his very limited phonological system in word production and naming, he was able to repeat a variety of non-words with reasonable accuracy using a variety of syllable structures. A period of therapy aimed at improving his phonological segmentation skills resulted in dramatic improvement in real word production to the same level that he showed with non-words. This improvement was specific to the domain of treatment-real word phonology-demonstrating that the effects were a result of the therapy regimen. The reasons for this dissociation between the phonology of real words and non-words are discussed. It is concluded that the chil's pattern of performance is incompatible with theories which assume that a single phonological representation is used both for word recognition and for output. His deficit appears to lie in a f...

The predictive validity and accuracy of a screening test for language delay and auditory perceptual disorder

Abstract: SInfants (321) who had been screened for language delay and auditory perceptual problems at 9 months of age were evaluated 1 year later. Of these infants 88.6% were correctly classified as at-risk or not-at-risk of delayed linguistic development. The correlation between performance on the screen and on a language scale was 0.49. The great majority of those with receptive and expressive delay continued to show problems at 2 years of age, whereas half of those with expressive delay alone were within normal limits. No evidence was found that a history of fluctuating hearing loss contributed to the development of either language delay or auditory perceptual problems.De jeunes enfants qui avaient ete testes a l'aˇge de 9 mois en vue de deceler d'eventuels retards du langage el problemes de perception auditive, ont ete examines un an apres. Ceci a permis de reveler l'exactitude de 88.6% des diagnostics qui visaient a etablir si ces enfants couraient ou non un risque de retard dans leur developpement lin...

Vocal attrition related to idiosyncratic dysphonia: re-analysis of survey data.

Abstract: SIn a recent survey study it was found that female army instructors were significantly more likely to suffer from symptoms of vocal attrition than new female recruits, supporting the clinical impression that those who are engaged in a vocally taxing vocation are at higher risk for vocal attrition than those who are not. In the present study we found that instructors who reported having rapid, excessive or loud speech, or a combination of these, were significantly more likely to report symptoms of vocal attrition than instructors who reported not having these speech habits. Difference in prevalence of vocal attrition symptoms among recruits with and without these speech habits was statistically non-significant. The present findings confirm the clinical impression that idiosyncratic dysphonia can increase the risk of vocal attrition, especially in people who are engaged in a vocally demanding profession or vocation.Les resultats d'une enquete slatistique recente avaient permis de conclure que les in...

Dysarthria associated with focal unilateral upper motor neuron lesion

Abstract: Speech motor changes in six patients with focal unilateral upper motor neuron (UUMN) lesions were characterised using a variety of techniques including listener judgements, speech acoustic analyses...

Characteristics of children with specific language impairment attending language units.

Abstract: SThe characteristics of children with specific language impairment (SLI) attending four language units in the north-west of England are examined. The present study involved 15 children with SLI and two sets of control groups: a same-age group and an MLU-matched group (MLU = mean length of utterance). Results are discussed in terms of the following questions: Do children with SLI attending language units fit the classic definition of SLI? Can children with SLI be categorised as having expressive versus receptive language problems? What other aspects of educational attainment such as reading, maths and science are affected by SLI? The paper ends with implications for future research.L'article examine les caracteristiques d'enfants souffrant de deficiences specifiques du langage ('SLI' dans le texte en anglais) et qui frequentent quatre centres de soins correctifs du langage dans le nord-ouest de l'Anglelerre. It s'agit en l'occurrence de quinze enfants atteints de deficiences specifiques du langage ...

A survey of the communication-impaired population of Tayside.

Abstract: There are few published surveys that are designed specifically to describe the total population of clients with communication disorders who might potentially benefit from the use of a communication aid. Such data, however, would be useful in planning the funding and staffing of rehabilitation services in a region. Figures are also needed to identify populations whose needs are currently not being met and thus to establish areas of future developments both for service and research purposes. The survey reported here was carried out as part of a project concerned with the provision of augmentative communication to the neurologically impaired child and young adult. It was intended to produce a broad description of the communication-impaired population in Tayside. The survey was then used to identify detailed information about clients who may benefit from using a communication aid, and it also highlighted some provision and research issues. Access to communication aids for the non-speaking population was found to have been restricted by lack of funding, resources and opportunities for training for therapists in the use of augmentative and alternative communication. Future research and development should particularly address the needs of the aphasic population whose needs were not found to be met by currently available communication aids.

Factors influencing accuracy of estimation of comprehension problems in patients following cerebrovascular accident, by doctors, nurses and relatives

Abstract: Previous work has shown that doctors, nurses and relatives are inaccurate at estimating the comprehension problem of stroke patients. Possible factors that influence the accuracy of these judgements were studied, including confidence of the respondents, the severity of the comprehension problems of the patients and factors specific to relatives (educational background and the length of the relative's relationship with the patient). Doctors, nurses and relatives involved with 30 recently aphasic stroke patients were asked to estimate how patients would perform on the comprehension sections of two tests (Western Aphasia Battery and Functional Communication Profile). Results show that although all respondents over-estimated patients' comprehension abilities, they were more accurate for patients who had mild problems. Doctors and nurses who were more confident about their predictions tended to be more accurate on some parts of the tests than those with less confidence, whereas relatives were equally inaccurate when giving high and low confidence judgements. Length of relationship and educational level did not predict relative's accuracy.

Parental recall of children's early development

Abstract: This study investigates the accuracy of mothers' memories of their child's developmental milestone when the child has reached the age of 4-5 years. Certain aspects of development were well remembered; others, including some speech milestones, were not recalled accurately.Cette etude evalue l'exactitude du souvenir des meres a propos des etapes du developpement de lew enfant lorsque celui-ci a atteint l'aˇge de quatre a cinq arts. Si les meres ont un souvenir exact de certains aspects du diveloppement, d'autres (parmi lesquels certaines etapes de iacquisition du language) sont moins bien gardes en memoire.Diese Studie untersucht die Genauigkeit, mil der sich Mutter an die Entwicklungsstufen ihres Kindes erinnern, wenn das Kind das Alter von vier bis funf Jahren erreicht hat. Gewisse Aspekte der Entwicklung hielten sie gut im Gedachtnis, aber an andere, darunter Sprachentwicklungsstufen, konnten sie sich nicht so gut erinnern.

A simple nasal anemometer for clinical purposes.

Abstract: There is a need for clinical methods which give more direct information about the behaviour of the velopharyngeal mechanism in natural speech than do the examination methods normally applied to patients suffering from velopharyngeal insufficiency. One possibility is the recording of nasal airflow in order to detect nasal emission of air. The purpose of the present study is to examine the qualities and the characteristics of a simple and cheap nasal anemometer. As this type of flowmeter is considered less reliable than most other flowmeters, its limitations must be clearly understood and accounted for in drawing conclusions. Therefore, nasal airflow in speech obtained with this flowmeter is discussed in relation to nasal airflow obtained by the more reliable pneumotachograph and in relation to nasal airflow data found in the literature. The tests made here suggest that, at least for the type of speech material and measurements used in the present study, reliable nasal airflow data can be obtained by the anemometer.

Differentiating the language disorder in dementia from dysphasia — the potential of a screening test

Abstract: SA considerable amount of information is now available about the way in which senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDA T) affects language performance. Speech and language therapists may have the requisite knowledge to work in the field, but they have few assessment materials to facilitate improved differential diagnosis between language breakdown in dementia and dysphasia. This study highlights the differential diagnostic potential of a short screening test with a weighted scoring system. The best discriminatory effect was in the areas of action picture description, verbal description and confrontation naming. Neither age nor sex appears to have a significant effect on results, and re-test results contribute little to the test's discriminatory power in terms of differential diagnosis between the two groups. The possibilities for future test usage and development are discussed.L'on despose disormais D'une somme considerable de renseignements surlafacon dont la demence senile de type d'Alzheimer ...

Metalinguistic awareness of nuclear accent and of compound stress in an 8 year old.

Abstract: INTRODUCTIONThis note records two episodes in which an English boy aged approximately 8 years made spontaneous metalinguistic comments on English intonation. In the first episode, at 7;10 years, he offered a comprehensive and revealing analysis of the changed interpretation which would have been associated with a particular English sentence had the location of nuclear accent been altered. His analysis, which explicitly concerns focus assignment, is not only accurate but strikingly similar in method to the type of explanation used by linguists, e.g. (1) he specifically includes reference to prior spoken context and (2) he makes use of a variable to replace the focused material in the sentence. Further, the sentence which forms the starting point for the discussion is a somewhat complex type in which the all-focus interpretation requires the nuclear accent to be placed on the subject NP of an embedded sentence. The episode establishes that this fact was known to a younger brother (aged 5;4 years).

Confrontation naming in the elderly: The Build‐up Picture Test as an aid to differentiating normals from subjects with dementia

Abstract: This paper reports the results of a study in which the Build-up Picture Test (BUPT) was given to three groups of elderly subjects with 15 subjects in each group: independent, dependent and those with probable senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT). The BUPT is a task designed to combine confrontation and generative naming, incorporating priming, cueing and latency aspects to facilitate responses. It involves presentation of degraded line drawings of objects, built up in stages to black and white photographs of the objects. Results showed the scores by the probable SDAT subjects to be highly significant at the 1.00 level (p = 0.0000). Analysis of scores showed better than expected responses from the probable SDA T subjects to representations of familiar objects with simple outline shapes. The implications for differential diagnosis are discussed.L 'article fournit les resultats d'une etude au cours de laquelle le Build-up Picture Test (BUPT) a ete administre a 45 reeillards repartis en trois groupes ...

Speech control in persistent tardive dyskinesia: a case study.

Abstract: SThis case study presents the results of a speech control technique successfully used by a patient who developed persistent tardive dyskinesia as a side effect of the long-term use of prescribed medication.Cette etude presente les resultats d'une technique de maiˇtrise du langage parle utilisie avec succes par un malade qui avail contracte une diskinesie tardive persistente comme effet secondaire de l' utilisation a long terme de medicaments sous ordonnance.In dieser Einzelfallstudie werden die Ergebnisse einer von einem Patienten erfolgreich angewandten Sprechkontrollmethode dargestellt. Der Patient hatte als Seiteneffekt der langfristigen Verschreibung einer Medikation eine tardive Dyskinesie entwickelt.