Examining Speech Production in 3- and 4-Year-Old Typically Developing Children: A Comparison Study for the American English Phrase Sample

193544-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
The standard of care by multiple cleft teams includes utilizing controlled speech samples, such as the American English Phrase Sample (AEPS), which is controlled for each sound class in different word positions to rate cleft speech characteristics, mainly resonance, within

The standard of care by multiple cleft teams includes utilizing controlled speech samples, such as the American English Phrase Sample (AEPS), which is controlled for each sound class in different word positions to rate cleft speech characteristics, mainly resonance, within multi-word contexts. This study aimed to provide information on traditional speech errors and speech sound accuracy in typically developing (TD) children aged three to four years on this phrase repetition task. Additionally, it compared speech sound accuracy between single-word articulation and phrases. Finally, the speech samples from a small group of non-cleft children with a speech delay were described in relation to their TD peers. Thirty typically developing children without cleft palate and seven children with speech delays, ranging in age from 3-4;11 years old, were recruited from a larger study. The Sounds-in-Words subtest of the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation-3rd Edition (GFTA-3) and the AEPS were administered. The GFTA-3 and AEPS were analyzed for traditional speech errors, Percent Consonants Correct (PCC) total and PCC by manner. Additionally, phonological processes were examined using the Khan-Lewis Phonological Analysis-3rd Edition (KLPA-3). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and effect sizes were computed for the Substitutions, Omissions, Distortions, and Additions (SODA) and PCC comparisons of the children with typical development. The data for the children with speech delays are presented descriptively due to the small numbers. Results revealed significant decreases in PCC for certain categories at the phrase level for 3-year-olds, with little variation in PCC for 4-year-olds. Children with speech delays exhibited lower PCCs for multiple manner classes compared to their TD peers. Age showed significance in increased PCC for 4-year-olds. Substitution errors were prevalent in TD children, while children with speech delays demonstrated various error types. Error reduction correlated with increased age and varied by word position. Patterns differed between TD and speech delay groups across linguistic contexts. Though originally intended to assess cleft palate speech characteristics, normative data on the AEPS helps contextualize speech characteristics observed within typical development. The current study addresses the lack of normative data on the AEPS for comparison to children with cleft palate with or without cleft lip (CP+/-L). Additionally, it provides normative data for PCC and PCC by manner at the single-word and phrase level. Overall, the results of this study support the claim that children perform similarly on the AEPS as the GFTA-3, with a few variations depending on context.
Date Created
2024
Agent

Exploring the Connection Between Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder, Speech Errors of /s/
and /z/, and Auditory Perception Skills

Description
Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder (OMD) is defined as “abnormal movement patterns of the face and mouth” by ASHA (2023). OMD leads to anterior carriage of the tongue, open mouth posture, mouth breathing, and tongue thrust swallow. Dentalization speech errors of /s/ and /z/ are

Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder (OMD) is defined as “abnormal movement patterns of the face and mouth” by ASHA (2023). OMD leads to anterior carriage of the tongue, open mouth posture, mouth breathing, and tongue thrust swallow. Dentalization speech errors of /s/ and /z/ are also known to be caused by low and forward position of the tongue (Wadsworth, Maui, & Stevens, 1998). This study used the OMES-E protocol to identify 10 out of 40 participants with OMD. A cut-off below 80% accuracy for the production of /s/ and /z/ sounds classified 6 out of 40 participants with speech errors. Then, a correlation was run between speech score and OMD classification; it was not significant. This raises the question, why do some people with OMD have moderate to severe speech errors of /s/ and /z/, and some who have OMD do not? This study aims to explore this question beyond the motor modality. Using an auditory perception paradigm, the first and second formants of the vowel /ɛ/ were shifted to approximate /æ/. The participant’s responses and compensations to these shifts were recorded in real time. Results of this perceptual test could suggest that perceptual/compensatory differences may explain why some people in the OMD population have speech errors and some do not.
Date Created
2023-12
Agent

Examining the Impact of Language Acquisition on Behavior Plans of Three School-Aged Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Description

The present study investigated the communicative characteristics of challenging behavior documented in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and how those behaviors changed as receptive and expressive language skills changed. Several years of the individual education plans (IEPs), behavior plans,

The present study investigated the communicative characteristics of challenging behavior documented in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and how those behaviors changed as receptive and expressive language skills changed. Several years of the individual education plans (IEPs), behavior plans, and test scores of three male students from a small non- public school (NPS) were reviewed for this study. Challenging behaviors that served a communicative function showed some signs of diminishing as functional communication increased. While functional communication did show signs of increasing with the acquisition of expressive and receptive language the participants differed in their dependence on prompting to use functional communication in lieu of challenging behavior. Additionally, some of the challenging behaviors were rooted in a difficulty with self-regulation and stimming behavior and didn't appear to serve a communicative function. Given the significant impact challenging behaviors have on the quality life of the children with ASD and their families, more research is needed to better understand the connection between spontaneous and independent functional communication and duration to independent attention to task effects on challenging behavior.

Date Created
2023-05
Agent

Physical and socio-emotional quality of life in parents of children with classic galactosemia who participated in a proactive speech/language intervention: Mothers experience a lower quality of life compared to fathers

Description

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of life in the participating families of the Babble Boot Camp. The Babble Boot Camp provides speech therapy for children with classic galactosemia starting as early as two months old.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of life in the participating families of the Babble Boot Camp. The Babble Boot Camp provides speech therapy for children with classic galactosemia starting as early as two months old. The child’s speech progress is evaluated along with other metrics such as parental and child stress levels and quality of life. In this study, the quality of life of the participants in the Babble Boot Camp was evaluated using the Pediatric Quality of Life questionnaire (Varni, 1998). A comparative study was conducted between mothers and fathers, families with children with classic galactosemia, and with typically developing children, and the effects of speech therapy earlier in a child’s life versus later. The questions looked into in this study were if mothers and fathers report different quality of life scores, if there is a correlation between the scores the children have for the quality of life and the scores the parents received for the quality of life, differences in quality of life scores of parents with children with classic galactosemia and parents with typically developing children, and if the quality of life scores of parents and children improve in the Babble Boot Camp. The main results were that mothers report a lower quality of life than fathers, mothers have a stronger correlation with their children in regards to their quality of life scores, parents with children with classic galactosemia have a lower quality of life scores than parents with typically developing children and parents and children who were in the group who received speech therapy from earlier have a higher quality of life scores than the late group.

Date Created
2022-12
Agent

Exploring the Relationship Between Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder and Speech Production Errors of /s/ and /z/

165557-Thumbnail Image.png
Description

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between orofacial myofunctional disorder (OMD) and speech production errors of /s/ and /z/. A randomized sample of 32 college-aged participants was analyzed to determine OMD prevalence. Further recruitment took place

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between orofacial myofunctional disorder (OMD) and speech production errors of /s/ and /z/. A randomized sample of 32 college-aged participants was analyzed to determine OMD prevalence. Further recruitment took place for those that had current speech errors or had a history of speech therapy, totaling 39 participants (ages 18-36). Subjects participated in an evaluation (ranging from 0:18:27 to 0:30:08) where OMD classification was determined through the validated 2010 Expanded Orofacial Myofunctional Evaluation with Scores protocol (OMES-E), and speech production errors were assessed through spontaneous speech and a reading sample. Through a descriptive analysis of the first 32 participants, greater prevalence of OMD was seen in participants who exhibited moderate to severe speech errors than those with mild/subclinical and no speech errors. Results from the 39 participants indicated a significant correlation between OMD classification and speech errors. Further analysis showed speech errors were significantly correlated with the OMES-E subtests of physical features/posture and mobility. Results suggest that OMD may be a contributing factor to persistent speech errors in college-aged students. Further research may indicate that OMD characteristics need to be treated alongside speech sound disorders to aid in successful remediation of speech errors in individuals who exhibit both OMD and speech errors.

Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Predicting /r/ Acquisition: A Longitudinal Analysis Using Signal Processing

148204-Thumbnail Image.png
Description

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to predict /r/ acquisition using acoustic signal processing. 19 children, aged 5-7 with inaccurate /r/, were followed until they turned 8 or acquired /r/, whichever came first. Acoustic and descriptive data from 14

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to predict /r/ acquisition using acoustic signal processing. 19 children, aged 5-7 with inaccurate /r/, were followed until they turned 8 or acquired /r/, whichever came first. Acoustic and descriptive data from 14 participants were analyzed. The remaining 5 children continued to be followed. The study analyzed differences in spectral energy at the baseline acoustic signals of participants who eventually acquired /r/ compared to that of those who did not acquire /r/. Results indicated significant differences between groups in the baseline signals for vocalic and postvocalic /r/, suggesting that the acquisition of certain allophones may be predictable. Participants’ articulatory changes made during the progression of acquisition were also analyzed spectrally. A retrospective analysis described the pattern in which /r/ allophones were acquired, proposing that vocalic /r/ and the postvocalic variant of consonantal /r/ may be acquired prior to prevocalic /r/, and /r/ followed by low vowels may be acquired before /r/ followed by high vowels, although individual variations exist.

Date Created
2021-05
Agent

Biomarkers of Familial Speech Sound Disorders: Genes, Perception, and Motor Control

158859-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
Speech sound disorders (SSDs) are the most prevalent type of communication disorder in children. Clinically, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) rely on behavioral methods for assessing and treating SSDs. Though clients typically experience improved speech outcomes as a result of

Speech sound disorders (SSDs) are the most prevalent type of communication disorder in children. Clinically, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) rely on behavioral methods for assessing and treating SSDs. Though clients typically experience improved speech outcomes as a result of therapy, there is evidence that underlying deficits may persist even in individuals who have completed treatment for surface-level speech behaviors. Advances in the field of genetics have created the opportunity to investigate the contribution of genes to human communication. Due to the heterogeneity of many communication disorders, the manner in which specific genetic changes influence neural mechanisms, and thereby behavioral phenotypes, remains largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to identify genotype-phenotype associations, along with perceptual, and motor-related biomarkers within families displaying SSDs. Five parent-child trios participated in genetic testing, and five families participated in a combination of genetic and behavioral testing to help elucidate biomarkers related to SSDs. All of the affected individuals had a history of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) except for one family that displayed a phonological disorder. Genetic investigation yielded several genes of interest relevant for an SSD phenotype: CNTNAP2, CYFIP1, GPR56, HERC1, KIAA0556, LAMA5, LAMB1, MDGA2, MECP2, NBEA, SHANK3, TENM3, and ZNF142. All of these genes showed at least some expression in the developing brain. Gene ontology analysis yielded terms supporting a genetic influence on central nervous system development. Behavioral testing revealed evidence of a sequential processing biomarker for all individuals with CAS, with many showing deficits in sequential motor skills in addition to speech deficits. In some families, participants also showed evidence of a co-occurring perceptual processing biomarker. The family displaying a phonological phenotype showed milder sequential processing deficits compared to CAS families. Overall, this study supports the presence of a sequential processing biomarker for CAS and shows that relevant genes of interest may be influencing a CAS phenotype via sequential processing. Knowledge of these biomarkers can help strengthen precision of clinical assessment and motivate development of novel interventions for individuals with SSDs.
Date Created
2020
Agent

Global motor characteristics in three families with familial speech sound disorders, compared to an adult with a cerebellar stroke: Evidence for the cerebellar hypothesis of apraxia of speech

131303-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
The purpose of this study was to compare the speech and motor functions a group of individuals with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) and a case study of an individual who has suffered a right cerebellar stroke. The participants consisted

The purpose of this study was to compare the speech and motor functions a group of individuals with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) and a case study of an individual who has suffered a right cerebellar stroke. The participants consisted of one case study adult and three families made up of three to five members each, all with a history of CAS. All of the participants in the study performed below average on speech and motor function tests. There are some comparable similarities between the CAS group and the case study individual suggesting that there is cerebellar involvement in the fine motor skills needed to perform speech movements.
Date Created
2020-05
Agent