scholarly journals Non-nutritive suck and voice onset time: Examining infant oromotor coordination

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0250529
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Heller Murray ◽  
Joanna Lewis ◽  
Emily Zimmerman

The variability of a child’s voice onset time (VOT) decreases during development as they learn to coordinate upper vocal tract and laryngeal articulatory gestures. Yet, little is known about the relationship between VOT and other early motor tasks. The aims of this study were to evaluate the relationship between infant vocalization and another early oromotor task, non-nutritive suck (NNS). Twenty-five full-term infants (11 male, 14 female) completed this study. NNS was measured with a customized pacifier at 3 months to evaluate this early reflex. Measures of mean VOT and variability of VOT (measured via coefficient of variation) were collected from 12-month-old infants using a Language Environmental Analysis device. Variability of VOTs at 12 months was significantly related to NNS measures at 3-months. Increased VOT variability was primarily driven by increased NNS intraburst frequency and increased NNS burst duration. There were no relationships between average VOT or range of VOT and NNS measures. Findings from this pilot study indicate a relationship between NNS measures of intraburst frequency and burst duration and VOT variability. Infants with increased NNS intraburst frequency and NNS burst duration had increased VOT variability, suggesting a relationship between the development of VOT and NNS in the first year of life. Future work is needed to continue to examine the relationship between these early oromotor actions and to evaluate how this may impact later speech development.

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1276
Author(s):  
Franka Neumer ◽  
Orenci Urraca ◽  
Joaquin Alonso ◽  
Jesús Palencia ◽  
Vicente Varea ◽  
...  

The present study aims to evaluate the effects of an infant formula supplemented with a mixture of prebiotic short and long chain inulin-type oligosaccharides on health outcomes, safety and tolerance, as well as on fecal microbiota composition during the first year of life. In a prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blind study, n = 160 healthy term infants under 4 months of age were randomized to receive either an infant formula enriched with 0.8 g/dL of Orafti®Synergy1 or an unsupplemented control formula until the age of 12 months. Growth, fever (>38 °C) and infections were regularly followed up by a pediatrician. Digestive symptoms, stool consistency as well as crying and sleeping patterns were recorded during one week each study month. Fecal microbiota and immunological biomarkers were determined from a subgroup of infants after 2, 6 and 12 months of life. The intention to treat (ITT) population consisted of n = 149 infants. Both formulae were well tolerated. Mean duration of infections was significantly lower in the prebiotic fed infants (p < 0.05). The prebiotic group showed higher Bifidobacterium counts at month 6 (p = 0.006), and higher proportions of Bifidobacterium in relation to total bacteria at month 2 and 6 (p = 0.042 and p = 0.013, respectively). Stools of infants receiving the prebiotic formula were softer (p < 0.05). Orafti®Synergy1 tended to beneficially impact total daily amount of crying (p = 0.0594). Supplementation with inulin-type prebiotic oligosaccharides during the first year of life beneficially modulates the infant gut microbiota towards higher Bifidobacterium levels at the first 6 months of life, and is associated with reduced duration of infections.


Languages ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 61
Author(s):  
Lisa Kornder ◽  
Ineke Mennen

The purpose of this investigation was to trace first (L1) and second language (L2) segmental speech development in the Austrian German–English late bilingual Arnold Schwarzenegger over a period of 40 years, which makes it the first study to examine a bilingual’s speech development over several decades in both their languages. To this end, acoustic measurements of voice onset time (VOT) durations of word-initial plosives (Study 1) and formant frequencies of the first and second formant of Austrian German and English monophthongs (Study 2) were conducted using speech samples collected from broadcast interviews. The results of Study 1 showed a merging of Schwarzenegger’s German and English voiceless plosives in his late productions as manifested in a significant lengthening of VOT duration in his German plosives, and a shortening of VOT duration in his English plosives, closer to L1 production norms. Similar findings were evidenced in Study 2, revealing that some of Schwarzenegger’s L1 and L2 vowel categories had moved closer together in the course of L2 immersion. These findings suggest that both a bilingual’s first and second language accent is likely to develop and reorganize over time due to dynamic interactions between the first and second language system.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 2412
Author(s):  
Sonia González ◽  
Marta Selma-Royo ◽  
Silvia Arboleya ◽  
Cecilia Martínez-Costa ◽  
Gonzalo Solís ◽  
...  

The early life gut microbiota has been reported to be involved in neonatal weight gain and later infant growth. Therefore, this early microbiota may constitute a target for the promotion of healthy neonatal growth and development with potential consequences for later life. Unfortunately, we are still far from understanding the association between neonatal microbiota and weight gain and growth. In this context, we evaluated the relationship between early microbiota and weight in a cohort of full-term infants. The absolute levels of specific fecal microorganisms were determined in 88 vaginally delivered and 36 C-section-delivered full-term newborns at 1 month of age and their growth up to 12 months of age. We observed statistically significant associations between the levels of some early life gut microbes and infant weight gain during the first year of life. Classifying the infants into tertiles according to their Staphylococcus levels at 1 month of age allowed us to observe a significantly lower weight at 12 months of life in the C-section-delivered infants from the highest tertile. Univariate and multivariate models pointed out associations between the levels of some fecal microorganisms at 1 month of age and weight gain at 6 and 12 months. Interestingly, these associations were different in vaginally and C-section-delivered babies. A significant direct association between Staphylococcus and weight gain at 1 month of life was observed in vaginally delivered babies, whereas in C-section-delivered infants, lower Bacteroides levels at 1 month were associated with higher later weight gain (at 6 and 12 months). Our results indicate an association between the gut microbiota and weight gain in early life and highlight potential microbial predictors for later weight gain.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 537-543
Author(s):  
Marie C. McCormick ◽  
Sam Shapiro ◽  
Barbara Starfield

A mother's expectations about the development of her infant have been found to be a strong determinant of child development, but little is known about the factors that may affect maternal assessment of development. In this study, the relationship of the mother's opinion of the development of her infant with several sociodemographic, antenatal, intrapartum, and infant health variables was examined for a large sample of 1-year-old infants for whom gross motor observations were also obtained at the time of the interview. Among those observed to be developing at an appropriate rate, 4.0% were perceived by their mothers as developing more slowly than the mothers considered normal; among infants developing more slowly, 28.6% were considered to be developing slowly by their mothers. In both groups, the major determinants of maternal opinion of slow development concerned the infant's health: low birth weight, congenital anomalies regardless of severity, hospitalization during the first year of life, and high ambulatory care use. These results indicate that maternal perception of infant development may not reflect the infant's level, but past or present illness, and raise questions about the influence of infant health on maternal-infant interactions and the effect of such interactions on subsequent development in the child.


2021 ◽  
pp. 34-44
Author(s):  
Yu. O. Kuzmina ◽  
E. S. Tregubova ◽  
E. S. Mokhova ◽  
Yu. P. Potekhina

Introduction. The health status of children of the first year of life is primarily affected by the course of pregnancy and childbirth, as well as hereditary factors. During the newborn period, reversible disorders may occur, which can be estimated as somatic dysfunction (SD). The formation of SD in young children has its own causes and features, which have not been studied in detail until now.The goal of research — is to study the features of the osteopathic status in children of the first year of life with different patterns of pregnancy and delivery methods for their mothers.Materials and methods. Since 2015, for 5 years, a prospective multicenter study has been conducted to investigate the osteopathic status of children of the first year of life under a single protocol in 6 cities of Russia, organized by the Institute of Osteopathy (St. Petersburg) and the Department of Osteopathy of Mechnikov North-West State Medical University. A total of 360 full-term infants aged 1 to 12 months with perinatal hypoxic-ischemic lesions of the central nervous system, and practically healthy ones were examined. All children underwent an osteopathic examination, and a detailed history of pregnancy and childbirth was collected. Based on the results of the obstetric history analysis the following groups were selected: physiological course of pregnancy, ending in physiological childbirth through the natural birth canal — 62 people; physiological course of pregnancy, ending with operative delivery — 25 people; physiological course of pregnancy, ending in complicated labor through the natural birth canal — 20 people; pregnancy with complications, ending in physiological childbirth through the natural birth canal — 104 people. Statistical processing of the obtained results was carried out by nonparametric methods using the Statistica 10.0 software.Results. In children born by physiological childbirth with complicated pregnancy, a smaller number of local SD (p=0,04) and a larger number of global SD were detected, but the difference with the subgroup of the pregnancy physiological course did not reach the statistical significance. In children whose mothers had a physiological course of pregnancy, but childbirth proceeded with complications and required the use of obstetric assistance, the significantly more number of regional SD were revealed (p<0,0001) compared with children born in physiological childbirth. The latter had a greater number of local SD of the craniosacral system (p=0,035). In children born by caesarean section and in children born through the natural birth canal without complications, the number of global, regional and local SD did not differ statistically significantly. Osteopathic examination of children in the first year of life showed that the first three places in the structure of dominant SD were occupied by SD of the neck, head, and dura mater.Conclusion. Based on the data obtained as a result of the study, it can be assumed the presence of numerous factors that can lead to the formation of various SD in children of the first year of life during pregnancy and especially during childbirth. It is necessary to further study the features of the osteopathic state in children in the postnatal period.


2014 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 1577-1588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne Pouplier ◽  
Stefania Marin ◽  
Susanne Waltl

Purpose Phonetic accommodation in speech errors has traditionally been used to identify the processing level at which an error has occurred. Recent studies have challenged the view that noncanonical productions may solely be due to phonetic, not phonological, processing irregularities, as previously assumed. The authors of the present study investigated the relationship between phonological and phonetic planning processes on the basis of voice onset time (VOT) behavior in consonant cluster errors. Method Acoustic data from 22 German speakers were recorded while eliciting errors on sibilant-stop clusters. Analyses consider VOT duration as well as intensity and spectral properties of the sibilant. Results Of all incorrect responses, 28% failed to show accommodation. Sibilant intensity and spectral properties differed from correct responses irrespective of whether VOT was accommodated. Conclusions The data overall do not allow using (a lack of) accommodation as a diagnostic as to the processing level at which an error has occurred. The data support speech production models that allow for an integrated view of phonological and phonetic processing.


2013 ◽  
Vol 133 (5) ◽  
pp. 3341-3341
Author(s):  
Evamarie Cropsey ◽  
Jessica Gamache ◽  
Tonya Bergeson ◽  
Laura Dilley

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (7) ◽  
pp. 405-410
Author(s):  
I. V. Gorbacheva ◽  
O. U. Kuznetsova ◽  
F. N. Gilmiyarova ◽  
D. V. Pechkurov ◽  
L. N. Vinogradova

Comparative analysis of energy-plastic exchange indicators in mature and premature children of the first year of life in the development of protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) was carried out. Unidirectional changes are revealed, including an increase in creatinine, lactate and creatine phosphokinase activity levels, suggesting a n increasing muscle mass deficit against the background of glucose anaerobic oxidation activation. In preterm infants, glucose and triacylglicerine levels decrease, which reflects uncompensated insufficiency of energy substrates and, accordingly, ATP level. Multidirectional deviations in metabolism are pyruvate and ATP content: increase in full-term infants and decrease in preterm infants, that should be taken into account when monitoring condition of children with PEM. A significant decrease of pyruvic acid in preterm infants against the background of the levels of total protein, albumin, hemoglobin, and transferrin, not exceeding reference values, can obviously testify to the active use of this integral metabolite to maintain the fund of substituted amino acids. Development of this pathology in both mature and premature infants creates a pre-morbid background for iron deficiency anemia-diagnostic panel, which should be supplemented by calculation of transferrin saturation coefficient. Regardless of gestational age in childbirth during the formation of PEM, the lipid spectrum is rearranged according to atherogenic type: at normal values of total cholesterol, there is a significant increase in low and very low density lipoproteins with an increase in the atherogenicity coefficient. This singles out children with the pathology in question as a risk group for the development of the atherosclerotic process later, which justifies the recommendation to control the lipid profile in children of the first year of life.


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