Does Early Speech Discrimination Predict Language Ability?

2008 ◽  
Vol 139 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. P101-P101
Author(s):  
Jonathan Y Ting ◽  
Derek M Houston ◽  
Richard T Miyamoto
Keyword(s):  
Effect Size ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Speech Discrimination ◽  
Language Outcomes ◽  
Indiana University ◽  
Research Award ◽  
Communicative Development ◽  
Clinical Tools ◽  
Vowel Contrast ◽  
Visual Habituation

Problem There is a paucity of instruments available to assess speech discrimination in normal-hearing (NH) and hearing-impaired (HI) infants. We assess the utility of a hybrid visual habituation paradigm (HVHP) in assessing speech discrimination and predicting later language ability. Methods NH infants were tested with the HVHP on an easier vowel contrast or a more difficult fricative contrast. Parents completed Macarthur Communicative Development Inventories (CDI) when infants were 14,18,24, and 30 months old to assess correlations between discrimination abilities and later language ability. Similarly, HVHP and CDI measures were obtained from HI infants at following hearing aid (HA) or cochlear implant (CI) use. Results 29% of NH infants significantly discriminated the vowel contrast. 6% of NH infants significantly discriminated the fricative contrast. Effect size of fricative discrimination at 9 months correlated with early gestures (n=10), r=.73 p=.02, and later gestures (n=10, r=.81 p = .01), at 14 months of age. HI infants tested on the vowel contrast at 3 months of HA use demonstrated significant correlations of effect size of discrimination with phrases understood at 6 months of HA use (n=4, r=.96, p=0.04) and vocabulary production at 9 months of HA use (n=5, r=.90, p=0.04). Conclusion The HVHP can be used with various contrasts to assess the speech discrimination abilities of NH and HI infants. While data collection is ongoing, it appears that performance on the HVHP may correlate with later language outcomes in both NH and HI infants. Significance This study assesses the utility of the HVHP in assessing speech discrimination, and is a step towards developing clinical tools to assess the progress of HI infants following early intervention. Support Supported by a 2007 AAO-HNSF Resident Research Award and NIH grant R01DC6235 to Indiana University.

The Association Between Parental Mean Length of Utterance and Language Outcomes in Children With Disabilities: A Correlational Meta-Analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 240-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Micheal Sandbank ◽  
Paul Yoder
Keyword(s):  
Effect Size ◽  
Children With Disabilities ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Combined Effect ◽  
Language Outcomes ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Parental Input ◽  
Disability Categories

Purpose The purpose of this correlational meta-analysis was to examine the association between parental utterance length and language outcomes in children with disabilities and whether this association varies according to other child characteristics, such as age and disability type. This association can serve as a starting point for language intervention practices for children with disabilities. Method We conducted a systematic search of 42 electronic databases to identify relevant studies. Twelve studies reporting on a total of 13 populations (including 257 participants) were identified. A random-effects model was used to estimate a combined effect size across all studies as well as separate effect sizes across studies in each disability category. Results The combined effect size across all studies suggests a weak positive association between parental input length and child language outcomes. However, subgroup analyses within disability categories suggest that this association may differ for children with autism. Results of 4 studies including 47 children with autism show that parental input length is strongly associated with positive language outcomes in this population. Conclusions Present evidence suggests that clinicians should reconsider intervention practices that prescribe shorter, grammatically incomplete utterances, particularly when working with children with autism.

scholarly journals The Ear Is Connected to the Brain: Some New Directions in the Study of Children with Cochlear Implants at Indiana University

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (06) ◽  
pp. 446-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek M. Houston ◽  
Jessica Beer ◽  
Tonya R. Bergeson ◽  
Steven B. Chin ◽  
David B. Pisoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Research Laboratory ◽  
Phonological Development ◽  
Language Outcomes ◽  
Speech And Language ◽  
Indiana University ◽  
School Of Medicine ◽  
New Directions ◽  
Language Outcome ◽  
The Brain

Since the early 1980s, the DeVault Otologic Research Laboratory at the Indiana University School of Medicine has been on the forefront of research on speech and language outcomes in children with cochlear implants. This paper highlights work over the last decade that has moved beyond collecting speech and language outcome measures to focus more on investigating the underlying cognitive, social, and linguistic skills that predict speech and language outcomes. This recent work reflects our growing appreciation that early auditory deprivation can affect more than hearing and speech perception. The new directions include research on attention to speech, word learning, phonological development, social development, and neurocognitive processes. We have also expanded our subject populations to include infants and children with additional disabilities

Articulation Functions and Test-Retest Performance of Normal-Hearing Children on Three Speech Discrimination Tests: WIPI, PBK-50, and NU Auditory Test No. 6

1976 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 503-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary E. Sanderson-Leepa ◽  
William F. Rintelmann
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Choice ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Verbal Response ◽  
Speech Discrimination ◽  
Single Male ◽  
Speech Discrimination Tests ◽  
Open Set ◽  
Northwestern University ◽  
Clinical Tools ◽  
Hearing Children

This study investigates the performance of normal-hearing children on three types of speech discrimination tasks: (1) a multiple-choice, closed-message set test requiring no verbal response, the WIPI; (2) an open-message set test constructed for use with children, the PBK-50; and (3) a standardized, open set test for adults, Northwestern University Auditory Test No. 6 (NU-6). Versions of these tests tape-recorded by a single male talker were administered to 60 normal-hearing children, divided equally between the ages three-and-one-half, five-and-one-half, seven-and-one-half, nine-and-one-half, and 11-and-one-half years. The number of tests and sensation levels administered varied by age. The WIPI test yielded the highest discrimination scores, the PBK-50 was intermediate, and the NU-6 was most difficult. A small number of items on the WIPI test accounted for a large percentage of the errors. For three-and-one-half year olds, the WIPI appears to be the instrument of choice. For children aged five-and-one-half years, both the WIPI and the PBK-50 appear to be appropriate clinical tools. Children aged seven-and-one-half scored similar to children aged nine-and-one-half on the WIPI and to children aged nine-and-one-half and 11 and-one-half on the PBK-50 and NU-6. Test-retest differences were small on all three tests.

scholarly journals Using Early Language Outcomes to Predict Later Language Ability in Children with Cochlear Implants

2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 370-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcia J. Hay-McCutcheon ◽  
Karen Iler Kirk ◽  
Shirley C. Henning ◽  
Sujuan Gao ◽  
Rong Qi
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Language Outcomes ◽  
Early Language

Speech and Language Outcomes in Adults and Children with Cochlear Implants

2022 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 299-319
Author(s):  
Terrin N. Tamati ◽  
David B. Pisoni ◽  
Aaron C. Moberly
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Spoken Word Recognition ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Spoken Word ◽  
Language Outcomes ◽  
Clinical Issue ◽  
Basic Understanding ◽  
Adults And Children ◽  
Clinical Tools ◽  
Poor Outcomes

Cochlear implants (CIs) represent a significant engineering and medical milestone in the treatment of hearing loss for both adults and children. In this review, we provide a brief overview of CI technology, describe the benefits that CIs can provide to adults and children who receive them, and discuss the specific limitations and issues faced by CI users. We emphasize the relevance of CIs to the linguistics community by demonstrating how CIs successfully provide access to spoken language. Furthermore, CI research can inform our basic understanding of spoken word recognition in adults and spoken language development in children. Linguistics research can also help us address the major clinical issue of outcome variability and motivate the development of new clinical tools to assess the unique challenges of adults and children with CIs, as well as novel interventions for individuals with poor outcomes.

scholarly journals A Randomized Case Series Approach to Testing Efficacy of Interventions for Minimally Verbal Autistic Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo Saul ◽  
Courtenay Norbury
Keyword(s):  
Speech Production ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Randomization Test ◽  
Language Outcomes ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Minimally Verbal ◽  
Baseline Design ◽  
Case Effect

BackgroundRandomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) are the gold standard for assessing whether an intervention is effective; however, they require large sample sizes in order to detect small effects. For rare or complex populations, we advocate a case series approach as a more realistic and useful first step for intervention evaluation. We consider the importance of randomization to such designs, and advocate for the use of Randomization Tests and Between Case Effect Sizes to provide a robust and statistically powerful evaluation of outcomes. In this tutorial, we describe the method, procedures, and analysis code necessary to conduct robust single case series, using an empirical example with minimally verbal autistic children.MethodWe applied a pre-registered (https://osf.io/9gvbs) randomized baseline design with between-case effect size to a case series (n = 19), to test the efficacy of a novel, parent-mediated, app-based speech production intervention (BabbleBooster) for minimally verbal autistic children. Parent-rated probe scores were used to densely sample performance accuracy over time.ResultsParents were able to reliably code their children’s speech productions using BabbleBooster. A non-significant Randomization Test and small Between-Case Effect Size (d = 0.267), suggested there was no evidence that BabbleBooster improved speech production in minimally verbal autistic children, relative to baseline scores, during this brief period of intervention.ConclusionThe current analyses exemplify a more robust approach to examining treatment effects in rare or complex populations, where RCT may be difficult or premature to implement. To facilitate adoption of this method by researchers and practitioners, we provide analysis code that can be adapted using open source R packages. Future studies could use this case series design to evaluate interventions aiming to improve speech and language outcomes for minimally verbal autistic children, and other heterogeneous and hard to reach populations.

scholarly journals Relationship between Behavioral Infant Speech Perception and Hearing Age for Children with Hearing Loss

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (19) ◽  
pp. 4566
Author(s):  
Kristin M. Uhler ◽  
Alexander M. Kaizer ◽  
Kerry A. Walker ◽  
Phillip M. Gilley
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Speech Discrimination ◽  
Head Turn ◽  
Hearing Status ◽  
Infant Speech Perception ◽  
Early Speech ◽  
Children With Hearing Loss ◽  
Vowel Contrast

(1) Background: Research has demonstrated that early intervention for children who are hard-of-hearing (CHH) facilitates improved language development. Early speech perception abilities may impact CHH outcomes and guide future intervention. The objective of this study was to examine the use of a conditioned head turn (CHT) task as a measure of speech discrimination in CHH using a clinically feasible protocol. (2) Methods: Speech perception was assessed for a consonant and vowel contrast among 57 CHH and 70 children with normal hearing (CNH) aged 5–17 months using a CHT paradigm. (3) Results: Regardless of hearing status, 74% of CHH and 77% of CNH could discriminate /a-i/, and 55% of CHH and 56% of CNH could discriminate /ba-da/. Regression models revealed that both CHH and CNH performed better on /ba-da/ at 70 dBA compared to 50 dBA. Performance by hearing age showed no speech perception differences for CNH and children with mild hearing loss for either contrast. However, children with hearing losses ≥ 41 dB HL performed significantly poorer than CNH for /a-i/. (4) Conclusions: This study demonstrates the clinical feasibility of assessing early speech perception in infants with hearing loss and replicates previous findings of speech perception abilities among CHH and CNH.

scholarly journals Fast mapping in late-talking toddlers

2011 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
SUSAN ELLIS WEISMER ◽  
COURTNEY E. VENKER ◽  
JULIA L. EVANS ◽  
MAURA JONES MOYLE
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Education ◽  
Neighborhood Density ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Language Outcomes ◽  
Fast Mapping ◽  
Phonotactic Probability ◽  
Optimal Learning ◽  
Post Hoc Analysis ◽  
Normal Language ◽  
Post Hoc

ABSTRACTThis study investigated fast mapping in late-talking (LT) toddlers and toddlers with normal language (NL) development matched on age, nonverbal cognition, and maternal education. The fast-mapping task included novel object labels and familiar words. The LT group scored significantly lower than the NL group on novel word comprehension and production, as well as familiar word production. For both groups, fast-mapping performance was associated with concurrent language ability and later language outcomes. A post hoc analysis of phonotactic probability (PP) and neighborhood density (ND) suggested that the majority of NL toddlers displayed optimal learning of the nonword with low PP/ND. The LT group did not display the same sensitivity to PP/ND characteristics as the NL group.

scholarly journals Gender Differences in Children’s Language: A Meta-Analysis of Slovenian Studies

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-111
Author(s):  
Ljubica Marjanovič-Umek ◽  
Urška Fekonja-Peklaj
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Metalinguistic Awareness ◽  
Child Gender ◽  
Arithmetic Means ◽  
Language Outcome ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance

Child gender has been proved to affect toddlers’/children’s language development in several studies, but its effect was not found to be stable across different ages or various aspects of language ability. The effect of gender on toddler’s, children’s and adolescents’ language ability was examined in the present meta-analysis of ten Slovenian studies (nine cross-sectionalstudies and one longitudinal study). The ten studies were published between 2004 and 2016 and included a total of 3,657 toddlers, children and adolescents, aged from 8 months to 15 years. The language outcome measures refer to different aspects of language ability, including vocabulary, mean length of utterance, sentence complexity, language expression andcomprehension, storytelling ability and metalinguistic awareness. Across the studies, language ability was assessed using different approaches and instruments, most of which were standardised on samples of Slovenianspeaking children. Based on the reported arithmetic means and standard deviations, the effect sizes of gender for each of the included studies werecalculated, as well as the average effect size of gender across the different studies. The findings of the meta-analysis showed that the effect size of gender on  toddlers’/children’s/adolescents’ language largely depended on  their age and the aspect of language measured. The effect sizes increased with children’s increasing age. All significant effects proved to be in favour of girls. The findings were interpreted in relation to the characteristics of language development and social cultural factors that can contribute togender differences in language ability. 

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