Common variance in amplitude envelope perception tasks and their impact on phoneme duration perception and reading and spelling in Finnish children with reading disabilities

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 511-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. HÄMÄLÄINEN ◽  
P. H. T. LEPPÄNEN ◽  
K. EKLUND ◽  
J. THOMSON ◽  
U. RICHARDSON ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Rise Time ◽  
Duration Discrimination ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Time Discrimination ◽  
Time Correlations ◽  
Processing Abilities ◽  
Reading And Spelling

ABSTRACTOur goal was to investigate auditory and speech perception abilities of children with and without reading disability (RD) and associations between auditory, speech perception, reading, and spelling skills. Participants were 9-year-old, Finnish-speaking children with RD (N = 30) and typically reading children (N = 30). Results showed significant group differences between the groups in phoneme duration discrimination but not in perception of amplitude modulation and rise time. Correlations among rise time discrimination, phoneme duration, and spelling accuracy were found for children with RD. Those children with poor rise time discrimination were also poor in phoneme duration discrimination and in spelling. Results suggest that auditory processing abilities could, at least in some children, affect speech perception skills, which in turn would lead to phonological processing deficits and dyslexia.

scholarly journals Ahead of Maturation: Enhanced Speech Envelope Training Boosts Rise Time Discrimination in Pre-Readers at Cognitive Risk for Dyslexia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shauni Van Herck ◽  
Femke Vanden Bempt ◽  
Maria Economou ◽  
Jolijn Vanderauwera ◽  
Toivo Glatz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Temporal Processing ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Rise Time ◽  
Temporal Structure ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Auditory Temporal Processing ◽  
Time Discrimination ◽  
Cognitive Risk ◽  
Speech Envelope

Dyslexia has frequently been related to atypical auditory temporal processing and speech perception. Results of studies emphasizing speech onset cues and reinforcing the temporal structure of the speech envelope, i.e. envelope enhancement, demonstrated reduced speech perception deficits in individuals with dyslexia. The use of this strategy as an auditory intervention might thus reduce some of the deficits related to dyslexia. Importantly, interventions are most effective when they are provided during kindergarten and first grade. Hence, we provided a tablet-based 12-week preventive auditory and phonics-based intervention to pre-readers at cognitive risk for dyslexia and investigated the effect on auditory temporal processing with a rise time discrimination task. Ninety-one pre-readers at cognitive risk for dyslexia (aged 5-6) were assigned to two groups receiving a phonics-based intervention and playing a story listening game either with (n = 31) or without (n = 31) envelope enhancement or a third group playing control games and listening to non-enhanced stories (n = 29). Rise time discrimination was measured directly before, directly after and one year after the intervention. While the groups listening to non-enhanced stories mainly improved after the intervention during first grade, the group listening to enhanced stories improved during the intervention in kindergarten and subsequently remained stable during first grade. Hence, an envelope enhancement intervention improves auditory processing skills important for the development of phonological skills. This occurred before the onset of reading instruction, preceding the maturational improvement of these skills, hence giving at risk children a head start when learning to read.

scholarly journals Auditory Temporal Order Discrimination and Backward Recognition Masking in Adults With Dyslexia

2003 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 1352-1366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne M. Griffiths ◽  
Nicholas I. Hill ◽  
Peter J. Bailey ◽  
Margaret J. Snowling
Keyword(s):  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Temporal Order ◽  
Short Isis ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Significant Group Difference ◽  
Auditory Thresholds ◽  
Small Subgroup ◽  
Auditory Tasks ◽  
And Control

The ability of 20 adult dyslexic readers to extract frequency information from successive tone pairs was compared with that of IQ-matched controls using temporal order discrimination and auditory backward recognition masking (ABRM) tasks. In both paradigms, the interstimulus interval (ISI) between tones in a pair was either short (20 ms) or long (200 ms). Temporal order discrimination was better for both groups of listeners at long than at short ISIs, but no group differences in performance were observed at either ISI. Performance on the ABRM task was also better at long than at short ISIs and was influenced by variability in masker frequency and by the spectral proximity of target and masker. The only significant group difference was found in one condition of the ABRM task when the target-masker interval was 200 ms, but this difference was not reliable when the measure was of optimal performance. Moderate correlations were observed between auditory thresholds and phonological skill for the sample as a whole and within the dyslexic and control groups. However, although a small subgroup of dyslexic listeners with poor phonology was characterized by elevated thresholds across the auditory tasks, evidence for an association between auditory and phonological processing skills was weakened by the finding of a subgroup of control listeners with poor auditory processing and normal phonological processing skills.

Discriminability and Perceptual Weighting of Some Acoustic Cues to Speech Perception by 3-Year-Olds

1996 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Nittrouer
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Acoustic Cues ◽  
Acoustic Parameters ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Developmental Shift ◽  
Processing Abilities ◽  
Children's Speech ◽  
Perceptual Weighting

Studies of children’s speech perception have shown that young children process speech signals differently than adults. Specifically, the relative contributions made by various acoustic parameters to some linguistic decisions seem to differ for children and adults. Such findings have led to the hypothesis that there is a developmental shift in the perceptual weighting of acoustic parameters that results from experience with a native language (i.e., the Developmental Weighting Shift). This developmental shift eventually leads the child to adopt the optimal perceptual weighting strategy for the native language being learned (i.e., one that allows the listener to make accurate decisions about the phonemic structure of his or her native language). Although this proposal has intuitive appeal, there is at least one serious challenge that can be leveled against it: Perhaps age-related differences inspeech perception can more appropriately be explained by age-related differences in basic auditory-processing abilities. That is, perhaps children are not as sensitive as adults to subtle differences in acoustic structure and so make linguistic decisions based on the acoustic information that is most perceptually salient. The present study tested this hypothesis for the acoustic cues relevant to fricative identity in fricative-vowel syllables. Results indicated that 3-year-olds were not as sensitive to changes in these acoustic cues as adults are, but that these age-related differences in auditory sensitivity could not entirely account for age-related differences in perceptual weighting strategies.

Relationship Between Peripheral and Central Auditory Abilities and Iron Deficiency Anemia in Adolescent Girls

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Chandni Jain ◽  
Vipin Ghosh Pushpoth Gangadharan ◽  
Chetak Kadabasal Basavaraja ◽  
Aishwarya Lakshmi
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Iron Deficiency ◽  
Iron Deficiency Anemia ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Deficiency Anemia ◽  
Central Auditory Processing ◽  
Speech Perception In Noise ◽  
Processing Abilities

Purpose This study evaluated the peripheral hearing and central auditory processing abilities in Indian adolescent girls with iron deficiency anemia (IDA). Method The participants consisted of 75 adolescent girls with IDA, 50 adolescent girls without IDA, and 50 adolescent boys without IDA. Participants underwent a test battery to evaluate auditory processing and peripheral hearing assessment. In this study, central auditory processing abilities were assessed using Speech Perception in Noise test in Kannada (SPIN-K) and quick speech perception in noise tests in Kannada, dichotic consonant–vowel test, gap detection threshold (GDT), and auditory digit sequencing and auditory digit span tests. Results Results showed that the hearing thresholds at extremely low and high frequencies (250 and 8000 Hz), although within clinically normal limits, were poorer in girls with IDA than in the control groups. Also, girls with IDA performed poorly in SPIN-K of the right ear, GDT, and auditory backward digit span tests. Conclusion These subtle auditory deficiencies may be attributed to the compromised blood supply to the central auditory nervous system, as observed in the current study.

scholarly journals Speech Perception in Noise Predicts Oral Narrative Comprehension in Children With Developmental Language Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beula M. Magimairaj ◽  
Naveen K. Nagaraj ◽  
Craig A. Champlin ◽  
Linda K. Thibodeau ◽  
Diane F. Loeb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Narrative Comprehension ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Speech Perception In Noise ◽  
Tone Perception ◽  
Processing Abilities ◽  
Narrative Language

We examined the relative contribution of auditory processing abilities (tone perception and speech perception in noise) after controlling for short-term memory capacity and vocabulary, to narrative language comprehension in children with developmental language disorder. Two hundred and sixteen children with developmental language disorder, ages 6 to 9 years (Mean = 7; 6), were administered multiple measures. The dependent variable was children's score on the narrative comprehension scale of the Test of Narrative Language. Predictors were auditory processing abilities, phonological short-term memory capacity, and language (vocabulary) factors, with age, speech perception in quiet, and non-verbal IQ as covariates. Results showed that narrative comprehension was positively correlated with the majority of the predictors. Regression analysis suggested that speech perception in noise contributed uniquely to narrative comprehension in children with developmental language disorder, over and above all other predictors; however, tone perception tasks failed to explain unique variance. The relative importance of speech perception in noise over tone-perception measures for language comprehension reinforces the need for the assessment and management of listening in noise deficits and makes a compelling case for the functional implications of complex listening situations for children with developmental language disorder.

Assessing Auditory Processing Abilities in Typically Developing School-Aged Children

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (02) ◽  
pp. 072-084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin E. McDermott ◽  
Jennifer L. Smart ◽  
Julie A. Boiano ◽  
Lisa E. Bragg ◽  
Tiffany N. Colon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Otoacoustic Emissions ◽  
Normative Data ◽  
Performance Test ◽  
Test Battery ◽  
Test Duration ◽  
Language Abilities ◽  
Processing Abilities

Background: Large discrepancies exist in the literature regarding definition, diagnostic criteria, and appropriate assessment for auditory processing disorder (APD). Therefore, a battery of tests with normative data is needed. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to collect normative data on a variety of tests for APD on children aged 7–12 yr, and to examine effects of outside factors on test performance. Research Design: Children aged 7–12 yr with normal hearing, speech and language abilities, cognition, and attention were recruited for participation in this normative data collection. Study Sample: One hundred and forty-seven children were recruited using flyers and word of mouth. Of the participants recruited, 137 children qualified for the study. Participants attended schools located in areas that varied in terms of socioeconomic status, and resided in six different states. Data Collection and Analysis: Audiological testing included a hearing screening (15 dB HL from 250 to 8000 Hz), word recognition testing, tympanometry, ipsilateral and contralateral reflexes, and transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions. The language, nonverbal IQ, phonological processing, and attention skills of each participant were screened using the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-4 Screener, Test of Nonverbal Intelligence, Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing, and Integrated Visual and Auditory-Continuous Performance Test, respectively. The behavioral APD battery included the following tests: Dichotic Digits Test, Frequency Pattern Test, Duration Pattern Test, Random Gap Detection Test, Compressed and Reverberated Words Test, Auditory Figure Ground (signal-to-noise ratio of +8 and +0), and Listening in Spatialized Noise-Sentences Test. Mean scores and standard deviations of each test were calculated, and analysis of variance tests were used to determine effects of factors such as gender, handedness, and birth history on each test. Results: Normative data tables for the test battery were created for the following age groups: 7- and 8-yr-olds (n = 49), 9- and 10-yr-olds (n = 40), and 11- and 12-yr-olds (n = 48). No significant effects were seen for gender or handedness on any of the measures. Conclusions: The data collected in this study are appropriate for use in clinical diagnosis of APD. Use of a low-linguistically loaded core battery with the addition of more language-based tests, when language abilities are known, can provide a well-rounded picture of a child’s auditory processing abilities. Screening for language, phonological processing, attention, and cognitive level can provide more information regarding a diagnosis of APD, determine appropriateness of the test battery for the individual child, and may assist with making recommendations or referrals. It is important to use a multidisciplinary approach in the diagnosis and treatment of APD due to the high likelihood of comorbidity with other language, learning, or attention deficits. Although children with other diagnoses may be tested for APD, it is important to establish previously made diagnoses before testing to aid in appropriate test selection and recommendations.

scholarly journals Domain-general auditory processing determines success in second language pronunciation learning in adulthood: A longitudinal study

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 1083-1112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuya Saito ◽  
Hui Sun ◽  
Adam Tierney
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Duration Discrimination ◽  
Processing Ability ◽  
Processing Abilities ◽  
Correct Pronunciation ◽  
High Level ◽  
L2 Pronunciation

AbstractIn this study, we propose a hypothesis that domain-general auditory processing, a perceptual–cognitive anchor of first language (L1) acquisition, can serve as an important deciding factor for successful postpubertal second language (L2) pronunciation learning. To examine this hypothesis, samples of spontaneous speech were elicited from a total of 30 L1 Chinese L2 English learners at two points (outset and endpoint) during an 8-month study-abroad period in the United Kingdom. The participants were tested on three different components of auditory processing ability (formant, pitch, and duration discrimination) using behavioral instruments. The auditory processing scores were then linked to the segmental, prosodic, and fluency dimensions of their L2 pronunciation proficiency development throughout the project. Overall, most learners’ speech became smoother, faster, and more fluent (fewer pauses, faster articulation rate, and more optimal perceived tempo). Certain learners with high-level auditory processing ability (more precise formant discrimination) appeared to further attain more correct pronunciation of individual sounds and words (greater segmental and word stress accuracy), leading to more advanced L2 phonological skills (fluent and accurate). The findings suggest that auditory processing abilities can be a root of language learning throughout the life span and may apply to the initial- to midphase of naturalistic L2 pronunciation learning in adulthood.

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