Quantification and Systematic Characterization of Stuttering-Like Disfluencies in Acquired Apraxia of Speech

Purpose The purpose of this article is to quantify and describe stuttering-like disfluencies in speakers with acquired apraxia of speech (AOS), utilizing the Lidcombe Behavioural Data Language (LBDL). Additional purposes include measuring test–retest reliability and examining the effect of speech sample type on disfluency rates. Method Two types of speech samples were elicited from 20 persons with AOS and aphasia: repetition of mono- and multisyllabic words from a protocol for assessing AOS (Duffy, 2013), and connected speech tasks (Nicholas & Brookshire, 1993). Sampling was repeated at 1 and 4 weeks following initial sampling. Stuttering-like disfluencies were coded using the LBDL, which is a taxonomy that focuses on motoric aspects of stuttering. Results Disfluency rates ranged from 0% to 13.1% for the connected speech task and from 0% to 17% for the word repetition task. There was no significant effect of speech sampling time on disfluency rate in the connected speech task, but there was a significant effect of time for the word repetition task. There was no significant effect of speech sample type. Conclusions Speakers demonstrated both major types of stuttering-like disfluencies as categorized by the LBDL (fixed postures and repeated movements). Connected speech samples yielded more reliable tallies over repeated measurements. Suggestions are made for modifying the LBDL for use in AOS in order to further add to systematic descriptions of motoric disfluencies in this disorder.

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Comparing the Informativeness of Single-Word Samples and Connected Speech Samples in Assessing Speech Sound Disorders

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2021_jslhr-20-00172 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Li-Li Yeh ◽

Chia-Chi Liu

Keyword(s):

Performance Measures ◽

Speech Sound ◽

Naming Task ◽

Sample Type ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Speech Sample ◽

Single Word ◽

Speech Sound Disorders ◽

Connected Speech ◽

Speech Accuracy

Purpose Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are faced with the challenge of quickly and accurately identifying children who present with speech sound disorders (SSD) compared to typically developing (TD) children. The goal of this study was to compare the clinical relevance of two speech sampling methods (single-word vs. connected speech samples) in how sensitive they are in detecting atypical speech sound development in children, and to know whether the information obtained from single-word samples is representative enough of children's overall speech sound performance. Method We compared the speech sound performance of 37 preschool children with SSD ( M age = 4;11 years) and 37 age-sex-matched typically developing children ( M age = 5;0 years) by eliciting their speech in two ways: (a) a picture-naming task to elicit single words, and (b) a story-retelling task to elicit connected speech. Four speech measures were compared across sample type (single words vs. connected speech) and across groups (SSD vs. TD): intelligibility, speech accuracy, phonemic inventory, and phonological patterns. Results Interaction effects were found between sample type and group on several speech sound performance measures. Single-word speech samples were found to differentiate the SSD group from the TD group, and were more sensitive than connected speech samples across various measures. The effect size of single-word samples was consistently higher than connected speech samples for three measures: intelligibility, speech accuracy, and phonemic inventory. The gap in sample type informativeness may be attributed to salience and avoidance effects, given that children tend to avoid producing unfamiliar phonemes in connected speech. The number of phonological patterns produced was the only measure that revealed no gap between two sampling types for both groups. Conclusions On measures of intelligibility, speech accuracy, and phonemic inventory, obtaining a single-word sample proved to be a more informative method of differentiating children with SSD from TD children than connected speech samples. This finding may guide SLPs in their choice of sampling type when they are under time pressure. We discuss how children's performance on the connected speech sample may be biased by salience and avoidance effects and/or task design, and may, therefore, not necessarily reveal a poorer performance than single-word samples, particularly in intelligibility, speech accuracy, and the number of phonological patterns, if these task limitations are circumvented. Our findings show that the performance gap, typically observed between the two sampling types, largely depends on which performance measures are evaluated with the speech sample. Our study is the first to address sampling type differences in SSD versus TD children and has significant clinical implications for SLPs looking for sampling types and measures that reliably identify SSD in preschool-aged children.

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Test-Retest-Reliability of Computer-Based Metamorphopsia Measurement in Macular Diseases

Klinische Monatsblätter für Augenheilkunde ◽

10.1055/a-1252-2910 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Daniela Claessens ◽

Alexander K. Schuster ◽

Ronald V. Krüger ◽

Marian Liegl ◽

Laila Singh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Macular Edema ◽

Correlation Coefficient ◽

Intraclass Correlation Coefficient ◽

Intraclass Correlation ◽

Measuring Method ◽

Repeated Measurements ◽

Retest Reliability ◽

Macular Diseases ◽

Computer Based ◽

Test Retest Reliability

AbstractIn this study, the test-retest-reliability as one aspect of reliability of metamorphopsia measurements using a computer-based measuring method was determined in patients with macular diseases. Metamorphopsia amplitude, position, and area were quantified using AMD – A Metamorphopsia Detector software (app4eyes GmbH & Co. KG, Germany) in patients with diabetic, myopic, or uveitic macular edema, intermediate or neovascular age-associated macular degeneration, epiretinal membrane, vitelliform maculopathy, Irvine-Gass syndrome, or macular edema due to venous retinal occlusion. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated in order to determine the repeatability of two repeated measurements and was used as an indicator of the reliability of the measurements. In this study, metamorphopsia measurements were conducted on 36 eyes with macular diseases. Metamorphopsia measurements made using AMD – A Metamorphopsia Detector software were highly reliable and repeatable in patients with maculopathies. The intraclass correlation coefficient of all indices was excellent (0.95 – 0.97). For diseases of the vitreoretinal interface or macular diseases with intra- or subretinal edema, this metamorphopsia measurement represents a supplement for visual function testing in the clinic, as well as in clinical studies.

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Test–Retest Reliability of the Mini-BESTest in People With Mild to Moderate Multiple Sclerosis

Physical Therapy ◽

10.1093/ptj/pzab045 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

A Wallin ◽

M Kierkegaard ◽

E Franzén ◽

S Johansson

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Measurement Errors ◽

Balance Control ◽

Intraclass Correlation ◽

Repeated Measurements ◽

Minimal Detectable Change ◽

Detectable Change ◽

Limits Of Agreement ◽

Retest Reliability ◽

Test Retest Reliability

Abstract Objective The mini-BESTest is a balance measure for assessment of the underlying physiological systems for balance control in adults. Evaluations of test–retest reliability of the mini-BESTest in larger samples of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are lacking. The purpose of this study was to investigate test–retest reliability of the mini-BESTest total and section sum scores and individual items in people with mild to moderate overall MS disability. Methods This study used a test–retest design in a movement laboratory setting. Fifty-four people with mild to moderate overall MS disability according to the Expanded Disability Status scale (EDSS) were included, with 28 in the mild subgroup (EDSS 2.0–3.5) and 26 in the moderate subgroup (EDSS 4.0–5.5). Test–retest reliability of the mini-BESTest was evaluated by repeated measurements taken 1 week apart. Reliability and measurement error were analyzed. Results Test–retest reliability for the total scores were considered good to excellent, with intraclass correlation coefficients of .88 for the whole sample, .83 for the mild MS subgroup, and .80 for the moderate MS subgroup. Measurement errors were small, with standard error of measurement and minimal detectable change of 1.3 and 3.5, respectively, in mild MS, and 1.7 and 4.7, respectively, in moderate MS. The limits of agreement were − 3.4 and 4.6. Test–retest reliability for the section scores were fair to good or excellent; weighted kappa values ranged from .62 to .83. All items but 1 showed fair to good or excellent test–retest reliability, and percentage agreement ranged from 61% to 100%. Conclusions The mini-BESTest demonstrated good to excellent test–retest reliability and small measurement errors and is recommended for use in people with mild to moderate MS. Impact Knowledge of limits of agreement and minimal detectable change contribute to interpretability of the mini-BESTest total score. The findings of this study enhance the clinical usefulness of the test for evaluation of balance control and for designing individually customized balance training with high precision and accuracy in people with MS.

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A lexical advantage in four-year-old children's word repetition

Journal of Child Language ◽

10.1017/s0305000920000094 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-24

Author(s):

Margaret CYCHOSZ ◽

Michelle ERSKINE ◽

Benjamin MUNSON ◽

Jan EDWARDS

Keyword(s):

Language Development ◽

Speech Production ◽

Initial Position ◽

Nonword Repetition ◽

Real Word ◽

Vocabulary Size ◽

Word Repetition ◽

Early Speech ◽

Repetition Task

Abstract This study examined a potential lexicality advantage in young children's early speech production: do children produce sound sequences less accurately in nonwords than real words? Children aged 3;3-4;4 completed two tasks: a real word repetition task and a corresponding nonword repetition task. Each of the 23 real words had a paired consonant-vowel sequence in the nonword in word-initial position (e.g., ‘su’ in [ˈsutkes] ‘suitcase’ and [ˈsudrɑs]). The word-initial consonant-vowel sequences were kept constant between the paired words. Previous work on this topic compared different sequences of paired sounds, making it hard to determine if those results were due to a lexical or phonetic effect. Our results show that children reliably produced consonant-vowel sequences in real words more accurately than nonwords. The effect was most pronounced in children with smaller receptive vocabularies. Together, these results reinforce theories arguing for interactions between vocabulary size and phonology in language development.

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Identification and Remediation of Phonological and Motor Errors in Acquired Sound Production Impairment

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2017_jslhr-s-16-0240 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 60 (6S) ◽

pp. 1726-1738 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Adam Buchwald ◽

Bernadine Gagnon ◽

Michele Miozzo

Keyword(s):

Speech Production ◽

Phonological Processing ◽

Sound Production ◽

Motor Planning ◽

Consonant Cluster ◽

Apraxia Of Speech ◽

Training Task ◽

Production Errors ◽

Repetition Task ◽

Error Types

Purpose This study aimed to test whether an approach to distinguishing errors arising in phonological processing from those arising in motor planning also predicts the extent to which repetition-based training can lead to improved production of difficult sound sequences. Method Four individuals with acquired speech production impairment who produced consonant cluster errors involving deletion were examined using a repetition task. We compared the acoustic details of productions with deletion errors in target consonant clusters to singleton consonants. Changes in accuracy over the course of the study were also compared. Results Two individuals produced deletion errors consistent with a phonological locus of the errors, and 2 individuals produced errors consistent with a motoric locus of the errors. The 2 individuals who made phonologically driven errors showed no change in performance on a repetition training task, whereas the 2 individuals with motoric errors improved in their production of both trained and untrained items. Conclusions The results extend previous findings about a metric for identifying the source of sound production errors in individuals with both apraxia of speech and aphasia. In particular, this work may provide a tool for identifying predominant error types in individuals with complex deficits.

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Effects of orthographic forms on pronunciation in experienced instructed second language learners

Applied Psycholinguistics ◽

10.1017/s0142716414000435 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 67-91 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

BENE BASSETTI ◽

NATHAN ATKINSON

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Language Learners ◽

Second Language Learners ◽

Word Reading ◽

Past Tense ◽

Vowel Duration ◽

Writing System ◽

The Past ◽

Word Repetition ◽

Repetition Task

ABSTRACTIn spite of burgeoning evidence that the orthographic forms (“spellings”) of second language (L2) words affect L2 learners’ pronunciation, little is known about the pronunciation of known words in experienced learners. In a series of four studies, we investigated various orthographic effects on the pronunciation of L2 English words in instructed learners with 10 years’ experience of learning English. Participants were native users of the phonologically transparent Italian writing system. Study 1 investigated the pronunciation of “silent letters,” using a word-reading task and a word-repetition task. Study 2 examined the effects of vowel spelling on vowel duration, namely, whether L2 speakers produce the same target vowel as longer when it is spelled with a vowel digraph than with a singleton letter. Study 3 explored the effects of the morphemic spelling of the past tense marker <ed> using a verb paradigm-production task. Study 4 tested whether L2 speakers produce homophonic words differently when they are spelled differently. Results confirmed that orthographic forms affect experienced instructed learners’ pronunciation of known words, albeit less so in immediate word repetition than in reading-aloud tasks.

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Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Quantitative Evaluation of Dysfunctional Voiding and Incontinence Scoring System in Pediatric Serbian Population

Medicina ◽

10.3390/medicina55040100 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 55 (4) ◽

pp. 100

Author(s):

Dragana Cirovic ◽

Ivana Petronic ◽

Jasna Stojkovic ◽

Ivan Soldatovic ◽

Polina Pavicevic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Scoring System ◽

Pediatric Population ◽

Scoring Systems ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Repeated Measurements ◽

Receiver Operating Curve ◽

Dysfunctional Voiding ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Test Retest Reliability

Background and objective: Dysfunctional voiding (DV) presents relatively frequent problem in pediatric urologist practice. The necessity for implementation of DV evaluation in the pediatric population is of particular importance, since there is no clear consensus on the clinical assessment of such condition. The aims of our study were to evaluate the test/retest reliability and reproducibility of dysfunctional voiding and incontinence scoring system: Serbian version (DVISSSR) in patients with voiding and incontinence dysfunctions without structural deformities, and to estimate cut-off value for DVISSSR. Methods: The cross-sectional study included 57 children with voiding and incontinence dysfunctions and 30 healthy pediatric controls. For the evaluation of voiding and incontinence dysfunction we used DVISS. The forward–backward method was applied for translation of the DVISS questionnaire from English into Serbian language. Reproducibility was analyzed by Interclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). Sensitivity and specificity of DVISSSR scores was done by receiver operating curve (ROC) curve. Results: There was a significant difference in DVISSSR score between patients and controls (p < 0.001). For reliability and reproducibility of the questionnaire, there was no significant difference between repeated measurements (p = 0.141), and strong reliability (ICC = 0.957; p < 0.001). Conclusion: We have demonstrated successful translation and validation of the DVISSSR score. Moreover, a reliable scoring system of children with voiding dysfunctions should include evaluations of symptom scoring systems at the multicentric level.

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