scholarly journals Pitch Variation in Children With Childhood Apraxia of Speech: Preliminary Findings

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Eddy C. H. Wong ◽  
Shelley L. Velleman ◽  
Michael C. F. Tong ◽  
Kathy Y. S. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Interaction Effects ◽  
Syllable Structure ◽  
Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Childhood Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Lexical Status ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Severe Impairment ◽  
High Level

Introduction Pitch variation, which refers to one's ability to vary fundamental frequency (F0) within or between syllables when speaking, has not been investigated in children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). However, pitch variation plays an important role in tone languages, as varying F0 patterns communicate different lexical meanings. This study investigated pitch variation abilities in individuals with CAS via the tone-sequencing tasks (TSTs), focusing on task performance and the effects of syllable structure, lexical status, and tones. Method Three Cantonese-speaking children with CAS (aged 3;7–5;8 [years;months]) and six children without CAS participated in the study. Children without CAS were divided into two control groups, comprising those with speech and/or language impairment or typical development. TSTs consisted of 56 sets of five repetitions of stimuli. The stimuli varied in syllable structure, lexical status, and tones. Percentage of tones correct (PTC), consistency scores, F0 values, and acoustic repetition duration were measured. Results The CAS group performed more poorly than the control groups on the TST with respect to tone accuracy, consistency, and repetition duration. No interaction effects between group and syllable structure or group and lexical status were found. No significant difference was found on F0 values across time between Tone 1 and Tone 2 syllables in the CAS group. However, interaction effects between group and time points of F0 values on Tone 2 syllables were found. Discussion The results suggest that children with CAS have difficulty with pitch variation, which was revealed on the TST with respect to tone accuracy, consistency, and repetition duration. Moreover, children with CAS have difficulty in varying F0 values to produce high-rising tones and tend to use high-level tones to substitute. Clinically, the TST may be useful to assist in the diagnosis of CAS. Isolated vowel stimuli may be useful to test young children or children with severe impairment. Future investigations and development of a normed tool for children with CAS are suggested.

scholarly journals Clinical Utility of Repeated Urimal Test of Articulation and Phonation for Patients with Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 1106
Author(s):  
Jung-Hae Yun ◽  
So-Min Shin ◽  
Su-Min Son
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Utility ◽  
Normal Group ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Intergroup Difference ◽  
Childhood Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Articulation Disorder ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Mean

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) causes inconstant oromotor production. We investigated the clinical efficacy of repeated urimal test of articulation and phonation (U-TAP) in CAS patients. Twenty-eight children were recruited: 19 with CAS and 9 with functional articulation disorder (FAD). Four age-matched typically developing children were also recruited. U-TAP was performed twice repeatedly, and the error rate of consonant accuracy (CA) was measured. Preschool Receptive-Expressive Language Scale (PRES) was also performed. The mean U-TAP CA showed a significant difference between the three groups, with 42.04% for CAS, 77.92% for FAD, and 99.68% for the normal group (p < 0.05). The mean difference between the two U-TAP CAs was 10.01% for CAS, 0.82% for FAD, and no difference for the normal group, revealing a significant intergroup difference between CAS and FAD (p < 0.05). For the expressive and receptive PRES scores, CAS group showed significantly decreased results compared to FAD and normal group. Only in the CAS group, expressive PRES showed significant decrease rather than receptive PRES score. The CAS group showed a significant difference in the two U-TAP CA compared to the FAD and normal groups. This result implies that repeated U-TAP can be useful for supportive diagnostic tool for CAS by detecting poor reliability of phonation.

scholarly journals Language Skill Mediates the Relationship Between Language Load and Articulatory Variability in Children With Language and Speech Sound Disorders

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (12) ◽  
pp. 3010-3022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Vuolo ◽  
Lisa Goffman
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Speech Sound ◽  
Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Speech Sound Disorders ◽  
Speech Sound Disorder ◽  
Childhood Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Retrieval Task ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between language load and articulatory variability in children with language and speech sound disorders, including childhood apraxia of speech. Method Forty-six children, ages 48–92 months, participated in the current study, including children with speech sound disorder, developmental language disorder (aka specific language impairment), childhood apraxia of speech, and typical development. Children imitated (low language load task) then retrieved (high language load task) agent + action phrases. Articulatory variability was quantified using speech kinematics. We assessed language status and speech status (typical vs. impaired) in relation to articulatory variability. Results All children showed increased articulatory variability in the retrieval task compared with the imitation task. However, only children with language impairment showed a disproportionate increase in articulatory variability in the retrieval task relative to peers with typical language skills. Conclusion Higher-level language processes affect lower-level speech motor control processes, and this relationship appears to be more strongly mediated by language than speech skill.

scholarly journals The Bouba-Kiki Effect in Children With Childhood Apraxia of Speech

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Rinat Gold ◽  
Dina Klein ◽  
Osnat Segal
Keyword(s):  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Sensory Integration ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Spoken Word ◽  
Speech Development ◽  
Clinical Population ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Childhood Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Significant Difference

Purpose: The bouba-kiki (BK) effect refers to associations between visual shapes and auditory pseudonames. Thus, when tested, people tend to associate the pseudowords bouba and kiki with round or spiky shapes, respectively. This association requires cross-modal sensory integration. The ability to integrate information from different sensory modalities is crucial for speech development. A clinical population that may be impaired in cross-modal sensory integration is children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). The purpose of this study was to examine the involvement of cross-modal sensory integration in children with (CAS). Method: The BK effect was assessed in participants with CAS ( n = 18) and two control groups: One control group was composed of children with developmental language disorder (DLD), also termed specific language impairment ( n = 15), and a second group included typically developing (TD) children ( n = 22). The children were presented with 14 pairs of novel visual displays and nonwords. All the children were asked to state which shape and nonword correspond to one another. In addition, background cognitive (Leiter-3) and language measures (Hebrew PLS-4) were determined for all children. Results: Children in the CAS group were less successful in associating between visual shapes and corresponding auditory pseudonames (e.g., associating the spoken word “bouba” with a round shape; the spoken word “kiki” with a spiky shape). Thus, children with CAS demonstrated a statistically significant reduced BK effect compared with participants with TD and participants with DLD. No significant difference was found between the TD group and the DLD group. Conclusions: The reduced BK effect in children with CAS supports the notion that cross-modal sensory integration may be altered in these children. Cross-modal sensory integration is the basis for speech production. Thus, difficulties in sensory integration may contribute to speech difficulties in CAS.

The role of candidate-geneCNTNAP2in childhood apraxia of speech and specific language impairment

2015 ◽  
Vol 168 (7) ◽  
pp. 536-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. M. Centanni ◽  
J. N. Sanmann ◽  
J. R. Green ◽  
J. Iuzzini-Seigel ◽  
C. Bartlett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Childhood Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Specific Language

scholarly journals Measurement of Plasma Glutathione S-Transferase in Hepatocellular Damage in Pre-Eclampsia

2002 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 483-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Kumtepe ◽  
B Börekçi ◽  
H Aksoy ◽  
K Altinkaynak ◽  
M Ingeç ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liver Function Tests ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Glutathione S Transferase ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Hepatocellular Damage ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Plasma Glutathione ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
High Level ◽  
And Control

Glutathione S-transferase (GST) is a cytosolic enzyme found in high concentrations in the liver. We investigated the value of plasma GST measurements in pre-eclamptic patients. A total of 80 patients (40 in the pre-eclampsia group and 40 in the control group) were recruited. All patients were evaluated for GST, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase. Pre-eclampsia was defined as the occurrence, after 20 weeks' gestation, of a diastolic blood pressure greater than 90 mmHg on two or more occasions at least 4 h apart, and concomitant proteinuria greater than 0.3 g/l over a 24-h urine collection period. There was no statistical difference between the pre-eclampsia and control groups in terms of ALT, gestational age, maternal age or number of previous pregnancies; a significant difference was found between the pre-eclampsia and control groups in terms of GST. Pre-eclampsia represents a significant cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Accurate assessment of hepatocellular damage is essential in the clinical management of these patients. GST levels in pre-eclamptic patients were found to be much higher (131.98 IU/l) than in control patients (68.67 IU/l), and this high level suggests hepatocellular damage. We concluded that measurement of plasma GST might provide an earlier and much more sensitive indicator of hepatocellular damage than other liver-function tests.

scholarly journals Poor Speech Perception Is Not a Core Deficit of Childhood Apraxia of Speech: Preliminary Findings

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 583-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Zuk ◽  
Jenya Iuzzini-Seigel ◽  
Kathryn Cabbage ◽  
Jordan R. Green ◽  
Tiffany P. Hogan
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Motor Planning ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Speech Delay ◽  
Childhood Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Core Deficit ◽  
Language Assessments ◽  
Speech Motor

Purpose Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is hypothesized to arise from deficits in speech motor planning and programming, but the influence of abnormal speech perception in CAS on these processes is debated. This study examined speech perception abilities among children with CAS with and without language impairment compared to those with language impairment, speech delay, and typically developing peers. Method Speech perception was measured by discrimination of synthesized speech syllable continua that varied in frequency (/dɑ/–/ɡɑ/). Groups were classified by performance on speech and language assessments and compared on syllable discrimination thresholds. Within-group variability was also evaluated. Results Children with CAS without language impairment did not significantly differ in syllable discrimination compared to typically developing peers. In contrast, those with CAS and language impairment showed significantly poorer syllable discrimination abilities compared to children with CAS only and typically developing peers. Children with speech delay and language impairment also showed significantly poorer discrimination abilities, with appreciable within-group variability. Conclusions These findings suggest that speech perception deficits are not a core feature of CAS but rather occur with co-occurring language impairment in a subset of children with CAS. This study establishes the significance of accounting for language ability in children with CAS. Supplemental Materials https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5848056

Bang for Your Buck: A Single-Case Experimental Design Study of Practice Amount and Distribution in Treatment for Childhood Apraxia of Speech

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 3160-3182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin Maas ◽  
Christina Gildersleeve-Neumann ◽  
Kathy Jakielski ◽  
Nicolette Kovacs ◽  
Ruth Stoeckel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Case ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Distributed Practice ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Single Subject Design ◽  
Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Childhood Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Opposite Pattern ◽  
Massed Practice ◽  
Treatment Conditions

Purpose The aim of this study was to examine 2 aspects of treatment intensity in treatment for childhood apraxia of speech (CAS): practice amount and practice distribution. Method Using an alternating-treatments single-subject design with multiple baselines, we compared high versus low amount of practice, and massed versus distributed practice, in 6 children with CAS. Conditions were manipulated in the context of integral stimulation treatment. Changes in perceptual accuracy, scored by blinded analysts, were quantified with effect sizes. Results Four children showed an advantage for high amount of practice, 1 showed an opposite effect, and 1 showed no condition difference. For distribution, 4 children showed a clear advantage for massed over distributed practice post treatment; 1 showed an opposite pattern, and 1 showed no clear difference. Follow-up revealed a similar pattern. All children demonstrated treatment effects (larger gains for treated than untreated items). Conclusions High practice amount and massed practice were associated with more robust speech motor learning in most children with CAS, compared to low amount and distributed practice, respectively. Variation in effects across children warrants further research to determine factors that predict optimal treatment conditions. Finally, this study adds to the evidence base supporting the efficacy of integral stimulation treatment for CAS. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.9630599

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