Neurofunctional basis underlying audiovisual integration of print and speech sound in Chinese children

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhichao Xia ◽  
Ting Yang ◽  
Xin Cui ◽  
Fumiko Hoeft ◽  
Hong Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Speech Sound ◽  
Audiovisual Integration ◽  
Chinese Children

scholarly journals Developmental Trajectories of Letter and Speech Sound Integration During Reading Acquisition

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iliana I. Karipidis ◽  
Georgette Pleisch ◽  
Sarah V. Di Pietro ◽  
Gorka Fraga-González ◽  
Silvia Brem
Keyword(s):  
Reading Fluency ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Speech Sound ◽  
Reading Acquisition ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Audiovisual Integration ◽  
Reading Outcomes ◽  
Audiovisual Processing ◽  
Occipitotemporal Cortex

Reading acquisition in alphabetic languages starts with learning the associations between speech sounds and letters. This learning process is related to crucial developmental changes of brain regions that serve visual, auditory, multisensory integration, and higher cognitive processes. Here, we studied the development of audiovisual processing and integration of letter-speech sound pairs with an audiovisual target detection functional MRI paradigm. Using a longitudinal approach, we tested children with varying reading outcomes before the start of reading acquisition (T1, 6.5 yo), in first grade (T2, 7.5 yo), and in second grade (T3, 8.5 yo). Early audiovisual integration effects were characterized by higher activation for incongruent than congruent letter-speech sound pairs in the inferior frontal gyrus and ventral occipitotemporal cortex. Audiovisual processing in the left superior temporal gyrus significantly increased from the prereading (T1) to early reading stages (T2, T3). Region of interest analyses revealed that activation in left superior temporal gyrus (STG), inferior frontal gyrus and ventral occipitotemporal cortex increased in children with typical reading fluency skills, while poor readers did not show the same development in these regions. The incongruency effect bilaterally in parts of the STG and insular cortex at T1 was significantly associated with reading fluency skills at T3. These findings provide new insights into the development of the brain circuitry involved in audiovisual processing of letters, the building blocks of words, and reveal early markers of audiovisual integration that may be predictive of reading outcomes.

scholarly journals Atypical relationships between neurofunctional features of print-sound integration and reading abilities in Chinese children with dyslexia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhichao Xia ◽  
Ting Yang ◽  
Xin Cui ◽  
Fumiko Hoeft ◽  
Hong Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Word Reading ◽  
Multisensory Processing ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Audiovisual Integration ◽  
Chinese Children ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Reading Abilities ◽  
Integration Effect

Conquering grapheme-phoneme correspondence is necessary for developing fluent reading in alphabetic orthographies. In neuroimaging research, this ability is associated with brain activation differences between the audiovisual congruent against incongruent conditions, especially in the left superior temporal cortex. Studies have also shown such a neural audiovisual integration effect is reduced in individuals with dyslexia. However, existing evidence is almost restricted to alphabetic languages. Whether and how multisensory processing of print and sound is impaired in Chinese dyslexia remains underexplored. Of note, semantic information is deeply involved in Chinese character processing. In this study, we applied a functional magnetic resonance imaging audiovisual integration paradigm to investigate the possible dysfunctions in processing character-sound pairs and pinyin-sound pairs in Chinese dyslexic children compared with typically developing readers. Unexpectedly, no region displayed significant group difference in the audiovisual integration effect in either the character or pinyin experiment. However, the results revealed atypical correlations between neurofunctional features accompanying audiovisual integration with reading abilities in Chinese children with dyslexia. Specifically, while the audiovisual integration effect in the left inferior cortex in processing character-sound pairs correlated with silent reading comprehension proficiency in both dyslexia and control group, it was associated with morphological awareness in the control group but with rapid naming in dyslexics. As for pinyin-sound associations processing, while the stronger activation in the congruent than incongruent conditions in the left occipito-temporal cortex and bilateral superior temporal cortices was associated with better oral word reading in the control group, an opposite pattern was found in children with dyslexia. On the one hand, this pattern suggests Chinese dyslexic children have yet to develop an efficient grapho-semantic processing system as typically developing children do. On the other hand, it indicates dysfunctional recruitment of the regions that process pinyin-sound pairs in dyslexia, which may impede character learning.

scholarly journals Neurofunctional mechanisms underlying audiovisual integration of characters and pinyin in Chinese children

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhichao Xia ◽  
Ting Yang ◽  
Xin Cui ◽  
Fumiko Hoeft ◽  
Hong Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Congruency Effect ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Audiovisual Integration ◽  
Chinese Children ◽  
List Type ◽  
Coding System ◽  
Close Link ◽  
Orthographic Depth ◽  
Semantic Access

AbstractEfficient integration of grapheme and phoneme is crucial for reading development in alphabetic languages, and superior temporal cortex (STC) has been demonstrated to be the most critical region for this process. To determine whether a similar neural mechanism underlies such processing in non-alphabetic languages, and to explore its relationship with reading, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging study in typically developing Chinese children. Highly frequent pictographic characters and pinyin, a transparent alphabetic coding system that assists individuals to learn the pronunciation of new characters were investigated. In support of the orthographic depth hypothesis developed in alphabetic languages, reverse congruency effect (i.e., higher activation in incongruent condition compared to congruent condition) was identified in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and bilateral STC for character (deep orthography) conditions. Furthermore, correlation analysis revealed that the congruency contrast in the left IFG was associated with proficiency in reading comprehension and morphological awareness, suggesting reading-related semantic access during the implicit integration of multisensory information regarding characters. For pinyin (shallow orthography) conditions, while no regions showed a significant congruency effect at the group level in either direction, the congruency contrast in the left superior temporal gyrus was positively correlated with oral reading performance. This observation is consistent with findings in transparent scripts on reading disorders. Taken together, these results support and generalize the orthographic depth hypothesis to a logographic language, highlight the role of the left IFG in character-syllable integration, and underscore the role pinyin could play in developing fluent reading in Chinese children.HighlightsThe left IFG and bilateral STC are involved in audiovisual integration of characters.The congruency contrast in the left IFG in response to characters corresponds to semantic access.The congruency contrast in the left STG in response to pinyin is correlated with print-to-sound mapping.These findings support the orthographic depth hypothesis in a nonalphabetic language.The results imply a close link between pinyin and Chinese reading acquisition.

Morphological Awareness Skills of Second- and Third-Grade Students With and Without Speech Sound Disorders

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 603-616
Author(s):  
Kenn Apel ◽  
Victoria S. Henbest
Keyword(s):  
Word Reading ◽  
Speech Sound ◽  
Morphological Awareness ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Real Word ◽  
Speech Sound Disorders ◽  
Word Level ◽  
Third Grade Students ◽  
Pseudoword Reading

Purpose Morphological awareness is the ability to consciously manipulate the smallest units of meaning in language. Morphological awareness contributes to success with literacy skills for children with typical language and those with language impairment. However, little research has focused on the morphological awareness skills of children with speech sound disorders (SSD), who may be at risk for literacy impairments. No researcher has examined the morphological awareness skills of children with SSD and compared their skills to children with typical speech using tasks representing a comprehensive definition of morphological awareness, which was the main purpose of this study. Method Thirty second- and third-grade students with SSD and 30 with typical speech skills, matched on age and receptive vocabulary, completed four morphological awareness tasks and measures of receptive vocabulary, real-word reading, pseudoword reading, and word-level spelling. Results Results indicated there was no difference between the morphological awareness skills of students with and without SSD. Although morphological awareness was moderately to strongly related to the students' literacy skills, performance on the morphological awareness tasks contributed little to no additional variance to the children's real-word reading and spelling skills beyond what was accounted for by pseudoword reading. Conclusions Findings suggest that early elementary-age students with SSD may not present with concomitant morphological awareness difficulties and that the morphological awareness skills of these students may not play a unique role in their word-level literacy skills. Limitations and suggestions for future research on the morphological awareness skills of children with SSD are discussed.

Reading Risk in Children With Speech Sound Disorder: Prevalence, Persistence, and Predictors

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (11) ◽  
pp. 3714-3726
Author(s):  
Sherine R. Tambyraja ◽  
Kelly Farquharson ◽  
Laura Justice
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Sound Production ◽  
Speech Therapy ◽  
Speech Sound ◽  
Reading Difficulties ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Speech Sound Disorder ◽  
Word Decoding ◽  
School Year ◽  
School Based

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which school-age children with speech sound disorder (SSD) exhibit concomitant reading difficulties and examine the extent to which phonological processing and speech production abilities are associated with increased likelihood of reading risks. Method Data were obtained from 120 kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade children who were in receipt of school-based speech therapy services. Children were categorized as being “at risk” for reading difficulties if standardized scores on a word decoding measure were 1 SD or more from the mean. The selected predictors of reading risk included children's rapid automatized naming ability, phonological awareness (PA), and accuracy of speech sound production. Results Descriptive results indicated that just over 25% of children receiving school-based speech therapy for an SSD exhibited concomitant deficits in word decoding and that those exhibiting risk at the beginning of the school year were likely to continue to be at risk at the end of the school year. Results from a hierarchical logistic regression suggested that, after accounting for children's age, general language abilities, and socioeconomic status, both PA and speech sound production abilities were significantly associated with the likelihood of being classified as at risk. Conclusions School-age children with SSD are at increased risk for reading difficulties that are likely to persist throughout an academic year. The severity of phonological deficits, reflected by PA and speech output, may be important indicators of subsequent reading problems.

Facilitating Parental Involvement in Speech Therapy for Children With Speech Sound Disorders: A Survey of Speech-Language Pathologists' Practices, Perspectives, and Strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1987-1996
Author(s):  
Sherine R. Tambyraja
Keyword(s):  
Parental Involvement ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Speech Therapy ◽  
Speech Sound ◽  
Speech Sound Disorders ◽  
Speech Sound Disorder ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
School Based ◽  
Homework Completion

Purpose This study investigated the extent to which speech-language pathologists (SLPs) facilitate parents' completion of homework activities for children with speech sound disorder (SSD). In addition, this study explored factors related to more consistent communication about homework completion and strategies considered particularly effective for supporting this element of parental involvement. Method Licensed SLPs serving at least one child with SSD were invited to participate in an online survey. Questions relevant to this study gathered information regarding (a) frequency of communication about homework distribution and follow-up, (b) demographic and workplace characteristics, and (c) an open-ended question about the specific strategies used to support parental involvement and completion of homework activities. Results Descriptive results indicated considerable variability with respect to how frequently SLPs engaged in communication about homework completion, but that school-based SLPs were significantly less likely to engage in this type of follow-up. Strategies considered effective, however, were similar across therapy contexts. Conclusion These results suggest potentially important differences between school-based services and therapy in other contexts with respect to this particular aspect of service provision for children with SSD.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document