Developmental Trajectories of Early Higher‐Order Thinking Talk Differ for Typically Developing Children and Children With Unilateral Brain Injuries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca R. Frausel ◽  
Elayne Vollman ◽  
Antonia Muzard ◽  
Lindsey E. Richland ◽  
Susan Goldin‐Meadow ◽  
...  
2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1071-1082
Author(s):  
Theresa Schölderle ◽  
Elisabet Haas ◽  
Wolfram Ziegler

Purpose The aim of this study was to collect auditory-perceptual data on established symptom categories of dysarthria from typically developing children between 3 and 9 years of age, for the purpose of creating age norms for dysarthria assessment. Method One hundred forty-four typically developing children (3;0–9;11 [years;months], 72 girls and 72 boys) participated. We used a computer-based game specifically designed for this study to elicit sentence repetitions and spontaneous speech samples. Speech recordings were analyzed using the auditory-perceptual criteria of the Bogenhausen Dysarthria Scales, a standardized German assessment tool for dysarthria in adults. The Bogenhausen Dysarthria Scales (scales and features) cover clinically relevant dimensions of speech and allow for an evaluation of well-established symptom categories of dysarthria. Results The typically developing children exhibited a number of speech characteristics overlapping with established symptom categories of dysarthria (e.g., breathy voice, frequent inspirations, reduced articulatory precision, decreased articulation rate). Substantial progress was observed between 3 and 9 years of age, but with different developmental trajectories across different dimensions. In several areas (e.g., respiration, voice quality), 9-year-olds still presented with salient developmental speech characteristics, while in other dimensions (e.g., prosodic modulation), features typically associated with dysarthria occurred only exceptionally, even in the 3-year-olds. Conclusions The acquisition of speech motor functions is a prolonged process not yet completed with 9 years. Various developmental influences (e.g., anatomic–physiological changes) shape children's speech specifically. Our findings are a first step toward establishing auditory-perceptual norms for dysarthria in children of kindergarten and elementary school age. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12133380


Author(s):  
Theresa Schölderle ◽  
Elisabet Haas ◽  
Stefanie Baumeister ◽  
Wolfram Ziegler

Purpose This article describes the developmental trajectories of four communication-related parameters (i.e., intelligibility, articulation rate, fluency, and communicative efficiency) in a cross-sectional study of typically developing children between 3 and 9 years. The four target parameters were related to auditory-perceptual parameters of speech function. Method One hundred forty-four typically developing children (ages 3;0–9;11 [years;months]; 72 girls and 72 boys) participated. Speech samples were collected using the materials of the Bogenhausen Dysarthria Scales for Childhood Dysarthria, a German assessment tool for childhood dysarthria, and analyzed following established auditory-perceptual criteria on relevant speech functions. To assess intelligibility, naïve listeners transcribed sentences repeated by the children. Articulation rate and fluency were measured by acoustic analyses; communicative efficiency was determined by multiplying the proportion of correctly transcribed syllables by speech rate. Results Intelligibility showed a steep developmental trajectory, with the majority of children obtaining a proportion of intelligible syllables close to 1.0 at the age of 5 years. Articulation rate demonstrated a flatter trajectory, with high variability still within the older children. Disfluencies, on the contrary, occurred only in the youngest children. By definition, communicative efficiency shared the characteristics of intelligibility and rate curves. A principal component analysis revealed, among other findings, strong connections between intelligibility and articulation, as well as between communicative efficiency, articulation, and rate measures. Conclusions While children speak intelligibly, in terms of the applied assessment, at a comparably young age, other communication-relevant parameters show a slower developmental progress. Knowledge on the typical development of communication-related parameters and on their complex relationships with functional speech variables is crucial for the clinical assessment of childhood dysarthria. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.14880285


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Pittet ◽  
Nada Kojovic ◽  
Martina Franchini ◽  
Marie Schaer

Imitation skills play a crucial role in social cognitive development from early childhood. Many studies have shown a deficit in imitation skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Little is known about the development of imitation behaviors in children with ASD. This study aims to measure the trajectories of early imitation skills in preschoolers with ASD and how these skills impact other areas of early development. For this purpose, we assessed imitation, language and cognition skills in 177 children with ASD and 43 typically developing children (TD) aged 2 to 5 years old, 126 of which were followed longitudinally, yielding a total of 396 time-points. Our results confirmed the presence of an early imitation deficit in toddlers with ASD compared to TD children. The study of the trajectories showed that these difficulties were marked at the age of two years, and gradually decreased until the age of 5 years old. Imitation skills were strongly linked with cognitive, language skills and level of symptoms in our ASD group at baseline. Moreover, the imitation skills at baseline were predictive of the language gains a year later in our ASD group. Using a data-driven clustering method, we delineated different developmental trajectories of imitation skills within the ASD group. The clinical implications of the findings are discussed, particularly the impact of an early imitation deficit on other areas of competence of the young child.


2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Irène Pittet ◽  
Nada Kojovic ◽  
Martina Franchini ◽  
Marie Schaer

Abstract Background Imitation skills play a crucial role in social cognitive development from early childhood. Many studies have shown a deficit in imitation skills in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Little is known about the development of imitation behaviors in children with ASD. This study aims to measure the trajectories of early imitation skills in preschoolers with ASD and how these skills impact other areas of early development. Methods For this purpose, we assessed imitation, language, and cognition skills in 177 children with ASD and 43 typically developing children (TD) aged 2 to 5 years old, 126 of which were followed longitudinally, yielding a total of 396 time points. Results Our results confirmed the presence of an early imitation deficit in toddlers with ASD compared to TD children. The study of the trajectories showed that these difficulties were marked at the age of 2 years and gradually decreased until the age of 5 years old. Imitation skills were strongly linked with cognitive and language skills and level of symptoms in our ASD group at baseline. Moreover, the imitation skills at baseline were predictive of the language gains a year later in our ASD group. Using a data-driven clustering method, we delineated different developmental trajectories of imitation skills within the ASD group. Conclusions The clinical implications of the findings are discussed, particularly the impact of an early imitation deficit on other areas of competence of the young child.


2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 494-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rikke Lambek ◽  
Edmund Sonuga-Barke ◽  
Lamprini Psychogiou ◽  
Margaret Thompson ◽  
Rosemary Tannock ◽  
...  

Objective: The current study introduces the Parental Emotional Response to Children Index (PERCI), a new questionnaire specifically designed to measure parents’ emotional response to ADHD and related behaviors (delay discounting and delay aversion). Method: The PERCI was completed by parents of 6- to 14-year-old children with ( n = 126) and without ( n = 160) ADHD. Results: Factor analysis confirmed five separate subscales with acceptable psychometric properties. Parents of children with ADHD reported a stronger emotional response to ADHD behaviors than parents of typically developing children and inattention symptoms evoked the strongest emotional response in parents regardless of child diagnostic status. Conclusion: Parents’ emotional responses appear to be differentiated in terms of specific ADHD-related triggers mapping onto the different domains of ADHD and delay-related responses. Further research is required to understand changes in parental emotional responses over time and their impact on children’s developmental trajectories.


Author(s):  
Anne E. Thomas ◽  
Sophie E. Ambrose ◽  
Christine A. Marvin ◽  
Jacob Oleson ◽  
Mary Pat Moeller

Purpose Parent report was compared to judgments made by a trained researcher to determine the utility of the Vocal Development Landmarks Interview (VDLI) for monitoring development of vocal behaviors in very young children. Method Parents of 40 typically developing children, ages 6–21 months, provided full-day naturalistic audio recordings of their children's vocalizations after completing the VDLI. Six 5-min segments of highly voluble periods were selected from each recording and were analyzed, coded, and scored by the researcher. These data were then compared to the parents' VDLI responses. Parent–researcher agreement was examined using two methods and a generalized linear mixed model. Patterns of disagreement were explored descriptively to gain insights regarding potential sources of parent–researcher differences. Finally, developmental patterns in the researcher-observed vocal behaviors were examined as a function of children's age. Results No significant differences in parent–researcher agreement were found for the Canonical and Word subscales of the VDLI; however, significant differences in agreement were found for the Precanonical subscale. Mean percentages of agreement were high overall for both scoring methods evaluated. Additionally, the researcher's categorization and quantification of vocal behaviors for each age group aligned well with developmental trajectories found in the literature. Conclusion Results provide further support for use of parent report to assess early vocal development and use of the VDLI as a clinical measure of vocal development in infants and toddlers ages 6–21 months.


Author(s):  
Elisabet Haas ◽  
Wolfram Ziegler ◽  
Theresa Schölderle

Purpose The aim of this longitudinal study was to describe developmental courses of childhood dysarthria against the background of typical speech motor development by collecting auditory-perceptual data. Method Fourteen children (four girls, 10 boys; 5;1–8;4 [years;months] at Time 1) with neurological conditions (CNC) and 14 typically developing children (CTD) matched for age and gender were assessed at three points in time over an 18-month period. Speech samples were collected using the Bogenhausener Dysarthrie Skalen–Kindliche Dysarthrien (BoDyS-KiD; in English: Bogenhausen Dysarthria Scales–Childhood Dysarthria), a German tool for the assessment of childhood dysarthria, and analyzed by means of nine perceptual scales covering all clinically relevant speech components. Age normalization was performed according to a method published recently. Data from the matched controls were used to estimate whether the gradients of the CNC group's developmental trajectories exceeded those of typical development. Results The children with neurological conditions presented heterogeneous speech profiles with a wide range of severity. At the group level, relatively stable trajectories of the age-normalized dysarthria total score were found over the observation period. The nine perceptual scales showed more or less parallel developments. All patients except two followed the growth curve describing the developmental course of the typically developing children. Conclusions Most children took advantage of the developmental dynamics as they developed parallel to the age norm. With its comprehensive description of the developmental courses of 14 children with neurological conditions, this study may contribute to a more valid, statistically verified clinical assessment of the course of childhood dysarthria.


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