Cerebral Hemispheric Dominance and Lateralization. Examination methods and procedures

On the basis of electrophysiological and neuropsychological investigations the existence of cerebral hemispheric dominance has been established. Thus, a certain psycho-behavioural function may not be equally governed by either the left or the right hemisphere, a tendency towards lateralization coming into play (Sperri, 1974; Arseni, Golu, Dănăilă, 1983; Funnell, Carballis, Gazzanga, 2000). The functional asymmetry of the analysers is encountered both at the peripheral level, through the sensory-motor lateralization of paired receptors, and at the cortical level, through the asymmetrical functioning of the cerebral hemispheres. Consequently, tests for hemispheric dominance, as well as tests for lateralization must, respectively, be employed. When examining cerebral hemispheric dominance and lateralization, the characteristics of the organs under investigation are taken into account, and so is the age of the subjects. The examination of functional asymmetry in the case of analyzers with paired receptors has relied on an impressive number of trials, procedures, tests and questionnaires on lateralization, all suitable for the subjects’ age and for the psycho-physiological characteristics of the respective couple of paired organs. The combined use of lateralization tests specifically adapted for all paired organs (hand, eye, is essential in order to establish the degree of lateralization homogeneity. The examinations and the calculation of the laterality index are to be done periodically, the results being recorded in a chart that reflects the evolution of lateralization as a result of engaging the child in various activities meant for a specific type of lateralization.

SLT- practical aspects: inquiries, good practices and evidence based interventions

INTRODUCTION: Although speech therapy in Romania has a tradition of over 70 years, the practice in the field is in a full process of affirmation and clarification. The initial training system and some professional organizations contribute to the updating and dissemination of standards and good practices in the field. OBJECTIVES: This paper aims to describe some aspects of Romanian speech therapy practice and to draw attention to some discrepancies in the reporting of language and communication disorders. Some suggestions on concrete ways of intervention and evidence-based speech therapy are also offered. METHODS: (1) The statistical data reported by the Iași Inter-School Speech Therapy Center between 2011 and 2020 were analyzed. The data are compared with those available internationally. (2) Two children groups were considered: one diagnosed with developmental language disorder (DLD) (n = 67) and another diagnosed with language delay (LD) (n = 57), aged between 3 and 12 years (M = 5 years 8 months). Tests were used to establish the psychological language age, active and passive vocabulary, record the phonetic inventory and language samples analysis (LSA) for qualitative observations. RESULTS: (1) Statistical data reveal a concordance of reports for speech sound disorders. There are major discrepancies for the other language and communication disorders. Causal explanations and potential directions for remedying this situation are proposed. (2) A statistical analysis (Student’s t test) was conducted in order to compare the children in LD and DLD groups. The data obtained from this analysis along with LSA indicate that the language skills differ between the two groups on the following aspects: lexical, pragmatic, semantic, syntactic, morphological and phonological. Significant differences (p<0.05) occur for onset speech therapy age, phonological disorder, passive vocabulary and language psychological age. Results for active vocabulary did not indicate statistical difference between LD and DLD children. CONCLUSIONS: Explorations reveal a situation with potential negative consequences on children with language and communication disorders. It is desirable to ensure a consensus among practitioners, from the identification phase to the construction of the remediation plan. The use of guidelines for language development and communication skills can contribute to a unitary and effective practice. The study is a prospective one, this issue being subject for further exhaustive approaches.

Speech and language assessment in the school year beginning. Example of Speech and Language Assessment Scale and practical aspects

The aim of this paper was to illustrate the approach of speech and language asssessment developed within the Interschool Speech Therapy Centers in Romania (Centrele Logopedice Interșcolare), at the beginning of the school year, in a pandemic context. It presents the initial evaluation of students and preschoolers, but also the way in which the complex evaluation of children identified with speech and language disorders is developed, fallowing the legislation and specific methodology. The Speech and Language Evaluation Scale is a very useful tool at this stage and beyond. This helps to condense the relevant data about children, to formulate the speech therapy diagnosis and to outline the therapeutic approach. The developed model addresses both aspects of psychomotor development and aspects of pronunciation and articulation. It is designed mainly for primary school students, but can also be applied to preschoolers. The presented case study is intended to highlight the way this model can be used, at various stages, in a specific intervention strategy.

Changing teachers’ attitudes towards children with special needs attending inclusive schools

The purpose of this study was to change TEACHERS’ ATTITUDE REGARDING THE INCLUSION OF THE STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS. The attitude of the teachers who will participate in the training through game designed to change the attitude towards the students with special educational needs will change positively, compared to the attitude of the teachers who will not participate in the training. The attitude of the teachers who participated in the change of attitude training through game changed positively, compared to the attitude of the teachers who did not participate. The non-parametric test Mann-Whitney for independent samples shows that there are statistically significant differences between the experimental group and the control group in all three dimensions of attitude (p <.01) In addition, the T Wilcoxon test shows the differences between the pre-test stage and the post-test phase within each group. It is noted that for the control group, there are no statistically significant differences between the two stages, whereas in the case of the experimental group there are statistically significant differences from one stage to another (.00, p <.01). The degree of acceptance of the students with special educational needs will increase significantly in the teachers who will participate in the computer game training, compared to the teachers who will participate in the classic game training. The results of the „Mann-Whitney U Test” show that there are no significant differences between the experimental groups (p> .05), which indicates that both programs can effectively contribute to changing the teachers’ attitudes towards integrating disabled students

New Tools for Romanian SLPs to use with Language Learning Children

The purpose of this article is to highlight the importance of using three functional measures: Auditory Developmental Scale (0-6 years), Caregiver Intake Interview, and Infant-Directed Speech Checklist in SLT. In the first part of this article, the authors discuss the purpose and advantages of using these instruments in SLT practice. In the last part of this article, the Caregiver Intake Interview and the Infant-Directed Speech Checklist are presented in two languages, English and Romanian.

Expressive language development in ASD context- Case Study

This paper aims to highlight a way of approach for a child with ASD in the field of speech therapy alone, despite the unfavorable forecast (prognosis). The structure of the paper consists of two main parts: a theoretical one regarding the diagnosis and its involvement in the field of language development, and in the second part will be presented a case study carried out over a period of 6 months and with possible future opportunities progress. It is well known that most children with ADS have major language deficiencies coupled with their lack of social skills which worsens (accentuates) the course of further development and, therefore, early intervention can substantially reduce their disabilities. But, in this case study, it is presented a thirteen-year-old boy with ADS and its total absence (lack) of expressive language although the receptive language is at a pretty good level. The main goal of the program was to develop, somehow, (at first hand) first of all, a phonological basis in order to establish a pragmatic (functional) verbal communication. It is known that children with ADS are quite difficult to engage in activities that require focused attention and proper response to multiple requests and what was really remarkable and quite unusual, in the same time, is his full cooperation that led to significant results that will help him in the future.

The active role of the parent in children`s with ASD rehabilitation process

oor social-pragmatic communication is one of the frequent symptoms of the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The determining factors of the syncopes which occur on the communication level are the deficits in the receptive and expressive language. The role of communication and language, the intervention of the parent in the process of recovering the child, the training of the parents as well as the early intervention in the Autism Spectrum Disorder are aspects that have benefited from more attention lately. The main objective of this paper is to observe the progress made by the children with ASD, who have benefited from online education and recovery therapy from a therapist. The case study was used, through observing the evaluation reports with the help of the ABLLS-R evaluation tool, applied to five children with ASD. The expected results have taken the form of improved performance on the evaluated subscales and with improved results in the intervention applied by the parent and guided by the therapist. These findings are meant to emphasize the importance of parent involvement in the process of developing language and communication, as well as recovery in the context of ASD.

Didactic Communication in Online Learning

This qualitative study was focused on higher education and learning through online didactic communication. Using an approach of mixed data collection methods, such as: essay, focus group technique and oral questioning, the research aimed to identify how online communication can be streamlined. The role is to identify different components of the learning environment that may affect the learning experience. These components could have a major impact on efficient communication of higher education (students cohort is N = 98). Results have shown that students had well-defined opinions regarding didactic communication in the virtual environment. They had a positive learning experience and efficient communication only if they were involved in activities and if they were not distracted by other actions or sounds of the environment.

The story as a tool for cognitive stimulation for children with mild intellectual disabilities integrated in mainstream school

The study focused on students with liminal intellect integrated in the mainstream school and was based on adapting the teaching-learning-recovery methods to the students` developmental particularities. It started from the premise that students’ cognitive Rehabilitation process would be improved through cognitive stimulation programs based on the storytelling method. The storytelling as a therapeutic method accompanied a set of exercises for cognitive stimulation influenced children` s cognitive performances. Participants in the research were 32 students from the second grade based on the results they obtained on „Progressive Reaven Matrices” test (QI values in the range 68-85). Participants were organized in two groups: 16 in the experimental group and 16 in the control group. Test-retest method with a single dependent variable was used. Qualitative results of this research are: the metaphors used in the stories taught the students to overcome the emotional barriers, they learned that they can ask several times about something they did not understand, without being criticized or stigmatized for their lack of knowledge; the symbols used in the construction of the stories led to the development of an efficient communication between the parents and the students included in the experimental group; the cognitive stimulation program facilitated the structuring and restructuring of learning leading to the improvement of learning difficulties.

How the online games can be used during SLT sessions?/Case study - Octoplay App

This article presents how online games can be used in the speech therapy sesssions with children, having as case study the mobile app OctoPlay. The OctoPlay application combines the speech therapists` approach with technology and meets the needs of children, therapists and parents through the structure of customizable exercises, collaborative environment and other tools included in the application (video model and mirror technique, virtual reality version, automatic progress reports and the possibility to customize the exercises according to the child’s needs). Practical aspects about how Octoplay App can be used are discussed and information about how it can be accessed are detailed.