ORCID Profile
0000-0001-9978-8173
Current Organisation
The University of Auckland
Does something not look right? The information on this page has been harvested from data sources that may not be up to date. We continue to work with information providers to improve coverage and quality. To report an issue, use the Feedback Form.
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Psychology | Sensory Processes, Perception And Performance | Developmental Psychology And Ageing
Hearing, vision, speech and their disorders | Behavioural and cognitive sciences | Child health |
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.BANDL.2016.12.001
Abstract: 'Affective prosody' defines the supra-segmental features of speech that, when manipulated, can change the type and intensity of emotion conveyed by the speaker. Although the right hemisphere is predominantly linked to the processing of affective prosodic cues, existing literature also suggests that damage to the left hemisphere can result in similar deficits. This study aims to demonstrate, and add to the evidence, that patients with left-hemisphere injury experience difficulties with affective prosodic perception and production, measured via a new combination of assessments and analyses. It is also hypothesised that aphasia severity will be correlated with impaired processing of affective prosody. Stroke and control participants differed significantly on prosody perception tests of matching auditory affective cues to visual images. Prosodic production was measured by participants vocalising different affective expressions of words and monosyllables - from which significant differences were found in perceptual judgements of emotion accuracy and intensity, and acoustic analyses of pitch range and variance. There were significant correlations between participants' Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) scores, quality of life, and prosody production. In iduals with left-hemisphere damage after stroke have impaired affective prosodic perception and production that may be associated with reduced quality of life.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-09-2016
DOI: 10.3109/14992027.2015.1074734
Abstract: This research investigates a novel method for identifying and measuring school-aged children with poor auditory processing through a tablet computer. Feasibility and test-retest reliability are investigated by examining the percentage of Group 1 participants able to complete the tasks and developmental effects on performance. Concurrent validity was investigated against traditional tests of auditory processing using Group 2. There were 847 students aged 5 to 13 years in group 1, and 46 aged 5 to 14 years in group 2. Some tasks could not be completed by the youngest participants. Significant correlations were found between results of most auditory processing areas assessed by the Feather Squadron test and traditional auditory processing tests. Test-retest comparisons indicated good reliability for most of the Feather Squadron assessments and some of the traditional tests. The results indicate the Feather Squadron assessment is a time-efficient, feasible, concurrently valid, and reliable approach for measuring auditory processing in school-aged children. Clinically, this may be a useful option for audiologists when performing auditory processing assessments as it is a relatively fast, engaging, and easy way to assess auditory processing abilities. Research is needed to investigate further the construct validity of this new assessment by examining the association between performance on Feather Squadron and objective evoked potential, lesion studies, and/or functional imaging measures of auditory function.
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 19-09-2019
DOI: 10.1097/AUD.0000000000000777
Abstract: Hearing impairment in childhood is a serious disability that can impose a heavy social and economic burden on in iduals and families. It was hypothesized that hearing loss or middle ear disease in 11-year-old Pacific children living in New Zealand would be associated with higher levels of engagement in (1) delinquent behaviors, and (2) clinical level internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors than Pacific children with no hearing loss or middle ear disease. Based on earlier findings, peer pressure, self-perception, physical punishment (slapping), sex, and ethnicity were controlled for in the association between hearing difficulties and behavioral outcomes. In the school setting, pure-tone audiometry and immittance audiometry assessments were used to establish the hearing level in 11-year-old Pacific children (n = 920). These children also completed multidisciplinary questionnaires, which included questions about involvement in delinquent behaviors, peer pressure, and self-perception. In the home setting, maternal reports were gathered on internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors in their offspring, their parenting style, and sociodemographic details. A significant effect of hearing level was detected for the odds of reporting mild delinquency versus no delinquency (odds ratio: 1.02, 95% CI: 1.00 to 1.05), and odds of moderate delinquency versus no delinquency (odds ratio: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.94 to 1.00). No significant effect was detected for hearing level and severe delinquency or internalizing or externalizing behavioral problems in the clinical range. Middle ear disease (abnormal tympanogram in the worse ear) was not significantly associated with delinquency at any level or with internalizing behaviors in the clinical range. However, children with middle ear disease were significantly less likely than all other participants to exhibit disruptive externalizing behavior in the clinical range. Relatively young children with hearing loss reported engagement in moderate levels of delinquency that represent serious antisocial and potentially violent acts. This finding provides evidence of the significant effect that hearing loss has on child behavior. This association between hearing loss and moderate delinquency requires ethnic-specific interventions that are targeted for maximum benefit at appropriate times in childhood to mitigate potentially long-term health, educational, and behavioral risks.
Publisher: Acoustical Society of America (ASA)
Date: 2011
DOI: 10.1121/1.3514370
Abstract: Toneburst-evoked auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) were recorded in a captive subadult male leopard seal. Three frequencies from 1 to 4 kHz were tested at sound levels from 68 to 122 dB peak equivalent sound pressure level (peSPL). Results illustrate brainstem activity within the 1–4 kHz range, with better hearing sensitivity at 4 kHz. As is seen in human ABR, only wave V is reliably identified at the lower stimulus intensities. Wave V is present down to levels of 82 dB peSPL in the right ear and 92 dB peSPL in the left ear at 4 kHz. Further investigations testing a wider frequency range on seals of various sex and age classes are required to conclusively report on the hearing range and sensitivity in this species.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-11-2022
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2007
DOI: 10.1080/14992020601014979
Abstract: We investigated the acceptability of electrophysiologically derived MAPs and the effect of these MAPs on speech perception in elderly adults using Nucleus 24 cochlear implants. Eight implant recipients aged 75 years or older trialed an electrophysiologically derived MAP and a behavioral MAP. The electrophysiologically derived MAP was based on the threshold and maximum comfort level for electrode 10 and evoked compound action potential thresholds measured on six electrodes using neural response telemetry (NRT). Word perception at 55 dB SPL and sentence perception in noise at 70 dB SPL were assessed after six weeks take-home experience and again after an additional two weeks of experience. During the final two weeks of take-home experience participants indicated their preferred MAP for different listening situations. The NRT derived MAP estimated behavioral T levels well, but underestimated behavioral C levels for apical electrodes in some subjects. Speech perception with NRT derived MAPs was comparable to speech perception with behaviorally measured MAPs. MAPs estimated from NRT data provided good speech perception outcomes for elderly implant recipients and were well tolerated.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 16-05-2021
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 27-03-2015
DOI: 10.3109/14992027.2015.1007214
Abstract: To describe the audiological journey of a group of infants with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) following the fitting of hearing aids, and to investigate the potential benefits of including cortical auditory-evoked potentials (CAEPs) and a measure of functional auditory behaviour during early audiological management. Results from chart revision of estimated hearing threshold, early behavioural testing, parental observation, and functional auditory behaviour assessments were described, and compared to visual reinforcement audiometry (VRA) thresholds obtained at a mean corrected age of 10 months (SD 3). The relationship with CAEPs and functional performance was examined. The study included 12 infants diagnosed with ANSD and fitted with lification. The estimated 4FA at a mean corrected age of four months (SD5) was within ± 10 dB of VRA results in 75% of infants when unaided and aided behavioural observation audiometry (BOA), together with unaided and aided parental observations was combined. Infants with a greater proportion of CAEPs present had higher PEACH scores. Delaying lification until VRA results were available would have led to a significant period of auditory deprivation for infants in this study group. None of the assessments could accurately determine hearing thresholds when used in isolation, however when used in combination clinicians were able to obtain sufficient information to fit hearing aids early, and identify infants requiring closer monitoring.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 02-09-2020
DOI: 10.3390/F11090963
Abstract: Decisions about urban forests are critical to urban liveability and resilience. This study aimed to evaluate the range of positions held by urban forest managers from local governments in the state of Victoria, Australia, regarding the management and governance challenges that affect their decision-making. This study was based on a Q-method approach, a procedure that allows researchers to evaluate the range of positions that exist about a topic in a structured manner based on the experiences of a wide group of people. We created statements on a wide range of urban forest management and governance challenges and asked urban forest managers to rate their level of agreement with these statements via an online survey. Managers generally agreed about the challenges posed by urban development and climate change for implementing local government policies on urban forest protection and expansion. However, there were ergent views about how effective solutions based on increasing operational capacities, such as increasing budgets and personnel, could address these challenges. For some managers, it was more effective to improve critical governance challenges, such as inter-departmental and inter-municipal coordination, community engagement, and addressing the culture of risk aversion in local governments. Urban forest regional strategies aimed at coordinating management and governance issues across cities should build on existing consensus on development and environmental threats and address critical management and governance issues not solely related to local government operational capacity.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 24-03-2017
DOI: 10.1080/14670100.2017.1299393
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of cognition and noise reduction (NR) technology in cochlear implants (CIs) on speech perception and listening effort. Thirteen adults fitted with unilateral CIs (Nucleus Speech intelligibility significantly improved with the NR activated, but was independent of in idual differences in cognitive abilities. Listening effort did not significantly change with NR setting however, there was a trend for participants with good working memory to have better speech perception scores with NR activated during the effortful listening task (dual-task paradigm). Future studies are warranted to explore the interaction between cognition and CI NR algorithms during an effortful listening task.
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 05-03-2014
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.CLINPH.2015.04.002
Abstract: To examine behavioural and neural processing of pitch cues in adults with normal hearing (NH) and adults with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). All participants completed a test of behavioural sensitivity to pitch cues using the TFS1 test (Moore and Sek, 2009a). Cortical potentials (N1, P2 and acoustic change complex) were recorded in response to frequency shifted (deltaF) tone complexes in an 'ABA' pattern. The SNHL group performed more poorly than the NH group for the TFS1 test. P2 was more reflective of pitch differences between the complexes than N1. The presence of acoustic change complex in response to the TFS transitions in the ABA stimulus varied with deltaF. Acoustic change complex litudes were reduced for the group with SNHL compared to controls. Behavioural performance and cortical responses reflect pitch processing depending on the salience of pitch cues. These data support the use of cortical potentials and behavioural sensitivity tests to measure processing of complex acoustic cues in people with hearing loss. This approach has potential for evaluation of benefit from auditory training and hearing instrument digital signal processing strategies.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 17-10-2022
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2008
DOI: 10.1016/J.JFLUDIS.2008.09.002
Abstract: The present study investigated the immediate effects of eight altered auditory feedback (AAF) parameters on stuttering frequency during monologue speech production on two occasions. One of the modern commercially available portable anti-stuttering devices, "The Pocket Speech Lab" (Casa Futura Technologies) was used in the study to produce the auditory feedback alterations. Six types of combined delayed auditory feedback (DAF) and frequency shifted auditory feedback (FAF) and two types of DAF alone were tested for eight participants aged 16-55 years, with stuttering severity ranging from mild to severe. The present study found that AAF is an effective means to reduce stuttering frequency during monologue speech production. All eight AAF experimental conditions reduced stuttering frequency, however, there was substantial variability in the stuttering reduction effect across experimental conditions and across participants. There was also instability in stuttering reduction across the two testing sessions. On average, a 75 ms time delay on its own and a combination of the 75 ms time delay and a half octave downward frequency shift were found to be more effective than other combinations of AAF parameters that were investigated. After reading this paper, the reader should be able to (1) summarize the research investigating the effect of altered auditory feedback on stuttering frequency during monologue speech production (2) describe the stuttering reduction effect of the eight parameters of AAF tested during monologue speech production and (3) discuss the possible clinical implications of the use of AAF for stuttering treatment.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-07-2006
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 29-06-2011
DOI: 10.3109/17549507.2011.485329
Abstract: This study uses a qualitative approach to examine common techniques used by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to manage fatigue in communication intervention following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Thirteen SLPs from New Zealand hospital and rehabilitation services completed semi-structured interviews in which they discussed their current management strategies. A number of management-related themes recurred throughout the interviews, highlighting the basis of fatigue-management-focused (FMF) communication intervention. The four fatigue-related themes were: intervention structure, client and family strategies, monitoring by both the client and therapist, and lifestyle and daily activities. From these four themes, a model of current SLP practice was developed for clients with TBI. This model will provide the basis for future studies evaluating the effectiveness of FMF communication intervention.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-03-2017
DOI: 10.1111/JCPP.12721
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 29-01-2014
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2007
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 29-01-2014
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 09-04-2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 16-10-2019
DOI: 10.1097/AUD.0000000000000789
Abstract: With the advent of newborn hearing screening and early intervention, there is a growing interest in using supra-threshold obligatory cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) to complement established pediatric clinical test procedures. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility, and parent acceptability, of recording infant CAEPs. Typically developing infants (n = 104) who had passed newborn hearing screening and whose parents expressed no hearing concerns were recruited. Testing was not possible in 6 infants, leaving 98, age range 5 to 39 weeks (mean age = 21.9, SD = 9.4). Three short duration speech-like stimuli (/m/, /g/, /t/) were presented at 65 dB SPL via a loudspeaker at 0° azimuth. Three criteria were used to assess clinical feasibility: (i) median test duration min, (ii) % completion rate in a single test session, and (iii) % response detection for each stimulus. We also recorded response litude, latency, and CAEP signal to noise ratio. Response litudes and residual noise levels were compared for Fpz (n = 56) and Cz (n = 42) noninverting electrode locations. Parental acceptability was based on an 8-item questionnaire (7-point scale, 1 being best). In addition, we explored the patient experience in semistructured telephone interviews with seven families. The median time taken to complete 2 runs for 3 stimuli, including preparation, was 27 min (range 17 to 59 min). Of the 104 infants, 98 (94%) were in an appropriate behavioral state for testing. A further 7 became restless during testing and their results were classified as “inconclusive.” In the remaining 91 infants, CAEPs were detected in every case with normal bilateral tympanograms. Detection of CAEPs in response to /m/, /g/, and /t/ in these in iduals was 86%, 100%, and 92%, respectively. Residual noise levels and CAEP litudes were higher for Cz electrode recordings. Mean scores on the acceptability questionnaire ranged from 1.1 to 2.6. Analysis of interviews indicated that parents found CAEP testing to be a positive experience and recognized the benefit of having an assessment procedure that uses conversational level speech stimuli. Test duration, completion rates, and response detection rates met (or were close to) our feasibility targets, and parent acceptability was high. CAEPs have the potential to supplement existing practice in 3- to 9-month olds.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-2004
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 04-2017
DOI: 10.3766/JAAA.16001
Abstract: Background: Auditory development in children with hearing loss, including the perception of prosody, depends on having adequate input from cochlear implants and/or hearing aids. Lack of adequate auditory stimulation can lead to delayed speech and language development. Nevertheless, prosody perception and production in people with hearing loss have received less attention than other aspects of language. The perception of auditory information conveyed through prosody using variations in the pitch, litude, and duration of speech is not usually evaluated clinically. Purpose: This study (1) compared prosody perception and production abilities in children with hearing loss and children with normal hearing and (2) investigated the effect of age, hearing level, and musicality on prosody perception. Research Design: Participants were 16 children with hearing loss and 16 typically developing controls matched for age and gender. Fifteen of the children with hearing loss were tested while using lification (n = 9 hearing aids, n = 6 cochlear implants). Six receptive subtests of the Profiling Elements of Prosody in Speech-Communication (PEPS-C), the Child Paralanguage subtest of Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy 2 (DANVA 2), and Contour and Interval subtests of the Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia (MBEA) were used. Audio recordings of the children’s reading s les were rated using a perceptual prosody rating scale by nine experienced listeners who were blinded to the children’s hearing status. Study S le: Thirty two children, 16 with hearing loss (mean age = 8.71 yr) and 16 age- and gender-matched typically developing children with normal hearing (mean age = 8.87 yr). Data Collection and Analysis: Assessments were completed in one session lasting 1–2 hours in a quiet room. Test items were presented using a laptop computer through loudspeaker at a comfortable listening level. For children with hearing loss using hearing instruments, all tests were completed with hearing devices set at their everyday listening setting. Results: All PEPS-C subtests and total scores were significantly lower for children with hearing loss compared to controls (p 0.05). The hearing loss group performed more poorly than the control group in recognizing happy, sad, and fearful emotions in the DANVA 2 subtest. Musicality (composite MBEA scores and musical experience) was significantly correlated with prosody perception scores, but this link was not evident in the regression analyses. Regression modeling showed that age and hearing level (better ear pure-tone average) accounted for 55.4% and 56.7% of the variance in PEPS-C and DANVA 2 total scores, respectively. There was greater variability for the ratings of pitch, pitch variation, and overall impression of prosody in the hearing loss group compared to control group. Prosody perception (PEPS-C and DANVA 2 total scores) and ratings of prosody production were not correlated. Conclusions: Children with hearing loss aged 7–12 yr had significant difficulties in understanding different aspects of prosody and were rated as having more atypical prosody overall than controls. These findings suggest that clinical assessment and speech–language therapy services for children with hearing loss should be expanded to target prosodic difficulties. Future studies should investigate whether musical training is beneficial for improving receptive prosody skills.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 06-05-2015
Abstract: Science festivals enable scientists to engage with publics, but format design reflecting different engagement models is contested. This study gathered mixed-methods data over 3 years (2011-2013) from on-site surveys ( N = 661) of a health science festival, exploring audience preferences for dissemination or dialogue formats (lectures, discussions, community expo, lab experiments, and day out). Irrespective of time, age–group, or gender, lectures were significantly ranked the main attraction (76.8%), most highly attended (89.1%), and most useful format (83.8%). Thematic analysis revealed five themes exploring nonformal learning motivations for audiences, highlighting that knowledge/understanding acquisition is perceived as empowering greater health literacy.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2017
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 26-03-2014
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 07-2018
DOI: 10.3766/JAAA.17053
Abstract: Classrooms can be noisy and are challenging listening environments for children with auditory processing disorder (APD). This research was undertaken to determine if the Listening Inventory for Education-UK version (LIFE-UK) can differentiate children with listening difficulties and APD from their typically developing peers. To investigate reliability and validity of the student and teacher versions LIFE-UK questionnaire for assessing classroom listening difficulties. Cross-sectional quantitative study comparing children with listening difficulties with typically developing children. In total, 143 children (7–12 yr) participated 45 were diagnosed with APD. Fifteen participants with reported listening difficulties who passed the APD test battery were assigned to a “listening difficulty” (LiD) group. Eighty three children from nine classrooms formed a Control group. Children and teachers completed the LIFE-UK questionnaire student and teacher versions. Factor analysis was undertaken, and item reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. Teacher and student ratings were compared using Spearman correlations. Correlations between LIFE-UK ratings and APD test results were also investigated. Factor analysis revealed three factors accounting for 60% of the variance in the Control group LIFE-UK ratings. After removing six items with low factor loadings, a shortened seven-item version with three factors accounted for 71.8% of the variance for the student questionnaire Cronbach’s alpha indicated good internal reliability for this seven-item version of the student questionnaire. Factors were also derived for the teacher questionnaire. Teacher and student ratings were correlated when participant groups were combined. LIFE-UK ratings correlated weakly with some APD measures, providing some support for the questionnaire validity. The results support the use of either the 13- or 7-item student and the teacher versions of the LIFE-UK to evaluate classroom listening and functional consequences of APD. Factor analysis resulted in groupings of items reflecting differences in listening demands in quiet versus noise for the student questionnaire and attentional versus class participation demands for the teacher questionnaire. Further research is needed to confirm the robustness of these factors in other populations.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 16-05-2014
DOI: 10.3109/09638288.2013.793749
Abstract: Abstract Purpose: Group singing could be a promising component of neurorehabilitative care. This article aims to conceptualize how group singing may enable people with Parkinson's disease (PD) to synchronize their movement patterns to musical rhythm and enhance quality of life. Spanning the medical and social sciences, the article draws conceptually on literature on PD, group singing and rhythm in music personal experience and reasoning. Conceptualizing PD in terms of disruptions to social and biological rhythms, we hypothesize how group singing may produce two socio-psychological states - connectedness and flow - that may entrain rhythm in people with PD. The states connect during group singing to elicit and enhance motor processes but may also reawaken after the group singing, through the recall and reactivation of the musical rhythms encoded during group singing. In people with PD, this continuity of flow is hypothesized to be conducive to rhythmic entrainment during and after group singing and in turn to reduced deficits in motor timing and emotional processing, and improvements in quality of life. Empirical studies are needed to test this hypothesis in people with movement disorders such as PD. Implications for Rehabilitation Musical rhythm in group singing may enhance quality of life, and rehabilitation, in people with PD. Use group singing to produce two socio-psychological states - connectedness and flow - that may yield these health benefits. Include people with PD in singing groups to facilitate perceptual exposure to familiar music with melodic distinctiveness and a regular beat.
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 04-02-2016
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2018
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12728
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 08-04-2021
Abstract: In iduals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience challenges with social communication, often involving emotional elements of language. This may stem from underlying auditory processing difficulties, especially when incoming speech is nuanced or complex. This study explored the effects of auditory training on social perception abilities of children with ASD. The training combined use of a remote-microphone hearing system and computerized emotion perception training. At baseline, children with ASD had poorer social communication scores and delayed mismatch negativity (MMN) compared to typically developing children. Behavioral results, measured pre- and post-intervention, revealed increased social perception scores in children with ASD to the extent that they outperformed their typically developing peers post-intervention. Electrophysiology results revealed changes in neural responses to emotional speech stimuli. Post-intervention, mismatch responses of children with ASD more closely resembled their neurotypical peers, with shorter MMN latencies, a significantly heightened P2 wave, and greater differentiation of emotional stimuli, consistent with their improved behavioral results. This study sets the foundation for further investigation into connections between auditory processing difficulties and social perception and communication for in iduals with ASD, and provides a promising indication that combining lified hearing and computer-based targeted social perception training using emotional speech stimuli may have neuro-rehabilitative benefits.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 25-04-2022
DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2022.2048105
Abstract: To investigate listening skills in infant hearing aid users using the LittlEARS Caregivers completed the LEAQ, and hearing aid data logging was recorded, at infant age 3-7 months and 7-21 months. Seventy infant hearing aid users with permanent bilateral hearing loss, no developmental comorbidities, aged 3-7 months at first visit. Infants with mild and moderate losses tended to have scores within the normative range at the early time point (88%), but 29% were below the normative range when older. Thirty percent of infants with severe hearing loss were outside the normative range at the early time point and 60% outside the normative range when older. Infants with profound loss were almost always (95%) outside the normative range. At the later time point, and for infants with severe-to-profound loss, low LEAQ scores were associated with fewer daily hours hearing aid use. Scores were poorer than previous reports in the literature for infant hearing aid users. This study provides further knowledge on infant listening performance and hearing aid use over time that can be used to guide management of in idual cases and to develop and audit service quality improvements.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2018
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 08-07-2016
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-2001
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 03-11-2022
Abstract: Prior research shows that in iduals who have exhibited antisocial behavior are in poorer health than their same-aged peers. A major driver of poor health is aging itself, yet research has not investigated relationships between offending trajectories and biological aging. We tested the hypothesis that in iduals following a life-course persistent (LCP) antisocial trajectory show accelerated aging in midlife. Trajectories of antisocial behavior from age 7 to 26 years were studied in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a population-representative birth cohort (N = 1037). Signs of aging were assessed at age 45 years using previously validated measures including biomarkers, clinical tests, and self-reports. First, we tested whether the association between antisocial behavior trajectories and midlife signs of faster aging represented a decline from initial childhood health. We then tested whether decline was attributable to tobacco smoking, antipsychotic medication use, debilitating illnesses in adulthood, adverse exposures in childhood (maltreatment, socioeconomic disadvantage) and adulthood (incarceration), and to childhood self-control difficulties. Study members with a history of antisocial behavior had a significantly faster pace of biological aging by midlife, and this was most evident among in iduals following the LCP trajectory (β, 0.22, 95%CI, 0.14, 0.28, p ≤ 0.001). This amounted to 4.3 extra years of biological aging between ages 25–45 years for Study members following the LCP trajectory compared to low-antisocial trajectory in iduals. LCP offenders also experienced more midlife difficulties with hearing (β, −0.14, 95%CI, −0.21, −0.08, p ≤ 0.001), balance (β, −0.13, 95%CI, −0.18, −0.06, p ≤ 0.001), gait speed (β, −0.18, 95%CI, −0.24, −0.10, p ≤ 0.001), and cognitive functioning (β, −0.25, 95%CI, −0.31, −0.18, p ≤ 0.001). Associations represented a decline from childhood health. Associations persisted after controlling in idually for tobacco smoking, antipsychotic medication use, midlife illnesses, maltreatment, socioeconomic status, incarceration, and childhood self-control difficulties. However, the cumulative effect of these lifestyle characteristics together explained why LCP offenders have a faster Pace of Aging than their peers. While older adults typically age-out of crime, LCP offenders will likely age-into the healthcare system earlier than their chronologically same-aged peers. Preventing young people from offending is likely to have substantial benefits for health, and people engaging in a LCP trajectory of antisocial behaviors might be the most in need of health promotion programs. We offer prevention and intervention strategies to reduce the financial burden of offenders on healthcare systems and improve their wellbeing.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 22-07-2016
DOI: 10.3109/09638288.2015.1068875
Abstract: People with stroke or Parkinson's disease (PD) live with reduced mood, social participation and quality of life (QOL). Communication difficulties affect 90% of people with PD (dysarthria) and over 33% of people with stroke (aphasia). These consequences are disabling in many ways. However, as singing is typically still possible, its therapeutic use is of increasing interest. This article explores the experiences of and factors influencing participation in choral singing therapy (CST) by people with stroke or PD and their significant others. Participants (eight people with stroke, six with PD) were recruited from a community music therapy choir running CST. Significant others (seven for stroke, two for PD) were also recruited. Supported communication methods were used as needed to undertake semi-structured interviews (total N = 23). Thematic analysis indicated participants had many unmet needs associated with their condition, which motivated them to explore self-management options. CST participation was described as an enjoyable social activity, and participation was perceived as improving mood, language, breathing and voice. Choral singing was perceived by people with stroke and PD to help them self-manage some of the consequences of their condition, including social isolation, low mood and communication difficulties. Choral singing therapy (CST) is sought out by people with stroke and PD to help self-manage symptoms of their condition. Participation is perceived as an enjoyable activity which improves mood, voice and language symptoms. CST may enable access to specialist music therapy and speech language therapy protocols within community frameworks.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2020
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 11-01-2023
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 04-02-2016
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.CLINPH.2012.09.011
Abstract: To determine stimulus level effects on speech-evoked cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) in infants for a low (/m/) and high (/t/) frequency speech sound. CAEPs were recorded for two natural speech tokens, /m/ and /t/. Participants were 16 infants aged 3-8months with no risk factors for hearing impairment, no parental concern regarding hearing or development, and normal tympanograms and otoacoustic emissions. Infants were either tested at levels of 30, 50, and 70dB SPL or at 40, 60, and 80dB SPL, in counterbalanced order. Input-output functions show different effects of increasing sound level between stimuli. There were minimal changes in latency with increase in level for /t/. For /m/, there were approximately 50-60ms latency increases at soft compared to loud levels. Amplitudes saturated at moderate-high levels (60-80dB SPL) for both stimuli. Infants' CAEP input-output functions differ for /t/ versus /m/ and differ from those previously reported for adults for other stimuli. Effects of stimulus and level on CAEPs should be considered when using CAEPs for hearing aid or cochlear implant evaluation in infants. Speech-evoked CAEPs provide an objective measure of central auditory processing. Possible differences in CAEP growth between infants and adults suggest developmental effects on intensity coding by the auditory cortex.
Publisher: Acoustical Society of America (ASA)
Date: 04-1982
DOI: 10.1121/1.387578
Abstract: The minimum detectable duration of a brief burst of noise and a brief gap in a noise were measured by the two-alternative forced-choice method. For all listeners the minimum detectable duration of a burst was shorter than the minimum detectable duration of a gap at equal signal-to-noise ratios. For 12 listeners with normal hearing, the average minimum detectable duration of a burst with a 10-dB signal-to-noise ratio was 1.2 msec, whereas the average of a gap at the same signal-to-noise ratio was 4.2 msec. Nine of ten hearing-impaired listeners required longer durations, whether for bursts or gaps, than the average of normal listeners. These nine impaired listeners had slower time constants than any of the normal listeners. Both the rise and decay of auditory sensation in the impaired listeners were therefore abnormally slow.
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 07-2018
DOI: 10.3766/JAAA.16074
Abstract: Personal frequency modulation (FM) systems are often recommended for children diagnosed with auditory processing disorder (APD) to improve their listening environment in the classroom. Further evidence is required to support the continuation of this recommendation. To determine whether personal FM systems enhance auditory processing abilities and classroom listening in school-aged children with APD. Two baseline assessments separated by eight weeks were undertaken before a 20-week trial of bilateral personal FM in the classroom. The third assessment was completed immediately after the FM trial. A range of behavioral measures and speech-evoked cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) in quiet and in noise were used to assess auditory processing and FM outcomes. Perceived listening ability was assessed using the Listening Inventory for Education–United Kingdom version (LIFE-UK) questionnaire student and teacher versions, and a modified version of the LIFE-UK questionnaire for parents. Twenty-eight children aged 7–12 years were included in this intervention study. Of the 28 children, there were 22 males and six females. APD Tests scores and CAEP peak latencies and litudes were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance to determine whether results changed over the two baseline assessments and after the FM trial. The LIFE-UK was administered immediately before and after the FM trial. Student responses were analyzed using paired t-tests. Results are described for the (different) pre- and post-trial teacher versions of the LIFE-UK. Speech in spatial noise (SSN) scores improved by 13% on average when participants wore the FM system in the laboratory. Noise resulted in increased P1 and N2 latencies and reduced N2 litudes. The impact of noise on CAEP latencies and litudes was significantly reduced when participants wore the FM. Participants’ LIFE-UK responses indicated significant improvements in their perceived listening after the FM trial. Most teachers (74%) reported the trial as successful, based on LIFE-UK ratings. Teachers’ and parents’ questionnaire ratings indicated good agreement regarding the outcomes of the FM trial. There was no change in compressed and reverberated words, masking level difference, and sustained attention scores across visits. Gaps in noise, dichotic digits test, and SSN (hard words) showed practice effects. Frequency pattern test and SSN easy word scores did not change between baseline visits, and improved significantly after the FM trial. CAEP N2 latencies and litudes changed significantly across visits changes occurred across the baseline and the FM trial period. Personal FM systems produce immediate speech perception benefits and enhancement of speech-evoked cortical responses in noise in the laboratory. The 20-week FM trial produced significant improvements in behavioral measures of auditory processing and participants’ perceptions of their listening skills. Teacher and parent questionnaires also indicated positive outcomes.
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 03-2019
DOI: 10.1097/AUD.0000000000000608
Abstract: Previous research shows that children with reading disorders perform poorly on auditory processing (AP) tasks. Correlational studies have also shown significant associations between some AP tasks and word and nonword reading. There is less clear evidence for AP contributions to spelling and passage reading. The aim of this research was to extend current knowledge by investigating the association between a range of AP measures used clinically and children’s reading of words, nonwords, and passages, as well as word spelling. Regression analyses were conducted on data from 90 children 7 to 13 years of age (58 males) with reported listening and/or reading concerns. All children had normal hearing sensitivity and were tested on AP tasks including the frequency pattern test (FPT), dichotic digits test, random gap detection test, and the masking level difference. Reading tasks included word, nonword, and passage reading. Phonologic processing, core language skills, nonverbal intelligence, memory, and attention were also measured. All multiregression analyses were fixed order with age and gender, nonverbal intelligence, core language, phoneme manipulation, and digits backward scores included in the model before AP measures. FPT was the only AP task that accounted for significant unique variance in word/nonword reading and nonword spelling, but not passage reading. The findings from this study failed to show an association between many clinically used AP measures and children’s reading and spelling outcomes. Nevertheless, they reiterate the importance of evaluating FPT in children with word reading disorders. The findings justify further investigation into the role of this test when diagnosing children with reading or spelling disorders.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 26-04-2021
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 04-08-2023
DOI: 10.3390/JCM12155130
Abstract: To date, no established protocol exists for measuring functional voice changes in singers with subclinical singing-voice complaints. Hence, these may go undiagnosed until they progress into greater severity. This exploratory study sought to (1) determine which scale items in the self-perceptual Evaluation of Ability to Sing Easily (EASE) are associated with instrumental voice measures, and (2) construct as proof-of-concept an instrumental index related to singers’ perceptions of their vocal function and health status. Eighteen classical singers were acoustically recorded in a controlled environment singing an /a/ vowel using soft phonation. Aerodynamic data were collected during a softly sung apapapapapapa/ task with the KayPENTAX Phonatory Aerodynamic System. Using multi and univariate linear regression techniques, CPPS, vibrato jitter, vibrato shimmer, and an efficiency ratio (SPL/PSub) were included in a significant model (p 0.001) explaining 62.4% of variance in participants’ composite scores of three scale items related to vocal fatigue. The instrumental index showed a significant association (p = 0.001) with the EASE vocal fatigue subscale overall. Findings illustrate that an aeroacoustic instrumental index may be useful for monitoring functional changes in the singing voice as part of a multidimensional diagnostic approach to preventative and rehabilitative voice healthcare for professional singing-voice users.
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 06-08-2007
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2012
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 07-2014
DOI: 10.3766/JAAA.25.7.6
Abstract: Background: Children clinically diagnosed with auditory processing disorders (APDs) are often described as easily distracted and inattentive, leading some researchers to propose that APDs might be a consequence of underlying attention difficulties or a subtype of attention disorders. Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the link between AP and attention by determining the relationship between performance on an auditory and visual sustained attention task and performance on a common APD test battery. Research Design: This study was a cross-sectional correlation study of school-aged children. Study S le: Participants were a clinical group of 101 children considered by their parents or teachers to have listening difficulties, and a control group of 18 children with no suspected listening difficulties. All children were 7–12 yr old. Data Collection and Analysis: All children passed a standard peripheral audiologic assessment and were assessed using a clinical APD test battery and reading accuracy, nonverbal intelligence, and visual and auditory continuous performance tests. Results: There were significant correlations within the APD test scores except for masking level difference values, which did not correlate significantly with any other measure. Dichotic Digit and Frequency Pattern scores also correlated significantly with Nonverbal Intelligence and Sustained Auditory and Visual Attention scores. Within the clinical group, there were twice as many children outside normal limits on both the APD test battery and the attention tests as there were children who were outside normal limits on only the APD test battery or only the attention tests. Significant predictors of reading ability were the Frequency Pattern, Gaps In Noise, and Nonverbal Intelligence scores. Conclusions: The degree of correlation between the APD and attention measures indicates that although deficits in both AP and sustained attention co-occur in some children (more than would be expected from chance alone), and the two conditions may have similar symptoms, they are separate, largely independent conditions.
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 07-2017
DOI: 10.3766/JAAA.15130
Abstract: Negative psychosocial consequences have been reported for children with auditory processing disorder (APD). The current literature surrounding APD does not sufficiently address the emotional and psychological consequences of living with the disorder. It is recommended that data be collected from multiple sources, including the child living with APD. Subjective reports of the perceptions of children with APD and their families have real-life validity and can inform clinical decisions and guide future research. The aims of this study were to explore the psychosocial consequences of APD as perceived by children with the disorder and their parents. Qualitative cross-sectional study. Thirteen participants were interviewed: six children with APD, aged 10–12 yr, and one parent for each child (in one case, two parents participated in the interview). Semistructured interviews were used to examine the social, emotional, and educational well-being of children with APD. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted to develop themes that illustrated the experiences of living with APD. Three themes were identified forming a causal network conceptual framework that is reciprocal in nature: (1) external factors, (2) internal problems, and (3) coping. The themes revealed how APD impacted negatively on children’s psychosocial well-being (internal problems: covert thoughts, overt behaviors) and described the basis for these outcomes (external factors: environmentally based problems, dissatisfaction with support) and the ability of children and their parent(s) to manage the impact of APD (coping: positive, negative). The three themes identified in this research provide a novel understanding of the experience of APD. The themes reflect the psychosocial consequences of external factors that are created internally through “thought” and expressed externally through “behavior.” Pathways to support positive coping strategies while discouraging negative coping strategies will enable children to overcome problems and improve their psychosocial well-being.
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 11-2011
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-05-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.CLINPH.2015.11.003
Abstract: We sought to examine whether oscillatory EEG responses to a speech stimulus in both quiet and noise were different in children with listening problems than in children with normal hearing. We employed a high-resolution spectral-temporal analysis of the cortical auditory evoked potential in response to a 150 ms speech sound /da/ in quiet and 3 dB SNR in 21 typically developing children (mean age=10.7 years, standard deviation=1.7) and 44 children with reported listening problems (LP) with absence of hearing loss (mean age=10.3 years, standard deviation=1.6). Children with LP were assessed for auditory processing disorder (APD) by which 24 children had APD, and 20 children did not. Peak latencies, magnitudes, and frequencies were compared between these groups. Children with LP had frequency shifts in the theta, and alpha bands (p<0.05), and children with LP+APD had additional frequency (p<0.01) and latency shifts (p<0.05) in the upper beta and in the lower gamma bands. These results provide evidence for differences in higher level modulatory processing in children with LP, and that APD is driven by differences in early auditory encoding. These findings may better guide future research toward improving the differential diagnosis and treatment of listening problems in this population of children.
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 06-2009
DOI: 10.1044/1092-4388(2008/07-0226)
Abstract: The authors assessed comorbidity of auditory processing disorder (APD), language impairment (LI), and reading disorder (RD) in school-age children. Children ( N = 68) with suspected APD and nonverbal IQ standard scores of 80 or more were assessed using auditory, language, reading, attention, and memory measures. Auditory processing tests included the Frequency Pattern Test (FPT F. E. Musiek, 1994 D. Noffsinger, R. H. Wilson, & F. E. Musiek, 1994) the Dichotic Digit Test Version 2 (DDT F. E. Musiek, 1983) the Random Gap Detection Test (R. W. Keith, 2000) the 500-Hz tone Masking Level Difference (V. Aithal, A. Yonovitz, & S. Aithal, 2006) and a monaural low-redundancy speech test (compressed and reverberant words A. Boothroyd & S. Nittrouer, 1988). The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, Fourth Edition (E. Semel, E. Wiig, & W. Secord, 2003) was used to assess language abilities (including auditory memory). Reading accuracy and fluency and phonological awareness abilities were assessed using the Wheldall Assessment of Reading Passages (A. Madelaine & K. Wheldall, 2002) and the Queensland University Inventory of Literacy (B. Dodd, A. Holm, M. Orelemans, & M. McCormick, 1996). Attention was measured using the Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (J. A. Sandford & A. Turner, 1995). Of the children, 72% had APD on the basis of these test results. Most of these children (25%) had difficulty with the FPT bilaterally. A further 22% had difficulty with the FPT bilaterally and had right ear deficits for the DDT. About half of the children (47%) had problems in all 3 areas (APD, LI, and RD) these children had the poorest FPT scores. More had APD–RD, or APD–LI, than APD, RD, or LI alone. There were modest correlations between FPT scores and attention and memory, and between DDT scores and memory. LI and RD commonly co-occur with APD. Attention and memory are linked to performance on some auditory processing tasks but only explain a small amount of the variance in scores. Comprehensive assessment across a range of areas is required to characterize the difficulties experienced by children with APD.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2004
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.JCOMDIS.2018.04.004
Abstract: In this descriptive study, phonological processes were examined in the speech of children aged 5 -7 (years months) with mild to profound hearing loss using hearing aids (HAs) and cochlear implants (CIs), in comparison to their peers. A second aim was to compare phonological processes of HA and CI users. Children with hearing loss (CWHL, N = 25) were compared to children with normal hearing (CWNH, N = 30) with similar age, gender, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Speech s les obtained from a list of 88 words, derived from three standardized speech tests, were analyzed using the CASALA (Computer Aided Speech and Language Analysis) program to evaluate participants' phonological systems, based on lax (a process appeared at least twice in the speech of at least two children) and strict (a process appeared at least five times in the speech of at least two children) counting criteria. Developmental phonological processes were eliminated in the speech of younger and older CWNH while eleven developmental phonological processes persisted in the speech of both age groups of CWHL. CWHL showed a similar trend of age of elimination to CWNH, but at a slower rate. Children with HAs and CIs produced similar phonological processes. Final consonant deletion, weak syllable deletion, backing, and glottal replacement were present in the speech of HA users, affecting their overall speech intelligibility. Developmental and non-developmental phonological processes persist in the speech of children with mild to profound hearing loss compared to their peers with typical hearing. The findings indicate that it is important for clinicians to consider phonological assessment in pre-school CWHL and the use of evidence-based speech therapy in order to reduce non-developmental and non-age-appropriate developmental processes, thereby enhancing their speech intelligibility.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2007
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 02-11-2018
Abstract: Youth Justice procedures rely heavily on oral language. International research suggests young people in the Youth Justice system have poorer language skills than their non-offending peers, which has implications for their participation in Youth Justice processes and rehabilitation programmes. Most research of youth offenders’ communication skills focuses on standardised assessments and quantitative measures, with little known of young people’s perceptions of communicating within the highly verbally mediated Youth Justice setting. This exploratory study used semi-structured interviews of eight males, of unknown language-skill status, from one Youth Justice residence in New Zealand. Results suggested the young people felt they had no control or ‘voice’ in court, or with adults whose roles, or with whom, they were not familiar. Communicating in court was an area of significant difficulty for nearly all the participants they reported feeling unable to say what they wanted or understand what was going on. Confidence and participation varied with some participants lacking the confidence to use communication strategies in court, whereas others would ‘just say what they wanted’. The relationship with their communication partner, especially trust and familiarity, was very important to facilitate communication, and most young people could identify strategies that could help communication breakdowns, although not all reported using them. To facilitate full participation and access to court processes and Youth Justice programmes, the communication barriers identified in this study should be considered in any intervention or support developed for young people who offend.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-01-2018
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 19-09-2017
DOI: 10.1080/14670100.2017.1373499
Abstract: To study the changes in behavioural and cortical responses over time in a child with single-sided deafness fitted with a cochlear implant (CI). Cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) in noise (+5 dB signal-to-noise ratio) were recorded and auditory skills were assessed using tests of sound localization, spatial speech perception in noise, and self-ratings of auditory abilities (Listening inventory for education, LIFE and Speech, spatial and qualities of hearing questionnaire, SSQ parental version). Measures were obtained prior to and after a CI fitting, including one, six, and 12 months after the CI switch on. Spatial speech recognition improved over time. At 12 months post-CI, word recognition scores were similar to those of normal hearing children. Signal-to-noise ratios for sentences decreased (i.e. improved) over time post-CI. Sound localization markedly improved at 12 months post-CI compared to baseline. Self-perception of difficulty scores decreased over time. Parental ratings of hearing abilities improved compared to baseline for all subscales. There were changes in the P1-N1-P2 complex at 12 months post-CI, which were clearer frontally across stimuli. Further research is needed to understand the significance of such changes after CI fitting for single-sided deafness. Although the changes observed could reflect maturational changes, the clinically significant improvement in recognition of speech in noise and improved questionnaire results suggest that the CI was beneficial, consistent with the feedback from the participant.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 1991
DOI: 10.3109/00206099109072867
Abstract: Auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds to ipsilaterally masked tone pip stimuli were obtained from three groups of hearing-impaired subjects. Using high-pass (for 500-Hz tone pips) and notched noise (for 1-, 2- and 4-kHz tone pips), ABR thresholds in subjects with low-frequency, high-frequency or flat cochlear hearing losses were compared to conventional pure-tone audiometric thresholds. A strong positive relationship was found between ABR and behavioural threshold elevation. Absolute ABR thresholds at 500 Hz were significantly higher than those at other frequencies. The results of this study indicate that frequency-specific ABR testing can provide an approximation of both degree and configuration of cochlear hearing losses in adults. Further refinements of testing and judging procedures are needed however to reduce the variation evident in our results and thus achieve the accuracy required for most clinical applications.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2019
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 06-2017
DOI: 10.3766/JAAA.16054
Abstract: Background: The relationship between auditory processing (AP) and reading is thought to be significant however our understanding of this relationship is somewhat limited. Previous studies have investigated the relation between certain electrophysiological and behavioral measures of AP and reading abilities in children. This study attempts to further understand that relation. Purpose: Differences in AP between good and poor readers were investigated using electrophysiological and behavioral measures. Study S le: Thirty-two children (15 female) aged 9–11 yr were placed in either a good reader group or poor reader group, based on the scores of a nationally normed reading test in New Zealand. Research Design: Children were initially tested using an automated behavioral measuring system that runs through a tablet computer known as “Feather Squadron.” Following the administration of Feather Squadron, cortical auditory-evoked potentials (CAEPs) were recorded using a speech stimulus (/m/) with the HEARLab® Cortical Auditory Evoked Potential Analyzer. Data Collection and Analysis: The children were evaluated on eight subsections of the Feather Squadron, and CAEP waveform peaks were visually identified and averaged. Separate Kruskal–Wallis analyses were performed for the behavioral and electrophysiological variables, with group (good versus poor readers) serving as the between-group independent variable and scores from the Feather Squadron AP tasks as well as CAEP latencies and litudes as dependent variables. After the children’s AP status was determined, the entire group was further ided into three groups: typically developing, auditory processing disorder + reading difficulty (APD + RD), and RDs only. Statistical analyses were repeated for these subgroups. Results: Poorer readers showed significantly worse scores than the good readers for the Tonal Pattern 1, Tonal Pattern 2, and Word Double Dichotic Right tasks. CAEP differences observed across groups indicated comorbid effects of RD and AP difficulties. N2 litude was significantly smaller for the poor readers. Conclusions: The current study found altered AP in poor readers using behavioral Feather Squadron measures and speech-evoked cortical potentials. These results provide further evidence that intact central auditory function is fundamental for reading development.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 30-01-2015
DOI: 10.3109/14992027.2014.997314
Abstract: This study investigated prosodic perception and musical pitch discrimination in adults using cochlear implants (CI), and examined the relationship between prosody perception scores and non-linguistic auditory measures, demographic variables, and speech recognition scores. Participants were given four subtests of the PEPS-C (profiling elements of prosody in speech-communication), the adult paralanguage subtest of the DANVA 2 (diagnostic analysis of non verbal accuracy 2), and the contour and interval subtests of the MBEA (Montreal battery of evaluation of amusia). Twelve CI users aged 25 to 78 years participated. CI participants performed significantly more poorly than normative values for New Zealand adults for PEPS-C turn-end, affect, and contrastive stress reception subtests, but were not different from the norm for the chunking reception subtest. Performance on the DANVA 2 adult paralanguage subtest was lower than the normative mean reported by Saindon (2010) . Most of the CI participants performed at chance level on both MBEA subtests. CI users have difficulty perceiving prosodic information accurately. Difficulty in understanding different aspects of prosody and music may be associated with reduced pitch perception ability.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2005
DOI: 10.1016/J.CLINPH.2005.02.011
Abstract: This study determined the relationship between auditory evoked potential measures and speech perception in experienced adult cochlear implant (CI) users and compared the CI evoked potential results to those of a group of age- and sex-matched control subjects. CI subjects all used the Nucleus CI-22 implant. Middle latency response (MLR), obligatory cortical potentials (CAEP), mismatch negativity (MMN) and P3a auditory evoked potentials were recorded. Speech perception was evaluated using word and sentence tests. Duration of deafness correlated with speech scores with poor scores reflecting greater years of deafness. Na litude correlated negatively with duration of deafness, with small litudes reflecting greater duration of deafness. Overall, N1 litude was smaller in CI than control subjects. Earlier P2 latencies were associated with shorter durations of deafness and higher speech scores. In general, MMN was absent or degraded in CI subjects with poor speech scores. Auditory evoked potentials are related to speech perception ability and provide objective evidence of central auditory processing differences across experienced CI users. Since auditory evoked potentials relate to CI performance, they may be a useful tool for objectively evaluating the efficacy of speech processing strategies and/or auditory training approaches in both adults and children with cochlear implants.
Publisher: Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers
Date: 31-12-2013
DOI: 10.7224/1537-2073.2013-007
Abstract: People with multiple sclerosis (MS) often undergo repeated assessments. Methods for determining whether an in idual's change in test results over time is reliable require further study. A s le of in iduals with MS (N = 52) was assessed at baseline and at 6-month follow-up using the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), Simple Adjusting–Paced Serial Addition Test (A-PSAT), and Victoria Stroop test. Two methods for determining the reliability of an in idual's change over time were examined. The Reliable Change Index (RCI) identified few in iduals who declined reliably between baseline and 6-month follow-up. The standard deviation (SD) method of calculation resulted in reliable declines for a small number of in iduals on most measures. Use of the SD method resulted in a larger number of in iduals who improved reliably. Responsiveness of in iduals to treatment effects can be lost in group analyses. The data presented here provide clinicians with an approach for determining whether an in idual's change over time on commonly used neuropsychological tests reflects reliable improvement or decline.
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 22-01-2007
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.CLINPH.2013.03.005
Abstract: Auditory evoked potentials (EP) were used to examine the neural processing of personal-emotional and neutral words, in a group of 14 people with post-stroke aphasia and an equal sized control group to determine whether the EP differed between groups and word types. Effects of the emotional value of the words and participant group were assessed on EP. Latencies and litudes of EP were analyzed for the two groups (aphasia and control) in response to word type (emotional and neutral). N1 litudes were smaller and P2 and P3 were delayed in the aphasia group, for both word types, indicating effects of stroke on processing of both neutral and emotional words. P3 litudes were larger for emotional words in both groups. These differences in late cortical responses between word types for both groups suggest distinct neural networks involved in the response to emotional and neutral words, even with post-stroke language impairment. The neurophysiological processing of affective speech in aphasia has been revealed. This opens up the interpretation of these results to the critical assessment and therapeutic identification of emotional language in people with aphasia. This study has implications not just for aphasia but allows for further exploration of other neurological conditions.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 23-01-2015
DOI: 10.3109/02699052.2014.896471
Abstract: This study investigated psychological disorders for patients receiving traumatic brain injury (TBI) rehabilitation within a community-based TBI service in New Zealand. Cross-sectional study involving retrospective review of clinical notes for all referrals received in a 6-month period. This methodology was selected to gain a s le of in iduals reflective of the range of patients seen in TBI rehabilitation services in New Zealand. The clinical records for 279 patients were reviewed for formal psychiatric diagnoses and references to moderate or severe psychological symptoms. Of the clinical records, 57.7% noted significant psychological problems post-injury (n = 161) and 8.6% had a psychiatric diagnosis recorded, with 10.8% reporting psychological disorders pre-injury. In comparison, 15.1% had input from a clinical psychologist and 2.2% had involvement from a mental health team. The rate of psychological symptoms was significantly higher post-TBI than pre-TBI and few of the patients reporting significant psychological symptoms were receiving intervention from mental health professionals. Further research is needed regarding the ability of TBI rehabilitation professionals in New Zealand to identify and respond to the psychological implications of TBI and on the ability of TBI and mental health teams to liaise effectively.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2020
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-11-2015
DOI: 10.1111/APA.13227
Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the factors that predict the timing and age at which preterm infants (born 32-36 weeks gestation) commenced and attained full oral feeding. We conducted a retrospective review of medical records of 647 preterm infants born 2005-2011. Infants were from six neonatal intensive care units in New Zealand, all World Health Organisation Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative accredited. Median time to the first oral feed offered was one day, and median time to the time of full oral feeding was 12 days. No infants attained full oral feeding before 33(+3) weeks postmenstrual age. Gestational age, birthweight, medical conditions and location of the neonatal unit were significantly associated with the time taken to commence and attain full oral feeding. This study highlights the factors that are associated with the rate at which late preterm infants commence oral feeding and progress to full oral feeding. These findings offer important considerations not only for clinical practice but also discharge planning given the preference for preterm infants reaching full oral feeds before discharge from hospital. Prospective experimental research is required to confirm infant, maternal and environmental factors that influence feeding milestones in late preterm infants.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 15-11-2019
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 10-2004
DOI: 10.3766/JAAA.15.9.3
Abstract: The overall aims of the study were to determine optimal methods and stimuli for eliciting mismatch negativity (MMN), extracting MMN from the deviant and standard waveforms, and identifying the response in children and adults. Several stimulus types were compared (pure tones, chords, and natural speech tokens) to determine which optimally elicit MMN. Deviant-alone and flip-flop MMN extraction methods that control for stimulus effects on MMN were compared for the speech stimuli (/da/ and /ga/). Visual identification, an area criterion, and integral-distribution techniques were used to identify MMN. Eight adults (20 to 28 years) and eight children (8 to 12 years) participated in the study. The deviant-alone method elicited bigger MMN area and duration than the flip-flop method for the speech stimuli. An area criterion of 110 μV x msec identified 90% of visually identified MMN compared to 62% identified using the integral-distribution technique. For both children and adults, speech stimuli and one of the chords most consistently elicited MMN.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 1989
DOI: 10.3109/00206098909081613
Abstract: Ipsilateral masking levels and normal thresholds for tone pip auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) were investigated in normal subjects for the purpose of establishing recording parameters and norms for frequency-specific tone pip ABR testing. White noise was found to effectively mask ABRs to tone pips at mean signal-to-noise ratios of between -1 and -5.5 dB [dB peak-equivalent (pe) SPL/dB SPL] depending on the tone pip frequency. ABR thresholds were established for tone pips in the presence of ipsilateral masking with high-pass filtered noise for 50-Hz tone pips and notched noise for tone pips from 1,000 to 4,000 Hz, at a nominal signal-to-noise ratio of -5 dB (i.e. with the noise SPL measured prior to filtering). Thresholds occurred between 28.6 and 36.6 dB pe SPL, equivalent to 4.4-8.8 dB nHL. ABR thresholds for masked and unmasked tone pips did not differ significantly.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 1992
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 07-2019
DOI: 10.3766/JAAA.17096
Abstract: A unilateral hearing loss (UHL) can have a significant functional and social impact on children and adults, affecting their quality of life. In adults, UHL is typically associated with difficulties understanding speech in noise and sound localization, and UHL increases the self-perception of auditory disability for a range of listening situations. Furthermore, despite evidence for the negative effects of reduced unilateral auditory input on the neural encoding of binaural cues, the perceptual consequences of these changes are still not well understood. Determine effects of UHL on auditory abilities and speech-evoked cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs). CAEPs, sound localization, speech perception in noise and self-perception of auditory abilities (speech, spatial, and qualities hearing scale) were assessed. Thirteen adults with UHL with a range of etiologies, duration of hearing loss, and severity and a control group of eleven binaural listeners with normal hearing. Participants with UHL varied greatly in their ability to localize sound and reported speech recognition and listening effort were the greatest problem. There was a greater effect of right ear than left ear hearing loss on N1 litude hemispheric asymmetry and N1 latencies evoked by speech syllables in noise. As duration of hearing loss increased, contralateral dominance (N1 litude asymmetry) decreased. N1 litudes correlated with speech scores, larger N1 litudes were associated with better speech recognition in noise scores. N1 latencies are delayed (in the better ear) and litude hemisphere asymmetry differed across UHL participants as function of side of deafness, mainly for right-sided deafness. UHL affects a range of auditory abilities, including speech detection in noise, sound localization, and self-perceived hearing disability. CAEPs elicited by speech sounds are sensitive enough to evidence changes within the auditory cortex due to an UHL.
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 02-2014
DOI: 10.3766/JAAA.25.2.9
Abstract: Background: There are many clinically available tests for the assessment of auditory processing skills in children and adults. However, there is limited data available on the maturational effects on the performance on these tests. Purpose: The current study investigated maturational effects on auditory processing abilities using three psychophysical measures: temporal modulation transfer function (TMTF), iterated ripple noise (IRN) perception, and spectral ripple discrimination (SRD). Research Design: A cross-sectional study. Three groups of subjects were tested: 10 adults (18–30 yr), 10 older children (12–18 yr), and 10 young children (8–11 yr) Data Collection and Analysis: Temporal envelope processing was measured by obtaining thresholds for litude modulation detection as a function of modulation frequency (TMTF 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, and 128 Hz). Temporal fine structure processing was measured using IRN, and spectral processing was measured using SRD. Results: The results showed that young children had significantly higher modulation thresholds at 4 Hz (TMTF) compared to the other two groups and poorer SRD scores compared to adults. The results on IRN did not differ across groups. Conclusions: The results suggest that different aspects of auditory processing mature at different age periods and these maturational effects need to be considered while assessing auditory processing in children.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2005
DOI: 10.1080/14992020500266613
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether rising-frequency chirps presented via earphones with an extended high-frequency response would optimize the post-auricular muscle response (PAMR). The PAMR was recorded in adults using three different stimuli (a click, a rising-frequency chirp, and a truncated speech stimulus, /t/). Conventional ER-3A insert earphones were compared to ER-2 insert earphones to determine whether the PAMR is enhanced by the ER-2's extended highfrequency response. There were significant stimulus and earphone effects on PAMR litudes. The PAMR was largest for the chirp stimulus and the ER-2 earphones. The poorest responses were obtained using the /t/ stimulus and conventional ER-3A earphones. The results support previous ABR studies that have demonstrated a significant advantage of chirps over clicks for evoked response audiometry, and indicate that the PAMR is enhanced by inclusion of additional high-frequency stimulus energy.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2006
DOI: 10.1016/J.CLINPH.2006.02.001
Abstract: The aim of the research was to investigate auditory processing abilities in children with reading disorders using electrophysiological and behavioral tasks. Differences in auditory processing between control, compensated (age appropriate reading skills with a history of reading disorder), and reading disordered groups were systematically investigated. The reading disorder group had significantly lower results than control and compensated reader groups for most tests in the reading and auditory processing test battery. All children with a reading disorder did not pass at least one behavioral test of auditory processing, and hence would be diagnosed clinically as having an auditory processing disorder (APD). The reading disorder group also had significantly smaller /ga/-evoked mismatch negativity (MMN) area than the control group. Compensated and control groups had similar results for the electrophysiological and behavioral auditory processing tests. Correlation analyses showed that reading fluency and accuracy and nonword scores (measured using Castle and Coltheart's word/nonword test) correlated significantly with most APD measures. The general profile of auditory processing deficits in children with reading disorder was a combination of deficits on frequency patterns (i.e. frequency pattern test) and absent or small /ga/-evoked MMN. Significant results from the correlation analyses support the co-morbidity of reading and auditory processing disorders. Children with reading disorders are likely to have auditory processing disorders.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 07-11-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.11.03.22281918
Abstract: Auditory processing disorder (APD) is a listening impairment that some school-aged children may experience as difficulty understanding speech in background noise despite having normal peripheral hearing. Recent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has revealed an alteration in regional, but not global, functional brain topology in children with APD. However, little is known about the brain structural organization in APD. We used diffusion MRI data to investigate the structural white matter connectome of 58 children from 8 to 14 years old diagnosed with APD (n=29) and children without hearing complaints (healthy controls, HC n=29). We investigated the rich-club organization and structural connection differences between APD and HC groups using the network science approach. The APD group showed neither edge-based connectivity differences nor any differences in rich-club organization and connectivity strength (i.e., rich, feeder, local connections) compared to HCs. However, at the regional network level, we observed increased average path length (APL) and betweenness centrality in the right inferior parietal lobule and inferior precentral gyrus, respectively, in children with APD. HCs demonstrated a positive association between APL in the left orbital gyrus and the listening-in-spatialized-noise-sentences task, a measure of auditory processing ability. This correlation was not observed in the APD group. In line with previous functional connectome findings, the current results provide evidence for altered structural networks at a regional level in children with APD, and an association with listening performance, suggesting the involvement of multimodal deficits and a role for structure-function alteration in listening difficulties of children with APD.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-2012
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 04-10-2022
DOI: 10.20944/PREPRINTS202210.0018.V1
Abstract: Prior research shows that in iduals who have exhibited antisocial behavior are in poorer health than their same-aged peers. A major driver of poor health is aging itself, yet research has not investigated relationships between offending trajectories and biological aging. We tested the hypothesis that in iduals following a life-course persistent (LCP) antisocial trajectory show accelerated aging in midlife. Trajectories of antisocial behavior from age 7 to 26 years were studied in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a population-representative birth cohort (N=1037). Signs of aging were assessed at age 45 years using previously validated measures including biomarkers, clinical tests, and self-reports. First, we tested whether the association between antisocial behavior trajectories and midlife signs of faster aging represented a decline from initial childhood health. We then tested whether decline was attributable to tobacco smoking, antipsychotic medication use, debilitating illnesses in adulthood, adverse exposures in childhood (maltreatment, socioeconomic disadvantage) and adulthood (incarceration), and to childhood self-control difficulties. Study members with a history of antisocial behavior had a significantly faster pace of biological aging by midlife, and this was most evident among in iduals following the LCP trajectory (& beta , .22, 95%CI, .14, .28, p.001). This amounted to 4.3 extra years of biological aging between ages 25-45 years for Study members following the LCP trajectory compared to low-antisocial trajectory in iduals. LCP offenders also experienced more midlife difficulties with hearing (& beta , -.14, 95%CI, -.21, -.08, p.001), balance (& beta , -.13, 95%CI, -.18, -.06, p.001), gait speed (& beta , -.18, 95%CI, -.24, -.10, p.001), and cognitive functioning (& beta , -.25, 95%CI, -.31, -.18, p.001). Associations represented a decline from childhood health. Associations persisted after controlling in idually for tobacco smoking, antipsychotic medication use, midlife illnesses, maltreatment, socioeconomic status, incarceration, and childhood self-control difficulties. However, the cumulative effect of these lifestyle characteristics together explained why LCP offenders have a faster Pace of Aging than their peers. While older adults typically age-out of crime, LCP offenders will likely age-into the healthcare system earlier than their chronologically same-aged peers. Preventing young people from offending is likely to have substantial benefits for health, and people engaging in a LCP trajectory of antisocial behaviors might be the most in need of health promotion programs. We offer prevention and intervention strategies to reduce the financial burden of offenders on health care systems and improve their wellbeing.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 06-04-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.04.05.22273478
Abstract: Children with auditory processing disorder (APD) experience hearing difficulties, particularly in the presence of competing sounds, despite having normal audiograms. There is considerable debate on whether APD symptoms originate from bottom-up (e.g., auditory sensory processing) and/or top-down processing (e.g., cognitive, language, memory). A related issue is that little is known about whether functional brain network topology is altered in APD. Therefore, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data to investigate the functional brain network organization of 57 children from 8 to 13 years old, diagnosed with APD (n=28) and without hearing difficulties (healthy control, HC n=29). We applied complex network analysis using graph theory to assess the whole-brain integration and segregation of functional networks and brain hub architecture. Our results showed children with APD and HC have similar global network properties and modular organization. Still, the APD group showed different hub architecture. At the nodal level, we observed decreased participation coefficient (PC) in auditory cortical regions in APD, including bilateral superior temporal gyrus and left middle temporal gyrus. Beyond auditory regions, PC was also decreased in APD in bilateral posterior temporo-occipital cortices, left intraparietal sulcus, and right posterior insular cortex. Correlation analysis suggested a positive association between PC in the left parahippoc al gyrus and the listening-in-spatialized-noise-sentences task where APD children were engaged in auditory perception. In conclusion, our findings provide evidence of altered brain network organization in children with APD, specific to auditory networks, and shed new light on the neural systems underlying children’s listening difficulties.
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 18-09-2017
DOI: 10.1108/JHOM-03-2017-0045
Abstract: The current healthcare environment provides several challenges to the existing roles of healthcare professionals. The value of the professional expert is also under scrutiny. The purpose of this paper is to generate a construction of professional expertise amongst practitioners in the current healthcare environment. It used the speech-language therapy community in New Zealand (NZ) as an ex le. Speech-language therapists currently practicing in NZ completed an online survey including qualitative and quantitative components. The range of experience and work settings of participants ( n =119) was representative of the workforce. Participants clearly identified being “highly experienced” and “having in-depth knowledge” as essential elements of professional expertise. Thematic analysis generated two interconnected themes of a professional expert being a personal leader and teacher, and a highly experienced, knowledgeable and skilful practitioner. Additionally, practitioners needed to be seen to contribute to the community in order to be known as experts. Clinical practice was valued differently from research generation. This study is novel in exploring a construction of professional expertise amongst practitioners in a current healthcare community. Within that community, experts could be viewed as highly effective practitioners that visibly contribute to the professional community. The study draws attention to the role of reputation and the impacts of being a clinical teacher or leader compared with pursuing a research role. This could be particularly relevant in the promotion of evidence-based practice.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 16-03-2023
Abstract: Auditory processing disorder (APD) is a listening impairment that some school-aged children may experience despite having normal peripheral hearing. Recent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has revealed an alteration in regional functional brain topology in children with APD. However, little is known about the structural organization in APD. We used diffusion MRI data to investigate the structural connectome of 58 children from 8 to 14 years old diagnosed with APD (n = 29) and children without hearing complaints (healthy controls, HC n = 29). We investigated the rich-club organization and structural connection differences between groups. The APD group showed similar rich-club organization and edge-wise connection compared with the HC group. However, at the regional level, we observed increased average path length (APL) and betweenness centrality in the right inferior parietal lobule and inferior precentral gyrus, respectively, in the APD group. Only HCs demonstrated a positive association between APL and the listening-in-spatialized-noise-sentences task in the left orbital gyrus. In line with previous findings, the current results provide evidence for altered structural networks at the regional level in the APD group, suggesting the involvement of multimodal deficits and a role for structure-function alteration in the listening difficulties of children with APD.
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 20-07-2016
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 25-02-2016
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 09-2006
DOI: 10.3766/JAAA.17.8.3
Abstract: There has been considerable recent interest in the use of cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) as an electrophysiological measure of human speech encoding in in iduals with normal as well as impaired auditory systems. The development of such electrophysiological measures such as CAEPs is important because they can be used to evaluate the benefits of hearing aids and cochlear implants in infants, young children, and adults that cannot cooperate for behavioral speech discrimination testing. The current study determined whether CAEPs produced by seven different speech sounds, which together cover a broad range of frequencies across the speech spectrum, could be differentiated from each other based on response latency and litude measures. CAEPs were recorded from ten adults with normal hearing in response to speech stimuli presented at a conversational level (65 dB SPL) via a loudspeaker. Cortical responses were reliably elicited by each of the speech sounds in all participants. CAEPs produced by speech sounds dominated by high-frequency energy were significantly different in litude from CAEPs produced by sounds dominated by lower-frequency energy. Significant effects of stimulus duration were also observed, with shorter duration stimuli producing larger litudes and earlier latencies than longer duration stimuli. This research demonstrates that CAEPs can be reliably evoked by sounds that encompass the entire speech frequency range. Further, CAEP latencies and litudes may provide an objective indication that spectrally different speech sounds are encoded differently at the cortical level.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-01-2019
DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2018.1523578
Abstract: To determine whether children aged 7 to 12 years with listening difficulties show objective evidence for efferent auditory function based on measurements of medial olivo-cochlear and middle ear muscle reflexes. Click-evoked otoacoustic emissions recorded with and without contralateral broadband noise and ipsilateral and contralateral tonal (1000, 2000 Hz) middle ear muscle reflex thresholds were examined. 29 children diagnosed with suspected auditory processing disorder (APD) and a control group of 34 typically developing children participated in this study. Children with suspected APD had poorer performance on auditory processing tests than the control group. Middle ear muscle reflex thresholds were significantly higher at 2000 Hz in the suspected APD group for contralateral stimulation. MOC inhibition effects did not differ between APD and control groups. This research supports earlier studies showing altered acoustic reflexes in children with APD. No group differences were found for the MOC reflex measures, consistent with some earlier studies in children with APD.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.IJPORL.2018.08.034
Abstract: Seven hundred children were recalled for hearing screening at age 2-3 years due to a problem with their newborn hearing screen. They had all been well babies with no identified risk factors for hearing loss and hence were not scheduled for targeted follow-up to retest hearing. There were 485 children (69%) that attended the recall. The average age was 36 months (SD 3.7). Family ethnicity was Pacific Island (36%), Asian (26%), NZ European (13%), and Māori (11%), and there was a high level of deprivation in the study population. Children were screened using distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) and a parent or caregiver completed a 14-item questionnaire about ear health. The children that did not pass screening were given appointments for audiology testing. Children with hearing loss and/or middle ear problems were referred for otolaryngology review and further hearing assessments. About one third (36% n = 176) of children did not pass DPOAE screening 82 (17%) had abnormal type B tympanograms and hearing loss 29 underwent insertion of ventilation tubes, and one had a perforated tympanic membrane. There was a significant association between failed tympanometry and hearing loss (Chi-squared = 16.67, p < .001). Five children had permanent sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), two of whom required cochlear implants for idiopathic hearing loss, with no specific risk factors. Overall 380 of 485 children screened were deemed to have normal hearing (i.e. 22% failed hearing). From the questionnaire, 15% of the caregivers with no suspicion of hearing problems did have children with significant hearing loss. Regression analysis showed that Pacific/Māori ethnicity was significantly associated with risk of hearing loss, together with questionnaire items identifying hearing problems and breathing problems. There is a high proportion of children in South Auckland with unsuspected hearing loss a different approach to hearing screening is warranted for this population with high rates of middle ear disease at age 3.
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 17-04-2013
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 02-04-2013
Abstract: The primary objectives of this research were to establish whether dynamic assessment could be implemented in children with hearing loss with a range of language abilities and to obtain pilot data to support the use of dynamic assessment for determining narrative language learning difficulties in children with hearing loss. Participants were three children aged seven to 12 years with moderate to profound hearing loss. The Test of Narrative Language (TNL) was used to measure narrative skills before and after two Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) sessions. Responsiveness to mediation in MLE sessions was compared to ability to learn based on a comparison of pre- versus post-test TNL scores. Two participants showed substantial improvements in their Oral Narrative subtest scores, and showed good responsiveness and modifiability in MLE sessions. One participant showed no change in TNL results, and low responsiveness and low modifiability in MLE sessions. Children with greater response to mediation had more improved TNL scores. Differential diagnosis of language learning difficulties in children with hearing loss may be possible using ‘dynamic assessment’ (DA).
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2020
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 22-02-2018
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 30-11-2022
Abstract: What, if any, similarities and differences between music and speech are consistent across cultures? Both music and language are found in all known human societies and are argued to share evolutionary roots and cognitive resources, yet no studies have compared similarities and differences between song, speech, and instrumental music across languages on a global scale. In this Registered Report, we analyze a novel dataset of 300 high-quality annotated audio recordings representing matched sets of singing, recitation, conversational speech, and instrumental music from our 75 coauthors whose 55 1st/heritage languages span 21 language families to find strong evidence for cross-culturally consistent differences and similarities between music and language. Of our six pre-registered predictions, five were strongly supported: relative to speech, songs use 1) higher pitch, 2) slower temporal rate, and 3) more stable pitches, while both songs and speech used similar 4) pitch interval size, and 5) timbral brightness. Our 6th prediction that song and speech would show similar pitch declination was inconclusive, with exploratory analysis suggesting that songs tend to follow an arched contour while speech contours tend to decline overall but end with a slight rise. Because our non-representative language s le and unusual design involving coauthors as participants could affect our results, we also performed robustness analyses - including a parallel reanalysis of a previously published dataset of 418 song/speech recordings from 209 in iduals whose 16 languages span 11 language families (Hilton & Moser et al., 2022, Nature Human Behaviour) - which confirmed that our conclusions are robust to these potential biases. Exploratory analyses identified additional features such as phrase length, intensity, and rhythmic/melodic regularity that also consistently distinguish song from speech, and suggest that such features also vary along a “musi-linguistic” continuum in a cross-culturally consistent manner when including instrumental melodies and recited lyrics. Further exploratory analysis suggests that pitch height is the only consistently sexually dimorphic feature (female singing/speaking is almost one octave higher than male on average), and that other factors such as musical training and recording context may also interact to influence the magnitude of song-speech differences. Our study provides strong empirical evidence for the existence of cross-cultural regularities in music and speech.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 18-04-2012
DOI: 10.3109/14992027.2012.670272
Abstract: The primary purpose of the study was to compare intervention approaches for children with auditory processing disorder (APD): bottom-up training including activities focused on auditory perception, discrimination, and phonological awareness, and top-down training including a range of language activities. Another purpose was to determine the benefits of personal FM systems. The study is a randomized control trial where participants were allocated to groups receiving one of the two interventions, with and without personal FM, or to the no intervention group. The six-week intervention included weekly one-hour sessions with a therapist in the clinic, plus 1-2 hours per week of parent-directed homework. 55 children (7 to 13 years) with APD participated in the study. Intervention outcomes included reading, language, and auditory processing. Positive outcomes were observed for both training approaches and personal FM systems on several measures. Pre-intervention nonverbal IQ, age, and severity of APD did not influence outcomes. Performance of control group participants did not change when retested after the intervention period. Both intervention approaches were beneficial and there were additional benefits with the use of personal FM. Positive results were not limited to the areas specifically targeted by the interventions.
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 19-11-2007
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 12-1998
DOI: 10.1097/00003446-199812000-00008
Abstract: A shortened version of the 66-item Profile of Hearing Aid Performance (PHAP), consisting of the 24 items from the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit, was evaluated as an alternative to the full PHAP questionnaire as a measure of hearing aid performance. Objectives were to: 1) statistically determine factors underlying Abbreviated PHAP (APHAP) scores 2) recommend modifications to the questionnaire, if indicated by the factor analysis 3) compare scores for the PHAP and APHAP and 4) determine the suitability of the abbreviated questionnaire for New Zealand hearing aid users. The relationship between hearing aid performance and subjective variables and other measures of hearing aid success also was investigated. PHAP data, hearing aid satisfaction ratings, and reported daily hearing aid use were obtained from experienced adult hearing aid users. Factor analysis was carried out for the 24 APHAP items, and two items were excluded because of low factor loadings. After this modification, APHAP and PHAP scores were compared. Pearson's correlation values were determined for PHAP and APHAP data and degree of hearing loss, hearing aid satisfaction, and hours of hearing aid use. APHAP hearing aid performance was better described as three factors rather than four subscales. PHAP and APHAP results were consistent with previous studies and showed that hearing aid performance was best for easy listening situations and poorest for noisy and/or reverberant conditions. Similar trends were seen for PHAP and APHAP data. APHAP scores were correlated with hours of hearing aid use and overall hearing aid satisfaction. A shortened, 22-item APHAP is a preferred alternative to the full PHAP, producing data representing several dimensions of hearing aid performance. Modified APHAP scores can be used together with overall satisfaction and estimates of daily hearing aid use to measure success with hearing aids.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 06-10-2021
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2009
DOI: 10.3109/14992020903140910
Abstract: FM systems have been used to compensate for poor signal-to-noise ratios in classrooms. This study evaluates benefits of a 6-week trial of personal FM systems used during the school day for children with reading delay aged 6-11 years, using a randomized control design. Teachers and children completed the LIFE-UK questionnaire. Test-retest reliability of the LIFE-UK children's version was confirmed in a separate group of 18 children from the same school. The 23 children in the FM group had significantly improved teacher ratings, and the children's ratings of classroom listening for difficult situations were significantly better after the trial. These changes did not occur for the 23 control-group children. Most children (92%) commented positively about the FM after the trial. It is likely that a longer FM trial or a specific reading intervention combined with FM will be required for the benefits of enhanced listening to affect performance on standardized reading tests.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 22-06-2020
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 11-2018
Publisher: Maney Publishing
Date: 2009
DOI: 10.1002/CII.391
Publisher: S. Karger AG
Date: 2001
DOI: 10.1159/000046835
Abstract: There is increasing evidence from animal studies for plasticity of auditory function. This has prompted research to determine whether such plastic changes occur in adults and children with hearing disorders. Behavioural measures such as speech perception scores do show improvements after hearing aid fitting and cochlear implantation. Several studies have also shown changes in cortical auditory evoked potentials after cochlear implantation and after auditory training. These studies indicate that improvements in speech perception ability are associated with changes in the central auditory system, particularly at the cortical level.
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 11-2018
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 27-09-2018
DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2018.1506170
Abstract: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of hearing loss and ear problems in Pacific children, and investigate current and past demographic, health and social factors potentially associated with hearing and ear problems. A cross-sectional observational study design nested within a birth cohort was employed. Nine-hundred-twenty Pacific children aged 11 years were audiologically assessed. Using average hearing thresholds at 500, 1k and 2k Hz, 162 (18%) right and 197 (21%) left ears had ≥20 dB hearing loss. Hearing loss was mild (20-39 dB) in most cases 2% of ears had moderate to moderate-severe (40-69 dB) hearing loss. However, only 101 (11%) children had normal peripheral hearing defined by passing hearing threshold, tympanogram and distortion product otoacoustic emission assessments. Those with confirmed middle ear disease at age 2 years had significantly increased odds of a non-Type A tympanogram (adjusted odds ratio: 2.00 95% confidence interval: 1.56, 2.50) when re-assessed at age 11 years. Hearing loss, abnormal tympanograms, and auditory processing difficulties were present in many Pacific children. Interventions are also urgently needed to mitigate the effect of the longstanding ear disease likely to be present for many Pacific children.
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 2017
DOI: 10.1044/2016_JSLHR-L-15-0131
Abstract: International evidence suggests youth offenders have greater difficulties with oral language than their nonoffending peers. This study examined the hearing, auditory processing, and language skills of male youth offenders and remandees (YORs) in New Zealand. Thirty-three male YORs, aged 14–17 years, were recruited from 2 youth justice residences, plus 39 similarly aged male students from local schools for comparison. Testing comprised tympanometry, self-reported hearing, pure-tone audiometry, 4 auditory processing tests, 2 standardized language tests, and a nonverbal intelligence test. Twenty-one (64%) of the YORs were identified as language impaired (LI), compared with 4 (10%) of the controls. Performance on all language measures was significantly worse in the YOR group, as were their hearing thresholds. Nine (27%) of the YOR group versus 7 (18%) of the control group fulfilled criteria for auditory processing disorder. Only 1 YOR versus 5 controls had an auditory processing disorder without LI. Language was an area of significant difficulty for YORs. Difficulties with auditory processing were more likely to be accompanied by LI in this group, compared with the controls. Provision of speech-language therapy services and awareness of auditory and language difficulties should be addressed in youth justice systems.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2014
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.JVOICE.2014.11.004
Abstract: This study determined the prevalence and nature of voice problems in New Zealand (NZ) teachers using a national self-report questionnaire. Epidemiological cross-sectional survey. Participants were 1879 primary and secondary teachers (72.5% females). Three prevalence timeframes were estimated. Severity of voice problems, recovery time, days away from work, symptoms, health assistance, and voice education were also investigated. Prevalence of self-reported vocal problems was 33.2% during their teaching career, 24.7% over the teaching year, and 13.2% on the day of the survey. Primary teachers (P<0.001 odds ratio [OR]=1.74 confidence interval [CI]=1.33-2.40), females (P=0.008 OR=1.63 CI=1.13-2.37), and those aged 51-60 years (P=0.010 OR=1.45 CI=1.11-3.00) were more likely to report problems. Among teachers reporting voice problems during the year, 47% were moderate or severe for 30%, voice recovery took more than 1 week. Approximately 28% stayed away from work 1-3 days owing to a vocal problem and 9% for more than 3 days. Women reported longer recovery times and more days away. Symptoms associated with voice problems (P<0.001) were voice quality alteration (OR=4.35 CI=3.40-5.57), vocal effort (OR=1.15 CI=0.96-1.37), voice breaks (OR=1.55 CI=1.30-1.84), voice projection difficulty (OR=1.25 CI=1.04-1.50), and throat discomfort (OR=1.22 CI=1.02-1.47). Of the teachers reporting voice problems, only 22.5% consulted a health practitioner. Only 38% of the teachers with chronic voice problems visited an otolaryngologist. Higher hours of voice training/education were associated with fewer self-reported voice problems. Voice problems are of concern for NZ teachers, as has been reported for teachers in other countries. There is still limited awareness among teachers about vocal health, potential risks, and specialized health services for voice problems.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.IJPORL.2013.06.031
Abstract: Since the introduction of cochlear implantation, researchers have considered children's communication and educational success before and after implantation. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare auditory, speech, and language development scores following one-sided cochlear implantation between two groups of prelingual deaf children educated through either auditory-only (unisensory) or auditory-visual (bisensory) modes. A randomized controlled trial with a single-factor experimental design was used. The study was conducted in the Instruction and Rehabilitation Private Centre of Hearing Impaired Children and their Family, called Soroosh in Shiraz, Iran. We assessed 30 Persian deaf children for eligibility and 22 children qualified to enter the study. They were aged between 27 and 66 months old and had been implanted between the ages of 15 and 63 months. The s le of 22 children was randomly assigned to two groups: auditory-only mode and auditory-visual mode 11 participants in each group were analyzed. In both groups, the development of auditory perception, receptive language, expressive language, speech, and speech intelligibility was assessed pre- and post-intervention by means of instruments which were validated and standardized in the Persian population. No significant differences were found between the two groups. The children with cochlear implants who had been instructed using either the auditory-only or auditory-visual modes acquired auditory, receptive language, expressive language, and speech skills at the same rate. Overall, spoken language significantly developed in both the unisensory group and the bisensory group. Thus, both the auditory-only mode and the auditory-visual mode were effective. Therefore, it is not essential to limit access to the visual modality and to rely solely on the auditory modality when instructing hearing, language, and speech in children with cochlear implants who are exposed to spoken language both at home and at school when communicating with their parents and educators prior to and after implantation. The trial has been registered at IRCT.ir, number IRCT201109267637N1.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2005
DOI: 10.1080/14992020500266639
Abstract: Post-auricular muscle responses (PAMRs) were recorded in sixteen adults with normal hearing and twenty adults with sensorineural hearing loss. Click stimuli were presented at 20 to 80 dB nHL via insert earphones. Only one ear was tested in hearing-impaired subjects, but normal-hearing subjects were tested monaurally and binaurally. PAMR litudes declined and latencies increased with decreasing click intensity. Both binaural stimulation and eye turn enhanced the PAMR. In hearing-impaired subjects, PAMR thresholds were correlated with audiometric thresholds for the eyes-turned condition. All normal-hearing subjects had PAMR when recording conditions were optimized and half had responses for the least optimal condition (20 dB nHL, monaural, eyes front). With eyes turned and monaural clicks at 35 dB nHL, the level widely used for infant hearing screening, most normal-hearing adults had a PAMR. Thus the PAMR is a robust response that may be a useful adjunct to ABR for objective hearing assessment.
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 26-08-2009
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 08-09-2020
DOI: 10.1108/JHOM-01-2020-0019
Abstract: Highly-experienced allied health professionals have the opportunity to perform at the expert-level by sharing knowledge and skills with more junior staff, with the aim of upskilling the workforce. The study explored the current motivators, aspirations and the role of work in the life of highly-experienced practitioners, revealing factors that hinder or support them to further develop their own expertise and be inspiring role-models and mentors for less experienced staff. Taking a grounded theoretical research design, we report on interviews with 45 allied health practitioners with at least seven years of professional experience from different professions and across organisational sectors. Transcripts were coded iteratively in conjunction with reviewing the literature, and cases were categorised to form a conceptual typology of work orientation. Four work orientations are characterised capturing the ersity of the allied health workforce, particularly in relation to two dimensions of personal fulfilment and future ambition. The relationship between the types and expert-level performance is discussed, leading to recommendations for support that can be implemented to develop and sustain expert-level performance within a community. A new view of work orientation is introduced that relates expert-level performance with meaningful work. The findings highlight a ersity of work orientation for highly-experienced allied health professionals, that all require managerial awareness. Once recognised, the four types would benefit from different supports that could develop and maintain expert-level performance in those that seek it. Alternatives are also available for those that do not. Implications for workforce policy are discussed.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 28-07-2020
DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2020.1795279
Abstract: Because of the limited number of Spanish validated questionnaires available to assess auditory functionality in daily life situations in adults, the purpose of this study was to investigate the validity and the reliability of the Spanish version of the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing 12 items scale (sp-SSQ12), adapted from the published Spanish SSQ49, and to provide reference data for normal and hearing-impaired populations. The SSQ12 is a self-report questionnaire, consisting of 12 items assessing a range of daily life listening situations. One hundred fifty adults (101 female) with a mean age of 53.9 years (SD 20.3 range 20-88 years) took part in the study. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, validity, and floor and ceiling effects were investigated. The sp-SSQ12 questionnaire had high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.95) and test-retest scores were highly correlated (ICC = 0.79). There was minimal evidence of floor and ceiling effects in our s le. Significant differences were observed overall and for the three subscales between normal and hearing-impaired groups. Although some significant differences in SSQ12 scores between groups of participants from different countries, these differences were minimal. The sp-SSQ12 questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool that is easy to administer and requires a short time to answer. We recommend the use of this tool for the assessment of functional hearing in the Spanish-speaking population.Implication for rehabilitationHearing loss impacts people's lives in a number of ways that are captured in the SSQ.The sp-SSQ12 is a valid and reliable tool for assessing everyday listening abilities and limitations experienced by Spanish-speaking adults with hearing loss.The sp-SSQ12 can be incorporated in the hearing rehabilitation process as a tool for evaluating and improving hearing assessment and rehabilitation programs.The sp-SSQ12 can help to identify adults who require a comprehensive hearing assessment.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 18-11-2014
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 24-11-2010
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 23-10-2013
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 20-09-2019
DOI: 10.1044/2019_JSLHR-L-19-0076
Abstract: This systematic review summarizes the evidence for differences in the amount of language input between children with and without hearing loss (HL). Of interest to this review is evaluating the associations between language input and language outcomes (receptive and expressive) in children with HL in order to enhance insight regarding what oral language input is associated with good communication outcomes. A systematic review was conducted using keywords in 3 electronic databases: Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Keywords were related to language input, language outcomes, and HL. Titles and abstracts were screened independently, and full-text manuscripts meeting inclusion criteria were extracted. An appraisal checklist was used to evaluate the methodological quality of studies as poor, good, or excellent. After removing duplicates, 1,545 study results were extracted, with 27 eligible for full-text review. After the appraisal, 8 studies were included in this systematic review. Differences in the amount of language input between children with and without HL were noted. Conversational exchanges, open-ended questions, expansions, recast, and parallel talk were positively associated with stronger receptive and expressive language scores. The quality of evidence was not assessed as excellent for any of the included studies. This systematic review reveals low-level evidence from 8 studies that specific language inputs (amount and style) are optimal for oral language outcomes in children with HL. Limitations were identified as s le selection bias, lack of information on control of confounders and assessment protocols, and limited duration of observation/recordings. Future research should address these limitations.
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 12-2002
DOI: 10.1044/1059-0889(2002/010)
Abstract: The Auditory Behavior in Everyday Life (ABEL) questionnaire was developed to assess parental perceptions of their children's auditory behavior. The original 49-item questionnaire was intended to assess auditory communication, environmental awareness, functional independence, and social/communication skills. Our goal was to capture some of the changes in children's everyday auditory behavior in a reliable and easily quantifiable manner. Parents of 28 children aged 4 to 14 years with varying degrees of hearing loss (mild-profound) completed the questionnaire. The results were used to examine the reliability and factor structure of the questionnaire. Eleven items had poor item-total correlations. After these items were removed, the questionnaire had an overall reliability of 0.94 (Cronbach's alpha), and three factors accounted for 20.5% of the variance in the data. In a pilot investigation of the ABEL to determine its appropriateness for children with cochlear implants, questionnaires were also given to a separate group of parents of seven children aged 3 to 12 years who were about to receive a cochlear implant. Questionnaire and speech perception results were obtained preimplant and at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months. Complete (6 visits) or nearcomplete (4 visits) results were obtained for four children. There were significant improvements over time for both speech perception and questionnaire ratings and there was significant agreement between the two measures. Overall the results indicate excellent reliability and validity of the ABEL questionnaire. Our intent was to develop a simple, quick tool for parents to rate children's auditory skills in everyday life. A shorter questionnaire can be achieved by eliminating items with the poorest reliability and factor loadings. The resultant 24-item ABEL questionnaire has an excellent overall reliability of 0.95. The items fall within three factors, "Aural-oral," "Auditory Awareness," and "Social/Conversational Skills." Children's auditory behavior can be assessed using an overall rating or separately for the three factors. Further research is needed to evaluate this short version of the questionnaire in children wearing hearing aids and cochlear implants.
Start Date: 2022
End Date: 2025
Funder: Marsden Fund
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2023
End Date: 2026
Funder: Marsden Fund
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 01-2005
End Date: 10-2009
Amount: $180,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity