ORCID Profile
0000-0002-9917-5390
Current Organisation
University of Sydney
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Research Topics
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.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Linguistic Processes (incl. Speech Production and Comprehension) | Laboratory Phonetics and Speech Science | Signal Processing | Cognitive Science | Motor Control | Linguistics | Simulation and Modelling | Linguistic Structures (incl. Grammar, Phonology, Lexicon, Semantics) | Human Movement and Sports Science | Electrical and Electronic Engineering |
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Expanding Knowledge in Language, Communication and Culture | Expanding Knowledge in Engineering | Expanding Knowledge in Psychology and Cognitive Sciences | Languages and Literacy | Hearing, Vision, Speech and Their Disorders | Expanding Knowledge in the Medical and Health Sciences | Expanding Knowledge in Technology
Related Links
Publications
Acoustic changes in the production of lexical stress during Lombard speech
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 16-08-2014
Abstract: The Lombard effect describes the phenomenon of in iduals increasing their vocal intensity when speaking in the presence of background noise. Here, we conducted an investigation of the production of lexical stress during Lombard speech. Participants ( N= 27) produced the same sentences in three conditions: one quiet condition and two noise conditions at 70 dB (white noise multi-talker babble). Manual acoustic analyses (syllable duration, vowel intensity, and vowel fundamental frequency) were completed for repeated productions of two trisyllabic words with opposing patterns of lexical stress (weak–strong strong–weak) in each of the three conditions. In total, 324 productions were analysed (12 utterances per participant). Results revealed that, rather than increasing vocal intensity equally across syllables, participants alter the degree of stress contrastivity when speaking in noise. This was especially evident in the production of strong–weak lexical stress where there was an increase in contrastivity across syllables in terms of intensity and fundamental frequency. This preliminary study paves the way for further research that is needed to establish these findings using a larger set of multisyllabic stimuli.
Bilingual Children With Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip and/or Palate: Language and Memory Skills
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 10-2012
DOI: 10.1044/1092-4388(2012/10-0320)
Abstract: Research shows that monolingual children with cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) have a higher incidence of cognitive-linguistic deficits, but it is not clear whether bilingual preschool children with CLP are especially vulnerable because they need to acquire 2 languages. We tested the hypothesis that bilingual children with CLP score lower than bilingual children with typical development (TD) on receptive vocabulary, verbal memory, and visuospatial memory. Participants were 86 bilingual CLP children and 100 TD children 3–6 years of age, dominant in English or Mandarin. Each child completed assessments of English and Mandarin vocabulary, verbal and visuospatial short-term and working memory, hearing, and articulation. With analysis of covariance controlling for age and dominant language, no group differences were found between the CLP and TD bilingual children, although a correlational analysis indicated discrepancies in the relationship between variables. The findings do not support the hypothesis that preschool children with CLP score lower than preschool children with TD on receptive vocabulary and memory measures. Longitudinal research examining literacy skill development is needed to establish whether the deficits reported for school-age monolingual children with CLP become more obvious in bilingual children in later years, especially when the medium of instruction is the child’s nondominant language.
Language Features in a Mother and Daughter of a Chromosome 7;13 Translocation InvolvingFOXP2
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 10-2009
DOI: 10.1044/1092-4388(2009/07-0162)
Abstract: The aims of this study were (a) to locate the breakpoints of a balanced translocation (7 ) within a mother (B) and daughter (T) (b) to describe the language and cognitive skills of B and T and (c) to compare this profile with affected family members of the KE family who have a mutation within FOXP2 . The breakpoint locations for T and B were identified by use of fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis followed by DNA sequencing using long-range polymer chain reaction lification methods. The cognitive and language characteristics were obtained via the use of standardized tests of intelligence, receptive and expressive vocabulary and sentence use, and a spontaneous language s le. The translocation breakpoints in T and B were found in FOXP2 on chromosome 7 and in RFC3 on chromosome 13. T and B’s pattern of relative strengths and weaknesses across their cognitive and language performance was found to be similar to descriptions of the affected KE family members. Prior reports of in iduals with chromosomal rearrangements of FOXP2 have emphasized their speech impairment. This study provides additional evidence that language—in particular, grammar—is likely to be influenced by abnormalities of FOXP2 function.
Equitable access to speech practice for rural Australian children using the SayBananas! mobile game
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 04-05-2023
Phonological encoding in apraxia of speech and aphasia
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 11-2014
Classification of lexical stress patterns using deep neural network architecture
Publisher: IEEE
Date: 12-2014
Treatment for acquired apraxia of speech: A systematic review of intervention research between 2004 and 2012
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 05-2015
DOI: 10.1044/2015_AJSLP-14-0118
Abstract: The aim was for the appointed committee of the Academy of Neurological Communication Disorders and Sciences to conduct a systematic review of published intervention studies of acquired apraxia of speech (AOS), updating the previous committee's review article from 2006. A systematic search of 11 databases identified 215 articles, with 26 meeting inclusion criteria of (a) stating intention to measure effects of treatment on AOS and (b) data representing treatment effects for at least 1 in idual stated to have AOS. All studies involved within-participant experimental designs, with s le sizes of 1 to 44 (median = 1). Confidence in diagnosis was rated high to reasonable in 18 of 26 studies. Most studies (24/26) reported on articulatory–kinematic approaches 2 applied rhythm/rate control methods. Six studies had sufficient experimental control for Class III rating according to the Clinical Practice Guidelines Process Manual (American Academy of Neurology, 2011), with 15 others satisfying all criteria for Class III except use of independent or objective outcome measurement. The most important global clinical conclusion from this review is that the weight of evidence supports a strong effect for both articulatory–kinematic and rate/rhythm approaches to AOS treatment. The quantity of work, experimental rigor, and reporting of diagnostic criteria continue to improve and strengthen confidence in the corpus of research.
sPeAK-MAN: Towards popular gameplay for speech therapy
Publisher: ACM
Date: 30-09-2013
An investigation of compensation and adaptation to auditory perturbations in individuals with acquired apraxia of speech
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 19-12-2018
Segmental and prosodic variability on repeated polysyllabic word production in acquired apraxia of speech plus aphasia
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 28-09-2017
Speech and swallow rehabilitation following partial glossectomy: A systematic review
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 17-12-2014
DOI: 10.3109/17549507.2014.979880
Abstract: Tongue cancer is known to negatively affect both speech and swallowing function however this is the first review to report speech-language pathology (SLP) intervention for both functions following partial glossectomy. Using a PRISMA approach, systematic screening of nine databases was undertaken. Original studies reporting SLP rehabilitation for speech and/or swallowing dysfunction with participants following partial glossectomy as primary cancer treatment were included. These studies are discussed in terms of SLP assessment and intervention trends as well as quality according to current research method standards (levels of evidence, Pedro-P, SCED) in order to determine suitability for guiding current clinical practice. Publications were few (n = 7) and mostly of non-experimental design. This review highlights the gap in evidence and questions the rationale of current SLP rehabilitation following partial glossectomy.
Subtypes of progressive aphasia: application of the international consensus criteria and validation using β-amyloid imaging
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 09-09-2011
DOI: 10.1093/BRAIN/AWR216
Abstract: Primary progressive aphasia comprises a heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative conditions with erse clinical profiles and underlying pathological substrates. A major development has been the publication of the recent International Consensus Criteria for the three major variants namely: semantic, non-fluent/agrammatic and logopenic. The logopenic variant is assumed to represent an atypical presentation of Alzheimer pathology although evidence for this is, at present, limited. The semantic and non-fluent/agrammatic variants are largely associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP-43 and tau pathology, respectively. The applicability of the International Consensus Criteria to an unselected clinical s le is unknown and no agreed clinical evaluation scale on which to derive the diagnosis exists. We assessed 47 consecutive cases of primary progressive aphasic seen over a 3-year period in a specialist centre, using a newly developed progressive aphasia language scale. A subgroup of 30 cases underwent (11)C-labelled Pittsburgh Compound B positron emission tomography imaging, a putative biomarker of Alzheimer's disease that detects β-amyloid accumulation, and they were compared with an age-matched group (n = 10) with typical, predominately amnestic Alzheimer's disease. The application of an algorithm based on four key speech and language variables (motor speech disorders, agrammatism, single-word comprehension and sentence repetition) classified 45 of 47 (96%) of patients and showed high concordance with the gold standard expert clinical diagnosis based on the International Consensus Criteria. The level of neocortical β-amyloid burden varied considerably across aphasic variants. Of 13 logopenic patients, 12 (92%) had positive β-amyloid uptake. In contrast, one of nine (11%) semantic variant and two of eight (25%) non-fluent/agrammatic cases were positive. The distribution of β-amyloid across cortical regions of interest was identical in cases with the logopenic variant to that of patients with typical Alzheimer's disease although the total load was lower in the aphasic cases. Impairments of sentence repetition and sentence comprehension were positively correlated with neocortical burden of β-amyloid, whereas impaired single-word comprehension showed a negative correlation. The International Consensus Criteria can be applied to the majority of cases with primary progressive aphasic using a simple speech and language assessment scale based upon four key variables. β-amyloid imaging confirms the higher rate of Alzheimer pathology in the logopenic variant and, in turn, the low rates in the other two variants. The study offers insight into the biological basis of clinical manifestations of Alzheimer's disease, which appear topographically independent of β-amyloid load.
Swallowing and communication outcomes following primary transoral robotic surgery for advanced or recurrent oropharyngeal cancer: Case series
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 21-09-2022
Rapid Syllable Transitions (ReST) treatment for Childhood Apraxia of Speech: The effect of lower dose-Frequency
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.JCOMDIS.2014.06.004
Abstract: This study investigated the effectiveness of twice-weekly Rapid Syllable Transitions (ReST) treatment for Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). ReST is an effective treatment at a frequency of four sessions a week for three consecutive weeks. In this study we used a multiple-baselines across participants design to examine treatment efficacy for four children with CAS, aged four to eight years, who received ReST treatment twice a week for six weeks. The children's ability to acquire new skills, generalize these skills to untreated items and maintain the skills after treatment was examined. All four children improved their production of the target items. Two of the four children generalized the treatment effects to similar untreated pseudo words and all children generalized to untreated real words. During the maintenance phase, all four participants maintained their skills to four months post-treatment, with a stable rather than rising profile. This study shows that ReST treatment delivered twice-weekly results in significant retention of treatment effects to four months post-treatment and generalization to untrained but related speech behaviors. Compared to ReST therapy four times per week, the twice-weekly frequency produces similar treatment gains but no ongoing improvement after the cessation of treatment. This implies that there may be a small but significant benefit of four times weekly therapy compared with twice-weekly ReST therapy. Readers will be able to define dose-frequency, and describe how this relates to overall intervention intensity. Readers will be able to explain the acquisition, generalization and maintenance effects in the study and describe how these compare to higher dose frequency treatments. Readers will recognize that the current findings give preliminary support for high dose-frequency CAS treatment.
Automated speech analysis tools for children’s speech production: A systematic literature review
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 11-07-2018
DOI: 10.1080/17549507.2018.1477991
Abstract: A systematic search and review of published studies was conducted on the use of automated speech analysis (ASA) tools for analysing and modifying speech of typically-developing children learning a foreign language and children with speech sound disorders to determine (i) types, attributes, and purposes of ASA tools being used (ii) accuracy against human judgment and (iii) performance as therapeutic tools. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were applied. Across nine databases, 32 articles published between January 2007 and December 2016 met inclusion criteria: (i) focussed on children's speech (ii) tools used for speech analysis or modification and (iii) reporting quantitative data on accuracy. Eighteen ASA tools were identified. These met the clinical threshold of 80% agreement with human judgment when used as predictors of intelligibility, impairment severity, or error category. Tool accuracy was typically <80% accuracy for words containing mispronunciations. ASA tools have been used effectively to improve to children's foreign language pronunciation. ASA tools show promise for automated analysis and modification of children's speech production within assessment and therapeutic applications. Further work is needed to train automated systems with larger s les of speech to increase accuracy for assessment and therapeutic feedback.
Visual feedback of acoustic data for speech therapy: Model and design parameters
Publisher: ACM
Date: 26-09-2012
18F-FDG PET improves diagnosis in patients with focal-onset dementias
Publisher: Society of Nuclear Medicine
Date: 06-08-2015
DOI: 10.2967/JNUMED.115.161067
Abstract: Alzheimer disease is the cause of up to one-third of cases of primary progressive aphasia or corticobasal syndrome. The primary objective of this study was to determine the accuracy of 18F-FDG PET metabolic imaging for the detection of Alzheimer disease in patients with primary progressive aphasia or corticobasal syndrome. A cohort of patients (n=94), including those with an expert clinical diagnosis of logopenic (n=19), nonfluent (n=16), or semantic (n=13) variants of primary progressive aphasia, corticobasal syndrome (n=14), or Alzheimer disease (n=24), underwent 18F-FDG metabolic and 11C-labeled Pittsburgh compound B (11C-PiB) amyloid PET brain imaging. 18F-FDG PET scans interpreted with Neurostat and 3D-SSP displays were classified as revealing Alzheimer disease or "other" by interpreters who were unaware of the clinical assessments and 11C-PiB PET results. 11C-PiB PET imaging was considered to be the diagnostic reference standard, with a threshold standardized uptake value ratio of 1.5 being indicative of Alzheimer disease pathology. To address possible bias from subgroup selection for the Alzheimer disease binary classifier, we calculated both conventional and balanced accuracies. Diagnoses of Alzheimer disease based on 18F-FDG PET resulted in 84% accuracy (both conventional and balanced). In comparison, diagnoses based on clinical assessments resulted in 65% conventional accuracy and 67% balanced accuracy. Brain 18F-FDG PET scans interpreted with Neurostat and 3D-SSP displays accurately detected Alzheimer disease in patients with primary progressive aphasia or corticobasal syndrome as focal-onset dementias. In such diagnostically challenging cohorts, (18)F-FDG PET imaging can provide more accurate diagnoses, enabling more appropriate therapy.
Flappy voice: An interactive game for childhood apraxia of speech therapy
Publisher: ACM
Date: 19-10-2014
Automatic classification of unequal lexical stress patterns using machine learning algorithms
Publisher: IEEE
Date: 12-2012
Bringing words back to mind - Improving word production in semantic dementia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.CORTEX.2012.09.014
Abstract: Patients with semantic dementia (SD) have significant impairments in naming and comprehension, but demonstrate relatively intact attention, everyday memory, and visuospatial skills. Given these preserved skills, attempts have been made to help re-build vocabulary in SD patients, with promising results. Such reports, however, are generally based upon only one or two cases and have employed variable retraining methods. It is thus unclear which elements of practice are crucial to success. Over two studies, we assessed four patients undergoing a word training program, who ranged in severity from mild to severe impairments to semantic knowledge. All four participants showed significant improvements in their ability to name trained items, with no changes in untrained items over the same time period. Improvements were evident within 3 weeks of practice, and could be established from a simple, repetitive practice of word-picture pairing, carried out at the participant's home. Strong effect sizes of the treatment were found in patients with severe deficits. Maintenance of learning was observed on some follow-up assessments, although continued practice is likely to be needed to sustain naming performance. Incorporating generation tasks into the practice may be assistive, but was not essential to success. These data support the utility of implementing simple home-practice programs even for patients with significant language deficits.
Divergent Network Patterns of Amyloid-β Deposition in Logopenic and Amnestic Alzheimer’s Disease Presentations
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.BPSC.2015.09.004
Abstract: Despite ergent clinical features, language and amnestic presentations of Alzheimer's disease (AD) appear to show comparable regional amyloid-β (Aβ) burden. By using a statistical network approach, we aimed to identify complex network patterns of Aβ deposition and explore the effect of apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele on cortical Aβ burden across AD phenotypes. Sixteen amnestic AD participants and 18 cases with logopenic-variant of primary progressive aphasia (lv-PPA) with a high cortical Aβ burden were selected. A comprehensive clinical assessment, Aβ imaging, and APOE genotyping were performed in all cases. Statistical network analysis was undertaken based on the estimation of sparse partial correlations of Aβ burden between cortical regions. Global and regional network statistical parameters as well as the effect of APOEε4 genotype on cortical Aβ were explored. The two groups showed equivalent distribution of cortical amyloid burden and frequency of APOEε4 genotype. Statistical network analysis, however, demonstrated ergent connectivity properties. The lv-PPA group demonstrated higher mean network degree and shorter characteristic path length than the amnestic AD group. Amnestic AD cases showed connectivity hubs confined to the mesial temporal and prefrontal lobes bilaterally, whereas lv-PPA cases showed hubs scattered across the whole cortical mantle. An interaction effect on total Aβ burden between APOE genotype and AD presentations was also detected. The network analysis reveals interregional network differences not evident using a simple comparison of Aβ burden. This suggests that regional neurotoxic effects may explain the phenotypical differences in AD presentation and that these can be modulated by APOE genotype.
Perspectives from the patient: A content analysis of communication changes, impact, and strategies to facilitate communication in multiple sclerosis
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 07-09-2022
Systematic review and meta‐analysis of the impact of dosimetry to dysphagia and aspiration related structures
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-01-2019
DOI: 10.1002/HED.25631
Abstract: Technological advances in radiotherapy have allowed investigations into new methods to spare healthy tissue in those treated for head and neck cancer. This systematic review with meta-analysis demonstrates the effect that radiation has on swallowing. Selection and analysis of studies examining the effect of radiation to swallowing structures. A fixed effects meta-analysis calculated the pooled proportions for select outcomes of dysphagia, common across many studies. The majority of the papers found a correlation between radiation dose to the swallowing structures and dysphagia, however a meta-analysis found the studies carried a significant degree of heterogeneity. The appraisal demonstrates the need for large-scale studies using a randomized design and instrumental dysphagia assessments. Radiation dose to dysphagia and aspiration structures is correlated with incidence of dysphagia and aspiration. The variables in this population contribute to the heterogeneity within and cross studies and future studies should consider controlling for this.
An acoustic measure of lexical stress differentiates aphasia and aphasia plus apraxia of speech after stroke
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 06-03-2014
Agrammatic aphasic subjects' comprehension of subject and object extracted Wh questions
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-1999
Abstract: This study attempted to replicate the unusual wh question comprehension pattern of Hickok and Avrutin's (1996) subjects who showed an expected subject/object extraction asymmetry for which NP questions, but not for who questions. We also examined comprehension of what and which one questions, which are similar to who and which NP questions, respectively, and we examined passivized wh questions in order to test predictions of Grodzinsky's (1995) restrictive theory of trace deletion, the Trace-Based Account (TBA). Results, using both a figurine manipulation task and a picture pointing task, showed that only one of four agrammatic (Broca's) aphasic subjects showed the pattern reported by Hickok and Avrutin and that this pattern extended to comprehension of what and which one questions. One of the subjects showed subject/object asymmetry for all wh questions tested, as would be predicted by the original trace deletion hypothesis (Grodzinsky, 1984), and two subjects showed neither pattern. None of our subjects demonstrated ability to comprehend passivized wh questions as predicted by the TBA. We discuss our findings in terms of the lack of homogeneity of wh question comprehension among in iduals with agrammatic aphasia and we explore alternatives to the syntactic explanation for differences between who and which NP question comprehension advanced by Hickok and Avrutin.
Ultrasound visual feedback in articulation therapy following partial glossectomy
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.JCOMDIS.2016.02.004
Abstract: Disordered speech is common following treatment for tongue cancer, however there is insufficient high quality evidence to guide clinical decision making about treatment. This study investigated use of ultrasound tongue imaging as a visual feedback tool to guide tongue placement during articulation therapy with two participants following partial glossectomy. A Phase I multiple baseline design across behaviors was used to investigate therapeutic effect of ultrasound visual feedback during speech rehabilitation. Percent consonants correct and speech intelligibility at sentence level were used to measure acquisition, generalization and maintenance of speech skills for treated and untreated related phonemes, while unrelated phonemes were tested to demonstrate experimental control. Swallowing and oromotor measures were also taken to monitor change. Sentence intelligibility was not a sensitive measure of speech change, but both participants demonstrated significant change in percent consonants correct for treated phonemes. One participant also demonstrated generalization to non-treated phonemes. Control phonemes along with swallow and oromotor measures remained stable throughout the study. This study establishes therapeutic benefit of ultrasound visual feedback in speech rehabilitation following partial glossectomy. Readers will be able to explain why and how tongue cancer surgery impacts on articulation precision. Readers will also be able to explain the acquisition, generalization and maintenance effects in the study.
A systematic literature review of neuroimaging research on developmental stuttering between 1995 and 2016
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.JFLUDIS.2017.03.007
Abstract: Stuttering is a disorder that affects millions of people all over the world. Over the past two decades, there has been a great deal of interest in investigating the neural basis of the disorder. This systematic literature review is intended to provide a comprehensive summary of the neuroimaging literature on developmental stuttering. It is a resource for researchers to quickly and easily identify relevant studies for their areas of interest and enable them to determine the most appropriate methodology to utilize in their work. The review also highlights gaps in the literature in terms of methodology and areas of research. We conducted a systematic literature review on neuroimaging studies on developmental stuttering according to the PRISMA guidelines. We searched for articles in the pubmed database containing "stuttering" OR "stammering" AND either "MRI", "PET", "EEG", "MEG", "TMS"or "brain" that were published between 1995/01/01 and 2016/01/01. The search returned a total of 359 items with an additional 26 identified from a manual search. Of these, there were a total of 111 full text articles that met criteria for inclusion in the systematic literature review. We also discuss neuroimaging studies on developmental stuttering published throughout 2016. The discussion of the results is organized first by methodology and second by population (i.e., adults or children) and includes tables that contain all items returned by the search. There are widespread abnormalities in the structural architecture and functional organization of the brains of adults and children who stutter. These are evident not only in speech tasks, but also non-speech tasks. Future research should make greater use of functional neuroimaging and noninvasive brain stimulation, and employ structural methodologies that have greater sensitivity. Newly planned studies should also investigate sex differences, focus on augmenting treatment, examine moments of dysfluency and longitudinally or cross-sectionally investigate developmental trajectories in stuttering.
Principles of Motor Learning in Treatment of Motor Speech Disorders
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 08-2008
DOI: 10.1044/1058-0360(2008/025)
Abstract: There has been renewed interest on the part of speech-language pathologists to understand how the motor system learns and determine whether principles of motor learning, derived from studies of nonspeech motor skills, apply to treatment of motor speech disorders. The purpose of this tutorial is to introduce principles that enhance motor learning for nonspeech motor skills and to examine the extent to which these principles apply in treatment of motor speech disorders. This tutorial critically reviews various principles in the context of nonspeech motor learning by reviewing selected literature from the major journals in motor learning. The potential application of these principles to speech motor learning is then discussed by reviewing relevant literature on treatment of speech disorders. Specific attention is paid to how these principles may be incorporated into treatment for motor speech disorders. Evidence from nonspeech motor learning suggests that various principles may interact with each other and differentially affect erse aspects of movements. Whereas few studies have directly examined these principles in speech motor (re)learning, available evidence suggests that these principles hold promise for treatment of motor speech disorders. Further research is necessary to determine which principles apply to speech motor (re)learning in impaired populations.
Improvements in Speech of Children with Apraxia: The Efficacy of Treatment for Establishing Motor Program Organization (TEMPOSM)
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 09-07-2021
Expressive language skills in Chinese Singaporean preschoolers with nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2010
DOI: 10.1016/J.IJPORL.2010.01.014
Abstract: The main objective of the present study was to examine THE EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE SKILLS and obtain a prevalence estimate of expressive language IMPAIRMENT (not skills) in Chinese Singaporean preschoolers with nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate (CLP). A group of 43 Chinese Singaporean preschoolers aged 3 to 6 years with a diagnosis of nonsyndromic CLP was assessed using the Singapore English Action Picture Test (SEAPT). The SEAPT is an English Language screening tool standardised on typically developing English-Mandarin Chinese Singaporean preschoolers that assesses expressive vocabulary and grammatical usage. A grammar and/or information score below the 20(th) percentile on the SEAPT is indicative of an expressive language impairment. In addition, the medical records of this cohort were examined retrospectively for documentation of surgical timings, audiological history, articulation and resonance. Based on the results of the SEAPT, 33% of the preschoolers with CLP were identified as having a-possible expressive language impairment. Hence, the likelihood that a child with CLP with normal cognitive functioning will have an expressive language impairment is between 3.9 to 12.7 times more likely than in the general population. There was no statistical significance when comparisons were made between dominant language groups or CLP groups on SEAPT measures of information and grammar content. Significantly more males than females were identified with language difficulties, relative to the sex ratio in the s le. No significance was found for the other participant variables. The findings of this study suggest that Chinese Singaporean preschoolers with CLP have more difficulty in the expressive use of grammar and vocabulary than their peers of typical development, with significantly more males affected than females. As language performance was not related to hearing, articulation or resonance these early results suggest that a comprehensive investigation of cognition, literacy and family aggregation of communication disorders is urgently warranted to study other possible aetiologies for language impairment in children with CLP in Singapore.
Identifying segmental and prosodic errors associated with the increasing word length effect in acquired apraxia of speech
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 27-04-2022
Architecture of an automated therapy tool for childhood apraxia of speech
Publisher: ACM
Date: 21-10-2013
Influence of continual biofeedback on jaw pursuit-tracking in healthy adults and in adults with apraxia plus aphasia
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2007
Phonologic errors as a clinical marker of the logopenic variant of PPA
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 04-04-2014
A comparison of two treatments for childhood apraxia of speech: methods and treatment protocol for a parallel group randomised control trial
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-08-2012
Ultrasound in dysphagia rehabilitation: a novel approach following partial glossectomy
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 28-12-2016
DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2016.1219400
Abstract: While the presence of dysphagia following partial glossectomy has been widely reported, there is insufficient quality evidence to guide clinical decision making about the treatment of this disorder. This study investigated a novel dysphagia rehabilitation approach using ultrasound tongue imaging for patient training. Initially, a pilot study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of ultrasound visual feedback during swallow tasks. The protocol was then replicated using a single-case experimental designed study to investigate therapeutic effect. Swallow, speech, and oromotor functions were measured across multiple baselines using an A-B-A intervention study design. During intervention, both participants were able to interpret ultrasound tongue images during swallow tasks. Following intervention, positive therapeutic effect was achieved with reduced frequency of aspiration and self-initiated swallow strategies. Generalization of intervention was evidenced by reduced bolus transit duration on videofluoroscopy and improved functional oral intake scores. Speech and oromotor functions remained stable throughout the study demonstrating experimental control. This study establishes that ultrasound visual feedback is feasible in dysphagia rehabilitation following partial glossectomy. In addition, the predicted therapeutic effect specifically to swallow but not speech or oromotor functions were demonstrated. Implications for Rehabilitation Partial glossectomy results in altered tongue shape, movement, and function which negatively impact on speech and swallowing There is limited research evidence to support previously used speech pathology interventions (in particular, tongue range of movement exercises) to rehabilitate dysphagia following tongue cancer surgery The tongue, and hence oral phase of swallowing, can be viewed by placing an ultrasound probe under the chin Ultrasound scanning of the tongue is not invasive, can be repeated without dosage side effect. It's also comfortable for the patient and if a portable probe and monitor are used, can be performed within a variety of clinical settings for assessment or therapy This study shows specific therapeutic benefit following ultrasound visual feedback along with a motor learning approach to rehabilitate swallow function following partial glossectomy Visual and verbal feedback that focus specifically on the motor movements undergoing adaptation (e.g., tongue wave movement, tongue elevation, bolus clearance) following partial glossectomy are recommended Patients who are able to see the ultrasound monitor, hear the feedback given, are cognitively able to self-evaluate tongue movement, and remember intervention goals will most benefit from ultrasound tongue visual feedback in therapy Clinicians also benefit from visualizing the tongue with ultrasound during assessment and therapy as a direct view reduces the subjectivity of rating task performance.
A Developmental Approach to Assessing and Treating Agrammatic Aphasia
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 10-05-2022
DOI: 10.1044/2022_AJSLP-21-00240
Abstract: There is mounting evidence that the agrammatism that defines Broca's aphasia can be explained in processing terms. However, the extant approach simply describes agrammatism as disparate deficits in a static, mature system. This tutorial aims to motivate and outline a developmental alternative. This alternative is processability theory (PT), a root-to-apex theory of language development, with its origins in the field of second language acquisition, which can connect the findings of aphasia research. This tutorial critically reviews research on agrammatism as a language deficit, a representational deficit, and a processing phenomenon. Given evidence from research applying PT to language disorders, this tutorial outlines PT's multidimensional architecture of language processing. Using an emergence (onset) criterion, PT predicts fixed developmental stages in word order (syntax) and inflection (morphology) and in idual differences in the timing of syntax and morphology. To link PT to agrammatism, this theory's applications to diagnosis and teaching are overviewed, and a case study of five in iduals with moderate agrammatism is presented. Analysis showed that all in iduals were positioned in the early PT stages and differed in their timing of syntax and morphology consistent with theoretical predictions. Evidence from the case study suggests that, although agrammatism results from neural damage and associated language loss, the processing procedures necessary for relearning remain and can be exploited for recovery. A program of diagnosis and intervention is proposed, and future research directions are discussed. 0.23641/asha.19416488
The role of syntactic complexity in training wh-movement structures in agrammatic aphasia: Optimal order for promoting generalization
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 11-1998
DOI: 10.1017/S1355617798466141
Abstract: This study examined the postulate that training production of syntactically complex sentences results in generalization to less complex sentences that have processes in common with treated structures. Three agrammatic aphasic patients were trained to produce wh -movement structures, object clefts and/or object extracted who -questions, while generalization between these structures was tested. One NP-movement structure, passive sentences, also was tested for control purposes. Wh -movement occurs from the direct object position to specifier position in the complementizer phrase [SPEC, CP] for both wh -movement structures. In who -questions movement occurs in the matrix sentence, whereas, in object clefts movement occurs within an embedded relative clause, rendering them the most complex. Results showed robust generalization effects from object clefts to matrix who -question for 1 participant (D.L.) however, no generalization was noted from who -questions to object clefts for another (F.P.), and 1 participant (C.H.) showed acquisition of who -questions, but not object clefts, during the baseline condition without direct treatment. As expected, none of the participants showed improved production of passives. These findings supported those derived from our previous studies, indicating that generalization is enhanced not only when target structures are related along dimensions articulated by linguistic theory, but also when the direction of treatment is from more to less complex structures. The present findings also support proposals that projections of higher levels in the syntactic treatment are dependent on successful projection of lower levels. For our participants, training movement within CP in a lower (embedded) clause resulted in their ability to project to CP at higher levels. ( JINS , 1998, 4 , 661–674.)
Orthographically sensitive treatment for dysprosody in children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech using ReST intervention
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 04-2014
DOI: 10.3109/17518423.2014.906002
Abstract: Impaired prosody is a core diagnostic feature of Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) but there is limited evidence of effective prosodic intervention. This study reports the efficacy of the ReST intervention used in conjunction with bisyllabic pseudo word stimuli containing orthographic cues that are strongly associated with either strong-weak or weak-strong patterns of lexical stress. Using a single case AB design with one follow-up and replication, four children with CAS received treatment of four one-hour sessions per week for three weeks. Sessions contained 100 randomized trials of pseudo word treatment stimuli. Baseline measures were taken of treated and untreated behaviors retention was measured at one day and four weeks post-treatment. Children's production of lexical stress improved from pre to post-treatment. Treatment effects and maintenance varied among participants. This study provides support for the treatment of prosodic deficits in CAS.
Apraxia world: A speech therapy game for children with speech sound disorders
Publisher: ACM
Date: 19-06-2018
Cancers of the Tongue and Floor of Mouth: Five-Year File Audit Within the Acute Phase
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 11-2014
DOI: 10.1044/2014_AJSLP-14-0003
Abstract: The impact of patient, surgical, and rehabilitation factors on speech and swallowing in the acute phase for patients following tongue and/or floor of mouth cancer surgery has not been reported to date. This study reviewed functional outcomes over a 5-year period at an Australian tertiary hospital. Patient medical files from July 2006 through 2011 were audited. Patient demographics, tumor and treatment, along with speech-language pathology (SLP) intervention details were examined. Speech and swallow function were significantly different between those with primary closure and those requiring reconstruction, with significantly higher referral rate to SLP following reconstruction. The clinical speech and swallow function at SLP assessment following reconstruction was a predictor for the number of SLP intervention sessions provided. The number of intervention sessions provided to these patients significantly correlated with upgrade in fluids during hospitalization. This is the first published study to report a relationship between function and dosage of clinical SLP intervention with this population. It is also the first known study to audit comprehensive functional outcomes in the acute phase of recovery with an Australian cohort. The findings contribute to establishing evidence-based SLP practice with this population.
Bringing advanced speech processing technology to the clinical management of speech disorders
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 16-10-2018
Effects of feedback frequency and timing on acquisition, retention, and transfer of speech skills in acquired apraxia of speech
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 10-2008
DOI: 10.1044/1092-4388(2008/06-0042)
Abstract: Two studies examined speech skill learning in persons with apraxia of speech (AOS). Motor-learning research shows that delaying or reducing the frequency of feedback promotes retention and transfer of skills. By contrast, immediate or frequent feedback promotes temporary performance enhancement but interferes with retention and transfer. These principles were tested in the context of a common treatment for AOS. Two studies ( N = 4, N = 2) employed single-subject treatment designs to examine acquisition and retention of speech skills in adults with AOS under different feedback conditions. Reduced-frequency or delayed feedback enhanced learning in 3 participants with AOS. Feedback manipulation was not an influential variable in 3 other cases in which stimulus-complexity effects may have masked treatment effects. These findings demonstrate that in iduals with AOS can benefit from structured intervention. They provide qualified support for reduction and delay of feedback, although interaction with other factors such as stimulus complexity or task difficulty needs further exploration. This study adds to the growing body of literature investigating the use of principles of motor learning in treating AOS and provides impetus for consideration of pre-treatment variables that affect outcome in treatment studies.
Speech invaders & Yak-man: Retrogames for speech therapy
Publisher: ACM
Date: 24-11-2014
Differential diagnosis of children with suspected childhood apraxia of speech
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 02-2015
DOI: 10.1044/2014_JSLHR-S-12-0358
Abstract: The gold standard for diagnosing childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is expert judgment of perceptual features. The aim of this study was to identify a set of objective measures that differentiate CAS from other speech disorders. Seventy-two children (4–12 years of age) diagnosed with suspected CAS by community speech-language pathologists were screened. Forty-seven participants underwent diagnostic assessment including presence or absence of perceptual CAS features. Twenty-eight children met two sets of diagnostic criteria for CAS (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2007b Shriberg, Potter, & Strand, 2009) another 4 met the CAS criteria with comorbidity. Fifteen were categorized as non-CAS with phonological impairment, submucous cleft, or dysarthria. Following this, 24 different measures from the diagnostic assessment were rated by blinded raters. Multivariate discriminant function analysis was used to identify the combination of measures that best predicted expert diagnoses. The discriminant function analysis model, including syllable segregation, lexical stress matches, percentage phonemes correct from a polysyllabic picture-naming task, and articulatory accuracy on repetition of ətəkə/, reached 91% diagnostic accuracy against expert diagnosis. Polysyllabic production accuracy and an oral motor examination that includes diadochokinesis may be sufficient to reliably identify CAS and rule out structural abnormality or dysarthria. Testing with a larger unselected s le is required. 0.23641/asha.6170495
Shaping questions for the next decade: Listening to clients, parents, and clinicians
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-04-2013
Development of a Remote Therapy Tool for Childhood Apraxia of Speech
Publisher: Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Date: 14-11-2015
DOI: 10.1145/2776895
Abstract: We present a multitier system for the remote administration of speech therapy to children with apraxia of speech. The system uses a client-server architecture model and facilitates task-oriented remote therapeutic training in both in-home and clinical settings. The system allows a speech language pathologist (SLP) to remotely assign speech production exercises to each child through a web interface and the child to practice these exercises in the form of a game on a mobile device. The mobile app records the child's utterances and streams them to a back-end server for automated scoring by a speech-analysis engine. The SLP can then review the in idual recordings and the automated scores through a web interface, provide feedback to the child, and adapt the training program as needed. We have validated the system through a pilot study with children diagnosed with apraxia of speech, their parents, and SLPs. Here, we describe the overall client-server architecture, middleware tools used to build the system, speech-analysis tools for automatic scoring of utterances, and present results from a clinical study. Our results support the feasibility of the system as a complement to traditional face-to-face therapy through the use of mobile tools and automated speech analysis algorithms.
Training Production of Lexical Stress in Typically Developing Children Using Orthographically Biased Stimuli and Principles of Motor Learning
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 08-2012
DOI: 10.1044/1058-0360(2012/11-0008)
Abstract: Impaired lexical stress production characterizes multiple pediatric speech disorders. Effective remediation strategies are not available, and little is known about the normal process of learning to assign and produce lexical stress. This study examined whether typically developing (TD) children can be trained to produce lexical stress on bisyllabic pseudowords that are orthographically biased to a strong–weak or weak–strong pattern (e.g., MAMbey or beDOON ), in combination with the principles of motor learning (PML). Fourteen TD children ages 5 (years months) to 13 were randomly assigned to a training or control group using concealed allocation within blocks. A pre- to posttraining group design was used to examine the acquisition, retention, and generalization of lexical stress production. The training group learned to produce appropriate lexical stress for the pseudowords with strong maintenance and generalization to related untrained stimuli. Accuracy of stress production did not change in the control group. TD children can learn to produce lexical stress patterns for orthographically biased pseudowords via explicit training methods. Findings have relevance for the study of languages other than English and for a range of prosodic disorders.
The frequency of dysphagia and its impact on adults with multiple sclerosis based on patient-reported questionnaires
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.MSARD.2018.08.003
Abstract: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) refers to a chronic inflammation of the central nervous system including the brain and spinal cord. Dysphagia is one of the symptoms that represent challenges in clinical practice for the management of MS patients. Dysphagia can result in serious complications leading to morbidity and death in late stages of MS. However, little attention is given to dysphagia, its symptoms and how it affects the quality of life of adults with MS. The purpose of this study is to identify the frequency of dysphagia in adults with MS and determine the main symptoms suggestive of dysphagia and its impact on the patients' quality of life. In total, 103 adults with MS agreed to participate in the study. Data were collected at the Multiple Sclerosis outpatient Clinic of a major metropolitan Australian hospital using patient reported questionnaires. 38% of adults with MS reported having swallowing problems that resulted in various physical and social consequences including but not limited to coughing, throat clearing, choking on food and liquid, reduced eating desire, increased eating duration and mealtime anxiety. Adults with MS-related dysphagia had reduced scores across all domains of swallowing-related quality of life. These findings support referral to speech-language pathologists for management of dysphagia from the early stages of the disease. Further work is required to determine whether early intervention for dysphagia can sustain or improve swallowing function as well as swallowing-related quality of life domains further into the disease course.
Altered resting-state network connectivity in stroke patients with and without apraxia of speech
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2015
A systematic review of treatment outcomes for children with childhood apraxia of speech
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 08-2014
DOI: 10.1044/2014_AJSLP-13-0035
Abstract: To present a systematic review of single-case experimental treatment studies for childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). A search of 9 databases was used to find peer-reviewed treatment articles from 1970 to 2012 of all levels of evidence with published communication outcomes for children with CAS. Improvement rate differences (IRDs) were calculated for articles with replicated (n 1), statistically compared treatment and generalization evidence. Forty-two articles representing Phase I and II single-case experimental designs (SCEDs n = 23) or case series or description studies ( n = 19) were analyzed. Six articles showed high CAS diagnosis confidence. Of the 13 approaches within the 23 SCED articles, treatments were primarily for speech motor skills ( n = 6), linguistic skills ( n = 5), or augmentative and alternative communication ( n = 2). Most participants responded positively to treatment, but only 7 of 13 approaches in SCED studies reported maintenance and/or generalization of treatment effects. Three approaches had preponderant evidence (Smith, 1981). IRD effect sizes were calculated for Integral Stimulation/Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing, Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment, and Integrated Phonological Awareness Intervention. At least 3 treatments have sufficient evidence for Phase III trials and interim clinical practice. In the future, efficacy needs to be established via maintenance and generalization measures. 0.23641/asha.6170225
Tabby Talks: An automated tool for the assessment of childhood apraxia of speech
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2015
Still not adult-like: lexical stress contrastivity in word productions of eight- to eleven-year-olds
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 21-10-2016
DOI: 10.1017/S0305000916000489
Abstract: Lexical stress is the contrast between strong and weak syllables within words. Ballard et al. (2012) examined the amount of stress contrastivity across adjacent syllables in word productions of typically developing three- to seven-year-olds and adults. Here, eight- to eleven-year-olds are compared with the adults from Ballard et al. using acoustic measurements of relative contrast in duration, peak intensity, and peak fundamental frequency of the vowels within the initial two syllables of each word. While eight- to eleven-year-olds are closer to adult-like stress contrastivity than three- to seven-year-olds, they are not yet adult-like in terms of the intensity contrast for words beginning with a weak syllable.
Neural control of the lips differs for young and older adults following a perturbation
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-09-2010
Assessment of AOS for treatment planning
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 2002
DOI: 10.1055/S-2002-35801
Abstract: Assessment of speech involves profiling a disorder, possibly at multiple levels, as well as interpreting that information to determine direction for treatment. Assessment of perceptual, acoustic, and physiological characteristics of apraxic speech is discussed, identifying the specific information that is contributed at each level. A combination of methods is advocated because each level of analysis provides the clinician with unique information. Perceptual analyses identify deviations from normal-sounding speech, whereas acoustic and physiological analyses can help provide insight into the underlying cause of perceptual abnormality. The latter can also identify abnormality that may not be detected perceptually but may be interfering with performance. Applications of the different assessment levels and methods to developing treatments and measuring outcome are addressed.
Dynamic Assessment for Children With Communication Disorders: A Systematic Scoping Review and Framework
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 12-07-2022
DOI: 10.1044/2022_AJSLP-21-00349
Abstract: The aim of this systematic scoping review was to identify the elements that exist in dynamic assessments of communication in children, synthesize and arrange them into a framework, and investigate how these elements have been used in published literature. Seven databases were searched using clusters of keywords themed around “dynamic assessment,” “communication,” and “children.” Papers were reviewed against eligibility criteria by two independent reviewers at both title/abstract and full-text screening stages. Data charting included information about study design and the methodological characteristics of identified dynamic assessments. Sixty-five papers met inclusion criteria. Dynamic assessments were used in a range of areas of communication and used erse methodologies. A total of 23 elements were identified and formulated into a Dynamic Assessment Framework, arranged into eight categories within two broad domains. A majority of assessments utilized prompting or cueing as instruction (54%), provided a predetermined amount of instruction (55%), measured child performance (63%), and were prescripted (60%). Dynamic assessments are complex. Utilizing a dynamic assessment in clinical practice or research requires a deep understanding of the purpose, clinical population, implementation, and data collection and measurement requirements. From our review of research involving dynamic assessments of communication in children, there is a need for greater transparency of reporting of the elements comprising dynamic assessments. The Dynamic Assessment Framework presented in this review article offers researchers and clinicians a way to have transparent discussions and extend our collective insights into the value of dynamic assessment of children's communication skills. 0.23641/asha.20151830
Speech, prosody, and voice characteristics of a mother and daughter with a 7;13 translocation affecting FOXP2
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 06-2006
DOI: 10.1044/1092-4388(2006/038)
Abstract: The primary goal of this case study was to describe the speech, prosody, and voice characteristics of a mother and daughter with a breakpoint in a balanced 7 chromosomal translocation that disrupted the transcription gene, FOXP2 (cf. J. B. Tomblin et al., 2005). As with affected members of the widely cited KE family, whose communicative disorders have been associated with a point mutation in the FOXP2 gene, both mother and daughter had cognitive, language, and speech challenges. A 2nd goal of the study was to illustrate in detail, the types of speech, prosody, and voice metrics that can contribute to phenotype sharpening in speech-genetics research. A speech, prosody, and voice assessment protocol was administered twice within a 4-month period. Analyses were aided by comparing profiles from the present speakers (the TB family) with those from 2 groups of adult speakers: 7 speakers with acquired (with one exception) spastic or spastic-flaccid dysarthria and 14 speakers with acquired apraxia of speech. The descriptive and inferential statistical findings for 13 speech, prosody, and voice variable supported the conclusion that both mother and daughter had spastic dysarthria, an apraxia of speech, and residual developmental distortion errors. These findings are consistent with, but also extend, the reported communicative disorders in affected members of the KE family. A companion article (K. J. Ballard, L. D. Shriberg, J. R. Duffy, & J. B. Tomblin, 2006) reports information from the orofacial and speech motor control measures administered to the same family reports on neuropsychological and neuroimaging findings are in preparation.
Behavioral Treatment for Speech and Language in Primary Progressive Aphasia and Primary Progressive Apraxia of Speech: A Systematic Review
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-10-2023
Apraxia of Speech and Phonological Errors in the Diagnosis of Nonfluent/Agrammatic and Logopenic Variants of Primary Progressive Aphasia
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 10-2012
DOI: 10.1044/1092-4388(2012/11-0323)
Abstract: The International Consensus Criteria for the diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia (PPA Gorno-Tempini et al., 2011) propose apraxia of speech (AOS) as 1 of 2 core features of nonfluent/agrammatic PPA and propose phonological errors or absence of motor speech disorder as features of logopenic PPA. We investigated the sensitivity and specificity of AOS and phonological errors as markers for these variants and also investigated the relationship between AOS, phonological errors, and findings on C-labeled Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB)–positron emission tomography (PET) imaging associated with putative Alzheimer-type pathology. Connected speech and word repetition in 23 people with PPA who underwent PiB-PET imaging were rated for apraxic versus phonological disruption by 1 rater who was blind to diagnosis and by 2 raters who were blind to PiB-PET results. Apraxic characteristics had high sensitivity for nonfluent/agrammatic PPA, and phonological errors had high sensitivity for logopenic PPA however, phonological errors showed lower specificity for logopenic PPA. On PiB imaging, 8 of 9 people with predominant AOS returned negative results, whereas participants with no or questionable AOS with and without phonological errors returned positive results. Attention to AOS and phonological errors may help counter some of the inherent limitations of diagnosis-by-exclusion in the current International Consensus Criteria for diagnosing PPA.
Motor programming in apraxia of speech
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2008
DOI: 10.1016/J.BANDL.2008.03.004
Abstract: Apraxia of Speech (AOS) is an impairment of motor programming. However, the exact nature of this deficit remains unclear. The present study examined motor programming in AOS in the context of a recent two-stage model [Klapp, S. T. (1995). Motor response programming during simple and choice reaction time: The role of practice. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 21, 1015-1027 Klapp, S. T. (2003). Reaction time analysis of two types of motor preparation for speech articulation: Action as a sequence of chunks. Journal of Motor Behavior, 35, 135-150] that proposes a preprogramming stage (INT) and a process that assigns serial order to multiple programs in a sequence (SEQ). The main hypothesis was that AOS involves a process-specific deficit in the INT (preprogramming) stage of processing, rather than in the on-line serial ordering (SEQ) and initiation of movement. In addition, we tested the hypothesis that AOS involves a central (i.e., modality-general) motor programming deficit. We used a reaction time paradigm that provides two dependent measures: study time (the amount of time for participants to ready a motor response INT), and reaction time (time to initiate movement SEQ). Two experiments were conducted to examine INT and SEQ in AOS: Experiment 1 involved finger movements, Experiment 2 involved speech movements analogous to the finger movements. Results showed longer preprogramming time for patients with AOS but normal sequencing and initiation times, relative to controls. Together, the findings are consistent with the hypothesis of a process-specific, but central (modality-independent) deficit in AOS alternative explanations are also discussed.
Behavioral, computational, and neuroimaging studies of acquired apraxia of speech
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 03-11-2014
Parent experiences of variations in service delivery of Rapid Syllable Transition (ReST) treatment for childhood apraxia of speech
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 23-05-2017
DOI: 10.1080/17518423.2017.1323971
Abstract: To understand parents' perceptions of Rapid Syllable Transition (ReST) treatment and their experience of either telehealth or combined parent-clinician delivery of speech-language pathology. Thematic analyses of semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 parents (5 telehealth, 5 parent-clinician) after their child completed 12 sessions of ReST treatment. Three themes were unique to telehealth: "telehealth was a million times easier," "technical problems weren't deal breakers," and "telehealth therapy has different boundaries." Three themes were unique to parent-clinician delivery: "therapy is something to get over and done with," "I wasn't very good at doing therapy," and "my child doesn't like me as his therapist." Both groups had themes related to the significance of childhood apraxia of speech, the importance of specialist treatment, and ReST being a "different way forward." Speech-language pathologists should carefully consider the suitability of caregiver-provided ReST treatment, and increase telehealth delivery of ReST treatment.
Speech-driven mobile games for speech therapy: User experiences and feasibility
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 09-10-2018
Syntactic comprehension deficits across the FTD-ALS continuum.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.NEUROBIOLAGING.2016.02.002
Abstract: To establish the frequency, severity, relationship to bulbar symptoms, and neural correlates of syntactic comprehension deficits across the frontotemporal dementia-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FTD-ALS) disease spectrum. In total, 85 participants were included in the study 20 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), 15 FTD-ALS, 27 progressive nonfluent aphasia (PNFA), and 23 controls. Syntactic comprehension was evaluated in ALS, FTD-ALS, PNFA, and controls using the Test for Reception of Grammar. Voxel-based morphometry examined neuroanatomical correlates of performance. Syntactic comprehension deficits were detected in 25% of ALS (p = 0.011), 92.9% of FTD-ALS (p < 0.001), and 81.5% of PNFA (p < 0.001) patients. FTD-ALS was disproportionately impaired compared to PNFA. Impaired Test for Reception of Grammar performance was frequent in ALS with early bulbar involvement but did not correlate with bulbar impairment overall. Left peri-insular atrophy correlated with syntactic comprehension deficits. Syntactic comprehension deficits are frequent in FTD-ALS, more severe than in PNFA, and related to left peri-insular atrophy. A significant minority of ALS patients are impaired, but the relationship between bulbar symptoms and syntactic impairment is not understood.
A predictive model for diagnosing stroke-related apraxia of speech
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.NEUROPSYCHOLOGIA.2015.12.010
Abstract: Diagnosis of the speech motor planning rogramming disorder, apraxia of speech (AOS), has proven challenging, largely due to its common co-occurrence with the language-based impairment of aphasia. Currently, diagnosis is based on perceptually identifying and rating the severity of several speech features. It is not known whether all, or a subset of the features, are required for a positive diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to assess predictor variables for the presence of AOS after left-hemisphere stroke, with the goal of increasing diagnostic objectivity and efficiency. This population-based case-control study involved a s le of 72 cases, using the outcome measure of expert judgment on presence of AOS and including a large number of independently collected candidate predictors representing behavioral measures of linguistic, cognitive, nonspeech oral motor, and speech motor ability. We constructed a predictive model using multiple imputation to deal with missing data the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (Lasso) technique for variable selection to define the most relevant predictors, and bootstrapping to check the model stability and quantify the optimism of the developed model. Two measures were sufficient to distinguish between participants with AOS plus aphasia and those with aphasia alone, (1) a measure of speech errors with words of increasing length and (2) a measure of relative vowel duration in three-syllable words with weak-strong stress pattern (e.g., banana, potato). The model has high discriminative ability to distinguish between cases with and without AOS (c-index=0.93) and good agreement between observed and predicted probabilities (calibration slope=0.94). Some caution is warranted, given the relatively small s le specific to left-hemisphere stroke, and the limitations of imputing missing data. These two speech measures are straightforward to collect and analyse, facilitating use in research and clinical settings.
Anomaly Detection Approach for Pronunciation Verification of Disordered Speech Using Speech Attribute Features
Publisher: ISCA
Date: 02-09-2018
Retrogaming as visual feedback for speech therapy
Publisher: ACM
Date: 24-11-2014
Dysphagia in Multiple Sclerosis: Evaluation and Validation of the DYMUS Questionnaire
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-11-2017
DOI: 10.1007/S00455-017-9864-5
Abstract: The 10-item Dysphagia in Multiple Sclerosis (DYMUS) questionnaire is a self-administered tool used to identify swallowing problems in adults with MS. The questionnaire was not validated against other existing questionnaires to assess its convergent validity. Moreover, its test-retest reliability was not measured previously. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the factor analysis, internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the DYMUS, as well as its convergent validity against an established and validated questionnaire, the EAT-10. English-speaking adults with MS in New South Wales, Australia who were seen for routine medical check-ups were invited to complete two questionnaires across two phases. One hundred participants completed phase 1, while 55 completed phase 2. Statistical analyses were performed to investigate the psychometric properties of the DYMUS questionnaire. Internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha) reduced the DYMUS questionnaire from ten to five items. The shortened version of the DYMUS showed high internal consistency (alpha = 0.904). It also showed satisfactory reproducibility, and adequate correlation with the 10-item Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10). Evaluation of the DYMUS resulted in a shortened version of the questionnaire with five questions related to dysphagia. This shortened version is considered an easy and useful tool in identifying patients with MS-related dysphagia.
Linguistic Specific Treatment: Just for Broca's aphasia?
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 09-2004
Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Connectivity Between Semantic and Phonological Regions of Interest May Inform Language Targets in Aphasia
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 15-09-2020
DOI: 10.1044/2020_JSLHR-19-00117
Abstract: Brain imaging has provided puzzle pieces in the understanding of language. In neurologically healthy populations, the structure of certain brain regions is associated with particular language functions (e.g., semantics, phonology). In studies on focal brain damage, certain brain regions or connections are considered sufficient or necessary for a given language function. However, few of these account for the effects of lesioned tissue on the “functional” dynamics of the brain for language processing. Here, functional connectivity (FC) among semantic–phonological regions of interest (ROIs) is assessed to fill a gap in our understanding about the neural substrates of impaired language and whether connectivity strength can predict language performance on a clinical tool in in iduals with aphasia. Clinical assessment of language, using the Western Aphasia Battery–Revised, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were obtained for 30 in iduals with chronic aphasia secondary to left-hemisphere stroke and 18 age-matched healthy controls. FC between bilateral ROIs was contrasted by group and used to predict Western Aphasia Battery–Revised scores. Network coherence was observed in healthy controls and participants with stroke. The left–right premotor cortex connection was stronger in healthy controls, as reported by New et al. (2015) in the same data set. FC of (a) connections between temporal regions, in the left hemisphere and bilaterally, predicted lexical–semantic processing for auditory comprehension and (b) ipsilateral connections between temporal and frontal regions in both hemispheres predicted access to semantic–phonological representations and processing for verbal production. Network connectivity of brain regions associated with semantic–phonological processing is predictive of language performance in poststroke aphasia. The most predictive connections involved right-hemisphere ROIs—particularly those for which structural adaptions are known to associate with recovered word retrieval performance. Predictions may be made, based on these findings, about which connections have potential as targets for neuroplastic functional changes with intervention in aphasia. 0.23641/asha.12735785
Treating control of voicing in apraxia of speech with variable practice
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-2007
Paediatric speech-language pathology service delivery: An exploratory survey of Australian parents
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 26-04-2012
DOI: 10.3109/17549507.2011.650213
Abstract: Consideration of client values and preferences for service delivery is integral to engaging with the evidence-based practice triangle (E(3)BP), but as yet such preferences are under-researched. This exploratory study canvassed paediatric speech-language pathology services around Australia through an online survey of parents and compared reported service delivery to preferences, satisfaction, and external research evidence on recommended service delivery. Respondents were 154 parents with 192 children, living across a range of Australian locations and socio-economic status areas. Children had a range of speech and language disorders. A quarter of children waited over 6 months to receive initial assessment. Reported session type, frequency, and length were incongruent with both research recommendations and parents' wishes. Sixty per cent of parents were happy or very happy with their experiences, while 27% were unhappy. Qualitative responses revealed concerns such as a lack of available, frequent, or local services, long waiting times, cut-off ages for eligibility, discharge processes, and an inability to afford private services. These findings challenge the profession to actively engage with E(3)BP including being cognisant of evidence-based service delivery literature, keeping clients informed of service delivery policies, in idualizing services, and exploring alternative service delivery methods.
Telehealth delivery of Rapid Syllable Transitions (ReST) treatment for childhood apraxia of speech
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-05-2016
Abstract: Rapid Syllable Transitions (ReST) treatment uses pseudo-word targets with varying lexical stress to target simultaneously articulation, prosodic accuracy and coarticulatory transitions in childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). The treatment is efficacious for the acquisition of imitated pseudo-words, and generalization of skill to untreated pseudo-words and real words. Despite the growing popularity of telehealth as a method of service delivery, there is no research into the efficacy of telehealth treatments for CAS. Telehealth service delivery is associated with compromised audio and visual signal transmission that may affect the efficacy of treatment. To conduct a phase 1 efficacy study of telehealth delivery of ReST treatment for CAS, and to discuss the efficacy with reference to face-to-face ReST treatment. Using a multiple baseline across participants design, five children aged 5-11 years with CAS received ReST treatment four times a week for 3 weeks via video conferencing with Adobe Connect. The children's ability to imitate new pseudo-words, generalize the skills to untreated pseudo-words and real word items, and maintain the skills following treatment were assessed. Both visual and statistical analyses were utilized. All five children significantly improved with their production of the imitated treated pseudo-word items and significantly generalized to similar untreated pseudo-words and real words. Additionally, two of the children showed significant generalization to imitated phrases with the treatment items. Four of the children maintained their treatment gains up to 4 months post-treatment. Telehealth delivery produced similar acquisition of pseudo-words and generalization to untreated behaviours as face-to-face delivery however, in the 4 months following treatment, the children showed stable rather than improving speech skills. The intra- and inter-judge reliability was similar in telehealth delivery for face-to-face delivery. Caregivers and clinicians were satisfied with the telehealth treatment. This phase 1 study provides promising indications of the efficacy of ReST treatment when delivered four times per week via telehealth, and warrants further large-scale investigation.
Combined clinician-parent delivery of rapid syllable transition (ReST) treatment for childhood apraxia of speech
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 26-04-2017
DOI: 10.1080/17549507.2017.1316423
Abstract: Although speech-language pathologists use parent-delivered home-practice, little is known about the quality of this practice and its relation to treatment efficacy. This study reports both treatment outcomes and fidelity following combined clinician-parent delivery of Rapid Syllable Transition (ReST) treatment. Five children aged 5:1-11:7 with childhood apraxia of speech received 12 treatment sessions six clinic-based and six at home, using multiple baselines across participants design. We investigated the children's acquisition of treated pseudo words, generalisation to untreated pseudo and real words, and maintenance of gains. We also assessed parent and clinician treatment fidelity and reliability of perceptual judgements. Two children improved on all treated behaviours two showed treatment effect on one of their two treated behaviours, and one child had no treatment effect. Only two children generalised to the majority of untreated items. Variable treatment fidelity was found across parents and aspects of treatment. Child outcome was likely influenced by multiple factors, including treatment fidelity, reliability of perceptual judgements and child factors. Combined clinician-parent delivery of ReST was less efficacious than previously reported clinician-only delivered ReST. Further investigation of the factors affecting outcome is recommended prior to clinical application of the combined model of service delivery.
The affective, behavioural, and cognitive reactions to a diagnosis of Primary Progressive Aphasia: A qualitative descriptive study
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 02-09-2022
DOI: 10.1177/14713012221124315
Abstract: Receiving a diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorder is life changing. Primary progressive aphasia is one such disease. Understanding how receiving this diagnosis impacts on in iduals may help plan support services. However, limited qualitative research from the perspectives of people with Primary Progressive Aphasia are available for suitable care planning. Current literature primarily focuses on experiences of family members. The present study aims to fill this gap by examining the affective, behavioural, and cognitive experiences of people with Primary Progressive Aphasia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six participants with PPA. A qualitative descriptive approach was used to describe responses from participants on: (i) what they experienced prior to receiving their diagnosis (ii) their experience of receiving the diagnosis and (iii) how they were living with their PPA. Verbatim transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis to identify main themes. Analysis revealed a superordinate theme of Multifaceted Grief with subthemes described in sequence of research questions posed, representing the three phases of Pre-Diagnosis, Time of Diagnosis, and Post-Diagnosis. Themes collectively revealed participants’ ongoing experience of loss in dealing with the evolving challenges of Primary Progressive Aphasia. Experiences of loss emerged with descriptions of feelings, thoughts, and limitations in relation to changes imposed by the illness, impacting daily activities and life roles central to participants’ pre-diagnosis sense of self. Participants’ affective, behavioural and cognitive reactions to their Primary Progressive Aphasia diagnosis marks the onset of Multifaceted Grief borne of loss of communication and cognition. Participants expressed a need for information regarding a possible Primary Progressive Aphasia trajectory and support to enable a successful transition as their disease progressed. Collaborative engagement between speech pathologists and people with Primary Progressive Aphasia incorporates addressing all levels of the International Classification of Functioning and Health by considering neurological, psychological, and psychosocial experiences of the person with the diagnosis.
Developmental Trajectory for Production of Prosody: Lexical Stress Contrastivity in Children Ages 3 to 7 Years and in Adults
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 12-2012
DOI: 10.1044/1092-4388(2012/11-0257)
Abstract: Accurate production of lexical stress within English polysyllabic words is critical for intelligibility and is affected in many speech-language disorders. However, models of speech production remain underspecified with regard to lexical stress. In this study, the authors report a large-scale acoustic investigation of lexical stress production in typically developing Australian English–speaking children ages 3–7 years ( n = 73) compared with young adults ( n = 24). Participants named pictures of highly familiar strong–weak and weak–strong polysyllabic words. Of 388 productions, 325 met criteria for acoustic measurement. Relative vowel duration, peak intensity, and peak f 0 over the first two syllables were measured. Lexical stress was marked consistently by duration and intensity but not f 0 . Lexical stress on strong–weak words was adultlike by 3 years. All 3 measures showed significant differences between adults and children for weak–strong words still present at 7 years. Our findings suggest that protracted development of weak–strong stress production reflects physiological constraints on producing short articulatory durations and rising intensity contours. Findings validate treatment that is centered on strong–weak stress production for children ≥ 3 years with dysprosody. Although intervention for the production of weak–strong words may be initiated before age 7 years, reference to normative acoustic data is preferable to relying on perceptual judgments of accuracy.
Managing communication changes in persons with multiple sclerosis: Findings from qualitative focus groups
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-03-2022
Abstract: There is growing recognition that communication can be affected in multiple sclerosis (MS) and can negatively impact relationships, employment and psychological well‐being. Some persons with MS (PwMS) implement strategies to facilitate their communication however, some do not. Most PwMS who report communication changes do not engage with speech–language pathology (SLP) services. This raises concerns that a large portion of communication changes associated with MS go under‐recognized and unmanaged. Little is known about what PwMS want and need to facilitate effective communication. To explore what PwMS want and need to better manage their communication changes. Three focus groups were conducted online using Zoom, with a total of 12 PwMS. Participants were an opportunistic s le of PwMS within Australia recruited via advertisements distributed to various MS organizations and clinics. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic content analysis to provide a qualitative analysis of the data. Two main themes emerged: (1) accessible knowledge and a holistic approach and (2) partnerships. Specifically, the identified wants and needs of participants included: (1) assessment (2) information (3) raising awareness (4) support groups (5) a whole‐person approach to intervention (6) geographically and economically accessible and navigable services (7) effective patient–physician interactions and (8) a multidisciplinary team‐based approach (e.g., SLP, psychology, neuropsychology, occupational therapy). This study identified a wide range of unmet wants and needs of PwMS related to communication changes. Participants wanted improved collaborative partnerships with healthcare professionals to better manage their communication changes. For ex le, healthcare professionals could ask PwMS about potential communication changes, provide education and make appropriate referrals. Education and information provision could focus on communication changes in MS, factors that trigger or exacerbate communication changes, impacts, self‐management strategies, and available supports and services. Specific implications for clinical practice and future research are suggested in this paper, including ideas for patient education materials and content, suggestions for communication‐specific screening and information that could be shared in patient–physician interactions, the development of guidelines to systematically screen, assess, manage and monitor communication changes in MS, and the design of evidence‐based communication interventions for this clinical population. The results from this study can be used to guide the design of supports and services to help PwMS better manage communication changes, with the aim to reduce the negative impacts. PwMS can experience communication changes across a range of domains, including speech, voice, fluency, expressive and receptive language, and cognitive–linguistic functions. These changes can have profound and far‐reaching negative impacts on educational and vocational outcomes, social participation, relationships, psychological well‐being, and quality of life. Most PwMS who report communication changes do not engage with SLP services. There has been little research exploring what PwMS want and need to help manage their communication changes. This research is the first study of its kind that sets out specifically to explore what PwMS want and need to better manage their communication changes. This study increases our understanding of, and provides valuable insights into, the specific types of supports and services PwMS desire to access, and the partnerships and kinds of interactions PwMS dream of having with healthcare professionals to manage these changes. This information can facilitate the development of future interventions to manage communication changes in MS. PwMS wanted healthcare professionals to ask about potential communication changes, provide education and make appropriate referrals. When providing education and information on communication changes in MS, healthcare professionals should focus on covering symptoms, triggers, impacts, self‐management strategies, and available supports and services. There is a timely need to develop guidelines and interventions to manage communication changes in MS to reduce their negative impacts.
Communication and cognition profiles in parents of children with nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 14-03-2011
DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2010.550601
Abstract: The main aim of the study was to ascertain whether parents of children with nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate (P-CLP) perform differently than parents of children without CLP (P-control) on a nonword repetition (NWR) test. Given that children with CLP frequently demonstrate communication and cognitive difficulties, a link between NWR performance and group would lend support to a familial risk factor in nonsyndromic CLP. The NWR test, a well-documented assessment to identify language and cognitive impairment, was used, together with a parent questionnaire to gather demographic data and family history information on medical, communication, and/or cognitive difficulties for 260 parents. Group differences on NWR performance and family history of communication and cognition difficulties were not demonstrated. Also, no significant difference on NWR score was seen in the P-CLP group based on child's CLP type. Correlation analysis showed that having more years of schooling, English as the dominant language, living in private housing, and being in skilled occupations were positively correlated to NWR score. Controlling for these known background variables did not alter NWR performance between P-CLP and P-control, however, only years of schooling significantly and consistently predicted NWR performance. Having significantly fewer years of schooling in the P-CLP group could be suggestive of an increased risk of communication and cognitive difficulties these parents face, and the potential difficulties their children with CLP may encounter. These results may inform early and rigorous intervention strategies for children with CLP.
Common and divergent neural correlates of anomia in amnestic and logopenic presentations of Alzheimer's disease
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.CORTEX.2016.10.019
Abstract: The majority of logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia (lv-PPA) cases harbour Alzheimer pathology, suggesting that lv-PPA constitutes an atypical presentation of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, even if caused by Alzheimer pathology, the clinical manifestations of lv-PPA differ from those observed in the typical or amnestic AD presentation: in lv-PPA, aphasia is the main feature while amnestic AD is characterised by impaired episodic memory. Anomia or impaired naming, however, is present in both AD presentations. Whether these presentations share anatomical and mechanistic processes of anomia has not been fully investigated. Accordingly, we studied naming performance and its relationship with regions of brain atrophy in 23 amnestic AD and 22 lv-PPA cases with presumed underlying Alzheimer pathology. Both AD groups displayed some degree of anomia and impaired word comprehension but these were particularly severe in lv-PPA and accompanied by a range of linguistic deficits, comprising phonological substitutions, superordinate semantic paraphasias and abnormal single-word repetition. Analysis of cortical thickness revealed that anomia was correlated with thinning in left superior temporal gyrus in both groups. In amnestic AD, however, anomia was also associated with thinning in right inferior temporal regions. Single-word comprehension (SWC), by contrast, was associated with cortical thinning involving bilateral fusiform gyri in both groups. These findings suggest that anomia in both amnestic AD and lv-PPA results from the involvement at multiple steps of word processing, in particular, semantic and lexical retrieval in addition lv-PPA patients display a more marked involvement of phonological processing.
Common variants in breast cancer risk loci predispose to distinct tumor subtypes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-01-2022
DOI: 10.1186/S13058-021-01484-X
Abstract: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified multiple common breast cancer susceptibility variants. Many of these variants have differential associations by estrogen receptor (ER) status, but how these variants relate with other tumor features and intrinsic molecular subtypes is unclear. Among 106,571 invasive breast cancer cases and 95,762 controls of European ancestry with data on 173 breast cancer variants identified in previous GWAS, we used novel two-stage polytomous logistic regression models to evaluate variants in relation to multiple tumor features (ER, progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and grade) adjusting for each other, and to intrinsic-like subtypes. Eighty-five of 173 variants were associated with at least one tumor feature (false discovery rate 5%), most commonly ER and grade, followed by PR and HER2. Models for intrinsic-like subtypes found nearly all of these variants (83 of 85) associated at p 0.05 with risk for at least one luminal-like subtype, and approximately half (41 of 85) of the variants were associated with risk of at least one non-luminal subtype, including 32 variants associated with triple-negative (TN) disease. Ten variants were associated with risk of all subtypes in different magnitude. Five variants were associated with risk of luminal A-like and TN subtypes in opposite directions. This report demonstrates a high level of complexity in the etiology heterogeneity of breast cancer susceptibility variants and can inform investigations of subtype-specific risk prediction.
Logopenic and Nonfluent Variants of Primary Progressive Aphasia Are Differentiated by Acoustic Measures of Speech Production
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 28-02-2014
A Treatment for Dysprosody in Childhood Apraxia of Speech
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 10-2010
DOI: 10.1044/1092-4388(2010/09-0130)
Abstract: Dysprosody is considered a core feature of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), especially impaired production of lexical stress. Few studies have tested the effects of intervention for dysprosody. This Phase II study with 3 children investigated the efficacy of a treatment targeting improved control of relative syllable durations in 3-syllable nonwords representing strong-weak (SW) and weak-strong (WS) stress patterns (e.g., BAtigu or baTIgu). Treatment sessions were structured along the principles of motor learning (PML) approach. Three children, age 7 to 10 years, with mild to moderate CAS and normal language development participated in an intensive 3-week treatment. Within-participant designs with multiple baselines across participants and behaviors were used to examine acquisition, generalization, and maintenance of skill. All children improved in their ability to control relative duration of syllables in SW and WS nonwords. Improvement was also noted in control of loudness and pitch contrasts. Treatment effects generalized to untreated nonword stimuli, but minimal change was seen in production of real words. Findings support the efficacy of this approach for improving production of lexical stress contrasts. Structuring the intervention according to the PML approach likely stimulated strong maintenance and generalization effects.
Clinically available assessment measures for lingual and labial somatosensation in healthy adults: Normative data and test reliability
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 15-08-2017
DOI: 10.1044/2017_AJSLP-16-0151
Abstract: High-quality orofacial somatosensory inputs are essential for achieving rapid and accurate motor outputs. Little somatosensory testing is currently being completed in clinical settings. The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility and test–retest reliability of clinical assessment tools for orofacial somatosensory testing in healthy young adults. A total of 45 healthy young adults (ages 20–41 years) was recruited. Participants reported basic health information, completed pure-tone hearing thresholds, and were assessed using two-point discrimination discs and Von Frey hair detection and discrimination thresholds for bilateral lip and tongue. A subs le of participants ( n = 18 40%) returned to complete reliability testing. Descriptive results are presented for the normative group as well as the reliability group. Difference scores between Tests 1 and 2 for each testing measure and location show high agreement. Two-point discrimination and Von Frey hair monofilament assessment for both detection- and discrimination-threshold estimates have high test–retest reliability in a healthy young population. These testing measures could be a way to easily complete objective somatosensory testing of the orofacial region in a clinical context.
Response generalization in apraxia of speech treatments: Taking another look
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2001
DOI: 10.1016/S0021-9924(00)00038-1
Abstract: The purpose of the present paper is to present a critical review and reanalysis of response generalization effects in studies of treatment efficacy in apraxia of speech (AOS). Response generalization takes two forms: generalization of treatment effects to untrained exemplars of trained behaviors and generalization to untrained (i.e., novel) behaviors. In the past, response generalization has not been extensive and typically has been restricted to untrained exemplars of trained behaviors. Reasons for these findings are discussed with reference to recent advances in our understanding of the nature of AOS and to theories of speech motor control and teaming. The discussion focuses on the influence of the theoretical basis used to develop hypotheses and select behaviors to test predictions, the complexity of the treatment task/s, and patient characteristics. Suggestions for future directions in treatment efficacy research are offered. Learner outcomes: (1) An understanding of the nature of AOS, based on recent experimental analyses. (2) An understanding of the efficacy of current treatments for AOS in the area of response generalization. (3) An understanding of how theories of speech motor control might be applied to develop hypotheses for testing and increase effectiveness in treatment studies. (4) An understanding of how theories of speech motor control might guide selection of behaviors to test treatment effects and response generalization.
Connecting science and practice: Focus and directions for the next 10 years
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-11-2017
Treatment Effects for Dysphagia in Adults with Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-08-2016
DOI: 10.1007/S00455-016-9738-2
Abstract: Dysphagia or swallowing difficulties have been reported to be a concern in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). This problem can result in several complications including aspiration pneumonia, reduced quality of life and an increase in mortality rate. No previous systematic reviews on treatment effects for dysphagia in MS have been published. The main objective of this study is to summarise and qualitatively analyse published studies on treatment effects for dysphagia in MS. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were applied to conduct a systematic search of seven databases, using relevant key words, and subsequent analysis of the identified studies. The studies were required to meet all three inclusion criteria of including a statement on intention to treat, or measure the effects of treatment for dysphagia in adults with MS and data on treatment outcomes for at least one adult diagnosed with MS. Retained studies were evaluated by two independent reviewers using a critical appraisal tool. This study has not been registered. A total of 563 studies were identified from the database searches. After screening and assessment of full articles for eligibility, five studies were included in the review. Three examined electrical stimulation and two examined the use of botulinum toxin. One study testing electrical stimulation was a randomised controlled trial, two were well-designed case series and two were case series lacking experimental control. All studies reported some positive effects on dysphagia however, treatments that involved the use of electrical stimulation showed larger effect sizes. There is a paucity of evidence to guide treatment of dysphagia in MS, with only electrical stimulation and botulinum toxin treatment represented in the literature search conducted here. While both treatments show initial promise for reducing the swallowing impairment, they require further research using well-controlled experimental designs to determine their clinical applicability and long-term treatment effects for dysphagia across different types and severity of MS.
A randomized controlled trial for children with childhood apraxia of speech comparing rapid syllable transition treatment and the nuffield dyspraxia programme–third edition
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 06-2015
DOI: 10.1044/2015_JSLHR-S-13-0179
Abstract: This randomized controlled trial compared the experimental Rapid Syllable Transition (ReST) treatment to the Nuffield Dyspraxia Programme–Third Edition (NDP3 Williams & Stephens, 2004), used widely in clinical practice in Australia and the United Kingdom. Both programs aim to improve speech motor planning rogramming for children with apraxia of speech (CAS), but they differ in types of stimuli used, level of stimulus complexity at initiation of treatment, and the principles of motor learning that they apply. Treatment was delivered to 26 children with mild to severe CAS aged 4–12 years through trained and supervised speech-language pathology students in 1-hr sessions, 4 days a week for 3 weeks at a university clinic. Articulation and prosodic accuracy were assessed at pretreatment, 1 week, 1 month, and 4 months posttreatment using blinded independent assessors to compare treatment, maintenance, and generalization effects. The ReST and NDP3 treatments demonstrated large treatment effects. ReST maintained treatment gains from 1-week to 4-months posttreatment more effectively than the NDP3. Significant generalization to untreated stimuli was observed for both ReST and NDP3. ReST and NDP3 have strong evidence of treatment and generalization gains in children with CAS when delivered intensively. Overall, ReST has greater external evidence from multiple sources but both treatments have support for clinical use. 0.23641/asha.6170300
Do age and language impairment affect speed of recognition for words with high and low closeness centrality within the phonological network?
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 23-11-2022
Developmental motor speech disorders
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Date: 24-10-2013
Is the logopenic-variant of primary progressive aphasia a unitary disorder?
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.CORTEX.2015.03.011
Abstract: Logopenic progressive aphasia is one of the clinical presentations of primary progressive aphasia and formally defined by the co-occurrence of impaired naming and sentence repetition. Impaired naming is attributed to failure of lexical retrieval, which is a multi-staged process subserved by anatomically segregated brain regions. By dissecting the neurocognitive processes involved in impaired naming, we aimed to disentangle the clinical and neuroanatomical heterogeneity of this syndrome. Twenty-one in iduals (66.7% females, age range 53-83 years) who fulfilled diagnostic criteria for logopenic variant and had at least two clinical and language assessments, 1 year apart, were recruited and matched for age, sex distribution and level of education with a healthy control s le (n = 18). All participants underwent a structural brain scan at the first visit and surface-wise statistical analysis using Freesurfer. Seventeen participants with logopenic variant underwent amyloid imaging, with 14 demonstrating high amyloid retention. Based on their performance on single-word comprehension, repetition and confrontation naming, three subgroups of logopenic cases with distinctive linguistic profiles and distribution of atrophy were identified. The first subgroup (n = 10) demonstrated pure anomia and left-sided atrophy in the posterior inferior parietal lobule and lateral temporal cortex. The second subgroup (n = 6), presented additional mild deficits in single-word comprehension, and also exhibited bilateral thinning of the fusiform gyri. The third subgroup (n = 5) showed additional impaired single-word repetition, and cortical thinning focused on the left superior temporal gyrus. The subgroups differed in the proportion of cases with high amyloid retention and in the rate of decline of naming performance over time, suggesting that neurodegeneration spreads differentially throughout regions subserving word processing. In line with previous reports, these results confirm the extensive damage to the language network and, in part, explain the clinical heterogeneity observed across logopenic cases.
Supporting children with speech sound disorders during COVID-19 restrictions
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 17-12-2020
DOI: 10.1044/2020_PERSP-20-00128
Abstract: “Children are the hidden victims of the COVID-19 pandemic” (United Nations Children's Fund, 2020). Timely and effective speech intervention is important to reduce the impact on children's school achievement, ability to make friends, mental health, future life opportunities, and government resources. Prior to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, many Australian children did not receive sufficient speech-language pathology (SLP) services due to long waiting lists in the public health system. COVID-19 restrictions exacerbated this issue, as even children who were at the top of lengthy SLP waiting lists often received limited services, particularly in rural areas. To facilitate children receiving speech intervention remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, evidence from randomized controlled trials regarding three technological solutions are examined: (a) Phoneme Factory Sound Sorter (Sound Start Study), (b) Waiting for Speech Pathology website, and (c) Apraxia World. For the first two technological solutions, there were similar gains in speech production between the intervention and control groups, whereas, for the third solution, the average magnitude of treatment effect was comparable to face-to-face SLP therapy. Automated therapy management systems may be able to accelerate speech development and support communication resilience to counteract the effects of the COVID-19 restrictions on children with speech sound disorders. Technology-based strategies may also provide a potential solution to the chronic shortage of SLP services in rural areas into the future.
Differential Diagnosis of Childhood Apraxia of Speech Compared to Other Speech Sound Disorders: A Systematic Review
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 27-01-2021
DOI: 10.1044/2020_AJSLP-20-00063
Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the discriminative features that might contribute to differentiation of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) from other speech sound disorders (SSDs). A comprehensive literature search was conducted for articles or doctoral dissertations that included ≥ 1 child with CAS and ≥ 1 child with SSD. Of 2,071 publications screened, 53 met the criteria. Articles were assessed for (a) study design and risk of bias (b) participant characteristics and confidence in diagnosis and (c) discriminative perceptual, acoustic, or kinematic measures. A criterion was used to identify promising studies: American Academy of Neurology study design (Class III+), replicable participant descriptions and adequate confidence in diagnosis (≥ 3), and ≥ 1 discriminative and reliable measure. Over 75% of studies were retrospective, case–control designs and/or assessed English-speaking children. Many studies did not fully describe study design and quality. No studies met the Class I (highest) quality rating according to American Academy of Neurology guidelines. CAS was mostly compared to speech delay honological disorder. Only six studies had diagnostic confidence ratings of 1 (best). Twenty-six studies reported discriminative perceptual measures, 14 reported discriminative acoustic markers, and four reported discriminative kinematic markers. Measures were erse, and only two studies directly replicated previous findings. Overall, seven studies met the quality criteria, and another eight nearly met the study criteria to warrant further investigation. There are no studies of the highest diagnostic quality. There are 15 studies that can contribute to further diagnostic efforts discriminating CAS from other SSDs. Future research should utilize careful diagnostic design, support replication, and adhere to standard reporting guidelines. 0.23641/asha.13158149
Speech Intervention for Children With Cleft Palate Using Principles of Motor Learning
Publisher: American Speech Language Hearing Association
Date: 11-01-2023
DOI: 10.1044/2022_AJSLP-22-00007
Abstract: This is a pilot study to apply an articulatory kinematic speech intervention that uses the principles of motor learning (PML) to improve speech and resonance outcomes for children with cleft palate. It is hypothesized that (a) treatment that applies select PML during practice will improve production of treated phonemes, representing both active and inconsistent passive errors, at word level in children with cleft palate (b) effects of practice on phonemes with active or inconsistent passive errors will generalize to untreated exemplars of treated phonemes and (c) learning will be retained for at least 1-month posttreatment. A multiple-baseline design across participants combined with a crossover single-case experimental model was used. Participants attended two 8-week blocks of twice-weekly face-to-face speech therapy (40–50 min/treatment) to treat active and inconsistent passive cleft speech errors using articulatory kinematic speech intervention that applied PML. The participants were four children with cleft-type speech errors. The primary dependent variable measured was percentage of words correct across treatment items, generalization items, and control items. Perceptual accuracy of target words was scored. Effect sizes were calculated to quantify the magnitude of treatment effect. For three children with active and inconsistent passive cleft speech errors and one child with active cleft speech errors and developmental phonological speech errors, this approach resulted in improvements to their treated items and generalization to their untreated items. Inconsistent passive cleft speech errors were particularly responsive to the treatment in the three children who presented with these errors. This Phase I study has shown that articulatory kinematic speech intervention that applies the PML is effective in improving the speech outcomes for children with cleft palate and that there is validity in pursuing further research into this approach. 0.23641/asha.21644831
Related Organisations
Centre Of Excellence In Cognition And Its Disorders
Location: Australia
ARC Centre Of Excellence In Cognition And Its Disorders
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