Generalization of content and emotional prosody across speakers varying in gender in youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

AIMS: We employed a discrimination-choice procedure, embedded in a custom-made videogame, to evaluate whether youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), including nonverbal individuals, distinguish sentences on the basis of emotional tone-of-voice and generalize linguistic information across speaker gender. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Thirteen youth with ASD (7-21 years) and 13 age-matched typical controls heard pairs of pre-recorded sentences varying in lexical content and prosody (e.g., enthusiastic "Dave rode a bike'' vs. grouchy "Mark held a key''). After training to select a target sentence, participants heard test probes comprising re-combinations of the content and prosodic features of the sentences. Interspersed generalization trials used a voice opposite in gender to the voice used in training. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Youth with ASD were less accurate than controls in discriminating sentences based on emotional tone-of-voice. Nonverbal and verbal youth did not differ in this regard. The ASD group showed only slight decrements in generalizing to the opposite-gender voice. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The finding of intact generalization of linguistic information across male/female speakers contrasts with the widely held view that autism is characterized by deficits in generalization. This suggests the need to test generalization under varying task demands to identify limits on performance.

A study on the semantic association of Brazilian Portuguese words. / Um estudo sobre associação semântica de palavras do português brasileiro.

PURPOSE: To collect the semantic association norms of 96 Brazilian Portuguese words for further application in the formulation of a speech recognition test using sentences with controlled word predictability. METHODS: Study participants were 67 volunteers aged 18 to 27 years. A semantic association task with word class delimitation was used. RESULTS: The mean sizes of the total and meaning sets were larger in the second recall to both verb and noun classes. The prevalent semantic association strength in the first recall was strong to the first word and moderate to the second word. In the second recall, the prevalent semantic association strength was moderate to both the first and second words. Significant negative correlation was observed between association strength and total and meaning set sizes. CONCLUSION: The semantic association norms of 96 Brazilian Portuguese words were collected as proposed and resulted in semantic associates for each target word in the verb and noun classes that were used in a speech recognition assessment considering sentences with controlled word predictability.

Um estudo sobre associação semântica de palavras do português brasileiro / A study on the semantic association of Brazilian Portuguese words

RESUMO Objetivo coletar normas de associação semântica de 96 palavras do português brasileiro e aplicá-las, posteriormente, na elaboração de um teste de reconhecimento de fala com frases com controle da previsibilidade da palavra. Método participaram 67 voluntários com idades entre 18 e 27 anos. Foi aplicada uma tarefa de associação semântica com delimitação de classe de palavras. Resultados o tamanho médio do conjunto total e do significativo foi maior para a segunda evocação para as classes de verbos e substantivos. A força de associação semântica que prevaleceu na primeira recordação foi forte para a primeira e média para a segunda palavra. Na segunda recordação, a força de associação com maior prevalência foi média para a primeira e para a segunda palavra. Foi observada correlação negativa significativa entre a força de associação e os tamanhos total e significativo do conjunto. Conclusão Normas de associação semântica de 96 palavras do português brasileiro foram coletadas conforme proposto e resultaram em palavras associadas semanticamente para cada alvo nas categorias de verbo e substantivo, as quais foram utilizadas em um teste de reconhecimento de fala com frases considerando a previsibilidade da palavra.

ABSTRACT Purpose To collect the semantic association norms of 96 Brazilian Portuguese words for further application in the formulation of a speech recognition test using sentences with controlled word predictability. Methods Study participants were 67 volunteers aged 18 to 27 years. A semantic association task with word class delimitation was used. Results The mean sizes of the total and meaning sets were larger in the second recall to both verb and noun classes. The prevalent semantic association strength in the first recall was strong to the first word and moderate to the second word. In the second recall, the prevalent semantic association strength was moderate to both the first and second words. Significant negative correlation was observed between association strength and total and meaning set sizes. Conclusion The semantic association norms of 96 Brazilian Portuguese words were collected as proposed and resulted in semantic associates for each target word in the verb and noun classes that were used in a speech recognition assessment considering sentences with controlled word predictability.

Proposal for implementing the Sentence Recognition Index in individuals with hearing disorders.

PURPOSE: To present and describe a new strategy and protocol for obtaining the Sentences Recognition Indexes (SRI), using the Lists of Phrases in Portuguese test (LPP), considering words in the analysis of responses; to analyze and compare the results using the previous and the new strategies by checking their applicability and suitability. METHODS: To consider each word of the sentence, words were classified according to their importance: functional and content words, assigning them, respectively, two and one points. SRI were obtained in 33 normal hearing adults, and results were compared using the two strategies. RESULTS: A new protocol was established. Each point corresponds to the following percentages in each list: 1B, 1.11%; 2B, 1.13%; 3B, 1.17%; 4B, 1.16%; 5B, 1.20%; and 6B, 1.11%. The median SRI obtained through usual and new strategies were, respectively, for the list 1B: 60 and 82.57%; 2B: 70 and 80.79%; 3B: 50 and 76.60%; 4B: 70 and 82.60%; 5B: 50 and 77.20%; and 6B: 60 and 82.14%. A significant difference was found when these strategies were compared. CONCLUSION: New strategy and protocol for evaluating the SRI were developed using the LPP test, considering each word of the sentence. When comparing the responses it was noticed that when considering each word in the sentence it is possible to scale, more detailed and less variability, the actual ability to recognize speech of each individual, the new strategy and protocol developed confirmed its applicability and suitability to assess Sentence Recognition Indexes in Quiet in individuals with hearing disorders in a specific listening condition.

Proposal for implementing the Sentence Recognition Index in individuals with hearing disorders / Proposta de aplicação do Índice Percentual de Reconhecimento de Sentenças em indivíduos com distúrbio de audição

Purpose: To present and describe a new strategy and protocol for obtaining the Sentences Recognition Indexes (SRI), using the Lists of Phrases in Portuguese test (LPP), considering words in the analysis of responses; to analyze and compare the results using the previous and the new strategies by checking their applicability and suitability. Methods: To consider each word of the sentence, words were classified according to their importance: functional and content words, assigning them, respectively, two and one points. SRI were obtained in 33 normal hearing adults, and results were compared using the two strategies. Results: A new protocol was established. Each point corresponds to the following percentages in each list: 1B, 1.11%; 2B, 1.13%; 3B, 1.17%; 4B, 1.16%; 5B, 1.20%; and 6B, 1.11%. The median SRI obtained through usual and new strategies were, respectively, for the list 1B: 60 and 82.57%; 2B: 70 and 80.79%; 3B: 50 and 76.60%; 4B: 70 and 82.60%; 5B: 50 and 77.20%; and 6B: 60 and 82.14%. A significant difference was found when these strategies were compared. Conclusion: New strategy and protocol for evaluating the SRI were developed using the LPP test, considering each word of the sentence. When comparing the responses it was noticed that when considering each word in the sentence it is possible to scale, more detailed and less variability, the actual ability to recognize speech of each individual, the new strategy and protocol developed confirmed its applicability and suitability to assess Sentence Recognition Indexes in Quiet in individuals with hearing disorders in a specific listening condition. .

Objetivos: Apresentar e descrever uma nova estratégia e protocolo para obtenção do Índice Percentual de Reconhecimento de Sentenças (IPRS), utilizando o teste Listas de Sentenças em Português, considerando palavras na análise das respostas; analisar e comparar os resultados usando a estratégia anterior e a nova, verificando sua aplicabilidade e adequação. Métodos: Para considerar cada palavra da sentença, estas foram classificadas de acordo com sua importância: palavras de conteúdo e funcionais, atribuindo-as, respectivamente, dois e um pontos. IPRS foram obtidos em 33 adultos normo-ouvintes e os resultados foram comparados utilizando as duas estratégias. Resultados: Foi construído novo protocolo. Cada ponto correspondeu à seguinte porcentagem, em cada lista: 1B, 1,11%; 2B, 1,13%; 3B, 1,17%; 4B, 1,16%; 5B, 1,20% e 6B, 1,11%. As medianas dos IPRS obtidas através das estratégias usual e nova foram, respectivamente, para a lista 1B: 60 e 82,57%; 2B: 70 e 80,79%; 3B: 50 e 76,60%; 4B: 70 e 82,60%, 5B: 50 e 77,20%, 6B: 60 e 82,14%. Ao comparar as estratégias, foi encontrada diferença significante. Conclusão: Nova estratégia e protocolo de avaliação do IPRS foram desenvolvidos, utilizando o teste Listas de Sentenças em Português, considerando cada palavra da frase. Ao comparar as respostas, foi evidenciado que ao considerar cada palavra da frase é possível dimensionar, de forma mais detalhada e com menos variabilidade, a real capacidade de reconhecer a fala de cada indivíduo. A nova estratégia e o protocolo desenvolvidos confirmaram sua aplicabilidade e adequação para avaliar o IPRS dos indivíduos com distúrbios de audição, em uma condição de escuta específica. .

Result on speech perception after conversion from Spectra® to Freedom®.

UNLABELLED: New technology in the Freedom® speech processor for cochlear implants was developed to improve how incoming acoustic sound is processed; this applies not only for new users, but also for previous generations of cochlear implants. AIM: To identify the contribution of this technology-- the Nucleus 22®--on speech perception tests in silence and in noise, and on audiometric thresholds. METHODS: A cross-sectional cohort study was undertaken. Seventeen patients were selected. The last map based on the Spectra® was revised and optimized before starting the tests. Troubleshooting was used to identify malfunction. To identify the contribution of the Freedom® technology for the Nucleus22®, auditory thresholds and speech perception tests were performed in free field in sound-proof booths. Recorded monosyllables and sentences in silence and in noise (SNR = 0dB) were presented at 60 dBSPL. The nonparametric Wilcoxon test for paired data was used to compare groups. RESULTS: Freedom® applied for the Nucleus22® showed a statistically significant difference in all speech perception tests and audiometric thresholds. CONCLUSION: The Freedom® technology improved the performance of speech perception and audiometric thresholds of patients with Nucleus 22®.

Resultados na percepção de fala após conversão do Spectra® para Freedom® / Result on speech perception after conversion from Spectra® to Freedom®

As novas tecnologias do processador Freedom® foram criadas para proporcionar melhorias no processamento do som acústico de entrada, não apenas para novos usuários, como para gerações anteriores de implante coclear. OBJETIVO: Identificar a contribuição da tecnologia do processador de fala Freedom® para implante coclear multicanal, Nucleus22®, no desempenho de percepção de fala no silêncio e no ruído, e nos limiares audiométricos. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: A forma de estudo foi de coorte histórico com corte transversal. Dezessete pacientes preencheram os critérios de inclusão. Antes de iniciar os testes, o último mapa em uso com o Spectra® foi revisto e otimizado e o funcionamento do processador foi verificado. Os testes de fala foram apresentados a 60dBNPS em material gravado: monossílabos; frases em apresentação aberta no silêncio; e no ruído (SNR = 0dB). Foram realizadas audiometrias em campo livre com ambos os processadores de fala. A análise estatística utilizou testes não-paramétricos. RESULTADOS: Quando analisada a contribuição do Freedom® para pacientes com Nucleus22®, observa-se diferença estatisticamente significativa em todos os testes de percepção de fala e em todos os limiares audiométricos. CONCLUSÃO: A tecnologia contribuiu no desempenho de percepção de fala e nos limiares audiométricos dos pacientes usuários de Nucleus22®.

New technology in the Freedom® speech processor for cochlear implants was developed to improve how incoming acoustic sound is processed; this applies not only for new users, but also for previous generations of cochlear implants. AIM: To identify the contribution of this technology - the Nucleus 22® - on speech perception tests in silence and in noise, and on audiometric thresholds. METHODS: A cross-sectional cohort study was undertaken. Seventeen patients were selected. The last map based on the Spectra® was revised and optimized before starting the tests. Troubleshooting was used to identify malfunction. To identify the contribution of the Freedom® technology for the Nucleus22®, auditory thresholds and speech perception tests were performed in free field in sound-proof booths. Recorded monosyllables and sentences in silence and in noise (SNR = 0dB) were presented at 60 dBSPL. The nonparametric Wilcoxon test for paired data was used to compare groups. RESULTS: Freedom® applied for the Nucleus22® showed a statistically significant difference in all speech perception tests and audiometric thresholds. CONCLUSION: The reedom® technology improved the performance of speech perception and audiometric thresholds of patients with Nucleus 22®.

Psychometrically equivalent Mandarin bisyllabic speech discrimination materials spoken by male and female talkers.

The purpose of this study was to develop, digitally record, evaluate, and psychometrically equate a set of Mandarin bisyllabic word lists for use in measurement of speech discrimination. Familiar bisyllabic words were digitally recorded by male and female talkers of Standard Mandarin. Percentage of correct word recognition was measured for each word at ten intensity levels ( -5 to 40 dB HL) in 5 dB increments using 20 normally hearing subjects. Using logistic regression, 200 words with the steepest logistic regression slopes were included in four psychometrically equivalent word lists of 50 words each, and eight half-lists of 25 words each. To increase auditory homogeneity of the lists, the intensity of words in each list was digitally adjusted so that the threshold of each list was equal to the midpoint between the mean thresholds of the male and female half-lists. Digital recordings of the psychometrically equivalent word recognition lists are available on compact disc.

A study of the abilities in oral language comprehension of the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination -- Portuguese version: a reference guide for the Brazilian population.

We analyzed the performance of 162 normal subjects, subdivided into groups according to age and schooling, in the oral comprehension tasks of the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination translated and adapted to Brazilian Portuguese to obtain a profile of performance for the Brazilian population, as well as cut-off scores for each task, and to determine the best combination of tasks that distinguish normal from aphasic subjects, as a guide for clinicians. The normal subjects were compared to 69 aphasics. Age alone influenced the performance in the designation of actions (subjects above 70 years showing the worst performance); schooling alone influenced the comprehension of forms, colors and numbers (subjects with less than four years of education showing a poorer performance). Both age and schooling influenced the performance in Body Part Identification (BPI) and Complex Ideational Material (CIM) with mean values of 70.5 +/- 3.3 (Word Discrimination, WD), 18.9 +/- 1.4 (BPI), 14.7 +/- 0.9 (Commands), and 10.3 +/- 1.7 (CIM) for the whole sample; the cut-off scores obtained were 65 (WD), 17.5 (BPI), 14 (Commands), and 9.5 (CIM) for the whole sample. Logistic regression showed that the combination of BPI + Commands + CIM was the most efficient in differentiating normal subjects from aphasics, with 72.5% sensitivity and 97.6% specificity. However, for low-education subjects, BPI and Commands were sufficient for this differentiation (75.7% sensitivity and 84.7% specificity). The main contribution of this study was to provide reference values that are far more representative of our population to be used by health professionals in Brazil, taking into account cultural differences.

A study of the abilities in oral language comprehension of the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination - Portuguese version: a reference guide for the Brazilian population

We analyzed the performance of 162 normal subjects, subdivided into groups according to age and schooling, in the oral comprehension tasks of the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination translated and adapted to Brazilian Portuguese to obtain a profile of performance for the Brazilian population, as well as cut-off scores for each task, and to determine the best combination of tasks that distinguish normal from aphasic subjects, as a guide for clinicians. The normal subjects were compared to 69 aphasics. Age alone influenced the performance in the designation of actions (subjects above 70 years showing the worst performance); schooling alone influenced the comprehension of forms, colors and numbers (subjects with less than four years of education showing a poorer performance). Both age and schooling influenced the performance in Body Part Identification (BPI) and Complex Ideational Material (CIM) with mean values of 70.5 ± 3.3 (Word Discrimination, WD), 18.9 ± 1.4 (BPI), 14.7 ± 0.9 (Commands), and 10.3 ± 1.7 (CIM) for the whole sample; the cut-off scores obtained were 65 (WD), 17.5 (BPI), 14 (Commands), and 9.5 (CIM) for the whole sample. Logistic regression showed that the combination of BPI + Commands + CIM was the most efficient in differentiating normal subjects from aphasics, with 72.5 percent sensitivity and 97.6 percent specificity. However, for low-education subjects, BPI and Commands were sufficient for this differentiation (75.7 percent sensitivity and 84.7 percent specificity). The main contribution of this study was to provide reference values that are far more representative of our population to be used by health professionals in Brazil, taking into account cultural differences.

Speech perception skills of deaf infants following cochlear implantation: a first report.

OBJECTIVE: We adapted a behavioral procedure that has been used extensively with normal-hearing (NH) infants, the visual habituation (VH) procedure, to assess deaf infants' discrimination and attention to speech. METHODS: Twenty-four NH 6-month-olds, 24 NH 9-month-olds, and 16 deaf infants at various ages before and following cochlear implantation (CI) were tested in a sound booth on their caregiver's lap in front of a TV monitor. During the habituation phase, each infant was presented with a repeating speech sound (e.g. 'hop hop hop') paired with a visual display of a checkerboard pattern on half of the trials ('sound trials') and only the visual display on the other half ('silent trials'). When the infant's looking time decreased and reached a habituation criterion, a test phase began. This consisted of two trials: an 'old trial' that was identical to the 'sound trials' and a 'novel trial' that consisted of a different repeating speech sound (e.g. 'ahhh') paired with the same checkerboard pattern. RESULTS: During the habituation phase, NH infants looked significantly longer during the sound trials than during the silent trials. However, deaf infants who had received cochlear implants (CIs) displayed a much weaker preference for the sound trials. On the other hand, both NH infants and deaf infants with CIs attended significantly longer to the visual display during the novel trial than during the old trial, suggesting that they were able to discriminate the speech patterns. Before receiving CIs, deaf infants did not show any preferences. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the findings suggest that deaf infants who receive CIs are able to detect and discriminate some speech patterns. However, their overall attention to speech sounds may be less than NH infants'. Attention to speech may impact other aspects of speech perception and spoken language development, such as segmenting words from fluent speech and learning novel words. Implications of the effects of early auditory deprivation and age at CI on speech perception and language development are discussed.

Audibility-index functions for the connected speech test.

OBJECTIVE: A study was performed to derive a frequency importance function (FIF), a performance-intensity funcTIon (PIF), and a transfer function (TF) for the audio compact disc version of the Connected Speech Test (CST). DESIGN: CST passages were masked with talker-spectrum-matched (TSM) noise and presented to two groups of normal-hearing adult subjects. One group (N = 48) listened through a wideband filter, seven low-pass filters, and eight high-pass filters at six signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios. The other group (N = 12) listened through just the wideband filter at 12 S/N ratios. The FIF was based on the data for the first group while the PIF was based on the data for the second group. The results of both groups were used to determine the TF between CST scores and audibility-index (AI) values. RESULTS: The FIF, in 1/3-octave bands, is a bimodal curve with a minor peak at 500 Hz, a major peak at 1600 to 2000 Hz, and a midpoint of 1619 Hz. The PIF in TSM noise and the TF are both asymmetric S-shaped curves; their respective slopes are 12%/dB and 11%/0.0333 AI. CONCLUSIONS: Comparisons between these results and the findings of other studies reconfirm that different speech materials have different AI functions. The FIF for the CST overlaps 1/3-octave band functions for continuous discourse and average speech but does not have the same shape as those functions. The TF indicates that CST passages are generally more intelligible than isolated monosyllabic words (NU6 lists) and somewhat less intelligible than continuous discourse. The former result is probably due at least partly to the effects of context whereas the latter result may be due primarily to how clearly the talkers pronounced the speech materials.

Evaluation of the Computer-assisted Speech Perception Assessment Test (CASPA).

Interlist equivalency and short-term practice effects were evaluated for the recorded stimuli of the Computer-Assisted Speech Perception Assessment (CASPA) Test. Twenty lists, each consisting of 10 consonant-vowel-consonant words, were administered to 20 adults with normal hearing. The lists were presented at 50 dB SPL (Leq) in the presence of spectrally matched steady-state noise (55 dB SPL Leq). Phoneme recognition scores for the first list presented were significantly lower than for the second through the twentieth list presented, indicating a small practice effect. Phoneme scores for 4 of the lists (3, 6, 7, and 16) were significantly higher than scores for the remaining 16 lists by approximately 10 percentage points. Eliminating the effects of interlist differences reduced the 95 percent confidence interval of a test score based on a single list from 18.4 to 16.1 percentage points. Although interlist differences have only a small effect on confidence limits, some clinicians may wish to eliminate them by excluding lists 3, 6, 7, and 16 from the test. The practice effect observed here can be eliminated by administering one 10-word practice list before beginning the test.

A concept for a research tool for experiments with cochlear implant users.

APEX, an acronym for computer Application for Psycho-Electrical eXperiments, is a user friendly tool used to conduct psychophysical experiments and to investigate new speech coding algorithms with cochlear implant users. Most common psychophysical experiments can be easily programmed and all stimuli can be easily created without any knowledge of computer programing. The pulsatile stimuli are composed off-line using custom-made MATLAB (Registered trademark of The Mathworks, Inc., http://www.mathworks.com) functions and are stored on hard disk or CD ROM. These functions convert either a speech signal into a pulse sequence or generate any sequence of pulses based on the parameters specified by the experimenter. The APEX personal computer (PC) software reads a text file which specifies the experiment and the stimuli, controls the experiment, delivers the stimuli to the subject through a digital signal processor (DSP) board, collects the responses via a computer mouse or a graphics tablet, and writes the results to the same file. At present, the APEX system is implemented for the LAURA (Registered trademark of Philips Hearing Implants) cochlear implant. However, the concept-and many parts of the system-is portable to any other device. Also, psycho-acoustical experiments can be conducted by presenting the stimuli acoustically through a sound card.

The HSM sentence test as a tool for evaluating the speech understanding in noise of cochlear implant users.

The German HSM Sentence Test, available on compact disc (CD), consists of 30 lists of 20 everyday sentences. It was developed in the desire to have a sufficient number of test sentences for the repeated evaluation of speech understanding of CI users. A noise with speech-shaped spectrum on the CD allows the evaluation of speech understanding in noise. With the HSM Sentence Test we evaluated the speech understanding of participants of the Combi-40 European Multicentric Study. Results are shown for sentences presented without noise and with signal-to-noise ratios of 15, 10, 5 and 0 dB.

Binaural function in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the basic binaural function of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). DESIGN: Case-control study. Measures of binaural function were compared for children with and without ADHD. SUBJECTS: Forty-two children; 26 had ADHD and 16 were normal controls. INTERVENTIONS: None. RESULTS: For detection tasks, no differences were seen between children with ADHD and controls. For speech recognition tasks, the younger children with ADHD did not perform as well as the controls. CONCLUSIONS: Younger children with ADHD might have a reduced processing efficiency for signal recognition in certain types of noise, but not for signal detection.

Lip-reading the BKB sentence lists: corrections for list and practice effects.

Two groups of 21 adult subjects with normal hearing viewed the video recordings of the Bamford-Kowal-Bench standard sentence lists issued by the EPI Group in 1986. Each subject viewed all of the 21 lists and attempted to write down the words contained in each sentence. One group lip-read the lists with no sound (the LR:alone condition). The other group also heard a sequence of acoustic pulses which were synchronized to the moments when the talker's vocal folds closed (the LR&Lx condition). Performance was assessed both by loose (KW(L)) and by tight (KW(T)) keyword scoring methods. Both scoring methods produced the same pattern of results: performance was better in the LR&Lx condition; performance in both conditions improved linearly with the logarithm of the list presentation order number; subjects who produced higher overall scores also improved more with experience of the lists. The data were described well by a logistic regression model which provided a formula which can be used to compensate for practice effects and for differences in difficulty between lists. Two simpler, but less accurate, methods for compensating for variation in inter-list difficulty are also described. A figure is provided which can be used to assess the significance of the difference between a pair of scores obtained from a single subject in any pair of presentation conditions.