RESUMO
PURPOSE: We explored the reliability and validity of 2 quantitative approaches to document presence and severity of speech properties associated with apraxia of speech (AOS). METHOD: A motor speech evaluation was administered to 39 individuals with aphasia. Audio-recordings of the evaluation were presented to 3 experienced clinicians to determine AOS diagnosis and to rate severity of 11 speech dimensions. Additionally, research assistants coded 11 operationalized metrics of articulation, fluency, and prosody in the same speech samples and in recordings from 20 neurologically healthy participants. RESULTS: Agreement among the 3 clinicians was limited for both AOS diagnosis and perceptual scaling, but inter-observer reliability for the operationalized metrics was strong. The relationships between most operationalized metrics and mean severity ratings for corresponding perceptual dimensions were moderately strong and statistically significant. Both perceptual scaling and operationalized quantification approaches were sensitive to the presence or absence of AOS. CONCLUSIONS: Perceptual scaling and operationalized metrics are promising quantification techniques that can help establish diagnostic transparency for AOS. However, because satisfactory reliability cannot be assumed for scaling techniques, effective training and calibration procedures should be implemented. Operationalized metrics show strong potential for enhancing diagnostic objectivity and sensitivity.
Assuntos
Afasia/diagnóstico , Apraxias/diagnóstico , Índice de Gravidade de Doença , Testes de Articulação da Fala/métodos , Testes de Articulação da Fala/normas , Fala/fisiologia , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Afasia/fisiopatologia , Apraxias/fisiopatologia , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Variações Dependentes do Observador , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Acústica da Fala , Testes de Articulação da Fala/estatística & dados numéricos , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/diagnóstico , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/fisiopatologiaRESUMO
PURPOSE: This study examined assessment procedures used by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) when assessing children suspected of having speech sound disorders (SSD). This national survey also determined the information participants obtained from clients' speech samples, evaluation of non-native English speakers, and time spent on assessment. METHOD: One thousand surveys were mailed to a randomly selected group of SLPs, self-identified as having worked with children with SSD. A total of 333 (33%) surveys were returned. RESULTS: The assessment tasks most frequently used included administering a commercial test, estimating intelligibility, assessing stimulability, and conducting a hearing screening. The amount of time dedicated to assessment activities (e.g., administering formal tests, contacting parents) varied across participants and was significantly related to years of experience but not caseload size. Most participants reported using informal assessment procedures, or English-only standardized tests, when evaluating non-native English speakers. CONCLUSIONS: Most participants provided assessments that met federal guidelines to qualify children for special education services; however, additional assessment may be needed to create comprehensive treatment plans for their clients. These results provide a unique perspective on the assessment of children suspected of having SSD and should be helpful to SLPs as they examine their own assessment practices.
Assuntos
Transtornos da Articulação/diagnóstico , Prática Profissional/estatística & dados numéricos , Testes de Articulação da Fala/métodos , Patologia da Fala e Linguagem/estatística & dados numéricos , Criança , Pesquisas sobre Atenção à Saúde , Humanos , Idioma , Prática Profissional/normas , Padrões de Referência , Testes de Articulação da Fala/normas , Patologia da Fala e Linguagem/normasRESUMO
This study addresses the assessment of developmental apraxia of speech (DAS) in children. For this, 11 children with a clear diagnosis of DAS were selected, based on documented speech history and perceptual evaluation of speech. The children with DAS, as well as 11 normal-speaking children, produced singleton real word and nonsense word imitations elicited in a standardised way. Phonetic transcriptions were analysed and errors in consonants classified. The results showed, firstly, that the children with DAS produced similar types of consonant errors as has been reported in the literature, which corroborates the method of elicitation as a valid procedure to assess relevant speech symptoms of DAS. Secondly, a large quantitative difference between children with DAS and normal-speaking children was found, in that children with DAS produced an overall higher rate of singleton consonant errors (substitutions, omissions, distortions) and cluster errors (cluster reductions) than the normal-speaking children. For the DAS group, the substitution-rate, particularly in real words (as opposed to nonsense words), was significantly correlated with severity as rated by two speech and language pathologists. This suggests that substitution-rate yields an adequate measure of severity of DAS. Thirdly, a qualitative difference between both subject groups emerged. Children with DAS did not benefit from the lexical status of the utterance (real versus nonsense word) to the same extent as normal-speaking children. Based on these findings the nature of the underlying deficits in speech production in DAS is discussed.