Development of a holistic communication score (HoCoS) in patients treated for oral or oropharyngeal cancer: Preliminary validation.

BACKGROUND: In head and neck cancer, many tools exist to measure speech impairment, but few evaluate the impact on communication abilities. Some self-administered questionnaires are available to assess general activity limitations including communication. Others are not validated in oncology. These different tools result in scores that does not provide an accurate measure of the communication limitations perceived by the patients. AIM: To develop a holistic score measuring the functional impact of speech disorders on communication in patients treated for oral or oropharyngeal cancer, in two steps: its construction and its validation. METHODS & PROCEDURES: Patients treated for oral/oropharyngeal cancer filled six self-questionnaires: two about communicative dynamics (ECVB and DIP), two assessing speech function (PHI and CHI) and two relating to quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-H&N35). A total of 174 items were initially collected. A dimensionality reduction methodology was then applied. Face validity analysis led to eliminate non-relevant items by surveying a panel of nine experts from communication-related disciplines (linguistics, medicine, speech pathology, computer science). Construct validity analysis led to eliminate redundant and insufficiently variable items. Finally, the holistic communication score was elaborated by principal component factor and validated using cross-validation and latent profile analysis. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: A total of 25 patients filled the questionnaires (median age = 67 years, EIQ = 12; 15 men, 10 women; oral cavity = 14, oropharynx = 10, two locations = 1). After face validity analysis, 44 items were retained (κ > 0.80). Four additional items were excluded because of a very high correlation (r > 0.90) with other items presenting a better dispersion. A total of 40 items were finally included in the factor analysis. A post-analysis score prediction was performed (mean = 100; SD = 10). A total of 24 items are finally retained for the construction of the holistic communication score (HoCoS): 19 items from questionnaires assessing communicative dynamics (13 from the ECVB and six from the DIP), four items from a perceived speech impairment questionnaire (PHI) and one from a quality-of-life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-H&N35). The reliability is good (five-fold cross-validation: rs = 0.91) and the complementary latent profile analysis shows a good validity of the HoCoS, clustering subjects by level of communication performance. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: A global score allowing a measure of the impact of the speech disorder on communication was developed. It fills the lack of this type of score in head and neck oncology and allows the better understanding of the functional and psychosocial consequences of the pathology in the patients' follow-up. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject Because of their anatomical location, head and neck cancer degrades the speech abilities. Few tools currently allow the assessment of the impact of the speech disorder on communication abilities. In ENT oncology, self-administered questionnaires are available to assess activity limitations and participation restrictions (International Classification of Functioning (ICF)-WHO). Other tools from the field of neurology allow an evaluation of communication dynamics. But these different tools, constructed by items, give global additive or averaged scores. This implies an identical weighting of each item, resulting in global scores that are not very representative of the communication limitations really perceived by the patients. What this paper adds to existing knowledge A new global holistic score allowing a measurement of the impact of speech impairment on communication after treatment of oral or oropharyngeal cancer has been developed. The methodology of its construction allows a better reflection of the symptomatological, pragmatic and psychosocial elements leading to a degradation of communication abilities. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? The developed HoCoS score fills the gap in the absence of this type of tool in head and neck oncology. It may allow a better understanding of the factors involved in the functional and psychosocial limitations of these patients, and better customize their follow-up.

Functional Improvements of Speech, Feeding, and Sleep After Lingual Frenectomy Tongue-Tie Release: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Recent studies suggest that speech, solid feeding, and sleep difficulties may be linked to restricted tongue function. Children with tongue restrictions and speech, feeding, and sleep issues underwent lingual frenectomies with a CO2 laser, paired with myofunctional exercises. Questionnaires were completed before, 1 week after, and 1 month following treatment. Thirty-seven patients participated in the study (mean age 4.2 years [range 13 months to 12 years]). Overall, speech improved in 89%, solid feeding improved in 83%, and sleep improved in 83% of patients as reported by parents. Fifty percent (8/16) of speech-delayed children said new words after the procedure (P = .008), 76% (16/21) of slow eaters ate more rapidly (P < .001), and 72% (23/32) of restless sleepers slept less restlessly (P < .001). After tongue-tie releases paired with exercises, most children experience functional improvements in speech, feeding, and sleep. Providers should screen for oral restrictions in children and refer for treatment when functions are impaired.

ParkinSong: A Controlled Trial of Singing-Based Therapy for Parkinson's Disease.

Background. Communication impairment is one of the most common symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), significantly affecting quality of life. Singing shares many of the neural networks and structural mechanisms used during speech and, thus, has potential for therapeutic application to address speech disorders. Objective. To explore the effects of an interdisciplinary singing-based therapeutic intervention (ParkinSong) on voice and communication in people with PD. Methods. A controlled trial compared the effects of the ParkinSong intervention with an active control condition at 2 dosage levels (weekly vs monthly) over 3 months, on voice, speech, respiratory strength, and voice-related quality-of-life outcomes for 75 people living with PD. The interdisciplinary ParkinSong model comprised high-effort vocal and respiratory tasks, speech exercises, group singing, and social communication opportunities. Results. ParkinSong intervention participants demonstrated significant improvements in vocal intensity (P = .018), maximum expiratory pressure (P = .032), and voice-related quality of life (P = .043) in comparison to controls. Weekly ParkinSong participants increased vocal intensity more than monthly participants (P = .011). Vocal intensity declined in nontreatment control groups. No statistical differences between groups on maximum phonation length or maximum inspiratory pressure were observed at 3 months. Conclusions. ParkinSong is an engaging intervention with the potential to increase loudness and respiratory function in people with mild to moderately severe PD.

Introducing the Beatalk technique: using beatbox sounds and rhythms to improve speech characteristics of adults with intellectual disability.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with intellectual disability (ID) often demonstrate speech impairments and reduced intelligibility. However, traditional treatment methods, which involve using repetitive verbal and non-verbal exercises, may not be fully suitable for this population. As adults with ID tend to lose interest and motivation facing the demands of a typical speech therapy session, other intervention methods are needed. The current study tested a novel intervention technique, Beatalk, based on practising vocally produced sounds and rhythms, imitating the sounds produced by rhythm machines in an a cappella musical context (i.e., human beatboxing). Human beatboxing may be a particularly effective tool since it involves intense production of speech sounds (phonemes) that can be misarticulated in the presence of speech disorders; it is relatively easy to learn and practice, and is also considered 'fun'. AIMS: As many of the features of beatboxing make it a promising method for speech therapy, this pioneering study aimed to examine its effectiveness in comparison with a traditional speech therapy. METHODS & PROCEDURES: Twelve adults with moderate ID and low speech intelligibility (age 24-48 years) participated in a speech therapy group for 6 weeks. Six participants were assigned to the Beatalk (study) group and six to a traditional (control) therapy group. Pre- to post-treatment changes in speech intelligibility and voice measures were assessed. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: The preliminary data demonstrate that both types of therapy groups resulted in improved performance in articulation accuracy and voice measures, yet the Beatalk technique yielded larger gains. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: The results present initial evidence for the beneficial effect of the Beatalk technique as an intervention tool for adults with ID. It is an easy-to-use technique in the context of speech therapy, and may enhance verbal communication skills in this population.

A scoping review of rehabilitation interventions for survivors of head and neck cancer.

Purpose: The objectives of this scoping review were to summarize, understand, and disseminate findings from a broad body of literature on rehabilitation interventions used with survivors of head and neck cancer. Method: Searches were conducted in six databases. Inclusion criteria were studies of adult head and neck cancer survivors with a predefined primary rehabilitation outcome as a result of an intervention. Excluded were studies not written in English, opinion papers, or studies where the intervention was not carried out by a rehabilitation healthcare service. A second level, full-text review of the studies was conducted. A thematic analysis was used to examine and combine study findings. Results: A total of 3804 results were retrieved from all sources resulting in 39 papers that were analyzed. The thematic analysis of the included papers represented interventions focusing on swallowing and nutrition, speech, physical therapy, assistive devices, complementary and alternative modalities, comprehensive interdisciplinary programs, and preventive rehabilitation programs. Conclusion: This review has provided an overview of the scope of rehabilitation interventions available for survivors of head and neck cancer and preliminary information about their efficacy. This is foundational information for the development and refinement of rehabilitation interventions and programs for head and neck cancer survivors. Implications for Rehabilitation The existing evidence suggests that survivors of head and neck cancer can benefit from early screening of potential rehabilitation needs and being involved in preventive rehabilitation programs pre-surgery when possible. Rehabilitation programs should consider swallowing interventions for patients as evidence reports improved swallowing function, decreased pain and discomfort, and reduced duration of feeding tube use. Rehabilitation programs should consider nutritional interventions after radiotherapy: Patients benefited from stabilized weights, improved nutritional status, and an improved quality of life. Physical exercise interventions demonstrated improvements in physical function, muscular endurance, range of motion, overall quality of life, and showed reductions in pain, and fatigue.

Hypophonia as a sign of thalamus lesion: a case report.

Hypophonia is a neurological sign usually seen after brainstem or peripheral damage, either at the recurrent laryngeal nerve or vocal cord level. However, it has been described as a sign of supratentorial strokes in a few studies, specifically when anterior and ventral thalamic involvement is reported. In addition, it is a prominent sign of other neurological disorders such as Parkinson disease and other extrapyramidal conditions. We describe a case of hypophonia secondary to a left thalamic hemorrhage, after a careful search of other potential causes of this deficit, and we discuss the underlying neuroanatomical circuits.

Video Game Rehabilitation of Velopharyngeal Dysfunction: A Case Series.

Purpose: Video games provide a promising platform for rehabilitation of speech disorders. Although video games have been used to train speech perception in foreign language learners and have been proposed for aural rehabilitation, their use in speech therapy has been limited thus far. We present feasibility results from at-home use in a case series of children with velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD) using an interactive video game that provided real-time biofeedback to facilitate appropriate nasalization. Method: Five participants were recruited across a range of ages, VPD severities, and VPD etiologies. Participants completed multiple weeks of individual game play with a video game that provides feedback on nasalization measured via nasal accelerometry. Nasalization was assessed before and after training by using nasometry, aerodynamic measures, and expert perceptual judgments. Results: Four participants used the game at home or school, with the remaining participant unwilling to have the nasal accelerometer secured to his nasal skin, perhaps due to his young age. The remaining participants showed a tendency toward decreased nasalization after training, particularly for the words explicitly trained in the video game. Conclusion: Results suggest that video game-based systems may provide a useful rehabilitation platform for providing real-time feedback of speech nasalization in VPD. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5116828.

Complex neurological symptoms in bilateral thalamic stroke due to Percheron artery occlusion.

The artery of Percheron is a rare anatomical variant where a single thalamic perforating artery arises from the proximal posterior cerebral artery (P1 segment) between the basilar artery and the posterior communicating artery and supplies the rostral mesencephalon and both paramedian territories of the thalami. Almost one-third of human brains present this variant. Occlusion of the artery of Percheron mostly results in a bilateral medial thalamic infarction, which usually manifests with altered consciousness (including coma), vertical gaze paresis, and cognitive disturbance. The presentation is similar to the "top of the basilar syndrome", and early recognition should be prompted. We describe the case of a young female with this vessel variant who experienced a bilateral thalamic stroke. Magnetic resonance angiography demonstrated bilateral thalamic infarcts and a truncated artery of Percheron. Occlusion of the vessel was presumably due to embolism from a patent foramen ovale. Thrombolysis was performed, with incomplete symptom remission, cognitive impairment, and persistence of speech disorders. Early recognition and treatment of posterior circulation strokes is mandatory, and further investigation for underlying stroke etiologies is needed.

Speech and language adverse effects after thalamotomy and deep brain stimulation in patients with movement disorders: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The thalamus has been a surgical target for the treatment of various movement disorders. Commonly used therapeutic modalities include ablative and nonablative procedures. A major clinical side effect of thalamic surgery is the appearance of speech problems. OBJECTIVE: This review summarizes the data on the development of speech problems after thalamic surgery. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed using nine databases, including Medline, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. We also checked for articles by searching citing and cited articles. We retrieved studies between 1960 and September 2014. RESULTS: Of a total of 2,320 patients, 19.8% (confidence interval: 14.8-25.9) had speech difficulty after thalamotomy. Speech difficulty occurred in 15% (confidence interval: 9.8-22.2) of those treated with a unilaterally and 40.6% (confidence interval: 29.5-52.8) of those treated bilaterally. Speech impairment was noticed 2- to 3-fold more commonly after left-sided procedures (40.7% vs. 15.2%). Of the 572 patients that underwent DBS, 19.4% (confidence interval: 13.1-27.8) experienced speech difficulty. Subgroup analysis revealed that this complication occurs in 10.2% (confidence interval: 7.4-13.9) of patients treated unilaterally and 34.6% (confidence interval: 21.6-50.4) treated bilaterally. After thalamotomy, the risk was higher in Parkinson's patients compared to patients with essential tremor: 19.8% versus 4.5% in the unilateral group and 42.5% versus 13.9% in the bilateral group. After DBS, this rate was higher in essential tremor patients. CONCLUSION: Both lesioning and stimulation thalamic surgery produce adverse effects on speech. Left-sided and bilateral procedures are approximately 3-fold more likely to cause speech difficulty. This effect was higher after thalamotomy compared to DBS. In the thalamotomy group, the risk was higher in Parkinson's patients, whereas in the DBS group it was higher in patients with essential tremor. Understanding the pathophysiology of speech disturbance after thalamic procedures is a priority. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

High-dose-rate interstitial brachytherapy in oral cancer-Its impact on quality of life.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to assess the impact of high-dose-rate (HDR) interstitial brachytherapy on quality of life (QOL) in oral cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Thirty-two patients of oral cancer treated at our institute from January 2010 to December 2014 with radical radiotherapy (external beam radiotherapy + brachytherapy) were included for analysis; 30 patients received external beam radiotherapy (50-54 Gy) and HDR brachytherapy boost (18-24.5 Gy); 2 patients received radical HDR brachytherapy (31.5 Gy). Quality of life (QOL) was assessed by Telugu, Hindi, and English versions of EORTC Quality of Life Core-30 and EORTC Quality of Life Head and Neck Module (QLQ H&N35) before treatment, at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after treatment. RESULTS: Of the 32 patients, 2 patients died and 1 patient progressed on followup; 2 patients were re-irradiation cases. On excluding these cases, 27 patients were available for analysis. The followup duration was 6-55 months. At the time of analysis, 91% (29) patients were disease free, 3% (1) progressed, and 6% (2) died. At the end of 2 years, none of the QLQ-C30 functional scores fell below the baseline. Pain, swallowing, sensory, speech, social contact, and social eating worsened at 3 months but improved over 2 years (p < 0.001). Sexuality and financial status showed delayed improvement (p < 0.001). Among the head and neck parameters, dry mouth and sticky saliva were significant determinants of QOL with delayed improvement (p < 0.001). The impact of age, sex, and tumor stage and on QOL was analyzed. Women reported a poorer QOL for physical and emotional parameters, social eating, weight loss, and fatigue. Tumor stage significantly affected QOL, with early stages showing a better QOL. CONCLUSIONS: Almost all patients regained normal function after treatment and reported an excellent QOL at 2 years. However, tumor stage significantly affected the QOL.

The speech-language pathologist's role in multidisciplinary burn care: An international perspective.

PURPOSE: To explore international practices of speech-language pathology (SLP) within burn care in order to provide direction for education, training and clinical practice of the burns multidisciplinary team (MDT). METHOD(S): A 17-item online survey was designed by two SLPs experienced in burn care with a range of dichotomous, multiple choice and open-ended response questions investigating the availability and scope of practice for SLPs associated with burn units. The survey was distributed via professional burn association gatekeepers. All quantitative data gathered were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. RESULT(S): A total of 240 health professionals, from 6 different continents (37 countries) participated within the study. All continents reported access to SLP services. Referral criteria for SLP were largely uniform across continents. The most dominant area of SLP practice was assessment and management of dysphagia, which was conducted in concert with other members of the MDT. CONCLUSION: SLP has an international presence within burn care that is currently still emerging.

HYPERGLYCAEMIC HEMIBALLISMUS: IMPLICATIONS FROM CONNECTIVITY ANALYSIS FOR COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS.

Hyperglycaemia induced movement disorders, such as hemiballism are rare disorders. The syndrome is characterised by the triad of hemiballism, contralateral T1-hyperintense striatal lesion and non-ketotic hyperglycaemia. Here we report a patient with untreated diabetes presenting with acute onset of hemiballism. MRI revealed T1 hyperintensity of the head of the caudate nucleus and the anterior putamen. The patient also had acantocytosis. Based on the detailed examination of the neuroradiological results and earlier findings we will discuss the pathomechanism. Based on previous findings microhemorrhages, extensive mineralisation, gemistocytic astrocytosis might play a role in the development of the imaging signs. The connectivity pattern of the striatal lesion showed extensive connections to the frontal cortex. In coexistence with that the most severe impairment was found on the phonemic verbal fluency task measuring frontal executive functions.

Characteristics and occurrence of speech impairment in Huntington's disease: possible influence of antipsychotic medication.

Although motor speech impairment is a common manifestation of Huntington's disease (HD), its description remains limited. The aim of the current study was therefore to estimate the occurrence and characteristics of speech disorder in HD and to explore the influence of antipsychotic medication on speech performance. Speech samples, including reading passage and monologue, were acquired from 40 individuals diagnosed with HD and 40 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Objective acoustic analyses were used to evaluate key aspects of speech including vowel articulation, intensity, pitch and timing. A predictive model was constructed to detect the occurrence and most prominent patterns of speech dysfunction in HD. We revealed that 93% of HD patients manifest some degree of speech impairment. Decreased number of pauses, slower articulation rate, imprecise vowel articulation and excess intensity variations were found to be the most salient patterns of speech dysfunction in HD. We further demonstrated that antipsychotic medication may induce excessive loudness and pitch variations perceptually resembling excess patterns of word stress, and may also accentuate general problems with speech timing. Additionally, antipsychotics induced a slight improvement of vowel articulation. Specific speech alterations observed in HD patients indicate that speech production may reflect the pathophysiology of the disease as well as treatment effects, and may therefore be considered a valuable marker of functional disability in HD.

Neural correlates of the relationship between discourse coherence and sensory monitoring in schizophrenia.

Unusual language use is a core feature of psychosis, but the nature and significance of this are not understood. In particular, thought disorder in schizophrenia (SZ) is characterized by markedly bizarre speech, but the cognitive components that contribute to this and the brain correlates of these components are unknown. A number of studies have demonstrated language abnormalities in single word processing, but few have examined speech in SZ at the discourse level. This has been at least partly due to the difficulty in quantifying content of discourse. Recently, methods in computational linguistics have been found to be useful for detecting differences in semantic coherence during discourse between different clinical groups. We build on this work by demonstrating how these methods can be combined with funtional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in order to tease apart factors that underlie free discourse and its deviations, and how they relate to brain activity. Eleven volunteers with SZ and eleven controls participated in an interview during which they were asked to talk as much as they could about 'religious belief'. These same participants underwent fMRI during a word monitoring task, during which modality of monitoring was manipulated by varying the congruence of auditory and visual stimuli. Semantic coherence scores, measured from free discourse, were examined for their relationship to brain activations during fMRI. In healthy controls, regions associated with executive function were related to coherence. In persons with SZ, coherence was mainly related to auditory and visual regions, depending on the modality of monitoring, but superior/middle temporal cortex related to coherence regardless of task. These findings are consistent with existing evidence for a role of superior temporal cortex in thought disorder, and demonstrate that computational measures of semantic content capture objective measures of coherence in speech that can be usefully related to underlying neurophysiological processes.

Pathomechanisms and compensatory efforts related to Parkinsonian speech.

Voice and speech in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients are classically affected by a hypophonia, dysprosody, and dysarthria. The underlying pathomechanisms of these disabling symptoms are not well understood. To identify functional anomalies related to pathophysiology and compensation we compared speech-related brain activity and effective connectivity in early PD patients who did not yet develop voice or speech symptoms and matched controls. During fMRI 20 PD patients ON and OFF levodopa and 20 control participants read 75 sentences covertly, overtly with neutral, or with happy intonation. A cue-target reading paradigm allowed for dissociating task preparation from execution. We found pathologically reduced striato-prefrontal preparatory effective connectivity in early PD patients associated with subcortical (OFF state) or cortical (ON state) compensatory networks. While speaking, PD patients showed signs of diminished monitoring of external auditory feedback. During generation of affective prosody, a reduced functional coupling between the ventral and dorsal striatum was observed. Our results suggest three pathomechanisms affecting speech in PD: While diminished energization on the basis of striato-prefrontal hypo-connectivity together with dysfunctional self-monitoring mechanisms could underlie hypophonia, dysarthria may result from fading speech motor representations given that they are not sufficiently well updated by external auditory feedback. A pathological interplay between the limbic and sensorimotor striatum could interfere with affective modulation of speech routines, which affects emotional prosody generation. However, early PD patients show compensatory mechanisms that could help improve future speech therapies.

The role of left inferior fronto-occipital fascicle in verbal perseveration: a brain electrostimulation mapping study.

The subcortical connectivity underlying verbal perseveration (VP) remains poorly understood. We have previously reported that intraoperative electrical stimulation of the caudate nucleus during awake surgery resulted in VP. Here, our purpose is to study the white matter pathway underlying VP using subcortical stimulation mapping in a series of patients who underwent glioma resection. Eleven patients with a left hemispheric low grade glioma were operated on while awake. Intraoperative direct electrical stimulation was used both at cortical and subcortical levels while the patients carried out motor and naming tasks during the resection. All patients experienced VP during electrical stimulation performed at the level of different subcortical locations, which corresponded in the 11 cases to different parts of the left inferior fronto-occipital fascicle. Perseveration persisted into the postoperative days, but resolved completely by three months.Our original findings provide further insight into the neuroanatomical basis of VP, by supporting the role of left inferior fronto-occipital fascicle. Such data may have both fundamental and clinical implications.

Parental perceptions of posterior pharyngeal wall augmentation using autologous fat for treating velopharyngeal dysfunction.

Posterior pharyngeal wall augmentation using autologous fat to treat velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD) is an alternative surgical procedure to more commonly used invasive procedures such as the pharyngeal flap. However, limited research exists on this technique. The aim of this study was to qualitatively investigate parental perceptions of posterior pharyngeal wall augmentation using autologous fat when treating velopharyngeal dysfunction. Furthermore, this research aimed to examine parent's perspectives of their child's speech and quality-of-life following this procedure. A qualitative collective case study methodology was used in the form of semi-structured interviews with seven participants. These were then analysed using constant comparative analysis. Four distinct themes emerged: post-surgical outcomes; speech-language pathology, not just medicine; factors for successful post-operative speech and resonance; and long-term sustainability and worthiness of the procedure. Six out of seven participants expressed positive post-operative speech and resonance results. Five further expressed long-term satisfaction up to 6 years post-operatively. Overall the majority of participants were satisfied that this procedure provided their child with long-term successful speech outcomes. The participants also discussed the importance of receiving speech-language pathology services alongside surgery and the positive impact of the procedure on their child's quality-of-life including social interactions, confidence, friendships, as well as eating and drinking.

Psychiatric symptom versus neurocognitive correlates of diminished expressivity in schizophrenia and mood disorders.

Diminished expressivity is a poorly understood, but important construct for a range of mental diseases. In the present study, we employed computerized acoustic analysis of natural speech to understand diminished expressivity in patients with schizophrenia and mood disorders. We were interested in the degree to which speech characteristics tapping alogia (i.e., average pause duration) and blunted affect (i.e., prosody computed from fundamental frequency and intensity) reflected psychiatric symptoms (i.e., depression, anxiety, paranoia and bizarre behavior) versus neurocognitive deficits. Twenty-six subjects with schizophrenia and 22 subjects with mood disorders provided speech samples in response to a variety of laboratory stimuli and completed neuropsychological batteries assessing a range of abilities. For both the schizophrenia and mood disorder groups, attentional coding deficits were significantly correlated with increased pause time (at large effect size levels) and, for the schizophrenia group only, reduced prosody (also at a large effect size level). For the mood disorder but not the schizophrenia group, increased average pause time was also significantly associated with neurocognitive deficits on a range of other tests (medium to large effect size levels). Psychiatric symptoms were not significantly associated with speech characteristics for either group (generally, negligible effect sizes). These results suggest that there is a link between expressivity and neurocognitive dysfunctions for both patients with schizophrenia and mood disorders. Implications and future research directions are discussed.

A pilot study on the efficacy of melodic based communication therapy for eliciting speech in nonverbal children with autism.

The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of melodic based communication therapy (MBCT) to traditional speech and language therapy for eliciting speech in nonverbal children with autism. Participants were 12 nonverbal children with autism ages 5 through 7 randomly assigned to either treatment group. Both groups made significant progress after treatment. The MBCT group progressed significantly in number of verbal attempts after weeks 1 through 4 and number of correct words after weeks 1 and 3, while the traditional group progressed significantly after weeks 4 and 5. No significant differences in number of verbal attempts or number of correct words were noted between groups following treatment. A significant number of new words were heard in the home environment for the MBCT group (p = .04). Participants in the MBCT group had more imitative attempts (p = .03). MBCT appears to be a valid form of intervention for children with autism.

Influence of cognitive function on speech and articulation rate in multiple sclerosis.

We examined cognitive predictors of speech and articulation rate in 50 individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 23 healthy controls. We measured speech and articulation rate from audio-recordings of participants reading aloud and talking extemporaneously on a topic of their choice (i.e., self-generated speech). Articulation rate was calculated for each speech sample by removing lexically irrelevant vocalizations and pauses of >200 ms. Speech rate was similarly calculated including pauses. Concurrently, the Minimal Assessment of Cognitive Function in Multiple Sclerosis (MACFIMS) battery, as well as standardized tests of sentence intelligibility and syllable repetition were administered. Analysis of variance showed that MS patients were slower on three of the four rate measures. Greater variance in rate measures was accounted for by cognitive variables for the MS group than controls. An information processing speed composite, as measured by the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) and the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), was the strongest predictor among cognitive tests. A composite of memory tests related to self-generated speech, above and beyond information processing speed, but not to oral reading. Self-generated speech, in this study, was not found to relate more strongly to cognitive tests than simple reading. Implications for further research are discussed.