Telemedicine-enabled biofeedback electropalatography rehabilitation (TEBER): A pilot study for patients treated with surgery for oral cavity carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: To address the rehabilitative barriers to frequency and precision of care, we conducted a pilot study of a biofeedback electropalatography (EPG) device paired with telemedicine for patients who underwent primary surgery +/- adjuvant radiation for oral cavity carcinoma. We hypothesized that lingual optimization followed by telemedicine-enabled biofeedback electropalatography rehabilitation (TEBER) would further improve speech and swallowing outcomes after "standard-of-care" SOC rehabilitation. METHOD: Pilot prospective 8-week (TEBER) program following 8 weeks of (SOC) rehabilitation. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients were included and 11 completed the protocol. When examining the benefit of TEBER independent of standard of care, "range-of-liquids" improved by +0.36 [95% CI, 0.02-0.70, p = 0.05] and "range-of-solids" improved by +0.73 [95% CI, 0.12-1.34, p = 0.03]. There was a positive trend toward better oral cavity obliteration; residual volume decreased by -1.2 [95% CI, -2.45 to 0.053, p = 0.06], and "nutritional-mode" increased by +0.55 [95% CI, -0.15 to 1.24, p = 0.08]. CONCLUSION: This pilot suggests that TEBER bolsters oral rehabilitation after 8 weeks of SOC lingual range of motion.

Protocolo de avaliação para apraxia de fala adquirida / Assessment protocol for acquired apraxia of speech

RESUMO Objetivo Elaborar um protocolo de avaliação do planejamento motor da fala com estímulos fonologicamente balanceados para o português brasileiro e que contemple todas as variáveis necessárias para este diagnóstico. Método Foram realizadas três etapas: Na primeira, construíram-se listas de palavras cujo critério principal foram os padrões silábicos e acentuais. Do levantamento realizado na Etapa 1, procedeu-se à seleção dos vocábulos que compuseram a primeira versão do protocolo na Etapa 2, reunidas em duas tarefas: de repetição e de Leitura em Voz Alta (LVA). Em seguida, investigou-se a ocorrência das palavras usando a base de dados do Corpus Brasileiro (PUC-SP) - Linguateca. Na etapa 3 realizou-se a análise estatística para verificar se as listas de repetição e de LVA estavam equilibradas quanto à ocorrência das palavras. Assim, as listas foram distribuídas em quartis e foram analisadas de forma descritiva e bivariada. O nível de significância utilizado foi de 5%. Resultados Após a realização de todas as etapas, foi possível obter as palavras que compuseram as listas das tarefas de repetição e de LVA. Finalmente, foram então acrescidas ao protocolo as demais tarefas consideradas essenciais para a avaliação da apraxia como as taxas diadococinéticas e a prancha para a emissão oral espontânea. Conclusão O protocolo desenvolvido contém as tarefas consideradas padrão para a avaliação da apraxia de fala pela literatura internacional, o que torna esse instrumento importante para o diagnóstico desse distúrbio em falantes do português brasileiro.

ABSTRACT Purpose To develop an assessment protocol for speech motor planning with phonologically balanced stimuli for Brazilian Portuguese, including all necessary variables for this diagnosis. Methods Three stages were carried out: In the first, word lists were built with the main criterion being syllabic and accentual patterns. From the survey conducted in Stage 1, the words that composed the first version of the protocol lists in Stage 2 were selected, and grouped into two fundamental tasks for diagnosing acquired apraxia of speech (AOS): repetition and Reading Aloud (RA). In Stage 3, the occurrence of words was investigated using the Brazilian Corpus (PUC-SP) - Linguateca database, and a statistical analysis was performed to verify if the repetition and RA lists were balanced in terms of the occurrences. Thus, the lists were distributed in quartiles and submitted to both descriptive and bivariate analyses. A significance level of 5% (p<0.05) was adopted. Results After completion of all stages, the words that composed the lists of the repetition and RA tasks were obtained. Finally, other tasks considered essential for the assessment of AOS, such as diadochokinetic rates and the board for spontaneous oral emission, were then added to the protocol. Conclusion The developed protocol contains the tasks considered standard for the assessment of AOS according to the international literature, which makes this instrument important for diagnosing this disorder in speakers of Brazilian Portuguese.

Uso do método de Pontos para a Reestruturação de Objetivos Fonéticos e Oro-Musculares (PROMPT) no Transtorno do Espectro Autista: um estudo de caso / Use of the Prompts for Reestructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets (PROMPT) in Autism Spectrum Disorder: a case study

RESUMO O Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA) é classificado pelo Manual de Diagnóstico e Estatístico de Transtornos Mentais (DSM-5) como um Transtorno do Neurodesenvolvimento, sendo caracterizado, principalmente, por alterações na comunicação social e pela presença de um repertório restrito de atividades e interesses. Na literatura, há muitos estudos sobre autismo, fala e linguagem, mas poucos correlacionando fala e autismo. Este estudo teve como finalidade realizar um estudo de caso que abordou autismo, fala e PROMPT (Pontos para a Reestruturação de Objetivos Fonéticos e Oro-Musculares) e mensurou a melhora da fala no participante com autismo, utilizando o método. Foram definidas palavras-alvo para toda a intervenção, conforme o Sistema de Observação e Análise (SOA) e Hierarquia Motora de Fala (HMF), que fazem parte da avaliação de PROMPT. Após a avaliação, o participante foi atendido por 16 sessões, uma vez semanalmente. Após análise dos dados, observou-se melhora em todos os aspectos que foram delineados de acordo com a avaliação no pré-tratamento, como controle fonatório, controle mandibular, controle lábio-facial e controle lingual, como também no movimento sequenciado, apesar deste não ser o objetivo traçado na avaliação. Também foi possível mensurar melhora no número de vocábulos adequados, número de fonemas adequados, porcentagens de consoantes corretas - revisado (PCC-R) e inteligibilidade.

ABSTRACT Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is classified by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as a neurodevelopmental disorder, whose characteristics are mainly deficits in social communication and a restricted range of interests. There are several studies about autism, speech, and language in the literature, but few correlate speech and autism. This study aims to carry out a case study that will address autism, speech, and PROMPT (Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets) and also to describe the speech improvement in the participant with autism using the method. The target words were defined for the entire intervention according to the System Analysis Observation (SAO) and Motor Speech Hierarchy (MSH), which are parts of the PROMPT evaluation. After the evaluation, the participant was attended for 16 sessions, once weekly, with the objective of improving their speech. After analyzing the data, it was possible to observe improvement in all aspects outlined according to the pre-treatment evaluation of the method such as phonatory control, mandibular control, lip-facial control and lingual control as well as in the sequenced movement although this was not the aim outlined in the evaluation. It was also possible to measure the improvement of an adequate number of words, an adequate number of phonemes, percentages of correct consonants - revised (PCC-R), and intelligibility.

Patient-Specific iPSC-Derived Models Link Aberrant Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Sensing and Response to Juvenile Osteochondritis Dissecans Etiology.

Juvenile osteochondritis dissecans (JOCD) is a pediatric disease, which begins with an osteonecrotic lesion in the secondary ossification center which, over time, results in the separation of the necrotic fragment from the parent bone. JOCD predisposes to early-onset osteoarthritis. However, the knowledge gap in JOCD pathomechanisms severely limits current therapeutic strategies. To elucidate its etiology, we conducted a study with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from JOCD and control patients. iPSCs from skin biopsies were differentiated to iMSCs (iPSC-derived mesenchymal stromal cells) and subjected to chondrogenic and endochondral ossification, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress induction assays. Our study, using 3 JOCD donors, showed that JOCD cells have lower chondrogenic capability and their endochondral ossification process differs from control cells; yet, JOCD- and control-cells accomplish osteogenesis of similar quality. Our findings show that endoplasmic reticulum stress sensing and response mechanisms in JOCD cells, which partially regulate chondrocyte and osteoblast differentiation, are related to these differences. We suggest that JOCD cells are more sensitive to ER stress than control cells, and in pathological microenvironments, such as microtrauma and micro-ischemia, JOCD pathogenesis pathways may be initiated. This study is the first, to the best of our knowledge, to realize the important role that resident cells and their differentiating counterparts play in JOCD and to put forth a novel etiological hypothesis that seeks to consolidate and explain previously postulated hypotheses. Furthermore, our results establish well-characterized JOCD-specific iPSC-derived in vitro models and identified potential targets which could be used to improve diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies in JOCD.

Differences in spontaneous speech fluency between Parkinson's disease and spinocerebellar ataxia type 3.

Background: The basal ganglia and cerebellum both have a role in speech production although the effect of isolated involvement of these structures on speech fluency remains unclear. Objective: The study aimed to assess the differences in the articulatory pattern in patients with cerebellar vs. basal ganglia disorders. Methods: A total of 20 individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD), 20 with spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), and 40 controls (control group, CG) were included. Diadochokinesis (DDK) and monolog tasks were collected. Results: The only variable that distinguished SCA3 carriers from the CG was the number of syllables in the monolog, with SCA3 patients of a significantly lower number. For patients with PD, the number of syllables, phonation time, DDK, and monolog were significantly lower than for CG. Patients with PD were significantly worse compared to patients with SCA3 in the number of syllables and phonation time in DDK, and phonation time in monolog. Additionally, there was a significant correlation between the number of syllables in the monolog and the MDS-UPDRS III for participants with PD, and the Friedreich Ataxia Rating Scale for participants with SCA3 suggesting a relationship between speech and general motor functioning. Conclusion: The monolog task is better at discriminating individuals with cerebellar vs. Parkinson's diseases as well as differentiating healthy control and was related to the severity of the disease.

Use of the diadochokinetic index DDKCCVP% in the detection of articulatory inaccuracies in Parkinson's disease: a preliminary exploratory study / Utilidad del índice diadococinético DDKCVP% para la detección de imprecisiones articulatorias en enfermedad de Parkinson: estudio exploratorio preliminar

ABSTRACT Purpose: to explore whether the diadochokinetic index of syllable production variability (DDKcvp%) is useful for the detection of articulatory inaccuracies in different stages of Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: a diadochokinetic speech task of the consonant-vowel type [pa-pa-pa] was applied to 18 people with PD (classified in stages of progression from 1 to 5 according to the Hoehn & Yahr scale) to determine their diadochokinetic performance. Records of the study group were compared to a reference value obtained from a control group made up of 40 subjects. Results: 77.78% of the study group showed articulatory inaccuracies. The DDKcvp% index allowed to detect articulatory difficulties from stage 1 of PD, and its variation showed that articulatory deficits were permanent from stage 2 onwards. A significant and direct correlation was obtained between the increase in the DDKcvp% index and the increase in the stage of evolution of the participants. Conclusion: DDKcvp% index evaluated by means of a simple and fast consonant-vowel diadochokinetic task [pa-pa-pa], could be useful to determine articulatory inaccuracies in different stages of PD, although it is suggested that investigation of this index in larger sample sizes be conducted.

RESUMEN Objetivo: explorar si el índice diadococinético de variabilidad de la producción silábica (DDKcvp%) es útil para la detección de imprecisiones articulatorias en distintos estadios de la Enfermedad de Parkinson (EP). Métodos: se aplicó una tarea diadococinética de habla del tipo consonante-vocal [pa-pa-pa] a 18 personas con EP (clasificadas en estadios de evolución del 1 al 5 según la escala Hoehn & Yahr) para determinar su rendimiento diadococinético. Los registros del grupo de estudio fueron comparados con un valor de referencia obtenido de un grupo control compuesto por 40 personas. Resultados: el 77,78% del grupo de estudio evidenció imprecisiones articulatorias. Además, el índice DDKcvp% permitió pesquisar dificultades articulatorias desde el estadio 1 de la EP, y su variación evidenció que los déficits articulatorios son permanentes desde el estadio 2 en adelante. También, se obtuvo una correlación significativa y directa entre el aumento del índice DDKcvp% con el incremento del estadio de evolución en el que se encontraban los participantes. Conclusión: el índice DDKcvp%, evaluado mediante una tarea diadococinética simple y rápida tipo consonante-vocal [pa-pa-pa], podría presentar una correcta utilidad para determinar imprecisiones articulatorias en distintos estadios de la EP, aunque se sugiere continuar investigando este índice en tamaños muestrales más amplios.

Analysis of the characteristics and therapeutic effect of consonant errors in children with functional articulation disorders at different ages / 口腔疾病防治

Objective@#Analyzing the characteristics of consonant errors in children with functional dysarthria in different age groups and the effect of speech training provides a reference for clinical treatment. @*Methods @#This study followed medical ethics, and informed consent has been obtained from patients. Speech data from 388 patients with functional dysarthria were retrospectively studied. They were divided into two groups at the age of 6, namely, the preschool group (4-6 years old) of 226 patients and the school age group (6-13 years old, including 6 years old) of 162 patients. The characteristics of consonant pronunciation errors from four aspects were analyzed: average number of errors, pronunciation location, pronunciation method, and error type. One-on-one speech training was conducted, with a training frequency of once a week and once for 30 minutes. The training method was carried out in the order of phoneme training, syllable training, vocabulary training, sentence training, and short text and conversation training. The effects of speech training in the two groups were compared. @*Results@#Analysis by pronunciation location: both age groups had the highest frequency of errors in tongue tip posterior sounds; the school age group had the lowest error frequency for labiodental consonants, and the preschool group had the lowest error frequency for bilabial consonants. According to the analysis of pronunciation mode, both age groups had the highest error frequency of aspirated affricate and the lowest error frequency of nasal sound. Analysis by error type: both age groups are mainly characterized by substitution and omission. Compared with the preschool group, most consonants of patients in the school group tend to improve in terms of pronunciation location, pronunciation mode, and error types. Compared with the preschool group, the two types of errors-palatalization and lateralization-increased in frequency in the school group, but the trend of increased lateralization was not statistically significant. After 6.7 and 5.5 sessions of speech training, the pronunciation of the preschool group and the school-age group significantly improved; the cure rate of the school-age group was 84.9% (118/139), and that of the preschool group was 77.1% (91/118). There was no statistically significant difference in the cure rate between the two groups.@*Conclusion@# Functional dysarthria may improve with age, but it may not completely self-heal. Children of different age groups can achieve good treatment results through scientific and reasonable speech training.

REVIEW OF ARTICULATED ELBOW ORTHOTICS FOR JOINT STIFFNESS REHABILITATION.

Joint stiffness is the most common complication in elbow injuries, presenting several etiologies and pathophysiological mechanisms that hinder treatment and prognosis. Prevention and treatment of joint contracture depend on the cause of stiffness, and early intervention should modify its outcomes. The methods used may be conservative or surgical, alone or in combination, according to each individual situation. Objective: Review articles on articulated elbow orthosis for joint stiffness rehabilitation. Methods: A literature review was conducted in journals available at the PubMed, Medline and LILACS databases, using the following Health Science Descriptors (DeCS): orthotic devices; braces; elbow; elbow joint; contracture; joint disorders. It sought to retrieve and analyze studies with the highest level of evidence that have already been conducted on articulated elbow orthosis for joint stiffness rehabilitation. Results: After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, four articles were included from PubMed and none from Medline or LILACS. Of the four PubMed articles, two were systematic reviews and two were randomized clinical trials. Conclusion: Articulated elbow orthoses can benefit joint stiffness treatment, improving range of motion and pain, showing superior effect compared to non-articulated plaster orthotics. Level of Evidence III, Systematic Review of Level III Studies.

A rigidez articular é a principal complicação do cotovelo, afetando o tratamento e o prognóstico. O manejo da contratura articular se baseia na sua etiologia, e a intervenção precoce deve modificar o desfecho dessa complicação. Objetivo: Revisar artigos sobre órtese articulada de cotovelo para reabilitação de rigidez articular. Métodos: Foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica em periódicos disponíveis do PubMed, Medline e LILACS, utilizando os Descritores em Ciências da Saúde (DeCS): aparelhos ortopédicos; braquetes; cotovelo; articulação do cotovelo; contratura; e transtornos da articulação. A intenção foi estabelecer e conhecer estudos de alto poder de evidência já realizados, que tenham tido como referência a temática de órteses articuladas de cotovelo para reabilitação de rigidez articular. Resultados: Após a aplicação dos critérios de inclusão e exclusão, revisaram-se artigos indexados no PubMed, Medline e LILACS, encontrando-se quatro artigos pelo PubMed e nenhum pelo Medline ou LILACS. Dos quatro artigos, dois eram revisões sistemáticas e dois eram ensaios clínicos randomizados. Conclusão: Órteses articuladas de cotovelo podem ser benéficas no tratamento de rigidez articular, sendo sugerido que melhoram amplitude de movimentos (ADM) e dor, inclusive com efeito superior em relação às órteses não articuladas gessadas. Nível de Evidência III, Revisão Sistemática de Estudos de Nível III.

Oral Myofunctional and Articulation Disorders in Children with Malocclusions: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Relationships between malocclusion and orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMD), as well as malocclusions and articulation disorders (AD) have been described, though the exact relationships remain unclear. Given the high prevalence of these disorders in children, more clarity is needed. SUMMARY: The purpose of this study was to determine the association between OMD (specifically, bruxism, deviate swallowing, caudal resting tongue posture, and biting habits), AD, and malocclusions in children and adolescents aged between 3 and 18 years. To conduct a systematic review, 4 databases were searched (MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus). The identified articles were screened for the eligibility criteria. Data were extracted from the selected articles and quality assessment was performed using the tool of Munn et al. [Int J Health Policy Manag. 2014;3:123-81] in consensus. Using the search strategy, the authors identified 2,652 articles after the removal of duplicates. After reviewing the eligibility criteria, 17 articles were included in this study. One of the included articles was deemed to have an unclear risk of bias, whereas all other articles were considered to have a low risk of bias. The articles showed a relationship between anterior open bite and apico-alveolar articulatory distortions, as well as between anterior open bite and deviate swallowing. For the biting habits, bruxism, and low tongue position no clear conclusions could be drawn. Key Messages: The current review suggests a link between specific types of malocclusion and OMD and AD. However, more high-quality evidence (level 1 and level 2, Oxford Levels of Evidence) is needed to clarify the cooccurrence of other OMD, AD, and malocclusions.

Speech training based on mirror neuron theory can improve children′s functional articulation disorders / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective:To observe the effect of speech training based on mirror neuron theory on children with functional articulation disorder (FAD).Methods:Fifty children with FAD were randomly divided into a training group and a control group, each of 25. Both groups received 30 minutes of conventional speech training 5 times a week for 24 weeks, while the training group was additionally given 20 minutes of speech training based on mirror neuron theory simultaneously. Before and after the intervention, both groups were evaluated using the articulation speech ability assessment scale and the oral motor ability assessment scale.Results:Before the treatment, there were no significant differences between the 2 groups in any of the measurements. After the treatment, significant improvement was observed in all of the measurements for both groups, but at that point the training group′s articulation, motor ability of the lower jaw, tongue and lips were all significantly superior to the control group′s averages.Conclusions:Speech training based on mirror neuron theory can significantly improve the articulation, intelligibility and oral motor functioning of children with functional articulation disorder.

Review of articulated elbow orthotics for joint stiffness rehabilitation / Revisão de órteses articuladas de cotovelo para reabilitação de rigidez articular

ABSTRACT Joint stiffness is the most common complication in elbow injuries, presenting several etiologies and pathophysiological mechanisms that hinder treatment and prognosis. Prevention and treatment of joint contracture depend on the cause of stiffness, and early intervention should modify its outcomes. The methods used may be conservative or surgical, alone or in combination, according to each individual situation. Objective: Review articles on articulated elbow orthosis for joint stiffness rehabilitation. Methods: A literature review was conducted in journals available at the PubMed, Medline and LILACS databases, using the following Health Science Descriptors (DeCS): orthotic devices; braces; elbow; elbow joint; contracture; joint disorders. It sought to retrieve and analyze studies with the highest level of evidence that have already been conducted on articulated elbow orthosis for joint stiffness rehabilitation. Results: After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, four articles were included from PubMed and none from Medline or LILACS. Of the four PubMed articles, two were systematic reviews and two were randomized clinical trials. Conclusion: Articulated elbow orthoses can benefit joint stiffness treatment, improving range of motion and pain, showing superior effect compared to non-articulated plaster orthotics. Level of Evidence III, Systematic Review of Level III Studies.

RESUMO A rigidez articular é a principal complicação do cotovelo, afetando o tratamento e o prognóstico. O manejo da contratura articular se baseia na sua etiologia, e a intervenção precoce deve modificar o desfecho dessa complicação. Objetivo: Revisar artigos sobre órtese articulada de cotovelo para reabilitação de rigidez articular. Métodos: Foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica em periódicos disponíveis do PubMed, Medline e LILACS, utilizando os Descritores em Ciências da Saúde (DeCS): aparelhos ortopédicos; braquetes; cotovelo; articulação do cotovelo; contratura; e transtornos da articulação. A intenção foi estabelecer e conhecer estudos de alto poder de evidência já realizados, que tenham tido como referência a temática de órteses articuladas de cotovelo para reabilitação de rigidez articular. Resultados: Após a aplicação dos critérios de inclusão e exclusão, revisaram-se artigos indexados no PubMed, Medline e LILACS, encontrando-se quatro artigos pelo PubMed e nenhum pelo Medline ou LILACS. Dos quatro artigos, dois eram revisões sistemáticas e dois eram ensaios clínicos randomizados. Conclusão: Órteses articuladas de cotovelo podem ser benéficas no tratamento de rigidez articular, sendo sugerido que melhoram amplitude de movimentos (ADM) e dor, inclusive com efeito superior em relação às órteses não articuladas gessadas. Nível de Evidência III, Revisão Sistemática de Estudos de Nível III.

Aspectos anatômicos e funcionais da língua após frenectomia em gemelares: relato de casos clínicos / Anatomic and functional aspects of the tongue after frenectomy in twin: clinical cases report

Objetivo: Relatar dois casos clínicos de alteração de frênulo lingual em gemelares, com 10 anos de idade, ambas do sexo feminino, avaliadas nos aspectos anatômicos e funcionais da língua antes e 15 dias após a frenectomia. Relato de casos: Inicialmente, o odontopediatra realizou a anamnese com a mãe. Em seguida, as participantes foram submetidas à avaliação clínica odontológica e, posteriormente, foi realizada a avaliação fonoaudiológica do frênulo lingual. A avaliação fonoaudiológica foi realizada por meio do Protocolo de Avaliação do Frênulo da Língua, que foi aplicado antes e 15 dias após a frenectomia. As duas participantes apresentaram melhor desempenho em provas anatômicas após o procedimento cirúrgico. Entretanto, algumas alterações, principalmente ao elevar a língua, continuaram sendo observadas em uma das pacientes 15 dias após a frenectomia. Ademais, as duas participantes passaram a executar a maioria dos movimentos de língua com maior precisão. No que se refere à fala, somente a participante que apresentava um maior número de alterações fonéticas anteriores, permaneceu com algumas alterações na fala decorridos 15 dias da cirurgia. Discussão: Algumas dificuldades envolvendo mobilidade da língua e alterações na fala podem persistir após a realização da cirurgia, indicando a necessidade de intervenção fonoaudiológica específica. Conclusão: Ambos os casos apresentaram melhora no desempenho tanto nas provas anatômicas quanto funcionais após a frenectomia.

Aim: to report two clinical cases of alteration of the lingual frenulum in twins, aged 10 years, both female, evaluated in the anatomical and functional aspects of the tongue before and 15 days after the frenectomy. Case reports: Initially, the paediatric dentistry performed the anamnesis with the mother. Then, the participants were submitted to a dental clinical evaluation and, sub-sequently, the speech language pathologist evaluation of the lingual frenulum was performed. The speech language pathologist assessment was performed using the Tongue Frenulum Evaluation Protocol, which was applied before and 15 days after the frenectomy. Both participants performed better in anatomical tests after the surgical procedure. However, some changes, especially when elevating the tongue, continued to be observed in one of the patients 15 days after the frenectomy. In addition, the two participants started to perform most of the tongue movements with greater precision. About speech, only the participant who had a greater number of previous phonetic changes, remained with some speech disorders after 15 days of surgery. Discussion: Some di-fficulties involving mobility of the tongue and changes in speech may persist after surgery, indicating the need for specific speech therapy intervention. Conclusion:Both cases showed improvement in performance both in anatomical and functional tests after frenectomy

Problemas del habla asociados a la disglosia labial y palatal / Speech disorders associated with labial and palatal cleft

RESUMEN Fundamento: según la Organización Mundial de la Salud, el paladar y labio fisurado son malformaciones del aparato estomatognático que producen problemas conocidos como disglosia labial y palatal. Estas afectan a una de las funciones del aparato estomatognático como es la fonación. Objetivo: analizar los problemas bucofonatorios asociados a la disglosia labial y palatal. Métodos: se realizó un estudio de tipo no experimental, descriptivo de corte trasversal. La población de estudio estuvo conformada por 62 pacientes de la Fundación Operación Sonrisa Ecuador, de los cuales se seleccionaron 42 mediante un muestreo no probabilístico intencional. La técnica que se utilizó fue la observación con sus instrumentos la historia clínica y el algoritmo de la escala del habla. Resultados: la escala del habla nasolabial, dentopalatina, test de esfuerzo y el total mostraron una correlación negativa escasa con los trastornos de la salud bucodental agrupados. Por otro lado, la escala del habla test de esfuerzo evidenció una asociación negativa débil con relación a los trastornos de salud bucodental agrupadas. La escala nasolabial provocado y velofaríngea no mostraron correlación en ningún nivel con respecto a los trastornos de la salud bucodental agrupados. Conclusiones: la mayor dificultad en la producción de los fonemas fue dentopalatina en /t/, /d/, /l/, /rr/, /ll/. Dentro de la escala del habla, la media del indicador test de esfuerzo mostró la evaluación más baja.

ABSTRACT Background: according to the World Health Organization, the cleft lip and cleft palate are oral disorders that produce speech problems. These ones affect one of the functions of the stomatognathic system such as phonation. Objective: to analyze the oral problems associated with labial and palatal cleft. Methods: a non-experimental, descriptive, transversal study was carried out. The population was constituted of seventy-two patients whose medical records which were filled out by professionals in different health areas of Operation Smile, forty-two of them were selected based on criteria through intentional non-probabilistic sampling. The observation was applied as technique and its instrument was the medical records and the speech algorithm. Results : the nose-labial speech scale, dent-palatine, stress test and the total showed a low negative correlation with the grouped oral pathologies. On the other hand, the stress test speech scale showed a weak negative association in relation to the grouped oral disorders. The provoked nasolabial scale and velopharyngeal did not correlate at any level with respect to the grouped oral pathologies. Conclusion: the greatest difficulty in the production of phonemes was dent-palatine in / t /, / d /, / l /, / rr /, / ll /. The speech scale showed that the average of the effort test indicator showed the lowest evaluation.

Speech and swallowing deficits in X-Linked Dystonia-Parkinsonism.

INTRODUCTION: X-linked Dystonia-Parkinsonism (XDP) is a progressive, disabling disease characterized by the devastating impairment of bulbar function, including speech and swallowing. Despite these detrimental impacts, bulbar impairments in this population are not well characterized. OBJECTIVES: To identify impairments in the bulbar system measured by oromotor performance in individuals with XDP relative to healthy controls. Secondarily, to detect diagnostic bulbar markers that are sensitive and specific to the initial years of XDP. METHODS: This case-control study included 25 healthy controls and 30 participants with XDP, divided into two subgroups based on the median of their disease length. Multiple clinical and instrumental oromotor tasks and measures were used to evaluate bulbar motor function. RESULTS: Differences were found between both the subgroups with XDP and healthy controls on almost all measures, including maximum performance tasks such as tongue strength, alternating motion rate (AMR), and sequential motion rate (SMR) (p < 0.05). Differences were found between the XDP subgroups and the control group for the percentage of pause time during the speech, a rating of speech severity, and a swallowing task (ps < 0.05). Scores on self-reported questionnaires, tongue strength, the number of repetitions produced during an AMR, percent pause, and speech severity demonstrated good sensitivity and specificity to differentiate the initial years of XDP onset from healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings revealed impairments across bulbar functions in participants within the first 7 years of the XDP onset. Highly sensitive and specific bulbar impairment measures were detected in instrumental and self-reported measures that are fundamental for monitoring disease.

Design and Evaluation of Korean Electropalatography (K-EPG).

Recently, the development of medical rehabilitation technology has resulted in an increased interest in speech therapy equipment. In particular, research on articulation therapy for communication disorders is being actively conducted. The existing methods for the diagnosis and treatment of speech disorders, such as traditional tactile perception tests and methods based on the empirical judgment of speech therapists, have many limitations. Moreover, the position and contact force of the tongue are key factors in speech disorders with regards to articulation. This is a very important factor in the distinction of Korean characters such as lax, tense and aspirated consonants. In this study, we proposed a Korean-electropalatography (EPG) system to easily measure and monitor the position and contact force of the tongue during articulation treatment and diagnosis. In our proposed K-EPG system, a sensor was fabricated using an AgCl electrode and biocompatible silicon. Furthermore, the measured signal was analyzed by implementing a bio-signal processing module and monitoring program. In particular, the bio-signal was measured by inserting the device into the palate of an experimental healthy test group (four subjects). Through these experiments, we confirmed that our K-EPG system could be applied to clinical treatment in speech therapy.

Impact of Cognitive Impairment and Dysarthria on Spoken Language in Multiple Sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of cognitive impairment on spoken language produced by speakers with multiple sclerosis (MS) with and without dysarthria. METHOD: Sixty speakers comprised operationally defined groups. Speakers produced a spontaneous speech sample to obtain speech timing measures of speech rate, articulation rate, and silent pause frequency and duration. Twenty listeners judged the overall perceptual severity of the samples using a visual analog scale that ranged from no impairment to severe impairment (speech severity). A 2 × 2 factorial design examined main and interaction effects of dysarthria and cognitive impairment on speech timing measures and speech severity in individuals with MS. Each speaker group with MS was further compared to a healthy control group. Exploratory regression analyses examined relationships between cognitive and biopsychosocial variables and speech timing measures and perceptual judgments of speech severity, for speakers with MS. RESULTS: Speech timing was significantly slower for speakers with dysarthria compared to speakers with MS without dysarthria. Silent pause durations also significantly differed for speakers with both dysarthria and cognitive impairment compared to MS speakers without either impairment. Significant interactions between dysarthria and cognitive factors revealed comorbid dysarthria and cognitive impairment contributed to slowed speech rates in MS, whereas dysarthria alone impacted perceptual judgments of speech severity. Speech severity was strongly related to pause duration. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest the nature in which dysarthria and cognitive symptoms manifest in objective, acoustic measures of speech timing and perceptual judgments of severity is complex.

Tradução e adaptação transcultural do protocolo Kaufman Speech Praxis Test for Children (KSPT) / Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Kaufman Speech Praxis Test for Children (KSPT) protocol

RESUMO Objetivo Apresentar o instrumento Kaufman Speech Praxis Test for Children - KSPT, bem como sua adaptação transcultural para o Brasil. Método Após a permissão de utilização do KSPT pela detentora dos direitos autorais, e cumprimento dos aspectos éticos, o instrumento foi traduzido e adaptado para o português brasileiro, com manutenção de equivalências semântica, idiomática, experimental e conceitual, quando pertinente. Resultados Após procedimentos de tradução e adaptação transcultural, não houve mudanças na Parte 1 (Nível de movimento oral); na Parte 2 (Nível silábico e fonêmico simples), 12 palavras-teste foram excluídas e 16 incluídas; e na Parte 3 (Nível silábico e fonêmico complexo), 13 palavras-teste foram excluídas por não apresentarem correspondência em relação às características de produção fonoarticulatória (fonético/fonológico) no Português Brasileiro. Na parte 4 (Extensão e complexidade espontânea - medida subjetiva) não houve alterações da versão em inglês do KSPT. Após todo o processo o material final foi aprovado pela autora e aplicado em crianças para a verificação da usabilidade e verificação de equivalências. A aplicação em população significativa no Brasil para a construção de critérios psicométricos será realizada em etapa futura. Conclusão A tradução do KSPT está finalizada com mudanças em palavras-teste do protocolo de aplicação, para respeitar as características transculturais da língua portuguesa falada no Brasil. Foram respeitadas as equivalências semântica, idiomática, experimental e conceitual, no manual de aplicação, guia de teste clínico e nos enunciados das provas. Espera-se que este instrumento integre avanços para o diagnóstico e acompanhamento de procedimentos de intervenção, trazendo uma contribuição efetiva para esta área.

ABSTRACT Purpose To present the Kaufman Speech Praxis Test for Children - KSPT instrument, as well as its Brazilian cross-cultural adaptation. Methods After obtaining permission to use the KSPT by the copyright holder, and compliance with ethical aspects, the instrument was translated and adapted into Brazilian Portuguese, preserving semantic, idiomatic, experimental and conceptual equivalences, when relevant. Results After translation and cross-cultural adaptation procedures, there were no changes in Part 1 (Oral movement); in Part 2 (Simple Phonemic and Syllabic Level), 12 test words were excluded and 16 were included; and in Part 3 (Complex Phonemic and Syllabic Level), 13 test words were excluded as they failed to correspond to the characteristics of phonoarticulatory production (phonetic/phonological) in Brazilian Portuguese. In part 4 (Spontaneous Length and Complexity - subjective measure) there were no changes to the English version of the KSPT. After the process, the final version of the material was approved by the author and applied to children for usability and equivalences check. The application to a significant population in Brazil for the construction of psychometric criteria will be carried out at a future stage. Conclusion The KSPT translation is completed with changes in test words from the application protocol to respect the cross-cultural characteristics of the Brazilian-Portuguese language. Semantic, idiomatic, experimental and conceptual equivalences were respected throughout the application manual, clinical test guide and test statements. This instrument is expected to integrate advances in the diagnosis and monitoring of intervention procedures, effectively contributing to the area.

Análise da intervenção fonoaudiológica em apraxia de fala na síndrome de Down: um estudo de caso / Analysis of speech-language pathology intervention in speech apraxia in Down syndrome: a case study / Análisis de la intervención fonoaudiológica en la apraxia del habla en el síndrome de Down: un estudio de caso

Introdução: A síndrome de Down (SD), trissomia do cromossomo 21, é uma condição genética que se caracteriza por um déficit cognitivo e atraso global do desenvolvimento. Dentre as habilidades que podem apresentar fragilidades, merecem destaque as alterações envolvendo a linguagem expressiva, com comprometimentos na fala. Essas alterações podem interferir no planejamento e na programação motora, caracterizando a ocorrência da apraxia de fala na infância, um distúrbio de origem neurológica, no qual a precisão e a consistência dos movimentos subjacentes à fala são prejudicadas na ausência de déficits neuromusculares. Objetivo: Apresentar a intervenção fonoaudiológica voltada à apraxia de fala em uma criança com SD. Método: O participante foi um menino com 07 anos de idade, diagnosticado com apraxia de fala associada à SD. A intervenção foi individualizada, baseada nos princípios do aprendizado motor e realizada durante 10 sessões, de 30 minutos cada. Na apresentação do caso, são abordados os dados da avaliação fonoaudiológica, os objetivos e procedimentos utilizados no planejamento terapêutico proposto. Resultados: Os dados coletados durante as sessões foram descritos e os efeitos da fonoterapia foram analisados. Os dados da reavaliação apontaram que os movimentos de praxias não verbais apresentaram melhores escores após a intervenção, sendo os resultados mais expressivos. Além disso, os resultados foram positivos quanto à estimulação para o desenvolvimento da fala, com os melhores resultados obtidos nos fonemas bilabiais /p, b e m/ e no fonema glotal /h/. Conclusão: A intervenção apresentou resultados satisfatórios, disponibilizando informações relevantes para uma melhor prática clínica na área.

Introduction: Down syndrome (DS), chromosome 21 trisomy, is a genetic condition that stands out for its cognitive deficit and global developmental delay. Among the skills that may present difficulties in the development, these skills deserve to be highlighted as changes involving expressive language, with speech impairment. These changes can interfere with motor planning and programming, characterizing the occurrence of apraxia of speech in childhood, a disorder of neurological origin, in which the precision and consistency of movements underlying speech are impaired in the absence of neuromuscular deficits. Objective: To present a speech therapy intervention aimed at apraxia of speech in a child with DS. Method: The participant was a 07-year-old boy, diagnosed with speech apraxia associated with DS. The intervention was individualized, based on the principles of motor development and performed for 10 sessions, of 30 minutes each. In the presentation of the case, it is the data of the speech therapy evaluation, the objectives and procedures used in the proposed therapeutic planning. Results: The data collected during the combinations were previous and the effects of speech therapy were approved. The reassessment data showed that the movements of non-verbal praxis had better scores after the intervention, with the results being more expressive. In addition, the positive results regarding stimulation for speech development, with the best results obtained in the bilabial phonemes /p,b and m/ and in the glottal phoneme /h/. Conclusion: The intervention presents satisfactory results, providing high information for a better clinical practice in the area.

Introducción: El síndrome de Down (SD), trisomía del cromosoma 21, es una condición genética que se destaca por su déficit cognitivo y retraso global del desarrollo. Entre las habilidades que pueden presentar dificultades en el desarrollo, estas habilidades merecen ser destacadas como cambios que involucran el lenguaje expresivo, con alteraciones del habla. Estos cambios pueden interferir con la planificación y programación motora, lo que caracteriza la aparición de apraxia del habla en la infancia, un trastorno neurológico en el que la precisión y la coherencia de los movimientos subyacentes al habla se ven afectadas en ausencia de déficits neuromusculares. Objetivo: presentar una intervención logopédica dirigida a la apraxia del habla en un niño con SD. Método: El participante era un niño de 07 años, diagnosticado de apraxia del habla asociada a SD. La intervención fue individualizada, en base a los principios del motor y se realizó por 10 vías, de 30 minutos cada una. En la presentación del caso, son los datos de la evaluación logopédica, los objetivos y procedimientos utilizados en la planificación terapéutica propuesta. Resultados: Los datos recolectados durante las combinaciones fueron previos y se aprobaron los efectos de la logopedia. Los datos de la reevaluación mostraron que los movimientos de praxis no verbal tuvieron mejores puntuaciones después de la intervención, siendo los resultados más expresivos. Además, los resultados positivos en cuanto a estimulación para el desarrollo del habla, con los mejores resultados obtenidos en los fonemas bilabiales / p, bym / y en el fonema glotal / h /. Conclusión: La intervención presenta resultados satisfactorios, brindando alta información para una mejor práctica clínica en el área.

Normative Features of Phoneme Acquisition in Brazilian Portuguese.

PURPOSE: To analyze the influence of gender, age, and types of school (public or private) on phoneme production, and provide normative data on phonological acquisition in Brazilian Portuguese (BP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The sample consisted of 733 children (ages 3 years to 8 years and 11 months), all monolingual speakers of BP with typical phonological development. Participants were evaluated using the spontaneous naming task from the Phonological Assessment Tool (Instrumento de Avaliação Fonológica - INFONO). The children's speech production was audio-recorded, transcribed, and submitted to phonological analysis. RESULTS: The effect of age was significant for all phonemes and syllable structures, especially when analyzed in combination with types of school and gender. Overall, phoneme production accuracy increased with age and varied depending on the types of school attended by the children, but did not differ between genders. CONCLUSION: Age had a greater impact on phoneme production. The normative data on phonological acquisition highlighted the differences between the ages of mastery for different phonemes, with elements such as the /r/ sound and complex onsets being acquired much later in development than some of the other phonemes analyzed.

Speech-language therapy students' auditory-perceptual judgements of simulated concurrent hypernasality and articulation disorders.

Auditory-perceptual judgements are regarded as the standard method for assessing speech disorders. However, the results of auditory-perceptual evaluations and rater reliability can be affected by various factors, such as concurrent problems in multiple speech subsystems. This study investigated the effect of a co-occurring articulation disorder on auditory-perceptual judgements of hypernasality and the effect of co-occurring hypernasality on judgements of an articulation disorder. The speech stimuli were sentences produced by a male speaker who simulated four levels of hypernasality (typical nasality, and mild, moderate, and severe hypernasality) at four levels of disordered articulation (typical articulation, and mild, moderate, and severe articulation disorder). Thirty speech and language therapy students used visual analogue scales to rate the severity of hypernasality and articulation disorder for each speech sample. Results showed that the hypernasality ratings were significantly higher when articulation disorder co-occurred compared to those without. However, there was no significant difference between mild, moderate and severe concurrent articulation disorder on hypernasality ratings. The speech samples with typical articulation and those with severe articulation disorder were rated as more severe in terms of articulation problem when combined with severe hypernasality. However, there was no significant hypernasality effect on articulation ratings for speech with mild or moderate articulation disorder. The present results generally agreed with previous findings regarding the effect of co-occurring speech problems on auditory-perceptual judgements. Clinicians are advised to be cautious of the potential impact. If possible, speech evaluation using instrumental techniques should be used to supplement auditory-perceptual judgements.