How pupils of different ages perceive menus denoting metaphorical and metonymic expressions: Insights from eye-tracking.

The "embodied" position on language comprehension proposes that metaphor or metonymy understanding can be presented in a distributed network based on previous sensorimotor experience. The current study attempted to investigate how children understood metaphor and metonymy.in the context of daily diet that provides rich sensory experience for children. We implemented an eye-tracking experiment where a 2 × 2 × 2 mixed design was employed. Thirty Chinese pupils aging from 6 to 12 were instructed to appreciate Chinese menus denoting metaphoric or metonymic expressions. Results of eye-tracking indicated that the dish image captioned with metaphorical names held the greatest attention of pupils, which held especially true for junior pupils. Moreover, the inclusion of Chinese pinyin in the menu served as a distractor that reduced pupils' attention to other menu elements. This study adds to the state of the art on embodied account of language by inspecting how the under-explored children perceived metaphorical and metonymic expressions. The context of everyday diet abundant in sensory experience managed to provide a more vivid scenario on this topic. It also provides practical insight into how to design menus to invoke particular sensory experience of infants who are undergoing both physical and mental development.

The effect of volatility in linguistic input on prediction behavior in autistic toddlers.

Domain-general prediction differences have been posited as underlying many aspects of the cognitive-behavioral profile in autism. An interesting potential implication of such differences is hyperplasticity of learning-the idea that autistic individuals may privilege more recent input over the accumulation of prior learning. Because real world language input is highly variable, hyperplasticity could have serious ramifications for language learning. To investigate potential hyperplasticity during a language processing task, we administered an experimental anticipatory eye movement (AEM) task to 2- to 3-year-old autistic children and neurotypical (NT) peers. Autistic children's change in anticipation from before to after a switch in contingencies did not significantly differ from NT counterparts, failing to support claims of hyperplasticity in the linguistic domain. Analysis of individual differences among autistic children revealed that cognitive ability was associated with prediction of the initial, stable contingencies, but neither age nor receptive language related to task performance. Results are discussed in terms of clinical implications and the broader context of research investigating prediction differences in autism.

Caregiver and child question types during a museum interaction.

Children museums provide an engaging learning environment for families with exhibits designed to stimulate caregiver-child interactions. Specific types of questions have been shown to support child language learning by scaffolding more elaborative responses. This study analyzed the use of question form types during caregiver-child interactions in a children's museum, aiming to discern their correlation with child language proficiency. We examined and transcribed two exhibit explorations by 43 caregiver-child dyads (3- to 6-year-old children). Our analysis encompasses various syntactic question types (e.g., yes-no, wh-) and measures of child language proficiency, including lexical diversity, morphosyntactic complexity, and overall language ability. Findings reveal disparities in question form usage among caregivers and children, with caregivers predominantly employing closed questions and children balancing closed and open-ended types. Children of caregivers who predominantly posed closed questions exhibited shorter utterances and lower overall language scores. Details on other question forms are presented (sub-types of polar, wh-, alternative, and echo). These findings contribute to our understanding of how question form influences language development and caregiver-child interactions.

Production of relative clauses in Cantonese-speaking children with and without Developmental Language Disorder.

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) has been explained as either a deficit deriving from an abstract representational deficit or as emerging from difficulties in acquiring and coordinating multiple interacting cues guiding learning. These competing explanations are often difficult to decide between when tested on European languages. This paper reports an experimental study of relative clause (RC) production in Cantonese-speaking children with and without DLD, which enabled us to test multiple developmental predictions derived from one prominent theory - emergentism. Children with DLD (N = 22; aged 6;6-9;7) were compared with age-matched typically-developing peers (N = 23) and language-matched, typically-developing children (N = 21; aged 4;7-7;6) on a sentence repetition task. Results showed that children's production across multiple RC types was influenced by structural frequency, general semantic complexity, and the linear order of constituents, with the DLD group performing worse than their age-matched and language-matched peers. The results are consistent with the emergentist explanation of DLD.

Trends in the prevalence of language disorders in 4-year-old children: Comparison of health assessment data in nursery schools in Val-de-Marne between the academic years 2018-2019 and 2021-2022.

BACKGROUND: In the Val-de-Marne department, health check-ups for children in the middle section of nursery school are carried out by the Maternal and Child Protection Service, and allow for the early detection of possible anomalies. Language is evaluated using the ERTL-4 test, which helps to identify a language disorder. Using data collected from health check-ups, the objective of our work was to compare the rates of children referred for language disorder assessment between the academic years 2018-2019 and 2021-2022 as well as the associated risk factors. METHOD: Children who underwent a health check-up during 2018-2019 and 2021-2022 were included. After a descriptive analysis, a logistic regression model was constructed with referral or no referral for a language disorder as a function of the academic year and possible risk or protective factors. RESULTS: Among the 36,816 health check-ups analyzed, the proportion of children referred for language disorder check-ups increased significantly by 3.3 % (p < 0.001). The factors associated with this were male gender ([odds ratio] OR = 1.60, p < 2.2e-16) and schooling in a priority education network (REP), (OR = 1.54, p < 2.2e-16) or REP+ (OR = 2.76, p < 2.2e-16). An association with other disorders was identified (p < 2.2e-16). CONCLUSION: This study shows that the proportion of children referred for language disorders has increased between the 2 academic years.

Wh-Words: Existential or Universal Quantifiers in Child Mandarin?

Wh-words have been analysed as existential quantifiers (Chierchia in Logic in grammar: polarity, free choice, and intervention. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2013; Fox, in Sauerland U, Stateva P (eds) Presupposition and implicature in compositional semantics (Palgrave studies in pragmatics, language and cognition). Palgrave MacMillan, Houndmills, pp 71-120, 2007; Liao in Alternative and exhaustification: non-interrogative uses of Chinese wh-words. Harvard University, 2010) or universal quantifiers (Nishigauchi, in: Theoretical and applied linguistics at Kobe Shoin 2, Kobe Shoin Institute for Linguistic Sciences, 1999). These two accounts have distinct predictions on how children initially interpret wh-words. The universal account predicts that children should initially interpret wh-words as universal quantifiers, whereas the existential account anticipates that children should start out with the existential interpretation. To adjudicate between the two accounts, the present study was designed to explore pre-schoolers' semantic knowledge of wh-quantification. Specifically, it investigated the interpretation of the wh-word shenme 'what' with 4-and 5-year-old Mandarin-speaking children and a control group of adults. Using a Truth Value Judgment Task (Crain and Thornton in Investigations in universal grammar: a guide to experiments on the acquisition of syntax and semantics. MIT Press, Cambridge, 1998), Experiment 1 evaluated whether children interpret the wh-word shenme 'what' as closer in meaning to the polarity sensitive item renhe 'any' or the universal quantifier suoyou 'all' in the antecedent of ruguo 'if' conditionals. Using a Question-Answer Task, Experiments 2 & 3 respectively investigated whether children interpret shenme 'what' as closer in meaning to renhe 'any' or suoyou 'all' in two types of questions: yes-no questions with the particle ma and A-not-A questions. It was found that both children and adults interpret shenme 'what' as closer in meaning to renhe 'any' than suoyou 'all'. The findings suggest that Mandarin-speaking pre-schoolers already have adult-like semantic knowledge of wh-quantification: wh-words are existential quantifiers rather than universal quantifiers. Due to the paucity of primary linguistic input, children's early mastery of the non-interrogative wh-words appear to support the biolinguistic approach to language acquisition (Chomsky in Aspects of the theory of syntax. MIT Press, Cambridge, 1965; Pinker in Language learnability and language development. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1984; Crain et al. in Language acquisition from a biolinguistic perspective. Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.09.004 ).

Exploring clinical reasoning in child language assessment through decoloniality.

PURPOSE: Clinical reasoning has been taught, practised, and researched under Western epistemologies, which have been fallible in addressing the complexity of clinical reasoning within Indigenous cultures and societies. We explored how speech-language pathologists in Sri Lanka negotiate and value Indigenous and Western perspectives in clinical reasoning within a decolonial framework. METHOD: This study used participatory research methodology within the decolonised qualitative research paradigm to produce data collaboratively with eight Sri Lankan speech-language pathologists. Oral history narratives and object-based textual reflections generated the necessary data for the study. Systematic visual-textual analysis and reflexive thematic analysis were carried out iteratively, and the data analysis and interpretation were undertaken collaboratively with the participants. RESULT: We generated four key themes about professional education, individuality in practice, holistic thinking, and balancing interests and priorities. The results demonstrate that social, political, and economic forces impact practitioners' clinical reasoning. CONCLUSION: Practising science in its original form within Indigenous contexts is challenging. Colonial roots and imperialism impact the delivery of appropriate services in socially and politically marginalised communities. Practitioners' self-awareness about authentic identities and practical wisdom can develop culturally relevant knowledge for equitable practice.

Mean Length of Utterance: A study of early language development in four Southern Bantu languages.

Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) has been widely used to measure children's early language development in a variety of languages. This study investigates the utility of MLU to measure language development in four agglutinative and morphologically complex Southern Bantu languages. Using a variant of MLU, MLU3, based on the three longest sentences children produced, we analysed the utterances of 448 toddlers (16-32 months) collected using the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory, a parent-report tool. MLU3, measured in words (MLU3-w) and morphemes (MLU3-m), significantly correlated with age and other indices of language growth (e.g., grammar and vocabulary). MLU3 measures also accounted for significant variance in language development particular morphosyntactic development. Our results suggest that MLU3-m is a more sensitive measure than MLU3-w. We conclude that MLU measured in morphemes provides a useful addition to other indices of language development in these kinds of morphologically complex languages.

The Processing of Lexical Ambiguity: Evidence from Child and Adult Greek.

The aim of the study is to examine the effect of sentential context on lexical ambiguity resolution in Greek adults and typically developing children. Context and word frequency are factors that can affect lexical processing, however, the role of them has not been thoroughly examined in Greek. To this aim, we assessed sentence context effects in homonym meaning activation in monolingual speakers of Greek, children and adults, using a cross-modal priming paradigm. Additionally, all participants conducted a verbal working memory task and an inhibition task so as to examine whether the use of sentential context for lexical ambiguity resolution relates to age and/or cognitive processing capacity. The data analysis showed (a) major processing differences between adults and children due to ambiguity and sentential context, (b) children's processing times affected by cognitive skills while adults' processing unaffected, and (c) visual word recognition intact for all participants.

Playing With Fire Compounds: The Tonal Accents of Compounds in (North) Norwegian Preschoolers' Role-Play Register.

Prosodic features are some of the most salient features of dialect variation in Norway. It is therefore no wonder that the switch in prosodic systems is what is first recognized by caretakers and scholars when Norwegian children code-switch to something resembling the dialect of the capital (henceforth Urban East Norwegian, UEN) in role-play. With a focus on the system of lexical tonal accents, this paper investigates the spontaneous speech of North Norwegian children engaging in peer social role-play. By investigating F0 contours extracted from a corpus of spontaneous peer play, and comparing them with elicited baseline reference contours, this paper makes the case that children fail to apply the target tonal accent consistent with UEN in compounds in role-play, although the production of tonal accents otherwise seems to be phonetically target like UEN. Put in other words, they perform in accordance with UEN phonetics, but not UEN morpho-phonology.

Preoperative word-finding difficulties in children with posterior fossa tumours: a European cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: Posterior fossa tumour surgery in children entails a high risk for severe speech and language impairments, but few studies have investigated the effect of the tumour on language prior to surgery. The current crosslinguistic study addresses this gap. We investigated the prevalence of preoperative word-finding difficulties, examined associations with medical and demographic characteristics, and analysed lexical errors. METHODS: We included 148 children aged 5-17 years with a posterior fossa tumour. Word-finding ability was assessed by means of a picture-naming test, Wordrace, and difficulties in accuracy and speed were identified by cut-off values. A norm-based subanalysis evaluated performance in a Swedish subsample. We compared the demographic and medical characteristics of children with slow, inaccurate, or combined slow and inaccurate word finding to the characteristics of children without word-finding difficulties and conducted a lexical error analysis. RESULTS: Thirty-seven percent (n = 55) presented with slow word finding, 24% (n = 35) with inaccurate word finding, and 16% (n = 23) with both slow and inaccurate word finding. Children with posterior fossa tumours were twice as slow as children in the norming sample. Right-hemisphere and brainstem location posed a higher risk for preoperative word-finding difficulties, relative to left-hemisphere location, and difficulties were more prevalent in boys than in girls. The most frequent errors were lack of response and semantically related sideordinated words. CONCLUSION: Word-finding difficulties are frequent in children with posterior fossa tumours, especially in boys and in children with right-hemisphere and brainstem tumours. Errors resemble those observed in typical development and children with word-finding difficulties.

Repertório lexical de crianças de 24 e 30 meses falantes do português brasileiro: resultados preliminares / Lexical repertoire of 24 and 30-month-old children speaking Brazilian portuguese: preliminary results

RESUMO Objetivo Verificar o repertório lexical de crianças falantes do português brasileiro aos 24 e 30 meses e a associação entre a quantidade de palavras faladas e as variáveis: nível socioeconômico, escolaridade dos pais, presença de irmãos no convívio familiar, frequentar ou não escola e uso exacerbado de tablets e celulares pelas crianças. Método 30 pais de crianças com 24 meses, residentes no estado de São Paulo participaram do estudo. Por meio de plataformas de videoconferência eles foram submetidos à anamnese fonoaudiológica, entrevista com o serviço social e preencheram o "Inventário MacArthur de Desenvolvimento Comunicativo - Primeiras Palavras e Gestos", quando seus filhos tinham 24 e 30 meses. Foi aplicada estatística indutiva inferencial, quantitativa e qualitativa. Resultados A mediana das palavras emitidas foi de 283 aos 24 meses e 401 aos 30 meses, indicando aumento em torno de 118 palavras após seis meses. A criança estar frequentando ambiente escolar apresentou relação significativa com o aumento do vocabulário. Conclusão O estudo reforça o crescimento do vocabulário conforme o avanço da idade e corrobora o fato de as crianças com 24 meses já possuírem um repertório maior que 50 palavras. Aqueles que frequentam escola diariamente produzem pelo menos 70 palavras a mais dos que não frequentam.

ABSTRACT Purpose To check the lexical repertoire of Brazilian Portuguese-speaking children at 24 and 30 months of age and the association between the number of words spoken and the following variables: socioeconomic status, parents' education, presence of siblings in the family, whether or not they attend school, and excessive use of tablets and cell phones. Methods 30 parents of children aged 24 months living in the state of São Paulo participated in the study. Using videoconferencing platforms, they underwent a speech-language pathology anamnesis, an interview with social services, and then they completed the "MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory - First Words and Gestures" as soon as their children were 24 and 30 months old. Quantitative and qualitative inferential inductive statistics were applied. Results the median number of words produced was 283 at 24 months and 401 at 30 months, indicating an increase of around 118 words after six months. The child attending a school environment had a significant relationship with increased vocabulary. Conclusion The study reinforces the fact that vocabulary grows with age and corroborates the fact that children aged 24 months already have a repertoire greater than 50 words. Those who attend school every day produce at least 70 more words than those who do not.

Prática baseada em evidências e atuação clínica em linguagem infantil: uma pesquisa online com fonoaudiólogos brasileiros / Evidence-based practice and clinical practice in child language: an online survey with Brazilian speech-language pathologists

RESUMO Objetivo Caracterizar o conhecimento, habilidades, opiniões e principais barreiras percebidas por fonoaudiólogos, da área de linguagem infantil no Brasil, a respeito da prática baseada em evidências (PBE). Método O estudo foi conduzido entre agosto de 2021 e julho de 2022 por meio de um questionário online. Além de dados sociodemográficos e de campo de trabalho, foram considerados 22 itens relacionados à PBE e subdivididos em "conhecimento", "habilidades", "opinião" e "barreiras". Cada item apresentava cinco opções de resposta (discordo totalmente, discordo, não estou decidido, concordo, concordo totalmente). Ao total 122 fonoaudiólogos que atuam na área da linguagem infantil responderam ao questionário. Suas respostas foram descritas pela porcentagem de distribuição de frequência. O tempo de formação e o nível de domínio do inglês foram considerados para comparar o padrão de distribuição das respostas. Resultados Apesar da maioria dos fonoaudiólogos reportar ter aprendido as bases da PBE em sua formação acadêmica, há fragilidades em seu conhecimento e falta de domínio das estratégias de busca e avaliação crítica dos artigos científicos. Ainda que a maioria concorde que a aplicação da PBE é necessária para a prática fonoaudiológica e considere precisar aumentar o uso de evidências científicas em sua prática diária, são apontadas como barreiras a falta de artigos, dificuldades relacionadas à aplicação prática de resultados científicos e falta de apoio coletivo entre os colegas. Conclusão Este estudo alerta a comunidade acadêmica para a urgência de se considerar a PBE no contexto da Fonoaudiologia brasileira.

ABSTRACT Purpose To characterize the knowledge, skills, opinions, and main barriers perceived by speech-language pathologists, in child language in Brazil, regarding evidence-based practice (EBP). Methods The study was conducted between August 2021 and July 2022 using an online questionnaire. In addition to sociodemographic and field data, 22 items related to EBP were considered and subdivided into "knowledge", "skills", "opinion" and "barriers". Each item had five response options (strongly disagree, disagree, not decided, agree, strongly agree). A total of 122 speech-language pathologists who work with child language answered the questionnaire. Their responses were described by the percentage of frequency distribution. The time since graduation and the level of proficiency in English were considered to compare the distribution pattern of the answers. Results Although most speech-language pathologists report having learned the basics of EBP in their academic training, there are weaknesses in their knowledge and lack of mastery of search strategies and critical evaluation of scientific articles. Although most agree that EBP's use is necessary for speech-language practice and consider the need to increase the use of scientific evidence in their daily practice, the lack of articles, difficulties related to the practical application of scientific results and lack of collective support among colleagues are identified as barriers. Conclusion This study alerts the academic community to the urgency of considering EBP in the context of Brazilian Speech-Language Pathology.

Evidências de validade de critério concorrente e preditiva do Instrumento de Rastreio da Comunicação de Crianças de 0 a 36 meses (IRC-36) / Evidence of concurrent and predictive criterion validity of the Child Communication Screening Instrument from 0 to 36 months (IRC-36)

RESUMO Objetivo Determinar evidências de validade de critério concorrente e preditiva do Instrumento de Rastreio da Comunicação de crianças de 0 a 36 meses (IRC-36). Método Participaram da pesquisa 78 pais/responsáveis de crianças que frequentam o serviço de puericultura das Unidades de Saúde da Família, além de 33 crianças com idades entre 0 e 36 meses, convidadas para segunda etapa do estudo. Na primeira etapa do estudo, 13 profissionais de saúde foram treinados para realizar a aplicação do IRC-36 nos pais/responsáveis das crianças. No segundo momento, os pais responderam a uma nova aplicação do IRC-36 e as crianças foram avaliadas com o Denver II. Resultados O IRC-36 apresentou correlação com o Denver II em mais da metade dos casos, confirmando a validade de critério concorrente do instrumento. Os resultados do IRC-36 da primeira etapa quando correlacionados com o Denver II, não apresentaram valores significativos. O valor de ponto de corte do instrumento foi 12, sendo este o valor de referência entre crianças em risco e sem risco para alteração da comunicação. O instrumento apresentou valor de acurácia dentro dos níveis preconizados e alta sensibilidade. A ocorrência de risco para alteração da comunicação apresentou-se maior na segunda aplicação do IRC-36. Conclusão O estudo apresentou evidências de validade de critério concorrente, indicando que o instrumento possui evidências de medidas de acurácia e de validade para o rastreio da comunicação de crianças de 0 a 36 meses sendo capaz de identificar risco para as alterações da comunicação.

ABSTRACT Purpose To determine evidence of concurrent and predictive criterion validity of the Communication Screening Instrument for children aged 0 to 36 months (IRC-36). Methods 78 parents/guardians of children who attend the childcare service of the Family Health Centers participated in the research, in addition to 33 children aged between 0 and 36 months, invited to the second stage of the study. In its first stage, 13 health professionals were trained to apply the IRC-36 to the children's parents/guardians. In the second moment, the parents responded to a new IRC-36 application, and the children were evaluated with Denver II. Results IRC-36 correlated with Denver II in more than half of the cases, confirming the instrument's concurrent criterion validity. IRC-36 results in the first stage did not significantly correlate with Denver II. The instrument's cutoff value was 12, which is the reference value between children at risk and not at risk of communication disorders. The instrument had high sensitivity and an accuracy value within the recommended levels. The occurrence of risk of communication changes was higher in the second IRC-36 application. Conclusion The study presented evidence of concurrent criterion validity, indicating that the instrument has evidence of accuracy and validity measures to screen communication in children aged 0 to 36 months, being able to identify the risk for communication disorders.

Deslizamentos de posição subjetiva em enunciados tidos como ecolálicos de uma criança com Distúrbio de Linguagem: um estudo de caso / Subjective position sliding in utterances perceived as echolalic in a child with Language Disorder: a case study

RESUMO Sob ótica linguístico-discursiva de orientação francesa, foram investigadas marcas de subjetividade numa cadeia de enunciados tidos como ecolálicos, ancorados na estrutura linguística recorrente X quer Y?. No interior de uma sessão de fonoterapia, essa cadeia foi produzida por J., uma criança do sexo feminino, com 10 anos de idade à época da coleta dos dados, com diagnóstico fonoaudiológico de distúrbio de linguagem e diagnóstico médico de psicose precoce. Um conjunto de flutuações linguísticas indiciaram um deslizamento de posição subjetiva na cadeia analisada. Tais flutuações envolveram elementos sintáticos, lexicais, semânticos, morfológicos e prosódicos. Discursivamente, as flutuações deixaram rastros de um deslizamento de posição subjetiva, ou seja, de sujeito falado (cê quer Y?) para falante/desejante (eu quero Y.) na cadeia formada por esses enunciados. Desse modo, enunciados tidos como ecolálicos podem dar pistas do desejo do sujeito em sua relação com o O/outro, por meio de suas flutuações linguísticas e de seus deslizamentos discursivos. Portanto, embora não irrompam de forma convencional, tais enunciados podem mostrar possibilidades de mudanças de posição subjetiva. Por conseguinte, uma contribuição da investigação relatada à clínica de linguagem é a de que, no setting terapêutico, pode haver escuta para enunciados que, em primeira instância, poderiam ser tidos como colados/enraizados no dizer do outro. Na clínica de linguagem é possível, então, dar lugar a novos/outros sentidos a tais enunciados, de maneira a favorecer a constituição do sujeito da/na linguagem a partir de enunciados frequentemente interpretados como esvaziados de subjetividade.

ABSTRACT Within a linguistic-discursive framework, subject markers in a chain of utterances considered to be echolalia based on the recurring linguistic structure does X want Y? were investigated. This chain was produced during a speech therapy session by J., a female child, 10-years-old at the time of data collection, and with a speech-language pathology diagnosis of language disorder and a medical diagnosis of early psychosis. A set of linguistic fluctuations indicated a sliding of the subject position in the analyzed chain. Such fluctuations involved syntactic, lexical, semantic, morphological and prosodic elements. Discursively, the fluctuations left traces of a sliding of the subject position in the chain formed by these utterances, from a spoken subject (do you want Y?) to a speaking/desiring one (I want Y.). In this way, utterances considered echolalia can provide clues, via their linguistic fluctuations and discursive slippages, about the subject's desire in their relationship with the O/other. Given this, although they do not emerge in a conventional way, such utterances can demonstrate possibilities for changes in subject position. A contribution of the present research for clinical practice involving language in therapeutic settings therefore, was to highlight a listening to utterances, which could be seen as connected/grounded in the speech of the other. In clinical practice involving language, it is possible to create space for new/other senses for utterances, to allow the constitution of the subject of/in language, based on utterances often interpreted as being devoid of subjectivity.

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.

Checklist das categorias da CIF relevantes para o desenvolvimento de fala e linguagem / Checklist of relevant ICF categories for speech and language development

RESUMO Objetivo Criar um checklist da Classificação Internacional de Funcionalidade, Incapacidade e Saúde (CIF) a partir de categorias relevantes para o desenvolvimento de fala e linguagem, segundo a percepção de pais e fonoaudiólogos. Método Realizou-se aplicação piloto e pesquisa. Na pesquisa participaram 100 pais de pré-escolares, com desenvolvimento típico de linguagem/cognição e 57 fonoaudiólogos especialistas em linguagem. Elaborou-se questionário com 199 categorias da CIF dos componentes de funções do corpo, atividades e participação e fatores ambientais. Cada categoria foi pontuada como: indispensável (2); importante (1) ou sem importância (0). Realizou-se a análise estatística (descritiva, soma, cluster/Método K-means e Mann-Whitney). Resultados Com a soma dos pontos (indispensável, importante e sem importância) e a quantidade de respostas indispensável, foram identificadas as categorias de maior relevância para cada grupo de respondentes, assim como o conjunto de categorias em comum (72 consideradas de maior influência). A listagem comum aos grupos contou com os três componentes: funções do corpo (30 categorias/40% do total), atividades e participação (35/49,29%) e fatores ambientais (sete/13,20%). Das categorias selecionadas, 58,33% apresentaram resultados estatisticamente significantes entre os grupos, quanto à relevância dada. Conclusão As categorias foram consideradas com pontuações distintas entre os grupos: as de funções do corpo foram mais pontuadas pelos fonoaudiólogos, enquanto as de fatores ambientais pelos pais. Assim, foi possível criar um checklist a partir da identificação das categorias mais relevantes para o desenvolvimento de fala e linguagem, em idade pré-escolar, contemplando os componentes funções do corpo, atividades e participação e fatores ambientais.

ABSTRACT Purpose Create a checklist of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) based on relevant categories for the development of speech and language, according to the perception of parents and speech therapists. Methods Pilot application and research were carried out. 100 parents of preschool children with typical language/cognition development and 57 language specialist speech therapists participated in the survey. A questionnaire was created with 199 ICF categories of body function components, activities and participation, and environmental factors. Each category was scored as: indispensable (2); important (1) or unimportant (0). Statistical analysis was performed (descriptive, sum, cluster/K-means and Mann-Whitney method). Results With the sum of the points (essential, important and unimportant) and the number of responses essential, the most relevant categories were identified for each group of respondents, as well as the set of categories in common (72 considered to have the greatest influence). The common list to the groups included the three components: body functions (30 categories/40% of the total), activities and participation (35/49.29%) and environmental factors (seven/13.20%). From the selected categories, 58.33% presented statistically significant results between the groups, regarding the relevance given. Conclusions The categories were considered with different scores between the groups: those of body functions were more scored by speech therapists, while those of environmental factors by parents. Thus, it was possible to create a checklist from the identification of the most relevant categories for the development of speech and language, in preschool age, contemplating the components of body functions, activities and participation and environmental factors.

Language functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A scoping review / Funcionalidade da linguagem no transtorno do espectro do autismo: uma revisão de escopo

ABSTRACT Purpose: to map and synthesize scientific evidence on language functioning in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder Autism Spectrum Disorder. Methods: this scoping review aimed at mapping and synthesizing scientific evidence on language functioning in children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. A research question, article selection, and compilation of results were used as research strategies. The selection criteria were studies with samples of children and adolescents, addressing Autism Spectrum Disorder, speech-language-hearing therapy, communication, language, and functioning. After independent evaluators read the titles, keywords, abstracts, and full texts, they recorded the following data for the review: year of publication, type of study, country of origin, sample size, age of participants, instruments used, language subsystems assessed, and results. Literature review: the search found 1,056 articles, of which 536 were read in full, and 16 were included. There was great variability in assessment instruments and few studies involving adolescents. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder had changes in language functioning related to pragmatics, morphosyntax, semantics, and phonology. Conclusion: the preliminary evidence map indicates that children and adolescents with ASD have a variety of language changes.

RESUMO Objetivo: mapear e sintetizar evidências científicas sobre a funcionalidade da linguagem em crianças e adolescentes com Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo. Métodos: trata-se de revisão de escopo com objetivo de mapear e sintetizar evidências científicas sobre a funcionalidade da linguagem em crianças e adolescentes com Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo. Como estratégia de pesquisa, utilizaram-se a pergunta norteadora, a seleção de artigos e compilação dos resultados. Os critérios de seleção foram: estudos com amostras de crianças e adolescentes que abordavam Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo, Fonoaudiologia, comunicação, linguagem e funcionalidade. Após leitura dos títulos, descritores e resumos por avaliadores independentes e leitura dos artigos na íntegra, os dados registrados para a revisão foram: ano de publicação, tipo de estudo, país de origem, tamanho amostral, idade dos participantes, instrumentos utilizados, subsistemas de linguagem avaliados e resultados. Revisão da Literatura: foram levantados 1.056 artigos, 536 foram lidos na íntegra e 16 foram incluídos. Houve grande variabilidade de instrumentos de avaliação e poucos estudos envolvendo adolescentes. Indivíduos com Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo apresentaram alterações na funcionalidade da linguagem relacionadas a pragmática, morfossintaxe, semântica e fonologia. Conclusão: o mapa preliminar de evidências indica que crianças e adolescentes com Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo apresentam diversidade de alterações na linguagem.

Shared reading: Interaction between parents and children in a natural setting / Leitura compartilhada: interação entre pais e filhos em situação natural

Objective The present study aimed to describe and analyze how parents naturally carry out shared reading with their children, without specific instructions. Additionally, the effect of a brief intervention to teach parents to use shared reading strategies was evaluated. Method Four families with children between the ages of four and five without a diagnosis of any disorder participated. We analyzed home footage captured by parents of shared reading moments, and to analyze the intervention, we measured the number of language stimulus strategies used by the parents as well as measures of the children's language. Results The description of the natural situation generated four categories of analysis: organization of the physical space, contact with the book, the way the story is told and the emotional relationship between parents and children. After the brief intervention, improvements were found in all measured variables when compared to pre-intervention data. Conclusion The importance of guiding families to use more language stimulation strategies in the context of shared reading is discussed, in order to enrich the child's speaking opportunities.

Objetivo O presente estudo teve como objetivo descrever e analisar como os pais realizam a leitura compartilhada com seus filhos, naturalmente, sem instruções específicas. Adicionalmente, foi avaliado o efeito de uma intervenção breve para ensinar pais a usarem estratégias de leitura compartilhada. Método Participaram quatro famílias com crianças entre quatro e cinco anos sem diagnóstico de qualquer transtorno. Foram analisadas filmagens que os pais realizaram em suas casas de um momento de leitura compartilhada e para análise da intervenção foi mensurado o número de utilização das estratégias de estímulo da linguagem pelos pais e medidas de linguagem das crianças. Resultados A descrição da situação natural gerou quatro categorias de análise: organização do espaço físico, contato com o livro, forma como a história é contada e relação afetiva entre pais e filhos. Após a intervenção breve foram encontradas melhorias em todas as variáveis medidas quando comparadas aos dados pré-intervenção. Conclusão Discute-se a importância de orientar as famílias a utilizarem mais estratégias de estímulo de linguagem no contexto de leitura compartilhada, para enriquecer as oportunidades de fala da criança.

Early-Life Exposure to Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Child Language and Communication Development: A Systematic Review.

Language development starts during the fetal period when the brain is sensitive to endocrine disruptions from environmental contaminants. This systematic review aims to systematically summarize the existing literature on early-life exposure to PFAS and children's language and communication development, which is an indicator of neurocognitive development. A structured literature search was conducted using three databases, PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL, last updated in April 2023. The population was defined as children and young adults. PFAS exposure was assessed pre- or postnatally. The outcome was defined as a language and communication ability assessed with validated instruments, parental self-reports, or clinical language disorder diagnoses. In total, 15 studies were identified for subsequent analyses. Thirteen were performed in background-exposed populations and two in highly exposed populations. There were some indications of potential adverse effects; however, these were not consistent across child sex, age of assessment, or PFAS exposure levels. No systematic effect of early-life PFAS exposure on language and communication development was found. These inconclusive findings may partly be explained by the use of general test instruments with limited validity as to children's language and communication development. Further studies over a wider exposure range using specific language test instruments are needed.