Phonological remediation effects on a child with giftedness and developmental dyslexia. / Efeito da remediação fonológica em criança com altas habilidades/superdotação e dislexia do desenvolvimento.

Twice-exceptionality is characterized as the presence of high performance concomitantly with deficiencies or incompatible conditions. An example is when giftedness manifest associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. This study is a clinical case report referring to the evaluative and interventional process of a 9- year-old child with the paradoxical combination of giftedness associated with dyslexia. It aims to compare the performance in phonological processing, reading and writing before and after phonological remediation. In the first assessment, the child demonstrated alphabetic level in reading, a transition phase between syllabic-alphabetic and alphabetical writing levels, and below-expected performance in phonological processing skills. After intervention, the results showed consistent improvements in phonological processing, the consolidation of alphabetical writing and orthographic reading level. In general, children with isolated dyslexia have persistent difficulties in several skills after intervention. The evolution shown after phonological remediation, especially at reading level, shows different characteristics than expected. Thus, it can be concluded that twice-exceptionality may have favored the overcoming of some of the shown difficulties more successfully. Studies on these combined conditions can contribute to a better understanding of this framework during the development of learning and to formulate specialized interventions.

A dupla-excepcionalidade é caracterizada pela presença de alto desempenho concomitante a deficiências ou condições incompatíveis, como é o caso de altas habilidades associadas a transtornos do neurodesenvolvimento. Esse estudo é um relato de caso clínico referente ao processo avaliativo e interventivo de uma criança de 9 anos com a combinação paradoxal de altas habilidades associadas à dislexia. O objetivo foi comparar o desempenho nas tarefas de processamento fonológico, leitura e escrita pré e pós remediação fonológica. Na primeira avaliação, a criança apresentou nível alfabético na leitura, fase de transição entre os níveis silábico-alfabético e alfabético na escrita e desempenho abaixo do esperado nas habilidades do processamento fonológico. Após a intervenção, houve melhora em habilidades do processamento fonológico, consolidação da escrita alfabética e do nível ortográfico de leitura. Em geral, crianças com dislexia isolada apresentam dificuldades persistentes em várias habilidades após intervenção. A evolução demonstrada após a remediação fonológica, principalmente no nível de leitura, mostra características diferentes do esperado. Assim, pode-se concluir que a dupla-excepcionalidade pode ter favorecido a superação de algumas de suas dificuldades de forma mais exitosa. Estudos sobre estas condições combinadas podem contribuir para a melhor compreensão deste quadro durante o desenvolvimento da aprendizagem e para a formulação de intervenções especializadas.

Response to intervention as an identification strategy of the risk for dyslexia. / Resposta à intervenção como estratégia de identificação do risco para dislexia.

PURPOSE: To develop on intervention process to identify children at risk of dyslexia, based on the Response to Intervention model. Specifically, to identify the pattern of changes in post-intervention performance in tasks of phonological awareness, working memory, lexical access, reading and writing; and to analyze which cognitive functions had a significant effect on the discriminating students at risk of dyslexia. METHOD: Sample of 30 participants with Reading and writing difficulties, aged 8-11, from public/private schools, students from 3rd to 5th grade. Participants were submitted to a battery of cognitive-linguistic tests, before and after 12 intervention sessions. To monitor their performance, five reading and writing lists of words and pseudowords were applied. We qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed the differences in pre- and post-intervention performance of each participant; and among participants in the post-assessment, to understand the patterns of dyslexia vs non-dyslexia groups. RESULTS: There were statistically significant changes in: rapid automatized naming, narrative text comprehension, phonological awareness, rate and typology of hits/misses in reading and writing, and reading speed. Being the last three variables the most sensitive to discriminate the two groups, all with less post-intervention gains for the dyslexia group. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention focused on the stimulation of phonological skills and explicit and systematic teaching of graphophonemic correspondences contributed positively to the evolution of the group's participants. The intervention response approach favored the identification of children with a profile at risk for dyslexia, as distinct from children with other learning difficulties.

OBJETIVO: desenvolver um processo de intervenção para identificação de crianças em risco para dislexia, baseado no modelo de resposta à intervenção. Especificamente, identificar o perfil de mudança no desempenho pós-intervenção em tarefas de consciência fonológica, memória operacional, acesso lexical, leitura, escrita; e analisar quais funções cognitivas tiveram efeito significativo para discriminação de estudantes em risco para dislexia. MÉTODO: amostra composta por 30 participantes com dificuldades na leitura e escrita, entre 8 e 11 anos, de escola pública ou particular, estudantes do 3º ao 5º ano. Todos foram submetidos a uma bateria de testes cognitivo-linguísticos, antes e após a realização de 12 sessões de intervenção. Para monitoramento do desempenho foram aplicadas cinco listas de leitura e escrita de palavras/pseudopalavras. Foram realizadas análises, qualitativas e quantitativas, das diferenças de desempenho pré e pós-intervenção; e entre os participantes na pós avaliação, para compreensão de grupos perfil em risco para dislexia vs não-dislexia. RESULTADOS: ocorreram mudanças estatisticamente significativas em nomeação automática rápida, compreensão de texto, consciência fonológica, taxa e tipologia de acertos/erros na leitura/escrita e velocidade de leitura. Sendo essas três últimas variáveis as que se mostraram mais discriminativas dos grupos, todas com menos ganhos na pós-intervenção para o grupo com perfil em risco de dislexia. CONCLUSÃO: a intervenção com foco na estimulação das habilidades fonológicas e ensino explícito das correspondências grafofonêmicas contribuiu para a evolução dos participantes. A abordagem de resposta à intervenção favoreceu a identificação de crianças com perfil em risco para dislexia, as diferenciando de crianças com outras dificuldades de aprendizagem.

Impact of reading intervention on the phonological awareness of children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: To review studies that have intervention in reading with impacts on phonological awareness in children with autism spectrum disorder. RESEARCH STRATEGIES: Searches took place until February 2021 in Cochrane, Embase, ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature), PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science and gray literature databases. SELECTION CRITERIA: The review included experimental studies with preschoolers and schoolchildren with ASD. Two independent reviewers selected the studies and, in case of disagreement, a third reviewer was consulted. DATA ANALYSIS: Joanna Briggs Institute checklists were used for risk of bias. A random effects meta-analysis was performed and the certainty of the evidence was assessed using the GRADE tool. RESULTS: Eight studies with some impact on phonological awareness were reviewed. The risk of bias was low and moderate. The certainty of the evidence was low for randomized trials and very low for non-randomised trials. Comparison of pre- and post-therapy on the Preschool Literacy Test (TOPEL) showed that children with ASD improved phonological awareness, with a mean difference between baseline and post-therapy of 6.21 (95% CI = 3.75-8.67; I2 = 0%). CONCLUSION: Shared reading and software activities with words and phrases can alter phonological awareness. These results support further research with larger samples and a detailed description of the intervention to observe its effectiveness in phonological awareness.

Evidence of validity and reliability of the Compressed Speech Test with Figures. / Evidências de validade e fidedignidade do Teste de Fala Comprimida com Figuras.

PURPOSE: To seek evidence of validity and reliability for the Compressed Speech Test with Figures. METHODS: The study was subdivided into three stages: construct validation, criteria and reliability. All participants were aged between 6:00 and 8:11. For the construct, Compressed Speech with Figures and the gold standard Adapted Compressed Speech test were applied to children with typical phonological development. For criterion analysis, Compressed Speech with Figures was applied in two groups, with typical (G1) and atypical (G2) phonological development. Finally, the application protocols underwent analysis by two Speech Therapists, with experience in the area of Central Auditory Processing, seeking to obtain an inter-evaluator reliability analysis. RESULTS: The correlation test indicated an almost perfect construct (correlation 0.843 for the right ear and 0.823 for the left ear). In the criterion analysis, it was noticed that both groups presented satisfactory results (G1 = 99.6 to 100%; G2 = 96 to 96.5%). The reliability analysis demonstrated that the protocol is easy to analyze, as both professionals presented unanimous responses. CONCLUSION: It was possible to obtain evidence of validity and reliability for the Compressed Speech with Figures instrument. The construct analysis showed that the instrument measures the same variable as the gold standard test, with an almost perfect correlation. In the criterion analysis, both groups presented similar performance, demonstrating that the instrument does not seem to differentiate populations with and without mild phonological disorder. The inter-evaluator reliability analysis demonstrated that the protocol is easy to analyze and score.

OBJETIVO: Buscar evidências de validade e fidedignidade para o Teste de Fala Comprimida com Figuras. MÉTODO: O estudo foi subdividido em três etapas: validação de construto, critério e fidedignidade. Todos os participantes tinham idade entre 6:00 e 8:11. Para o construto, aplicou-se o Fala Comprimida com Figuras e o teste padrão ouro Fala Comprimida Adaptado em crianças com desenvolvimento fonológico típico. Para análise de critério, aplicou-se o Fala Comprimida com Figuras em dois grupos, com desenvolvimento fonológico típico (G1) e atípico (G2). Por fim, os protocolos de aplicação passaram pela análise de duas Fonoaudiólogas, com experiência na área do Processamento Auditivo Central, buscando obter uma análise de fidedignidade interavaliadores. RESULTADOS: O teste de correlação indicou um construto quase perfeito (Rho=0,843 para orelha direita e Rho=0,823 para orelha esquerda). Na análise de critério, percebeu-se que ambos os grupos apresentaram resultados satisfatórios (G1 = 99,6 a 100%; G2 = 96 a 96,5%). Já a análise de fidedignidade demonstrou que o protocolo é de fácil análise, pois ambos os profissionais apresentaram respostas unânimes. CONCLUSÃO: Foi possível obter evidências de validade e fidedignidade para o instrumento de Fala Comprimida com Figuras. A análise de construto evidenciou que o instrumento mede a mesma variável que o teste padrão outro, com correlação quase perfeita. Na análise de critério, ambos os grupos apresentaram desempenho semelhante, demonstrando que o instrumento não parece diferenciar populações com e sem transtorno fonológico leve. A análise de fidedignidade interavaliador demonstrou que o protocolo é de fácil análise e pontuação.

Development of the Digital Speech Assessment Instrument.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop a Digital Speech Assessment Instrument to evaluate the phonological and motor speech skills of Brazilian Portuguese-speaking children and adolescents through six tasks: (a) word naming, (b) word imitation, (c) pseudoword imitation, (d) word repetition, (e) pseudoword repetition, and (f) diadochokinesis. METHOD: The assessment instrument was developed and validated in a seven-step process, beginning with stimulus selection and ending with Pilot Study 1 (involving children and adolescents with typical speech development) and Pilot Study 2 (involving children and adolescents with speech sound disorders [SSDs]). Participants of the study included expert and nonexpert judges, children, and adolescents. RESULTS: The Digital Speech Assessment Instrument contains 91 real words (61 in the naming task, 51 in the imitation task, and five in the repetition task), 26 pseudowords (26 in the imitation task and four in the repetition task), and six stimuli for diadochokinesis. The test contains stimuli in the form of images as well as audio and video recordings and allows for the analysis and storage of participant data in a virtual database. CONCLUSIONS: This study described the development of the Digital Speech Assessment Instrument, available in Brazilian Portuguese for the evaluation of several aspects of speech production (including word and pseudoword naming, imitation, and repetition and diadochokinesis). The test was developed for children aged 2;0 (years;months) to 17;11 and is administered fully online. In the future, the instrument can be used to provide a timely and accurate diagnosis of SSDs.

Can rapid maxillary expansion affect speech sound production in growing patients? A systematic review.

Rapid maxillary expansion (RME) may change speech sound parameters due to the enlargement of oral and nasal cavities. This study aimed to systematically review the current evidence on speech changes as a side effect of RME. An electronic search was conducted in nine databases, and two of them accessed the 'grey literature'. The eligibility criteria included clinical studies assessing orthodontic patients with maxillary transverse deficiency and the relationship with speech alterations without restricting publication year or language. Only interventional studies were included. The JBI Critical Appraisal Tool assessed the risk of bias. The initial search provided 4853 studies. Seven articles (n = 200 patients) met the inclusion criteria and were analysed. The primary source of bias was the absence of a control group in four studies. RME altered speech production by changing vowel fundamental frequency and fricative phoneme formant frequency. Shimmer and jitter rates changed in one and two studies, respectively. Two studies presented deterioration during orthodontic treatment, but speech improved after appliance removal. Despite the limited evidence, RME affects speech during and after treatment.

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

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.

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.

Phonological Assessment Instrument: evidence of reliability. / Instrumento de Avaliação Fonológica: evidências de fidedignidade.

PURPOSE: To present evidence of intra- and inter-rater reliability and internal consistency of the Phonological Assessment Instrument scores, so that it can be considered reliable and valid for use in clinical practice. METHODS: 179 audio recordings of the instrument's speech samples were analyzed. The collection was carried out from its application in the period of 5 months in children aged from five to eight years and 11 months. Three expert judges transcribed the speech production of each child into the software, which generated performance reports. The speech data of each child were compared between these evaluators, who were trained and experienced in phonetic transcription, to verify the agreement of the instrument scores. For the reliability analysis, the internal consistency was verified using Cronbach's Alpha and the intra and inter-rater reliability using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient. RESULTS: The Phonological Assessment Instrument showed evidence of high internal consistency, with scores indicating excellent reliability for the assessment of Brazilian Portuguese phonemes, as well as adequate agreement among the judges regarding the instrument scores. CONCLUSION: The instrument presented robust evidence of reliability, being a reliable and safe option to be used in Brazilian research and clinical practice to evaluate the phonological system of Brazilian children.

OBJETIVO: Apresentar evidências de fidedignidade intra e interavaliadores, e de consistência interna, dos escores do Instrumento de Avaliação Fonológica, a fim de que possa ser considerado fidedigno e válido para a utilização na prática clínica. MÉTODO: Foram analisados 179 áudios dos registros de fala do instrumento, cuja coleta foi realizada a partir da sua aplicação no período de 5 meses em crianças na faixa etária dos cinco aos oito anos e 11 meses. Três juízes especialistas transcreveram no software a produção de fala de cada criança, o qual gerou relatórios de desempenho. Os dados de fala de cada criança foram comparados entre esses avaliadores, treinados e experientes em transcrição fonética, para verificar a concordância dos escores do instrumento. Para a análise da fidedignidade, foi verificada a consistência interna pelo Alpha de Cronbach e a confiabilidade intra e interavaliadores por meio do Coeficiente de Correlação Intraclasse. RESULTADOS: O Instrumento de Avaliação Fonológica apresentou evidências de alta consistência interna, com escores indicando excelente fidedignidade para avaliação dos fonemas do Português Brasileiro, como também uma adequada concordância entre os juízes acerca dos escores do instrumento. CONCLUSÃO: O instrumento apresentou evidências robustas de fidedignidade, sendo uma opção confiável e segura para ser utilizado em pesquisas brasileiras e na prática clínica para avaliar o sistema fonológico de crianças.

Supporting Culturally Responsive Assessment Practices With Preschoolers: Guidance From Methods in the Jamaican Context.

PURPOSE: There is a shortage of available methods to accurately inform the developmental status of children whose cultural and linguistic backgrounds vary from the mainstream. The purpose of this review article was to describe different approaches used to support the accurate characterization of speech, language, and functional communication in children speaking Jamaican Creole and English, an understudied paradigm in the speech pathology research. METHOD: Approaches used across four previously published studies in the Jamaican Creole Language Project are described. Participants included 3- to 6-year-old Jamaican children (n = 98-262) and adults (n = 15-33). Studies I and II described validation efforts about children's functional communication using the Intelligibility in Context Scale (ICS; speech) and the Focus on the Outcomes of Communication Under Six (FOCUS; speech and language). Study III described efforts to accurately characterize difference and disorder in children's expressive grammar using adapted scoring, along with adult models to contextualize child responses. Last, Study IV applied acoustic duration (e.g., whole word) and an adapted scoring protocol to inform variation in speech sound productions in the Jamaican context where a post-Creole continuum exists. RESULTS: Studies I and II offered promising psychometric evidence about the utility of the ICS and the FOCUS. Study III revealed strong sensitivity and specificity in classifying difference and disorder using adult models. Last, in Study IV, linguistically informed acoustic analyses and an adapted protocol captured variation in speech productions better than a standard approach. CONCLUSIONS: Applying culturally responsive methods can enhance the accurate characterization of speech, language, and functional communication in Jamaican children. The innovative methods used offer a model approach that could be applied to other linguistic contexts where a mismatch exists between speech-language pathologists and their clientele. PRESENTATION VIDEO: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.23929461.

Influence of transparency and opacity on the spelling of fricative phonemes. / Influência da transparência e da opacidade na ortografia de fonemas fricativos.

PURPOSE: (1) to verify to what extent the occurrence of possible errors is influenced by the relationship (opaque/transparent) between fricative phonemes and the graphemes with which they can be spelled; (2) verify the differences (if present or not) of relationship types among the phonemes that present common graphemic relationships. METHODS: We analyzed 750 textual productions from children in the first year of Elementary School (ES), and conducted a survey of the frequency of correct answers and errors in all fricative phonemes of Brazilian Portuguese (BP). RESULTS: The errors occurred in greater numbers in the group of phonemes with opaque spelling when compared with the number of errors in the group of phonemes with transparent spelling. In the first group, the errors showed a non-symmetrical behavior, since they varied according to the possibilities of graphemes for each phoneme. In the second group, the errors showed a symmetrical behavior. CONCLUSION: Given the symmetry in the errors of the phonemes of the first group and the non-symmetry of those of the second group, our results point to a gradation in the occurrence of errors, which varies as a function of the transparency and degree of opacity in the relations between phonemes and graphemes of a same class.

OBJETIVO: (1) verificar em que medida a ocorrência de possíveis erros seria influenciada pelo tipo de relação (opaca/transparente) que os fonemas fricativos mantêm com os grafemas com que podem ser ortografados; (2) verificar, dentre esses dois tipos de relações, se os fonemas que apresentam relações grafêmicas comuns apresentam ou não diferenças entre si. MÉTODO: Foram analisadas 750 produções textuais de crianças do 1º ano do Ensino Fundamental (EF). Nessas produções, foi realizado o levantamento da frequência de acertos e de erros na ortografia de fonemas fricativos do Português Brasileiro (PB). RESULTADOS: Os erros ocorreram em maior número no grupo de fonemas com ortografia opaca quando comparados com o número de erros no grupo de fonemas com ortografia transparente. No primeiro grupo, os erros apresentaram comportamento não simétrico, já que variaram em função das possibilidades de grafemas para cada fonema. Já no segundo grupo, os erros apresentaram comportamento simétrico. CONCLUSÃO: Dadas a simetria nos erros dos fonemas do primeiro grupo e a não simetria naqueles do segundo grupo, os resultados obtidos apontam para uma gradação na ocorrência de erros, que varia em função da transparência e do grau de opacidade nas relações entre fonemas e grafemas de uma mesma classe.

Reframing Bilingual Acquisition and Theory: An Insider Perspective Through a Translanguaging Lens.

PURPOSE: This exploratory study developed a process for reinterpreting previously published research studies in the bilingual literature. Three previously published studies on bilingual phonological acquisition were revisited due to the following characteristics: (a) they applied a theoretical framework for bilingual speech production developed by white bilingual researchers, the dual-systems hypothesis, and (b) project data were interpreted without the input and perspective of researchers representative of the community being studied. This study aims to provide a guide for the readership to reinterpret developmental speech and language studies on bilingual children through (a) the theoretical framework of translanguaging, which was developed by minoritized bilingual scholars and members of the community being studied, and (b) community Insider lenses, or the perspectives of research team members whose lived linguistic experiences match those of the target population studied. METHOD: Original interpretations of data were reexamined and reinterpreted incorporating (a) a research team member from the target community and (b) a novel theoretical lens developed by members of the target community called translanguaging. RESULTS: Original findings were extended through the application of translanguaging as a theoretical lens. New interpretations of original data were uncovered when a researcher from the Latinx community was involved in the data interpretation process. New insights were gained on phonological acquisition in bilingual Spanish-English-speaking preschoolers by applying a reinterpretation framework. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in data interpretation reveal that translanguaging may improve understanding of languaging in bilingual/multilingual communities. Implications for development of representative research teams when examining minoritized pediatric populations are also discussed.

Word Reading and Spelling Processing and Acquired Dyslexia post Unilateral Stroke.

This study investigates the performance of adults with cerebrovascular lesion in the right hemisphere (RHL) or left hemisphere (LHL) in word reading (TLPP) and spelling (TEPP) tasks based on the dual-route models. A total of 85 adults were assessed, divided into three groups: 10 with RHL, 15 with LHL, and 60 neurologically healthy ones. The performance of the three groups was compared in terms of the characteristics of the words (regularity, frequency, and length) and pseudowords (length), error types, and psycholinguistic effects. A cluster analysis was performed to investigate the profiles of the reading. The LHL group showed lower scores in reading and spelling tasks of words and pseudowords, as well as a higher frequency of errors. Four LHL cases were found to have an acquired dyslexia profile. This study highlights that the tasks developed in Brazil are in accordance with theoretical models of written language, and the results point to the heterogeneous performance of the cases with acquired dyslexia.

Characterizing Speech Sound Productions in Bilingual Speakers of Jamaican Creole and English: Application of Durational Acoustic Methods.

PURPOSE: This study examined the speech acoustic characteristics of Jamaican Creole (JC) and English in bilingual preschoolers and adults using acoustic duration measures. The aims were to determine if, for JC and English, (a) child and adult acoustic duration characteristics differ, (b) differences occur in preschoolers' duration patterns based on the language spoken, and (c) relationships exist between the preschoolers' personal contextual factors (i.e., age, sex, and percentage of language [%language] exposure and use) and acoustic duration. METHOD: Data for this cross-sectional study were collected in Kingston, Jamaica, and New York City, New York, United States, during 2013-2019. Participants included typically developing simultaneous bilingual preschoolers (n = 120, ages 3;4-5;11 [years;months]) and adults (n = 15, ages 19;0-54;4) from the same linguistic community. Audio recordings of single-word productions of JC and English were collected through elicited picture-based tasks and used for acoustic analysis. Durational features (voice onset time [VOT], vowel duration, whole-word duration, and the proportion of vowel to whole-word duration) were measured using Praat, a speech analysis software program. RESULTS: JC-English-speaking children demonstrated developing speech motor control through differences in durational patterns compared with adults, including VOT for voiced plosives. Children's VOT, vowel duration, and whole-word duration were produced similarly across JC and English. The contextual factor %language use was predictive of vowel and whole-word duration in English. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this study contribute to a foundation of understanding typical bilingual speech characteristics and motor development as well as schema in JC-English speakers. In particular, minimal acoustic duration differences were observed across the post-Creole continuum, a feature that may be attributed to the JC-English bilingual environment. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21760469.

Variability, accuracy, and cross-linguistic transfer in bilingual children speaking Jamaican Creole and English.

Due to the lack of normative data about bilingual speech development and limited availability of diagnostic tools optimised for this population, bilingual children under consideration for speech-language services are at an elevated risk of misdiagnosis. In the absence of validated assessment tools, speech-language pathologists may use measures of accuracy and variability of speech production to diagnose suspected speech sound disorders in bilingual children. Research in general motor development suggests that variability and accuracy may trade off in the course of maturation, whereby movement variability spikes before the transition to a more mature stage of motor control. Such variability-accuracy tradeoffs have been described in monolingual speech development but are understudied in bilingual populations, where cross-linguistic transfer occurs. This study aimed to examine variability, accuracy, and cross-linguistic transfer in the speech of 20 bilingual children speaking Jamaican Creole and English. We hypothesised that children who showed higher accuracy in their productions would also exhibit more variable speech, indicating a variability-accuracy tradeoff. The Word Inconsistency Assessment from the Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology was administered to measure accuracy and variability in the English context, where misdiagnosis is likely to occur. Contrary to our hypothesis, we observed that individuals with higher accuracy tended to be less variable in their productions. Future research should examine longitudinal trajectories of accuracy and variability and consider a more culturally-appropriate definition of 'accuracy' in documenting bilingual speech sound development.

Weighted entropic associative memory and phonetic learning.

The Entropic Associative Memory (EAM) holds declarative but distributed representations of remembered objects. These are characterized as functions from features to discrete values in an abstract amodal space. Memory objects are registered or remembered through a declarative operation; memory recognition is defined as a logical test and cues of objects not contained in the memory are rejected directly without search; and memory retrieval is a constructive operation. In its original formulation, the content of basic memory units or cells was either on or off, hence all stored objects had the same weight or strength. In the present weighted version (W-EAM) we introduce a basic learning mechanism to the effect that the values of the cells used in the representation of an object are reinforced by the memory register operation. As memory cells are shared by different representations, the corresponding associations are reinforced too. The memory system supports a second form of learning: the distributed representation generalizes and renders a large set of potential or latent units that can used for recognizing novel inputs, which can in turn be used for improving the performance of both the deep neural networks used for modelling perception and action, and of the memory operations. This process can be performed recurrently in open-ended fashion and can be used in long term learning. An experiment in the phonetic domain using the Mexican Spanish DIMEx100 Corpus was carried out. This corpus was collected in a controlled noise-free environment, and was transcribed manually by human trained phoneticians, but consists of a relatively small number of utterances. DIMEx100 was used to produced the initial state of the perceptual and motor modules, and for testing the performance of the memory system at such state. Then the incremental learning cycle was modelled using the Spanish CIEMPIESS Corpus, consisting of a very large number of noisy untagged speech utterances collected from radio and TV. The results support the viability of the Weighted Entropic Associative Memory for modelling cognitive processes, such as phonetic representation and learning, for the construction of applications, such as speech recognition and synthesis, and as a computational model of natural memory.

The effect of child development on the components of the Frequency Following Response: Child development and the Frequency Following Response.

During childhood, neuronal modifications occur so that typical childhood communicative development occurs. This work aims to contribute to the understanding of differences in the speech encoding of infants and school-age children by assessing the effects of child development, in different phases of early childhood, on the encoding of speech sounds. There were 98 subjects of both sexes, aged from 1 day to 8 years and 9 months who participated in the study. All subjects underwent a Frequency Following Response (FFR) assessment. A regression and linear correlation showed the effects of age in the FFR components, i.e., significant decrease in the latency and increased amplitude of all FFR waves with age. An increase in the slope measure was also observed. Younger infants require more time and show less robust responses when encoding speech than their older counterparts, which were shown to have more stable and well-organized FFR responses.

Dermatoglifia Aplicada à Fonoaudiologia: possibilidade de interpretação / Dermatoglyphics applied to Speech Therapy: possibility of interpretation / Dermatoglifia aplicada a la Fonoaudiología: posibilidad de interpretación

Introdução: os avanços metodológicos e tecnológicos têm se apresentado em todas as áreas da Fonoaudiologia e não seria diferente nas Ciências da Fala, especificamente na Fonética Acústica. Dermatoglifia é o estudo científico das cristas dermopapilares, encontradas na impressão digital, considerada um marcador genético e identifica habilidades físicas básicas, como força, velocidade, resistência e coordenação motora. O método dermatoglífico vem sendo utilizado no diagnóstico diferencial de algumas síndromes, assim como parte integrante de processo de avaliação da qualidade vocal de profissionais da voz falada e cantada. Objetivo: descrever uma proposta de roteiro de análise dermatoglífica (DAF), que integre a avaliação da qualidade vocal, tanto de profissionais da voz falada e cantada, quanto daqueles falantes que não usam a voz profissionalmente. Descrição: o roteiro do método dermatoglífico como possibilidade de uso para Fonoaudiologia propõe a coleta das impressões digitais, a identificação dos desenhos digitais e seu predomínio, a detecção do perfil dermatoglífico, de fórmula digital, a soma da quantidade de linhas e de deltas dos dedos das mãos e a constatação das habilidades físicas potencializadas e não-potencializadas. Considerações finais: esta comunicação aponta para a integração do método dermatoglífico ao processo avaliativo da qualidade vocal de profissionais da voz falada e cantada. Representa também uma linha de investigação acerca do enfoque das habilidades musculares de indivíduos, não apenas na área de voz, mas nas demais áreas de atuação da Fonoaudiologia, por meio do Roteiro DAF ­ Dermatoglifia Aplicada à Fonoaudiologia.

Introduction: methodological and technological advances have figured in all areas of Speech Therapy and it would not be different in speech sciences, specifically in acoustic phonetics. Dermatoglyphics is the scientific study of dermatopapillary ridges, found in fingerprints, considered a genetic marker and identifying basic physical abilities, such as strength, speed, endurance and motor coordination. The dermatoglyphic method has been used in the differential diagnosis of some syndromes, and is also an integral part of the vocal quality assessment process and spoken and singing voice professionals. Objective: to describe a proposal for a dermatoglyphic analysis script (DAF), which integrates the assessment of vocal quality, both for speaking and singing voice professionals, as well as for speakers who do not use their voice professionally. Description: the script of the dermatoglyphic method as a possible tool in Speech Therapy proposes the collection of fingerprints, the identification of the digital patterns and their predominance, the detection of the dermatoglyphic profile, of the digital formula, the sum of the number of lines and deltas of the fingers of the hands and the verification of the potentiated and non-potentiated physical abilities. Final considerations: this communication points to the integration of the dermatoglyphic method into the vocal quality assessment process of vocal and singing voice professionals. It also represents a line of inquiry about the focus on the muscular abilities of individuals, not only in the area of voice, but in other areas of activity in Speech Therapy, through the DAF Script ­ Dermatoglyphics Applied to Speech Therapy.

Introducción: Los avances metodológicos y tecnológicos se han presentado en todas las áreas de la Fonoaudiología y no sería diferente en las Ciencias del Habla, específicamente en la Fonética Acústica. La dermatoglifia es el estudio científico de las crestas dermopapilares, que se encuentran en la huella dactilar, se considera un marcador genético e identifica capacidades físicas básicas como la fuerza, la velocidad, la resistencia y la coordinación motora. El método dermatoglífico ha sido utilizado en el diagnóstico diferencial de algunos síndromes, así como parte integral del proceso de evaluación de la calidad vocal de los profesionales de la voz hablada y cantada. Objetivo: describir una propuesta de roteiro de análisis dermatoglífica (DAF), que integra la evaluación de la calidad vocal, tanto para profesionales con la voz hablada y cantada, como para aquellos locutores que no utilizan su voz profesionalmente. Descripción: el roteiro del método dermatoglífico como posibilidad de uso para la Fonoaudiología propone la toma de huellas dactilares, la identificación de dibujos digitales y su predominio, la detección del perfil dermatoglífico, de la fórmula digital, la suma del número de líneas y deltas de los dedos de las manos y la verificación de capacidades físicas potenciadas y no potenciadas. Consideraciones finales: esta comunicación apunta a la integración del método dermatoglífico al proceso de evaluación de la calidad vocal de los profesionales de la voz hablada y cantada. También representa una línea de investigación sobre el enfoque de las capacidades musculares de los individuos, no sólo en el área de la voz, sino en otras áreas de actuación de la Fonoaudiología, a través del roteiro DAF ­ Dermatoglífia aplicada a la Fonoaudiología.

Complexity and sequence constraints in a Granada Spanish-speaking four-year-old with protracted phonological development.

This article describes the phonology of a Granada Spanish-speaking 4-year-old boy with Protracted Phonological Development (PPD) from the perspective of constraint-based nonlinear phonology. Although he had acquired basic word structure and a near-complete repertoire of vowels and consonants, he had difficulties producing more complex word structures (multisyllabic words, clusters, diphthongs) and producing sequences of consonant manner and place features across vowels. The analysis outlines his strengths and needs in phonological development, and proposes an intervention plan to address constraints on complexity and sequences.

Lateral vocalization in Brazilian Portuguese.

Lateral vocalization is a cross-linguistically common phenomenon where a lateral is realized as a glide, such as [w, j], or a vowel [u, i]. In this paper, we focus on the articulatory triggers that could cause lateral vocalization. We examined Brazilian Portuguese, a language known for the process of lateral vocalization in coda position. We examined the lateral in onset and coda position in four vocalic environments and compared the dynamic tongue contours and contours at the point of maximum constriction in each environment. We also performed biomechanical simulations of lateral articulation and the vocalized lateral. The results indicate increased tongue body retraction in coda position, which is accompanied by tongue body raising. Simulations further revealed that vocalized laterals mainly recruit intrinsic lingual muscles along with the styloglossus. Taken together, the data suggest that vocalization is a result of positional phonetic effects including lenition and additional retraction in the coda position.

Immediate effect of different exercises in the vocal space of women with and without vocal nodules. / Efeito imediato de diferentes exercícios no espaço vocálico de mulheres com e sem nódulos vocais.

PURPOSE: To investigate the immediate effect of voiced tongue vibration (VSL), high-resistance straw in the air (CAR), and overarticulation (OA) on the vocal space of vocally healthy women (MVS) and with vocal nodules (MNV). METHODS: 12 women participated in the MNV and 12 women in the MVS, allocated to perform the vocal exercises of VSL, CAR, and OA. Each participant performed only one of the three proposed exercises, for 5 minutes, preceded and followed by recording a sequence of vehicle sentences for extracting formants (F1 and F2) from the vowel segments [a, i, u]. The vowel space was analyzed through the differences between the measures of the formants of the vowels. RESULTS: we observed a reduction of F1 in the interval [a]-[i] and [i]-[u] and of F2 between the vowels [a]-[u] and [i]-[u] in the MVS, after performing the CAR. In MNV, we observed a reduction of F2 in the interval [a]-[i] after VSL. In the intergroup analysis, there were higher F1 values between the intervals of the vowels [a]-[i] and [i]-[u] in the MVS, before performing the CAR, and after exercise only in the interval [a]-[i]. A higher value of F1 and F2 was observed in the interval between the vowels [i]-[u] in the MNV after VSL. CONCLUSION: The VSL exercise reduced the vowel space in MNV women. CAR reduced the vocal space of women in the MVS. The MNV had a smaller vowel space compared to the MVS before and after the CAR. We observed a reduction in the vowel space in the MNV compared to the MNV after the VSL exercise.

OBJETIVO: Investigar o efeito imediato da vibração sonorizada de língua (VSL), do canudo de alta resistência no ar (CAR) e da sobrearticulação (SA) sobre o espaço vocálico de mulheres vocalmente saudáveis (MVS) e com nódulos vocais (MNV). MÉTODO: Participaram 12 mulheres no MNV e 12 mulheres no MVS, alocadas para execução dos exercícios vocais de VSL, CAR e AS. Cada participante realizou apenas um dos três exercícios propostos, durante 5 minutos, antecedidos e sucedidos pela gravação de uma sequência de frases-veículo para extração dos formantes (F1 e F2) dos segmentos vocálicos [a, i, u]. O espaço vocálico foi analisado por meio das diferenças entre as medidas dos formantes das vogais. RESULTADOS: houve redução de F1 no intervalo [a]-[i] e [i]-[u] e de F2 entre as vogais [a]-[u] e [i]-[u] no MVS, após realização do CAR. No MNV, observou-se redução de F2 no intervalo [a]-[i] após VSL. Na análise intergrupo, houve maiores valores de F1 entre os intervalos das vogais [a]-[i] e [i]-[u] no MVS, antes da realização do CAR, e após exercício apenas no intervalo [a]-[i]. Observou-se maior valor de F1 e F2 no intervalo entre as vogais [i]-[u] no MNV após VSL. CONCLUSÃO: O exercício de VSL diminuiu o espaço vocálico em mulheres do MNV. O CAR reduziu o espaço vocálico de mulheres do MVS. O MNV apresentou menor espaço vocálico em relação ao MVS, antes e após a realização do CAR. Houve redução do espaço vocálico no MNV em relação ao MNV após o exercício de VSL.