Monthly Archives: March 2011
Receptive morphosyntax in children 5 to 8 years of age wearing cochlear implants
Despite the negative impact of receptive morphosyntax difficulties on the language skills necessary for social and academic success, scientifi c literature dealing with the development of this aspect of language in children with cochlear implants is limited, particularly in French. This study pursues the work of Duchesne, Sutton and Bergeron (2009), by analysing receptive morphosyntax in a sub-group of 14 francophone children from 5 to 8 years old having received a cochlear implant at an average age of 1 year and 11 months. The average time of implant use is four years. Participant performances were compared to the normative data of the Carrow- Woolfolk comprehension test (TACL-R; Groupe coopératif en orthophonie pour la région des Laurentides, 1995) for each of the morphology and syntax task items. An error analysis was done based on the grammatical diffi culties found in the test. Results show that children with cochlear implants achieve performances signifi cantly lower than the norm for certain morphosyntaxic structure categories. The lower-scored items do not always correspond to those that are more diffi cult for hearing children. Two performance profi les seem to emerge among the participants: A small group of children fi nds itself within the normal limits or above, while the majority are below the normal threshold.
from the Canadian Journal of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology http://www.scopus.com/record/display.url?eid=2-s2.0-79952334696&origin=inward&txGid=-9KwX1JqOV6RlEjmvQl6NXB%3a4
Steady-state analysis of auditory evoked potentials over a wide range of stimulus repetition rates: Profile in adults
Objective: Quasi-steady-state responses were assessed over a wide range of stimulus repetition rates embracing well the traditionally measured transient AEPs (obligatory auditory evoked potentials of all latencies). Repetition rates of ≤10 Hz have received little attention in the context of the ASSR stimulus-response analysis approach which is speculated to provide technical advantages, if not additional information, over more traditional transient stimulus-response paradigms. Design: A measure introduced and defined as the sum of the response at the stimulus frequency and its harmonics. The magnitude of steady-state responses were measured at repetition rates from 0.75 to 80 Hz, using trains of repeated tone-burst stimuli. Study sample: Twenty-five normal-hearing adults. Results: Results show that the magnitudes of the response across repetition rates are largest at the two lowest rates, following trends expected from the transient AEP literature. Good reliability overall was observed for the harmonic sum. Conclusions: The analysis methods used in this paper may give information that will have application for clinical testing. Of pragmatic importance is that the rate profile could be determined without subjective wave identification and/or interpretation, and thus by a method that is inherently more objective than conventional AEP tests.
from the International Journal of Audiology
Language Proficiency Modulates the Recruitment of Non-Classical Language Areas in Bilinguals
Bilingualism provides a unique opportunity for understanding the relative roles of proficiency and order of acquisition in determining how the brain represents language. In a previous study, we combined magnetoencephalography (MEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine the spatiotemporal dynamics of word processing in a group of Spanish-English bilinguals who were more proficient in their native language. We found that from the earliest stages of lexical processing, words in the second language evoke greater activity in bilateral posterior visual regions, while activity to the native language is largely confined to classical left hemisphere fronto-temporal areas. In the present study, we sought to examine whether these effects relate to language proficiency or order of language acquisition by testing Spanish-English bilingual subjects who had become dominant in their second language. Additionally, we wanted to determine whether activity in bilateral visual regions was related to the presentation of written words in our previous study, so we presented subjects with both written and auditory words. We found greater activity for the less proficient native language in bilateral posterior visual regions for both the visual and auditory modalities, which started during the earliest word encoding stages and continued through lexico-semantic processing. In classical left fronto-temporal regions, the two languages evoked similar activity. Therefore, it is the lack of proficiency rather than secondary acquisition order that determines the recruitment of non-classical areas for word processing.
from PLoS ONE
In vivo visualization of endolyphatic hydrops in patients with Meniere’s disease: correlation with audiovestibular function
Our objective is to determine whether the degree of endolymphatic hydrops as it is detected in vivo in patients with definite Meniere’s disease correlates with audiovestibular function. In this prospective study, 37 patients with definite Meniere’s disease according to AAO-HNS criteria were included. Intratympanic contrast enhanced temporal bone MRI was performed using a 3D FLAIR protocol. The degree of endolymphatic hydrops in the cochlea and the vestibulum was graded on a Likert scale (0–3). The degree of hydrops was then analyzed with respect to its correlation with audiometric hearing levels, electrocochleographic SP/AP ratios, interaural amplitude ratios of vestibular evoked myogenic potentials and degree of horizontal semicircular canal paresis on caloric irrigation. There was a significant correlation between the degree of hydrops on the one hand and the averaged hearing level at 0.25–1 and 0.5–3 kHz and the vestibular evoked myogenic potential interaural amplitude ratio on the other hand. A trend toward a correlation was noticed between the hydrops and the caloric response, no correlation was noticed between the hydrops and the SP/AP ratio. The degree of endolymphatic hydrops correlates with a progressive loss of auditory and sacculus function in patients with Meniere`s disease.
Manometric assessment of pharyngeal swallowing pressure after mandibular reconstruction
Oral cancer patients who undergo mandibular bone partial resection often exhibit swallowing disturbance after surgery. We examined the usefulness of manometry in obtaining quantitative data on swallowing function in patients after mandibular bone partial resection. Postsurgical swallowing function was investigated, using a combination of videofluorography (VF) and manometry, in five patients with oral cancer, who underwent mandibular bone partial resection. Three patients underwent reconstruction of soft tissue defects only, while the remaining two patients underwent reconstruction of both soft tissue defects and a bony segment using a reconstruction plate or vascularized fibula with a skin paddle. Oropharyngeal swallowing pressure ranged from 61 to 82 mmHg compared to the normal range of 109 ±31 mmHg (mean ± SD). Partial resection of the mandible without reconstruction of the bony segment defect had a negative effect upon oropharyngeal swallowing pressure. Four of the five patients exhibited normal function in the oral stage. Elevation of the larynx was disturbed in 80% of the patients. None of the patients in this study experienced aspiration after surgery. In conclusion, a combination of VF and manometry revealed that mandibular bone partial resection resulted in disturbed elevation of the larynx while pharyngeal swallowing pressure decreases in those patients who do not undergo bony segment reconstruction. Our results suggested that the tongue, including the base of the tongue, should be set in a closed space so that pharyngeal swallowing pressure does not release.
Searching for audiovisual correspondence in multiple speaker scenarios
A critical question in multisensory processing is how the constant information flow that arrives to our different senses is organized in coherent representations. Some authors claim that pre-attentive detection of inter-sensory correlations supports crossmodal binding, whereas other findings indicate that attention plays a crucial role. We used visual and auditory search tasks for speaking faces to address the role of selective spatial attention in audiovisual binding. Search efficiency amongst faces for the match with a voice declined with the number of faces being monitored concurrently, consistent with an attentive search mechanism. In contrast, search amongst auditory speech streams for the match with a face was independent of the number of streams being monitored concurrently, as long as localization was not required. We suggest that the fundamental differences in the way in which auditory and visual information is encoded play a limiting role in crossmodal binding. Based on these unisensory limitations, we provide a unified explanation for several previous apparently contradictory findings.
HearPod Announces Clear Choice Transparent Hearing Aids
HearPod Inc. announces the addition of the Clear Choice hearing aid to their HearPod product line. The new Clear Choice hearing aid features completely clear transparent shells, designed to meet the needs of people who might have a stigma about wearing hearing aids.
from PRWeb.com
Secondsensehearing.com Dispels Popular Myths About Hearing Aids And Hearing Loss In New Video
In this brief video, Myths about Hearing Loss and Hearing Aids, several popular topics are explored, including:
- Hearing, one of the five senses, is so valued by people they nearly always correct it when they have a problem … Myth or Fact?
- Only older people need or use hearing aids … Myth or Fact?
- Those with hearing loss can be connected to phones or listen to TV with new hearing devices … Myth or Fact?
Brain Stimulation Might Help Stroke Patients With Swallowing Problems
Small, preliminary study found electrical therapy led to improved function in patients
from HealthScout.com
Tourettes Brains Are Structured for Greater, Not Lesser, Cognitive Motor Control
Contrary to intuition, people who suffer from the motor and vocal tics characteristic of Tourette syndrome actually perform behavioral tests of cognitive motor control more accurately and quickly than their typically developing peers do.
from ScienceDaily.com
Early literacy support in the home language for emergent bilingual children and their families
As speech-language pathologists, we must reassure parents that communication in the home language is an important aspect of social-emotional and language development for their children. Promoting early literacy in the home language and supporting parents in their efforts are best practices when working with emergent bilingual children.
from ASHA Sphere
Budget Misses On Childhood Hearing
Today, the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA) expressed its disappointment at the absence of dedicated funding in the federal budget for universal newborn hearing screening programs (UNHS) to detect permanent childhood hearing loss (PCHL).
Autism And WordQ Assistive Software For Struggling Writers: How A Cute, Smart But Non-Verbal Girl With Autism Found Very BIG Voice
“The iPad or a laptop, along with such programs like WordQ….have revolutionized communication for individuals with autism and other disabilities.” –Tammy Starr, mother of Carly Fleischmann
