Enhanced speech sound perception through rhythmic motor priming in noisy conditions for adults who stutter

Perception of acoustically altered speech in adults who stutter: Preliminary findings using a Bayesian analysis approach.

Developing an International Core Outcome Set for SSD Interventions

Beyond production: Brain responses during speech perception in adults who stutter

ObjectiveAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder. A major problem of ASD is speech perception impairment in the presence of background noise. Additionally, researchers have reported temporal auditory processing impairment in patients with ASD. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of a temporal-based training program on improvement of speech perception in the presence of noise using the speech auditory brainstem response (sABR).Materials & MethodsTwenty-eight adolescents with high functional ASD with the mean age of 14.35±1.86 years were randomly selected and divided into an ASD group (11 males and three females) and a control group (13 males and one female). All the subjects had a normal hearing and intelligence threshold and had no history of neurological disorder.A speech perception test was performed in signal-to-noise ratios of 0 and +10. The intervention group received a temporal processingbased auditory training program, and the control group received a conventional training program. A P-value of <0.05 was considered significant.ResultsAfter training, speech perception in the presence of noise was significantly higher (P <0.001) and the latency of all sABR waves was lower in the intervention group compared to the control group.ConclusionImprovement of speech perception in noisy environments and the reduced latency of sABR waves following a temporal processingbased training program highlight the role of brainstem neural plasticity in speech processing.

Evidence increasingly indicates that people with developmental stuttering have auditory perception deficits. Our previous research has indicated similar but slower performance in categorical perception of the speech sounds under the quiet condition in children who stutter and adults who stutter (AWS) compared with their typically fluent counterparts. We hypothesized that the quiet condition may not be sufficiently sensitive to reveal subtle perceptual deficiencies in people who stutter. This study examined this hypothesis by testing the categorical perception of speech and nonspeech sounds under backward masking condition (i.e., a noise was presented immediately after the target stimuli). Fifteen Cantonese-speaking AWS and 15 adults who do not stutter (AWNS) were tested on the categorical perception of four stimulus continua, namely, consonant varying in voice onset time (VOT), vowel, lexical tone, and nonspeech, under the backward masking condition using identification and discrimination tasks. AWS demonstrated a broader boundary width than AWNS in the identification task. AWS also exhibited a worse performance than AWNS in the discrimination of between-category stimuli but a comparable performance in the discrimination of within-category stimuli, indicating reduced sensitivity to sounds that belonged to different phonemic categories among AWS. Moreover, AWS showed similar patterns of impaired categorical perception across the four stimulus types, although the boundary location on the VOT continuum occurred at an earlier point in AWS than in AWNS. The findings provide robust evidence that AWS exhibit impaired categorical perception of speech and nonspeech sounds under the backward masking condition. Temporal processing (i.e., VOT manipulation), frequency/spectral/formant processing (i.e., lexical tone or vowel manipulations), and nonlinguistic pitch processing were all found to be impaired in AWS. Altogether, the findings support the hypothesis that AWS might be less efficient in accessing the phonemic representations when exposed to a demanding listening condition. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.20249718.

Purpose Difficulty in understanding spoken speech is a common complaint among aging adults, even when hearing impairment is absent. Correlational studies point to a relationship between age, auditory temporal processing (ATP), and speech perception but cannot demonstrate causality unlike training studies. In the current study, we test (a) the causal relationship between a spatial-temporal ATP task (temporal order judgment [TOJ]) and speech perception among aging adults using a training design and (b) whether improvement in aging adult speech perception is accompanied by improved self-efficacy. Method Eighty-two participants aged 60-83 years were randomly assigned to a group receiving (a) ATP training (TOJ) over 14 days, (b) non-ATP training (intensity discrimination) over 14 days, or (c) no training. Results The data showed that TOJ training elicited improvement in all speech perception tests, which was accompanied by increased self-efficacy. Neither improvement in speech perception nor self-efficacy was evident following non-ATP training or no training. Conclusions There was no generalization of the improvement resulting from TOJ training to intensity discrimination or generalization of improvement resulting from intensity discrimination training to speech perception. These findings imply that the effect of TOJ training on speech perception is specific and such improvement is not simply the product of generally improved auditory perception. It provides support for the idea that temporal properties of speech are indeed crucial for speech perception. Clinically, the findings suggest that aging adults can be trained to improve their speech perception, specifically through computer-based auditory training, and this may improve perceived self-efficacy.

Improve the behavioral auditory attention training effects on the Speech-In-Noise perception with simultaneous electrical stimulation in children with hearing loss: A randomized clinical trial.

Stuttering is often attributed to the impaired speech production system, however, there is growing evidence implicating issues in speech perception. Our previous research showed that children who stutter have similar patterns but slower categorical perception (i.e. the ability to categorise different acoustic variations of the speech sounds into the same or different phonemic categories) compared to the children who do not stutter. This study aimed to extend our previous research to adults who stutter (AWS) using the same categorical perception paradigm. Fifteen AWS and 15 adults who do not stutter (A WNS) were recruited to complete identification and discrimination tasks involving acoustic variations of Cantonese speech sounds in four stimulus contexts: consonants (varying in voice onset times, VOTs), lexical tones, vowels and pure tones. The results showed similar categorical perception between the two groups in terms of the boundary position and width in the identification task and between-category benefits in the discrimination task. However, there were some trends for lower discrimination accuracy (overall d’ scores) and slower discrimination of the between-category stimuli versus within-category stimuli for AWS than AWNS. These results partially confirm our previous finding on children in terms of a comparable pattern of categorical perception between the two groups, but slower processing speed to access the phoneme representations in speech perception among AWS than AWNS.

Although most cochlear implant (CI) users achieve improvements in speech perception, there is still a wide variability in speech perception outcomes. There is a growing body of literature that supports the relationship between individual differences in temporal processing and speech perception performance in CI users. Previous psychophysical studies have emphasized the importance of temporal acuity for overall speech perception performance. Measurement of gap detection thresholds (GDTs) is the most common measure currently used to assess temporal resolution. However, most GDT studies completed with CI participants used direct electrical stimulation not acoustic stimulation and they used psychoacoustic research paradigms that are not easy to administer clinically. Therefore, it is necessary to determine if the variance in GDTs assessed with clinical measures of temporal processing such as the Randomized Gap Detection Test (RGDT) can be used to explain the variability in speech perception performance. The primary goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between temporal processing and speech perception performance in CI users. A correlational study investigating the relationship between behavioral GDTs (assessed with the RGDT or the Expanded Randomized Gap Detection Test) and commonly used speech perception measures (assessed with the Speech Recognition Test [SRT], Central Institute for the Deaf W-22 Word Recognition Test [W-22], Consonant-Nucleus-Consonant Test [CNC], Arizona Biomedical Sentence Recognition Test [AzBio], Bamford-Kowal-Bench Speech-in-Noise Test [BKB-SIN]). Twelve postlingually deafened adult CI users (24-83 yr) and ten normal-hearing (NH; 22-30 yr) adults participated in the study. The data were collected in a sound-attenuated test booth. After measuring pure-tone thresholds, GDTs and speech perception performance were measured. The difference in performance between-participant groups on the aforementioned tests, as well as the correlation between GDTs and speech perception performance was examined. The correlations between participants' biologic factors, performance on the RGDT and speech perception measures were also explored. Although some CI participants performed as well as the NH listeners, the majority of the CI participants displayed temporal processing impairments (GDTs > 20 msec) and poorer speech perception performance than NH participants. A statistically significant difference was found between the NH and CI test groups in GDTs and some speech tests (SRT, W-22, and BKB-SIN). For the CI group, there were significant correlations between GDTs and some measures of speech perception (CNC Phoneme, AzBio, BKB-SIN); however, no significant correlations were found between biographic factors and GDTs or speech perception performance. Results support the theory that the variability in temporal acuity in CI users contributes to the variability in speech performance. Results also indicate that it is reasonable to use the clinically available RGDT to identify CI users with temporal processing impairments for further appropriate rehabilitation.

Noise reduction is often essential for cochlear implant (CI) recipients to achieve acceptable speech perception in noisy environments. Most noise reduction algorithms applied to audio signals are based on time-frequency representations of the input, such as the Fourier transform. Algorithms based on other representations may also be able to provide comparable or improved speech perception and listening quality improvements. In this paper, a noise reduction algorithm for CI sound processing is proposed based on the wavelet transform. The algorithm uses a dual-tree complex discrete wavelet transform followed by shrinkage of the wavelet coefficients based on a statistical estimation of the variance of the noise. The proposed noise reduction algorithm was evaluated by comparing its performance to those of many existing wavelet-based algorithms. The speech transmission index (STI) of the proposed algorithm is significantly better than other tested algorithms for the speech-weighted noise of different levels of signal to noise ratio. The effectiveness of the proposed system was clinically evaluated with CI recipients. A significant improvement in speech perception of 1.9 dB was found on average in speech weighted noise.

&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US"&gt;Objectives&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US"&gt;. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often face difficulties in speech perception, particularly in noisy environments. These problems are associated with central auditory processing disorders. FM systems, which improve the signal-to-noise ratio, can be used to enhance speech perception. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of FM systems when working with children with ASD in noisy conditions and their use in a school setting. Methods. The pilot study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the &amp;ldquo;Words in Noise&amp;rdquo; test and the &amp;ldquo;Sentence Repetition&amp;rdquo; task were used to assess children&amp;rsquo;s ability to recognize speech in noisy conditions with and without the use of FM systems. Fourteen children with ASD and 14 typically developing peers participated in the experiment. In the second stage, FM systems were studied in real school environments with 10 elementary school students with autism. Changes in auditory abilities were assessed using the L.I.F.E.-R scale. Results. In the first stage, it was found that children with ASD recognized significantly fewer words in noisy conditions compared to their typically developing peers. In the &amp;ldquo;Sentence Repetition&amp;rdquo; task, the use of FM systems improved the performance of children with ASD from 58.3% to 76.9% (p=0.0005). In the second stage, most participants showed minimal changes in auditory ability scores on the L.I.F.E.-R scale: the average score before using FM systems was 54.9, and after using them it was 57&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US"&gt;.4 (p=0.2322). However, several students showed improvements of 8&amp;ndash;13 points, reflecting individual variability in the effect of using FM systems. Discussion. FM systems have demonstrated their effectiveness in improving speech perception in noisy environments for children with ASD. However, the integration of FM systems into the school process requires further research on their effectiveness in real conditions, as well as adaptations to minimize discomfort for children and improve interaction with teachers and tutors.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Functional characteristics of speech perception decline in healthy aging based on resting-state EEG-fNIRS.

ABSTRACTBackgroundSleep disorders have been associated with auditory dysfunction. However, the specific effects of sleep fragmentation (SF) on the peripheral auditory system and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.MethodsData from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were analyzed to examine the association between sleep disturbances and difficulties in speech perception in noisy environments among participants with normal audiograms. Additionally, an SF mouse model was used to assess the impact of sleep disruption on auditory function and cochlear pathology. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing, immunofluorescence staining, and transmission electron microscopy were performed to evaluate the auditory system.ResultsNHANES data revealed that individuals with sleep disorders, even with normal audiograms, were more likely to experience difficulties in speech perception in noisy environments. In the mouse model, chronic SF led to a significant decrease in the amplitude and a prolonged latency of ABR wave I, without detectable changes in hearing thresholds. Immunofluorescence staining revealed a significant decrease in the number of ribbon synapses in inner hair cells and an increase in orphan ribbons. Moreover, electron microscopy demonstrated myelin damage in the auditory nerve fibers.ConclusionsSleep fragmentation induces subtle damage to the auditory system, particularly affecting inner hair cell synapses and auditory nerve fibers, which may underlie difficulties in speech recognition in noisy environments, a potential indicator of hidden hearing loss.

Some normal-hearing listeners report difficulties in speech perception in noisy environments, and the cause is not well understood. The present study explores the correlation between speech-in-noise reception performance and cochlear mechanical characteristics, which were evaluated using a principal component analysis of the otoacoustic emission (OAE) spectra. A principal component, specifically a characteristic dip at around 2-2.5 kHz in OAE spectra, correlated with speech reception thresholds in noise but not in quiet. The results suggest that subclinical cochlear dysfunction specifically contributes to difficulties in speech perception in noisy environments, which is possibly a new form of "hidden hearing deficits."

To provide a critical evaluation of studies examining the contribution of changes in language-specific cognitive abilities to the speech perception difficulties of older adults. A review of the literature on aging and speech perception. The research considered in the present review suggests that age-related changes in absolute sensitivity is the principal factor affecting older listeners' speech perception in quiet. However, under less favorable listening conditions, changes in a number of speech-specific cognitive abilities can also affect spoken language processing in older people. Clinically, these findings suggest that hearing aids, which have been the traditional treatment for improving speech perception in older adults, are likely to offer considerable benefit in quiet listening situations because the amplification they provide can serve to compensate for age-related hearing losses. However, such devices may be less beneficial in more natural environments, (e.g., noisy backgrounds, multiple talkers, reverberant rooms) because they are less effective for improving speech perception difficulties that result from age-related cognitive declines. It is suggested that an integrative approach to designing test batteries that can assess both sensory and cognitive abilities needed for processing spoken language offers the most promising approach for developing therapeutic interventions to improve speech perception in older adults.