Speech Disorders Research Articles

Communicative practices and perceptions towards stuttering people in South Africa.

A few studies have explored the life experiences of people who stutter. Research has shown that stuttering affects a significant number of people in the population. The study was designed to explore the experiences of people who stutter and the perception of stuttering in South Africa. Four people who identified as South Africans who stutter participated in this study. The primary investigator conducted semi-structured interviews with each of the participants. In addition, a questionnaire was administered to 20 acquaintances of all the participants. Transcriptions of interviews and results of questionnaires were analysed for major and minor themes. Results of this study suggest different perceptions by those who stutter and those acquainted with them. The findings of the study show that people who stutter experience communication barriers, so they adopt certain strategies to manage and cope with their speech disorder. The findings showed that stuttering has a pervasive impact on the lives of people who stutter and how they view themselves, considering negative societal views. Evaluation of the results from the study reveals that although stuttering is a common speech disorder, many people who are less informed about it harbour various stereotypes and myths that stigmatise stuttering. This study concludes by outlining recommendations for creating awareness of stuttering. It suggests vigorous campaigns aiming at promoting a multilevel approach that extends beyond the mere social and professional understanding of stuttering but addresses the inherent perceptions, myths, and stereotypes around stuttering.Contribution:Experiences of people who stutter and perceptions towards stuttering can help to better understand the speech disorder and overcome myths and stereotyping of stuttering.

Methods of Overcoming Speech Disorders in Children (Study of the Experience of Prophet Moses in the Quran)

<p><em>The Qur'an gives instructions to everyone, including various goats. In Islam, a, -l-Quran as a holy book that has medicinal powers (Shifa), especially in everyone who reads and listens to it with confidence. This paper aims to explore and analyze children who have difficulty speaking. Qualitative methods were used in subjects of several children aged 3 to 6 years, data were collected through interviews, observation and documentation of the author's intersubjectivity. Furthermore, interactive model techniques are carried out, namely data collection, data reduction, data presentation and conclusions. The findings explain that speech difficulties have actually been practiced since the time of Prophet Moses who asserted that when Prophet Moses asked Allah for prayers against him, this practice in the Qur'an illustrates that, in practice with methods and beliefs in the Quran has a good influence in overcoming speech difficulties in children</em></p>

“Insufficient evidence” for screening for speech/language delays under age 5

In January the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) announced that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for speech and language delay and disorders in children 5 years or younger who don't show any signs or symptoms of delays.

100th anniversary of the Otolaryngology Chair and and Department of the Stefan Batory University(Part I)

<b>Introduction:</b> After regaining independence, work immediately began to revive the University of Vilnius. Already on 30 December 30, 1918, the Polish Committee in Vilnius announced the establishment of the University of Vilnius, closed by the Russians in 1832, under the name Stefan Batory University. The Chair and Department of Otolaryngology was established on July 31, 1923, when Dr. Jan Szmurło was nominated as a full professor of laryngology and otiatry and was appointed as chief. The beginnings of the activity were very difficult, the Faculty of Medicine, University Chairs and Departments had to be created from scratch.<b>Aim:</b> The aim of the work was to present the establishment and activities of the Chair and Department of Otolaryngology of the Stefan Batory University in Vilnius, which existed from 1923 to 1939.<b>Description:</b> The Vilnius Department was known and appreciated not only in the country, but also abroad. Its most important achievements include: the creation of one of the first Speech and Voice Disorders Department, scientific works in the field of voice and speech disorders and vertigo, which laid the foundations for the creation of separate sciences in Poland – phoniatrics and otoneurology, publishing the only complete textbook on otorhinolaryngology, research works on a global scale over the scleroderma.<b>Conclusions:</b> Despite its short operation (only 16 years), the Vilnius Deparment has made an invaluable contribution to the development of otorhinolaryngology not only in the country, but also in the world.

Appointment Factors Contributing to Children with Speech Disorders Missing Speech and Language Pathology Appointments.

This study explores missed pediatric speech and language pathology (SLP) appointments to identify barriers for patients with speech disorders. Data from 839 referrals at Boston Medical Center, including demographics, appointment details, COVID-19 lockdown, and number of items on patient problem lists, were analyzed using chi-square tests and logistic regression. The findings revealed that lockdown status, appointment timing, appointment type (in-person vs telemedicine), referral department (ear, nose, and throat [ENT] vs non-ENT), sex, race, primary language, birthplace, and primary care provider presence had no significant impact on attendance. However, the number of patient-listed problems, prior cancelations, and missed appointments were significant predictors of patients who did not keep appointments. In conclusion, this research emphasizes the patient's problem list and past appointment behavior as critical factors in predicting missed SLP appointments for pediatric speech disorder patients. These insights can guide targeted interventions to improve attendance and enhance SLP engagement.

Functional and structural abnormalities of the speech disorders: a multimodal activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis.

Speech disorders are associated with different degrees of functional and structural abnormalities. However, the abnormalities associated with specific disorders, and the common abnormalities shown by all disorders, remain unclear. Herein, a meta-analysis was conducted to integrate the results of 70 studies that compared 1843 speech disorder patients (dysarthria, dysphonia, stuttering, and aphasia) to 1950 healthy controls in terms of brain activity, functional connectivity, gray matter, and white matter fractional anisotropy. The analysis revealed that compared to controls, the dysarthria group showed higher activity in the left superior temporal gyrus and lower activity in the left postcentral gyrus. The dysphonia group had higher activity in the right precentral and postcentral gyrus. The stuttering group had higher activity in the right inferior frontal gyrus and lower activity in the left inferior frontal gyrus. The aphasia group showed lower activity in the bilateral anterior cingulate gyrus and left superior frontal gyrus. Across the four disorders, there were concurrent lower activity, gray matter, and fractional anisotropy in motor and auditory cortices, and stronger connectivity between the default mode network and frontoparietal network. These findings enhance our understanding of the neural basis of speech disorders, potentially aiding clinical diagnosis and intervention.

A vowel research retrospective

One of the earliest attempts at describing/characterizing vowel quality was Daniel Jones’ Cardinal Vowel system (1918) representing the total range of vowel quality in languages. It was based on auditory quality (evaluated by a trained phonetician). Much later, Ladefoged (1967) demonstrated that despite auditory equivalence, vowels were acoustically different—a function of physiological and production among speakers. The acoustic nature of vowel quality was elaborated through the introduction of easy spectral analysis (using the sonograph) exemplified by the seminal work by Peterson and Barney (1952). In the past five decades we have seen how vowels differ as a function of speaker sex, speaker size, age, speech disorder and dialect group and development of vowel spaces in second-language acquisition (much of the research through contributions of speakers in this session). In concert with these acoustic studies, we have better understanding of the nature of the perception of vowels through multidimensional scaling studies, adaptation/perceptual magnet/categorical perception studies, cross-linguistic studies, and developmental studies. Most recently, we have seen work done with regard to brain mapping and neural models of vowel perception. This talk will provide a review of past vowel research (voluminous as it is) and possible future trends.

Teacher Strategies In Handling Children With Disorders Communication (Case Study at SLB Pulau Punjung Dharmasraya)

There aren't many studies that address ABK's speech delay, but research reports on similar topics can be found easily. Therefore, the author concentrates on explaining the teacher's way of dealing with children's speech delays. This study aims to find out how teachers and parents deal with children with speech delay disorders. This research was conducted using qualitative case study method. The results showed that some of the children's characteristics were unable to understand and respond to peers, parents, or adults around them; they were less likely to talk (quiet), unable to form simple sentences when asked something; they often used vague, rigid, or stammered language because they lacked vocabulary; and they usually used confused language when speaking. To encourage delays in children's speech, strategy treatment is carried out: 1) training children to speak correctly, slowly, and repeatedly; and 2) always pay attention to grammar when speaking.

İlk Gençlik Çağı Romanlarında Özel Gereksinimli Karakterlerin İncelenmesi

Introduction: Juvenile books are useful tools to increase young people's knowledge and sensitivity about individuals with special needs. In particular, the books that are structured in a qualified way and that appeal to the world of young people will be useful in establishing healthy communication bridges between individuals with typical development and individuals with special needs. For this reason, it is important to identify qualified books on individuals with special needs. In this research, we examined the books that include individuals with special needs as characters in terms of their structure, depiction, and developmental characteristics. Method: The study utilized document analysis model, one of the qualitative research methods, in which we examined the characters with special needs according to various criteria. We evaluated thirty-eight books in the study. While identifying the books, we sought that they appealed to juvenile and included at least one character with special needs. We analyzed the books with the content analysis technique. Results: Results showed eleven different disability types in the 38 books. Of these, 10 were visual impairment, 11 were physical disabilities, six were hearing impairment, six were intellectual disability, six were autism spectrum disorder (ASD), five were cerebral palsy, three were speech and language disorders, three were gifted, one was specific learning disability, one was attention deficiency and hyperactivity disorder, one was a physical disorder. In 33 books, characters had positive depictions; 33 characters had dynamic characteristics, and all of the books had realistic fiction except two. Discussion: The results of the study differ from the studies in the literature in terms of the variety of special needs of the characters. In terms of the reality of the fictions, the results overlap with the studies in the literature. The rate of dynamic characters in the books that are the subject of this research is higher than past studies. The results regarding the relationship between the characters with special needs and their peers are also consistent with the results of the studies on the topic.

Modern Standard Arabic speech disorders corpus for digital speech processing applications

Modern Standard Arabic speech disorders corpus for digital speech processing applications

Analysis of Sentence Types Production and Speech Disorders Characteristics in Wernicke’s Aphasia Sufferer

Wernicke's aphasia is a speech disorder with speech that is quite fluent but has a meaning that does not make sense. Many utterances are just the contents of the sufferer's thoughts. This analysis focuses on the characteristics of sentence production and speech disorders in individuals with Wernicke's aphasia. Individuals with Wernicke's aphasia suffer from a language disorder that affects their ability to communicate effectively. Their speech is typically fluent but nonsensical, and they may struggle to find the right words or understand what is being said to them. They may also make errors in their speech and be unaware of these mistakes, which can make communication even more challenging. Additionally, their sentence structure, grammar, and syntax can be compromised, leading to structurally deficient sentences. Limited use of functional words, the presence of neologisms, and perseveration contribute to the incoherence of their speech. Understanding these characteristics is crucial for developing targeted interventions to enhance communication for individuals with Wernicke's aphasia. The results of this research found that there are 7 types of sentence patterns, 5 types of sentences based on their function and structure, and 4 characteristics of speech disorders that appear in the utterances expressed by Byron.

Formation and development of the system of training speech therapy personnel (late XIX – early XXI century)

The preparation of future speech therapists in the modern educational space is defined by processes in the socio-cultural environment, societal transformations, changes in modern mentality, and heightened requirements for the quality of professional training. The necessity to improve speech therapy training arises from disparities between second-generation state educational standards for computerization and use of information resources, and the real state of the education system. Additionally, there is a growing number of children with speech disorders, often complicated by secondary disorders. A deep historical study of the development of speech therapy training is key to understanding and improving modern educational processes, considering socio-economic, cultural, and technological factors that shape the needs and directions of speech therapy development in the future. The article highlights the history of the development of the national speech therapy education system, revealing its connection with the socio-economic structure of the country, global historical-pedagogical processes, and the level of development of defectology science. The analysis of scientific literature allows identifying general conditions for the modernization of speech therapy education, confirming that based on an in-depth study of the content and essence of the problem of forming professionalism and professional competence of future speech therapists, it is possible to develop organizational and methodical support for their development and implementation in educational and production practice according to socio-economic conditions. This article emphasizes the importance of a deep analysis of historical and modern aspects in the training of speech therapists, taking into account socio-cultural changes and technological development. Understanding the history and current state of speech therapy education is key to effectively modernizing training that meets the contemporary challenges and needs of society

Formation of the semiotic component of speech in senior preschool children with logopathology

The scientific publication presents a theoretical and experimental-comparative analysis of the formation of the semiotic component of speech in senior preschool children with speech disorders. The purpose of the study is to investigate the dynamics of the development of the semiotic component of speech in senior preschool children with speech pathology after correctional educational and developmental intervention. The methods of the study are: theoretical − analysis of scientific sources to solve the problematic issue; empirical − use of diagnostic tools (tasks − educational, game, research, during which children with speech disorders study phonemic, lexical, grammatical and prosodic levels of speech; analysis; comparison), formative (game, verbal, exercises, etc.) and variable statistical (quantitative and qualitative) ones. Results of the study. Corrective educational and developmental work on the formation of the semiotic component of speech in senior preschool children with speech pathology took place at the propedeutic-foundational (preparing the child for the acquisition of basic speech and language knowledge and skills), variably sequential (providing a combination of visual and speech actions), speech-active (involving the child in the speech environment) stages. Additionally, the methods and techniques of correctional educational and developmental work are substantiated. The compared materials of the study of the ascertaining and formative experiments testified to the dynamics of the development of the semiotic component of speech in children with logopathology. The children studied improved their phonemic (perception, analysis and representation), lexical (expressive and impressive speech), grammatical (composing stories, agreeing verbs with the subject in number, declining nouns and adjectives, modifying verbs by person and number, use diminutives and pet forms of nouns in all genders and cases) and prosodic (normative voice power, speech rate, expressive intonation and clear diction) levels of speech

ВИКОРИСТАННЯ ГЕЙМІФІКАЦІЇ В ПОПЕРЕДЖЕННІ ДИСЛЕКСІЇ У ДІТЕЙ СТАРШОГО ДОШКІЛЬНОГО ВІКУ

In this article, the use of gamification in the organization of preventive work with children prone to dyslexia is analyzed. The factor that causes dyslexia has been identified, emphasizing the need to promptly identify children at risk and intervene, in order to avoid negative psychosocial consequences during their education. The main achievements of scientists in this field have been summarized. The advantages of using individual elements of gamification for propaedeutic purposes in working with children prone to dyslexia are highlighted, and their description is provided. An algorithm for creating a game mechanism, criteria for selecting digital learning platforms, and developing games based on them are proposed. Considering the variety of available mobile applications and platforms that contribute to the implementation of propaedeutic and developmental goals in working with children with speech disorders, it is stated that they have some disadvantages. Therefore, the main approaches to developing custom digital games on gamified platforms, with the ability to modify their content and tasks, have been considered in such a way that they contribute to the implementation of the goals of corrective and developmental work with children prone to dyslexia. Several variants of such games are proposed as examples. The identified factors that can hinder the achievement of a positive effect of using digital games by a speech therapist in the classroom are discussed, and ways to solve them are explored. The perspective of using digital games in providing remote corrective and developmental assistance to children in conditions of distance learning is indicated. The article also emphasizes the need for speech therapists to possess a sufficient level of digital competence as a guarantee of methodologically correct creation and implementation of digital games into their work with children.

Синдром дефіциту уваги з гіперактивністю в дітей віком 6-8 років як медико-соціальна проблема

One of the medical and social problems that are considered urgent today is the need to improve the health of children with disorders of mental development, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Purpose - to conduct a systematic analysis of scientific sources regarding the etiopathogenesis, clinical manifestations, and joint practical work of doctors, social workers, and teachers regarding ADHD in children 6-8 years old. Domestic and international studies prove that the treatment of ADHD in children should be comprehensive, include recommendations on regime and lifestyle, drug therapy, and practical recommendations from an educational component. A multidisciplinary approach to determine clinical-psychopathological and clinical-psychological regularities of the mental development of children with ADHD is relevant. A feature of such children is high activity, inability to focus on one thing, short-temperedness. But such a condition can be corrected if treatment is started as early as possible. The cause of the development of the disorder can be: complications during pregnancy (this includes early toxicosis, preeclampsia, intrauterine hypoxia of the fetus), complications during childbirth (premature, rapid); low body weight of the child at birth or suffered serious diseases during the first year of life; the presence of bad habits in a pregnant woman, hard work or work in harmful conditions during the period of bearing the fetus. The main signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children 6-8 years old are as follows: inattention; hyperactivity; impulsiveness. The main symptoms of ADHD can also be accompanied by accompanying symptoms: difficulties in learning, even despite high intellectual abilities; tics; quick fatigue; the presence of phobias, anxiety and depression; autism; sleep problems; speech or behavior disorders. Scientists consider the features of intellectual development of children with ADHD to be voluntary regulation of mental activity, cognitive functions, speech, voluntary motor activity, insufficient development of perceptual-gnostic and emotional spheres. No conflict of interests was declared by the author.

Rehabilitation of Patients with Post-Stroke Dysarthria in the Russia and Abroad: a Literature Review

INTRODUCTION. Post-stroke speech disorders are one of the important reasons for the decline in the functioning of patients. According to statistics, the incidence of dysarthria among patients after stroke varies from 24 to 64 %.
 AIM. To evaluate existing methods of rehabilitation of post-stroke dysarthria, attempt to create a classification of methods, assess the possibility of use in modern conditions and the effectiveness of these methods.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS. A literature review was conducted using the eLibrary, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases over the past 5 years (2019–2023). Key words used for the search: “stroke” (stroke in foreign databases), “rehabilitation”, “dysarthria”. The criteria for inclusion of articles in the review were as follows: year of publication of the scientific work from 2019 to 2023, full-text articles, works that include the author’s methodology or its modification, meta-analyses, descriptions of clinical cases. Exclusion criteria: descriptive articles, works based on statistics of post-stroke dysarthria, works describing the organization of speech therapy support without specifying methods, coincidence of identical works in different databases.
 RESULTS. The literature review included 16 full-text articles, based on the results of which it can be said that speech rehabilitation, repeating trends in motor rehabilitation, is moving in the direction of increasing the use of various equipment, and there has been an increase in the use of invasive techniques.
 CONCLUSION. This review highlights the current trends in speech rehabilitation in adults.

Quality of life indicators in patients with diffuse brain gliomas

The incidence of primary brain tumors is increasing worldwide. When assessing the treatment delivered to patients with brain gliomas, their quality of life (QOL) is an essential criterion for consideration. It is necessary to search for and specify the factors, which determine the QOL changes in patients with brain tumors. The QOL indicators for patients with brain gliomas were assessed in terms of the following factors: clinical (presence of epileptic seizures, seizures type and frequency, antiepileptic drug treatment, presence of speech disorders and pareses), demographic (sex), age of diagnosis, social (level of education, employment, marital status), molecular-genetic (presence of IDH1/2 mutation, 1p/19q codeletion), and morphological (malignancy degree, tumor histological characteristics). The QOL of 48 patients with diffuse brain gliomas was tested according to the objectives of the study. The QOLIE-31 questionnaire (version 1.0) indicates that diffuse glioma patients with epilepsy have statistically significant decrease in such QOL spheres as seizures worry (p<0.0001), cognitive functioning (p=0.0043), antiepileptic drug effect (p=0.0002), social functioning (p=0.0029), as well as in the total score (p=0.0053). In addition, such factors as age, gender, tumor malignancy degree, and its histological type have a statistically significant effect on the QOL of patients with diffuse brain gliomas before surgery. Thus, the treatment of patients with diffuse brain gliomas requires a thorough study and a multidisciplinary approach, including such specialists as a neurologist, oncologist, chemotherapist, radiologist, neuropsychologist, and psychiatrist, in addition to a neurosurgeon.

AFM signal model for dysarthric speech classification using speech biomarkers.

Neurological disorders include various conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system which results in reduced performance in different organs and muscles throughout the human body. Dysarthia is a neurological disorder that significantly impairs an individual's ability to effectively communicate through speech. Individuals with dysarthria are characterized by muscle weakness that results in slow, slurred, and less intelligible speech production. An efficient identification of speech disorders at the beginning stages helps doctors suggest proper medications. The classification of dysarthric speech assumes a pivotal role as a diagnostic tool, enabling accurate differentiation between healthy speech patterns and those affected by dysarthria. Achieving a clear distinction between dysarthric speech and the speech of healthy individuals is made possible through the application of advanced machine learning techniques. In this work, we conducted feature extraction by utilizing the Amplitude and frequency modulated (AFM) signal model, resulting in the generation of a comprehensive array of unique features. A method involving Fourier-Bessel series expansion is employed to separate various components within a complex speech signal into distinct elements. Subsequently, the Discrete Energy Separation Algorithm is utilized to extract essential parameters, namely the Amplitude envelope and Instantaneous frequency, from each component within the speech signal. To ensure the robustness and applicability of our findings, we harnessed data from various sources, including TORGO, UA Speech, and Parkinson datasets. Furthermore, the classifier's performance was evaluated based on multiple measures such as the area under the curve, F1-Score, sensitivity, and accuracy, encompassing KNN, SVM, LDA, NB, and Boosted Tree. Our analyses resulted in classification accuracies ranging from 85 to 97.8% and the F1-score ranging between 0.90 and 0.97.

Characterizing Speech Errors Across Primary Progressive Apraxia of Speech Subtypes.

Apraxia of speech (AOS) is a motor speech disorder affecting articulatory planning and speech programming. When AOS is the sole manifestation of neurodegeneration, it is termed primary progressive apraxia of speech (PPAOS). Recent work has shown that there are distinct PPAOS subtypes: phonetic, prosodic, and those that do not clearly align with either (mixed). PPAOS subtypes differ with respect to the predominating motor speech difficulties, as well as disease progression and underlying pathology. Because past studies have determined PPAOS subtype based on clinical impression, the goal of the present study was to quantitatively determine the distribution of speech error types across PPAOS subtypes in a word repetition task and to investigate how word complexity affects the type and number of speech errors across PPAOS subtypes. Forty-five patients with PPAOS (13 phonetic, 23 prosodic, and nine mixed) and 45 healthy controls produced multiple repetitions of words that varied in phonetic complexity. Sound additions, deletions, and substitutions/distortions (phonetic errors) and within-word segmentations (prosodic errors) were calculated. All three PPAOS groups produced significantly more errors than controls, but the total number of errors was comparable among subtypes. The phonetic group produced more phonetic-type errors compared to the prosodic group but comparable to the mixed group. The prosodic group produced more segmentations compared to the phonetic and mixed PPAOS groups. As word complexity increased, the total number of errors increased for PPAOS patients. The phonetic and prosodic groups were more likely to produce phonetic- and prosodic-type errors, respectively, as word complexity increased. This study provides novel quantitative data showing that PPAOS subtype can be supported by the type and distribution of speech errors in a word repetition task. This may facilitate earlier, more reliable differential diagnosis and aid in disease prognosis, as PPAOS subtypes have distinct disease trajectories.

Surgical treatment of intracranial epithelioid hemangioendothelioma: a case report

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is an extremely rare vascular neoplasm with an intermediate pattern of malignancy between benign neoplasms and angiosarcomas. Only 46 cases of intracranial localization of primary EHE in adults have been published.Case report: A 47-year-old male patient developed pronounced speech disorder of sensory and amnestic aphasia type, right-sided pyramidal hemiparesis within 3–4 days. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a delimited left sided brain islet neoplasm with signs of hemorrhage and small perifocal edema. Intraoperatively, the neoplasm was represented by a conglomerate of pathologic vessels, with involvement of the terminal branches of the M2 segment of the middle cerebral artery, which prevented radical resection of the neoplasm. Based on histopathological and immunohistochemistry analysis of the neoplasm (positive expression of CD31, CD34, proliferative activity index Ki-67 10%) the morphologic diagnosis of EHE was established. 3 months after surgery, continued growth of the residual part of the neoplasm was noted. Temozolomide chemotherapy was clinically ineffective. The patient died due to the development of dislocation syndrome after 9 months.Discussion. The malignant characteristics of EHE include invasive growth, recurrence, and metastasis, which is more common in intracranial localization of the neoplasm. If EHE is suspected, radical surgical removal of the neoplasm should be sought.