Measures Of Expressive Language Research Articles

Early Language, Social Communication, and Autism Characteristics of Young Toddlers at Elevated Likelihood for Autism Identified by the First Years Inventory-Lite.

The purposes of this article were (a) to compare the developmental skills of toddlers whose scores on the First Years Inventory-Lite (FYI-Lite), an early screening tool, indicated an elevated likelihood of a later diagnosis of autism (ELA) to the developmental skills of toddlers at a lower likelihood of a later diagnosis of autism (LLA) and (b) to examine how autism characteristics are correlated with communication measures in toddlers at an ELA. We assessed the language, social communication (SC) skills, and characteristics of autism demonstrated by 45 toddlers at an ELA and 37 toddlers at an LLA between the ages of 11 and 18 months and compared group scores on these measures. We also examined the correlations between the characteristics of autism and language measures within the ELA group. Toddlers at an ELA demonstrated lower scores on measures of global expressive and receptive language, receptive vocabulary, gestures, and response to joint attention bids as well as SC characteristics of autism when compared to those demonstrated by toddlers at an LLA. There were no significant differences between groups on expressive vocabulary, language profiles (i.e., the relationship between receptive and expressive scores), or restrictive and repetitive behaviors. Within the ELA group, the SC characteristics of autism were significantly associated with their global receptive and expressive language skills. On the basis of the FYI-Lite screening tool, toddlers at an ELA are demonstrating delays in language and SC skills when compared to toddlers identified with an LLA. For toddlers at an ELA, the SC characteristics of autism are significantly associated with early language skills. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.27969444.

Language and Ageing in Adults With Down Syndrome: An Analysis of Receptive and Expressive Language Measures.

The evidence on the effect of age on the receptive and expressive language skills of individuals with Down syndrome is inconclusive. Recent research highlights the relevance of having tools to detect age-related changes in language skills. Data were collected on 45 adults with Down syndrome. All were assessed with the Peabody test, token test, verbal fluency tasks and an expressive language sample. Scores on token and Peabody showed a decline in older adults, whereas no significant effect of age was observed for expressive language measures. A quadratic regression confirmed the association between age and receptive language measures. Highly significant associations were also found between the performance on receptive and expressive language measures. Receptive language skills are more age-sensitive than the expressive language skills. In addition to expressive language skills, receptive language skills should be measured because they show age associated changes not observed in expressive language.

41 Characterizing the Cognitive Profile of Pediatric Insular Epilepsy

Objective:Little research exists characterizing the neuropsychological profile of pediatric insular epilepsy. Accurate diagnosis of insular epilepsy is challenging due to difficulties localizing deep brain structures with current non-invasive neurodiagnostic tools, as well as seizure semiology that may mimic temporal, frontal, and parietal seizures for this patient population [1]. Therefore, we investigated trends across neuropsychological data to help characterize the cognitive profile of pediatric insular epilepsy. This is important because studies that could accurately characterize insular epilepsy into cognitive phenotypes could potentially provide supporting evidence for insular localization during epilepsy surgery work-up. The insula is situated underneath the temporal, parietal, and frontal opercula, and has a number of diffuse projections to key brain structures involved in language, executive functioning, motor coordination, and sensory function [2]. Therefore, we hypothesized that children with insular epilepsy will demonstrate particular weaknesses in language and executive functioning skills.Participants and Methods:Retrospective medical records review identified 19 children with insular epilepsy who completed neuropsychological assessment (Age: M=8.2 years, SD=3.4) at Boston Children’s Hospital. Insular epilepsy was defined by ictal insular localization on long-term monitoring EEG. The current sample includes 59% males and 41% females. The majority of participants (69%) had left sided lateralization and more than one seizure type (63%). MRI findings were widely distributed across frontal, temporal, and multiple lobes as well as insular and perisylvian brain regions. A lesion was identified on MRI findings for most participants (63%).Results:Descriptive analyses showed that overall IQ (FSIQ: M=84, SD=12, range=68-102) fell in the Low Average range. Verbal and visual reasoning skills were equally developed in the Low Average range (VIQ: M=88, SD=12, range=70-104; PIQ: M=88, SD=16, range=53-117). Participants exhibited lower performance on speeded expressive language measures, including measures of phonemic fluency (M=5.5, SD=1.5, range=2-8) and semantic fluency (M=6.7, SD=2.5, range=3-11). With regard to executive functioning, reduced cognitive flexibility was observed on D-KEFS Trail Making Test (Trial 4, Number-Letter Switching: M=5.9, SD=4.9, range=1-12). Additionally, working memory skills fell in the Below Average range (WMIQ: M=77, SD=8.5, range=67-88).Conclusions:Our results indicate that pediatric patients with insular epilepsy present with reduced scores across aspects of speeded expressive language and executive functioning, including working memory and cognitive flexibility. Additional research is needed to replicate these preliminary findings with a larger sample size and determine whether these trends in cognitive profile would help with seizure localization. Future research should investigate whether insular epilepsy has a clearly identifiable and distinct cognitive phenotype that could be helpful in differential diagnostic workup.

Associations between rapid auditory processing of speech sounds and specific verbal communication skills in autism.

The ability to rapidly process speech sounds is integral not only for processing other's speech, but also for auditory processing of one's own speech, which allows for maintenance of speech accuracy. Deficits in rapid auditory processing have been demonstrated in autistic individuals, particularly those with language impairment. We examined rapid auditory processing for speech sounds in relation to performance on a battery of verbal communication measures to determine which aspects of verbal communication were associated with cortical auditory processing in a sample of individuals with autism. Participants were 57 children and adolescents (40 male and 17 female) ages 5-18 who were diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Rapid auditory processing of speech sounds was measured via a magnetoencephalographic (MEG) index of the quality of the auditory evoked response to the second of two differing speech sounds ("Ga" / "Da") presented in rapid succession. Verbal communication abilities were assessed on standardized clinical measures of overall expressive and receptive language, vocabulary, articulation, and phonological processing. Associations between cortical measures of left- and right-hemisphere rapid auditory processing and verbal communication measures were examined. Rapid auditory processing of speech sounds was significantly associated with speech articulation bilaterally (r = 0.463, p = 0.001 for left hemisphere and r = 0.328, p = 0.020 for right hemisphere). In addition, rapid auditory processing in the left hemisphere was significantly associated with overall expressive language abilities (r = 0.354, p = 0.013); expressive (r = 0.384, p = 0.005) vocabulary; and phonological memory (r = 0.325, p = 0.024). Phonological memory was found to mediate the relationship between rapid cortical processing and receptive language. These results demonstrate that impaired rapid auditory processing for speech sounds is associated with dysfunction in verbal communication in ASD. The data also indicate that intact rapid auditory processing may be necessary for even basic communication skills that support speech production, such as phonological memory and articulatory control.

The Development of Left Hemisphere Lateralization for Sentence-Level Prosodic Processing.

The fine-tuning of linguistic prosody in later childhood is poorly understood, and its neurological processing is even less well studied. In particular, it is unknown if grammatical processing of prosody is left- or right-lateralized in childhood versus adulthood and how phonological working memory might modulate such lateralization. Furthermore, it is virtually unknown how prosody develops neurologically among children with cochlear implants (CIs). Normal-hearing (NH) children ages 6-12 years and NH adults ages 18-28 years completed a functional near-infrared spectroscopy neuroimaging task, during which they heard sentence pairs and judged whether the sentences did or did not differ in their overall prosody (declarative, question, with or without narrow focus). Children also completed standard measures of expressive and receptive language. Age group differences emerged; children exhibited stronger bilateral temporoparietal activity but reduced left frontal activation. Furthermore, children's performance on a nonword repetition test was significantly associated with activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus-an area that was generally more activated in adults than in children. The prosody-related findings are generally consistent with prior neurodevelopmental works on sentence comprehension, especially those involving syntax and semantics, which have also noted a developmental shift from bilateral temporal to left inferior frontal regions typically associated with increased sensitivity to sentence structure. The findings thus inform theoretical perspectives on brain and language development and have implications for studying the effects of CIs on neurodevelopmental processes for sentence prosody. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.22255996.

Concurrent Predictors of Supplementary Sign Use in School-Aged Children With Childhood Apraxia of Speech.

Manual sign is a common alternative mode of communication taught to children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Gesture use is positively related to later increases in vocabulary and syntactic complexity in typical development, but there is little evidence supporting the use of manual sign for children with CAS. We sought to identify the communicative functions of signs and gestures produced by children with CAS and to identify concurrent factors suggesting which children are more likely to benefit from sign-supported speech intervention. Measures of receptive and expressive language were gathered from 19 children (ages 3.8-11.1 years) with CAS in a school-based sign-supported speech program. Fourteen of the children produced a total of 145 manual signs, which included both gestures and signs from American Sign Language (M = 10.4 per child, SD = 11.6). Manual signs were coded according to whether they conveyed information that was semantically redundant with (complemented) or added information to (supplemented) their speech. Children produced 107 complementary manual signs (75.4%) and 38 supplemental (24.6%) manual signs. Of the 38 supplemental signs, 24 (63.2%) provided additional information in the presence of unintelligible or no speech and 14 (36.8%) provided additional information in the presence of intelligible speech. Children's expressive language scores significantly predicted and accounted for 38.4% of the variance in the number of supplemental signs that children used. Children with CAS whose oral expressive language was relatively more impaired produced the most supplementary signs, suggesting that children with oral expressive language challenges are more likely to rely on them for communicating words they cannot yet speak. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21217814.

Long-term English Learners: Untangling Language Acquisition and Learning Disabilities

AbstractStudents who have remained classified as English Learners (ELs) for more than six years are often labeled “Long-term English Learners” (LTELs). The present study examined the English Language Development (ELD) test scores and demographic information in a group of 560 students identified as LTELs. Despite assumptions that these students are still learning English, results showed many students who are labeled LTELs exhibited advanced English skills, especially on measures of expressive and receptive oral language (i.e., speaking and listening subtests). At the same time, ELD assessments showed many of these students struggled with literacy skills, especially reading. Perhaps due to these overlapping circumstances, we found many LTELs were also identified with learning disabilities. Based on these findings, we explored the impact of restricting domains needed for reclassification as English proficient on reclassification rates. Compared with existing decision rules in the students’ state, proposed models allow many more LTELs to reclassify as English proficient, and most LTELs not reclassifying are students in special education. Discussion focuses on interpreting ELD scores for students who have remained classified as ELs for more than a few years.

Effect Of Speech Therapy in Children with Cochlar Implant

Hearing loss is the absence or difficulty in hearing. And its levels range from mild severe to profound while the term deafness is used for the person who cannot hear it. Objective: To determine the effect of speech therapy in children with cochlear implant. Methods: This descriptive study was carried out at Fatima Memorial College Medicine and Dentistry, from 1st October 2021 to December 2021 to determine the effect of speech therapy in children with cochlear implant. For this purpose a total of 30 children who were implanted and receiving speech therapy were evaluated. Effect of speech therapy was determined by collecting data from the parents of cochlear implant children by using a questionnaire. The questionnaire constituted the receptive and expressive language measures that determine the effect of speech therapy. Questionnaire which was used as data collecting instrument that was designed by expert opinion and literature review. Results: Result indicated that out of 30 children who were implanted and receiving speech therapy, 30 (100%) were communicating verbally using word phrase and sentence. These findings suggested that children with cochlear implant were communicating verbally instead of sign language or gestural mode of communication and improved intelligibility. Conclusions: It is concluded that speech therapy is effective in children with cochlear implant

Event-Related Potentials to Speech Relate to Speech Sound Production and Language in Young Children

ABSTRACT This research was funded through the American Speech and Hearing Foundation’s 2012 StudentResearch Grant in Early Childhood Language Development awarded to Vanessa Harwood as well as an anonymous generous donation to Haskins Laboratories. Electrophysiological measures of language within early childhood provide important information about neurolinguistic development. We investigated associations between amplitude and latency of the P1 and N2 event-related potential components in response to spoken pseudowords, and clinical measures of language performance within a sample of 58 typically developing children between 24 and 48 months. N2 amplitude differences between repeated and new tokens were correlated with measures of expressive and receptive language and speech sound production. Phonemic sensitivity measured by the N2 component may reflect the integrity of neural networks that are important for speech perception and production in young children.

The impact of cochlear implantation on speech and language outcomes in children with asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss

IntroductionCochlear implantation (CI) is considered in children with asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss (ASHL), or severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss in one ear, and better hearing contralaterally. The benefits of a CI in these children are not well established. This study investigated the impact of unilateral CI on speech and language outcomes in pediatric patients with ASHL. MethodsThe retrospective chart review identified pediatric patients who underwent cochlear implantation for ASHL at a tertiary single center institution between 2014 and 2017. Children who underwent cochlear implantation in the poorer ear and maintained a hearing aid in the better ear were included, while children with cognitive impairment or prior cochlear nerve deficiency and auditory neuropathy were excluded. Speech and language measures were evaluated prior to implantation and at regular six-month intervals postoperatively. Ear specific Audiometry was evaluated at every visit and varied developmentally appropriate speech recognition tasks, including questionnaires, closed-set, and open-set measures, accounted for advancing childhood milestones. Specific measures of speech articulation, expressive and receptive language, and vocabulary were assessed including: Goldman Fristoe Test of Articulation (GFTA-3), Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF-P2 or CELF-5), Receptive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test (ROWPVT) and Expressive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test (EOWPVT). The mean difference and standard deviation of speech and language outcomes at preoperative and postoperative evaluations were calculated. The change in outcomes were further assessed over each post-operative time point. ResultsTwenty-six children with asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss were included in the analysis, with 11 (42%) having bilateral enlarged vestibular aqueducts (EVA). At time of CI, unaided mean Pure Tone Average (PTA-4) for the better ear was 62Db HL, and worse ear was 92Db HL. There was an improvement in speech recognition in the implanted ear as expected. All preoperative speech and language evaluations were conducted within 7 months of cochlear implantation. Twenty-three patients had at least 1 postoperative re-evaluation. Fourteen children had preoperative and postoperative assessments with the same tool, with 13 patients (93%) showing improvement in at least 1 domain. For patients with repeated assessment within 12 months of surgery, we observed an average improvement in standard scores of: GFTA-3 (+11.2), CELF-P2 Core Language (+10.3), CELF-5 Core Language (+7.0), ROWPVT (+2.8) and EOWPVT (+4.5). Individual results are described. ConclusionImprovement in speech and language measures can be demonstrated in children undergoing unilateral cochlear implantation for asymmetric sensorineural hearing losses. These children, who are not typical CI candidates, can benefit from a CI in the poorer ear.

Neurocognitive Outcomes from Memantine: A Pilot, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Objective: Studies interrogating therapeutics which alter the excitation-inhibition balance in the treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have reported mixed results on social and behavioral outcomes. Methods: The aim of this randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled pilot trial was to evaluate neurocognitive effects of memantine over a 24-week trial. Twenty-three children ages 6-12 years old with ASD were randomized to memantine or placebo. Primary outcomes included measures of apraxia and expressive language with evaluations at midpoint (week 12) and endpoint (week 24). Secondary outcomes included memory and adaptive behavior measures. Exploratory outcomes included changes in overall cognitive functioning and behavior (e.g., Aberrant Behavior Checklist). Results: Results suggest that memantine was well-tolerated. Dropout rates were high across groups with only 14 participants completing the 6-month trial. Memantine was not associated with improvements in apraxia and expressive language. Treatment with memantine was associated with improvements in verbal recognition memory as measured by the Narrative Memory-Recognition (NEPSY-II) (F = 5.05, p = .03). In addition, exploratory analyses of changes in Intelligence quotient (IQ) suggest improvements on verbal IQ (d = 1.8). Conclusions: Results suggest future studies of memantine in ASD may benefit from shifting treatment targets from social and behavioral outcomes to exploration of effects of memantine on cognition, potentially as an adjunct to learning and educational interventions. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01372449.

Emerging coherence and relations to communication among executive function tasks in toddlers: Evidence from a Latin American sample.

Recent work within early executive function (EF) seems to suggest that toddlers show distinct patterns of development, involving poorly correlated performance across EF tasks and significant improvements over relatively short periods of time. The present study sought to extend these findings by investigating evidence for these patterns in toddlers and the existence of more traditional patterns of EF (e.g., correlations between tasks, links to language) when using the same tasks in a novel Latin American sample. Eighty toddlers (18-24months) and sixty young preschoolers (30-36) months completed a battery of EF tasks, early social communication, and receptive and expressive language measures. Results indicated that toddlers showed similar distinct patterns of development (i.e., few relations between tasks and links to responding to joint attention), but by early preschool a more cohesive EF and links to language were present. Further, work demonstrated significant age (older children outperformed younger children), gender (girls outperformed boys), and socioeconomic differences (satisfied basic needs outperformed unsatisfied basic needs, but only on the snack delay). This work provides evidence for patterns of emerging EF development within this novel cultural sample (and evidence for group differences) that may be supported by communicative and representational development.

الخصائص السیکومتریة لمقیاس مهارات اللغة التعبیریة لدى عینة من الأطفال ذوى إضطراب طیف التوحد

يهدف البحث الحالى إلى بناء مقياس لقياس اللغة التعبيرية لدى الأطفال ذوى إضطراب طيف التوحد و التحقق من الخصائص السيکومترية له ، حيث قامت الباحثة بالإطلاع على الدراسات العربية و الأجنبية التى تناولت اللغة التعبيرية لدى الأطفال ذوى إضطراب طيف التوحد و المقاييس الخاصة باللغة ، و فى ضوء ذلک تمکنت الباحثة من بناء مقياس اللغة التعبيرية للأطفال ذوى إضطراب طيف التوحد ، حيث إشتمل المقياس على أربعة أبعاد لقياس اللغة التعبيرية هى ( التسمية ، الطلب ، الترکيب اللغوى ، البراجماتيک ) و قد تبين من المعاملات الإحصائية توافر الخصائص السيکومترية للمقياس من حيث الصدق و الثبات ، و توصى الباحثة ببناء مقياس لقياس الإيکولاليا للأطفال ذوى إضطراب طيف التوحد.الکلمات المفتاحية : الخصائص السيکومترية ، اللغة التعبيرية ، إضطراب طيف التوحد .SummaryThe current research aims to build a measure of expressive language in children with autism spectrum disorder and to verify the psychometric characteristics of it, where the researcher reviewed the Arabic and foreign studies that dealt with the expressive language in children with autism spectrum disorder and the measures of language, and in light of that was able to build a measure of expressive language for children with autism spectrum disorder, where the scale consisted of four dimensions to measure the expressive language (tact , mand , linguistics , pragmatics) . Statistical Transactions showed the availability of the psychometric properties of the scale in terms of validity and stability The researcher recommends building a measure of measure echolalia for children with autism spectrum disorder .

The impact of unilateral, simultaneous, or sequential cochlear implantation on pediatric language outcomes

Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of unilateral versus bilateral cochlear implantation on receptive and expressive spoken language outcomes. Secondary aims were to investigate factors timing of first and second implant placement and reliance on government funded health plans on language outcome. Methods This was a retrospective chart review of spoken language users with bilateral severe-to-profound hearing loss. A total of 204 children were included, 105 in the bilateral group and 99 in the unilateral group. Multiple regression analyses were completed to investigate factors that influence language outcomes at age 5. Results Recipients who received bilateral CIs performed significantly higher on measures of receptive and expressive language than those with unilateral implants. Discussion This study demonstrates that bilateral implantation has a significant impact on receptive and expressive aspects of language development, and should be strongly considered as standard practice for children with bilateral severe to profound hearing loss. Conclusion These results indicate that families should be counseled that language outcomes are better with bilateral cochlear implantation than unilateral implantation. Cochlear implant teams should continue to consider the impact of socioeconomic status on outcomes and explore new methods to reduce the impacts and barriers of poverty to language development.

Supporting language and literacy development with intensive small-group interventions: An early childhood efficacy study

The strong association of early language skills to later reading ability suggests that supporting the development of these skills in children who enter school with below average language abilities may lead to stronger literacy development. Despite this, few evidence-based supplemental language interventions exist for school-based implementation. The current paper reports on 2 large-scale randomized trials of 5 small-group, intensive language-focused interventions implemented in preschool and kindergarten settings. After screening on an expressive language measure, 342 preschool children were randomized to either business-as-usual general education or to 1 of 3 10- or 12-week interventions. Comparably, after screening, 905 kindergarten children were randomized to business-as-usual or to 1 of 4 8-12-week interventions. Children were assessed pre- and post-intervention on a battery of distal standardized language, including listening comprehension, and early literacy measures. Results indicated significant impacts for 3 of the 5 interventions in 1 or 2 grades, on at least 1 standardized measure, although none of the interventions directly impacted listening comprehension measures. Implications for supporting language development and for the early prevention of reading comprehension difficulties are discussed.

A Comparison of Natural Language Samples Collected From Minimally and Low-Verbal Children and Adolescents With Autism by Parents and Examiners.

Purpose We aimed to compare the speech of parents and examiners as they elicited language samples from minimally and low-verbal (MLV) children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), while following the same semi-structured elicitation protocol, Eliciting Language Samples for Analysis-Adolescents (ELSA-A). We also compared the speech elicited from the MLV children/adolescents by their parents at home and by trained examiners in the lab and assessed the feasibility of parents collecting language samples at home. Method Thirty-three (five female, 28 male) MLV children and adolescents with ASD between the ages of 6;6 and 19;7 (years;months) participated. All participants were administered standardized assessments, and a trained examiner collected an ELSA-A language sample from them in the lab. The parents of 22 of the children/adolescents collected an ELSA-A sample at home. All language samples were transcribed following standard procedures, and measures of expressive language were extracted to assess the quantity of speech, its syntactic complexity, and lexical diversity. At the end of the study, parents filled out a feedback survey about their experiences collecting ELSA-A. Results On average, parents produced twice as much speech as trained examiners during ELSA-A. However, their speech did not differ in syntactic complexity or lexical diversity. When with their parents, the MLV children/adolescents also produced twice as much speech than with trained examiners. In addition, their samples were more lexically diverse. Overall, parents elicited longer language samples but administered fewer of the ELSA-A activities. Nevertheless, the majority of parents rated the experience of collecting language samples at home favorably. Conclusions When parents collect language samples at home, their older MLV children/adolescents with ASD produce more speech and engage in more back-and-forth verbal interactions than when with trained examiners. Because parent-elicited language samples allow for a richer assessment of children's expressive language abilities, future studies should focus on identifying ways to encourage parents to collect data at home.

Developmental language disorders and risk of recidivism among young offenders.

Although factors such as adverse family background have been widely examined, little is known about the prevalence or potential impact of developmental language disorder (DLD) on risk of recidivism in young people with history of criminal justice system contact. A total of 145 young offenders participated. An adversity score was constructed based on information found in youth justice service records. Data collected included standardised measures of expressive and receptive language, nonverbal IQ and the inventory of callous-unemotional traits. Survival analysis was performed to examine differences in reoffending risk between young offenders with and without DLD. The cumulative incidence of reoffending within a year of the young person's court order was markedly raised in the DLD group (62%; 95% CI 52, 72) versus the non-DLD group (25%; 95% CI 16, 39). Furthermore, in the final multivariable survival analysis the independent elevation in risk linked with DLD was not greatly attenuated with adjustment for nonverbal IQ, adversity score, age at first offence, number of previous offences and deprivation score. DLD was the most significant predictor with an adjusted hazard ratio of 2.61 (95% CI 1.80, 3.78). Young offenders with DLD are more than twice as likely to reoffend than their unaffected offending peers. DLD is a powerful predictor of recidivism above and beyond other known risk factors.

Relative Weight Analysis of the Western Aphasia Battery

ABSTRACT Background: The Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) is one of the most widely used batteries for assessing people with aphasia. Despite longstanding use, it is unclear how the individual components of the battery contribute to the aphasia quotient (AQ), which profiles aphasia severity. Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to explore the individual contributions of the four major components (Spontaneous Speech, Auditory Verbal Comprehension, Repetition, Naming) and the 10 subtests of the WAB to the WAB AQ using relative weight analysis (RWA). The second objective was to evaluate whether the contributions that these components and subtests make to the WAB AQ are influenced by aphasia type (fluent vs non-fluent). Methods & Procedures: Data for 288 persons with aphasia obtained from the AphasiaBank were analyzed in this study. RWA was performed with the R relaimpo package 2.2–3 using WAB AQ scores, scores from the major components, and scores from the10 subtests that are used to calculate the AQ. A second RWA was completed to examine whether the relative weights for these measures vary as a function of aphasia type (fluent vs non-fluent). Outcomes & Results: Results of RWA for the four major components of the AQ indicated that Spontaneous Speech contributes ~30%, Auditory Verbal Comprehension 20%, Repetition 25%, and Naming/Word Finding 25% to the AQ. RWA for the 10 WAB subtests revealed the major contributors to be Fluency (14.4%), Repetition (14.1%), Information Content (13.1%), and Object Naming (10.5%). In comparisons of the four major areas between individuals with fluent vs non-fluent aphasia, only the contribution of Spontaneous Speech differed between the two groups with this area contributing 31% to the AQ in those individuals with fluent aphasia and 28% in those with non-fluent aphasia. Conclusions: RWA demonstrated that the major components of the WAB do not contribute equally to the AQ but that the contribution of Spontaneous Speech is less than has been suggested previously. The strongest contributors to the AQ are primarily measures of expressive language. This greater influence of the expressive language measures on the AQ should be considered carefully when interpreting the AQ and aphasia severity.

Internationally adopted children with and without a cleft lip and palate showed no differences in language ability at school-age.

The aim of this study was to investigate language ability in internationally adopted children aged 7-8years with and without a unilateral cleft lip and palate. We compared 27 internationally adopted children with a unilateral cleft lip and palate, adopted from China, with a group of 29 children without a cleft lip and palate, adopted from different countries. Participants were recruited from two cleft lip and palate teams in Sweden and through adoption organisations. Assessments were performed using standardised tests of speech and of receptive and expressive language ability. In addition, a parental questionnaire in which speech, language and communication aspects were rated was used. There were no significant differences in language ability between the groups. The only difference was related to speech ability, where the internationally adopted children with unilateral cleft lip and palate scored significantly lower. However, a high proportion of children in both groups scored low on measures of expressive language compared with test norms. The results suggested that having a cleft lip and palate did not increase the risk of language difficulties. Instead, being internationally adopted may be associated with a risk of delayed language development lasting for several years post-adoption.

Predicting Expressive Language From Early Vocalizations in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Which Vocal Measure Is Best?

Purpose This study was designed to test the incremental validity of more expensive vocal development variables relative to less expensive variables for predicting later expressive language in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We devote particular attention to the added value of coding the quality of vocalizations over the quantity of vocalizations because coding quality adds expense to the coding process. We are also interested in the added value of more costly human-coded vocal variables relative to those generated through automated analyses. Method Eighty-seven children with ASD aged 13-30 months at study initiation participated. For quantity of vocalizations, we derived one variable from human coding of brief communication samples and one from an automated process for daylong naturalistic audio samples. For quality of vocalizations, we derived four human-coded variables and one automated variable. A composite expressive language measure was derived at study entry, and 6 and 12 months later. The 12 months-centered intercept of a simple linear growth trajectory was used to quantify later expressive language. Results When statistically controlling for human-coded or automated quantity of vocalization variables, human-coded quality of vocalization variables exhibited incremental validity for predicting later expressive language skills. Human-coded vocal variables also predicted later expressive language skills when controlling for the analogous automated vocal variables. Conclusion In sum, these findings support devoting resources to human coding of the quality of vocalizations from communication samples to predict later expressive language skills in young children with ASD despite the greater costs of deriving these variables. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12276458.