Receptive Subtests Research Articles

Learning Through Shared Care : Allomaternal Care Impacts Cognitive Development in Early Infancy in a Western Population.

This study investigates how allomaternal care (AMC) impacts human development outside of energetics by evaluating relations between important qualitative and quantitative aspects of AMC and developmental outcomes in a Western population. This study seeks to determine whether there are measurable differences in cognitive and language outcomes as predicted by differences in exposure to AMC via formal (e.g., childcare facilities) and informal (e.g., family and friends) networks. Data were collected from 102 mothers and their typically developing infants aged 13-18months. AMC predictor data were collected using questionnaires, structured daily diaries, and longitudinal interviews. Developmental outcomes were assessed using the Cognitive, Receptive Language, and Expressive Language subtests of the Bayley III Screening Test. Additional demographic covariates were also evaluated. Akaike Information Criterion (AIC)-informed model selection was used to identify the best-fitting model for each outcome across three working linear regression models. Although AMC variables had no significant effects on Receptive and Expressive Language subtest scores, highly involved familial AMC had a significant medium effect on Cognitive subtest score (β = 0.23, p < 0.01, semi-partial r = 0.28). Formal childcare had no effect on any outcome. This study provides preliminary evidence that there is a measurable connection between AMC and cognitive development in some populations and provides a methodological base from which to assess these connections cross-culturally through future studies. As these effects are attributable to AMC interactions with networks of mostly related individuals, these findings present an area for further investigation regarding the kin selection hypothesis for AMC.

Physical activity intensity, self-regulation, and school readiness indicators in young children

ABSTRACT This study examined whether associations exist between PA intensity, self-regulation, and indicators of school readiness, a proxy for academic achievement, in young children. Thirty young children completed assessments of physical activity, school readiness indicators, and self-regulation. Physical activity intensity was classified as light, moderate or vigorous. School readiness indicators were assessed using expressive and receptive subtests. There were no associations between light and moderate physical activity, school readiness indicators, and self-regulation. Additionally, there was no association between vigorous activity and the receptive subtest of the school readiness indicators. Correlations were significant between vigorous activity, self-regulation, and expressive subtest. School indicator expressive scores and self-regulation were significantly predicted by the level of vigorous activity. Results suggest the existence of an intensity threshold influencing the PA, self-regulation, and school readiness association.

Pre-professional students’ explicit syntax knowledge: Preliminary analysis

Existing research concludes that educators have varying levels of language knowledge. Educators’ varying levels of language knowledge may be related to the type of content knowledge they received while in school. The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of pre-professional speech-language pathology (SLP) students who have taken language development coursework to pre-professional students who have not taken language development coursework on an explicit syntax knowledge task. Forty-four undergraduate and graduate students from speech language pathology, early childhood education, and education majors completed a 52 question explicit syntax knowledge task comprised of matching, counting, expressive, and receptive subtests. Pre-professional students performed the best on the expressive subtest, followed by the matching subtest, the receptive subtest, and the counting subtest. There was not a significant difference in total score, matching/counting composite score, or express/receptive composite score between pre-professional SLP students who have taken language development coursework and pre-professional students who have not taken language development coursework. The results suggest that language development coursework may not provide enough direct instruction about the structure of language, or at least not at the level that could provide pre-professional students with explicit syntax knowledge. This study contributes to the growing body of research investigating pre-professional students’ and educators’ explicit knowledge of language and the effects of coursework on that knowledge.

Prosody Perception and Production in Children with Hearing Loss and Age- and Gender-Matched Controls.

Auditory development in children with hearing loss, including the perception of prosody, depends on having adequate input from cochlear implants and/or hearing aids. Lack of adequate auditory stimulation can lead to delayed speech and language development. Nevertheless, prosody perception and production in people with hearing loss have received less attention than other aspects of language. The perception of auditory information conveyed through prosody using variations in the pitch, amplitude, and duration of speech is not usually evaluated clinically. This study (1) compared prosody perception and production abilities in children with hearing loss and children with normal hearing; and (2) investigated the effect of age, hearing level, and musicality on prosody perception. Participants were 16 children with hearing loss and 16 typically developing controls matched for age and gender. Fifteen of the children with hearing loss were tested while using amplification (n = 9 hearing aids, n = 6 cochlear implants). Six receptive subtests of the Profiling Elements of Prosody in Speech-Communication (PEPS-C), the Child Paralanguage subtest of Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy 2 (DANVA 2), and Contour and Interval subtests of the Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia (MBEA) were used. Audio recordings of the children's reading samples were rated using a perceptual prosody rating scale by nine experienced listeners who were blinded to the children's hearing status. Thirty two children, 16 with hearing loss (mean age = 8.71 yr) and 16 age- and gender-matched typically developing children with normal hearing (mean age = 8.87 yr). Assessments were completed in one session lasting 1-2 hours in a quiet room. Test items were presented using a laptop computer through loudspeaker at a comfortable listening level. For children with hearing loss using hearing instruments, all tests were completed with hearing devices set at their everyday listening setting. All PEPS-C subtests and total scores were significantly lower for children with hearing loss compared to controls (p < 0.05). The hearing loss group performed more poorly than the control group in recognizing happy, sad, and fearful emotions in the DANVA 2 subtest. Musicality (composite MBEA scores and musical experience) was significantly correlated with prosody perception scores, but this link was not evident in the regression analyses. Regression modeling showed that age and hearing level (better ear pure-tone average) accounted for 55.4% and 56.7% of the variance in PEPS-C and DANVA 2 total scores, respectively. There was greater variability for the ratings of pitch, pitch variation, and overall impression of prosody in the hearing loss group compared to control group. Prosody perception (PEPS-C and DANVA 2 total scores) and ratings of prosody production were not correlated. Children with hearing loss aged 7-12 yr had significant difficulties in understanding different aspects of prosody and were rated as having more atypical prosody overall than controls. These findings suggest that clinical assessment and speech-language therapy services for children with hearing loss should be expanded to target prosodic difficulties. Future studies should investigate whether musical training is beneficial for improving receptive prosody skills.

Language Abilities of Monolingual Turkish Speaking Children who Stutter Değerlendirmesi / Türkçe Konuşan Tek Dilli Kekemeliği Olan Çocukların Dil Yetileri

The aim of this study was to examine differences in language abilities between children who stutter and their age and gender matched peers with typical development. In this cross-sectional study, subjects were two groups of 25 children (N = 50) between the ages of 3;5 and 7;11 (years; months) who do (CWS) (mean age = 6;5 ) and do not stutter (CWNS) (mean age = 6;4). We administered the Turkish version of Test of Early Language Development (TELD-3) to evaluate receptive and expressive language abilities of children participated in this study. The main findings of the study were that expressive subtest and composite scores of CWS on TELD-3-T were significantly lower than CWNS while the difference between groups was not significant on TELD-3-T receptive subtest score. Expressive language scores and total language scores of CWS are below their peers. Keywords: stuttering, receptive language, expressive language, turkish Özet: Bu çalışmanın amacı kekemeliği olan ve yaş ve cinsiyetleri eşleştirilmiş tipik gelişim gösteren çocukların dil performanslarının karşılaştırılmasıdır. Kekemeliği olan 3;5 ve 7;11 yaşları arasındaki 25 çocuğa (ort.=6;5) ve yaş ve cinsiyetleri eşleştirilmiş tipik gelişim gösteren akranlarına (ort.=6;4) Türkçe Erken Dil Gelişim Testi (TEDİL) uygulanarak alıcı ve ifade edici dil becerileri değerlendirilmiştir. Kekemeliği olan çocukların TEDİL testinin ifade edici dil ve toplam dil puanı ortalamaları tipik gelişim gösteren çocuklardan anlamlı düzeyde düşük bulunurken, alıcı dil alt testinde iki grup arasında anlamlı düzeyde bir farklılık bulunmamıştır. Kekemeliği olan çocukların ifade edici dil ve toplam dil performansları yaşıtlarının gerisindedir. Anahtar Kelimeler: kekemelik, alıcı dil, ifade edici dil, türkçe

Prosody Perception in Typically Developing School-aged Children

Purpose: To report normative data for prosody perception abilities in typically developing school-aged children. Method: Four receptive prosody subtests of the Profiling Elements of Prosody in Speech-Communication (PEPSC) and the Child Paralanguage subtest of Diagnostic Analysis of Non Verbal Accuracy 2 (DANVA 2) were administered to 45 children divided into three age groups, with mean ages 7.84, 10.13, and 11.90 years. Results: Overall results indicated significant age-related improvements in performance on PEPS-C Chunking and Contrastive Stress Reception subtests. Accuracy for emotion recognition differed significantly across the two levels of emotion intensity for the DANVA 2. High emotion intensity items yielded better accuracy compared to low intensity items. A confusion matrix for the DANVA 2 showed that errors were not randomly distributed; some pairs of emotions were confused with one another more often than others. The lowest perceptual accuracy was observed for fear and sadness. Conclusions: Normative data for prosody perception abilities in typically developing school aged children were reported using PEPS-C receptive prosody subtests and DANVA 2 Child Paralanguage subtest. The development of receptive prosodic skills mostly occurs between 7 and 9 years. Findings of this study have clinical implications for assessing prosody perception in atypical populations.

Evidences of validity and reliability of the Luria-Nebraska Test for Children

This paper aimed to verify evidences of validity and reliability of Luria-Nebraska Test for Children (TLN-C, in Portuguese). Three hundred eighty-seven students aged 6–13 years old, with learning difficulties, comprised the study. They were assessed with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III) and TLN-C; and effect of age differences, as well as accuracy rating by internal consistency were investigated. Age effects were found for all subtests and in the general score, except for receptive speech subtest, even when total IQ effect was controlled. Reliability analysis had satisfactory results (0.79). The TLN-C showed evidences of validity and reliability. Receptive speech subtest requires revision.

Desempenho linguístico de prematuros de 2 anos, considerando idade cronológica e idade corrigida

Introduction Preterm birth causes problems that are not restricted to perinatal mortality. Some premature, even in the absence of brain damage, have negative effects on various aspects of development, such as language difficulties. Objective This study aimed to verify the linguistic performance of preterm children at 2 years old, considering the chronological age and corrected age. Methods The study included 23 preterm children and applied the Test of Early Language Development- TELD-3 to assess the language skills. Results The premature children showed the linguistic performance alterations in Teld-3 in 39.13% of cases. They were also analyzed considering the delay to the chronological and corrected ages and there was no difference in performance for both receptive subtests (p = 0.250) and significant (p = 1.000). Conclusion The group of premature children at 2 years is a population at risk for language disorders that cannot be compensated with age correction.

Expressive and receptive language skills in preschool children from a socially disadvantaged area

Purpose: Evidence suggests that children present with receptive language skills that are equivalent to or more advanced than expressive language skills. This profile holds true for typical and delayed language development. This study aimed to determine if such a profile existed for preschool children from an area of social deprivation and to investigate if particular language skills influence any differences found between expressive and receptive skills.Method: Data from 187 CELF P2 UK assessments conducted on preschool children from two socially disadvantaged areas in a city in southern Ireland.Result: A significant difference was found between Receptive Language Index (RLI) and Expressive Language Index (ELI) scores with Receptive scores found to be lower than Expressive scores. The majority (78.6%) of participants had a lower Receptive Language than Expressive score (RLI < ELI), 18.2% of participants had a higher Receptive score than score (RLI > ELI), with very few (3.2%) having the same Receptive and Expressive scores (RLI = ELI). Scores for the Concepts and Following Directions (receptive) sub-test were significantly lower than for the other receptive sub tests, while scores for the Expressive Vocabulary sub-test were significantly higher than for the other expressive sub tests.Conclusion: The finding of more advanced expressive than receptive language skills in socially deprived preschool children is previously unreported and clinically relevant for speech-language pathologists in identifying the needs of this population.

Prosody perception and musical pitch discrimination in adults using cochlear implants

Objectives: This study investigated prosodic perception and musical pitch discrimination in adults using cochlear implants (CI), and examined the relationship between prosody perception scores and non-linguistic auditory measures, demographic variables, and speech recognition scores. Design: Participants were given four subtests of the PEPS-C (profiling elements of prosody in speech-communication), the adult paralanguage subtest of the DANVA 2 (diagnostic analysis of non verbal accuracy 2), and the contour and interval subtests of the MBEA (Montreal battery of evaluation of amusia). Study sample: Twelve CI users aged 25;5 to 78;0 years participated. Results: CI participants performed significantly more poorly than normative values for New Zealand adults for PEPS-C turn-end, affect, and contrastive stress reception subtests, but were not different from the norm for the chunking reception subtest. Performance on the DANVA 2 adult paralanguage subtest was lower than the normative mean reported by Saindon (2010). Most of the CI participants performed at chance level on both MBEA subtests. Conclusion: CI users have difficulty perceiving prosodic information accurately. Difficulty in understanding different aspects of prosody and music may be associated with reduced pitch perception ability.

Development of a Mandarin Expressive and Receptive Vocabulary Test for children using cochlear implants

Cochlear implants (CIs) provide children with profound hearing loss access to sounds and speech. Research on the effects of CI on speech and language development in mainland China is scarce due to the lack of standardized tests. This study aims at developing a vocabulary measure, the Mandarin Expressive and Receptive Vocabulary Test (MERVT), for pre-school children with CIs. Using responses from 102 normal-hearing preschool children, the initial vocabulary set was subjected to analyses to identify items with appropriate levels of difficulty and discrimination. Norms on 245 normal-hearing children aged 1;6 to 3;11 were later collected based on the final set of the items. Evaluation of the test's psychometric properties revealed good internal consistency. Significant correlations between the total MERVT scores and the Gesell Developmental Scale scores, between the MERVT expressive and receptive subtest scores and the total scores, and the gradual increase in MERVT scores with age, provided evidence of construct validity. Results from 29 children with CIs were also examined for evidence of the MERVT's construct validity. There was a significant correlation between these children's MERVT scores and their scores from an intelligence test. The MERVT scores increased with an increase in the duration of CI use and in chronological age. With good reliability and strong validity, the test is recommended for use in the monitoring of language development in children with CI.

Quality of Life after Stroke: Evaluation of the Greek SAQOL-39g

Background/Aims: Stroke and aphasia rehabilitation aims to improve people’s quality of life. Yet, scales for measuring health-related quality of life in stroke typically exclude people with aphasia. They are also primarily available in English. An exception is the 39-item generic version of the Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale (SAQOL-39g). This scale has been tested with people with aphasia; it has been adapted for use in many countries including Greece. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Greek SAQOL-39g. Methods: An interview-based psychometric study was carried out. Participants completed: receptive subtests of the Frenchay Aphasia Screening Test, the Greek SAQOL-39g, the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, the Frenchay Activities Index, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and the Barthel Index. Results: 86 people took part; 26 provided test-retest reliability data. The Greek SAQOL-39g demonstrated excellent acceptability (minimal missing data; no floor/ceiling effects), test-retest reliability [intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.96 (overall scale), 0.83–0.99 (domains)] and internal consistency [Cronbach’s alpha = 0.96 (overall scale), 0.92–0.96 (domains)]. There was strong evidence for convergent [r = 0.53–0.80 (overall scale), 0.54–0.89 (domains)] and discriminant validity [r = 0.52 (overall scale), 0.04–0.48 (domains)]. Conclusion: The Greek SAQOL-39g is a valid and reliable scale. It is a promising measure for use in stroke and aphasia treatment prioritization, outcome measurement and service evaluation.

Psycholinguistic abilities of children with Williams syndrome

The objective of this study was to investigate the psycholinguistic abilities of children with Williams syndrome (WS) and typically developing children using the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA). Performance on the ITPA was analysed in a group with WS (N=20, mean age=8.5 years, SD=1.62) and two typically developing groups, matched in mental (MA, N=20, mean age=4.92 years, SD=1.14) and chronological age (CA, N=19, mean age=8.35 years, SD=3.07). Overall, within-group analyses showed that individuals with WS displayed higher scalar scores on the visual reception and visual association subtests. When groups were compared, we observed inferior performance of the WS group on all ITPA subtests when compared with typically developing groups. Moreover, an interaction between reception and group was found, only the WS group demonstrated superior performance on the visual reception subtest when compared to the auditory reception subtest. Evidence from this study offers relevant contributions to the development of educational intervention programs for children with WS.

Performance de sujeitos falantes do Português e do Inglês no Test of Early Language Development

application of an American early language test in Brazilian Portuguese-speaking subjects. to compare the performance of normal Brazilian Portuguese and American English-speaking subjects on the Test of Early Language Development - Third Edition (TELD-3). participants of this study were 120 subjects of both genders, ranging in age from 2:00 to 7:11 years (20 subjects in each age range). Subjects were selected and tested individually by the researcher. A comparative analysis of the subjects' performances with that observed in English-speaking children was made. the results indicated that Brazilian and American subjects presented similar performances until the age of 4:11 years. Portuguese-speaking children of 5, 6 and 7 years presented higher scores on the receptive subtest of Form A when compared to their American pairs. Portuguese-speaking subjects of 5 and 6 years presented lower scores on the expressive subtest of Form B when compared to their American pairs. the translation of diagnostic instruments that are already available in other languages can lessen the lack of such resources in countries where these instruments are not yet available. Furthermore, this practice can allow cross-cultural studies which are relevant for researches on child language and language disabilities.

Correlates of Head Circumference Growth in Infants Later Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Previous research has demonstrated that children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder show an abnormal acceleration of head growth during the first year of life. This study attempts to replicate these findings and to determine whether overgrowth is associated with clinical outcome. Measurements of head circumference, body length, and body weight taken during the first 2 years of life were obtained from a sample of 35 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and compared to both national normative data (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and a control group of 37 healthy infants. Results demonstrated that compared to national averages, infants who were later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder had a significantly smaller head circumference at birth to 2 weeks and a significantly larger head circumference by 10 to 14 months. Children with autism spectrum disorder were also significantly longer and heavier beginning at 1 to 2 months. However, when overall length and weight were controlled, head circumference was not bigger in the autistic spectrum disorder group compared to local controls. Correlations between head circumference and clinical outcome were significant for 5 of the 30 clinical variables that were run, suggesting that there appears to be no simple or straightforward relationship between head circumference and clinical outcome. Smaller head circumference at birth to 2 weeks was associated with a greater number of symptoms related to social impairment and a greater total number of autism spectrum disorder symptoms based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , Fourth Edition criteria. Larger head circumference at 15 to 25 months was also associated with a greater number of symptoms of social impairment. In addition, greater head circumference change during the first 2 years was associated with poorer performance on the visual reception subtest of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning and a smaller number of stereotyped and repetitive behaviors and interests based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria. These findings support previous findings of accelerated brain growth during the first year of life in autism spectrum disorder and question whether growth factors might contribute to both accelerated brain growth and overall body growth.

Performance de crianças falantes do Português Brasileiro no Test of Early Language Development (TELD-3)

Many procedures are indicated to assess language development during childhood. Besides the diversity found, researchers of the area are unanimous in affirming the need to use formal and objective tests. In Brazil, there’s a lack of tests with this proposal. The main objective of this thesis was to verify the performance of typical Brazilian Portuguese-speaking children at the Test of Early Language Development-3 (TELD-3, Hresko, Reid and Hammill, 1999). Participated in this study 120 children, with ages between 2:0 and 7:11 years, distributed in age groups of 20 subjects each (10 male and 10 female). The thesis was divided in three studies. In Study I the Brazilian Portuguese translation of the TELD-3 was presented and the results obtained showed that the adopted procedures during the translation of the aforementioned test kept its equivalence with the original version, indicating no significant changes in content and format of the test, an important aspect for researches of this type. In Study II the performance of typical Brazilian Portuguesespeaking subjects on the test was analyzed. Results showed that the performance was compatible with the expected mean in all age groups, except for the fiveand six-year-old subjects on the expressive subtest of the Form B, that were classified as “below mean”. Besides, it was observed that the Forms A and B of the test were not equivalent among all age groups and there was an increase in the rough score values with the increase of chronological age. In Study III it was carried out a comparative analysis between the performances of English-speaking (USA) and Portuguese-speaking (Brazil) subjects in the aforementioned test. Results indicated that the groups had equivalent performances until the age of 4:11 years. Five-, sixand seven-year-old Portuguese-speaking subjects had higher scores on the receptive subtest of the Form A and on the expressive subtest of the Form B, and fiveand six-year-olds had lower general scores than English-speaking subjects. As a conclusion, the results of the presented studies, taken together, seem to indicate that the Brazilian Portuguese version of the TELD-3 is sensitive to characterize the language performance of the studied population. Further researches are necessary regarding the sensitivity and specificity of the test.

A Preliminary Investigation of Dynamic Assessment With Native American Kindergartners.

This study examined dynamic assessment as a lessbiased evaluation procedure for assessing the languagelearning ability of Native American children. Twenty-three Arapahoe/Shoshone kindergartners were identified as stronger (n = 15) or weaker (n = 8) language learners through teacher report and examiner classroom observation. Through a test-teach-test protocol, participants were briefly taught the principles of categorization. Participant responses to learning were measured in terms of an index of modifiability and post-test categorization scores. The modifiability index, determined during the teaching phase, was a combined score reflecting the child's learning strategies, such as ability to attend, plan, and self-regulate, and the child's responses to the learning situation. Post-test scores consisted of performance on expressive and receptive subtests from a standardized categorization test after partialling out pretest score differences. Effect sizes and confidence intervals were also determined. Group and individual results indicated that modifiability and post-test scores were significantly greater for stronger than for weaker language learners. The response to modifiability components was a better discriminator than was the learner strategies components. These results provide support for the further development of dynamic assessment as a valid measure of language learning ability in minority children.

Validity of the Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test for Learning-Disabled Children

This study examined the concurrent and construct validity of the Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test (EOWPVT) vis-à-vis the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—Revised (PPVT-R), the Similarities and Vocabulary subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), and the Auditory Reception and Auditory Association subtests of the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA). The subjects were 97 learning-disabled students (age range = 72-143 months) in the Honolulu area who were administered all tests as part of a multidisciplinary psychoeducational evaluation. The results indicated that the EOWPVT had acceptable concurrent validity, but the construct validity of the test was questionable. The EOWPVT scores were also found to be consistently higher than the PPVT-R scores. Implications for the assessment of learning-disabled children's expressive and receptive semantic skills are discussed.

Grammatical comprehension assessment: the picture avoidance strategy.

This study investigated children's picture avoidance responses on a paired sentences, grammatical comprehension test. Such responses involved the nonselection of a particular referent picture for a stimulus sentence when the picture had been selected as a referent for a previous stimulus sentence. Forty-four children between three and seven years of age were administered a version of the Receptive subtest of the Northwestern Syntax Screening Test. Half of the sample was administered the test under its standardized "single pass-paired sentences" procedure. The remaining children were administered the test under a "double pass-paired sentences" procedure (i.e., a procedure similar to that employed on the Miller-Yoder Test of Grammatical Comprehension). As predicted, the single pass-paired sentences version of the test elicited significantly more picture avoidance responses from the children. The consequence of children's differential picture avoidance responses on a single pass-paired sentences test is discussed with respect to different scoring criteria.

Aphasia and non-verbal intelligence in brain tumour patients.

Patients with primary brain tumours were investigated using the Aachen Aphasia Test and subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS). The statistical evaluation of the data from 43 patients indicated that: (1) Aphasia was an amnestic aphasia, independent of the localization of the tumour within the dominant hemisphere; (2) aphasics have no more intellectual impairment than non-aphasics with similar brain lesions; (3) the severity of the aphasic syndrome does not correlate with the WAIS; (4) with right-sided tumours, there was correlation between the speech reception subtest and the WAIS. We conjecture that this subtest tested visuocognitive abilities in patients with right-sided brain lesions.