Speech Intelligibility In Children Research Articles

Relationship between speech motor control and speech intelligibility in children with speech sound disorders

The current study was undertaken to investigate the impact of speech motor issues on the speech intelligibility of children with moderate to severe speech sound disorders (SSD) within the context of the PROMPT intervention approach. The word-level Children's Speech Intelligibility Measure (CSIM), the sentence-level Beginner's Intelligibility Test (BIT) and tests of speech motor control and articulation proficiency were administered to 12 children (3:11 to 6:7 years) before and after PROMPT therapy. PROMPT treatment was provided for 45min twice a week for 8 weeks. Twenty-four naïve adult listeners aged 22–46 years judged the intelligibility of the words and sentences. For CSIM, each time a recorded word was played to the listeners they were asked to look at a list of 12 words (multiple-choice format) and circle the word while for BIT sentences, the listeners were asked to write down everything they heard. Words correctly circled (CSIM) or transcribed (BIT) were averaged across three naïve judges to calculate percentage speech intelligibility. Speech intelligibility at both the word and sentence level was significantly correlated with speech motor control, but not articulatory proficiency. Further, the severity of speech motor planning and sequencing issues may potentially be a limiting factor in connected speech intelligibility and highlights the need to target these issues early and directly in treatment.Learning outcomes: The reader will be able to: (1) outline the advantages and disadvantages of using word- and sentence-level speech intelligibility tests; (2) describe the impact of speech motor control and articulatory proficiency on speech intelligibility; and (3) describe how speech motor control and speech intelligibility data may provide critical information to aid treatment planning.

A Comparison between Mothersand Unfamiliar Listeners' Judgements for Speech Intelligibility of Children with Cochlear Implant

A Comparison between Mothersand Unfamiliar Listeners' Judgements for Speech Intelligibility of Children with Cochlear Implant

Kinematic changes in jaw and lip control of children with cerebral palsy following participation in a motor-speech (PROMPT) intervention

This study evaluates kinematic movements of the jaw and lips in six children (3–11 years) with moderate-to-severe speech impairment associated with cerebral palsy before, during, and after participation in a motor-speech (PROMPT) intervention program. An ABCA single subject research design was implemented. Subsequent to the baseline phase (A), phase B targeted each participant's first intervention priority on the PROMPT motor-speech hierarchy. Phase C then targeted one level higher. A reference group of 12 typically-developing peers, age- and sex-matched to each participant with CP, was recruited for comparison in the interpretation of the kinematic data. Jaw and lip measurements of distance, velocity, and duration, during the production of 11 untrained stimulus words, were obtained at the end of each study phase using 3D motion analysis (Vicon Motus 9.1). All participants showed significant changes in specific movement characteristics of the jaw and lips. Kinematic changes were associated with significant positive changes to speech intelligibility in five of the six participants. This study makes a contribution to providing evidence that supports the use of a treatment approach aligned with dynamic systems theory to improve the motor-speech movement patterns and speech intelligibility in children with cerebral palsy.

Assessing children's speech intelligibility and oral structures, and functions via an Internet-based telehealth system

We examined the validity and reliability of an Internet-based telehealth system for screening speech intelligibility and oro-motor structure, and function in children with speech disorders. Twenty children aged 4-9 years were assessed by a clinician in the conventional, face-to-face (FTF) manner; simultaneously, they were assessed by a second clinician via the videoconferencing system using a 128-kbit/s Internet connection. Speech intelligibility in conversation was rated and an informal assessment of oro-motor structure and function was conducted. There was a high level of agreement between the online and FTF speech intelligibility ratings, with 70% exact agreement and 100% close agreement (within ± point on a 5-point scale). The weighted kappa statistic revealed very good agreement between raters (kappa = 0.86). Data for online and FTF ratings of oro-motor function revealed overall exact agreement of 73%, close agreement of 96%, moderate or good strength of agreement for six variables (kappa = 0.48-0.74), and poor to fair agreement for six variables (kappa = 0.12-0.36). Intra- and inter-rater reliability measures (ICCs) were similar between the online and FTF assessments. Low levels of agreement for some oro-motor variables highlighted the subjectivity of this assessment. However, the overall results support the validity and reliability of Internet-based screening of speech intelligibility and oro-motor function in children with speech disorders.

Noise and communication: A three-year update

Noise is omnipresent and impacts us all in many aspects of daily living. Noise can interfere with communication not only in industrial workplaces, but also in other work settings (e.g. open-plan offices, construction, and mining) and within buildings (e.g. residences, arenas, and schools). The interference of noise with communication can have significant social consequences, especially for persons with hearing loss, and may compromise safety (e.g. failure to perceive auditory warning signals), influence worker productivity and learning in children, affect health (e.g. vocal pathology, noise-induced hearing loss), compromise speech privacy, and impact social participation by the elderly. For workers, attempts have been made to: 1) Better define the auditory performance needed to function effectively and to directly measure these abilities when assessing Auditory Fitness for Duty, 2) design hearing protection devices that can improve speech understanding while offering adequate protection against loud noises, and 3) improve speech privacy in open-plan offices. As the elderly are particularly vulnerable to the effects of noise, an understanding of the interplay between auditory, cognitive, and social factors and its effect on speech communication and social participation is also critical. Classroom acoustics and speech intelligibility in children have also gained renewed interest because of the importance of effective speech comprehension in noise on learning. Finally, substantial work has been made in developing models aimed at better predicting speech intelligibility. Despite progress in various fields, the design of alarm signals continues to lag behind advancements in knowledge. This summary of the last three years' research highlights some of the most recent issues for the workplace, for older adults, and for children, as well as the effectiveness of warning sounds and models for predicting speech intelligibility. Suggestions for future work are also discussed.

Comparisons of Auditory Performance and Speech Intelligibility in Children With Cochlear Implants Placed Using Different Approaches

To demonstrate whether there are differences in the outcomes of children with cochlear implants using the techniques between mastoidectomy with posterior tympanotomy (MPTA) and suprameatal approach (SMA). A total of 44 congenitally deaf children who underwent cochlear implantation before the age of 5 years at the Sixth Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao tong University from January 2005 to March 2008 were included in this study. Children with severe mental retardation or with cochlear malformations were excluded. Each group had 22 patients; however, 4 patients in the SMA group and 5 in the MPTA group were not included in this study because the assessments for these patients were not available. All children were assessed before surgery and 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery with Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP) and Speech Intelligibility Rating (SIR). Each assessment was given by the child's speech therapist in the familiar environment of the child's home or school. At each interval, the CAP and SIR scores of each group were compared. For the both groups, CAP and SIR scores increased with the time of implant usage during the follow-up period after implantation. However, there were no significant differences in scores of CAP and SIR at the 4 time points between the SMA group and the MPTA group. Intelligible speech and auditory performance of children with cochlear implantation using the SMA were good. There were no differences between children implanted with the SMA technique versus the MPTA technique.

Speech Intelligibility in Children With Speech Disorders

Intelligibility is a critical component of effective communication. For children with significant speech disorders, intelligibility often has detrimental impact on functional communication and social participation. In this article, I consider the concept of intelligibility using the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health-2 (ICF-2; 2001) model and the concepts of an intelligibility-oriented approach to treatment.

SIG 1 Perspectives Vol. 19, No. 1, January 2012

SIG 1 Perspectives Vol. 19, No. 1, January 2012

Social Competence, Sense of Loneliness, and Speech Intelligibility of Young Children With Hearing Loss in Individual Inclusion and Group Inclusion

The study focused on social competence (SC) and perceived sense of loneliness of preschool children with hearing loss (HL) in group inclusion (GI, a small group of children with HL is integrated in a standard classroom) and individual inclusion (II, each child with HL is individually integrated into a standard classroom). The relations between these factors and the child's speech intelligibility were performed. Sixty-four children aged 4-7 years participated: 22 from an II and 42 from a GI. SC, perceived sense of loneliness, and speech intelligibility were evaluated through the use of questionnaires completed by the preschool teachers. The results showed that the SC of children in II was higher than the SC of the children in GI, while interacting with normal hearing (NH) children. In GI, the children's SC with other children with HL was higher compared with their SC with NH children. In both groups, there were relationships between speech intelligibility and SC with NH children. In addition, in the II setting, there were relationships between the speech intelligibility and the perceived sense of loneliness. These relationships were not found in the GI setting. The findings support the need for coenrollment of preschool children with HL and emphasize the crucial impact of speech intelligibility of children with HL on the success of their social enrollment with NH children, already at a young age.

The impact of contextual, conversational, and affective factors on a child's speech intelligibility

In this study, we discuss how the intelligibility of a 5-year old with disordered articulation changes with contextual and conversational factors in a speech-therapy setting, and with the client’s affective response to these factors. Using Conversation Analysis and Systemic-Functional Linguistics to obtain detailed analyses of the sequential unfolding of the interaction, we show that the client’s efforts to be intelligible or unintelligible vary with the informativity of the client’s productions as they are enabled by the clinician. Variations in the client’s intelligibility function in the same way as conventional conversational contributions, and can be viewed as insights into the client’s understanding of the ongoing interaction. We conclude that there are cases of disordered articulation for which traditional articulation therapy (motor drills and highly structured speech tasks) are contraindicated. Interactional and conversational context should receive more attention in articulation therapy and research into speech sound disorders.

C026 Speech perception and speech intelligibility in children after cochlear implantation in different age groups

C026 Speech perception and speech intelligibility in children after cochlear implantation in different age groups

Evaluation of speech intelligibility in children with tongue‐tie

Acta PaediatricaVolume 100, Issue 9 p. e125-e127 SHORT COMMUNICATION Evaluation of speech intelligibility in children with tongue-tie Shaul Dollberg, Shaul Dollberg Department of Neonatology, Tel Aviv Medical Center, and the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, IsraelSearch for more papers by this authorYael Manor, Yael Manor Hearing and Speech Unit, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv, IsraelSearch for more papers by this authorEsther Makai, Esther Makai Hearing and Speech Unit, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv, IsraelSearch for more papers by this authorEyal Botzer, Eyal Botzer Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv, IsraelSearch for more papers by this author Shaul Dollberg, Shaul Dollberg Department of Neonatology, Tel Aviv Medical Center, and the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, IsraelSearch for more papers by this authorYael Manor, Yael Manor Hearing and Speech Unit, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv, IsraelSearch for more papers by this authorEsther Makai, Esther Makai Hearing and Speech Unit, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv, IsraelSearch for more papers by this authorEyal Botzer, Eyal Botzer Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv, IsraelSearch for more papers by this author First published: 14 March 2011 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1651-2227.2011.02265.xCitations: 24 Shaul Dollberg, M.D., The Department of Neonatology, Lis Maternity Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, 6 Weizman Street, Tel Aviv 64239, Israel.Tel: +972-3692-5690 | Fax: +972-3692-5681 | Email: [email protected] Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Citing Literature Volume100, Issue9September 2011Pages e125-e127 RelatedInformation

Single word and sentence intelligibility in children with cochlear implants

This study examined the intelligibility of speech produced by 17 children (aged 4–11 years) with cochlear implants. Stimulus items included sentences from the Beginners' Intelligibility Test (BIT) and words from the Children Speech Intelligibility Measure (CSIM). Naïve listeners responded by writing sentences heard or with two types of responses to the word recordings; open transcription (CSIM-T) and closed set multiple choice (CSIM-MC). Percentage of items understood, averaged across three naïve judges, were compared across the three measures. Additionally, scores were examined for any relationships with chronological age, age of implantation, and amount of implant experience. Strong positive correlations were observed among all three intelligibility tasks. Scores on all three tasks were found to be significantly different from each other. A significant correlation was obtained between intelligibility and amount of implant experience, but not with chronological age or age of implantation. Results suggest that judging the intelligibility of speech produced by children with cochlear implants using both single word and sentence levels would provide a better overall estimate of their intelligibility. The results also emphasize the vital role of auditory input in the development of intelligible speech.

Assessing Speech Intelligibility in Children With Hearing Loss: Toward Revitalizing a Valuable Clinical Tool

Newborn hearing screening, early intervention programs, and advancements in cochlear implant and hearing aid technology have greatly increased opportunities for children with hearing loss to become intelligible talkers. Optimizing speech intelligibility requires that progress be monitored closely. Although direct assessment of intelligibility has been a cumbersome undertaking, advancements in digital recording technology and expanded strategies for recruiting listener-judges can make this tool much more practical in contemporary school and clinical settings. The main purposes of this tutorial are to present a rationale for assessing children's connected speech intelligibility, review important uses for intelligibility scores, and describe time-efficient ways to estimate how well children's connected speech can be understood. This information is offered to encourage routine assessment of connected speech intelligibility in preschool and school-age children with hearing loss.

Evaluation of Speech Intelligibility of Children with Cochlear Implants

Evaluation of Speech Intelligibility of Children with Cochlear Implants

Speech intelligibility of children with unilateral cleft lip and palate (Dutch cleft) following a one-stage Wardill–Kilner palatoplasty, as judged by their parents

This study determined the intelligibility (words, sentences and story telling) of 43 children (mean age 4.9 years) with unilateral cleft lip and palate who received a Wardill-Kilner palatoplasty, as judged by their parents and determined the influence of age and gender. A comparison with normative data for intelligibility of 163 Dutch speaking children was made. Each child and the parents completed The Dutch intelligibility test. Measures reported include group mean intelligibility percentages for words, sentences and story telling for children aged 2.5-5.0 and 5.0-7.6 years. A significant correlation between age of the children and intelligibility was measured. No significant gender-related differences were found. An interesting finding is the absence of significant difference in intelligibility percentage between the children with cleft palate and the normative data for story telling. The reported intelligibility percentages provide important prognostic reference information for surgeons who perform palatoplasty and speech pathologists who assess the speech production of children with cleft palate.

Relationships Between Speech Intelligibility and Word Articulation Scores in Children With Hearing Loss

This investigation sought to determine whether scores from a commonly used word-based articulation test are closely associated with speech intelligibility in children with hearing loss. If the scores are closely related, articulation testing results might be used to estimate intelligibility. If not, the importance of direct assessment of intelligibility is reinforced. Forty-four children with hearing losses produced words from the Goldman Fristoe Test of Articulation-Second Edition (Goldman & Fristoe, 2000) and sets of 10 short sentences. Correlation analyses were conducted between scores for 7 word-based predictor variables and percent-intelligible scores derived from listener judgments of stimulus sentences. Six of 7 predictor variables were significantly correlated with percent-intelligible scores. However, regression analysis revealed that no single predictor variable or multivariable model accounted for more than 25% of the variability in intelligibility scores. The findings confirm the importance of assessing connected speech intelligibility directly.

Intensive speech and language therapy for older children with cerebral palsy: a systems approach

To investigate whether speech therapy using a speech systems approach to controlling breath support, phonation, and speech rate can increase the speech intelligibility of children with dysarthria and cerebral palsy (CP). Sixteen children with dysarthria and CP participated in a modified time series design. Group characteristics were as follows: seven males, nine females; age range 12 to 18 years (mean 14y, SD 2); CP type: nine spastic, two dyskinetic, four mixed, one Worster-Drought; Gross Motor Function Classification System levels range I to V (median IV). Children received three 30- to 45-minute sessions of individual therapy per week for 6 weeks. Intelligibility in single words and connected speech was compared across four points: 1 week and 6 weeks before therapy, and 1 week and 6 weeks after its completion. Three familiar listeners and three unfamiliar listeners scored each recording. Mean percentage intelligibility was compared using general linear modelling techniques. After treatment, familiar listeners understood 14.7% more single words and 12.1% more words in connected speech. Unfamiliar listeners understood 15% more single words and 15.9% more words in connected speech after therapy. Therapy was associated with increases in speech intelligibility. Effects of the therapy should be investigated further, in an exploratory trial with younger children and in a randomized controlled trial.

Associations between Auditory Capacity, Speech and Language, Level of Communication and Parental Assessment of Children with Cochlear Implant

168 children with cochlear implants were assessed as regards to auditory capacity, level of speech and language and communicative skills. The assessments were made by speech and language pathologists and parents. The purpose of the study was to analyse the associations between the four areas and furthermore to analyse associations between professional and parental assessments. The children were assessed with the Tait Video Analysis, the receptive part of the Reynell Test, a phonological test and a vocabulary test. The four objective tests were analysed for potential associations between results. In addition, potential associations between the results of the four tests and parental assessment of their child's auditory capacity (CAP) and speech intelligibility (SIR) were investigated. The Gamma Test and the Fisher's Exact Test were used on the ordinal and categorized data sets, respectively. The results of all the four auditory and structural speech and language tests were positively associated with each other (Gamma coefficients >0.8 and p values <0.001), which strengthens the validity of the individual tests and substantiates the observed results. Parental assessments were positively associated with the results of the four objective tests, which shows that parents are valid reporters of the level of their child's auditory, as well as speech and language development.

Performance of children with mental retardation after cochlear implantation: Speech perception, speech intelligibility, and language development

Conclusion: Children with mental retardation (MR) obtain demonstrable benefit from cochlear implantation, and their postoperative performance was tempered by the degree of MR. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of children with MR after implantation, and to explore their progress according to the degree of MR. Methods: Fifteen implanted children with MR were included. Progress in speech perception, speech intelligibility, and language was measured using Categories of Auditory Performance, monosyllabic word test, Speech Intelligibility Rating, and Language Scale before and after implantation. We retrospectively examined outcomes and explored the association between the progress and the degree of MR after implantation. We compared monosyllabic word test scores using repeated-measures ANOVA. Results: Speech perception and speech intelligibility for children with mild MR improved consistently after implantation. After implantation, monosyllabic word test scores did not differ significantly between children with mild MR and children with no additional disabilities. Although language development of children with mild MR was slow, they could communicate verbally 3 years after implantation. Children with moderate MR progressed more slowly and had limitations in speech and language development, and these children could communicate by vocalization and gesture 3 years after implantation.