Research News in Speech,
Language, and Hearing Disorders
for June 2007

June 21, 2007

• The Total Tinnitus Solution From T-Gone Remedies, Inc
  from PRWeb.com
  "The newly designed T-Gone.com website explains the four main causes of tinnitus, which include noise, stress, sinus, or Meniere's disease. "T-Gone's Natural homeopathic tinnitus treatments are also available for purchase, which helps sufferers gain control back of their lives." said Ellen. "These treatments eliminate debilitating ear ringing noises, or substantially reduce the volume of the perceived sounds.""

• Genes Restored In Human Inner Ear Cells By UVa Researchers
  from Medical News Today.com
  "Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System have discovered a way to transfer genes, which they hope will restore hearing, into diseased tissue of the human inner ear. This important step brings scientists closer to curing genetic or acquired hearing loss. Their discovery appeared in the online issue of the scientific journal, Gene Therapy."

• Auditory Nerve Implants Improve on Cochlear Implants
  from MedGadget.com
  "University of Michigan Medical School researchers are showing promising results with auditory nerve implants, which bypass the cochlea and go straight for the nerve it feeds."

• Analysis of steroids as a treatment for sudden hearing loss
  from News-Medical.net
  "Although steroids are the most widely used treatment for sudden hearing loss, little scientific evidence supports their use or that of any other therapies for this condition."

• Skeleton 2.0: Bones Transmitting Data
  from MedGadget.com
  "If you're only using your skeleton for standing, then you need a firmware upgrade (bad pun intended). Something along these lines is what Lin Zhong and Michael Liebschner at Rice University in Houston, Texas, envisage. They want to use the human skeleton to transmit commands reliably and securely to wearable gadgets and medical implants. Their research, funded by Microsoft and Texas Instruments, could also lead to new ways for people with disabilities to control devices such as computers and PDAs."

• Key hearing loss gene identified
  from the BBC
  "The condition is caused by abnormal bone growth A gene responsible for the single most common cause of hearing loss among white adults has been identified."

• Cerebral palsy in Norway: Prevalence, subtypes and severity
  from the European Journal of Paediatric Neurology
  "BACKGROUND/AIM: To describe prevalence, subtypes and severity of cerebral palsy (CP) in Norway using criteria proposed by the Surveillance of Cerebral Palsy in Europe (SCPE) network. MATERIAL: All children in Norway with CP born in January 1996-December 1998 were registered in the Cerebral Palsy Registry of Norway. The Medical Birth Registry of Norway provided the perinatal data. RESULTS: A total of 374 children with CP were identified with a prevalence of 2.1 per 1000 live births. Detailed information was obtained from 294 (79%) children. Median age at clinical assessment was 6.9 years (range: 1.9-10.2 years). Thirty-three percent of the children had spastic unilateral CP, 49% spastic bilateral, 6% dyskinetic, 5% ataxic CP and 7% were not classified. Severely impaired vision and hearing were present in 5% and 4% of the children, respectively. Active epilepsy was present in 28%, mental retardation in 31% and severely impaired or no speech in 28% children. The most severe impairments in gross motor function were observed in children with low Apgar scores, and the most severe impairments in fine motor function in children born at term, with normal birth weight and low Apgar scores. CONCLUSION: Compared with other populations, the prevalence of CP as well as the proportions of subtypes and gross motor impairments were similar, whereas fine motor impairments and associated impairments were more common. The classification of children with mixed forms of CP is still a challenge. Children were more severely affected if Apgar scores were low, and if they were born at term."

• Voice improvement in unilateral laryngeal paralysis during loud voicing: theoretical impact
  from the European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology
  "Abstract Voice of patient with unilateral laryngeal paralysis (ULP) shows a nonlinear behaviour with sudden octave jumps, bifurcations and chaos. Such a behaviour may be due to an increased number of freedom degrees in the glottal system. We hypothesized that voice intensity (with increasing sub glottal pressure) could improve vocal signal stability with less freedom degrees in vibrating system, and then a decrease of nonlinearities. A prospective study of 32 consecutive voices of patients with ULP and severe dysphonia was conducted. Jitter and Lyapunov exponent from vocal signals were compared at comfortable and loud voicing with Wilcoxon’s test. In 23 out of 32 patients, jitter significantly decreased from 5 (median) in normal voice to 1.2 in loud voice (P < 10-3), Lyapunov exponent decreased from 1,495 bit/s (median) to 708 bit/s (P < 10-4). Two patients had paradoxical results regarding jitter (higher in loud voice) and 2 regarding Lyapunov exponent. From the 23 cases of voice improvement, 15 cases showing a marked improvement of the acoustic analysis supported our hypothesis (65%). Nonlinear phenomena detected in vocal signals of ULP with severe dysphonia may be reduced in loud voice."

• Tinnitus modifications after cochlear implantation
  from the European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology
  "Abstract Tinnitus can be defined as a phantom sensation in the absence of an external sound. In our study, we evaluated the effect of cochlear implant on tinnitus evolution. Among adult, postlingually deaf patients who underwent cochlear implantation at our clinic, we selected 20 subjects with pre-implantation tinnitus (group A) and 10 subjects without pre-implantation tinnitus (group B). Pre- and post-surgery tinnitus was assessed through two questionnaires: the first one dealing with tinnitus characteristics and psychosocial impact, and the second one represented by THI, an internationally validated score of evaluation of the effects of tinnitus on patient’s emotions and activities of daily living. None of the patients belonging to group B developed tinnitus after surgery. As for group A, 40% of patients declared suppression of tinnitus, 30% attenuation of tinnitus after surgery, 25% reported tinnitus was unchanged and 5% reported worsening of tinnitus. In the nine patients with bilateral tinnitus (45%), after implantation tinnitus disappeared from both sides in four patients and attenuated bilaterally in four patients. A comparison between pre- and post-implantation THI scores showed decreased score in 65% of cases, unchanged score in 30% and increased score in 5%. The beneficial effect of cochlear implant on tinnitus, reported by a majority of patients, could be due to acoustic masking, to direct electrical stimulation of the acoustic nerve, and above all to a possible cochlear implantation dependent reorganization of the central auditory pathways and associative cerebral areas. In the light of these results, the authors propose (1) to include tinnitus in the selection criteria of which ear to implant; (2) to consider implantation eligibility for patients with bilateral severe hearing loss associated with severe tinnitus; and (3) to inform patients about the small risk of post-operative tinnitus worsening."

• Combination of ionomer cement and bone graft for ossicular reconstruction
  from the European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology
  "Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of the reconstruction of large ossicular chain defects with a combination of ionomer cement and an autogenous cortical bone graft. Different individual solutions are described if at least the handle of the malleus is present: restoration of a large defect of the long process of the incus, formation of the incus body and the long process, and replacement of the missing superstructure of the stapes with a short bone graft standing on the footplate. In a unique case, total reconstruction of the malleus handle was carried out. In further cases where the malleus and the incus were absent, the missing superstucture of the stapes was replaced by a bone graft fixed to the remnant of the anterior crus, supplemented with a cortical bone PORP. Between 1993 and 2005, 84 patients underwent middle ear operations with the use of ionomer cement. In 16 ears (9 males, 7 females), a combination of ionomer cement and autogenous cortical bone graft was used for ossicular reconstruction, with a documented follow-up of at least 6 months to 7 years. All operations were performed under general anesthesia. The components of the cement were mixed by hand and transferred to the bare bone surface with a curved needle. Complex structures were built up step by step. In seven cases, the tympanic membrane was simultaneously reconstructed. The postoperative air–bone gap was < 20 dB in 11/16, 68% of the cases. No columella rejection occurred. The reconstructed malleus handle is still intact, though the hearing has deteriorated. The audiological results are encouraging and a further prospective study is under design in order to analyze the efficacy of the combination of ionomer cement and an autogenous cortical bone graft for ossicular reconstruction. The simultaneous reconstruction of the superstructure of the stapes and the long process of the incus or the whole incus makes PORPs or TORPs superfluous, if at least the handle of the malleus is present."

• Automatic evaluation of prosodic features of tracheoesophageal substitute voice
  from the European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology
  "Abstract In comparison with laryngeal voice, substitute voice after laryngectomy is characterized by restricted aero-acoustic properties. Until now, an objective means of prosodic differences between substitute and normal voices does not exist. In a pilot study, we applied an automatic prosody analysis module to 18 speech samples of laryngectomees (age: 64.2 ± 8.3 years) and 18 recordings of normal speakers of the same age (65.4 ± 7.6 years). Ninety-five different features per word based upon the speech energy, fundamental frequency F0 and duration measures on words, pauses and voiced/voiceless sections were measured. These reflect aspects of loudness, pitch and articulation rate. Subjective evaluation of the 18 patients’ voices was performed by a panel of five experts on the criteria “noise”, “speech effort”, “roughness”, “intelligibility”, “match of breath and sense units” and “overall quality”. These ratings were compared to the automatically computed features. Several of them could be identified being twice as high for the laryngectomees compared to the normal speakers, and vice versa. Comparing the evaluation data of the human experts and the automatic rating, correlation coefficients of up to 0.84 were measured. The automatic analysis serves as a good means to objectify and quantify the global speech outcome of laryngectomees. Even better results are expected when both the computation of the features and the comparison method to the human ratings will have been revised and adapted to the special properties of the substitute voices."

• Changes Across Time in Spike Rate and Spike Amplitude of Auditory Nerve Fibers Stimulated by Electric Pulse Trains
  from JARO -- Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology
  "Abstract We undertook a systematic evaluation of spike rates and spike amplitudes of auditory nerve fiber (ANF) responses to trains of electric current pulses. Measures were obtained from acutely deafened cats to examine time-related changes free from the effects of hair-cell and synaptic adaptation. Such data relate to adaptation that likely occurs in ANFs of cochlear-implant users. A major goal was to determine and compare rate adaptation observed at different pulse rates (primarily 250, 1000, and 5000 pulse/s) and describe them using decaying exponential models similar to those used in acoustic studies. Rate-vs.-time functions were best described by two-exponent models and produced time constants similar to (although slightly greater than) the “rapid” and “short-term” components described in acoustic studies. There was little dependence of these time constants on onset spike rate, but pulse-rate effects were noted. Spike amplitude changes followed a time course different from that of rate adaptation consistent with a process related to ANF interspike intervals. The fact that two time constants governed rate adaptation in electrically stimulated and deafened fibers suggests that future computational models of adaptation should not only include hair cell and synapse components, but also components determined by fiber membrane characteristics."

• Effects of Bolus Consistency on Timing and Safety of Swallow in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease
  from Dysphagia
  "Abstract Aspiration pneumonia is the leading cause of death in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. In clinical practice, the videofluoroscopic examination (VFE) is the most common method for evaluation of swallowing disorders. One of the variables manipulated during the VFE is consistency of the bolus. The results of this examination greatly influence the recommendations made by speech-language pathologists regarding swallow therapy and/or intervention. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effects of bolus consistency on penetration-aspiration (P-A) score and timing of swallow of persons with PD. The videoradiographic images of ten participants with PD swallowing six thin and six pudding-thick boluses were analyzed. Swallow timing and P-A were measured. (i.e., oral transit time, pharyngeal transit time, number of tongue pumps, and P-A score). The results demonstrated various significant differences and relationships among the dependent variables. Implications for further research and clinical practice are discussed."

• Cervical Auscultation Synchronized with Images from Endoscopy Swallow Evaluations
  from Dysphagia
  "Abstract Cervical auscultation is the use of a listening device, typically a stethoscope in clinical practice, to assess swallow sounds and by some definitions airway sounds. Judgments are then made on the normality or degree of impairment of the sounds. Listeners interpret the sounds and suggest what might be happening with the swallow or causing impairment. A major criticism of cervical auscultation is that there is no evidence on what causes the sounds or whether the sounds correspond to physiologically important, health-threatening events. We sought to determine in healthy volunteers (1) if a definitive set of swallow sounds could be identified, (2) the order in which swallow sounds and physiologic events occur, and (3) if swallow sounds could be matched to the observed physiologic events. Swallow sounds were computer recorded via a Littmann stethoscope from 19 healthy volunteers (8 males, 11 females, age range = 18–73 years) during simultaneous fiberoptic laryngoscopy and respiration monitoring. Six sound components could be distinguished but none of these occurred in all swallows. There was a wide spread and a large degree of overlap of the timings of swallow sounds and physiologic events. No individual sound component was consistently associated with a physiologic event, which is a clinically significant finding. Comparisons of groups of sounds and events suggest associations between the preclick and the onset of apnea; the preclick and the start of epiglottic excursion; the click and the epiglottis returning to rest; the click and the end of the swallow apnea. There is no evidence of a causal link. The absence of a swallow sound in itself is not a definite sign of pathologic swallowing, but a repeated abnormal pattern may indicate impairment. At present there is no robust evidence that cervical auscultation of swallow sounds should be adopted in routine clinical practice. There are no data to support the inclusion of the technique into clinical guidelines or management protocols. More evaluation using imaging methods such as videofluoroscopy is required before this subjective technique is validated for clinical use by those assessing swallowing outside of a research context."

• Myeloma cast nephropathy presenting as acute onset bilateral reversible hearing loss
  from International Urology and Nephrology
  "Abstract A case of myeloma cast nephropathy masquerading as bilateral deafness of acute onset, probably due to hyperviscosity syndrome, is presented. Audiometry and kidney biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. Despite the presence of multiple poor prognostic features, the patient responded satisfactorily to plasmapharesis, dialysis and chemotherapy (VAD regimen) along with other supportive measures. The patient had excellent renal recovery, but hearing improvement was delayed for 1 month. Various causes of hearing loss in patients with multiple myeloma and available therapeutic options are discussed."

• Postlaryngectomy Vocal Rehabilitation: Assessment Using a Validated Questionnaire in 51 Patients
  from ORL--Journal for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology and Its Related Specialties
  "Background: This study aimed to assess valved speech and related issues in total laryngectomy patients with the help of the validated Voice Prosthesis Questionnaire (VPQ). Patients and Methods: We identified 61 patients who had undergone a surgical voice restoration with a valve following total laryngectomy and who were sent the VPQ by mail. Results: Fifty-one patients (37 males) completed the questionnaire giving a response rate of 83.6%. Fifty-three percent of the patients (n = 27) were fully aware of the dimensions of their valve including the length and diameter, whilst 25% (n = 13) were aware of only one of the two. There was a strong correlation between the patient's perception of tone and their gender with the tone scores significantly lower in women as compared to men (Mann-Whitney test, p = 0.04). Ten patients (19.6%) had had leakage-related issues during the previous 7 days. Conclusions: This questionnaire provided a significant amount of valuable data. Based on our experience, we recommend the VPQ for prospective use in the serial monitoring and audit of total laryngectomy patients."

• Unimpaired implicit learning in children with developmental dyslexia
  from Dyslexia
  "Children with dyslexia have consistently been found to have a variety of deficits in motor, cognitive, and sensory processes; however, the few studies that have been reported of the implicit learning ability of these children have produced conflicting results. The present study aimed to investigate the implicit learning abilities of children with developmental dyslexia using a simple cued reaction time task which has not been studied with this group previously. Twenty-three children with developmental dyslexia and 37 normally developing children, between the ages of 8 and 10 years, participated in the task. The results were consistent with the hypothesis in demonstrating that, despite an overall slowing in response times, dyslexic children show the same degree of implicit learning as normal readers, thus, providing evidence for an unimpaired implicit learning mechanism in dyslexic individuals. These results hold implications for the underlying mechanisms of learning, as dyslexic individuals who are impaired on explicit learning tasks, such as reading, spelling and writing, are unimpaired on implicit learning tasks. They suggest the existence of two separate systems of learning, each possessing distinct mechanisms. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd."

• Phonological or orthographic training for children with phonological or orthographic decoding deficits
  from Dyslexia
  "In a longitudinal intervention study, Swedish reading disabled children in grades 2-3 received either a phonological (n = 41) or an orthographic (n = 39) training program. Both programs were computerized and interventions took place in ordinary school settings with trained special instruction teachers. Two comparison groups, ordinary special instruction and normal readers, were also included in the study. Results showed strong average training effects on text reading and general word decoding for both phonological and orthographic training, but not significantly higher improvements than for the comparison groups. The main research finding was a double dissociation: children with pronounced phonological problems improved their general word decoding skill more from phonological than from orthographic training, whereas the opposite was observed for children with pronounced orthographic problems. Thus, in this population of children, training should focus on children's relative weakness rather than their relative strength in word decoding. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd."

• Using Visual Phonics to Supplement Beginning Reading Instruction for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
  from the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education
  "The purpose of the current study is to expand upon the effectiveness of using Visual Phonics in conjunction with Direct Instruction reading programs (B. J. Trezek & K. W. Malmgren, 2005; B. J. Trezek & Y. Wang, 2006) and to explore the results of utilizing Visual Phonics to supplement another phonics-based reading curriculum for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Twenty students with various degrees of hearing loss in kindergarten and first grade as well as 4 teachers participated in the study. Results of the investigation reveal that, given 1 year of instruction from a phonics-based reading curriculum supplemented by Visual Phonics, kindergarten and first-grade students who are deaf or hard of hearing can demonstrate statistically significant improvements in beginning reading skills as measured by standardized assessments."

• The Hands Have It: Number Representations in Adult Deaf Signers
  from the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education
  "This study examines a wide range of numerical representations (i.e., quantity, knowledge of multiplication facts, and use of parity information) in adult deaf signers. We introduce a modified version of the number bisection task, with sequential stimulus presentation, which allows for a systematic examination of mathematical skills in deaf individuals in different modalities (number signs in streaming video vs. Arabic digit displays). Reaction times and accuracy measures indicated that deaf signers make use of several representations simultaneously when bisecting number triplets, paralleling earlier findings in hearing individuals. Furthermore, some differences were obtained between the 2 display modalities, with effects being less prominent in the Arabic digit mode, suggesting that mathematical abilities in deaf signers should be assessed in their native sign language."

• Reading Comprehension of Deaf Children With Cochlear Implants
  from the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education
  "The reading comprehension and visual word recognition in 50 deaf children and adolescents with at least 3 years of cochlear implant (CI) use were evaluated. Their skills were contrasted with reference data of 500 deaf children without CIs. The reading comprehension level in children with CIs was expected to surpass that in deaf children without implants, partly via improved visual word recognition. Reading comprehension scores of children with implants were significantly better than those of deaf children without implants, although the performance in implant users was substantially lagging behind that in hearing children. Visual word recognition was better in children with CIs than in children without implants, in secondary education only. No difference in visual word recognition was found between the children with CIs and the hearing children, whereas the deaf children without implants showed a slightly poorer performance. The difference in reading comprehension performance of the deaf children with and without CIs remained present when visual word recognition was controlled for. This indicates that other reading-related skills were also contributing to the improved reading comprehension skills of deaf children with CIs."

• Cochlear Implants: The Young People's Perspective
  from the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education
  "Cochlear implantation is a relatively new procedure, which has already had significant impact on the lives of many profoundly deaf children and adults, in providing useful hearing to those unable to benefit significantly from hearing aids. After 16 years of cochlear implantation in the United Kingdom, there is now a body of evidence covering a range of outcomes, much of which covers perceptual and linguistic outcomes. This study looks at the impact of cochlear implantation on a group of 29 young people aged 13–16 years, using a semistructured questionnaire. It examines issues from the perspective of the young people themselves, including their understanding of and degree of satisfaction with the way their implant works for them, their social and communication abilities and choices, their educational challenges, and their identity. It concludes that the young people in this group feel positive toward their cochlear implants and the decisions made on their behalf by parents. Many have a flexible attitude to communication modes and an identity which is not fixed in terms of conventional descriptors."

• Children With Cochlear Implants and Complex Needs: A Review of Outcome Research and Psychological Practice
  from the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education
  "In recent years, the number of children receiving cochlear implants who have significant disabilities in addition to their deafness has increased substantially. However, in comparison with the extensive literature on speech, language, and communication outcomes following pediatric implantation in children without complex needs, the available literature for this special group of children is relatively sparse. This article reviews the available research on outcomes, grouping studies according to the nature of the additional disabilities and specific etiologies of deafness. The methodological problems relating to outcome research in this field are outlined, followed by some tentative conclusions drawn from the literature base while bearing these problems in mind. The remainder of the article focuses on the challenges for clinical practice, from a psychological perspective, of implanting deaf children with complex needs. Two groups of children are considered, those whose additional disabilities have been identified prior to implantation and those whose difficulties become apparent at some point afterward, sometimes many years later. A case example describing the psychological assessment of a deaf–blind child being considered for implantation is presented."

• Contribution of Implicit Sequence Learning to Spoken Language Processing: Some Preliminary Findings With Hearing Adults
  from the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education
  "Spoken language consists of a complex, sequentially arrayed signal that contains patterns that can be described in terms of statistical relations among language units. Previous research has suggested that a domain-general ability to learn structured sequential patterns may underlie language acquisition. To test this prediction, we examined the extent to which implicit sequence learning of probabilistically structured patterns in hearing adults is correlated with a spoken sentence perception task under degraded listening conditions. Performance on the sentence perception task was found to be correlated with implicit sequence learning, but only when the sequences were composed of stimuli that were easy to encode verbally. Implicit learning of phonological sequences thus appears to underlie spoken language processing and may indicate a hitherto unexplored cognitive factor that may account for the enormous variability in language outcomes in deaf children with cochlear implants. The present findings highlight the importance of investigating individual differences in specific cognitive abilities as a way to understand and explain language in deaf learners and, in particular, variability in language outcomes following cochlear implantation."

• Perception of Suprasegmental Features of Speech by Children With Cochlear Implants and Children With Hearing Aids
  from the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education
  "This study assessed perception of suprasegmental features of speech by 30 prelingual children with sensorineural hearing loss. Ten children had cochlear implants (CIs), and 20 children wore hearing aids (HA): 10 with severe hearing loss and 10 with profound hearing loss. Perception of intonation, syllable stress, word emphasis, and word pattern was assessed. Results revealed that the two HA groups significantly outperformed the CI group in perceiving both intonation and stress. Within each group, word pattern was perceived best, and then intonation and emphasis, with syllable stress perceived poorest. No significant correlation emerged between age at implantation and perception of the various suprasegmental features, possibly due to participants' relatively late age at implantation. Results indicated that CI use did not show an advantage over HA use in the perception of suprasegmental features of speech. Future research should continue to explore variables that might improve this perception."

• Parents Sharing Books With Young Deaf Children in Spoken English and in BSL: The Common and Diverse Features of Different Language Settings
  from the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education
  "Twelve parents of young deaf children were recorded sharing books with their deaf child—six from families using British Sign Language (BSL) and six from families using spoken English. Although all families were engaged in sharing books with their deaf child and concerned to promote literacy development, they approached the task differently and had different expectations in terms of outcome. The sign bilingual families concentrated on using the book to promote BSL development, engaging in discussion around the book but without referring to the text, whereas the spoken language families were focused on features of the text and less inclined to use the book to promote wider knowledge. Implications for early intervention and support are drawn from the data."

• Intelligence, Parental Depression, and Behavior Adaptability in Deaf Children Being Considered for Cochlear Implantation
  from the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education
  "Cognitive ability and behavioral adaptability are distinct, yet related, constructs that can impact childhood development. Both are often reduced in deaf children of hearing parents who do not provide sufficient language and communication access. Additionally, parental depression is commonly observed due to parent–child communication difficulties that can lead to parents' feelings of inadequacy and frustration. We sought to assess whether adaptive behavior in deaf children was associated with nonverbal intelligence and parental depression. Parents of precochlear implant patients seen for neuropsychological assessment were administered the Parenting Stress Index and Vineland Behavior Adaptive Scales to obtain measures of parental distress and child's behavioral adaptability. Precochlear implant patients' cognitive functioning was assessed via the Mullen Scales of Early Learning or the Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised, depending on the child's age at the time of testing. Regardless of age or neurological status, the deaf child's adaptive behavior consistently showed a strong relationship with intelligence. Moderate correlation between parental depression and the child's adaptive behavior was observed only in the younger group. The relationship between parental depression and communication subscale was moderated by intelligence for deaf children without neurological complications. The findings provide important implications for promoting family-centered interventions with early communication and language development."

• Effects of Cochlear Implants on Children's Reading and Academic Achievement
  from the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education
  "This article presents a critical analysis of empirical studies assessing literacy and other domains of academic achievement among children with cochlear implants. A variety of recent studies have demonstrated benefits to hearing, language, and speech from implants, leading to assumptions that early implantation and longer periods of implant should be associated with higher reading and academic achievement. This review, however, reveals that although there are clear benefits of cochlear implantation to achievement in young deaf children, empirical results have been somewhat variable. Examination of the literature with regard to reading achievement suggests that the lack of consistent findings might be the result of frequent failures to control potentially confounding variables such as age of implantation, language skills prior to implantation, reading ability prior to implantation, and consistency of implant use. Studies of academic achievement beyond reading are relatively rare, and the extent to which performance in such domains is mediated by reading abilities or directly influenced by hearing, language, and speech remains unclear. Considerations of methodological shortcomings in existing research as well as theoretical and practical questions yet to be addressed provide direction for future research."

• Treatment of Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss I. A Systematic Review
  from Archives of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery
  "Objective To identify, evaluate, and review randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL). Data Sources A MEDLINE search and hand search were conducted to identify RCTs published between January 1966 and February 2006 in the English language on the treatment of SSHL. Search terms included hearing loss, sensorineural (MeSH term), sensorineural hearing loss (text words), and sudden deafness (text words). Study Selection Prospective RCTs on the treatment of patients diagnosed as having SSHL. Data Extraction One independent observer extracted study data. Validity was evaluated using standard criteria. Characteristics and results were reviewed systematically. Data Synthesis A total of 21 RCTs were identified regarding various treatments, including systemic and intratympanic steroids; antiviral and hemodilution agents; mineral, vitamin, and herbal preparations; batroxobin; carbogen; and hyperbaric oxygen. All studies used audiometric outcome measures. Only 2 studies used identical criteria to define SSHL. The method of randomization was described in 2 studies. Validity scores ranged from 2 to 8 (of 9). Positive results were reported favoring systemic steroids, intratympanic steroids, batroxobin, magnesium, vitamin E, and hyperbaric oxygen, although there were serious limitations in each study with a positive finding. There was no difference in audiometric outcomes reported across all studies of antiviral and hemodilution agents and no difference in one study of systemic steroids vs placebo. Conclusions To our knowledge, no valid RCT exists to determine effective treatment of SSHL. Systemic steroids cannot be considered the gold standard of treatment of SSHL, given the severe limitations of the landmark study supporting their use."

• Treatment of Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss II. A Meta-analysis
  from Archives of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery
  "Objective To pool and meta-analyze the results of all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL). Data Sources A MEDLINE search and hand search were conducted to identify RCTs published between January 1966 and February 2006 in the English language on the treatment of SSHL. Search terms included hearing loss, sensorineural (MeSH term), sensorineural hearing loss (text words), and sudden deafness (text words). Study Selection Prospective RCTs on the treatment of patients diagnosed as having sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Data Extraction A meta-analysis using the random effects model was conducted when data existed for 2 or more studies. Odds ratios (ORs), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and tests for heterogeneity were reported. Data Synthesis Twenty RCTs were identified, of which 5 met inclusion criteria for meta-analysis. Pooling of data from 2 RCTs that compared steroids with placebo showed no difference between treatment groups (OR, 2.47; 95% CI, 0.89-6.84; P=.08). No difference existed between patients treated with antiviral plus steroid therapy vs placebo plus steroid therapy (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.29-2.92: P=.88). Finally, there was no difference between subjects treated with steroids vs subjects treated with any other active treatment (OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 0.64-2.55; P=.50). Conclusions Despite the traditional practice in North America of treating of SSHL with systemic steroids, a meta-analysis revealed no evidence of benefit of steroids over placebo. There was also no difference in the addition of antiviral therapy to systemic steroids, nor was there difference between systemic steroids and other active treatment. "

• Life After Total Laryngectomy: A Measure of Long-term Survival, Function, and Quality of Life
  from Archives of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery
  "Objectives To analyze postoperative clinical, functional, and quality-of-life (QOL) outcomes in patients after total laryngectomy (TL) and to determine the effect of preoperative variables (including age, sex, comorbidities, prior chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and tumor site and stage) on long-term survival and quality of life. Design We performed a retrospective cohort follow-up study of patients who underwent TL for cancer between July 28, 1994, and August 11, 2005. Setting University tertiary care facility. Patients One hundred forty-three patients who underwent TL were identified, and their hospital medical records were reviewed. Ninety-one patients (63.6%) underwent TL for primary carcinoma and 52 (36.4%) for recurrent cancer. At follow-up, 58 patients (40.6%) were alive. Main Outcome Measures Baseline characteristics and preoperative clinical variables were collected. Follow-up data on function and QOL were collected from patients who were alive at the time of study via the Head and Neck Cancer Inventory, a previously validated questionnaire. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate analysis was used to determine factors significant for survival. Results The overall median survival for the cohort was 23.0 months (mean ± SD, 50 ± 29 months). On univariate analysis, the following 5 factors were significant predictors of long-term survival: cancer site in the larynx, T3 stage, N0 to N1 stage, presence of no more than 2 comorbidities, and absence of cardiovascular comorbidities at the time of cancer diagnosis (P<.05). On multivariate analysis, only T stage maintained significance as a predictor of survival (P =.04), while cancer site was nonsignificant at P =.07. For patients alive at the time of study, functional and QOL outcomes for 5 domains (speech, eating, social disruption, aesthetics, and overall QOL) ranged from intermediate (score, 31-69) to high (score, 70-100) categories. Pretreatment patient-related factors that correlated with notably better functional and QOL outcomes in at least 1 domain were age older than 65 years at diagnosis, presence of no more than 2 comorbidities, no history of previous chemoradiation therapy, and primary tracheoesophageal puncture placement. Conclusions Pretreatment clinical variables (including primary tumor site, tumor stage, regional metastases, and number and type of comorbidities) have an effect on long-term survival after TL. Despite common belief, many patients who have undergone TL maintain a good QOL overall. This study sheds light on which patient-related factors may affect health-related QOL outcomes after TL. These findings may be used to select patients who are good candidates for TL based on anticipated functional and QOL outcomes."

• Examining the Evidence on Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation for Swallowing. A Meta-analysis
  from Archives of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery
  "Objective To evaluate the effect of transcutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on swallowing rehabilitation. Data Sources MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, NML, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, doc online, Google, and EMBASE were searched for studies using NMES to treat dysphagia between January 1966 and August 2006. Study Selection Included were published or unpublished, English-language, clinical trials with a quantifiable dependent variable. Data Extraction Two researchers independently performed data extraction. A random-effects model was used to pool study results. The Cochran Q test was used to evaluate heterogeneity, and a funnel plot and Egger test were used to evaluate publication bias. A best-research synthesis using a methodological quality analysis was conducted. Data Synthesis A total of 81 studies were reviewed. Seven were accepted for analysis. A significant summary effect size was identified for the application of NMES for swallowing (Hedges g, 0.66; P<.001). Heterogeneity was significant for the combined trials (P<.10). When 2 outlier trials were removed, heterogeneity was no longer significant (P<.08). Publication bias was not identified on the funnel plot or Egger test (P = .25). Best-evidence synthesis showed indicative findings in favor of NMES for swallowing. Conclusions This preliminary meta-analysis revealed a small but significant summary effect size for transcutaneous NMES for swallowing. Because of the small number of studies and low methodological grading for these studies, caution should be taken in interpreting this finding. These results support the need for more rigorous research in this area. "

• Stapedial Reflex and Ears With High Static Acoustic Admittance
  from the American Journal of Audiology
  "Purpose: To evaluate modified acoustic reflex diagnostic protocols for a group of individuals (n = 9) with high peak compensated static acoustic admittance (Ytm) tympanograms. Method: A modified procedure designed to improve acoustic stapedius reflex threshold (ASRT) measurements in individuals with high-admittance tympanograms was employed in both an experimental and a control group. ASRTs were measured at 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 kHz, ipsilateral and contralateral. Measurements were obtained within each condition for 7 ear canal pressures that were set to 0, ±50, ±100, and ±150 daPa (relative to tympanometric peak pressure [TPP]). Results: Though measuring ASRTs at –50 daPa (relative to TPP) in the high-admittance and normal groups did not result in significantly better thresholds than at TPP, the absent reflex rate was reduced when the ear canal pressure was changed by –50 daPa during ASRT measurements. Conclusions: Based on this sample, it is suggested that a patient presenting with high peak compensated static acoustic admittance (peak Ytm 2.1 mmho) undergo ASRT evaluation with the ear canal pressure set to –50 daPa (relative to TPP)."

• Quantitative and Qualitative Follow-Up Outcomes From a Preschool Audiologic Screening Program: Perspectives Over a Decade
  from the American Journal of Audiology
  "Purpose: This investigation reports on quantitative and qualitative follow-up information obtained from a preschool audiologic screening program covering a 10-year period (1995 to 2004). Method: The audiologic screening consisted of a hearing (pure tone) and tympanometry screening. A total of 34,979 children, 3 to 5 years of age, were screened. Results: Eighteen percent (6,337) of the children were referred for further hearing and/or medical ear evaluation. Of 1,421 follow-up responses received, 93% complied with the follow-up recommendations while 7% did not. Of 1,316 children in the follow-up group, outer and/or middle ear disorder in one or both ears was medically confirmed for 37%. Unilateral or bilateral hearing loss was diagnosed in 18% as conductive (12%), sensorineural (1%), mixed (0.4%), or unspecified (5%). Overall, hearing loss and/or otologic disorder was confirmed in 49% of the follow-up group, suggesting a prevalence of 1.8% in a preschool-age population. A small (n = 32) sample of unsolicited comments indicated that physicians most influenced noncompliance with hearing evaluation follow-up. Conclusions: The quantitative hearing and otologic follow-up outcome data affirm the importance of audiologic screening in the preschool population. Qualitative data suggest that some physicians may not be advocating appropriate screening follow-up services."

• Parental Narratives of Genetic Testing for Hearing Loss: Audiologic Implications for Clinical Work With Children and Families
  from the American Journal of Audiology
  "Purpose: Few studies have examined how parents personalize the possibility of genetic hearing loss in their children and whether they actually intend to pursue testing for their child. This article addresses the audiologist's important role in the genetic testing referral and follow-up processes. Method: Twenty-four parents whose children were referred to genetic testing for hearing loss were interviewed in depth. Parents were selected to include a diverse range of races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic levels. Interviews were coded and analyzed using qualitative methods. Results: Parental associations with genetic testing included feeling personally responsible, feeling relief, and considering metaphysical attributions for their child's hearing loss. Parental attitudes were related to perceptions and experiences with deafness. Many misconceptions about genetics were also found. Conclusions: Audiologists need to be sensitized to parents' personal and sociocultural contexts when discussing genetic testing and should tailor informational and emotional support to parents' requirements when confronting the possibility of their child having a genetic hearing loss."

• Evaluating Families' Satisfaction With Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Services in Massachusetts
  from the American Journal of Audiology
  "Purpose: To determine levels of families' satisfaction and anxiety associated with the early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) process in Massachusetts, and to assess the relationship between a child's hearing status and levels of family satisfaction. Method: Surveys were mailed to families whose infants (a) passed their initial hearing screening (Group 1), (b) did not pass their initial screening but subsequently passed an outpatient rescreen or diagnostic evaluation (Group 2), or (c) were identified with permanent hearing loss (Group 3). Survey instruments measured families' satisfaction and anxiety associated with each stage of the EHDI process. Results: Of the 4,138 families surveyed, 1,106 (27%) responded. Families reported satisfaction with screening services (Group 1 = 88%; Group 2 = 86%; Group 3 = 75%), and few reported anxiety prior to the hearing screening (Group 1= 4%; Group 2 = 15%; Group 3 = 19%). Among families requiring retesting services, 97% of Group 2 and 87% of Group 3 families were satisfied. Among Group 3 families, 94% reported satisfaction with the care their audiologist was providing, and 79% were satisfied with their early intervention services overall. Conclusions: Families reported satisfaction with the EHDI services they received in Massachusetts and expressed strong support for the universal newborn hearing screening initiative."

• Cochlear Implants in Young Children: Informed Consent as a Process and Current Practices
  from the American Journal of Audiology
  "Purpose: This study examined the types of information that pediatric cochlear implant (PCI) centers and teams provide to parents of deaf children and the extent to which the informed consent process extends beyond medical issues to include social and cultural aspects. A second purpose was to determine the extent to which centers are applying selected new practices in cochlear implantation: younger age at implantation and bilateral implantation. Method: A 23-question survey was sent to 445 cochlear implant centers in the United States. Of the 445 centers contacted, 188 (42%) were excluded as ineligible (nonpediatric), 257 (58%) were determined eligible, and 121 (47%) of these completed the survey. Survey topics included characteristics of PCI centers and teams; the role and importance of professionals/consultants; types of medical, educational, Deaf culture, and identity information and perspectives provided to parents; and current practices regarding age of implantation and bilateral implantation. Results: All of the PCI teams completing the survey presented medical/surgical risks, audiologic information, and variability of communication/educational options; fewer than half (45%) presented Deaf culture and emerging autonomy/identity issues to parents. Most PCI centers felt the optimal age to implant a child was 10–15 months. The majority of PCI centers, regardless of affiliation with a teaching hospital, responded that they rarely or never implanted bilaterally, and few discussed bilateral implants with parents. Conclusions: Audiologists are the only nonsurgical professionals always represented on the cochlear implant team. In order to best prepare audiologists for this role, graduate audiology programs need to address more extensively the Deaf culture and perspective, as well as genetics of hearing loss. Increased attention to educational audiology and evidence-based research regarding best age to implant and bilateral implantation needs to be included in the discussion with parents. Audiologists play a crucial role in informing parents and coordinating care, and should therefore carefully consider their role in the informed consent process."

June 19, 2007

• Larry Mauldin Award goes to Carole Johnson.(OVER the WIRE)(Beltone Electronics Corp.)
  from The Hearing Journal
  "Beltone Electronics awarded the eighth annual Larry Mauldin Award for Excellence in Education to Carole E. Johnson, PhD, AuD, during Audiology-NOW! 2007, the annual convention of the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) held here April 18-21."

• Hansaton AQ battery goes 20 hours on a charge
  from The Hearing Journal
  "Hansaton (www. hansaton-usa.com) has introduced AQ, which it describes as a "revolution in digital hearing instrument technology." In addition to cutting-edge sound processing, the manufacturer says that AQ's battery, which operates for 20 hours without recharging, delivers "the first rechargeable digital hearing system that truly eliminates the need to worry about batteries."

• "Gold Standard Initiative"
  from The Hearing Journal
  "Sonus, a leading network of North American hearing care professionals, has launched its 2007 Gold Standard Initiative, a strategic plan to strengthen the company's practices. "Since its founding in 1993, Sonus has worked to create a model of excellence for hearing health practitioners," said Dan Quail, senior vice-president for Sonus Network."

• For First Time, Cochlear Implant Restores Hearing To Patient With Rare Genetic Disorder
  from Medical News Today.com
  "Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have, for the first time, used a "bionic" ear to restore hearing in a patient with von Hippel-Lindau disease. They say this advance offers new hope for individuals with the rare disorder, which can produce non-malignant tumors in ears, as well as in the eyes, brain, and kidneys."

• Bird Song Study Gives Clues To Human Stuttering
  from Medical News Today.com
  "Researchers at the Methodist Neurological Institute (NI) in Houston and Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City used functional MRI to determine that songbirds have a pronounced right-brain response to the sound of songs, establishing a foundational study for future research on songbird models of speech disorders such as stuttering, as reported yesterday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences U.S.A."

• Treatment of vestibular schwannomas. Why, when and how?
  from Acta Neurochirurgica
  "Summary Sporadic vestibular schwannoma (VS) causes unilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo and unsteadiness. In many cases, the tumour size may remain unchanged for many years following diagnosis, which is typically made by MRI. In the majority of cases the tumour is small, leaving the clinician and patient with the options of either serial scanning or active treatment by gamma knife radiosurgery (GKR) or microneurosurgery. Despite the vast number of published treatment reports, comparative studies are few, and evidence is no better than class III (May, 2006). The predominant clinical endpoints of VS treatment include tumour control, facial nerve function and hearing preservation. Less focus has been put on symptom relief and health-related quality of life (QOL). It is uncertain if treating a small tumour leaves the patient with a better chance of obtaining relief from future hearing loss, vertigo or tinnitus than by observing it without treatment. Recent data indicate that QOL is reduced in untreated VS patients, and may differ between patients who have been operated and patients treated with GKR. In the present paper we review the natural course and complaints of untreated VS patients, and the treatment alternatives and results. Furthermore, we review the literature concerning quality of life in patients with VS. Finally, we present our experience with a management strategy applied to more than 300 cases since 2001."

• Molecular genetics study of deafness in Brazil: 8-year experience
  from American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A
  "Hereditary hearing loss is a complex disorder that involves a large number of genes. In developed countries, 1 in 1,000 children is born with deafness severe enough to require special education services, and about 60% of the cases of isolated deafness have a genetic origin. Although more than 100 genes for hearing loss are known currently, only a few are routinely tested in the clinical practice. In this study, we present our findings from the molecular diagnostic screening of the GJB2 and GJB3 genes, del(GJB6-D13S1830) and del(GJB6-D13S1854) deletions in the GJB6 gene, Q829X mutation in the otoferlin gene (OTOF) and, the A1555G and A7445G mutations in the mitochondrial genome over an 8-year period. Mutations analysis in the previously mentioned genes and mutations was performed on 645 unrelated Brazilian patients with hearing loss who fell into two different testing groups. Different mutations in the GJB2 gene were responsible for most of cases studied, but deletions in the GJB6 gene as well as mitochondrial mutations were also found. While most cases of hearing loss in this country are due to environmental factors, the genetic etiology of deafness will increasingly be determined as more genetic tests become available. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc."

• Frontotemporal dementias: A review
  from the Annals of General Psychiatry
  "Dementia is a clinical state characterized by loss of function in multiple cognitive domains. It is a costly disease in terms of both personal suffering and economic loss. Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the term now preferred over Picks disease to describe the spectrum of non-Alzheimers dementias characterized by focal atrophy of the frontal and anterior temporal regions of the brain. The prevalence of FTD is considerable, though specific figures vary among different studies. It occurs usually in an age range of 35-75 and it is more common in individuals with a positive family history of dementia. The risk factors associated with this disorder include head injury and family history of FTD. Although there is some controversy regarding the further syndromatic subdivision of the different types of FTD, the three major clinical presentations of FTD include: 1) a frontal or behavioral variant (FvFTD), 2) a temporal, aphasic variant, also called Semantic dementia (SD), and 3) a progressive aphasia (PA). These different variants differ in their clinical presentation, cognitive deficits, and affected brain regions. Patients with FTD should have a neuropsychiatric assessment, neuropsychological testing and neuroimaging studies to confirm and clarify the diagnosis. Treatment for this entity consists of behavioral and pharmacological approaches. Medications such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, mood stabilizer and other novel treatments have been used in FTD with different rates of success. Further research should be directed at understanding and developing new diagnostic and therapeutic modalities to improve the patients' prognosis and quality of life."

• Automatic evaluation of prosodic features of tracheoesophageal substitute voice
  from the European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology
  "Abstract In comparison with laryngeal voice, substitute voice after laryngectomy is characterized by restricted aero-acoustic properties. Until now, an objective means of prosodic differences between substitute and normal voices does not exist. In a pilot study, we applied an automatic prosody analysis module to 18 speech samples of laryngectomees (age: 64.2 ± 8.3 years) and 18 recordings of normal speakers of the same age (65.4 ± 7.6 years). Ninety-five different features per word based upon the speech energy, fundamental frequency F0 and duration measures on words, pauses and voiced/voiceless sections were measured. These reflect aspects of loudness, pitch and articulation rate. Subjective evaluation of the 18 patients’ voices was performed by a panel of five experts on the criteria “noise”, “speech effort”, “roughness”, “intelligibility”, “match of breath and sense units” and “overall quality”. These ratings were compared to the automatically computed features. Several of them could be identified being twice as high for the laryngectomees compared to the normal speakers, and vice versa. Comparing the evaluation data of the human experts and the automatic rating, correlation coefficients of up to 0.84 were measured. The automatic analysis serves as a good means to objectify and quantify the global speech outcome of laryngectomees. Even better results are expected when both the computation of the features and the comparison method to the human ratings will have been revised and adapted to the special properties of the substitute voices."

• Acquisition of Literacy in Bilingual Children: A Framework for Research
  from Language Learning
  "Much of the research that contributes to understanding how bilingual children become literate is not able to isolate the contribution of bilingualism to the discussion of literacy acquisition for these children. This article begins by identifying three areas of research that are relevant to examining literacy acquisition in bilinguals, explaining the contribution of each, and associating each type of research with a skill required by monolingual children in becoming literate. Three prerequisite skills for the acquisition of literacy are competence with the oral language, understanding of symbolic concepts of print, and establishment of metalinguistic awareness. A review of the literature explores the extent to which these skills that influence literacy acquisition in monolinguals develop differently for bilingual children. The conclusion is that the relation between bilingualism and the development of each of the three skills is different, sometimes indicating an advantage (concepts of print), sometimes a disadvantage (oral language competence), and sometimes little difference (metalinguistic concepts) for bilingual children. Therefore, bilingualism is clearly a factor in children's development of literacy, but the effect of that factor is neither simple nor unitary. Since the publication of this article, our research has continued to explore the themes set out in this framework and provided more detail for the description of how bilingualism affects the acquisition of literacy. Two important advances in this research are the finding that some aspects of reading ability, notably phonological awareness, are rooted in general cognitive mechanisms and transfer easily across languages, whereas others, such as decoding, are more language dependent and language-specific and need to be relearned with each new writing system (Bialystok, Luk, & Kwan, 2005). Second, writing systems and the differences between them have a greater impact on children's acquisition of literacy than previously believed. Not surprisingly, this relation has been found for emerging ability with phonological awareness (Bialystok, McBride-Chang, & Luk, 2005) but, more surprisingly, has recently been shown to have a subtle influence on children's emerging concepts of print (Bialystok & Luk, in press). The interpretation that bilingualism must be considered in terms of both advantages and disadvantages has also been pursued in studies of cognitive and linguistic processing in adults. Recent research has shown that adult bilinguals display disadvantages on tasks measuring lexical retrieval and fluency (Michael & Gollan, 2005) but advantages on tasks assessing cognitive control of attention (Bialystok, Craik, Klein, & Viswanathan, 2004). This approach leads to a more detailed and, ultimately, more accurate description of how bilingualism affects cognitive performance."

• Inhibition or Compensation? A Multidimensional Comparison of Reading Processes in Dutch and English
  from Language Learning
  "This study examined two competing hypotheses about second language reading processes: the inhibition hypothesis and the compensation hypothesis. Although the ideas expressed in these hypotheses have been reiterated in the literature, previous to this study, they had seldom been investigated systematically. The inhibition hypothesis states that in foreign language reading, the lack of fluent linguistic processes inhibits the amount of attention devoted to conceptual processes (e.g., Koda, 1996; Segalowitz, Watson, & Segalowitz, 1995). In contrast, the compensation hypothesis states that readers in a foreign language are able to skirt around comprehension problems by actually devoting more attention to global, conceptual reading processes. Using the think-aloud method, we compared the reading strategies of 22 Dutch high school students in Dutch (their first language [L1]) and English (their foreign language [FL]). Whereas previous studies have confined themselves to grouping strategies into categories along a single dimension, the present study used a three-dimensional classification scheme that entails the following: Orientation of Processing (i.e., whether strategies are directed toward content or language); Type of Processing (i.e., whether strategies involve regulating the reading process, processing the meaning of the text, or rereading the text); and linguistic Domain of Processing (i.e., whether strategies are directed toward text elements at levels below, at, or above the clause). This multidimensional perspective allowed a comparison of reading strategies in the L1 and FL to be made with notable precision. By separating distinctions that were conflated in previous studies, we provide a greater degree of theoretical clarity concerning the nature of L1 and FL reading processes. The findings of the study call into question whether either the inhibition hypothesis or the compensation hypothesis provides an adequate representation of FL reading processes—at least in the context examined. On the one hand, there was little evidence that readers focused less on global text content in the FL. On the other hand, there was no evidence that readers compensated for language problems by focusing more on global text content in English. Instead, the findings suggest a model of FL reading processes in which readers are able to compensate for language problems by focusing attention on them, without this extra focus on linguistic processes necessarily being detrimental to global reading processes."

• The Relationship Between Text Comprehension and Second Language Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition: A Matter of Topic Familiarity?
  from Language Learning
  "The study reported in this article describes second language (L2) vocabulary learning outcomes associated with adult L2 reading comprehension processes, thus connecting L2 learning with the complex cognitive and linguistic processing involved in reading. The study aimed to determine whether background knowledge moderated the relationship between passage comprehension and lexical input processing outcomes, such as intake and receptive gain and retention of target-word meanings. The primary theoretical contribution concerns the nature of the relationships that obtained between passage comprehension and lexical input processing. Overall, the results suggest that as learners become more efficient in engaging in the various processing activities required during L2 reading, they experience greater memory for linguistic elements encountered during reading, such as orthographic forms and semantic aspects of new lexical items. The results support connectionist models of L2 reading and conclusions concerning efficiency in lower level text processing (e.g., see Koda, 2005; Nassaji, 2002). Reading is a complex cognitive activity, involving simultaneous linguistic processing such as pattern recognition, letter identification, lexical access, concept activation, syntactic analysis, propositional encoding, sentence comprehension, and intersentence integration, as well as the activation of prior knowledge, information storage, and comprehension monitoring. The prior knowledge that is accessed is largely determined by the quality of the textbase that is constructed during reading, which is affected by the individual's efficiency in carrying out the various text-processing operations listed above. The finding that background knowledge did not moderate the relationship between comprehension and receptive retention of meaning provides further support for the robust role of text-processing efficiency in bootstrapping processes, such as those involved in mapping new linguistic forms to familiar concepts already stored in memory. The secondary finding with regard to intake of the target words corroborates the main finding, demonstrating that efficient text processing skills are also essential to other aspects of lexical input processing, such as establishing and retrieving the connections between new linguistic forms and the specific contexts in which they were encountered. The study also expands upon previous reading and research in the area of methodological innovations applied to incidental learning research paradigms, for instance, by measuring intake and episodic memory and the relationships between text processing and language learning outcomes. In addition, through the concurrent investigation of the impact of several factors on lexical input processing, the study sets the stage for more complex modeling of the processes that contribute to L2 development."

• Schema Theory and Knowledge-Based Processes in Second Language Reading Comprehension: A Need for Alternative Perspectives
  from Language Learning
  "How is knowledge represented and organized in the mind? What role does it play in discourse comprehension and interpretation? What are the exact mechanisms whereby knowledge-based processes are utilised in comprehension? These are questions that have puzzled psycholinguists and cognitive psychologists for years. Despite major developments in the field of second language (L2) reading over the last two decades, many attempts at explaining the role of knowledge in L2 comprehension have been made almost exclusively in the context of schema theory, a perspective that provides an expectation-driven conception of the role of knowledge and considers that preexisting knowledge provides the main guiding context through which information is processed and interpreted. In this article, I first review and critically analyze the major assumptions underlying schema theory and the processes that it postulates underlie knowledge representation and comprehension. Then I consider an alternative perspective, a construction-integration model of discourse comprehension, and discuss how this perspective, when applied to L2 reading comprehension, offers a fundamentally different and more detailed account of the role of knowledge and knowledge-based processes that L2 researchers had previously tried to explain within schema-theoretic principles."

• Commonalities and Differences in Word Identification Skills Among Learners of English as a Second Language
  from Language Learning
  "This study examined word identification skills between two groups of college students with different first language (L1) backgrounds (Chinese and Korean) learning to read English as a second language (ESL). Word identification skills were tested in a naming experiment and an auditory category judgment task. Both groups of ESL learners demonstrated faster and more accurate naming performance on high-frequency words than low-frequency words and faster and more accurate naming performance on regular words than exception words. Moreover, for both groups, the difference in naming accuracies between regular and exception words was more pronounced for low-frequency words than for high-frequency words. An L1 effect was observed: The Korean students were overall more accurate than were the Chinese students in naming all categories of words. Furthermore, the Korean students showed a higher percentage of regularization errors in naming low-frequency exception words than did Chinese students. The Korean students were also more accurate and faster in auditory meaning retrieval than were the Chinese students. These findings contribute to current knowledge about whether learning to read a second language (L2) involves universal or language-specific processes. Our findings suggest that L2 readers with different L1 orthographic backgrounds engage in both universal and language-specific processes. On the one hand, properties of the L2 writing system affect L2 processing similarly across learners irrespective of L1 backgrounds. On the other hand, L1 reading experiences also come into play in L2 reading. Particularly, systematic differences exist in L2 processing among learners with alphabetic and nonalphabetic L1 backgrounds, as would be predicted from crossinguistic analyses. We argue for an interactive view of L2 reading. The properties of both L1 and L2 interact with one another, jointly contributing to L2 reading processes."

• Randomized clinical trial: Group counseling based on tinnitus retraining therapy
  from the Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development
  "Abstract — The main component of tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is structured counseling. We conducted a randomized clinical trial to test the hypothesis that group educational counseling based on TRT principles would effectively treat veterans who have clinically significant tinnitus. Veterans with clinically significant tinnitus were randomized into one of three groups: educational counseling, traditional support, and no treatment. Subjects in the first two groups attended four 1.5 h group sessions each week. All subjects completed outcome questionnaires at baseline and at 1, 6, and 12 mo. A total of 269 subjects participated: 94 in the educational counseling group, 84 in the traditional support group, and 91 in the no-treatment group. Statistical analyses showed that educational counseling provided significantly more benefit than either traditional support or no treatment, as measured by the Tinnitus Severity Index. Results suggest that group educational counseling can significantly benefit many tinnitus patients and could be integral to a "progressive intervention" approach to tinnitus clinical management."

• Pollution, plastics affect boys more, group report says
  from GeneticsNews.It
  "The incidence of asthma, autism, childhood cancer, learning disabilities and behavioural disorders, among others, is higher in boys, sometimes startlingly so. Autism, for instance, almost seems like a male preserve, with boys outnumbering girls four to one. Why boys appear to be more vulnerable to a host of ailments is a major scientific puzzle, but a new report says part of the reason may be that males are more sensitive to pollution and many hormone-like chemicals widely used in consumer products ranging from computers to plastic water bottles."

• Processing acoustic change and novelty in newborn infants
  from the European Journal of Neuroscience
  "Research on event-related potential (ERP) correlates of auditory deviance-detection in newborns provided inconsistent results; temporal and topographic ERP characteristics differed widely across studies and individual infants. Robust and reliable ERP responses were, however, obtained to sounds (termed ‘novel’ sounds), which cover a wide range of frequencies and widely differ from the context provided by a repeating sound [Kushnerenko et al., (2002) NeuroReport, 13, 1843–1848]. The question we investigated here is whether this effect can be attributed to novelty per se or to acoustic characteristics of the ‘novel’ sounds, such as their wide frequency spectrum and high signal energy compared with the repeated tones. We also asked how sensitivity to these stimulus aspects changes with development. Twelve newborns and 11 adults were tested in four different oddball conditions, each including a ‘standard’ sound presented with the probability of 0.8 and two types of infrequent ‘deviant’ sounds (0.1 probability, each). Deviants were (i) ‘novel’ sounds (diverse environmental noises); (ii) white-noise segments, or harmonic tones of (iii) a higher pitch, or (iv) higher intensity. In newborns, white-noise deviants elicited the largest response in all latency ranges, whereas in adults, this phenomenon was not found. Thus, newborns appear to be especially sensitive to sounds having a wide frequency spectrum. On the other hand, the pattern of results found for the late discriminative ERP response indicates that newborns may also be able to detect novelty in acoustic stimulation, although with a longer latency than adults, as shown by the ERP response. Results are discussed in terms of developmental refinement of the initially broadly tuned neonate auditory system."

• SD-squared: On the association between semantic dementia and surface dyslexia
  from Psychological Review
  "Within the connectionist triangle model of reading aloud, interaction between semantic and phonological representations occurs for all words but is particularly important for correct pronunciation of lower frequency exception words. This framework therefore predicts that (a) semantic dementia, which compromises semantic knowledge, should be accompanied by surface dyslexia, a frequency-modulated deficit in exception word reading, and (b) there should be a significant relationship between the severity of semantic degradation and the severity of surface dyslexia. The authors evaluated these claims with reference to 100 observations of reading data from 51 cases of semantic dementia. Surface dyslexia was rampant, and a simple composite semantic measure accounted for half of the variance in low-frequency exception word reading. Although in 3 cases initial testing revealed a moderate semantic impairment but normal exception word reading, all of these became surface dyslexic as their semantic knowledge deteriorated further. The connectionist account attributes such cases to premorbid individual variation in semantic reliance for accurate exception word reading. These results provide a striking demonstration of the association between semantic dementia and surface dyslexia, a phenomenon that the authors have dubbed SD-squared. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)"

• The Relationship Between Perceptual Evaluation and Objective Multiparametric Evaluation of Dysphonia Severity
  from the Journal of Voice
  "SUMMARY: The purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of the Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI) as an objective multiparametric measurement in assessing dysphonia. The DSI was compared with the score on Grade of the GRBAS scale. Investigated was also whether the DSI is related to severity of dysphonia, which was represented by different diagnosis groups. Furthermore, it was investigated whether the DSI can differentiate between a group of patients and a control group. A total of 294 patients with different voice pathologies were included. A control group consisted of 118 volunteers without any voice complaints. The voices of all participants were perceptually evaluated on Grade, and the DSI was measured. The groups of patients with voice complaints have a lower DSI and higher scores on Grade than the control group. The DSI was significantly lower when the score on Grade was higher. The DSI discriminates between patients with nonorganic voice disorders, vocal fold mass lesions, and vocal fold paresis/paralysis. To determine whether the DSI discriminates between patients and controls, the sensitivity and specificity for different DSI cutoff points were calculated. With a DSI cutoff of 3.0, maximum sensitivity (0.72) and specificity (0.75) were found. We conclude that the DSI is a useful instrument to objectively measure the severity of dysphonia."

• Early Markers of Language and Attention: Mutual Contributions and the Impact of Parent–Infant Interactions
  from Child Psychiatry and Human Development
  "Abstract This study of was conducted to explore the contribution of attentional skills to early language, and the influence of early language markers on the development of attention, simultaneously examining the impact of parent–child interaction factors (reciprocity/synchrony and sensitivity/responsivity), including their potential moderator effects. All children were between 6 months and 12 months of age, and about equally distributed between genders (33 males, 32 females), with caregivers’ ages ranging from 28 years to 45 years (N = 65). Maternal perceptions of infant attentional skills (duration of orienting, or persistence of attention, and perceptual sensitivity—the infant’s ability to selectively attend to subtle stimuli) and an early marker of language (vocal reactivity: use of vocalizations across a variety of activities), along with observations of parent–child interactions, provided the basis for the present evaluation. Infant duration of orienting emerged as the primary predictor of vocal reactivity, with the contribution of perceptual sensitivity approaching significance. Infant vocal reactivity explained significant amounts of variance for duration of orienting and perceptual sensitivity. Parent–infant interaction factors contributed to the prediction of early attentional skills, with responsivity/sensitivity explaining a significant portion of perceptual sensitivity variance, and synchronicity/reciprocity emerging as a significant predictor of duration of orienting. Observed contribution of the vocal reactivity * responsivity/sensitivity interaction to predicting infant perceptual sensitivity provided preliminary support for the proposed moderation."

June 18, 2007

• Researchers Restore Genes in Human Inner Ear Cells
  from Newswise.com
  "Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System have discovered a way to transfer genes, which they hope will restore hearing, into diseased tissue of the human inner ear. This important step brings scientists closer to curing genetic or acquired hearing loss. Their discovery will appear Thursday, June 14, in the online issue of the scientific journal, Gene Therapy."

• Adaptation reduces spike-count reliability, but not spike-timing precision, of auditory nerve responses
  from Journal of Neuroscience
  "Sensory systems use adaptive coding mechanisms to filter redundant information from the environment to efficiently represent the external world. One such mechanism found in most sensory neurons is rate adaptation, defined as a reduction in firing rate in response to a constant stimulus. In auditory nerve, this form of adaptation is likely mediated by exhaustion of release-ready synaptic vesicles in the cochlear hair cell. To better understand how specific synaptic mechanisms limit neural coding strategies, we examined the trial-to-trial variability of auditory nerve responses during short-term rate-adaptation by measuring spike-timing precision and spike-count reliability. After adaptation, precision remained unchanged, whereas for all but the lowest-frequency fibers, reliability decreased. Modeling statistical properties of the hair cell-afferent fiber synapse suggested that the ability of one or a few vesicles to elicit an action potential reduces the inherent response variability expected from quantal neurotransmitter release, and thereby confers the observed count reliability at sound onset. However, with adaptation, depletion of the readily releasable pool of vesicles diminishes quantal content and antagonizes the postsynaptic enhancement of reliability. These findings imply that during the course of short-term adaptation, coding strategies that employ a rate code are constrained by increased neural noise because of vesicle depletion, whereas those that employ a temporal code are no"

• No evidence that an exercise-based treatment programme (DDAT) has specific benefits for children with reading difficulties
  from Dyslexia
  "Reynolds and Nicolson (Dyslexia: An International Journal of Research & Practice, 2007) report follow-up data 12 and 18 months after a period of intervention consisting of an exercise-based treatment programme (Dyslexia Dyspraxia Attention Treatment Programme, DDAT). The findings suggested the treatment had effects on bead threading, balance, rapid naming, semantic fluency and working memory but not on reading or spelling. We argue that the design of the study is flawed, the statistics used to analyse the data are inappropriate, and reiterate other issues raised by ourselves and others in this journal in 2003. Current evidence provides no support for the claim that DDAT is effective in improving children's literacy skills."

• Follow-up of an exercise-based treatment for children with reading difficulties
  from Dyslexia
  "This study reports the results of a long-term follow-up of an exercise-based approach to dyslexia-related disorders (Reynolds, Nicolson, & Hambly, Dyslexia, 2003; 9(1): 48-71). In the initial study, children at risk of dyslexia were identified in 3 years of a junior school. One half then undertook a 6 month, home-based exercise programme. Evaluation after 6 months indicated that the exercise group improved significantly more than the controls on a range of cognitive and motor skills. Critics had suggested that the improvement might be attributable to artifactual issues including Hawthorne effects; an initial literacy imbalance between the groups; and inclusion of non-dyslexic participants. The present study evaluated the issue of whether the gains were maintained over the following 18 months, and whether they were in some sense artifactual as postulated by critics of the original study. Comparison of (age-adjusted) initial and follow-up performance indicated significant gains in motor skill, speech/language fluency, phonology, and working memory. Both dyslexic and non-dyslexic low achieving children benefited. There was also a highly significant reduction in the incidence of symptoms of inattention. Interestingly there were no significant changes in speeded tests of reading and spelling, but there was a significant improvement in (age-adjusted) reading (NFER). It is concluded that the gains were indeed long-lasting, and that the alternative hypotheses based on potential artifacts were untenable, and that the exercise treatment therefore achieved its applied purpose. Further research is needed to determine the underlying reasons for the benefits. Possible (and potentially synergistic) explanations include: improved cerebellar function (neural level); improved learning ability and/or attentional ability (cognitive level); improved self-esteem and self-efficacy (affective level); and improved parental/familial support (social level)."

• Deficient morphological processing in adults with developmental dyslexia: another barrier to efficient word recognition?
  from Dyslexia
  "Research on dyslexia has focused on the phonological level of linguistic analysis. Here we extend the investigation of the linguistic competence of individuals with dyslexia to the morphological level of linguistic analysis. We examine whether adult Hebrew readers with dyslexia extract and represent morphemic units similarly to normal readers. Using the priming paradigm in the word fragment completion task, we measured the magnitude of morphological priming and contrasted this effect with the repetition priming effect. Students with normal reading ability showed the typical repetition priming effect. A comparable repetition priming effect was also found for the dyslexic group as a whole. However, when the dyslexics were classified into three subtypes according to their phonological and orthographic decoding skills, repetition priming effects were significant only for the phonological dyslexia subgroup but not for the surface or mixed dyslexia subgroups. Furthermore, students with normal reading ability showed strong morphological priming, comparable in strength to the repetition priming effect. In contrast, the dyslexic readers did not show morphological priming, neither the dyslexia group as a whole, nor any of the subgroups. Our results highlight an additional source for dyslexics' difficulties with word recognition which lie at the level of morphological processing."

• Computerized screening for visual stress in children with dyslexia
  from Dyslexia
  "Visual stress-a condition in which unpleasant visual symptoms are experienced when reading-has been reported to be more prevalent in dyslexic individuals but at the present time the relationship between dyslexia and visual stress remains controversial. ViSS, a computerized visual stress screener that incorporates reading-like visual search, has recently shown promise in studies with unselected samples of primary and secondary school children. This study investigated the use of ViSS with dyslexic children. Dyslexic children identified as having high visual stress showed significantly higher per cent increases in reading rate with a coloured overlay and reported significantly higher critical symptoms of visual stress, compared to dyslexic children with low visual stress. The same results were found for reading-age controls, indicating that ViSS can be equally effective with normal readers as well as with children with dyslexia. Compared to reading-age controls, dyslexic children were found to have significantly higher susceptibility to visual stress, significantly larger per cent increases in reading rate with an overlay, and significantly higher critical and non-critical symptoms of visual stress. Extrapolated to unselected population samples, the data also suggest that visual stress is more likely to be found in people with dyslexia than in people who do not have dyslexia. These results, which point to an important link between the two conditions, are discussed in relation to current theories that attribute visual stress to either a magnocellular dysfunction or cortical hyperexcitability."

• A call for interdisciplinary research in establishing the utility of gesture in aphasia rehabilitation
  from Advances in Speech-Language Pathology
  "This paper is a reply to the 12 colleagues who responded to the lead article (Rose, 2006) concerning the utility of gesture in aphasia treatments. The validity of current models of gesture, speech, and language interactions are reviewed and de Ruiter's Sketch Model is supported as a reasonable working tool for clinical reasoning in aphasia therapy. The paper argues for greater multidisciplinary research in order to further specify the models. Clinicians are urged to carefully consider gesture type when contemplating using gesture in language therapy and are cautioned against inferring communicative gesture abilities from assessments of limb apraxia. Finally, the use of gesture beyond word retrieval treatments is considered."

• A critical appraisal of the relationship between speech and gesture and its implications for the treatment of aphasia
  from Advances in Speech-Language Pathology
  "The paper by Rose is an important and timely attempt to outline the implications of research on gesture and speech for the treatment of aphasia. But this is not an easy task given that major theoretical disagreements exist within the field; fundamental disagreements as to whether iconic gestures function primarily for the speaker or for the listener. It is also not made easy by the apparently contradictory research findings that many of the core empirical studies have produced. The current paper argues that Rose needs to take a much more critical perspective on some of the core studies in this area, including research on the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon, which is one important area of disagreement with regard to the lexical retrieval hypothesis of iconic gesture and research on the possible communicational effects of iconic gesture. This paper argues that much of the research, when critically reviewed, points towards the communicational theory of gesture and away from the lexical retrieval hypothesis and it proposes that only by taking such a critical stance on the published literature will researchers be able to formulate truly effective principles for the treatment of aphasia."

• Speech Rate and Fluency in Children and Adolescents
  from Child Neuropsychology
  "Reduced speech fluency is frequent in clinical paediatric populations, an unexplained finding. To investigate age related effects on speech fluency variables, we analysed samples of narrative speech (picture description) of 308 healthy children, aged 5 to 17 years, and studied its relation with verbal fluency tasks. All studied measures showed significant developmental effects. Speech rate and verbal fluency scores increased, while pauses, repetitions and locution time declined with age. Speech rate correlated with semantic fluency tasks suggesting that it also depends upon the efficacy of lexical retrieval. These results indicate that the interpretation of disorders of speech fluency in childhood must incorporate age appropriate norms."

• Spatiotemporal Interaction between Sound Form and Meaning during Spoken Word Perception
  from Cerebral Cortex
  "Cortical dynamics of spoken word perception is not well understood. The possible interplay between analysis of sound form and meaning, in particular, remains elusive. We used magnetoencephalography to study cortical manifestation of phonological and semantic priming. Ten subjects listened to lists of 4 words. The first 3 words set a semantic or phonological context, and the list-final word was congruent or incongruent with this context. Attenuation of activation by priming during the first 3 words and increase of activation to semantic or phonological mismatch in the list-final word provided converging evidence: The superior temporal cortex bilaterally was involved in both analysis of sound form and meaning but the role of each hemisphere varied over time. Sensitivity to sound form was observed at 100 ms after word onset, followed by sensitivity to semantic aspects from 250 ms onwards, in the left hemisphere. From 450 ms onwards, the picture was changed, with semantic effects now present bilaterally, accompanied by a subtle late effect of sound form in the right hemisphere. Present MEG data provide a detailed spatiotemporal account of neural mechanisms during speech perception that may underlie characterizations obtained with other neuroimaging methods less sensitive in temporal or spatial domain."

• Cortical Gamma Generators Suggest Abnormal Auditory Circuitry in Early-Onset Psychosis
  from Cerebral Cortex
  "Neurobiological theories of schizophrenia and related psychoses have increasingly emphasized impaired neuronal coordination (i.e., dysfunctional connectivity) as central to the pathophysiology. Although neuroimaging evidence has mostly corroborated these accounts, the basic mechanism(s) of reduced functional connectivity remains elusive. In this study, we examine the developmental trajectory and underlying mechanism(s) of dysfunctional connectivity by using gamma oscillatory power as an index of local and long-range circuit integrity. An early-onset psychosis group and a matched cohort of typically developing adolescents listened to monaurally presented click-trains, as whole-head magnetoencephalography data were acquired. Consistent with previous work, gamma-band power was significantly higher in right auditory cortices across groups and conditions. However, patients exhibited significantly reduced overall gamma power relative to controls, and showed a reduced ear-of-stimulation effect indicating that ipsi- versus contralateral presentation had less impact on hemispheric power. Gamma-frequency oscillations are thought to be dependent on gamma-aminobutyric acidergic interneuronal networks, thus these patients' impairment in generating and/or maintaining such activity may indicate that local circuit integrity is at least partially compromised early in the disease process. In addition, patients also showed abnormality in long-range networks (i.e., ear-of-stimulation effects) potentially suggesting that multiple stages along auditory pathways contribute to connectivity aberrations found in patients with psychosis."

June 13, 2007

Today's news items are form: the American Annals of the Deaf; Sign Language Studies; and the European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology.

• A comparative perspective on the experiences of deaf and hard of hearing individuals as students at mainstream and special schools
  from American Annals of the Deaf
  "Integration of individuals categorized as having special educational needs in mainstream schools has become a dominant policy in many countries. Changes in recent years in the field traditionally called "special education" have significantly influenced the education of deaf and hard of hearing individuals. The movements against segregation and toward integration and, more recently, inclusion, have created the conditions for educational changes, not only in mainstreaming but in special education. The article brings to light the views and experiences of deaf and hard of hearing people as students at special schools and mainstream schools, in order to compare the two systems from the viewpoints of those involved and to explore the possible implications of these views and experiences for the development of the educational system in Cyprus regarding inclusive education. Particular attention is given to improvement of the education of deaf and hard of hearing children."

• Deafness and attention in deaf children
  from American Annals of the Deaf
  "The study shows the differences between hearing parents and deaf instructors interacting with deaf children and directing their attention. Data were collected at home and at a service for special needs in Bristol, England. The mother or instructor was asked to play naturally with the child with the toys provided. When the child's attention was focused during their play, the mother or instructor had to try to direct the child's attention to each of the toys. The results suggest that both groups (mothers and instructors) were effective in directing attention to objects not in the immediate area of play; however, hearing mothers were more successful than deaf instructors."

• Sign language Web pages
  from American Annals of the Deaf
  "The WORLD WIDE WEB has changed the way people interact. It has also become an important equalizer of information access for many social sectors. However, for many people, including some sign language users, Web accessing can be difficult. For some, it not only presents another barrier to overcome but has left them without cultural equality. The present article describes a system that allows sign language-only Web pages to be created and linked through a video-based technique called sign-linking. In two studies, 14 Deaf participants examined two iterations of signlinked Web pages to gauge the usability and learnability of a signing Web page interface. The first study indicated that signing Web pages were usable by sign language users but that some interface features required improvement. The second study showed increased usability for those features; users consequently couldnavigate sign language information with ease and pleasure."

• Where is it? How deaf adolescents complete fact-based internet search tasks
  from American Annals of the Deaf
  "An exploratory study was designed to describe Internet search behaviors of deaf adolescents who used Internet search engines to complete fact-based search tasks. The study examined search behaviors of deaf high school students such as query formation, query modification, Web site identification, and Web site selection. Consisting of two fact-based search tasks, the study was done in four regional day school programs for the deaf. As students conducted two search tasks, they completed task analyses of the selected Web sites and gave reasons for their selections. The research also identified the processes used by deaf students to compensate for limited English reading abilities while navigating search engines results that were typically written well above deaf students' average reading level. The results demonstrated that deaf adolescents were unable to initiate, conduct, analyze, or validate effective Internet searches in response to fact-based search tasks."

• Sociolinguistic Variation in the Use of Fingerspelling in Australian Sign Language: A Pilot Study
  from Sign Language Studies
  "This article presents the results from a preliminary investigation into the use of fingerspelling in Australian Sign Language (Auslan), drawing on data collected as part of the Sociolinguistic Variation in Australian Sign Language project (Schembri and Johnston 2004; Schembri, Johnston, and Goswell in press). This major project is a replication in the Australian deaf community of quantitative investigations into variation in American Sign Language (ASL) conducted by Lucas, Bayley, and Valli (2001). In this specific study, we consider variation in the use of the two-handed manual alphabet in Auslan, based on an analysis of 2,667 utterances collected from 205 deaf signers of Auslan in five sites across Australia (i.e., Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide). The results indicate that the variation in the frequency of fingerspelling use most strongly correlates with signers' age, but may also vary according to region, as has also been reported for British Sign Language (BSL) (Sutton-Spence, Woll, and Allsop 1990)."

• Partial withdrawal of deeply inserted cochlear electrodes: observations of two patients
  from the European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology
  "Abstract Three patients implanted in our department received the preformed Clarion S-Series cochlear implant with the electrode Positioning System (EPS). The EPS is a device designed to bring the electrode array closer to the modiolus and deeper into the cochlea. Two of these patients still complained because they were perceiving too low pitch sounds, and because of the presence of echoes and poor discrimination after 3 years of implant use and many tuning sessions. We hypothesized that the electrode array was too deeply inserted and could be stimulating overlapping populations of neurons in the low frequency range. The EPS was removed through a transcanal tympanotomy under local anesthesia and the array was pulled 2–3 mm out of the cochlea. The angle of electrode insertion into the cochlea and the patients’ performances on consonant identification tests were evaluated before and after the removal surgery and over the long term, 3 years after the surgery. Immediately after the removal surgery the angle of insertion of the electrode array decreased from 720° to 485° in one case and from 675° to 485° in the other. Both patients reported subjective improvements after the removal which were confirmed by tests of performance at the long term by one of the patients. These observations show that (1) the electrode array can be moved without deterioration of performances even several years after being implanted; revision surgery may be beneficial in some cases, (2) neighboring electrodes might stimulate overlapping populations of neurons, inducing a deterioration of performances; for anatomical reasons, this is most likely to occur in the apex of the cochlea and (3) tuning of the external processor should be a customized procedure."

June 12, 2007

Today's news items are from: Augmentative and Alternative Communication; Applied Psycholinguistics; MedGadget.com; EurekAlert.org; Medical News Today.com; Audiological Medicine; Disability & Society; Neurology; and Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics.

• "I have chosen to live life abundantly": Perceptions of leisure by adults who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication
  from Augmentative and Alternative Communication
  "An online focus group was used to investigate perceptions of eight adults with cerebral palsy who used AAC systems about their recreation activities and leisure experiences. Six themes emerged from discussions on benefits of leisure and community recreation: improved physical health, enjoyment, improved mental health, increased independence, enhanced social connections, and education of society. Nine barriers to leisure participation were identified including: personal, social, communication, technology, financial, accessibility, safety, transportation, and personal care attendants. Despite numerous barriers to leisure, participants described six supports that helped them overcome these barriers: personal, social, family, personal care attendants, AAC devices, and other assistive technologies. Participants provided recommendations for other individuals who use AAC, their families, and service providers."

• Bilingual children with specific language impairment: Theoretical and applied issues
  from Applied Psycholinguistics
  "Bilingualism is often considered an inappropriate developmental choice for children with specific language impairment (SLI) because, according to a widespread belief, these children's limited capacity for language would be overtaxed by learning two linguistic systems. However, there has not been adequate empirical investigation of SLI in bilingual children to support, or refute, this belief and the professional practices that are based on it. On the theoretical side, two opposing perspectives concerning the nature of the deficit in SLI make different predictions for the outcome of children with SLI learning two languages, and one set of predictions is consistent with the popular belief stated above. This article is aimed at addressing both the applied concerns and the theoretical debate with evidence from two studies examining the morphological acquisition of French–English bilingual children with SLI as compared to French and English monolinguals with SLI."

• Early bilingualism, language transfer, and phonological awareness
  from Applied Psycholinguistics
  "The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relations between early bilingualism and phonological awareness in a sample of 75 Turkish–Dutch bilingual kindergarten children living in The Netherlands. In a longitudinal design, the children's first (L1) and second (L2) language abilities were measured at the beginning and end of kindergarten. At the end of kindergarten, the children's metalinguistic skills within the domain of phonological awareness were also assessed. Linear structural equation modeling was used to examine the types of intralingual (language-specific) and interlingual (language-transfer) processes over time. In addition, just how the patterns of bilingual development related to the children's later phonological awareness was examined. Turkish was found to be the dominant language on both measurement occasions. In addition to the expected longitudinal relations, there was evidence for transfer from L1 to L2. Two interrelated phonological factors emerged: phonotactic awareness and phonemic awareness. Variation in the two types of children's phonological awareness was predicted by both L1 and L2 abilities."

• Onset of word form recognition in English, Welsh, and English–Welsh bilingual infants
  from Applied Psycholinguistics
  "Children raised in the home as English or Welsh monolinguals or English–Welsh bilinguals were tested on untrained word form recognition using both behavioral and neurophysiological procedures. Behavioral measures confirmed the onset of a familiarity effect at 11 months in English but failed to identify it in monolingual Welsh infants between 9 and 12 months. In the neurophysiological procedure the familiarity effect was detected as early as 10 months in English but did not reach significance in monolingual Welsh. Bilingual children showed word form familiarity effects by 11 months in both languages and also revealed an online time course for word recognition that combined effects found for monolingual English and Welsh. To account for the findings, accentual, grammatical, and sociolinguistic differences between English and Welsh are considered."

• Parental language input patterns and children's bilingual use
  from Applied Psycholinguistics
  "This article reports on a study that addresses the following question: why do some children exposed to two languages from early on fail to speak those two languages? Questionnaire data were collected in 1,899 families in which at least one of the parents spoke a language other than the majority language. Each questionnaire asked about the home language use of a family consisting of at least one parent and one child between the ages of 6 and 10 years old. The results show that the children in these families all spoke the majority language, but that minority language use was not universal. Differences in parental language input patterns used at home correlated with differences in child minority language use. Home input patterns where both parents used the minority language and where at most one parent spoke the majority language had a high chance of success. The “one parent–one language” strategy did not provide a necessary nor sufficient input condition. Implications for bilingual families are discussed."

• Social factors in childhood bilingualism in the United States
  from Applied Psycholinguistics
  "A number of studies have shown that approximately one-quarter of children in potentially bilingual environments do not become bilingual. This article explores several key factors that influence the likelihood that a child who has access to interactions in two languages will learn them both. The five factors discussed are input, language status, access to literacy, family language use, and community support, including schooling. It is argued that the quantity of input has the greatest effect on whether a minority language will be learned, but language status and attitudes about language also play a role. When families are proactive and provide daily activities for children in the minority language, the children respond by learning it. In addition, dual-immersion, “two-way” schooling is shown to benefit children's level of language proficiency in the minority language without diminishing their progress in the community language."

• The development of phonetic representation in bilingual and monolingual infants
  from Applied Psycholinguistics
  "The development of native language phonetic representations in bilingual infants was compared to that of monolingual infants. Infants (ages 6–8, 10–12, and 14–20 months) from English–French or English-only environments were tested on their ability to discriminate a French and an English voice onset time distinction. Although 6- to 8-month-olds responded similarly irrespective of language environment, by 10–12 months both groups of infants displayed language-specific perceptual abilities: the monolinguals demonstrated realignment to the native English boundary whereas the bilinguals began discriminating both native boundaries. This suggests that infants exposed to two languages from birth are equipped to phonetically process each as a native language and the development of phonetic representation is neither delayed nor compromised by additional languages."

• The effect of bilingualism on the use of manual gestures
  from Applied Psycholinguistics
  "Gestures are often used while speaking to aid in the speaker's packaging of the verbal message and/or to aid the listener in decoding the message. The ways in which bilinguals use gestures are reviewed in this article. Researchers have predicted that bilinguals' gesture use is related to bilinguals' language proficiency. However, no clear pattern of a link between proficiency and gesture use has been observed across studies, probably because gestures rarely compensate for weak language proficiency, functioning instead to facilitate speech production in both first and second language use. Researchers have reported bilinguals using language-specific gestures in the other language. In addition, bilinguals have been shown to use gestures at a higher rate than monolinguals. These results suggest that cross-linguistic transfer can apply to gestures, as well as to other linguistic units. In conclusion, gestures play an important role in accessing language in the process of speech production. This conclusion has implications for second-language teaching; teaching through gestures and speech might be more effective than teaching the spoken component alone."

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