RESUMEN
Purpose This study investigates consonant and vowel accuracy and whole-word variability (also called token-to-token variability or token-to-token inconsistency) in bilingual Spanish-English and monolingual English-speaking children with cochlear implants (CIs) compared to their bilingual and monolingual peers with normal hearing (NH). Method Participants were 40 children between 4;6 and 7;11 (years;months; M age = 6;2), n = 10 each in 4 participant groups: bilingual Spanish-English with CIs, monolingual English with CIs, bilingual Spanish-English with NH, and monolingual English with NH. Spanish and English word lists consisting of 20 words of varying length were generated, and 3 productions of each word were analyzed for percent consonants correct, percent vowels correct, and the presence of any consonant and/or vowel variability. Results Children with CIs demonstrated lower accuracy and more whole-word variability than their peers with NH. There were no differences in rates of accuracy or whole-word variability between bilingual and monolingual children matched on hearing status, and bilingual children had lower accuracy and greater whole-word variability in English than in Spanish. Conclusions High rates of whole-word variability are prevalent in the speech of children with CIs even after many years of CI experience, and bilingual language exposure does not appear to negatively impact phonological development in children with CIs. Contributions to our understanding of underlying sources of speech production variability and clinical implications are discussed.
Asunto(s)
Implantes Cocleares , Pérdida Auditiva/fisiopatología , Multilingüismo , Fonética , Habla/fisiología , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Niño , Lenguaje Infantil , Preescolar , Implantación Coclear , Femenino , Pérdida Auditiva/psicología , Pérdida Auditiva/cirugía , Humanos , Masculino , Periodo Posoperatorio , Medición de la Producción del HablaRESUMEN
IMPORTANCE: The early language environment of a child influences language outcome, which in turn affects reading and academic success. It is unknown which types of everyday activities promote the best language environment for children. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the type of toy used during play is associated with the parent-infant communicative interaction. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Controlled experiment in a natural environment of parent-infant communication during play with 3 different toy sets. Participant recruitment and data collection were conducted between February 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014. The volunteer sample included 26 parent-infant (aged 10-16 months) dyads. EXPOSURES: Fifteen-minute in-home parent-infant play sessions with electronic toys, traditional toys, and books. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Numbers of adult words, child vocalizations, conversational turns, parent verbal responses to child utterances, and words produced by parents in 3 different semantic categories (content-specific words) per minute during play sessions. RESULTS: Among the 26 parent-infant dyads, toy type was associated with all outcome measures. During play with electronic toys, there were fewer adult words (mean, 39.62; 95% CI, 33.36-45.65), fewer conversational turns (mean, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.12-2.19), fewer parental responses (mean, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.87-1.77), and fewer productions of content-specific words (mean, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.49-2.35) than during play with traditional toys or books. Children vocalized less during play with electronic toys (mean per minute, 2.9; 95% CI, 2.16-3.69) than during play with books (mean per minute, 3.91; 95% CI, 3.09-4.68). Parents produced fewer words during play with traditional toys (mean per minute, 55.56; 95% CI, 46.49-64.17) than during play with books (mean per minute, 66.89; 95% CI, 59.93-74.19) and use of content-specific words was lower during play with traditional toys (mean per minute, 4.09; 95% CI, 3.26-4.99) than during play with books (mean per minute, 6.96; 95% CI, 6.07-7.97). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Play with electronic toys is associated with decreased quantity and quality of language input compared with play with books or traditional toys. To promote early language development, play with electronic toys should be discouraged. Traditional toys may be a valuable alternative for parent-infant play time if book reading is not a preferred activity.
Asunto(s)
Desarrollo del Lenguaje , Relaciones Padres-Hijo , Juego e Implementos de Juego , Comunicación , Femenino , Humanos , Lactante , Masculino , PadresRESUMEN
The purpose of this study was to examine potential concurrent predictors and replicate rates of token-to-token inconsistency (inconsistency in repeated productions of the same word) in 43 children with typical speech-language development, ages 2;6 to 4;2. A standard linear regression was used to determine which variables, if any, among age, expressive and receptive vocabulary, and speech sound production abilities predicted token-to-token inconsistency. Inconsistency rates in children from one research site, reported elsewhere, were compared to rates in children from a second research site. The results revealed that expressive vocabulary was the only significant predictor of token-to-token inconsistency in these children. Furthermore, inconsistency rates were similarly high across the two research sites. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for our theoretical understanding of token-to-token inconsistency and its role in the differential diagnosis of speech sound disorders in children.
Asunto(s)
Lenguaje Infantil , Medición de la Producción del Habla , Habla/fisiología , Vocabulario , Preescolar , Comprensión , Femenino , Humanos , Modelos Lineales , Masculino , FonéticaRESUMEN
PURPOSE: Intraword variability (sometimes called token-to-token variability) has been associated with certain types of speech disorder. It has also been documented in typical speech development. The purpose of this study was to investigate intraword variability in typically developing 2- and 3-year-olds to determine expected rates and patterns of variability in typical speech development. METHOD: Participants were 33 children aged 2;6 (years;months) to 3;11 with typical speech development. Three productions of 25 target words were elicited, and an overall variability score was calculated. Response type and the effect of word length were investigated. RESULTS: Variability rates decreased with age; however, the oldest children (ages 3;6-3;11) continued to display considerable variability. The most common response type was variable with no hits (i.e., variable production with none matching the target form) for all age groups, and variability was greatest for longer words. CONCLUSIONS: Variability is prevalent in the speech of typically developing 2- and 3-year-olds and was observed even in the oldest children. Future work is needed to determine at what age this type of phonemic variability is no longer prevalent in typical speech development. Clinicians should use caution in interpreting the presence of intraword variability as indicative of specific subtypes of speech disorder.
Asunto(s)
Lenguaje Infantil , Desarrollo del Lenguaje , Semántica , Trastornos del Habla/diagnóstico , Factores de Edad , Preescolar , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Valores de Referencia , Trastornos del Habla/psicología , Medición de la Producción del Habla/métodosRESUMEN
PURPOSE: This study examines the influence of word frequency, phonological neighborhood density (PND), age of acquisition (AoA), and phonotactic probability on production variability and accuracy of known words by toddlers with no history of speech, hearing, or language disorders. METHOD: Fifteen toddlers between 2;0 (years;months) and 2;5 produced monosyllabic target words varying in word frequency, PND, AoA, and phonotactic probability. Phonetic transcription was used to determine (a) whole-word variability and (b) proportion of whole-word proximity (PWP; Ingram, 2002) of each target word produced. RESULTS: Results show a significant effect of PND on PWP and variability (words from dense neighborhoods had higher PWP and lower variability than those from sparse neighborhoods), a significant effect of word frequency on variability (high-frequency words were less variable) but not proximity, and a significant effect of AoA on proximity (earlier acquired words had lower PWP) but not variability. CONCLUSIONS: Results provide new information regarding the role that lexical and phonological factors play in the speech of young children; specifically, several factors are identified that influence variability of production. Additionally, by examining lexical and phonological factors simultaneously, the current study isolates differential effects of the individual factors. Implications for our understanding of emerging phonological representations are discussed.