Alda Christina Lopes de Carvalho Borges

Desempenho de idosos em um teste de fala na presença de ruído

TEMA: percepcao de fala no silencio e na presenca de ruido em idosos. OBJETIVO: caracterizar e comparar as habilidades auditivas de idosos em um teste monotico de percepcao de fala, sem e com a presenca de ruido competitivo (Indice Perceptual de Reconhecimento de Fala - IPRF e Fala com Ruido - F/R). METODO: foram avaliados 55 sujeitos de ambos os sexos, com idade a partir de 60 anos distribuidos em grupos: Grupo Controle (GC), constituido de idosos sem perda auditiva e Grupo Estudo (GE), constituido de idosos com perda auditiva neurossensorial simetrica. Foi utilizado o Teste de Fala com Ruido, com a apresentacao de uma lista de palavras primeiramente sem a presenca de ruido e depois na presenca de ruido do tipo Speech Noise. RESULTADOS: nao houve diferenca entre homens e mulheres para os testes IPRF e F/R e correlacao da idade somente para o IPRF no GE. Tambem foi observada diferenca significativa no desempenho entre os grupos nos testes IPRF e F/R. Com relacao a presenca das trocas articulatorias, foi observado que elas ocorreram nos dois grupos estudados, sendo mais frequente no teste F/R e, principalmente, para o grupo estudo. CONCLUSAO: a presenca do ruido juntamente com os sons de fala e prejudicial para os idosos, independente da presenca da perda auditiva, sendo o impacto maior para aqueles que a possuem.

Queixas e preocupações otológicas e as dificuldades de comunicação de indivíduos idosos

PURPOSE: To investigate the otological complaints and concerns of aged individuals, as well as the communication difficulties they face. METHODS: Fifty elderly subjects (eight men and 42 women) with ages ranging from 61 to 90 years were evaluated. All of them carried out an anamnesis and hearing tests, and presented symmetrical descending audiometric configuration. In this study, anamnesis data and the correlations between otological complaints and the degrees of hearing loss were presented and discussed. RESULTS: Hearing loss complaint was present in 70% of the sample and was associated to the concern about ones own hearing loss, with complaints of communication difficulties and also with the number situations in which the difficulty is observed (presence of background noise was the most cited aspect). Tinnitus complaint (52%) presented an association with concern involving this same aspect, whereas dizziness (38%), besides similar correlation, revealed an association with communication difficulty. There was a significant statistical association among degree of hearing loss in both low and middle frequencies and complaints of hearing loss and dizziness. In high frequencies, these correlations also occurred, along with a significant statistical association between degree of the hearing loss and complaint of communication difficulty. CONCLUSIONS: Of the otological complaints, hearing loss complaint was predominant among the elderly subjects of this study. Age and gender had no influence on the otological complaints and concerns. Degree of hearing loss influenced otological complaints of hearing loss, dizziness and communication difficulty.

Proposta de acompanhamento em grupo para idosos protetizados

Implementing rehabilitation programs to hearing impaired adults is of great importance, mainly in the elderly population, and it is necessary to add them to the routine of outpatient care programs. AIM: to present a group care program for elderly patients who are fitted with hearing aids. MATERIAL AND METHOD: to carry out a pilot study of clinical and experimental type, with the participation of 40 elderly users of hearing aids donated by the government, distributed within six groups, with maximum of eight participants jointly with their respective companions. Program consisted of three meetings every fifteen days, where information and education on the proper use hearing aids was transmitted. RESULTS: Most of the patients participated actively in the meetings spontaneously giving their opinion or answering questions when so requested. All elderly had been informed as to the importance of accepting their auditory deficiency and on the need to be motivated towards using hearing aids. Moreover, listening to depositions of other elderly users seemed to facilitate understanding of their own difficulties and stimulated them in the process of getting used to the sound amplification. CONCLUSION: Groups structure facilitated interaction among aged ones, helping them to clarify communication doubts and strategies and, consequently, it promoted their adaptation.

Staggered spondaic word test in epileptic patients

CONTEXT Auditory processing during childhood may be altered if there is any predisposing factor during the course of development. Neurological disorders are among the risk factors for auditory processing impairment. From this perspective, epileptic children present such a risk factor and could present auditory processing dysfunction. OBJECTIVE To evaluate central auditory processing in epileptic patients using the Staggered Spondaic Word Test (SSW) in order to verify whether these patients presented auditory disorders and whether the type of crisis partial or generalized played a role in the occurrence and type of disorder. SETTING Tertiary care hospital. SAMPLE Thirty-eight children and adolescents, ranging from 7 to 16 years old, with a diagnosis of epilepsy divided into two groups: 23 patients with partial crisis and 15 patients with generalized crisis. MAIN MEASUREMENTS Performance in the Staggered Spondaic Word Test versus epileptic crisis type (partial or generalized). RESULTS The majority of epileptic patients showed central auditory processing disorders. There were no differences in relation to crisis type. Both groups showed similar performance, although the results observed for these patients differ from what is obtained with normal populations. With regard to response bias, there were also no differences in performance between subjects with partial or generalized seizures. All possible disorders were found in both groups, without the prevalence of one specific disorder over the other. CONCLUSIONS This study revealed a high prevalence of disorders among epileptic patients in relation to processing partially overlapped verbal sounds in a dichotic paradigm.

Group follow up proposal for elderly with hearing aids.

UNLABELLED Implementing rehabilitation programs to hearing impaired adults is of great importance, mainly in the elderly population, and it is necessary to add them to the routine of outpatient care programs. AIM to present a group care program for elderly patients who are fitted with hearing aids. MATERIAL AND METHOD to carry out a pilot study of clinical and experimental type, with the participation of 40 elderly users of hearing aids donated by the government, distributed within six groups, with maximum of eight participants jointly with their respective companions. Program consisted of three meetings every fifteen days, where information and education on the proper use hearing aids was transmitted. RESULTS Most of the patients participated actively in the meetings spontaneously giving their opinion or answering questions when so requested. All elderly had been informed as to the importance of accepting their auditory deficiency and on the need to be motivated towards using hearing aids. Moreover, listening to depositions of other elderly users seemed to facilitate understanding of their own difficulties and stimulated them in the process of getting used to the sound amplification. CONCLUSION Groups structure facilitated interaction among aged ones, helping them to clarify communication doubts and strategies and, consequently, it promoted their adaptation.

Um estudo sobre associação semântica de palavras do português brasileiro

Purpose To collect the semantic association norms of 96 Brazilian Portuguese words for further application in the formulation of a speech recognition test using sentences with controlled word predictability. Methods Study participants were 67 volunteers aged 18 to 27 years. A semantic association task with word class delimitation was used. Results The mean sizes of the total and meaning sets were larger in the second recall to both verb and noun classes. The prevalent semantic association strength in the first recall was strong to the first word and moderate to the second word. In the second recall, the prevalent semantic association strength was moderate to both the first and second words. Significant negative correlation was observed between association strength and total and meaning set sizes. Conclusion The semantic association norms of 96 Brazilian Portuguese words were collected as proposed and resulted in semantic associates for each target word in the verb and noun classes that were used in a speech recognition assessment considering sentences with controlled word predictability.Purpose To collect the semantic association norms of 96 Brazilian Portuguese words for further application in the formulation of a speech recognition test using sentences with controlled word predictability. Methods Study participants were 67 volunteers aged 18 to 27 years. A semantic association task with word class delimitation was used. Results The mean sizes of the total and meaning sets were larger in the second recall to both verb and noun classes. The prevalent semantic association strength in the first recall was strong to the first word and moderate to the second word. In the second recall, the prevalent semantic association strength was moderate to both the first and second words. Significant negative correlation was observed between association strength and total and meaning set sizes. Conclusion The semantic association norms of 96 Brazilian Portuguese words were collected as proposed and resulted in semantic associates for each target word in the verb and noun classes that were used in a speech recognition assessment considering sentences with controlled word predictability.

Reconhecimento de fala em idosos: proposta de um teste considerando a previsibilidade da palavra

Objetivo Avaliar o reconhecimento de fala, considerando a previsibilidade da palavra a partir de um teste elaborado. Metodos Foi realizada anamnese, testes de rastreio de comprometimento cognitivo e depressao e avaliacao audiologica convencional. Foi desenvolvido um Teste de Reconhecimento de Fala utilizando Frases de Previsibilidade Alta e Baixa e aplicado a 36 idosos (G1 e G3 - grupos sem perda auditiva ate 4 kHz e G2 e G4 - grupos com perda auditiva neurossensorial de grau leve a moderado). Dois grupos realizaram o teste no silencio e com ruido (relacao sinal/ruido +5 dB) e os outros dois grupos somente com ruido (relacoes +5 dB e 0 dB). Resultados O teste de reconhecimento de fala revelou, de modo geral, maior pontuacao nas frases de previsibilidade alta e melhores desempenhos para os grupos sem perda auditiva. No silencio, os idosos sem e com perda auditiva obtiveram pontuacao maxima igual e as menores pontuacoes ocorreram na condicao de ruido mais intenso. O beneficio da previsibilidade foi positivo para os grupos 1, 2 e 3. O grupo 4 apresentou comportamento variado quanto ao uso da previsibilidade (ora positivo, ora negativo). Conclusao Com a populacao de idosos avaliados e as diferencas observadas em um dos grupos considerados, nao foi possivel compreender, com exatidao, como os idosos se beneficiam do apoio da previsibilidade. A perda auditiva e a presenca do ruido influenciaram negativamente o desempenho no teste. Faz-se necessaria a continuidade desta linha de pesquisa para determinar a validade do material elaborado.

Audiological findings in aphasic patients after stroke

Objective To outline the audiological findings of aphasic patients after cerebrovascular accidents. Methods This is a cross-sectional study performed between March 2011 and August 2012 in the Speech, Language, and Hearing Pathology Department of the Universidade Federal de São Paulo. A total of 43 aphasic subjects (27 men) were referred for audiological evaluation after stroke, with mean age of 54.48 years. Basic audiological evaluation tests were performed, including pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry (speech recognition threshold and word recognition score), immittance measures (tympanometry and contralateral acoustic reflex), and transient otoacoustic emissions. Results Sensorineural hearing loss was prevalent (78.6%). Speech recognition threshold and word recognition score were not obtained in some patients because they were unable to perform the task. Hearing loss was a common finding in this population. Conclusion Comprehension and/or oral emission disruptions in aphasic patients after stroke compromised conventional speech audiometry, resulting in the need for changes in the evaluation procedures for these patients.

Audição do idoso: análise da percepção do prejuízo auditivo, perfil audiológico e suas correlações - doi:10.5020/18061230.2008.p39

Objective: To study the hearing of the aged, their auditory damage, audiologic profile and their correlations. Methods: The research occurred from July, 2003 to June, 2004. The sample consisted of 60 subjects, being 42 (70%) female and 18 (30%) male, in the age group of 61 to 86 years old. The questionnaire Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly- Screening Version (HHIE-S) was applied and the examinations of acoustic emittance, audiometry and evoked distortion product otoacoustic emissions (EDPOAE) were accomplished. Results: The results evidenced that the probability of 13% of hearing loss was more referred in relation to males and in more advanced age groups. In the audiometry, there was a rise in the thresholds as both the sound frequencies and the sample’s age increased. In the EDPOAE, there was a worsening in the amplitude of the bands of higher frequencies. Association between HHIE-S and the audiometry, HHIE-S and EDPOAE occurred, with sensitivity of 84.4% and 80.9%. It was referred by the elderly in greater proportion, a more favorable perception of the auditory damage. An association between the auditory examinations and the questionnaire was evidenced, showing good sensitivity. Conclusion: It is concluded that with the increase of the age and the frequencies, in the studied sample of elders, there was a compromising of the auditory thresholds, mainly in males, demonstrating compatibility in the answers of the auditory examinations.

Nonverbal dichotic test in patients with epilepsy

Auditory processing during childhood may be altered if there is any predisposing factor during the course of development. Neurological disorders are among the risk factors for auditory processing disorders. Some studies have shown verbal auditory processing disorder in children with epilepsy. Objective To verify the performance of children with epilepsy on a nonverbal dichotic test. Methods Thirty-eight subjects, 23 female and 15 male, ranging from 7 to 16 years of age with neurological diagnosis of idiopathic epilepsy, without clinical or imaging evidence of cerebral lesion were evaluated. Patients were divided into two groups: 23 patients diagnosed with partial seizures and 15 patients with generalized seizures. Illiterate children, children with hearing thresholds exceeding the normal range and with brain lesions confirmed either clinically or by imaging tests were excluded from the study group. Results Analysis of the performance of epileptic patients with partial and generalized seizures on the Nonverbal Dichotic Test revealed that the majority of patients with epilepsy showed impairments in the test, with no significant differences related to seizure type, generalized or partial. Although patients with partial and generalized seizures performed similarly, all the epileptic patients showed different performance to a normal population. Conclusions This study revealed a high prevalence of impairments among epileptic patients in relation to nonverbal processing in a dichotic paradigm.