Ellen Gerrits

Non-Word Repetition in Dutch Children with (a Risk of) Dyslexia and SLI.

It has been proposed that poor non‐word repetition is a marker of specific language impairment (SLI), and a precursor and marker of dyslexia. This study investigated whether a non‐word repetition deficit underlies both disorders. A group of Dutch preschool SLI children and children at familial risk of dyslexia, as well as school‐going groups of SLI and dyslexic children were presented with a non‐word repetition task. The results showed that the SLI and the (at‐risk of) dyslexia groups performed more poorly than the control children. Furthermore, with the exception of one child, all preschool SLI children scored significantly below the mean of the preschool control group, suggesting that non‐word repetition performance is a marker of SLI. Approximately half of the at‐risk group were poor performers, which was expected on the basis of the familial risk factor of the at‐risk group. The results show that a non‐word repetition deficit is attested early in life and underlies both dyslexia and SLI.

Early language development of children at familial risk of dyslexia : Speech perception and production

UNLABELLED Speech perception and speech production were examined in 3-year-old Dutch children at familial risk of developing dyslexia. Their performance in speech sound categorisation and their production of words was compared to that of age-matched children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typically developing controls. We found that speech perception and production performance of children with SLI and children at familial risk of dyslexia was poorer than that of controls. The results of the at-risk and SLI-group were highly similar. Analysis of the individual data revealed that both groups contained subgroups with good and poorly performing children. Furthermore, their impaired expressive phonology seemed to be related to a deficit in speech perception. The findings indicate that both dyslexia and SLI can be explained by a multi-risk model which includes cognitive processes as well as genetic factors. LEARNING OUTCOMES As a result of reading this paper the reader will be able to (1) learn about the relationship between language and literacy; (2) recognise that dyslexia and specific language impairment may show similar areas of language difficulties, and (3) understand that both disorders can be interpreted within a multirisk model, including cognitive processes as well as genetic factors.

Non-word repetition and literacy in Dutch children at-risk of dyslexia and children with SLI: results of the follow-up study.

This study related the non-word repetition (NWR) abilities of 4-year-old children at-risk of dyslexia and children with specific language impairment (SLI) to their reading abilities at age eight. The results show that the SLI group obtained the lowest NWR score and the at-risk group performed in-between the control and SLI group. Approximately half of the at-risk and SLI group showed reading difficulties. Literacy and NWR abilities were correlated for the at-risk group, but not for the SLI group. The findings point toward differences between the groups and suggest that dyslexia and SLI should not be treated as a similar disorder.

Otitis Media and Speech-in-Noise Recognition in School-Aged Children

The present study examined the long-term consequences of otitis media (OM) on speech perception abilities in noise. 55 children with a prospective 3-monthly documented middle-ear status and hearing loss between birth and 24 months completed a ‘speech-in-noise’ (SPiN) test at the age of 7 years. Both hearing loss and the cumulation of uni- and bilateral OM incidents in early life were significantly correlated to the performance on the SPiN test at school age. Other background factors such as socio-economic status, language perception and cognitive development did not predict the performance on the SPiN test. Only the language production score at age 7 was also significantly related to the score on the SPiN test. The present study deals with the risk of OM in early life and its accompanied hearing loss on auditory processing, specifically speech perception in noise, up to school age.

Speech Perception after Early-Life Otitis Media with Fluctuating Hearing Loss

The present study examined the effect of early-life otitis media and its associated fluctuating hearing loss on categorical speech perception in 7-year-old Dutch children. The middle ear status of these children had been followed prospectively in their first 2 years of life. Identification and discrimination of speech sounds differing in place of articulation were tested at school age and outcomes were significantly related to otitis media-related hearing loss. Results revealed that phoneme identification and discrimination were affected by early-life hearing loss. It is not otitis media per se, but rather the relative severity of hearing loss resulting from early-life otitis media which is related to poorer categorical speech perception abilities in school-age children.

Sonority and cross‐linguistic acquisition of initial s‐clusters

This paper examines the findings and implications of the cross‐linguistic acquisition of #sC clusters in relation to sonority patterns. Data from individual studies on English, Dutch, Norwegian, and Hebrew are compared for accuracy of production as well as the reductions with respect to potential differences across subtypes of #sC groups. In all four languages, a great deal of variability occurred both within and across children, but a number of general patterns were noted. While all four languages showed similar behaviour in reduction patterns, clear differences between the three Germanic languages–English, Dutch, and Norwegian–and Hebrew were found in the accuracy rate of #sC clusters that have a larger sonority distance between C1 and C2, in a binary split of /s/+[+cont.] versus /s/+[−cont.], and in #sC clusters versus non‐/s/‐clusters. Patterns in cluster reductions were, in general, supportive of the factorial typology of Pater and Barlow, while pointing at some difficulties for the predictions of the headedness approach advanced by Goad and Rose, and Jongstra. This cross‐linguistic description of patterns of s‐clusters increases our knowledge of typical phonological development and helps selecting targets in clinical context.

The acquisition of #sC-clusters in Dutch

This study investigated the acquisition of #sC and non-sC clusters by 45 Dutch children between two and three of age. The main focus of the study was to test whether the Sonority Sequencing Principle can explain correct realisations and reduction strategies in seven different #sC clusters. Target clusters were elicited in meaningful words using a picture-naming game. Results show that non-sC clusters are more accurate than #sC clusters. Within the #sC clusters, /sl/ is produced correctly most often whereas /sk/ is the most difficult cluster. In /s/ + obstruent clusters, rendition patterns obey the Sonority Sequencing Principle. This is not the case for /s/ + sononant clusters, in which the more sonorous element is retained. The rendition patterns are best explained by an interaction between sonority and the prosodic head of the cluster. An exception is /sx/, in which /s/ is retained, a pattern that follows neither Sonority nor Headedness principles.

The Acoustic Breathiness Index (ABI): A Multivariate Acoustic Model for Breathiness

OBJECTIVE The evaluation of voice quality is a major component of voice assessment. The aim of the present study was to develop a new multivariate acoustic model for the evaluation of breathiness. METHOD Concatenated voice samples of continuous speech and the sustained vowel [a:] from 970 subjects with dysphonia and 88 vocally healthy subjects were perceptually judged for breathiness severity. Acoustic analyses were conducted on the same concatenated voice samples after removal of the non-voiced segments of the continuous speech sample. The development of an acoustic model for breathiness was based on stepwise multiple linear regression analysis. Concurrent validity, diagnostic accuracy, and cross validation were statistically verified on the basis of the Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient (rs), several estimates of the receiver operating characteristics plus the likelihood ratio, and iterated internal cross correlations. RESULTS Ratings of breathiness from four experts with moderate reliability were used. Stepwise multiple regression analysis yielded a nine-variable acoustic model for the multiparametric measurement of breathiness (Acoustic Breathiness Index [ABI]). A strong correlation was found between ABI and auditory-perceptual rating (rs = 0.840, P = 0.000). The cross correlations confirmed a comparably high degree of association. Additionally, the receiver operating characteristics and likelihood ratio results showed the best diagnostic outcome at a threshold of ABI = 3.44 with a sensitivity of 82.4% and a specificity of 92.9%. CONCLUSIONS This study developed a new acoustic multivariate correlate for the evaluation of breathiness in voice. The ABI model showed valid and robust results and is therefore proposed as a new acoustic index for the evaluation of breathiness.

Acquisition of /s/-Clusters in Dutch-Speaking Children with Phonological Disorders.

This study investigated the acquisition of word initial /s/ clusters of 3–5 year old Dutch children with phonological disorders. Within these clusters, /sl/ was produced correctly most often, whereas /sn/ and /sx/ were the more difficult clusters. In cluster reductions, /s/+obstruent and /sl/ clusters reduction patterns followed the Sonority Sequencing Principle (SSP) by retaining the least sonorous segment; but this is not the case for the /sm/ cluster, where the more sonorous element is retained. The predictions of the factorial typology are supported. Reductions seem explainable through an interaction between sonority and the prosodic head of the cluster. Exceptions are /sn/ and /sx/, where no consistent reduction patterns are found. As expected, word production of children with phonological disorders is far less target-like than that of typically-developing children. However, the patterns of phonological simplification and reduction of the two groups are surprisingly similar. It can be concluded that language development of children with phonological disorders is delayed rather than deviant.

A Meta-Analysis: Acoustic Measurement of Roughness and Breathiness

Purpose Over the last 5 decades, many acoustic measures have been created to measure roughness and breathiness. The aim of this study is to present a meta-analysis of correlation coefficients (r) between auditory-perceptual judgment of roughness and breathiness and various acoustic measures in both sustained vowels and continuous speech. Method Scientific literature reporting perceptual-acoustic correlations on roughness and breathiness were sought in 28 databases. Weighted average correlation coefficients (rw) were calculated when multiple r-values were available for a specific acoustic marker. An rw ≥ .60 was the threshold for an acoustic measure to be considered acceptable. Results From 103 studies of roughness and 107 studies of breathiness that were investigated, only 33 studies and 34 studies, respectively, met the inclusion criteria of the meta-analysis on sustained vowels. Eighty-six acoustic measures were identified for roughness and 85 acoustic measures for breathiness on sustained vowels, in which 43 and 39 measures, respectively, yielded multiple r-values. Finally, only 14 measures for roughness and 12 measures for breathiness produced rw ≥ .60. On continuous speech, 4 measures for roughness and 21 measures for breathiness were identified, yielding 3 and 6 measures, respectively, with multiple r-values in which only 1 and 2, respectively, had rw ≥ .60. Conclusion This meta-analysis showed that only a few acoustic parameters were determined as the best estimators for roughness and breathiness.