Shivani Tiwari

A preliminary investigation of akshara knowledge in the Malayalam alphasyllabary: extension of Nag’s (2007) study

The reading acquisition literature is mainly based on alphabetic orthographies and is largely silent on reading acquisition in alphasyllabic orthographies. In this context, as a preliminary attempt, the present study investigated akshara (orthographic character of alphasyllabary) knowledge in a group of Grade III children learning to read an unexplored alphasyllabary, Malayalam (a Dravidian language spoken in Kerala, India) by extending Nag’s study [Nag, S. (2007). Early reading in Kannada: The pace of acquisition of orthographic knowledge and phonemic awareness. Journal of Research in Reading, 30(1): 7–22]. Specifically, the study investigated participants’ knowledge of the following akshara types: (a) consonants with inherent vowels (e.g. ക /ka/); (b) consonants with vowel diacritics (ലി /li/); (c) consonant clusters (e.g. ത്ര /thra/); and (d) vowel in primary form (ഇ /i/). The results showed that children master consonants with inherent vowels and vowels in primary form by Grade III. However, they did not attain mastery on consonants with vowel diacritics and consonant clusters. The results are discussed in the light of similar studies in other alphasyllabaries and alphabetic orthographies.

Revisiting the acquired neurogenic stuttering in the light of developmental stuttering

Abstract The neural underpinnings of acquired neurogenic stuttering (ANS) remain largely speculative owing to the multitude of etiologies and cerebral substrates implicated with this fluency disorder. Systematic investigations of ANS under various fluency-enhancing conditions have begun only in the recent past and these studies are indicative of the heterogeneous nature of the disorder. In this context, we present the case of a subject with ANS who exhibited marked reduction in dysfluencies under masked auditory feedback (MAF), singing, and pacing (speech therapy). However, the adaptation effect was absent in our subject. By explaining these features in the light of recent explanatory hypotheses derived from developmental stuttering (DS), we highlight on the possible similarity in the neural underpinnings of ANS and DS.

Variability in aphasia following subcortical hemorrhagic lesion

Background Vascular lesion of the subcortical structures leads to aphasia. Cortical hypoperfusion has been proposed to be the etiological mechanism in aphasia following subcortical vascular lesion. Subcortical aphasia shows considerable variability in its clinical profile. Such variability has been attributed to the variable sites of cortical hypoperfusion following ischemic lesion of the subcortical structures. Purpose This study investigated the variability in clinical aphasic profile following subcortical hemorrhagic lesion. Methods We retrospectively investigated the clinical aphasic profiles of twelve patients who reported to our hospital during a period of one year with subcortical hemorrhagic lesions. All patients underwent routine neurological examination, neuroimaging (CT/MRI) investigations and linguistic assessment. Results Eight patients exhibited lesion to the basal ganglia and four showed thalamic lesion. All of them showed considerable variability in their aphasic profile. Conclusion Subcortical hemorrhagic lesion leads to variability in aphasia. Variability in aphasia may be considered as an important consequence in subcortical vascular lesion. Observations from this study were suggestive of better preservation of, and when affected, faster recovery of comprehension skills.

Clinical evidence for the compensatory role of the right frontal lobe and a novel neural substrate in developmental stuttering: A single case study

Abstract The neural substrates of stuttering have been a topic of extensive debate in the field of both neuroscience and communication disorders. Although a consensus on this issue is yet to emerge, the recent neuroimaging studies have shown consistent neural over-activations in the right hemisphere suggestive of its possible compensatory role in stuttering. In this context, we report on a 51-year-old, right-handed male subject with a history of resolved developmental stuttering who presented with sudden onset stutter speech and left hemiparesis following an episode of right frontal stroke. The speech and language evaluation revealed apparently dysfluent speech. Unlike the people with neurogenic stuttering, our subject revealed clinical features suggestive of developmental stuttering. Combining our observations with the evidences from the previous neuroimaging studies of developmental stuttering as well as clinical studies of both neurogenic and (post-stroke) reappeared stuttering, we support the hypothesis on the compensatory role of the right frontal lobe in developmental stuttering. In addition to this, we extend the currently known neural substrates of stuttering to a novel area – the right frontal parafalcine region.

Selective L2 cognate retrieval deficit in a bilingual person with aphasia: A case report

Abstract Lexical access in bilinguals has been debated for the last several decades. Although a large majority of bilingual people often experience aphasia in both languages, some show language-selective disturbances. Yet, selective difficulties in retrieving words that share similar semantic and phonological forms in the two languages have seldom been reported. Here, we report the case of a 45-year-old, right-handed, balanced bilingual subject (Kannada–Malayalam) who presented with aphasia following an episode of stroke. Language evaluation revealed word-selection type of anomia with selective naming disturbance in L2 compared to L1 (in spite of having native-like fluency in L2). On further probing into his anomia, he showed an inability to name cognate words in L2 even after successfully naming them in L1. These observations are discussed in the light of lexical access theories in bilinguals.

Specific language impairment in a morphologically complex agglutinative Indian language—Kannada

Specific Language Impairment (SLI) remains an underinvestigated disorder in morphologically complex agglutinative languages such as Kannada. Currently, only a few case reports are available on SLI in Dravidian languages. The morphological complexity inherent to Dravidian languages such as Kannada provides a potential avenue to verify one of the two prevailing accounts of SLI: the morphological richness theory and CGC (Computational Grammatical Complexity) hypothesis. While the previous theory predicts the relatively spared performance of children with SLI (CwSLI) on syntactic morphology in morphologically complex languages, the latter predicts a diametrically opposite performance. Data from a group of 15 Kannada-speaking CwSLI supported the morphological richness theory, and further revealed five distinct profiles of SLI. The results of this study reflected that CwSLI learning the agglutinative language (Kannada) as compared with language-matched children without SLI, displayed some shared deficits (e.g., in phonological processing on a non-word repetition task) with CwSLI learning English. However, CwSLI learning the morphosyntactically rich language Kannada differed remarkably from English-learning CwSLI by not showing deficits in syntactic morphology relative to language-matched peers (e.g., PNG, verb, tense, case, and pronoun).

Communication impairments in children with inborn errors of metabolism: A preliminary study

Purpose: Inborn Errors of Metabolism (IEMs) are a group of complex genetic conditions, predominantly affecting the pediatric population. While the understanding and identification of various IEMs has significantly improved over recent times, not much is known about the communication disorders in this population. The present study focused on identification and profiling of communication impairments in children diagnosed with IEMs. Methods: Data was obtained retrospectively from medical records of children visiting a tertiary care hospital over a period of ten years (2005 – 2014). Selected data was reviewed to obtain demographic details, clinical signs/manifestations, laboratory findings, risk factors, developmental disorders and reported communication impairments. Results: The findings of the study showed a variety of clinical signs and laboratory findings in children with inborn errors of metabolism. A few of the risk factors observed in the group were consanguinity, sibling death and family history of other disorders. Many children with IEM displayed communication disorders, most common as the delay in speech and language development. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that various communication disorders were seen in almost half of the children with a diagnosis of IEM. Findings are discussed with implications for future research in this direction.

Special educators' knowledge and training on autism in Karnataka: A cross-sectional study

Context: In the wake of increasing prevalence of autism globally, with a substantial change in understanding of the disorder, it is essential to update knowledge of the healthcare professionals involved in the intervention of children with autism. Special educators are important team members in the rehabilitation of children with autism. There are only a few studies addressing knowledge and training of special educators in the rehabilitation of children with autism, particularly in the Indian context. Aim: The present study investigated knowledge and training on autism among special educators in a southern state of India, Karnataka. Settings and Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was adopted for this study. Materials and Methods: Data were collected from 47 special educators, who answered questions related to general knowledge, knowledge of educational programming, knowledge about classroom behaviors, and professional development needs regarding autism. Statistical Analysis: Statistical analysis of the data was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version 16). Results: Results of the study indicated that special educators had an overall reduced level of understanding about autism and poor knowledge on educational programming and classroom behaviors in children with autism. Further, their knowledge regarding autism varied with educational qualification and years of work experience. Conclusions: Findings of the study, thus, emphasize the need for increasing awareness by providing knowledge and training to special educators working with children with autism in India.

Crossed Nonaphasia and Its Implications for Brain-Language Relationships in Right-Handed Subjects

Abstract Anomalous lateralization of linguistic functions is observed in a small group of right-handed subjects with unilateral brain damage as either crossed aphasia (aphasia after right-hemisphere damage) or crossed nonaphasia (left hemisphere damage without aphasia but with symptoms of right hemisphere damage such as visuospatial deficits). The incidence of crossed nonaphasia is reportedly far less than that of crossed aphasia, where the latter, in turn, is comparatively rare (Alexander & Annett, 1996). In this report, we discuss a subject who presented with “crossed nonaphasia,” a clinical manifestation that often could go unnoticed. An attempt is made to explain the observed clinical manifestations from the perspectives of our current understanding of anomalous organization of cognitive functions in the brain as well as its implications on language representation in right-handed subjects.

Atypical Aphasia: A Case Report

Abstract Atypical aphasias have been rarely reported in the literature. The occurrence of such aphasias raises serious criticism on our current understanding of the brain-language relationship. This case report discusses a subject who exhibited predominantly posterior language symptoms following damage to the anterior areas in the brain. The subject also revealed atypical recovery pattern of linguistic functions.