Stela Maris Aguiar Lemos

Alterações de fala em escolares na cidade de Belo Horizonte

Purpose: To describe speech disorders in students from 1st to 4th grades, and to investigate possible associations between these disorders and stomatognathic system and auditory processing disorders. Methods: Cross-sectional study with stratified random sample composed of 288 students, calculated based on an universe of 1,189 children enrolled in public schools from the area covered by a health center in Belo Horizonte. The median age was 8.9 years, and 49.7% were male. Assessment used a stomatognathic system protocol adapted from the Myofunctional Evaluation Guidelines, the Phonology task of the ABFW – Child Language Test, and a simplified auditory processing evaluation. Data were statistically analyzed. Results: From the subjects studied, 31.9% had speech disorder. From these, 18% presented phonetic deviation, 9.7% phonological deviation, and 4.2% phonetic and phonological deviation. Linguistic variation was observed in 38.5% of the children. There was a higher proportion of children with phonetic deviation in 1st grade, and a higher proportion of children younger than 8 years old with both phonetic and phonological deviations. Phonetic deviation was associated to stomatognathic system disorder, and phonological deviation was associated to auditory processing disorder. Conclusion: The prevalence of speech disorders in 1st to 4th grade students is considered high. Moreover, these disorders are associated to other Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology alterations, which suggest that one disorder may be a consequence of the other, indicating the need for early diagnosis and intervention.

Habilidades auditivas e desenvolvimento de linguagem em crianças

BACKGROUND: the relationship between anemia and development. AIM: to compare the auditory and language development in anemic and non-anemic children, with ages ranging from three to six years, of a public daycare center in Belo Horizonte city. METHOD: a transversal study; blind case and control format. A digital puncture was performed in all children to detect iron-deficiency anemia (hemoglobin = 11.3g/dL). The research group was composed of 19 anemic children and the control group of 38 healthy children, selected through randomized paired sampling. The childrens hearing was evaluated through otoacoustic emissions, tympanometry and a simplified evaluation of the central auditory processing was performed. The language development of each child was observed using the behavior observation guidelines for children with ages from zero to six years. Performance indexes were created in order to classify the language responses of the children. RESULTS: the groups did not differ in terms of age, gender, breast-feeding and mothers literacy. The following variables presented statistically significant differences: hemoglobin values (10.6g/dL, 12.6g/dL); presence of the acoustic reflex (63%, 92%); reception performance indexes (72.8, 90.1); emission (50.6, 80.6) and cognitive aspects of language (47.8, 76.0) in anemic and non-anemic children respectively. The hearing abilities in the verbal and non-verbal sequential memory and the sonorous localization were inadequate in most of the children, especially in those with anemia. CONCLUSION: anemic children differed statically from non-anemic children in terms of alterations in the acoustic reflex and language development and also presented a higher prevalence of alterations in the hearing evaluation.

Anemia em crianças de uma creche pública e as repercussões sobre o desenvolvimento de linguagem

OBJECTIVE: To compare language development in anemic and non-anemic children from a public day care center in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with evaluation of language development of anemic (cases) and non-anemic children (controls) between two and six years old. All children had a digital puncture to detect anemia (hemoglobin <11.3g/dL). Cases were 22 anemic children and controls, 44 children selected by randomized paired sampling. The language development of each participant was observed and classified according to two main fields: communicative aspects (reception and emission) and cognitive aspects, based on the Child Behavior Observation Guide for children from zero to six years old. Performance rates were created in order to qualify childrens answers. RESULTS: The hemoglobin values observed in case and control groups were 10.6 and 12.5g/dL, respectively. The groups did not differ regarding age, gender, breastfeeding and mothers schooling. Significant differences were observed in the language evaluation in all examined fields: levels of reception (p=0,02) and emission (p<0.001) and cognitive aspects (p <0.001), with worse performance of anemic children. CONCLUSIONS: Anemic children presented worse language development when compared to non-anemic ones. In the public health context, childhood anemia should be considered as a relevant problem due to language development alterations with possible consequences on learning abilities and future social and professional performance.

Conhecimentos e práticas de professores de educação infantil sobre crianças com alterações auditivas

PURPOSE: To investigate the knowledge, perceptions and practices of preschool teachers regarding children with hearing alterations. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out through structured interviews with 45 preschool teachers from the public education system of Belo Horizonte (MG, Brazil). Interviews were recorded, transcribed and later analyzed. RESULTS: The majority of the subjects showed little knowledge, at times vague and of common-sense, regarding hearing loss. However, conscience of the necessity of learning more about the subject for a better professional performance is clear. Despite the lack of information, teachers demonstrated knowing some characteristics of children with hearing loss, and explicit conducts to be carried out in the classroom. Almost all subjects claimed not to know the school hearing screening. CONCLUSION: The knowledge, practices and perceptions displayed by the subjects revealed wide variation of concepts, attitudes and strategies. However, much is based on common-sense or intuition, due to lack of experience and training of teachers to deal with children with hearing loss.

Desenvolvimento cognitivo, auditivo e linguístico em crianças expostas à música: produção de conhecimento nacional e internacional

Music is an important environmental factor for developing motor, hearing, language, cognitive and visual skills, among others. Recent studies refer to the relationship between music study and improving the auditory processing, linguistic and metalinguistic abilities and cognitive processes that are inherent skills in human communication. Speech-Language and Hearing Therapy is concerned with the acquisition, development and refinement of skills necessary for human communication. Thus, there seems to be an interrelationship between the areas of Music and Speech-Language and Hearing Therapy. The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the scientific production relevant to understanding the influence of music in the auditory, linguistic and cognition activities. Despite scarce scientific literature on the theme, the studies suggest a positive relation between musical practice and childrens overall development. Auditory processing has been the theme that is more often addressed in the literature, followed by cognition development and language. Music can become a real ally in Speech-Language and Hearing Therapy, demonstrating the importance of music education for children with speech and auditory processing disorders, as well as oral and written language disturbs. Based on what was found in the literature review, new prospects of work to be conducted in Speech-Language and Hearing Therapy are opened, so that the shortcomings may be overcome and new knowledge can be summed to the already built up in order to promote full development of the children.

Histórico da Fonoaudiologia em Minas Gerais: impressão dos protagonistas

PURPOSE: to present the course traced by Speech-language Pathology in Minas Gerais state since the arrival of the first professionals up to the current time. METHOD: it is an exploratory and historical field research based on a quality-quantitative approach. Twenty-seven professionals including speech-language pathologists and doctors involved in the process of implementing, organizing and managing services, courses and Speech-language pathology offices took part in this study. Data were collected by using documents research and semi-structured interviews. Then, there was a categorization of the documents and interviews. RESULTS: the historical report begins with the arrival of the first speech-language pathologists in Minas Gerais. The description of the interviews is divided in the following categories: first time in touch with Speech-language pathology; motivation for choosing this professional occupation; insertion in Speech-language pathology; motivation for working in Minas Gerais; context of this science from the 1970s to the 1990s; career development; boost to the recognition and progress of the profession; Speech-language pathology perspectives; evaluation of the historical study. CONCLUSION: it was possible to demonstrate the course traced by Speech-language Pathology in Minas Gerais province since the arrival of the first professionals up to the current time.

Escolaridade materna e desenvolvimento da linguagem em crianças de 2 meses à 2 anos

PURPOSE: to investigate the influence of maternal educational level in the language development of 2 month to 2-year old children. METHOD: it is a cross-sectional study performed in a Basic Health Unit (BHU) located in the District of Venda Nova in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. The sample consisted of 351 children from both genders, between and 24 months old. The research was conducted applying the Communicative Profile Protocol. RESULTS: most of the children had development that was appropriate for their age and the majority of mothers in this sample (54.1%) had between 9 and 12 years of study. CONCLUSION: this study showed no statistically significant differences with regard to maternal education and language development of children between 2 and 24 months old, members of a BHU, located at the District of Venda Nova in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. However, it is worth emphasizing the homogeneity of the sample, where the majority of these mothers had between 9 and 12 years of study, or even complete high school or not, which makes up the differential factor.

Estado nutricional e desenvolvimento da linguagem em crianças de uma creche pública

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between nutritional status and child language development. METHODS: The study included 34 children from four to six years and 11 months of age, enrolled in day care centers of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Children were assessed for receptive and expressive language development using the tasks of the instrument Language Development Evaluation (ADL). Nutritional screening used the weight-for-age and length/height-for-age indexes, according to the WHOs Child Growth Standards. RESULTS: Regarding language, 13 (38%) children presented alterations; and, regarding nutritional status, 26 (76%) were well-nourished, six (18%) were at nutritional risk, one (3%) was malnourished, and one (3%) was overweight. When the means for the height/age and the weight/age indexes were compared between children with and without language development impairments, no difference was found. CONCLUSION: No association was observed between nutritional status and language development in the studied children. However, the indexes height-for-age and weight-for-age tended to be lower in children with language impairment.

A influência do ruído ambiental no desempenho de escolares nos testes de padrão tonal de frequência e padrão tonal de duração

OBJETIVO: caracterizar o desempenho de escolares nos testes de padrao tonal de frequencia e padrao tonal de duracao no silencio e na presenca de ruido ambiental. METODO: trata-se de estudo experimental transversal, com amostra de conveniencia, composta por 70 estudantes, que responderam a um formulario de percepcao do ruido ambiental. O nivel de ruido da escola foi avaliado com medidor de nivel de pressao sonora. Os estudantes foram submetidos a avaliacoes (fala, motricidade orofacial, linguagem e simplificada do processamento auditivo) e distribuidos em dois grupos (G1 sem alteracao fonoaudiologica e G2 com alteracao fonoaudiologica). Foram realizados tambem os testes de padrao tonal de frequencia e duracao (silencio e ruido). RESULTADOS: o nivel medio de pressao sonora da escola variou de 57,2 dB(A) na sala de informatica a 83,6 dB(A) na quadra de esportes. Segundo os estudantes, o que mais interfere em suas atividades e o barulho de conversas durante a aula. Quanto aos testes de padrao tonal de frequencia (TPF) e duracao (TPD), observou-se que a media de acertos no ambiente silencioso foi maior que no ambiente ruidoso. O G1 apresentou melhor desempenho no TPD e TPF que G2. No ruido houve piora no desempenho dos dois grupos (G1 e G2) nos testes. CONCLUSAO: os niveis de pressao sonora da escola encontram-se elevados e fora do padrao recomendado pelas normas nacionais. No ruido, houve piora no desempenho dos testes nos dois grupos estudados.

Caracterização da fala de crianças de 4 a 6 anos de creches públicas

OBJETIVO: caracterizar a fala de criancas de 4 a 6 anos de duas creches publicas de Belo Horizonte e classifica-la segundo dois criterios de referencia nacional. METODO: foram avaliadas 60 criancas em relacao a fala. Foram realizadas analises relativas ao inventario fonetico, segundo a ordem de ocorrencia proposta por dois autores, e a associacao entre as classificacoes. RESULTADOS: a prevalencia de inadequacoes de fala encontrada foi alta nas duas creches, sendo que 45% e 53,3% das criancas foram consideradas com fala inadequada segundo as classificacoes 1 e 2 respectivamente. Houve boa concordância entre as duas classificacoes (coeficiente de Kappa = 0,768). Nao houve associacao com significância estatistica entre os sexos e as idades. As alteracoes de fala mais prevalentes foram presenca assistematica e substituicao, os unicos fonemas com 100% de ocorrencia na amostra total de criancas avaliadas foram /t, k, m, n, ŋ/ , os de menor ocorrencia foram, o arquifonema /R/ (30%) o fonema /ſ/ (63,3%) e /l/ (68,3%) em encotro consonantal. CONCLUSAO: na faixa etaria de 4 a 6 anos as criancas ainda produzem varios fonemas de maneira assistematica, ocorrendo alteracoes como substituicoes e omissoes. Deve-se levar em conta fatores que podem ter influenciado os resultados, como local da pesquisa, classe economica e caracteristicas individuais. Outros estudos sobre a aquisicao fonologica sao necessarios, contribuindo para programas de intervencao precoce e acoes preventivas em ambientes escolares.