This descriptive study investigated the immediate individual effects of intensive group speech intervention on speech, health-related quality of life, and satisfaction in adolescents born with a cleft (lip and) palate (CP ± L) in the Philippines.

Swallowing disorder is prevalent in children with cerebral palsy (CP), and previous studies have shown that motor-based programs benefit children with CP by facilitating motor learning. We hypothesized that action observation training (AOT) could enhance motor learning and improve the oral phase of swallowing in children. In this two-group parallel double-blind randomized controlled trial, the intervention group received AOT and sensorimotor therapy, while the control group received a sham and sensorimotor therapy. The function of the oral phase of swallowing, as the primary outcome, was measured pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at one month of follow-up. Secondary outcomes included reported symptoms of feeding problems and the impact of the child's swallowing disorder on the main caregiver, which were measured pre-intervention and post-intervention. The result of the Mann-Whitney U test showed a significant difference between the two groups in the function of the oral phase of swallowing after the intervention. Additionally, the intervention had a large effect size. However, no significant difference was found in the parent-reported scores of the feeding/swallowing impact survey and symptoms of feeding problems between the two groups. In conclusion, this pilot study provides preliminary evidence of the clinical efficacy of AOT as a safe neurorehabilitation method to improve the oral phase of swallowing in children with CP. However more studies are needed in the future.

The present study aims at investigating the immediate effects of the Semi-Occluded Bubble Mask Technique (SOBM) performed with the device VocalFeel® as a vocal warm-up in a group of professional singers.

Presentations to audiences are often seen as challenging by university students, causing physiological reactivity on cortisol levels and heart rate, for example. Many students perceive that they have difficulties expressing themselves or do not consider themselves to be good communicators. With the thought that efficient communication is able to bring well-being and more confidence, it is understood that a communication skills training could mitigate adverse effects on the body during public speaking. This study aimed to verify whether a communicational improvement training can improve physiological parameters and perception when speaking in public among university students. This was a prospective, blinded, controlled, and randomized trial. Students from colleges and universities were recruited for this study. Invitations were either in person or social networks and/or e-mail. There were 39 university students who completed the tasks, ages between 18 and 30. There were two groups: the intervention group (IG) and control group (CG). The intervention group participated in a communicational improvement program for six weeks to work on breathing, articulation, speech rhythm, pneumophonoarticulatory coordination, expressiveness and non-verbal communication. Data of heart rate measures, salivary cortisol analysis, self-perception of public speaking, and presentation ratings were collected. The intervention group presented with lower heart rates and cortisol levels, better presentation ratings, and higher self-perception of public speaking than the control group after participating in the communication improvement training. In this study it was possible to verify the efficiency of a communicational improvement training, being able to improve cortisol levels, heart rate, and perception when speaking in public in university students. Based on the results presented, new studies are suggested: (a) measuring the individual effect of the workshops demonstrated here and (b) comparing this type of intervention with other types of treatment used in the health area (medication, psychotherapeutic, holistic, etc.).

This study aimed to translate the Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI) into Simplified Chinese and test its reliability and validity in mainland China.

In the pedagogy of classical vocal singing, it can be difficult to determine the human voice fach, especially for the voice of aspiring vocalists. Hence, an objective metric-based system for the determination of the human voice is needed. In the present study, we investigated the anthropological and aerodynamic parameters for 60 professional singers with a professionally confirmed singing range.

Sound pressure level (SPL), fundamental frequency (F), time dose (D), cycle dose (D), and distance dose (D) are components affecting a vocal demand response. The study aimed to investigate the impact of sound field amplification systems (SFAS) on teachers' vocal parameters and determine the user comfort of SFAS use in teachers.

The analysis of acoustic parameters contributes to the characterisation of human communication development throughout the lifetime. The present paper intends to analyse suprasegmental features of European Portuguese in longitudinal conversational speech samples of three male public figures in uncontrolled environments across different ages, approximately 30 years apart.

Creative workshops can promote various positive outcomes for people with dementia, such as reductions in undesirable symptoms and achieving levels of autonomy. Although these are undoubtedly positive , there is little understanding of the specific that can enable such outcomes. To address this issue, our study investigates the interactional processes of "choice-sequences," in which a PlwD makes a choice pertaining to materials (e.g. pens, coloured papers) for a creative activity.

This clinically based study aimed to explore and describe language ability in 5-12-year-old children with new-onset epilepsy. Twenty-one consecutively recruited children (eleven boys, ten girls) with new-onset epilepsy, were assessed using Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, fourth edition (CELF-4) and additional tests for verbal fluency/word retrieval and phonology. In addition, caregivers rated their child's speech, language, and communication in everyday context. Based on available tests and clinical observation, an overall evaluation of language ability was made to distinguish children with language disorders and children with language difficulties from those with language abilities within the normal range. Language disorder was diagnosed following the ICD-10 criteria. The cutoff for language difficulties was set at 1 standard deviation below the normative mean on the CELF-4 Core Language Score and additional indices.

Neurogenic dysphagia causes complications such as malnutrition, dehydration, and aspiration pneumonia. Therefore, early detection with clinically valid tools is essential. This study aimed to investigate the Eating Assessment Tool-10 (EAT-10) ability to detect swallowing efficiency at three different consistencies in neurogenic dysphagia.

The main objective of this study is to test the reliability of a non-invasive objective method for the measurement of biomechanical parameters of cervicofacial muscle groups, with the purpose of diagnosis and evaluation of voice disorders' treatments, especially focused on muscle tension dysphonia.

Non-word repetition (NWR) is one of the most effective predictors of language impairments in children as it has been found to correlate with various language measures and the association between NWR and vocabulary is well documented in typically developing (TD) studies. However, there is a dire need for investigations of language skills in Kuwaiti Arabic individuals with Down Syndrome, and this study set out to fill a gap in this field.

This study aims to extend current knowledge about the possibilities and challenges encountered by Swedish speech and language pathologists (SLPs) in targeting everyday language and communication in children with developmental language disorder (DLD). To explore this matter, unstructured focus groups were conducted where 15 SLPs, working with children with DLD, shared their views on the alignment between their clinical practices and children's everyday lives. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data, which resulted in five themes: ; ; ; , and . The SLPs stressed the importance of targeting everyday skills and needs, but they experienced themselves as being detached from the children's daily context. Collaboration with caregivers and (pre)school staff was emphasised; however, the resources and capacity of the caregivers and staff varied, and this was experienced as a challenge for providing the most appropriate care. Some children and their families were situated in a multifaceted context and needed more extensive care, and this group was described as increasing. However, the services that the SLPs were able to offer varied and were largely regulated by organisational constraints. Individualised services are crucial for ensuring a positive development for children with DLD and for empowering caregivers to be effective collaborative partners in intervention. Therefore, it is essential for SLPs to have the time and resources to ensure high-quality care.

This study investigated language ability in 6-year-old mono- and multilingual children who, at age 2;6 years, had screened positive for developmental language disorder (DLD). One hundred children (32 girls, 68 boys) were assessed at an average age of 2;9 years (T1) and 85 of them (30 girls, 55 boys) were reassessed at age 6;0 years (T2) using a standardised test battery. Of these, 68 (23 girls, 45 boys) met the criteria for DLD diagnosis; 28 of them were monolingual and 40 multilingual. Language profiles at T2 were analysed, as were the associations between DLD and a mono- or multilingual background as well as other measures collected at T1, including mean length of utterance (MLU), heredity and parental education. As expected, the results showed that the total group (including both mono- and multilingual children) scored below test norms for 6-year-olds on all language tests, except for receptive vocabulary, where the monolingual children scored in line with those norms. The multilingual group performed significantly less well than the monolingual one on language comprehension, receptive vocabulary, recalling sentences, word finding and story retelling; disparities regarding MLU and language comprehension were already evident at T1. Interestingly, MLU at T1 showed a moderate association with language comprehension at T2 in the total group. The monolingual children were more likely than the multilinguals to have heredity for DLD or reading and writing disorders. In conclusion, language difficulties identified through screening and assessment before age 3 years often persist at age 6 years.

To the best of our knowledge, studies on the relationship between spectral energy distribution and the degree of perceived voices are still sparse. Through an auditory-perceptual test we aimed to explore the spectral features that may relate with the auditory-perception of voices.

To examine whether the noise components in distress cries of term infants differed from very preterm infants whose cries were collected at a comparable "corrected" gestational age.

Stuttering is a communication disorder that involves both manifest speech disfluencies and associated symptoms. The purpose of the present study was to introduce an easily administered and ecologically valid assessment tool designed for perceptual evaluation of stuttered speech, FreDESS (frequency of stuttering events, duration of events, effort, secondary behaviours, and severity). More specifically, we wanted to study its reliability and validity.

Understanding the impact of listening effort (LE) and fatigue has become increasingly crucial in optimizing the learning experience with the growing prevalence of online classrooms as a mode of instruction. The purpose of this study was to investigate the LE, fatigue, and voice quality experienced by students during online and face-to-face class sessions. A total of 110 participants with an average age of 20.76 (range 18-28) comprising first year undergraduate students in Speech and Language Therapy and Audiology programs in Turkey, rated their LE during the 2022-2023 spring semester using the Listening Effort Screening Questionnaire (LESQ) and assessed their fatigue with the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20). Voice quality of lecturers was assessed using smoothed cepstral peak prominence (CPPS) measurements. Data were collected from both online and face-to-face sessions. The results revealed that participants reported increased LE and fatigue during online sessions compared to face-to-face sessions and the differences were statistically significant. Correlation analysis showed significant relationships ( < 0.05) between audio-video streaming quality and LE-related items in the LESQ, as well as MFI sub-scales and total scores. The findings revealed a relationship between an increased preference for face-to-face classrooms and higher levels of LE and fatigue, emphasizing the significance of these factors in shaping the learning experience. CPPS measurements indicated a dysphonic voice quality during online classroom audio streaming. These findings highlight the challenges of online classes in terms of increased LE, fatigue, and voice quality issues. Understanding these factors is crucial for improving online instruction and student experience.

The early intervention targets children aged 0-3 years. During home visits at 6 and 11 months, library staff deliver gift-packs containing books, toys, songs, and rhymes to promote early language stimulation. Parents are encouraged to engage in 'talk, play, sing, read' activities to support language development. The aim of the present study was to examine parents' experiences of the 6- and 11-month visits and develop an understanding of their general impressions and thoughts regarding the perceived impact of the visits. Parents ( = 15) were interviewed in four focus groups and two one-on-one interviews. Data was analysed using qualitative content analysis. The findings show that the intervention changed the parents' mindset and increased their knowledge regarding early language stimulation. Tools and strategies benefitting the parent-child interaction were gained. A positive experience and personal guidance created motivation for the parents to carry out the language stimulating activities after the visit. Social gains were described. The findings imply usefulness of the intervention in supporting children's language and literacy development.

Although numerous patient-reported outcome measures have been developed and validated to quantify the impact of voice problems on different aspects of life, to our knowledge no screening instrument exists that specifically captures voice disorders in a retrospective fashion. The aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties and diagnostic validity of a retrospective voice screening method, according to the COSMIN framework for health-related, patient-reported outcome measures. The items in Screen11 have been used to establish the prevalence of voice disorders in both general and occupation-specific populations in the Nordic countries. However, the instrument has not been validated.