1
|
Sun Y, Zhou J, Zhu H, Liu P, Lin H, Xiao Z, Yu X, Qian J, Tong M, Chi X, Hong Q. Characteristics of Speech Auditory Brainstem Response in Preschool Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2024; 67:3163-3177. [PMID: 39083453 DOI: 10.1044/2024_jslhr-23-00454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of auditory processing (AP) in preschool children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using the speech auditory brainstem response (speech-ABR), which provides insights into the AP of speech signals in the central auditory nervous system (CANS). METHOD A total of 84 preschool children diagnosed with ADHD, aged 4-6 years, were matched with 84 typically developing (TD) children based on gender and age. All children underwent speech-ABR testing, cognitive assessment using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Fourth Edition or the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition, and a continuous performance test. RESULTS Children with ADHD exhibited significantly longer latencies of speech-ABR waveforms V, A, and D compared to TD children. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the latencies of speech-ABR waves V, A, and D were affected by the presence of ADHD, but not by the full-scale intelligence quotient. CONCLUSIONS This study revealed that preschool children with ADHD exhibited abnormal AP of speech signals in their CANS. The findings suggest that speech-ABR can be utilized as a reliable measure to evaluate AP ability in this population, as it remains unaffected by cognitive or attentional factors. The transient response (V, A) of speech-ABR was found to be a significant predictor of ADHD in a clinical setting. Early assessment of AP abnormalities via speech-ABR is recommended in preschool-age children to develop targeted interventions for ADHD. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.26376502.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuying Sun
- Department of Child Healthcare, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Nanjing Women and Children's Healthcare Hospital), China
| | - Jia Zhou
- School of Nursing, Nanjing Medical University, China
| | - Huiqin Zhu
- School of Pediatrics, Nanjing Medical University, China
| | - Panting Liu
- Department of Child Healthcare, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Nanjing Women and Children's Healthcare Hospital), China
| | - Huanxi Lin
- Department of Child Healthcare, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Nanjing Women and Children's Healthcare Hospital), China
| | - Zhenglu Xiao
- School of Pediatrics, Nanjing Medical University, China
| | - Xinyue Yu
- Department of Child Healthcare, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Nanjing Women and Children's Healthcare Hospital), China
- School of Pediatrics, Nanjing Medical University, China
| | - Jun Qian
- Department of Child Healthcare, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Nanjing Women and Children's Healthcare Hospital), China
| | - Meiling Tong
- Department of Child Healthcare, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Nanjing Women and Children's Healthcare Hospital), China
| | - Xia Chi
- Department of Child Healthcare, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Nanjing Women and Children's Healthcare Hospital), China
- Nanjing Medical Key Laboratory of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, China
| | - Qin Hong
- Department of Child Healthcare, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Nanjing Women and Children's Healthcare Hospital), China
- Nanjing Medical Key Laboratory of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Qi T, Mandelli ML, Pereira CLW, Wellman E, Bogley R, Licata AE, Chang EF, Oganian Y, Gorno-Tempini ML. Anatomical and behavioral correlates of auditory perception in developmental dyslexia. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.05.09.539936. [PMID: 37214875 PMCID: PMC10197694 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.09.539936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia is typically associated with difficulties in basic auditory processing and in manipulating speech sounds. However, the neuroanatomical correlates of auditory difficulties in developmental dyslexia (DD) and their contribution to individual clinical phenotypes are still unknown. Recent intracranial electrocorticography findings associated processing of sound amplitude rises and speech sounds with posterior and middle superior temporal gyrus (STG), respectively. We hypothesize that regional STG anatomy will relate to specific auditory abilities in DD, and that auditory processing abilities will relate to behavioral difficulties with speech and reading. One hundred and ten children (78 DD, 32 typically developing, age 7-15 years) completed amplitude rise time and speech in noise discrimination tasks. They also underwent a battery of cognitive tests. Anatomical MRI scans were used to identify regions in which local cortical gyrification complexity correlated with auditory behavior. Behaviorally, amplitude rise time but not speech in noise performance was impaired in DD. Neurally, amplitude rise time and speech in noise performance correlated with gyrification in posterior and middle STG, respectively. Furthermore, amplitude rise time significantly contributed to reading impairments in DD, while speech in noise only explained variance in phonological awareness. Finally, amplitude rise time and speech in noise performance were not correlated, and each task was correlated with distinct neuropsychological measures, emphasizing their unique contributions to DD. Overall, we provide a direct link between the neurodevelopment of the left STG and individual variability in auditory processing abilities in neurotypical and dyslexic populations.
Collapse
|
3
|
Pérez-Navarro J, Klimovich-Gray A, Lizarazu M, Piazza G, Molinaro N, Lallier M. Early language experience modulates the tradeoff between acoustic-temporal and lexico-semantic cortical tracking of speech. iScience 2024; 27:110247. [PMID: 39006483 PMCID: PMC11246002 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Cortical tracking of speech is relevant for the development of speech perception skills. However, no study to date has explored whether and how cortical tracking of speech is shaped by accumulated language experience, the central question of this study. In 35 bilingual children (6-year-old) with considerably bigger experience in one language, we collected electroencephalography data while they listened to continuous speech in their two languages. Cortical tracking of speech was assessed at acoustic-temporal and lexico-semantic levels. Children showed more robust acoustic-temporal tracking in the least experienced language, and more sensitive cortical tracking of semantic information in the most experienced language. Additionally, and only for the most experienced language, acoustic-temporal tracking was specifically linked to phonological abilities, and lexico-semantic tracking to vocabulary knowledge. Our results indicate that accumulated linguistic experience is a relevant maturational factor for the cortical tracking of speech at different levels during early language acquisition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jose Pérez-Navarro
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL), 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
| | | | - Mikel Lizarazu
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL), 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Giorgio Piazza
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL), 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Nicola Molinaro
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL), 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, 48009 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Marie Lallier
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL), 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Araújo J, Simons BD, Peter V, Mandke K, Kalashnikova M, Macfarlane A, Gabrielczyk F, Wilson A, Di Liberto GM, Burnham D, Goswami U. Atypical low-frequency cortical encoding of speech identifies children with developmental dyslexia. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 18:1403677. [PMID: 38911229 PMCID: PMC11190370 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1403677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Slow cortical oscillations play a crucial role in processing the speech amplitude envelope, which is perceived atypically by children with developmental dyslexia. Here we use electroencephalography (EEG) recorded during natural speech listening to identify neural processing patterns involving slow oscillations that may characterize children with dyslexia. In a story listening paradigm, we find that atypical power dynamics and phase-amplitude coupling between delta and theta oscillations characterize dyslexic versus other child control groups (typically-developing controls, other language disorder controls). We further isolate EEG common spatial patterns (CSP) during speech listening across delta and theta oscillations that identify dyslexic children. A linear classifier using four delta-band CSP variables predicted dyslexia status (0.77 AUC). Crucially, these spatial patterns also identified children with dyslexia when applied to EEG measured during a rhythmic syllable processing task. This transfer effect (i.e., the ability to use neural features derived from a story listening task as input features to a classifier based on a rhythmic syllable task) is consistent with a core developmental deficit in neural processing of speech rhythm. The findings are suggestive of distinct atypical neurocognitive speech encoding mechanisms underlying dyslexia, which could be targeted by novel interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- João Araújo
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin D. Simons
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- The Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Varghese Peter
- School of Health, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, QLD, Australia
| | - Kanad Mandke
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Marina Kalashnikova
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain, and Language, San Sebastian, Spain
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Annabel Macfarlane
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Fiona Gabrielczyk
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Angela Wilson
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Giovanni M. Di Liberto
- ADAPT Centre, School of Computer Science and Statistics, Trinity College, The University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College, The University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Denis Burnham
- MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour, and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Usha Goswami
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Blockmans L, Kievit R, Wouters J, Ghesquière P, Vandermosten M. Dynamics of cognitive predictors during reading acquisition in a sample of children overrepresented for dyslexia risk. Dev Sci 2024; 27:e13412. [PMID: 37219071 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Literacy acquisition is a complex process with genetic and environmental factors influencing cognitive and neural processes associated with reading. Previous research identified factors that predict word reading fluency (WRF), including phonological awareness (PA), rapid automatized naming (RAN), and speech-in-noise perception (SPIN). Recent theoretical accounts suggest dynamic interactions between these factors and reading, but direct investigations of such dynamics are lacking. Here, we investigated the dynamic effect of phonological processing and speech perception on WRF. More specifically, we evaluated the dynamic influence of PA, RAN, and SPIN measured in kindergarten (the year prior to formal reading instruction), first grade (the first year of formal reading instruction) and second grade on WRF in second and third grade. We also assessed the effect of an indirect proxy of family risk for reading difficulties using a parental questionnaire (Adult Reading History Questionnaire, ARHQ). We applied path modeling in a longitudinal sample of 162 Dutch-speaking children of whom the majority was selected to have an increased family and/or cognitive risk for dyslexia. We showed that parental ARHQ had a significant effect on WRF, RAN and SPIN, but unexpectedly not on PA. We also found effects of RAN and PA directly on WRF that were limited to first and second grade respectively, in contrast to previous research reporting pre-reading PA effects and prolonged RAN effects throughout reading acquisition. Our study provides important new insights into early prediction of later word reading abilities and into the optimal time window to target a specific reading-related subskill during intervention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Blockmans
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neuroscience, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rogier Kievit
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Wouters
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neuroscience, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pol Ghesquière
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maaike Vandermosten
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neuroscience, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Mandke K, Flanagan S, Macfarlane A, Feltham G, Gabrielczyk F, Wilson AM, Gross J, Goswami U. Neural responses to natural and enhanced speech edges in children with and without dyslexia. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1200950. [PMID: 37841072 PMCID: PMC10571917 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1200950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensory-neural studies indicate that children with developmental dyslexia show impairments in processing acoustic speech envelope information. Prior studies suggest that this arises in part from reduced sensory sensitivity to amplitude rise times (ARTs or speech "edges") in the envelope, accompanied by less accurate neural encoding of low-frequency envelope information. Accordingly, enhancing these characteristics of the speech envelope may enhance neural speech processing in children with dyslexia. Here we applied an envelope modulation enhancement (EME) algorithm to a 10-min story read in child-directed speech (CDS), enhancing ARTs and also enhancing low-frequency envelope information. We compared neural speech processing (as measured using MEG) for the EME story with the same story read in natural CDS for 9-year-old children with and without dyslexia. The EME story affected neural processing in the power domain for children with dyslexia, particularly in the delta band (0.5-4 Hz) in the superior temporal gyrus. This may suggest that prolonged experience with EME speech could ameliorate some of the impairments shown in natural speech processing by children with dyslexia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kanad Mandke
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Sheila Flanagan
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Annabel Macfarlane
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Georgia Feltham
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Fiona Gabrielczyk
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Angela M. Wilson
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Joachim Gross
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Usha Goswami
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Kries J, De Clercq P, Lemmens R, Francart T, Vandermosten M. Acoustic and phonemic processing are impaired in individuals with aphasia. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11208. [PMID: 37433805 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37624-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Acoustic and phonemic processing are understudied in aphasia, a language disorder that can affect different levels and modalities of language processing. For successful speech comprehension, processing of the speech envelope is necessary, which relates to amplitude changes over time (e.g., the rise times). Moreover, to identify speech sounds (i.e., phonemes), efficient processing of spectro-temporal changes as reflected in formant transitions is essential. Given the underrepresentation of aphasia studies on these aspects, we tested rise time processing and phoneme identification in 29 individuals with post-stroke aphasia and 23 healthy age-matched controls. We found significantly lower performance in the aphasia group than in the control group on both tasks, even when controlling for individual differences in hearing levels and cognitive functioning. Further, by conducting an individual deviance analysis, we found a low-level acoustic or phonemic processing impairment in 76% of individuals with aphasia. Additionally, we investigated whether this impairment would propagate to higher-level language processing and found that rise time processing predicts phonological processing performance in individuals with aphasia. These findings show that it is important to develop diagnostic and treatment tools that target low-level language processing mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jill Kries
- Experimental Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Pieter De Clercq
- Experimental Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Robin Lemmens
- Experimental Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tom Francart
- Experimental Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maaike Vandermosten
- Experimental Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Van Herck S, Economou M, Vanden Bempt F, Glatz T, Ghesquière P, Vandermosten M, Wouters J. Neural synchronization and intervention in pre-readers who later on develop dyslexia. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 57:547-567. [PMID: 36518008 PMCID: PMC10108076 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
A growing number of studies has investigated temporal processing deficits in dyslexia. These studies largely focus on neural synchronization to speech. However, the importance of rise times for neural synchronization is often overlooked. Furthermore, targeted interventions, phonics-based and auditory, are being developed, but little is known about their impact. The current study investigated the impact of a 12-week tablet-based intervention. Children at risk for dyslexia received phonics-based training, either with (n = 31) or without (n = 31) auditory training, or engaged in active control training (n = 29). Additionally, neural synchronization and processing of rise times was longitudinally investigated in children with dyslexia (n = 26) and typical readers (n = 52) from pre-reading (5 years) to beginning reading age (7 years). The three time points in the longitudinal study correspond to intervention pre-test, post-test and consolidation, approximately 1 year after completing the intervention. At each time point neural synchronization was measured to sinusoidal stimuli and pulsatile stimuli with shortened rise times at syllable (4 Hz) and phoneme rates (20 Hz). Our results revealed no impact on neural synchronization at syllable and phoneme rate of the phonics-based and auditory training. However, we did reveal atypical hemispheric specialization at both syllable and phoneme rates in children with dyslexia. This was detected even before the onset of reading acquisition, pointing towards a possible causal rather than consequential mechanism in dyslexia. This study contributes to our understanding of the temporal processing deficits underlying the development of dyslexia, but also shows that the development of targeted interventions is still a work in progress.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shauni Van Herck
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of NeurosciencesKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational SciencesKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- Leuven Brain InstituteKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Maria Economou
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of NeurosciencesKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational SciencesKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- Leuven Brain InstituteKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- Leuven Child & Youth Institute (L‐C&Y)KU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Femke Vanden Bempt
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of NeurosciencesKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational SciencesKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- Leuven Brain InstituteKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- Leuven Child & Youth Institute (L‐C&Y)KU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Toivo Glatz
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of NeurosciencesKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- Institute of Public HealthCharité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt‐Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Pol Ghesquière
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational SciencesKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- Leuven Brain InstituteKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- Leuven Child & Youth Institute (L‐C&Y)KU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Maaike Vandermosten
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of NeurosciencesKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- Leuven Brain InstituteKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- Leuven Child & Youth Institute (L‐C&Y)KU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Jan Wouters
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of NeurosciencesKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- Leuven Brain InstituteKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Bertoni S, Franceschini S, Campana G, Facoetti A. The effects of bilateral posterior parietal cortex tRNS on reading performance. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:5538-5546. [PMID: 36336338 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
According to established cognitive neuroscience knowledge based on studies on disabled and typically developing readers, reading is based on a dual-stream model in which a phonological-dorsal stream (left temporo-parietal and inferior frontal areas) processes unfamiliar words and pseudowords, whereas an orthographic-ventral stream (left occipito-temporal and inferior frontal areas) processes known words. However, correlational neuroimaging, causal longitudinal, training, and pharmacological studies have suggested the critical role of visuo-spatial attention in reading development. In a double blind, crossover within-subjects experiment, we manipulated the neuromodulatory effect of a short-term bilateral stimulation of posterior parietal cortex (PPC) by using active and sham tRNS during reading tasks in a large sample of young adults. In contrast to the dual-stream model predicting either no effect or a selective effect on the stimulated phonological-dorsal stream (as well as to a general multisensory effect on both reading streams), we found that only word-reading performance improved after active bilateral PPC tRNS. These findings demonstrate a direct neural connectivity between the PPC, controlling visuo-spatial attention, and the ventral stream for visual word recognition. These results support a neurobiological model of reading where performance of the orthographic-ventral stream is boosted by an efficient deployment of visuo-spatial attention from bilateral PPC stimulation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sara Bertoni
- Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab , Department of General Psychology, , Padua 35131 , Italy
- University of Padua , Department of General Psychology, , Padua 35131 , Italy
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo , Bergamo 24129 , Italy
| | - Sandro Franceschini
- Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab , Department of General Psychology, , Padua 35131 , Italy
- University of Padua , Department of General Psychology, , Padua 35131 , Italy
| | - Gianluca Campana
- PercUp Lab , Department of General Psychology, , Padua 35131 , Italy
- University of Padua , Department of General Psychology, , Padua 35131 , Italy
| | - Andrea Facoetti
- Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab , Department of General Psychology, , Padua 35131 , Italy
- University of Padua , Department of General Psychology, , Padua 35131 , Italy
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Vanden Bempt F, Van Herck S, Economou M, Vanderauwera J, Vandermosten M, Wouters J, Ghesquière P. Speech perception deficits and the effect of envelope-enhanced story listening combined with phonics intervention in pre-readers at risk for dyslexia. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1021767. [PMID: 36389538 PMCID: PMC9650384 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1021767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia is considered to be most effectively addressed with preventive phonics-based interventions, including grapheme-phoneme coupling and blending exercises. These intervention types require intact speech perception abilities, given their large focus on exercises with auditorily presented phonemes. Yet some children with (a risk for) dyslexia experience problems in this domain due to a poorer sensitivity to rise times, i.e., rhythmic acoustic cues present in the speech envelope. As a result, the often subtle speech perception problems could potentially constrain an optimal response to phonics-based interventions in at-risk children. The current study therefore aimed (1) to extend existing research by examining the presence of potential speech perception deficits in pre-readers at cognitive risk for dyslexia when compared to typically developing peers and (2) to explore the added value of a preventive auditory intervention for at-risk pre-readers, targeting rise time sensitivity, on speech perception and other reading-related skills. To obtain the first research objective, we longitudinally compared speech-in-noise perception between 28 5-year-old pre-readers with and 30 peers without a cognitive risk for dyslexia during the second half of the third year of kindergarten. The second research objective was addressed by exploring growth in speech perception and other reading-related skills in an independent sample of 62 at-risk 5-year-old pre-readers who all combined a 12-week preventive phonics-based intervention (GraphoGame-Flemish) with an auditory story listening intervention. In half of the sample, story recordings contained artificially enhanced rise times (GG-FL_EE group, n = 31), while in the other half, stories remained unprocessed (GG-FL_NE group, n = 31; Clinical Trial Number S60962-https://www.uzleuven.be/nl/clinical-trial-center). Results revealed a slower speech-in-noise perception growth in the at-risk compared to the non-at-risk group, due to an emerged deficit at the end of kindergarten. Concerning the auditory intervention effects, both intervention groups showed equal growth in speech-in-noise perception and other reading-related skills, suggesting no boost of envelope-enhanced story listening on top of the effect of combining GraphoGame-Flemish with listening to unprocessed stories. These findings thus provide evidence for a link between speech perception problems and dyslexia, yet do not support the potential of the auditory intervention in its current form.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Femke Vanden Bempt
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Shauni Van Herck
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maria Economou
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jolijn Vanderauwera
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Maaike Vandermosten
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Wouters
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pol Ghesquière
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Pérez-Navarro J, Lallier M, Clark C, Flanagan S, Goswami U. Local Temporal Regularities in Child-Directed Speech in Spanish. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2022; 65:3776-3788. [PMID: 36194778 DOI: 10.1044/2022_jslhr-22-00111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to characterize the local (utterance-level) temporal regularities of child-directed speech (CDS) that might facilitate phonological development in Spanish, classically termed a syllable-timed language. METHOD Eighteen female adults addressed their 4-year-old children versus other adults spontaneously and also read aloud (CDS vs. adult-directed speech [ADS]). We compared CDS and ADS speech productions using a spectrotemporal model (Leong & Goswami, 2015), obtaining three temporal metrics: (a) distribution of modulation energy, (b) temporal regularity of stressed syllables, and (c) syllable rate. RESULTS CDS was characterized by (a) significantly greater modulation energy in the lower frequencies (0.5-4 Hz), (b) more regular rhythmic occurrence of stressed syllables, and (c) a slower syllable rate than ADS, across both spontaneous and read conditions. DISCUSSION CDS is characterized by a robust local temporal organization (i.e., within utterances) with amplitude modulation bands aligning with delta and theta electrophysiological frequency bands, respectively, showing greater phase synchronization than in ADS, facilitating parsing of stress units and syllables. These temporal regularities, together with the slower rate of production of CDS, might support the automatic extraction of phonological units in speech and hence support the phonological development of children. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21210893.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jose Pérez-Navarro
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Marie Lallier
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Catherine Clark
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Sheila Flanagan
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Usha Goswami
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Couvee S, Wauters L, Verhoeven L, Knoors H, Segers E. Predicting Early Literacy: Auditory and Visual Speech Decoding in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children. JOURNAL OF DEAF STUDIES AND DEAF EDUCATION 2022; 27:311-323. [PMID: 35817315 PMCID: PMC9486589 DOI: 10.1093/deafed/enac019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The current study investigated the relative contributions of auditory speech decoding (i.e., auditory discrimination) and visual speech decoding (i.e., speechreading) on phonological awareness and letter knowledge in deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) kindergartners (Mage = 6;4, n = 27) and hearing kindergartners (Mage = 5;10, n = 42). Hearing children scored higher on auditory discrimination and phonological awareness, with the DHH children scoring at chance level for auditory discrimination, while no differences were found on speechreading and letter knowledge. For DHH children, speechreading correlated with phonological awareness and letter knowledge, for the hearing children, auditory discrimination correlated with phonological awareness. Two regression analyses showed that speechreading predicted phonological awareness and letter knowledge in DHH children only. Speechreading may thus be a compensatory factor in early literacy for DHH children, at least for those who are exposed to spoken language in monolingual or in bilingual or bimodal-bilingual contexts, and could be important to focus on during early literacy instruction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sascha Couvee
- Correspondence should be addressed to Sascha Couvee, Radboud University (3.050), Thomas van Aquinostraat 4, Nijmegen 6525 GD, The Netherlands. E-mail:
| | - Loes Wauters
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Royal Dutch Kentalis, Sint-Michielsgestel, The Netherlands
| | - Ludo Verhoeven
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Royal Dutch Kentalis, Sint-Michielsgestel, The Netherlands
| | - Harry Knoors
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Royal Dutch Kentalis, Sint-Michielsgestel, The Netherlands
| | - Eliane Segers
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Goswami U. Language acquisition and speech rhythm patterns: an auditory neuroscience perspective. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:211855. [PMID: 35911192 PMCID: PMC9326295 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
All human infants acquire language, but their brains do not know which language/s to prepare for. This observation suggests that there are fundamental components of the speech signal that contribute to building a language system, and fundamental neural processing mechanisms that use these components, which are shared across languages. Equally, disorders of language acquisition are found across all languages, with the most prevalent being developmental language disorder (approx. 7% prevalence), where oral language comprehension and production is atypical, and developmental dyslexia (approx. 7% prevalence), where written language acquisition is atypical. Recent advances in auditory neuroscience, along with advances in modelling the speech signal from an amplitude modulation (AM, intensity or energy change) perspective, have increased our understanding of both language acquisition and these developmental disorders. Speech rhythm patterns turn out to be fundamental to both sensory and neural linguistic processing. The rhythmic routines typical of childcare in many cultures, the parental practice of singing lullabies to infants, and the ubiquitous presence of BabyTalk (infant-directed speech) all enhance the fundamental AM components that contribute to building a linguistic brain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Usha Goswami
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Later but Not Weaker: Neural Categorization of Native Vowels of Children at Familial Risk of Dyslexia. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12030412. [PMID: 35326368 PMCID: PMC8946763 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12030412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Although allophonic speech processing has been hypothesized to be a contributing factor in developmental dyslexia, experimental evidence is limited and inconsistent. The current study compared the categorization of native similar sounding vowels of typically developing (TD) children and children at familial risk (FR) of dyslexia. EEG response was collected in a non-attentive passive oddball paradigm from 35 TD and 35 FR Dutch 20-month-old infants who were matched on vocabulary. The children were presented with two nonwords “giep” [ɣip] and “gip” [ɣIp] that contrasted solely with respect to the vowel. In the multiple-speaker condition, both nonwords were produced by twelve different speakers while in the single-speaker condition, single tokens of each word were used as stimuli. For both conditions and for both groups, infant positive mismatch response (p-MMR) was elicited, and the p-MMR amplitude was comparable between the two groups, although the FR children had a later p-MMR peak than the TD children in the multiple-speaker condition. These findings indicate that FR children are able to categorize speech sounds, but that they may do so in a more effortful way than TDs.
Collapse
|
15
|
Mandke K, Flanagan S, Macfarlane A, Gabrielczyk F, Wilson A, Gross J, Goswami U. Neural sampling of the speech signal at different timescales by children with dyslexia. Neuroimage 2022; 253:119077. [PMID: 35278708 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Phonological difficulties characterize individuals with dyslexia across languages. Currently debated is whether these difficulties arise from atypical neural sampling of (or entrainment to) auditory information in speech at slow rates (<10 Hz, related to speech rhythm), faster rates, or neither. MEG studies with adults suggest that atypical sampling in dyslexia affects faster modulations in the neurophysiological gamma band, related to phoneme-level representation. However, dyslexic adults have had years of reduced experience in converting graphemes to phonemes, which could itself cause atypical gamma-band activity. The present study was designed to identify specific linguistic timescales at which English children with dyslexia may show atypical entrainment. Adopting a developmental focus, we hypothesized that children with dyslexia would show atypical entrainment to the prosodic and syllable-level information that is exaggerated in infant-directed speech and carried primarily by amplitude modulations <10 Hz. MEG was recorded in a naturalistic story-listening paradigm. The modulation bands related to different types of linguistic information were derived directly from the speech materials, and lagged coherence at multiple temporal rates spanning 0.9-40 Hz was computed. Group differences in lagged speech-brain coherence between children with dyslexia and control children were most marked in neurophysiological bands corresponding to stress and syllable-level information (<5 Hz in our materials), and phoneme-level information (12-40 Hz). Functional connectivity analyses showed network differences between groups in both hemispheres, with dyslexic children showing significantly reduced global network efficiency. Global network efficiency correlated with dyslexic children's oral language development and with control children's reading development. These developmental data suggest that dyslexia is characterized by atypical neural sampling of auditory information at slower rates. They also throw new light on the nature of the gamma band temporal sampling differences reported in MEG dyslexia studies with adults.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kanad Mandke
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom.
| | - Sheila Flanagan
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Annabel Macfarlane
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Fiona Gabrielczyk
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Angela Wilson
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Joachim Gross
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Usha Goswami
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Van Herck S, Vanden Bempt F, Economou M, Vanderauwera J, Glatz T, Dieudonné B, Vandermosten M, Ghesquière P, Wouters J. Ahead of maturation: Enhanced speech envelope training boosts rise time discrimination in pre-readers at cognitive risk for dyslexia. Dev Sci 2021; 25:e13186. [PMID: 34743382 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Dyslexia has frequently been related to atypical auditory temporal processing and speech perception. Results of studies emphasizing speech onset cues and reinforcing the temporal structure of the speech envelope, that is, envelope enhancement (EE), demonstrated reduced speech perception deficits in individuals with dyslexia. The use of this strategy as auditory intervention might thus reduce some of the deficits related to dyslexia. Importantly, reading-skill interventions are most effective when they are provided during kindergarten and first grade. Hence, we provided a tablet-based 12-week auditory and phonics-based intervention to pre-readers at cognitive risk for dyslexia and investigated the effect on auditory temporal processing with a rise time discrimination (RTD) task. Ninety-one pre-readers at cognitive risk for dyslexia (aged 5-6) were assigned to two groups receiving a phonics-based intervention and playing a story listening game either with (n = 31) or without (n = 31) EE or a third group playing control games and listening to non-enhanced stories (n = 29). RTD was measured directly before, directly after and 1 year after the intervention. While the groups listening to non-enhanced stories mainly improved after the intervention during first grade, the group listening to enhanced stories improved during the intervention in kindergarten and subsequently remained stable during first grade. Hence, an EE intervention improves auditory processing skills important for the development of phonological skills. This occurred before the onset of reading instruction, preceding the maturational improvement of these skills, hence potentially giving at risk children a head start when learning to read.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shauni Van Herck
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Femke Vanden Bempt
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maria Economou
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jolijn Vanderauwera
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Leuven, Belgium.,Université Catholique de Louvain, Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.,Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Toivo Glatz
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Public Health, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin, Germany
| | - Benjamin Dieudonné
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maaike Vandermosten
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pol Ghesquière
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Wouters
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Jones C, Collin E, Kepinska O, Hancock R, Caballero J, Zekelman L, Vandermosten M, Hoeft F. Auditory Processing of Non-speech Stimuli by Children in Dual-Language Immersion Programs. Front Psychol 2021; 12:687651. [PMID: 34733197 PMCID: PMC8558524 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.687651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Perception of low-level auditory cues such as frequency modulation (FM) and rise time (RT) is crucial for development of phonemic representations, segmentation of word boundaries, and attunement to prosodic patterns in language. While learning an additional language, children may develop an increased sensitivity to these cues to extract relevant information from multiple types of linguistic input. Performance on these auditory processing tasks such as FM and RT by children learning another language is, however, unknown. Here we examine 92 English-speaking 7-8-year-olds in the U.S. and their performance in FM and RT perceptual tasks at the end of their second year in Cantonese or Spanish dual-language immersion compared to children in general English education programs. Results demonstrate that children in immersion programs have greater sensitivity to FM, but not RT, controlling for various factors. The immersion program students were also observed to have better phonological awareness performance. However, individual differences in FM sensitivity were not associated with phonological awareness, a pattern typically observed in monolinguals. These preliminary findings suggest a possible impact of formal language immersion on low-level auditory processing. Additional research is warranted to understand causal relationships and ultimate impact on language skills in multilinguals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chloe Jones
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.,Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Elizabeth Collin
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.,Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Olga Kepinska
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Brain and Language Lab, Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Roeland Hancock
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.,Brain Imaging Research Center, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Jocelyn Caballero
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Leo Zekelman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Maaike Vandermosten
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Fumiko Hoeft
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Departments of Mathematics, Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.,Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, United States
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Van Hirtum T, Ghesquière P, Wouters J. A Bridge over Troubled Listening: Improving Speech-in-Noise Perception by Children with Dyslexia. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2021; 22:465-480. [PMID: 33861393 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-021-00793-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia is most commonly associated with phonological processing difficulties. However, children with dyslexia may experience poor speech-in-noise perception as well. Although there is an ongoing debate whether a speech perception deficit is inherent to dyslexia or acts as an aggravating risk factor compromising learning to read indirectly, improving speech perception might boost reading-related skills and reading acquisition. In the current study, we evaluated advanced speech technology as applied in auditory prostheses, to promote and eventually normalize speech perception of school-aged children with dyslexia, i.e., envelope enhancement (EE). The EE strategy automatically detects and emphasizes onset cues and consequently reinforces the temporal structure of the speech envelope. Our results confirmed speech-in-noise perception difficulties by children with dyslexia. However, we found that exaggerating temporal "landmarks" of the speech envelope (i.e., amplitude rise time and modulations)-by using EE-passively and instantaneously improved speech perception in noise for children with dyslexia. Moreover, the benefit derived from EE was large enough to completely bridge the initial gap between children with dyslexia and their typical reading peers. Taken together, the beneficial outcome of EE suggests an important contribution of the temporal structure of the envelope to speech perception in noise difficulties in dyslexia, providing an interesting foundation for future intervention studies based on auditory and speech rhythm training.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tilde Van Hirtum
- Department of Neurosciences, Research Group Experimental ORL, KU Leuven University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. .,Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Pol Ghesquière
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Wouters
- Department of Neurosciences, Research Group Experimental ORL, KU Leuven University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Schafer EC, Kirby B, Miller S. Remote Microphone Technology for Children with Hearing Loss or Auditory Processing Issues. Semin Hear 2020; 41:277-290. [PMID: 33364677 DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1718713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
School classrooms are noisy and reverberant environments, and the poor acoustics can be a barrier to successful learning in children, particularly those with multiple disabilities, auditory processing issues, and hearing loss. A new set of listening challenges have been imposed by the recent global pandemic and subsequent online learning requirements. The goal of this article is to review the impact of poor acoustics on the performance of children with auditory processing issues, mild hearing loss, and unilateral hearing loss. In addition, we will summarize the evidence in support of remote microphone technology by these populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Erin C Schafer
- Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
| | - Benjamin Kirby
- Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
| | - Sharon Miller
- Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Goswami U, Huss M, Mead N, Fosker T. Auditory Sensory Processing and Phonological Development in High IQ and Exceptional Readers, Typically Developing Readers, and Children With Dyslexia: A Longitudinal Study. Child Dev 2020; 92:1083-1098. [PMID: 32851656 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Phonological difficulties characterize children with developmental dyslexia across languages, but whether impaired auditory processing underlies these phonological difficulties is debated. Here the causal question is addressed by exploring whether individual differences in sensory processing predict the development of phonological awareness in 86 English-speaking lower- and middle-class children aged 8 years in 2005 who had dyslexia, or were age-matched typically developing children, some with exceptional reading/high IQ. The predictive relations between auditory processing and phonological development are robust for this sample even when phonological awareness at Time 1 (the autoregressor) is controlled. High reading/IQ does not much impact these relations. The data suggest that basic sensory abilities are significant longitudinal predictors of growth in phonological awareness in children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Tim Fosker
- University of Cambridge.,Queen's University
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Meilleur A, Foster NEV, Coll SM, Brambati SM, Hyde KL. Unisensory and multisensory temporal processing in autism and dyslexia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 116:44-63. [PMID: 32544540 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
This study presents a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of temporal processing in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental dyslexia (DD), two neurodevelopmental disorders in which temporal processing deficits have been highly researched. The results provide strong evidence for impairments in temporal processing in both ASD (g = 0.48) and DD (g = 0.82), as measured by judgments of temporal order and simultaneity. In individual analyses, multisensory temporal processing was impaired for both ASD and DD, and unisensory auditory, visual and tactile processing were all impaired in DD. In ASD, speech stimuli showed moderate impairment effect sizes, whereas nonspeech stimuli showed small effects. Greater reading and spelling skills in DD were associated with greater temporal precision. Temporal deficits did not show changes with age in either disorder. In addition to more clearly defining temporal impairments in ASD and DD, the results highlight common and distinct patterns of temporal processing between these disorders. Deficits are discussed in relation to existing theoretical models, and recommendations are made for future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexa Meilleur
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Marie-Victorin Building, 90 Avenue Vincent D'Indy, Montréal, QC, H2V 2S9, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Montréal, Marie-Victorin Building, 90 avenue Vincent-d'Indy, Suite D-418, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada; Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Rabinovitch house, 3640 de la Montagne, Montréal, QC, H3G 2A8, Canada.
| | - Nicholas E V Foster
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Marie-Victorin Building, 90 Avenue Vincent D'Indy, Montréal, QC, H2V 2S9, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Montréal, Marie-Victorin Building, 90 avenue Vincent-d'Indy, Suite D-418, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada; Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Rabinovitch house, 3640 de la Montagne, Montréal, QC, H3G 2A8, Canada
| | - Sarah-Maude Coll
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Marie-Victorin Building, 90 Avenue Vincent D'Indy, Montréal, QC, H2V 2S9, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Montréal, Marie-Victorin Building, 90 avenue Vincent-d'Indy, Suite D-418, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada; Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Rabinovitch house, 3640 de la Montagne, Montréal, QC, H3G 2A8, Canada
| | - Simona M Brambati
- Department of Psychology, University of Montréal, Marie-Victorin Building, 90 avenue Vincent-d'Indy, Suite D-418, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada; Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Rabinovitch house, 3640 de la Montagne, Montréal, QC, H3G 2A8, Canada; Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, 4545 Chemin Queen Mary, Montréal, QC, H3W 1W4, Canada
| | - Krista L Hyde
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Marie-Victorin Building, 90 Avenue Vincent D'Indy, Montréal, QC, H2V 2S9, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Montréal, Marie-Victorin Building, 90 avenue Vincent-d'Indy, Suite D-418, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada; Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Rabinovitch house, 3640 de la Montagne, Montréal, QC, H3G 2A8, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Beelen C, Vanderauwera J, Wouters J, Vandermosten M, Ghesquière P. Atypical gray matter in children with dyslexia before the onset of reading instruction. Cortex 2019; 121:399-413. [PMID: 31704534 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Revised: 07/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Many studies have focused on neuroanatomical anomalies in dyslexia, yet primarily in school-aged children and adults. In the present study, we investigated gray matter surface area and cortical thickness at the pre-reading stage in a cohort of 54 children, 31 with a family risk for dyslexia and 23 without a family risk for dyslexia, of whom 16 children developed dyslexia. Surface-based analyses in the core regions of the reading network in the left hemisphere and in the corresponding right hemispheric regions were performed in FreeSurfer. Results revealed that pre-readers who develop dyslexia show reduced surface area in bilateral fusiform gyri. In addition, anomalies related to a family risk for dyslexia, irrespectively of later reading ability, were observed in the area of the bilateral inferior and middle temporal gyri. Differences were apparent in surface area, as opposed to cortical thickness. Results indicate that the neuroanatomical anomalies, since they are observed in the pre-reading phase, are not the consequence of impoverished reading experience.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Beelen
- Parenting & Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology & Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jolijn Vanderauwera
- Parenting & Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology & Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium; Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Wouters
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Pol Ghesquière
- Parenting & Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology & Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Kalashnikova M, Goswami U, Burnham D. Sensitivity to amplitude envelope rise time in infancy and vocabulary development at 3 years: A significant relationship. Dev Sci 2019; 22:e12836. [PMID: 31004544 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 03/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Here we report, for the first time, a relationship between sensitivity to amplitude envelope rise time in infants and their later vocabulary development. Recent research in auditory neuroscience has revealed that amplitude envelope rise time plays a mechanistic role in speech encoding. Accordingly, individual differences in infant discrimination of amplitude envelope rise times could be expected to relate to individual differences in language acquisition. A group of 50 infants taking part in a longitudinal study contributed rise time discrimination thresholds when aged 7 and 10 months, and their vocabulary development was measured at 3 years. Experimental measures of phonological sensitivity were also administered at 3 years. Linear mixed effect models taking rise time sensitivity as the dependent variable, and controlling for non-verbal IQ, showed significant predictive effects for vocabulary at 3 years, but not for the phonological sensitivity measures. The significant longitudinal relationship between amplitude envelope rise time discrimination and vocabulary development suggests that early rise time discrimination abilities have an impact on speech processing by infants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marina Kalashnikova
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Donostia, Spain.,The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
| | - Usha Goswami
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Denis Burnham
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Atypical neural processing of rise time by adults with dyslexia. Cortex 2019; 113:128-140. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Revised: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
25
|
Speech Envelope Enhancement Instantaneously Effaces Atypical Speech Perception in Dyslexia. Ear Hear 2019; 40:1242-1252. [DOI: 10.1097/aud.0000000000000706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
|
26
|
Law JM, De Vos A, Vanderauwera J, Wouters J, Ghesquière P, Vandermosten M. Grapheme-Phoneme Learning in an Unknown Orthography: A Study in Typical Reading and Dyslexic Children. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1393. [PMID: 30158886 PMCID: PMC6103482 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we examined the learning of new grapheme-phoneme correspondences in individuals with and without dyslexia. Additionally, we investigated the relation between grapheme-phoneme learning and measures of phonological awareness, orthographic knowledge and rapid automatized naming, with a focus on the unique joint variance of grapheme-phoneme learning to word and non-word reading achievement. Training of grapheme-phoneme associations consisted of a 20-min training program in which eight novel letters (Hebrew) needed to be paired with speech sounds taken from the participant's native language (Dutch). Eighty-four third grade students, of whom 20 were diagnosed with dyslexia, participated in the training and testing. Our results indicate a reduced ability of dyslexic readers in applying newly learned grapheme-phoneme correspondences while reading words which consist of these novel letters. However, we did not observe a significant independent contribution of grapheme-phoneme learning to reading outcomes. Alternatively, results from the regression analysis indicate that failure to read may be due to differences in phonological and/or orthographic knowledge but not to differences in the grapheme-phoneme-conversion process itself.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy M Law
- School of Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.,Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Astrid De Vos
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Laboratory for Experimental ORL, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jolijn Vanderauwera
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Laboratory for Experimental ORL, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Wouters
- Laboratory for Experimental ORL, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pol Ghesquière
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
Behavioral and electrophysiological investigation of speech perception deficits in silence, noise and envelope conditions in developmental dyslexia. Neuropsychologia 2018; 130:3-12. [PMID: 30075216 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.07.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Revised: 07/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The present study investigated whether children with developmental dyslexia showed specific deficits in the perception of three phonetic features (voicing, place, and manner of articulation) in optimal (silence) and degraded listening conditions (envelope-coded speech versus noise), using both standard behavioral and electrophysiological measures. Performance of children with dyslexia was compared to that of younger typically developing children who were matched in terms of reading age. Results showed no significant group differences in response accuracy except for the reception of place-of-articulation in noise. However, dyslexic children responded more slowly than typically developing children across all conditions with larger deficits in noise than in envelope than in silence. At the neural level, dyslexic children exhibited reduced N1 components in silence and the reduction of N1 amplitude was more pronounced for voicing than for the other phonetic features. In the envelope condition, the N1 was localized over the right hemisphere and it was larger for typically developing readers than for dyslexic children. Finally, in stationary noise, the N1 to place of articulation was clearly delayed in children with dyslexia, which suggests a temporal de-organization in the most adverse listening conditions. The results clearly show abnormal neural processing to speech sounds in all conditions. They are discussed in the context of recent theories on perceptual noise exclusion, neural noise and temporal sampling.
Collapse
|