Development of auditory cognition in 5- to 10-year-old children: Focus on musical and verbal short-term memory

Do developmental dyslexia and congenital amusia share underlying impairments?

Developmental dyslexia and congenital amusia have common characteristics. Yet, their possible association in some individuals has been addressed only scarcely. Recently, two converging studies reported a sizable comorbidity rate between these two neurodevelopmental disorders (Couvignou et al., Cognitive Neuropsychology 2019; Couvignou & Kolinsky, Neuropsychologia 2021). However, the reason for their association remains unclear. Here, we investigate the hypothesis of shared underlying impairments between dyslexia and amusia. Fifteen dyslexic children with amusia (DYS+A), 15 dyslexic children without amusia (DYS-A), and two groups of 25 typically developing children matched on either chronological age (CA) or reading level (RL) were assessed with a behavioral battery aiming to investigate phonological and pitch processing capacities at auditory memory, perceptual awareness, and attentional levels. Overall, our results suggest that poor auditory serial-order memory increases susceptibility to comorbidity between dyslexia and amusia and may play a role in the development of the comorbid phenotype. In contrast, the impairments observed in the DYS+A children for auditory item memory, perceptual awareness, and attention might be a consequence of their reduced reading experience combined with weaker musical skills. Comparing DYS+A and DYS-A children suggests that the latter are more resourceful and/or have more effective compensatory strategies, or that their phenotype results from a different developmental trajectory. We will discuss the relevance of these findings for delving into the etiology of these two developmental disorders and address their implications for future research and practice.

A new tool for the assessment of speech understanding and spatial hearing difficulties in children: the Kid-SSQ questionnaire

PURPOSE

To develop and validate a new questionnaire, the Kid-SSQ, for the rapid screening of hearing abilities in children with hearing impairment, aged 7-17 years.

METHODS

The questionnaire was constructed from two existing, validated versions of the 'Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing' - (SSQ) questionnaire (pediatric form and adult short-form). The 12 selected items included auditory aspects from three subscales: speech perception, spatial hearing, and qualities of hearing. This new short form was then validated in 154 children with cochlear implants (100 bilaterally, and 54 unilaterally implanted children). Construct validity was assessed by testing relationships between Kid-SSQ scores and objective clinical parameters (e.g., age at test, pure-tone audiometry-PTA threshold, speech reception threshold-SRT, duration of binaural experience).

RESULTS

Completion time was acceptable for use with children (less than 10 min) and the non-response rate was less than 1%. Good internal consistency was obtained (Cronbach's α = 0.78), with a stable internal structure corresponding to the 3 intended subscales. External validity showed the specificity of each subscale: speech subscale scores were significantly predicted (r = 0.32, p < 0.001) by both 2 kHz PTA threshold (β = 0.33, p < 0.001) and SRT (β = - 0.23, p < 0.001). Children with more binaural experience showed significantly higher scores on the spatial subscale than children with less binaural experience (F(1,98) = 5.1, p < 0.03) and the qualities of hearing subscale scores significantly depended on both age and SRT (r = 0.32, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The Kid-SSQ questionnaire is a robust and clinically useful questionnaire for self-assessment of difficulties in various auditory domains.

An Analysis of Thermal Comfort Models: Which One Is Suitable Model to Assess Thermal Reality in Brazil?

The Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) has discrepancies in relation to the thermal reality of the environment; thus, adaptive models serve to improve this estimate. In this context, this research aimed to verify the performance of PMV and adaptive models under different conditions in Brazil from an analysis of variance and to further classify individuals into clusters according to their feelings of thermal comfort. Through ASHRAE’s Global II Thermal Comfort Database, users of offices and classrooms in Brasilia, Recife, Maceió, and Florianópolis were investigated. The results of ANOVA showed that the PMV model did not represent the thermal reality of any of the cities investigated, and the cluster analysis showed how most people felt thermally in relation to indoor environments.