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Bambini V, Bischetti L, Bonomi CG, Arcara G, Lecce S, Ceroni M. Beyond the motor account of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Verbal humour and its relationship with the cognitive and pragmatic profile. Int J Lang Commun Disord 2020; 55:751-764. [PMID: 32725835 DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.12561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2019] [Revised: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) was traditionally described as a disease restricted to the motor system. However, recent findings suggested that it also affects cognition, especially executive functions, social cognition, language and pragmatics. A relevant issue in current research is thus the description of the cognitive phenotype of ALS and the identification of the most vulnerable aspects. AIMS The focus was on a communicative phenomenon placed at the crossroads of pragmatic and other cognitive domains, namely humour, which till now has been poorly explored in ALS. The first aim was to investigate whether ALS is associated with impairments in understanding and appreciating jokes. The second aim was to explore the predictors of humour comprehension and appreciation in patients, to confirm the involvement of pragmatic skills and to explore the role of other cognitive and clinical aspects. METHODS & PROCEDURES A total of 30 non-demented patients with ALS and 27 controls were assessed with a task of verbal humour comprehension and appreciation, including two types of jokes: phonological and mental. We also administered a battery of pragmatic and other language tasks, and cognitive and socio-cognitive tasks. Mixed-effects models were used to test differences in the humour task between the two groups. Multiple regressions determined the best predictors of humour comprehension and appreciation in patients. OUTCOMES & RESULTS Patients obtained lower comprehension accuracy scores than controls in the humour task, independently of the type of joke. Conversely, patients and controls did not differ in joke appreciation and both rated mental jokes as funnier than the phonological ones. Patients' comprehension accuracy was predicted by pragmatic skills and ALS severity, whereas appreciation was predicted by several clinical variables and, to a smaller extent, by language skills. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS The findings suggest that humour is a very vulnerable aspect in ALS, and that impairment in humour comprehension might be part of the larger cognitive impairment, being linked to pragmatic impairment. Clinical variables were also important, especially in relation to humour appreciation. More generally, these data speak in favour of pragmatics as a relevant aspect to sketch the cognitive phenotype of ALS. On the practical level, these findings point to the need of supporting communication at large, not only motor-related aspects such as dysarthria but also social-pragmatic aspects such as understanding jokes, to increase well-being in ALS. What this paper adds What is already known on this subject The literature of the last decades has shown that ALS comes with impairment in several cognitive domains, affecting especially executive functions as well as language. There is also initial evidence that the pragmatics of communication and humour comprehension are impaired, although non-serious talk has been documented in conversational interaction among people with ALS. What this paper adds to existing knowledge This study offers compelling evidence of an impairment in the comprehension of jokes in ALS, whereas the appreciation of joke funniness seems to be spared. The study also highlights the interplay of cognitive factors (especially pragmatics) and clinical factors (related to disease severity) in predicting the patients' performance in the humour task. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? The study's findings call for the need of increased awareness among scholars as well as practitioners and caregivers of the profile of humour comprehension and appreciation in ALS. On a practical level, we highlight the need of assessing humour comprehension and adapting the communicative style accordingly. Second, we recommend that intervention programmes targeting communication in ALS go beyond speech-related difficulties and include pragmatic aspects such as humour. Considering the important communicative and social function of humour, as well as its use as a coping strategy, humour interventions are key to improve the quality of life of individuals with ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Bambini
- Center for Neurocognition, Epistemology and Theoretical Syntax, University School for Advanced Studies IUSS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Luca Bischetti
- Center for Neurocognition, Epistemology and Theoretical Syntax, University School for Advanced Studies IUSS, Pavia, Italy
| | | | | | - Serena Lecce
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Science, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Mauro Ceroni
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Science, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Neurological Institute Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
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Parola A, Salvini R, Gabbatore I, Colle L, Berardinelli L, Bosco FM. Pragmatics, Theory of Mind and executive functions in schizophrenia: Disentangling the puzzle using machine learning. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0229603. [PMID: 32126068 PMCID: PMC7053733 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Schizophrenia is associated with a severe impairment in the communicative-pragmatic domain. Recent research has tried to disentangle the relationship between communicative impairment and other domains usually impaired in schizophrenia, i.e. Theory of Mind (ToM) and cognitive functions. However, the results are inconclusive and this relationship is still unclear. Machine learning (ML) provides novel opportunities for studying complex relationships among phenomena and representing causality among multiple variables. The present research explored the potential of applying ML, specifically Bayesian network (BNs) analysis, to characterize the relationship between cognitive, ToM and pragmatic abilities in individuals with schizophrenia and healthy controls, and to identify the cognitive and pragmatic abilities that are most informative in discriminating between schizophrenia and controls. METHODS We provided a comprehensive assessment of different aspects of pragmatic performance, i.e. linguistic, extralinguistic, paralinguistic, contextual and conversational, ToM and cognitive functions, i.e. Executive Functions (EF)-selective attention, planning, inhibition, cognitive flexibility, working memory and speed processing-and general intelligence, in a sample of 32 individuals with schizophrenia and 35 controls. RESULTS The results showed that the BNs classifier discriminated well between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. The network structure revealed that only pragmatic Linguistic ability directly influenced the classification of patients and controls, while diagnosis determined performance on ToM, Extralinguistic, Paralinguistic, Selective Attention, Planning, Inhibition and Cognitive Flexibility tasks. The model identified pragmatic, ToM and cognitive abilities as three distinct domains independent of one another. CONCLUSION Taken together, our results confirmed the importance of considering pragmatic linguistic impairment as a core dysfunction in schizophrenia, and demonstrated the potential of applying BNs in investigating the relationship between pragmatic ability and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Parola
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Rogerio Salvini
- Instituto de Informática, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brasil
| | | | - Livia Colle
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | | | - Francesca M. Bosco
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- Institute of Neurosciences of Turin, Turin, Italy
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Rietdijk R, Power E, Attard M, Heard R, Togher L. Improved Conversation Outcomes After Social Communication Skills Training for People With Traumatic Brain Injury and Their Communication Partners: A Clinical Trial Investigating In-Person and Telehealth Delivery. J Speech Lang Hear Res 2020; 63:615-632. [PMID: 32078409 DOI: 10.1044/2019_jslhr-19-00076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Purpose The aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of social communication skills training (TBIconneCT) for people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their communication partners, delivered in-person or via telehealth, on quality of conversations. Method This study is a clinical trial, including an in-person intervention group (n = 17), a telehealth intervention group (n = 19), and a historical control group (n = 15). Participants were adults at least 6 months post moderate-to-severe TBI with social communication skills deficits and their usual communication partners. Participants completed a casual and purposeful conversation task at pre-intervention, postintervention, and a follow-up assessment. A blinded assessor evaluated conversations using the Adapted Measure of Participation in Conversation and the Adapted Measure of Support in Conversation. Treatment effects were examined by comparing groups on change in ratings between pre- and posttraining. Maintenance of effects was examined using change between posttraining and follow-up assessment. The trial protocol was registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12615001024538). Results Trained participants with TBI had significant improvements in participation in casual conversation compared to controls. Trained communication partners also had significant improvements compared to controls on ratings of support in casual conversations. However, treatment effects were not maintained at follow-up for two of eight measures. Comparisons between outcomes of in-person and telehealth groups found negligible to small effect sizes for six of eight measures. Conclusions The findings reinforce previous studies demonstrating the efficacy of communication partner training after TBI. Telehealth delivery produced similar outcomes to in-person delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael Rietdijk
- The University of Sydney, Sydney School of Health Sciences, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Emma Power
- The University of Sydney, Sydney School of Health Sciences, New South Wales, Australia
- The University of Technology Sydney, Graduate School of Health, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Michelle Attard
- The University of Sydney, Sydney School of Health Sciences, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Robert Heard
- The University of Sydney, Sydney School of Health Sciences, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Leanne Togher
- The University of Sydney, Sydney School of Health Sciences, New South Wales, Australia
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Ceccarelli F, Pirone C, Mina C, Mascolo A, Perricone C, Massaro L, Spinelli FR, Alessandri C, Valesini G, Conti F. Pragmatic language dysfunction in systemic lupus erythematosus patients: Results from a single center Italian study. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0224437. [PMID: 31682630 PMCID: PMC6827908 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Cognitive impairment (CI) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a frequent neuropsychiatric manifestation affecting several domains, even in apparently asymptomatic patients. Current research revealed that the typical CI pattern affects frontal-subcortical circuit and thus executive functions. The impairment of non-literal language or pragmatic language (PL), including metaphors, idioms, inferences or irony has been well described in several conditions such as autism disorders, Parkinson’s disease, brain injury and even in earlier phases of neurodegenerative processes. Even if PL neuro-anatomy remains controversial, correlation between executive dysfunctions and non-literal language involvement has been reported both in traumatic injury and mild cognitive impairment patients. Nonetheless, no specific study has been performed to evaluate PL impairment in SLE patients so far. Objectives We aimed at assessing the PL domain in a Italian monocentric SLE cohort in comparison to healthy controls, matched to age and education, through a specific battery, the batteria sul linguaggio dell'emisfero destro (BLED). Secondly, we focused attention on possible correlations between CI and clinical and laboratory SLE-related features. Methods Forty adult patients affected by SLE, according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria, and thirty healthy subjects were enrolled consecutively in this cross-sectional study. The protocol included complete physical examination, extensive clinical and laboratory data collection (comprehensive of demographics, past medical history, co-morbidities, disease activity, chronic damage evaluation, previous and concomitant treatments) and cognitive assessment for five different domains: memory, attention, pragmatic language, executive and visuospatial functions. Self-reported scale for anxiety and depression were performed to exclude the influence of mood disorders on cognitive dysfunction. Results We studied 40 Caucasian SLE patients [male (M)/ female (F) 3/37; mean±standard deviation (SD) age 45.9±10.1 years, mean±SD disease duration 120.8±81.2 months] and 30 healthy subjects (M/F 9/21; mean±SD age 41.3±13 years). According to the low level of disease activity and damage (mean±SD Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) of 1.3±2.3, mean±SD Systemic Lupus International Collaborative Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR) Damage Index (SDI) of 0.2±0.5), only 30% of patients was on glucocorticoid treatment at the study entry. PL was the most compromised domain in terms of Mean Domain Z scores. As for the Domain Cognitive Dysfunction score, a deficit of PL was observed in 45% of patients and was significantly more prevalent than memory, executive and visuospatial functions impairment (P = 0.0002, P = 0.0002 and P<0.000001, respectively). According to Global Cognitive Dysfunction score, 25% of patients experienced a mild impairment and 7.5% a moderate one. Anti-phospholipid antibodies positivity was significantly associated with memory impairment (P<0.0005), whereas the presence of other neuropsychiatric events was associated with executive dysfunctions (P<0.05); no further significant association nor correlation were identified. Conclusion In this study we evaluated for the first time PL in SLE patients finding a dysfunction in almost half of patients. The dysfunction of PL was significantly more frequent than the other domains assessed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fulvia Ceccarelli
- Lupus Clinic, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Carmelo Pirone
- Lupus Clinic, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Concetta Mina
- Dipartimento di Neurologia e Psichiatria, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Alfredo Mascolo
- Clinica Neurologica, Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università degli studi di Roma Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo Perricone
- Lupus Clinic, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Massaro
- Lupus Clinic, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Romana Spinelli
- Lupus Clinic, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristiano Alessandri
- Lupus Clinic, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Guido Valesini
- Lupus Clinic, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Conti
- Lupus Clinic, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- * E-mail:
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Hansen SM, Stubberud J, Hjertstedt M, Kirmess M. Intensive and standard group-based treatment for persons with social communication difficulties after an acquired brain injury: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open 2019; 9:e029392. [PMID: 31501112 PMCID: PMC6738733 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-029392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Social communication difficulties (SCDs) occur frequently after an acquired brain injury (ABI) and have disabling consequences, but effective interventions are scant. Group Interactive Structured Treatment (GIST) is a holistic group treatment targeting SCD that has received empirical support. OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy of two GIST protocols, standard GIST and a newly developed intensive GIST, comparing standard GIST results to a wait-list control group (WL), as well as to intensive GIST received by participants following WL. The within subject results for WL and intensive GIST will also be examined. METHODS AND ANALYSIS Sixty adults (18-75 years) with SCD after ABI will be recruited for this randomised controlled trial. Standard GIST (n=30) will be delivered via outpatient sessions for 2.5 hours once per week for 12 weeks, plus one initial orientation session. Participants will be assessed at preintervention and postintervention and at 3-month and 6-month follow-ups (T1-T4). Intensive GIST (n=30) participants will be admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation unit for 4 weeks (two times 3 days/week, two times 4 days/week) and receive full-day sessions each week. Those participants will complete four assessments (T1-T4) in 12-week intervals as part of WL, assessments preintensive and postintensive GIST and at 3-month and 6-month follow-ups (T4-T7). The primary outcome measure is the La Trobe Questionnaire (self-report). Secondary outcome measures include the Profile of Pragmatic Impairment in Communication, a test of emotion recognition, the Goal Attainment Scale and questionnaires addressing social, emotional and cognitive functions, self-efficacy and quality of life. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION Results will be communicated through international, peer-reviewed and popular science journals and presentations at scientific conferences. The study is approved by the Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics Norway (2017/1360). The trial will be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and reported in accordance with the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials 2010 statement and Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials recommendations. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT03636399.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silje Merethe Hansen
- Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital, Akershus, Norway
| | - Jan Stubberud
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Research, Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Melanie Kirmess
- Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital, Akershus, Norway
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Lawson LP, Joshi R, Barbaro J, Dissanayake C. Gender Differences During Toddlerhood in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Prospective Community-Based Longitudinal Follow-Up Study. J Autism Dev Disord 2019; 48:2619-2628. [PMID: 29497988 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3516-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Relatively few studies have examined gender differences in infants and toddlers, and most focus on clinically referred samples or high-risk infant cohorts. The current study aimed to examine gender differences in early autism manifestations and cognitive development in a community-ascertained sample. In total, 46 males and 21 females with ASD were seen at approximately 24 and 48 months of age. No significant gender differences were observed on overall cognitive ability, verbal skills, non-verbal skills, overall autism severity, or restricted repetitive behaviours. However, females were found to exhibit more social communication impairments than males. These findings may indicate that female toddlers with less severe or different, social communication impairments may be more likely to be missed during routine surveillance during toddlerhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren P Lawson
- Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, La Trobe University, Kingsbury Drive, Melbourne, VIC, 3086, Australia.
- Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Brisbane, Australia.
| | - Rucha Joshi
- Autism Spectrum Australia, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Josephine Barbaro
- Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, La Trobe University, Kingsbury Drive, Melbourne, VIC, 3086, Australia
| | - Cheryl Dissanayake
- Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, La Trobe University, Kingsbury Drive, Melbourne, VIC, 3086, Australia
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Toe D, Paatsch L, Szarkowski A. Assessing Pragmatic Skills Using Checklists with Children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing: A Systematic Review. J Deaf Stud Deaf Educ 2019; 24:189-200. [PMID: 30929005 DOI: 10.1093/deafed/enz004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Revised: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
This paper investigates the use of checklists to assess pragmatics in children and adolescents who are deaf and hard of hearing. A systematic literature review was undertaken to identify all of the published research articles between 1979 and 2018 on the topic of the assessment of pragmatics for this population of children and adolescents. The 67 papers identified in this review were analyzed and all papers that utilized a checklist to assess pragmatic skills were identified. Across the 18 different published papers on the use of pragmatic skills among children who are deaf and hard of hearing, nine checklists were identified. These nine checklists were then compared and contrasted on six key features including identification of a theoretical framework or model; the type of pragmatic skills measured; the age range of the child assessed; the information/outputs generated; the primary informant for the assessment; and reliability, validity, and normative data. The resulting analysis provides a comprehensive guide to aid clinicians, educators, and researchers in selecting an appropriate checklist to assess pragmatic skills for children and adolescents who are deaf and hard of hearing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Amy Szarkowski
- Children's Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
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Abstract
Purpose Pragmatic language is important for social communication across all settings. Children adopted internationally (CAI) may be at risk of poorer pragmatic language because of adverse early care, delayed adopted language development, and less ability to inhibit. The purpose of this study was to compare pragmatic language performance of CAI from Asian and Eastern European countries with a nonadopted group of children who were of the same age and from similar socioeconomic backgrounds as well as explore the relationship among emotion identification, false belief understanding, and inhibition variables with pragmatic language performance. Method Using a quasi-experimental design, 35 four-year-old CAI (20 Asian, 15 Eastern European) and 33 children who were not adopted were included in this study. The children's pragmatic language, general language, and social communication (emotion identification of facial expressions, false belief understanding, inhibition) were measured. Comparisons by region of origin and adoption experience were completed. We conducted split-half correlation analyses and entered significant correlation variables into simple and backward regression models. Results Pragmatic language performance differed by adoption experience. The adopted and nonadopted groups demonstrated different correlation patterns. Language performance explained most of the pragmatic language variance. Discussion Because CAI perform less well than their nonadopted peers on pragmatic communication measures and different variables are related to their pragmatic performance, speech-language pathologists may need to adapt assessment and intervention practices for this population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hisako Matsuo
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Saint Louis University, MO
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Meulenbroek P, Ness B, Lemoncello R, Byom L, MacDonald S, O'Neil-Pirozzi TM, Moore Sohlberg M. Social communication following traumatic brain injury part 2: Identifying effective treatment ingredients. Int J Speech Lang Pathol 2019; 21:128-142. [PMID: 30955383 DOI: 10.1080/17549507.2019.1583281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Revised: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Social communication deficits are a severely debilitating aspect of traumatic brain injury (TBI), and there is strong clinical and research interest in how social communication interventions work for this population. Informed by a companion paper targeting assessment of social communication impairments post-TBI, this paper reviews relevant treatment theories and provides an inventory of social communication treatment components. METHOD We completed a mapping review examining 17 articles from recent literature reviews and 4 updated articles from a literature search to identify treatment targets and ingredients using the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System (RTSS). RESULT Social communication interventions are primarily based on behavioural and cognitive treatment theories. Common social communication treatment targets include changing skilled behaviours and cognitive or affective representations. We offer a menu of therapeutic ingredients and treatment considerations which represent the current state of social communication interventions. CONCLUSION By reviewing the social communication intervention literature through a theoretical lens, we identify which treatment targets are missing, which targets are being addressed, and which therapeutic ingredients (i.e. clinician activities) are recommended. A hypothetical case study is provided as a supplement to demonstrate how speech-language pathologists may integrate treatment theory, ingredients, and targets into clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Meulenbroek
- a Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders Traumatic Brain Injury Writing Committee
- b Division of Communication Sciences and Disorders , Department of Rehabilitation Science, University of Kentucky , Lexington , KY , USA
| | - Bryan Ness
- a Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders Traumatic Brain Injury Writing Committee
- c Communication Sciences and Disorders , California Baptist University , Riverside , CA , USA
| | - Rik Lemoncello
- a Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders Traumatic Brain Injury Writing Committee
- d School of Communication Sciences and Disorders , Pacific University , Forest Grove , OR , USA
| | - Lindsey Byom
- a Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders Traumatic Brain Injury Writing Committee
- e Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences Department of Allied Health , University of North Carolina , Chapel Hill , NC , USA
| | - Sheila MacDonald
- a Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders Traumatic Brain Injury Writing Committee
- f Sheila MacDonald & Associates , University of Toronto , Toronto , Canada
| | - Therese M O'Neil-Pirozzi
- a Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders Traumatic Brain Injury Writing Committee
- g Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders , Northeastern University and Spaulding-Harvard Traumatic Brain Injury Model System , Boston , MA , USA
| | - McKay Moore Sohlberg
- a Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders Traumatic Brain Injury Writing Committee
- h Communication Disorders & Sciences , University of Oregon, Eugene , OR , USA
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Sohlberg MM, MacDonald S, Byom L, Iwashita H, Lemoncello R, Meulenbroek P, Ness B, O'Neil-Pirozzi TM. Social communication following traumatic brain injury part I: State-of-the-art review of assessment tools. Int J Speech Lang Pathol 2019; 21:115-127. [PMID: 30957561 DOI: 10.1080/17549507.2019.1583280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2017] [Revised: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The primary aim of this paper was to identify and describe current social communication assessment tools for adults with traumatic brain injury. METHOD We conducted a state-of-the-art review to identify and categorise the range of social communication assessment tools found in the assessment and treatment literature that revealed 42 measures that were coded according to characteristics related to assessment types, psychometrics, and implementation. RESULT Of the 42 assessments, 64% evaluated social cognition and the remaining 36% evaluated communication. Coding of implementation categories revealed that only 18/42 (43%) measures were ecologically grounded and 23/42 (55%) were available to clinicians by purchase or in the public domain. Only three measures incorporated questions or an assessment of the examinee's priorities or concerns. CONCLUSION A number of factors limit current social communication assessment. The lack of tools that objectively and reliably evaluate communication or social cognition in ecologically valid ways remains problematic. Of particular concern is the lack of prioritisation of the individual's communication values and needs. Recommendations include a call to focus research on the development of more contextual, standardised assessments, consider availability and feasibility when tools are being developed, and evaluate assessment processes as well as discrete tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- McKay Moore Sohlberg
- a Academy of Neurological Communication Disorders , Traumatic Brain Injury Writing Committee
- b Communication Disorders & Sciences , University of Oregon , Eugene , OR , USA
| | - Sheila MacDonald
- a Academy of Neurological Communication Disorders , Traumatic Brain Injury Writing Committee
- c Sheila MacDonald & Associates , Department of Speech-Language Pathology, University of Toronto , Toronto , Canada
| | - Lindsey Byom
- a Academy of Neurological Communication Disorders , Traumatic Brain Injury Writing Committee
- d Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Department of Allied Health Sciences , University of North Carolina , Chapel Hill , NC , USA
| | - Heidi Iwashita
- a Academy of Neurological Communication Disorders , Traumatic Brain Injury Writing Committee
- b Communication Disorders & Sciences , University of Oregon , Eugene , OR , USA
| | - Rik Lemoncello
- a Academy of Neurological Communication Disorders , Traumatic Brain Injury Writing Committee
- e School of Communication Sciences and Disorders , Pacific University , Forest Grove , OR , USA
| | - Peter Meulenbroek
- a Academy of Neurological Communication Disorders , Traumatic Brain Injury Writing Committee
- f Communication Sciences and Disorders , University of Kentucky , Lexington , KY , USA
| | - Bryan Ness
- a Academy of Neurological Communication Disorders , Traumatic Brain Injury Writing Committee
- g Communication Sciences and Disorders , California Baptist University , Riverside , CA , USA
| | - Therese M O'Neil-Pirozzi
- a Academy of Neurological Communication Disorders , Traumatic Brain Injury Writing Committee
- h Communication Sciences and Disorders , Northeastern University , Boston , MA , USA , and
- i Spaulding-Harvard Traumatic Brain Injury Model System , Boston , MA , USA
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Yuan H, Dollaghan C. Measuring the Diagnostic Features of Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder: An Exploratory Study. Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2018; 27:647-656. [PMID: 29587307 DOI: 10.1044/2018_ajslp-16-0219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition introduced a new neurodevelopmental disorder, social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SPCD), that is characterized by deficits in 4 areas of communication. Although descriptions of these areas are provided, no assessment tools for SPCD are recommended. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which items from measurement tools commonly used in assessing pragmatic language impairment and related disorders might be useful in assessing the characteristics of social communication that define SPCD in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. METHOD Based on a literature search, 594 items from assessment tools commonly used to measure social communication abilities in people with pragmatic language impairment were identified. The first author judged whether each item reflected 1, more than 1, or none of the 4 SPCD diagnostic characteristics. After a brief training process, 5 second raters independently mapped subsets of items to the 6 categories. We calculated the percentage of agreement and Cohen's kappa for each pair of raters in assigning items to categories. RESULTS Percentages of agreement ranged from 76% to 82%, and Cohen's kappa values ranged from .69 to .76, indicating substantial agreement. Sources and item numbers for the 206 items that both raters assigned to the same SPCD feature are provided. CONCLUSIONS These items may provide guidance in assessing SPCD and in designing standardized screening and diagnostic measures for SPCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiying Yuan
- Callier Center for Communication Disorders, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson
| | - Christine Dollaghan
- Callier Center for Communication Disorders, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson
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12
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Wright A, Saxena S, Sheppard SM, Hillis AE. Selective impairments in components of affective prosody in neurologically impaired individuals. Brain Cogn 2018; 124:29-36. [PMID: 29723680 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2018.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2018] [Revised: 04/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The intent and feelings of the speaker are often conveyed less by what they say than by how they say it, in terms of the affective prosody - modulations in pitch, loudness, rate, and rhythm of the speech to convey emotion. Here we propose a cognitive architecture of the perceptual, cognitive, and motor processes underlying recognition and generation of affective prosody. We developed the architecture on the basis of the computational demands of the task, and obtained evidence for various components by identifying neurologically impaired patients with relatively specific deficits in one component. We report analysis of performance across tasks of recognizing and producing affective prosody by four patients (three with right hemisphere stroke and one with frontotemporal dementia). Their distinct patterns of performance across tasks and quality of their abnormal performance provides preliminary evidence that some of the components of the proposed architecture can be selectively impaired by focal brain damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Wright
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, USA
| | - Sadhvi Saxena
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, USA
| | - Shannon M Sheppard
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, USA
| | - Argye E Hillis
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, USA; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Physical and Medicine & Rehabilitation, USA; Johns Hopkins University, Department of Cognitive Science, USA.
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Vasa RA, Kreiser NL, Keefer A, Singh V, Mostofsky SH. Relationships between autism spectrum disorder and intolerance of uncertainty. Autism Res 2018; 11:636-644. [PMID: 29316350 PMCID: PMC5903967 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2017] [Revised: 11/08/2017] [Accepted: 12/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a dispositional risk factor involving maladaptive responding under conditions of uncertainty. Recent data indicate that IU is likely elevated in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and is positively correlated with anxiety. This study examined whether IU may be associated with ASD independent of anxiety. Relationships between anxiety, ASD, and IU were examined in 57 children with ASD without co-occurring intellectual disability and 32 control participants, ages 7-16 years. Hierarchal linear regressions were run to examine whether ASD variables, including emotion dysregulation, were predictive of IU when controlling for anxiety. Severity of social communication deficits, repetitive behaviors, and emotion dysregulation were each related to IU when controlling for the effects of anxiety. When these variables were entered into the regression model together, emotion dysregulation was the only significant predictor of IU. These findings suggest that IU is directly related to features of ASD possibly due to shared genetic, neurological, or psychological underpinnings. Autism Res 2018, 11: 636-644. © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY Youth with ASD without co-occurring intellectual disability experience high levels of intolerance of uncertainty (IU), which is related to anxiety. This study found that IU may also have a relationship with certain aspects of ASD, particularly emotion dysregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roma A. Vasa
- Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 3901 Greenspring Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland, 21211
- Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 707 North Broadway, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1800 Orleans Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21287
| | - Nicole L. Kreiser
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, 825 Fairfax Avenue, Suite 710, Norfolk, Virginia, 23507
| | - Amy Keefer
- Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 3901 Greenspring Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland, 21211
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1800 Orleans Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21287
| | - Vini Singh
- Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 3901 Greenspring Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland, 21211
| | - Stewart H. Mostofsky
- Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 707 North Broadway, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, 825 Fairfax Avenue, Suite 710, Norfolk, Virginia, 23507
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 601 N. Caroline Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205
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Adams C, Lockton E, Collins A. Metapragmatic Explicitation and Social Attribution in Social Communication Disorder and Developmental Language Disorder: A Comparative Study. J Speech Lang Hear Res 2018; 61:604-618. [PMID: 29471463 DOI: 10.1044/2017_jslhr-l-17-0026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purposes of this study are to investigate metapragmatic (MP) ability in 6-11-year-old children with social communication disorder (SCD), developmental language disorder (DLD), and typical language development and to explore factors associated with MP explicitation and social understanding (SU). METHOD In this cross-sectional study, all participants (N = 82) completed an experimental task, the Assessment of Metapragmatics (Collins et al., 2014), in which pragmatic errors are identified in filmed interactions. Responses were scored for complexity/type of explicitation (MP score) and attribution of social characteristics to the films' characters (SU score). RESULTS Groups with SCD and DLD had significantly lower MP scores and less sophisticated explicitation than the group with typical language development. After controlling for language and age, the group with SCD had significantly lower SU scores than the group with DLD. Significant correlations were found between MP scores and age/language ability but not with pragmatic impairment. CONCLUSIONS Children with SCD or DLD performed poorly on an MP task compared with children who are typically developing but do not differ from each other in ability to reflect verbally on pragmatic features in interactions. MP ability appears to be closely related to structural language ability. The limited ability of children with SCD to attribute social/psychological states to interlocutors may indicate additional social attribution limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Adams
- School of Health Sciences, The University of Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Elaine Lockton
- School of Health Sciences, The University of Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Collins
- School of Health Sciences, The University of Manchester, United Kingdom
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Grzadzinski R, Carr T, Colombi C, McGuire K, Dufek S, Pickles A, Lord C. Measuring Changes in Social Communication Behaviors: Preliminary Development of the Brief Observation of Social Communication Change (BOSCC). J Autism Dev Disord 2017; 46:2464-79. [PMID: 27062034 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-016-2782-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Psychometric properties and initial validity of the Brief Observation of Social Communication Change (BOSCC), a measure of treatment-response for social-communication behaviors, are described. The BOSCC coding scheme is applied to 177 video observations of 56 young children with ASD and minimal language abilities. The BOSCC has high to excellent inter-rater and test-retest reliability and shows convergent validity with measures of language and communication skills. The BOSCC Core total demonstrates statistically significant amounts of change over time compared to a no change alternative while the ADOS CSS over the same period of time did not. This work is a first step in the development of a novel outcome measure for social-communication behaviors with applications to clinical trials and longitudinal studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Grzadzinski
- Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, 21 Bloomingdale Road, Rogers Building, White Plains, NY, 10605, USA
- Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Themba Carr
- Center for Autism Research and Treatment, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Kelly McGuire
- Center for Autism and Developmental Disorders, Maine Behavioral Health Care, South Portland, ME, USA
- New York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University Medical Center and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sarah Dufek
- Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, 21 Bloomingdale Road, Rogers Building, White Plains, NY, 10605, USA
| | - Andrew Pickles
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Catherine Lord
- Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, 21 Bloomingdale Road, Rogers Building, White Plains, NY, 10605, USA.
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Zheng Z, Fu Q, Zhao H, Swanson AR, Weitlauf AS, Warren ZE, Sarkar N. Design of an Autonomous Social Orienting Training System (ASOTS) for Young Children With Autism. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2017. [PMID: 28644796 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2016.2598727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Social communication is among the core areas of impairment for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The training of social orientation is important for improving social communication of children with ASD. In recent years, technology-assisted ASD intervention had gained momentum due to its potential advantages in terms of precision, sustainability, flexibility and cost. In this paper, we propose a closed-loop autonomous computer system, named ASOTS, for training social orientation skills to young children with ASD. This system is designed to detect and track a child's attention in response to social orientation bids and help the child towards appropriate social orientation when needed. Response to name, an important social orientation skill, was used to demonstrate the functionality of the proposed system. Ten toddlers with ASD participated in a pilot user study to show whether the system could be used on young children who have been diagnosed with ASD. Another pilot user study with 10 TD infants tested whether this system has a potential to be applied for early detection for infants who were younger than the age when ASD diagnoses can be done. This was done intentionally to separately demonstrate utility and functionality for the clinical population of interest and to demonstrate functionality beyond current clinical identification capacity (i.e., infants). The results showed that the proposed system and the protocol were well tolerated by both groups, successfully captured young children's attention, and elicited the desired behavior.
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Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders lead to a long-term and severe impairment of communication and social interactions. The expansion of information and communication technologies, through digital applications which can be used on different devices, can be used to support these functions necessary for the development of children with ASD. Applications, serious games and even humanoid robots help to boost children's interest in learning. They must however form part of a broader range of therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Etienne Vallart
- Pôle universitaire de psychiatrie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent, centre hospitalier spécialisé Henri Laborit-université de Poitiers, CMPEA, 7, rue des Anciennes-Serres, 86280 Saint-Benoît, France
| | - Ludovic Gicquel
- Pôle universitaire de psychiatrie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent, unité de recherche clinique (URC), centre hospitalier spécialisé Henri Laborit-université de Poitiers, Faculté de médecine et de pharmacie, 6, rue de la Milétrie, TSA 51115, 86073 Poitiers cedex 9, France.
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18
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Stronach ST, Wetherby AM. Observed and Parent-Report Measures of Social Communication in Toddlers With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder Across Race/Ethnicity. Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2017; 26:355-368. [PMID: 28395297 PMCID: PMC5544362 DOI: 10.1044/2016_ajslp-15-0089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Revised: 11/23/2015] [Accepted: 10/19/2016] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study investigated whether measures of early social communication vary among young children of diverse racial/ethnic status with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHOD Participants were 364 toddlers between ages 18 and 36 months with a diagnosis of ASD confirmed (n = 195) or ruled out (n = 169), from 3 racial/ethnic categories: non-Hispanic White (n = 226), non-Hispanic Black (n = 74), and Hispanic (n = 64). Group differences in social communication were examined using an observational measure-the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Behavior Sample (CSBS-BS; Wetherby & Prizant, 2002)-and a parent-report measure, the Early Screening for Autism and Communication Disorders (Wetherby, Woods, & Lord, 2007). RESULTS Controlling for maternal education, children with ASD scored significantly lower on the CSBS-BS than children without, indicating poorer social communication skills, and higher on the Early Screening for Autism and Communication Disorders, indicating more ASD features. Racial/ethnic groups did not differ on 6 CSBS-BS clusters, but Non-Hispanic White toddlers scored significantly higher than both other groups on the Understanding cluster. There were no significant Diagnosis × Race/Ethnicity interactions. CONCLUSION These findings indicate good agreement between observed and parent-report measures in this sample. Results suggest that the CSBS-BS and Early Screening for Autism and Communication Disorders could be viable tools in the detection process for toddlers with ASD in these racial/ethnic groups.
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19
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Ekberg K, Hickson L, Grenness C. Conversation breakdowns in the audiology clinic: the importance of mutual gaze. Int J Lang Commun Disord 2017; 52:346-355. [PMID: 27558299 DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.12277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2016] [Accepted: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Conversational breakdowns are a persistent concern for older adults with hearing impairment (HI). Previous studies in experimental settings have investigated potential causes of breakdowns in conversations with a person with HI, and effective strategies for repairing these breakdowns. However, little research has explored the causes of hearing-related communication breakdowns, and their repairs, in extended, naturally occurring conversations in a healthcare setting. AIMS To analyse systematically instances of clients' initiations of repair within video-recorded initial audiology appointments, and to examine the interactional environment in which they occurred. METHODS & PROCEDURES Participants included 26 audiologists and their older adult clients (aged 55+ years). Companions were present in 17 of the 63 appointments. Conversation analysis (CA) was used to examine the video-recorded audiology appointments with older adults with HI. The corpus was systematically analysed for all instances of 'other-initiated repair' by clients (initiation of repair targeting the prior speakers' turn). A collection of 51 instances of other-initiated repair were identified. These instances were analysed in detail for: (1) the interactional environment in which they occurred; (2) the strategy by which the client initiated repair; and (3) the strategies used by the audiologist to repair the communication breakdown. OUTCOMES & RESULTS In 76% (n = 39) of the 51 cases of other-initiated repair from the client, there was a lack of mutual gaze between participants (i.e., either the audiologist or the client were looking away or facing in another direction during the prior turn). More specifically, many of these instances occurred when the audiologist was speaking to the client while multitasking. Audiologists used multiple-repair strategies in their responsive turn in an attempt to repair the communication breakdown efficiently. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS These findings, from extended, naturally occurring conversations with older adults with HI in clinic settings, highlight the importance of face-to-face communication even in quiet one-to-one settings. Clinicians should remain aware of their movements and gaze when speaking to clients during appointments. The findings also provide further support for the importance of communication programs in hearing rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie Ekberg
- Communication Disability Centre, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Louise Hickson
- Communication Disability Centre, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
- HEARing Cooperative Research Centre, Australia
| | - Caitlin Grenness
- HEARing Cooperative Research Centre, Australia
- Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Bosco FM, Parola A, Sacco K, Zettin M, Angeleri R. Communicative-pragmatic disorders in traumatic brain injury: The role of theory of mind and executive functions. Brain Lang 2017; 168:73-83. [PMID: 28161678 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2017.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2016] [Revised: 10/19/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Previous research has shown that communicative-pragmatic ability, as well as executive functions (EF) and Theory of Mind (ToM), may be impaired in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, the role of such cognitive deficits in explaining communicative-pragmatic difficulty in TBI has still not been fully investigated. The study examined the relationship between EF (working memory, planning and flexibility) and ToM and communicative-pragmatic impairment in patients with TBI. 30 individuals with TBI and 30 healthy controls were assessed using the Assessment Battery of Communication (ABaCo), and a set of cognitive, EF and ToM, tasks. The results showed that TBI participants performed poorly in comprehension and production tasks in the ABaCo, using both linguistic and extralinguistic means of expression, and that they were impaired in EF and ToM abilities. Cognitive difficulties were able to predict the pragmatic performance of TBI individuals, with both executive functions and ToM contributing to explaining patients' scores on the ABaCo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca M Bosco
- Center for Cognitive Science, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy; Institute of Neurosciences of Turin, Italy
| | - Alberto Parola
- Center for Cognitive Science, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy.
| | - Katiuscia Sacco
- Center for Cognitive Science, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy; Institute of Neurosciences of Turin, Italy
| | | | - Romina Angeleri
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, NM, United States
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21
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Johnson FM, Best W, Beckley FC, Maxim J, Beeke S. Identifying mechanisms of change in a conversation therapy for aphasia using behaviour change theory and qualitative methods. Int J Lang Commun Disord 2017; 52:374-387. [PMID: 27882642 PMCID: PMC5507167 DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.12279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2016] [Accepted: 07/03/2016] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Conversation therapy for aphasia is a complex intervention comprising multiple components and targeting multiple outcomes. UK Medical Research Council (MRC) guidelines published in 2008 recommend that in addition to measuring the outcomes of complex interventions, evaluation should seek to clarify how such outcomes are produced, including identifying the hypothesized mechanisms of change. AIMS To identify mechanisms of change within a conversation therapy for people with aphasia and their partners. Using qualitative methods, the study draws on behaviour change theory to understand how and why participants make changes in conversation during and after therapy. METHODS & PROCEDURES Data were derived from 16 participants (eight people with aphasia; eight conversation partners) who were recruited to the Better Conversations with Aphasia research project and took part in an eight session conversation therapy programme. The dataset consists of in-therapy discussions and post-therapy interviews, which are analysed using Framework Analysis. OUTCOMES & RESULTS Seven mechanisms of conversational behaviour change are identified and linked to theory. These show how therapy can activate changes to speakers' skills and motivation for using specific behaviours, and to the conversational opportunities available for strategy use. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS These clinically relevant findings offer guidance about the processes involved in producing behavioural change via conversation therapy. A distinction is made between the process involved in motivating change and that involved in embedding change. Differences are also noted between the process engaged in reducing unhelpful behaviour and that supporting new uses of compensatory strategies. Findings are expected to have benefits for those seeking to replicate therapy's core processes both in clinical practice and in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona M. Johnson
- University College LondonDivision of Psychology & Language SciencesLondonWC1E 6BTUK
- Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
| | - Wendy Best
- University College LondonDivision of Psychology & Language SciencesLondonWC1E 6BTUK
| | | | - Jane Maxim
- University College LondonDivision of Psychology & Language SciencesLondonWC1E 6BTUK
| | - Suzanne Beeke
- University College LondonDivision of Psychology & Language SciencesLondonWC1E 6BTUK
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Fisher F, Philpott A, Andrews SC, Maule R, Douglas J. Characterizing social communication changes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Int J Lang Commun Disord 2017; 52:137-142. [PMID: 27363686 DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.12267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2016] [Revised: 04/21/2016] [Accepted: 04/25/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Speech and language impairments are well-established in individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, knowledge about particular aspects of social communication and everyday conversational abilities is limited. AIMS To investigate self- and informant-report ratings of social communicative abilities in ALS participants and matched healthy controls. METHODS & PROCEDURES Thirty-two participants with ALS and 24 controls completed the La Trobe Communication Questionnaire (LCQ). Participants nominated a close other to provide an informant report on the LCQ. Demographic and clinical information was also collected. OUTCOMES & RESULTS Informant ratings indicated greater difficulties in conversational initiation, effectiveness and partner sensitivity for ALS participants compared with controls. ALS participants did not rate their social communicative abilities as poorer than controls and self-reports only differed from informant ratings in the control group. LCQ scores were not significantly correlated with clinical/functional variables. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS Social communication can be reduced in ALS and individuals may lack insight into these difficulties. In order to understand and provide targeted interventions for such difficulties, clinical speech and language assessment should incorporate social communication assessment, including both a self- and informant-report format.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona Fisher
- Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, Caulfield South, VIC, Australia
| | - April Philpott
- Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, Caulfield South, VIC, Australia
| | - Sophie C Andrews
- Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, Caulfield South, VIC, Australia
- School of Psychological Sciences and Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Roxanne Maule
- Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, Caulfield South, VIC, Australia
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Irvine CA, Eigsti IM, Fein DA. Uh, Um, and Autism: Filler Disfluencies as Pragmatic Markers in Adolescents with Optimal Outcomes from Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2016; 46:1061-70. [PMID: 26586555 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-015-2651-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Filler disfluencies--uh and um--are thought to serve distinct discourse functions. We examined fillers in spontaneous speech by youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who struggle with pragmatic language, and by youth with ASD who have achieved an 'optimal outcome' (OO), as well as in peers with typical development (TD). While uh rates did not differ, participants with ASD produced um less frequently than OO or TD groups. Um rate was associated with autism symptom severity, but not executive function or language abilities, suggesting that um serves a pragmatic, listener-oriented function. Moreover, in contrast to minimal production in ASD, the typical OO um production substantiates the normalization of subtle social communication in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Inge-Marie Eigsti
- Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
| | - Deborah A Fein
- Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
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Kuriakose S, Lahiri U. Design of a Physiology-Sensitive VR-Based Social Communication Platform for Children With Autism. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2016; 25:1180-1191. [PMID: 28114071 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2016.2613879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Individuals with autism are often characterized by impairments in communication, reciprocal social interaction and explicit expression of their affective states. In conventional techniques, a therapist adjusts the intervention paradigm by monitoring the affective state e.g., anxiety of these individuals for effective floor-time-therapy. Conventional techniques, though powerful, are observation-based and face resource limitations. Technology-assisted systems can provide a quantitative, individualized rehabilitation platform. Presently-available systems are designed primarily to chain learning via aspects of one's performance alone restricting individualization. Specifically, these systems are not sensitive to one's anxiety. Our presented work seeks to bridge this gap by developing a novel VR-based interactive system with Anxiety-Sensitive adaptive technology. Specifically, such a system is capable of objectively identifying and quantifying one's anxiety level from real-time biomarkers, along with performance metrics. In turn it can adaptively respond in an individualized manner to foster improved social communication skills. In our present research, we have used Virtual Reality (VR) to design a proof-of-concept application that exposes participants to social tasks of varying challenges. Results of a preliminary usability study indicate the potential of our VR-based Anxiety-Sensitive system to foster improved task performance, thereby serving as a potent complementary tool in the hands of therapist.
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Lockton E, Adams C, Collins A. Do children with social communication disorder have explicit knowledge of pragmatic rules they break? A comparison of conversational pragmatic ability and metapragmatic awareness. Int J Lang Commun Disord 2016; 51:508-517. [PMID: 26916221 DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.12227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2015] [Accepted: 11/05/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children who have social communication disorder (CwSCD) demonstrate persistent difficulties with language pragmatics in conversations and other verbal interactions. Speech-language interventions for these children often include promotion of metapragmatic awareness (MPA); that is, the ability to identify explicitly and reflect upon pragmatic rules (MP explicitation). Improved MPA is assumed to support increased self-monitoring and generalization of pragmatic knowledge. Evidence to support this as a mechanism of intervention depends upon the identification of a systematic relationship between MPA and use of pragmatic rules in conversational behaviour. AIMS To explore whether there is a relationship between MPA and conversational pragmatic ability in CwSCD. Further, it is asked whether CwSCD can demonstrate MPA for the pragmatic rules they themselves violate in conversation. METHODS & PROCEDURES Thirty-nine CwSCD (aged 6;1-10;7 years), recruited from NHS speech and language therapy caseloads across the North West of England and South East Scotland, completed (1) a novel task, the Assessment of Metapragmatics (AMP), in which they identified and described a series of pragmatic errors depicted in scripted films; responses on this task were categorized into levels of MP explicitation; and (2) the Targeted Observation of Pragmatics in Children's Conversations (TOPICC), a semi-structured conversation-elicitation task from which 12 aspects of pragmatics were coded for presence of impairment. Regression analysis was used to explore the interaction between scores on the two tasks. OUTCOMES & RESULTS Expressive language score was a significant predictor of TOPICC score. However, AMP score, when added into the regression model, did not explain a significant amount of unique variance in TOPICC score. Over half of CwSCD demonstrated moderate or marked impairment in one or two pragmatic behaviours on TOPICC. For just over half of the occasions where a child showed moderate/marked impairment of a pragmatic rule on TOPICC did the same child demonstrate MPA for the same pragmatic rule on AMP. On 25% of occasions they demonstrated the most sophisticated level of MP explicitation. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS Findings indicate that some CwSCD have an awareness of the pragmatic rules they themselves violate in conversation. This finding suggests that, for some CwSCD, it may be beneficial for speech and language therapy to focus on improving motivation for use and better understanding of the impact of one's own pragmatic performance on others, rather than solely teaching awareness of pragmatic rules that are already understood but not used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaine Lockton
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Catherine Adams
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Anna Collins
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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Murza KA, Schwartz JB, Hahs-Vaughn DL, Nye C. Joint attention interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Lang Commun Disord 2016; 51:236-251. [PMID: 26952136 DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.12212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2015] [Accepted: 09/16/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A core social-communication deficit in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is limited joint attention behaviours-important in the diagnosis of ASD and shown to be a powerful predictor of later language ability. Various interventions have been used to train joint attention skills in children with ASD. However, it is unclear which participant, intervention and interventionist factors yield more positive results. AIMS The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to provide a quantitative assessment of the effectiveness of joint attention interventions aimed at improving joint attention abilities in children with ASD. METHODS & PROCEDURES The researchers searched six databases for studies meeting the inclusion criteria at two levels: title/abstract and full-text stages. Two independent coders completed data extraction using a coding manual and form developed specifically for this research study. Meta-analysis procedures were used to determine the overall effects of several comparisons including treatment type, treatment administrator, intervention characteristics and follow-up. MAIN CONTRIBUTION Fifteen randomized experimental studies met inclusion criteria. All comparisons resulted in statistically significant effects, though overlapping confidence intervals suggest that none of the comparisons were statistically different from each other. Specifically, treatment administrator, dosage and design (control or comparison, etc.) characteristics of the studies do not appear to produce significantly different effects. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS The results of this meta-analysis provide strong support for explicit joint attention interventions for young children with ASD; however, it remains unclear which children with ASD respond to which type of intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly A Murza
- Audiology & Speech Language Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO, USA
| | - Jamie B Schwartz
- Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Debbie L Hahs-Vaughn
- Methodology, Measurement, and Analysis, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Chad Nye
- University of Central Florida Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, Orlando, FL, USA
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Pentimonti JM, Murphy KA, Justice LM, Logan JAR, Kaderavek JN. School readiness of children with language impairment: predicting literacy skills from pre-literacy and social-behavioural dimensions. Int J Lang Commun Disord 2016; 51:148-161. [PMID: 26541493 DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.12193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2014] [Accepted: 06/01/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND School readiness generally captures the notion that children do best when they arrive at formal schooling with a certain threshold of skill that will help them thrive in the classroom's academic and social milieu. AIMS To examine the dimensionality of the construct of school readiness among children with language impairment (LI), as well as the extent to which these dimensions relate to children's end-of-kindergarten literacy skills. METHODS & PROCEDURES Participants were 136 preschool-aged children with LI. Children were assessed on measures of pre-literacy, social, and behavioural skills in preschool and reading and spelling in kindergarten. OUTCOMES & RESULTS Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that school readiness for this sample of children with LI is best characterized as two dimensions: pre-literacy and socio-emotional. Of the two dimensions, pre-literacy readiness was predictive of children's future performance in reading and spelling. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS The results further our theoretical understanding of the dimensions of school readiness, as well as our knowledge of how these skills are related among children with LI. Identifying domain-specific readiness skills that are predictive of kindergarten success can help to identify means of early assessment and targets for speech-language intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kimberly A Murphy
- College of Education and Human Ecology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Laura M Justice
- College of Education and Human Ecology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Jessica A R Logan
- College of Education and Human Ecology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Joan N Kaderavek
- Early Childhood, Physical & Special Education, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
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Ketelaars MP, Jansonius K, Cuperus J, Verhoeven L. Narrative competence in children with pragmatic language impairment: a longitudinal study. Int J Lang Commun Disord 2016; 51:162-173. [PMID: 26935766 DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.12195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2015] [Accepted: 06/18/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children with pragmatic language impairment (PLI) show impairments in the use of language in social contexts. Although the issue has been gaining attention in recent literature, not much is known about the developmental trajectories of children who experience pragmatic language problems. Since narrative competence is an important predictor of both academic and social success, evaluating narrative competence in children with PLI is deemed important. AIMS To examine the development of narrative competence of children with PLI compared with typically developing (TD) children using a prognostic longitudinal design. METHODS & PROCEDURES Using the Dutch adaptation of the Renfrew Bus Story Test, narrative competence was assessed at ages 5-7 for a group of 84 children with PLI and a group of 81 TD children. Groups were compared on measures of narrative productivity, organization of story content and cohesion. OUTCOMES & RESULTS Results showed an increase in narrative competence for both groups across most time points. The PLI group obtained lower scores on measures of narrative productivity and story content organization compared with their TD peers at all time points, but did not show more problems related to narrative cohesion. Most problems in the domain of narrative productivity and story content organization were shown to be independent of lower non-verbal intelligence. The developmental trajectory for the PLI group was largely similar to that of their TD peers, and showed a persistent developmental delay of approximately one year. Furthermore, qualitative differences were visible in the proportion of irrelevant T-units, which was consistently higher in the PLI group. The different narrative measures were found to be relatively stable over time. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS The results of this study suggest that narrative difficulties of children identified as pragmatically impaired persist at least until middle childhood. The persistence of the measured developmental delay, combined with the finding of qualitative differences, support the view of PLI as a deficit, which is consistent with the addition of social communication disorder (SCD) to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mieke P Ketelaars
- Leiden University, Department of Clinical Child and Adolescent Studies, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Kino Jansonius
- Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Ludo Verhoeven
- Behavioral Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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Freed J, McBean K, Adams C, Lockton E, Nash M, Law J. Performance of children with social communication disorder on the Happé Strange Stories: Physical and mental state responses and relationship to language ability. J Commun Disord 2015; 55:1-14. [PMID: 25935076 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2015.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2013] [Revised: 02/26/2015] [Accepted: 03/24/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED This study investigated whether a modified scoring method was useful for examining the ability of children with social communication disorder (CwSCD) to understand non-literal language and use mental state responses on the Happé Strange Stories (HSS) task. CwSCD and a control group of children with typical language development (CwTLD) completed 10 of the original HSS. CwSCD scored significantly lower on the HSS task than did CwTLD and were much less likely to produce mental state responses. There was a high level of inter-rater reliability (Weighted Kappa=0.907) across data from both groups. HSS performance and language ability correlated significantly for CwSCD. A regression model with age, nonverbal intelligence, receptive and expressive language as predictors explained 55.2% of the variance in HSS ability for CwSCD. The results suggest that the HSS have potential to be used as a clinical assessment to investigate high-level language and ability to infer intent in CwSCD. LEARNING OUTCOMES Readers will be able to describe a modified scoring method for the Happé Strange Stories task. Readers will be able to identify areas of impairment for children with social communication disorder. Readers will identify how these areas of impairment have an effect on ability to understand non-literal language and produce mental state responses on the Happé Strange Stories task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Freed
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
| | - Kirsty McBean
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Catherine Adams
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Elaine Lockton
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Marysia Nash
- Speech and Language Therapy Department, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, UK
| | - James Law
- Institute of Health and Society, Newcastle University, St Thomas Street, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
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Gaudelus B, Virgile J, Peyroux E, Leleu A, Baudouin JY, Franck N. [Measuring impairment of facial affects recognition in schizophrenia. Preliminary study of the facial emotions recognition task (TREF)]. Encephale 2014; 41:251-9. [PMID: 25240938 DOI: 10.1016/j.encep.2014.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2013] [Accepted: 04/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The impairment of social cognition, including facial affects recognition, is a well-established trait in schizophrenia, and specific cognitive remediation programs focusing on facial affects recognition have been developed by different teams worldwide. However, even though social cognitive impairments have been confirmed, previous studies have also shown heterogeneity of the results between different subjects. Therefore, assessment of personal abilities should be measured individually before proposing such programs. PURPOSE Most research teams apply tasks based on facial affects recognition by Ekman et al. or Gur et al. However, these tasks are not easily applicable in a clinical exercise. Here, we present the Facial Emotions Recognition Test (TREF), which is designed to identify facial affects recognition impairments in a clinical practice. The test is composed of 54 photos and evaluates abilities in the recognition of six universal emotions (joy, anger, sadness, fear, disgust and contempt). Each of these emotions is represented with colored photos of 4 different models (two men and two women) at nine intensity levels from 20 to 100%. Each photo is presented during 10 seconds; no time limit for responding is applied. METHOD The present study compared the scores of the TREF test in a sample of healthy controls (64 subjects) and people with stabilized schizophrenia (45 subjects) according to the DSM IV-TR criteria. We analysed global scores for all emotions, as well as sub scores for each emotion between these two groups, taking into account gender differences. Our results were coherent with previous findings. Applying TREF, we confirmed an impairment in facial affects recognition in schizophrenia by showing significant differences between the two groups in their global results (76.45% for healthy controls versus 61.28% for people with schizophrenia), as well as in sub scores for each emotion except for joy. Scores for women were significantly higher than for men in the population without psychiatric diagnosis. The study also allowed the identification of cut-off scores; results below 2 standard deviations of the healthy control average (61.57%) pointed to a facial affect recognition deficit. CONCLUSION The TREF appears to be a useful tool to identify facial affects recognition impairment in schizophrenia. Neuropsychologists, who have tried this task, have positive feedback. The TREF is easy to use (duration of about 15 minutes), easy to apply in subjects with attentional difficulties, and tests facial affects recognition at ecological intensity levels. These results have to be confirmed in the future with larger sample sizes, and in comparison with other tasks, evaluating the facial affects recognition processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Gaudelus
- Service universitaire de réhabilitation, centre hospitalier le Vinatier, 98, rue Boileau, 69006 Lyon, France.
| | - J Virgile
- Service universitaire de réhabilitation, centre hospitalier le Vinatier, 98, rue Boileau, 69006 Lyon, France
| | - E Peyroux
- Service universitaire de réhabilitation, centre hospitalier le Vinatier, 98, rue Boileau, 69006 Lyon, France; Centre de neuroscience cognitive, UMR 5229 CNRS, 67, boulevard Pinel, 69675 Bron cedex, France
| | - A Leleu
- Centre des sciences du Goût et de l'alimentation, UMR 6265 CNRS, UMR 1324 INRA, université de Bourgogne, bâtiment centre des sciences du goût, 9E, boulevard Jeanne-d'Arc, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - J-Y Baudouin
- Centre des sciences du Goût et de l'alimentation, UMR 6265 CNRS, UMR 1324 INRA, université de Bourgogne, bâtiment centre des sciences du goût, 9E, boulevard Jeanne-d'Arc, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - N Franck
- Service universitaire de réhabilitation, centre hospitalier le Vinatier, 98, rue Boileau, 69006 Lyon, France; Centre de neuroscience cognitive, UMR 5229 CNRS, 67, boulevard Pinel, 69675 Bron cedex, France
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