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Research by Topic: Speech
Language Tool Aims to Measure Children’s Conversation Skills
Published August 6, 2014 in Simons Foundation Autism Research InitiativeA test designed to characterize natural, spontaneous language use in autism shows solid promise in its first trials in typically developing children. The results were published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.The researchers assessed the ease of use and reliability of the test in 180 typically developing children in Michigan, ranging in age from 2 to 5 years. They confirmed that the youngest children can do the various tasks on the test and that the codes developed for the test match the skills of the oldest children. The researchers’ goal is to build a baseline of standard scores against which the scores of children with autism or other communication disorders can be compared.
Filed under: Autism News, Autism Research, Autism Science, Diagnosis, featured, Speech
Spatial, Verbal Skills in Autism Even Out with Age
Published February 14, 2014 in Simons Foundation Autism Research InitiativeA rigorous new study confirms that boys with autism tend to score higher on tests of spatial and analytical abilities than on those for verbal skills. But the gap decreases by the time they reach 10 years of age. This suggests that the trait cannot be used to define children with autism or their families, the researchers say. Instead, it may be a pattern of development common in children with autism or other developmental disorders. The report was published in the January issue of the American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
http://sfari.org/news-and-opinion/blog/2014/spatial-verbal-skills-in-autism-even-out-with-age
Filed under: Autism News, Autism Research, Autism Science, featured, Speech
Senses of Sight and Sound Separated in Children with Autism
Published January 14, 2014 in Vanderbilt UniversityLike watching a foreign movie that was badly dubbed, children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have trouble integrating simultaneous information from their eyes and their ears, according to a Vanderbilt study. The study, led by Mark Wallace, Ph.D., director of the Vanderbilt Brain Institute, is the first to illustrate the link and strongly suggests that deficits in the sensory building blocks for language and communication can ultimately hamper social and communication skills in children with autism.
http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2014/01/senses-of-sight-and-sound-separated-in-children-with-autism/
Filed under: Autism News, Autism Research, Autism Science, featured, Speech
iPads Help Late-Speaking Children with Autism Develop Language
Published November 12, 2013 in Vanderbilt UniversityNew research out of Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development found that using speech-generating devices, such as iPads, to encourage children ages 5 to 8 to develop speaking skills resulted in the subjects developing considerably more spoken words compared to other interventions. All of the children in the study learned new spoken words and several learned to produce short sentences as they moved through the training.
http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2013/11/ipads-autism-language/
Filed under: Autism News, Autism Research, Autism Science, featured, Language, Speech
Genetic Link Between Family Members with Autism and Language Impairment
Published October 30, 2013 in American Journal of PsychiatryNew research shows a genetic link between individuals with autism and family members with specific speech and language difficulties otherwise unexplained by cognitive or physical problems. Researchers discovered that genes in a small region of two chromosomes can lead to one family member developing autism and another family member only developing language impairment.
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleid=1763818
Filed under: Autism News, Autism Research, Autism Science, featured, Genetics, Language, Speech
Study of Nonverbal Autism Must Go Beyond Words, Experts Say
Published September 2, 2013 in Simons Foundation Autism Research InstituteAbout one fourth of people with autism are minimally verbal or nonverbal. Early intervention programs have been helping children develop language skills, but researchers say that seemingly unrelated issues such as motor skills and joint attention may hold the key to communication development.
Filed under: Autism News, Autism Research, Autism Science, Behavior, Early Intervention, featured, Speech
Voices May Not Trigger Brain’s Reward Centers in Children with ASD
Published June 17, 2013 in PNASThis Stanford study identifies an underconnectivity between the voice-selective cortex and the reward centers in the brain. This could suggest why children with autism have trouble grasping the social and emotional aspects of human speech.
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/06/12/1302982110
Filed under: Autism News, Autism Research, Autism Science, Brain Imaging, Cognition, featured, Social Interaction, Speech
Special Issue on: School-based Research of Autism Spectrum Disorders
Published May 1, 2013 in AutismFiled under: Autism News, Autism Research, Autism Science, Early Intervention, featured, School-Aged, Social Interaction, Social Skills, Speech, Treatment, Treatments
Predictors of Phrase and Fluent Speech in Children With Autism and Severe Language Delay
Published March 4, 2013 in PediatricsResearchers at Kennedy Krieger examined prevalence and predictors of language attainment in severely language-delayed children with ASD. 70% of the sample attained phrase speech and 47% attained fluent speech at or after age 4, indicating that later gains in language are likely in toddlers with severely delayed language. Children with high nonverbal intelligence and high levels of social interest and engagement were most likely to attain language. ASD-related features such as repetitive and sensory behaviors were not associated with language attainment.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23460690
Filed under: Autism Research, Autism Science, featured, Language, School-Aged, Speech, Toddlers
Early Intervention Could Help Autistic Children Learn to Speak
Published July 17, 2012 in Scientific AmericanNew follow-up study shows long-term language improvement for kids with autism after an intensive, targeted behavioral therapy program.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=early-intervention-autistic-children
Structure of language pathways differs in non-verbal autism
Published November 14, 2011 in SFARINon-verbal children with autism show structural differences in key language areas of the brain compared with controls, according to a poster presented Saturday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Filed under: Brain Imaging, featured, Language, Motor Planning, Speech, Treatments
Children With Autism Benefit from Early, Intensive Therapy
Published September 28, 2011 in Science DailyA primary characteristic of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is impairments in social-communication skills. Children and adolescents with social-communication problems face difficulty understanding, interacting and relating with others. University of Missouri researchers found that children who receive more intensive therapy to combat these impairments, especially at early ages, achieve the best outcomes.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110928125418.htm
Filed under: Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior, Early Intervention, Social Skills, Speech, Treatments
A Systematic Review of Early Intensive Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorders
Published April 1, 2011 in PediatricsResearchers at Vanderbilt University reviewed the effectiveness of early intervention programs for children aged 12 and younger with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Overall, the strength of the evidence ranged from insufficient to low. Studies performed at the University of California Los Angeles /Lovaas-based interventions and variants reported clinically significant gains in language and cognitive skills […]
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2011/04/04/peds.2011-0426.abstract
Filed under: Behavior, Early Intervention, Early Start Denver Model, Language, Speech, Treatments
A Systematic Review of Secretin for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Published April 1, 2011 in PediatricsKrishnaswami et al. Researchers at Vanderbilt University found that secretin, a medical treatment for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) that was popularized in the 1990s, is ineffective in the treatment of ASDs. Evidence from seven randomized controlled trials suggests that secretin does not effectively treat the symptoms of ASDs, which include language and communication impairment, symptom […]
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/5/e1322.abstract?etoc
Filed under: Language, Psychopharmacology, Social Skills, Speech, Treatments
New Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised Algorithms for Toddlers and Young Preschoolers from 12 to 47 Months of Age
Published March 1, 2011 in J Autism Developmental Disorders, Kim et al.The Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised is a tool clinician’s use for the diagnosis of a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The diagnostic algorithms of the evaluative tool were altered to improve sensitivity and specificity compared to the previous algorithm.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21384244
Filed under: Diagnosis, Language, Screening, Speech, Toddlers
Post-High School Service Use Among Young Adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder
Published February 1, 2011 in Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, Shattuck et al.Researchers conducted a telephone survey to determine the rates of service use among young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) during their first few years after high school. Rates of service ranged from 9.1% for speech therapy to 41.9% for case management. 39.1% of youths with an ASD represented by the survey received no services. […]
http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/165/2/141
Filed under: Adults, Service Delivery, Speech, Treatments
Gene Discovery Supports Link Between Handedness And Language-Related Disorders
Published November 8, 2010 in Medical News TodayScientists at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, have identified a genetic variant which influences whether a person with dyslexia is more skilled with either the left or right hand. The finding identifies a novel gene for handedness and provides the first genetic evidence to support a much speculated link between handedness and a language-related disorder.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/206851.php
Filed under: Biomarkers, Genetics, Language, Motor Planning, Speech
Siblings of Autistic Children May Have Some Autism Related Traits, Study Says
Published October 11, 2010 in LA TimesScientists at the Washington University School of Medicine have uncovered more evidence of a genetic basis for autism. Reviewing surveys collected from more than 1,000 families with autistic kids, they discovered that siblings of autistic children who have not been diagnosed with the disease often exhibit mild traits of autism, including speech delays.
http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-autism-20101011,0,976254.story
Filed under: Baby Sibs, Siblings, Speech
Language Delays Found in Siblings of Children with Autism
Published October 3, 2010 in Medical News TodayA new study, led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, found mild traits, not strong enough to provoke a diagnosis of autism, seem to be present in the siblings of affected children at significantly higher rates than seen in the general population. Siblings of children with autism have more frequent language delays and other subtle characteristics of the disorder than previously understood. Girls also may be mildly affected more often than recognized in the past.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/203249.php
Filed under: Diagnosis, Diagnostic Disparities, Gender, Genetics, Language, Siblings, Speech
Language as a Window into Sociability
Published August 13, 2010 in Science DailyPeople with Williams syndrome-known for their indiscriminate friendliness and ease with strangers-process spoken language differently from people with autism spectrum disorders-characterized by social withdrawal and isolation-found researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100816095806.htm
Filed under: Behavior, Language, Social Interaction, Social Skills, Speech
New Technology Reveals a Unique Vocal Signature in Autism
Published July 20, 2010 in Medical News TodayStudy reports new automated vocal analysis technology could fundamentally change the study of language development as well as the screening for autism spectrum disorders and language delay.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/195268.php
Filed under: Early Intervention, Language, Screening, Speech
Language Dysfunction in Children May Be Due to Epilectic Brain Activity
Published April 23, 2010 in Science DailyEpileptic activity in the brain can affect language development in children, and EEG registrations should therefore be carried out more frequently on children with severe language impairment to identify more readily those who may need medical treatment, reveals a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg.
Filed under: Epilepsy, Language, Speech
Brain Becomes Tuned to Voices and Emotional Tone of Voice During Pregnancy
Published March 24, 2010 in Science DailyNew research finds that the brains of infants as young as 7 months old demonstrate a sensitivity to the human voice and to emotions communicated through the voice that is remarkably similar to what is observed in the brains of adults.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100324121004.htm
Filed under: Brain Development, Language, Social Interaction, Speech
Music Training Enhances Brainstem Activity to Speech Sounds
Published February 22, 2010 in Science DailyAt a Feb. 20 press briefing held during the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting, a Northwestern University neuroscientist argued that music training has profound effects that shape the sensory system and should be a mainstay of K-12 education. Kraus presented her own research and the research of other neuroscientists suggesting music education can be an effective strategy in helping typically developing children as well as children with developmental dyslexia or autism more accurately encode speech.
Filed under: Brain Development, Early Intervention, Language, Speech, Treatments
Early Intervention for Toddlers With Autism Highly Effective, Study Finds
Published November 30, 2009 in Science DailyA novel early intervention program for very young children with autism — some as young as 18 months — is effective for improving IQ, language ability and social interaction, a comprehensive new study has found.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091130084720.htm
Filed under: Early Intervention, Language, Social Skills, Speech, Toddlers, Treatments
Linkage, Association, and Gene Expression Analyses Identify CNTNAP2 as an Autism-Susceptibility Gene
Published January 1, 2008 in American Journal of Human Genetics, Alarcon, Abrahams, et al.Autism is a genetically complex neurodevelopmental syndrome in which language deficits are a core feature. We describe results from two complimentary approaches used to identify risk variants on chromosome 7 that likely contribute to the etiology of autism. A two-stage association study tested 2758 SNPs across a 10 Mb 7q35 language-related autism QTL in AGRE […]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18179893
Filed under: Copy Number Variations, Gender, Genetics, Language, Speech, Testosterone
Infant and Toddler Oral and Manual Motor Skills Predict Later Speech Fluency in Autism
Published November 2, 2007 in Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Gernsbacher, Sauer, et alInfant and toddler oral-motor and manual-motor skills inter-correlated significantly, distinguished autistic children from typically developing children, and distinguished autistic children whose current-day speech was minimally fluent, moderately fluent, and highly fluent. These results were corroborated by analysis of historical home video and verified with current-day assessment.
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119392206/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
Filed under: Language, Motor Planning, Speech, Toddlers