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C Schwemmle

Publications and source records attributed to C Schwemmle.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

[Phoneme discrimination test material for preschool children: development and preliminary assessment].

BACKGROUND: Several tests have been developed to probe phoneme discrimination. However, little is known about the reliability and validity of discrimination abilities in preschool children as assessed by these tests. Based on previous results we now developed a test material based on minimal pair presentation. METHODS: Prospective study; 30 preschool children (5;1 to 6;3 years old, 17 boys, 13 girls); descriptive statistics and correlational analysis; items: 60 minimal pairs consisting of real words and nonsense words. RESULTS: Empirical testing confirmed prediction of normal distributed phoneme discrimination errors. No gender specific effects were found. Results correlated with the degree of phoneme opposition and with phonological loop capacity. DISCUSSION: These results indicate that the test material developed is suitable for testing phoneme discrimination in preschool children. However other normative assessments using larger test populations are warranted. Phoneme discrimination tasks appear to include testing of sensory as well as linguistic-cognitive functioning.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2006

[Does the subjective assessment of roughness correlate with a computer-aided measurement of irregularity index?].

For routine clinical purposes dysphonic voices are assessed using the GRBAS scale or analogues. An objective measurement often includes jitter measurements. Here we raised the question of whether roughness estimates correlate with a computer-aided measurement of the vocal fold cycle irregularity in 78 patients who read a standard text ("Nordwind und Sonne"). The samples were evaluated by 19 speech and voice therapy students according to the degree of roughness. The irregularity index was calculated according to the procedures suggested by Fourcin. Data were subjected to correlation analysis. A significant correlation was found between the irregularity index and the subjective roughness scaling. These data indicate that objective measurements of vibratory cycle irregularity during text reading can be used for clinical purposes in addition to subjective roughness scaling.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

[Stability of phoneme discrimination in preschool children].

BACKGROUND: Several tests have been developed to probe phoneme discrimination. However, little is known about the stability of discrimination abilities in preschool children. We investigated the test-retest reliability of a newly developed test material. METHODS: In a prospective study, 30 preschool children (5.1-6.3 years old) were tested with a time lag between test 1 and test 2 of 1 month. Correlational analysis was carried out using 60 minimal pairs consisting of real words and nonsense syllables. The choice of items took into consideration their frequency in the basic vocabulary as well as phoneme properties such as contrast and position. RESULTS: High Cronbach's alpha were found for all subscales. For the whole item list, Cronbach's alpha was 0.994. No significant gender specific differences were found. DISCUSSION: These data indicate a high stability of phoneme discrimination abilities in preschool children. Based on these results, the test material can be reliably used to evaluate therapeutic strategies to improve discrimination ability.

Child↗
PubMed2006

[Auditory processing disorder versus attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. A dysfunction complex or different entities?].

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that auditory processing disorders (APD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) may be the same entity with slightly differing symptoms. For testing this theory we compared parents' ratings of APD and ADHD behavioural characteristics. METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out with parents rating 312 children (113 girls and 199 boys; 6.0-9.11 years old, nonverbal intelligence IQ 95 or above) using APD and ADHD questionnaires. RESULTS: Significant, albeit weak correlations between several APD and ADHD subscale scores were found. Correlations between selective listening and attention behaviours approximated clinical relevance (rho >0.4). Factor analysis revealed two factors with APD behaviour loading on one and ADHD behaviour on a second different factor. Using a categorical approach, it appears that ADHD children have significantly more APD problems than children without ADHD. DISCUSSION: These data are consistent with the hypothesis that APD and ADHD overlap partly while still being distinct entities. In addition to dimensional aspects, the parents' rating may provide a guideline for establishing a diagnosis based on categorical distinctions.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
PubMed2006

[On the auditory evaluation of voice quality].

BACKGROUND: For routine clinical purposes, dysphonic voices are assessed perceptually using the GRBAS scale or analogues. For clinical application, the crucial question is the interrater reliability (IRR) of the auditory perceptual assessment of voice quality. Therefore, the IRR of the four point RBH (roughness, breathiness, hoarseness vs overall grade) scale was studied. Other parameters, e.g. validity and intrarater reliability were not considered. METHODS: A total of 78 patients read a standard text "Der Nordwind und die Sonne". These samples were evaluated by 19 speech and voice therapy students according to the degree of roughness, breathiness and hoarseness. Data were subjected to reliability analysis. RESULTS: Our data indicate a high IRR with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.94. No single rating of the 19 raters could be omitted without decreasing the IRR. DISCUSSION: The data indicate that the perceptual assessment of hoarseness for running speech is highly reliable. The application of the RBH scale is suitable for clinical purposes. It should be considered as an outcome measure.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

[Chromosome 1q syndrome and hearing loss: an unusual case].

INTRODUCTION: The interstitial deletion of chromosome 1q is a disease of rare incidence, which might be hereditary or caused by spontaneous changes within the chromosome respectively. The phenotype in most cases is based on the loss of macrochromosomal material within the long arm of chromosome 1. The characteristics of this syndrome include pre- and postnatal growth retardation, severe psychomotor retardation, microbrachycephaly, sparse fine scalp hair and eyebrows, deformity of skull with cleft of lips and palate, scoliosis, small hands and feet hernias, genital defects, clinodactyly of the fifth fingers and campylodactyly. Other morphological characteristics that have been reported are mainly kidney and cardiac abnormalities. The number of symptoms are related to the loss of genetic material. To our knowledge this is the first description of a patient with interstitial deletion of chromosome 1 (q23-q31). PATIENT: We report an eleven year old boy with interstitial deletion of chromosome 1(q23-q31). In addition to the known skeletal, orofacial disorders, hypothrophia and retardation we discovered a unilateral high-graded and contralateral middle-graded hearing loss. CONCLUSION: In infants with chromosome 1q syndrome adequate diagnostic procedures have to be employed to unveil sensineural hearing losses that might be overseen because of mental retardation. In particular a brainstem electric response audiometry should be considered for early diagnosis and treatment of a possible hearing-loss.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed2004

[Dementia-current knowledge and significance for ENT specialists].

Because of the growing number of elderly people, the incidence of dementia is increasing. This disease is a heavy burden for patients and their relatives, and has growing social and financial implications. The essential feature of dementia is an impairment in both short and long-term memory which is associated with an impairment in abstract thinking, impaired judgment, other disturbances of higher cortical functions, and/or personality change. Mild cognitive impairment represents a transitional state between the cognitive changes of normal aging and very early dementia, and is becoming increasingly recognized as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disorders. ENT specialists require knowledge on the basic problems in patients with (early) dementia and the most common diagnostic/therapeutic assessments. New therapeutic concepts such as cholinesterase inhibitors have been shown to interfere with the progression of Alzheimer's disease. In this report, the strategies in diagnostics and therapy which should be known by ENT specialists are presented.

Aged↗