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Biomedical subjects

M L Rice

Publications and source records attributed to M L Rice.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Morphological deficits of children with SLI: evaluation of number marking and agreement.

Three accounts of the grammatical deficits of children with specific language impairment (SLI), that is, Missing Feature, Surface Account, and Missing Agreement, were evaluated by examining children with SLI and language-matched non-SLI children's acquisition of number marking and number agreement. The data consisted of spontaneous language transcripts from 108 preschool children. Number marking was evaluated using five indices of plural development: percent of use in obligatory contexts, lexical productivity, selectivity, contrastivity, and morphological productivity. Two levels of number agreement were examined: the traditional agreement between the verb and its subject, and a new measure of agreement within the noun phrase. The results indicated that children with SLI control number marking, counter to the predictions of the Missing Feature hypothesis and the Surface Account. On the other hand, as predicted, number agreement across clausal boundaries was more difficult for the children with SLI as compared to the children in the control group. A close analysis of number marking within the noun phrase revealed two distinctive contexts, determiner+noun versus quantifier+noun. Children with SLI had more difficulty with the latter than the former, whereas the two contexts were not differentiated for the control children. Syntactic and semantic explanations are discussed as interpretive options.

Child Language↗
PubMed1992

Specific-language-impaired children's quick incidental learning of words: the effect of a pause.

It was hypothesized that the initial word comprehension of specific-language-impaired children would be enhanced by the insertion of a short pause just before a sentence-final novel word. Three groups of children served as subjects: twenty 5-year-old, specific-language-impaired (SLI) children, and two comparison groups of normally developing children, 20 matched for mean length of utterance (MLU) and 32 matched for chronological age (CA). The children were randomly assigned to two conditions for viewing video programs. The programs were animated stories that featured five novel object words and five novel attribute words, presented in a voice-over narration. The experimental version introduced a pause before the targeted words; the control version was identical except for normal prosody instead of a pause. Counter to the predictions, there was no effect for condition. Insertion of a pause did not improve the SLI children's initial comprehension of novel words. There were group main effects, with the CA matches better than either of the other two groups and no differences between the SLI children and the MLU-matched children.

Child Development↗
PubMed1992

Omentoplasty in abdominoperineal resection of the rectum.

An omental pedicle graft, based on the right gastro-epiploic artery to facilitate perineal healing, was used in 20 cases of abdominoperineal resection of the rectum. There was one postoperative death. Primary healing of the perineum occurred in all cases. The technique is described and recommended.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1991

Verb particle and preposition acquisition in language-impaired preschoolers.

This study examined the acquisition of verb particles and prepositions in language-impaired, language-matched, and age-matched preschool children. A videotape experimental task, in which subjects viewed and described brief action sequences, was implemented. The videotape task included particle, preposition, full noun phrase, and pronoun noun phrase items for six different particle/preposition words. Primary results indicated that the use of verb particles constituted a particularly challenging linguistic task for the language-impaired subjects relative to both their age- and language-matched peers. These results suggest multiple sources of difficulty for language-impaired children in the acquisition of grammatical form classes. Lexical and grammatical difficulties, as well as possible processing limitations, are implicated.

Child Language↗
PubMed1991

Social interactions of speech- and language-impaired children.

Social interactions among preschool children were classified into four groups according to language ability: normally developing English, specific language impairment (SLI), speech impairment (SI), and English as a second language (ESL). The children were observed in naturalistic classroom interactions on three occasions. Conversational turns were coded according to initiations and responses, and addressee. The results reveal differences across the groups of children. Normal language peers initiate interactions with each other and have a higher percentage of longer responses; normal language peers were the preferred addressee in peer initiations. In contrast, children with limited communication skills were more likely than their normal language peers to initiate with adults and to shorten their responses or use nonverbal responses. ESL children were the least likely to initiate interactions and were the most likely to be avoided as the recipient of an initiation. The findings are interpreted as evidence that preschool children are sensitive to relative communication skills and make adjustments in their social interactions accordingly. Multiple contributing factors are implicated, including intelligibility, limited linguistic flexibility, limited discourse skills, and self-consciousness about communicative competence.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Conversational responsiveness of speech- and language-impaired preschoolers.

The purpose of this study was to describe preschoolers' conversational responsiveness in an integrated classroom setting. Variables of primary interest were the types of responses as a function of the conversational partner. The children were categorized according to language ability: normally developing, marginal (children previously diagnosed as language or speech impaired, but now functioning within the normal range), language impaired (LI), and speech impaired (SI). They were observed during free play. Differences in response types were apparent between groups with both adult and peer partners. LI and SI children were ignored by their peers and responded less often when a peer initiated to them. Hence, they participated in proportionately fewer peer interactions. These results suggest that peer interaction difficulties may be concomitant consequences of early speech and language impairments. Clinical implications for verbal interactive skill intervention, particularly with peers in classroom settings, are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Influence of the social context on pragmatic skills of adults with mental retardation.

The influence of social context on pragmatic skills of adults with mild to moderate mental retardation was examined. Subjects were asked to judge topic maintenance presentations when shown videotaped conversations. These conversations varied in number of speakers, number of utterances per speaker turn, and degree of appropriateness of the speakers' responses. Data analysis revealed that the subjects were proficient in judging topic maintenance presentations in a simplified but not a complex context.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1990

Fast mapping word-learning abilities of language-delayed preschoolers.

The fast mapping skills of language-delayed 5-year-old children were investigated. Children viewed a video presentation in which four kinds of unfamiliar words (object, action, attribute, and affective state) were incorporated into a narrative script. The pre- and postviewing comprehension of the targeted words was measured. The language-delayed children were compared to two groups, one matched for chronological age (CA) and the other matched for mean length of utterance (MLU). Children were randomly assigned to experimental and control conditions. All three groups indicated fast mapping of unfamiliar words, although the language-delayed children scored lower than the MLU-matched group, who in turn scored lower than the CA-matched group. The experimental effects were most pronounced for object and attribute words. The limited fast mapping of the language-delayed group was not accounted for by a restricted general vocabulary nor by a general delay in grammatical development.

Child↗
PubMed1989

Children's language acquisition.

Child language acquisition has only recently become an important research topic for developmental psychologists, although the universal appearance of language during the second year of life has long fascinated philosophers. For normally developing children, language emerges spontaneously as a means of talking about what they know so that they can accomplish social goals important to them. Some children, however, need to be taught. This article reviews current issues in child language acquisition and suggests a research agenda for helping those children who have difficulty mastering the fundamentals of language.

Child↗
PubMed1988

Lessons from television: children's word learning when viewing.

The study investigated if preschoolers can learn novel words when viewing television and if the learning is influenced by age or type of word. 61 preschoolers, ages 3 and 5, were assigned to either an experimental or control group. They viewed a 15-min television program, featuring 20 different novel words, 5 each in the 4 categories of object, action, attribute, and affective-state words. Comprehension was tested before and after viewing. The experimental group performed better than the controls for object, action, and attribute words. 5-year-olds were more accurate than 3-year-olds and gained relatively more from the experimental condition. The easiest words to learn were object and attribute words. The results are relevant for studies of media effects and accounts of preschoolers' "fast mapping" of new words.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1987

Parenteral nutrition and tumour growth in the patient with complicated abdominal cancer.

Parenteral nutrition has been advocated as an important adjunct in the treatment of the patient with cancer undergoing surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However there is universal agreement that parenteral nutrition does not have a stimulatory effect on tumour growth. Four cases are reported, in complicated abdominal cancer involving only surgery, in which a claim that acceleration of tumour growth by parenteral nutrition can be made.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗
PubMed1986

"Motherese" of Mr. Rogers: a description of the dialogue of educational television programs.

Dialogue from 30-min samples each from Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood was described. Three aspects of language were measured: grammar, content, and discourse. The findings indicate that the dialogue of these programs is well suited to young viewers, with adjustments similar to those evident in adults' speech to young children. The mean length of utterance is comparable to that of adults in interactions with children, the ratio of different words to total words is the same as that of young children's language, sentence structure is simplified, and there is a heavy emphasis on the here and now (a majority of present tense verbs, a high proportion of utterances about immediately visible topics or referents, and a preponderance of narrative about shared immediate events). There are repeated instances of linguistic emphasis, with frequent repetition of key terms. Both programs avoid complex word forms. Overall, the dialogue of educational children's programs follows the constraints and adjustments evident in adults' child-directed language.

Child↗
PubMed1984

A comparison between diuresis renography and the Whitaker test in 64 kidneys.

Fifty-seven patients have provided 64 dilated pelvicaliceal units for study by diuresis renography and the Whitaker test. Of 45 kidneys showing a type I or type IIIa renographic response (unobstructed), 32 were, according to Whitaker's criteria, obstructed, 8 fell into an equivocal zone and only 5 were unobstructed. Thirty-five of these kidneys--33 of which were associated with moderate or severe loin pain--were operated on for presumed obstruction with generally excellent symptomatic and renographic result. Thus the detection of a type I or type IIIa response in a dilated, painful system cannot be taken to exclude obstruction. Better correlation was obtained between renography and the Whitaker test in patients exhibiting a type IIIb or type II renographic response. Diuresis renography is a sensitive indicator of urodynamic disturbance in the upper urinary tract and an ideal means of evaluating post-operative progress. The Whitaker test provides a reliable means of selecting patients who will benefit from pyeloplasty.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Nasogastric intubation after intestinal resection.

Despite some evidence that gastric decompression may be unnecessary after some abdominal operations and in the treatment of paralytic ileus, the use of nasogastric suction after extensive abdominal operations, particularly intestinal resection, remains a subject of some debate. In a randomized prospective trial, 52 patients with suture lines constructed in the gastrointestinal tract received no postoperative nasogastric drainage unless acute gastric dilation or copious vomiting developed postoperatively, while 45 similar patients were allocated to receive routine postoperative nasogastric aspiration. Only 12 patients in the nonintubated group required subsequent insertion of a nasogastric tube, while in the remaining 40, nasogastric drainage was avoided completely. Postoperative loss of fluid from the intestine was significantly greater in the patients undergoing routine nasogastric drainage, although the requirement for intravenous fluid therapy was the same in both groups. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the incidence of postoperative complications. Routine nasogastric aspiration after gastric or intestinal resection does not confer significant advantages to outweigh its discomfort and potential morbidity for patients and should be replaced by selective intubation when required postoperatively.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Contemporary accounts of the cognition/language relationship: implications for speech-language clinicians.

The role of cognition in children's language acquisition is a topic of current debate. This article provides a review of the normative literature and a discussion of questions regarding children who have difficulty acquiring language. Key terminology is described, along with basic issues. Major research questions are identified, along with the competing hypotheses that have been proposed and the evidence associated with each hypothesis. Implications for models of language disorders and remediation activities are discussed.

Child Language↗
PubMed1982

Double-blind controlled trial of indomethacin as an adjunct to narcotic analgesia after major abdominal surgery.

A prospective randomised trial was undertaken to assess the efficacy of indomethacin as an analgesic after abdominal surgery. 44 patients received indomethacin suppositories (100 mg every 8 h for three days postoperatively) and 46 patients received placebo suppositories (every 8 h for the same period), in addition to intramuscular morphine (0.15 mg/kg every 4 h as required). Postoperative subjective pain assessments, analgesic requirements, and respiratory function were recorded. Patients receiving indomethacin required significantly fewer doses of morphine than those receiving placebo and has less pain on each of the first four postoperative days. The duration of postoperative morphine requirement was shorter for the indomethacin than for the placebo group. pCO2 on the first postoperative day was lower in the indomethacin group than the placebo group (4.82 +/- 0.08 vs 5.18 +/- 0.08 kPa). The administration of indomethacin in addition to morphine after major abdominal surgery provides better pain control than that provided by intramuscular morphine alone.

Abdomen↗