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PubMed1996

Age and education correction of Mini-Mental State Examination for English and Spanish-speaking elderly.

Previous research has shown that the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMS) is biased as a measure of cognitive impairment in minority and low-education patients. The purpose of this study was to (1) develop a statistical correction for effects of age and education and (2) test the efficacy of the statistically adjusted MMS (MMSAdj) as a screening test for dementia using different ethnic groups and education levels. We used a population-base community survey sample (n=590) composed of 46.6% Hispanics and 53.4% non-Hispanics to derive the statistical correction, defined as:MMSAdj = Raw MMS - (0.471 X [Education-12]) + (0.131 X [Age-70]). Ethnicity and language of test administration were not significantly related to MMSAdj in the community survey sample, but the raw MMS was strongly influenced by these factors. We used an independent sample (n=2,983) of patients evaluated through the California Alzheimer's Disease Diagnostic and Treatment Centers to test the diagnostic accuracy of the MMS and the MMSAdj across low- and high-education groups and across whites, Hispanics, and blacks. Results showed greater stability of sensitivity and specificity across education levels and ethnic groups for the MMSAdj than for the raw MMS and suggest that the MMSAdj is a preferable measure of cognitive impairment for low- education and minority individuals.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1990

A note on intelligence assessment within studies of specific language impairment.

The purpose of this paper is to review the procedures, reported in three journals, that researchers have adopted to evaluate the intelligence of children with specific language impairment. The results indicated that researchers used one of the following procedures: no mention of intelligence, statements of negative history for mental retardation (without further documentation), reporting cut-off scores on one or more standardized assessment instruments, reporting means on one or more standardized assessment instruments, or reporting individual test scores from such instruments. A majority of researchers adopted the procedures in the first three categories. Implications of such reporting procedures are discussed.

Child↗
PubMed1986

Sex and race differences in the identification of communicative disorders in preschool children as measured by the Miller Assessment for Preschoolers.

Twelve hundred four preschool children were administered the Miller Assessment for Preschoolers (MAP), a screening test for children aged 2.5 to 5.5 years designed to identify children at risk for learning problems. Scores on the Verbal Index of the MAP were analyzed for each of six age groups by sex and race, using six 2-way ANOVA's. Results indicated that boys and girls in all six age groups were equally identified as being at risk for communication disorders. In three of six age groups, black children had a greater likelihood of being identified at risk than white children. Results are discussed in terms of cultural and gender bias and compared with other language screening tests.

Black or African American↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comprehension of idioms in adolescents with language-based learning disabilities compared to their typically developing peers.

UNLABELLED: Adolescents with language-based learning disabilities (LBLD) often interpret idioms literally. When idioms are provided in an enriched context, comprehension is compromised further because of the LBLD student's inability to assign multiple meanings to words, assemble and integrate information, and go beyond a local referent to derive a global, coherent meaning. This study tested the effects of context and familiarity on comprehension of 24 idioms in 22 adolescents with LBLD. The students completed the Idiom Comprehension Test (ICT) [Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools 30 (1999) 141; LSHSS 34 (2003) 69] in one of two conditions: in a story or during a verification task. Within each condition were three familiarity levels: high, moderate, and low. The LBLD adolescents' data were then compared to previously collected data from 21 age-, gender-, and reading ability-matched typically developing (TD) peers. The relations between reading and language literacy and idiom comprehension were also examined in the LBLD adolescents. Results showed that: (a) the LBLD adolescents generally performed poorly relative to their TD counterparts; however, the groups performed comparably on the high and moderate familiarity idioms in the verification condition; (b) the LBLD adolescents performed significantly better in the verification condition than in the story condition; and (c) reading ability was associated with comprehension of the low familiarity idioms in the story condition only. Findings are discussed relative to implications for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and educators working with adolescents with LBLD. LEARNING OUTCOMES: As a result of this activity, the participant will be able to (1) describe the importance of metalinguistic maturity for comprehension of idioms and other figures of speech; (2) understand the roles of context and familiarity when assessing idiom comprehension in adolescents with LBLD; and (3) critically evaluate assessments of idiom comprehension and determine their appropriateness for use with adolescents with LBLD.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

[Influence of mnemonic, semantic, and conceptual factors on the performance of aphasic patients in the Token Test (author's transl)].

Three experimental modifications of the Token Test were presented to 40 aphasics with predominantly expressive disturbances and 40 control patients with diffuse brain damage. On each token a human figure was drawn (a man, woman, boy, or girl); the size, color, and form of the token were given in the instructions, or the depicted figure was given as the target either in addition to or instead of the size and form. The mere fact that a figure was depicted on the tokens did not affect the performance of the patients. However, when the figures were mentioned in the instructions, the aphasics' performance improved significantly, although it never reached the level of the controls. An analysis of the error types suggested that the poor performance of the aphasics in the Token Test is at least in part due to difficulties identifying complex stimuli when the features are separately named in the instructions.

Aphasia↗
PubMed1993

Computerized assessment of verbal skill.

This paper describes a computerized diagnostic test for the assessment of basic literacy skills in Dutch. Central in this test is a skill labeled word image, referring to the subject's implicit knowledge of orthographic structure. Test norms were obtained in a group of reference subjects. The most notable trend found in the standardization study was that the development of word image performance showed a nonlinear, U-shaped trend. Two case studies are reported. A supplementary validation study, based on test data collected from standard reference groups of normal and poor readers, demonstrated that word image performance is significantly related to between-group differences.

Child↗
PubMed1980

A very short version of the Minnesota Aphasia Test.

A very short version of the Minnesota Differential Diagnosis of Aphasia Test is described. It is standardized on 86 aphasics and reduces the original 43 subtests to just four; takes less than 15 minutes to give; correlates by over 0.9 with the total full test; and misclassified only 13 per cent of subjects. These four subtests are identifying objects named serially (A4), oral reading of words (B8), naming pictures (C13) and written spelling (D6). This extensive shortening is made feasible by the high degree of redundancy in the original full version. The test is designed to detect asphasia in general, and not to partition aphasics typologically, for which the full Minnesota is required.

Aphasia↗
PubMed2000

An investigation of language used by children to describe discomfort during dental pulp-testing.

AIM: Studies of the descriptions of pain by children have neglected their linguistic development, therefore estimates of dental pain in children may not be accurate. This study sought (1) to identify words chosen by children to describe dental pain and (2) to establish the effect of linguistic development on that description. SAMPLE: Seventy-eight consecutive children between the ages of 5 and 13 years attending a paediatric dental clinic. METHOD: Each child completed the WORD reading comprehension test. They then underwent a pulp test and a simulated pulp test, administered by a dentist in a counterbalanced order, of a healthy primary canine or permanent incisor, according to the child's age. To describe each test, the children had to (1) select words from a list of 58 read by the experimenter and (2) give ratings on scales representing 'sore' and 'tingly'. RESULTS: Analysis of variance confirmed that the children chose more words for the pulp test than for the simulated test (P < 0.001); the former also elicited higher ratings for 'sore' and 'tingly'. The numbers of words chosen were transformed by a square root constant to ensure a normal distribution. Multiple regression analysis then showed that (1) the better the children's reading comprehension, the fewer words they chose, possibly because they were less inclined to choose unfamiliar words, and (2) the older they were, the more words they chose, possibly because of having more experience of pain. There were similar findings for ratings of 'sore' and 'tingly'. CONCLUSIONS: To assess children's experience of pain (1) they need to be presented with a list of words like the ones in this study, (2) the numbers of words chosen by them would represent the severity of pain, and (3) those numbers need to be adjusted for the children's reading comprehension and age.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Autism spectrum disorder in fragile X syndrome: communication, social interaction, and specific behaviors.

The present study extends our previous work on social behavior impairment in young males with fragile X syndrome (FraX). Specifically, we evaluated whether the autistic phenomenon in FraX is expressed as a range of behavioral impairments as in idiopathic autism (Aut). We also examined whether there are behaviors, identified as items of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), that in FraX predispose to or differentiate subjects with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. Finally, regression models were utilized to test the relative contribution of reduced communication and socialization skills to ADI-R scores and diagnoses. A cohort of 56 boys (3-8 years) with FraX was examined in terms of scores on measures of cognition (IQ was a co-variate in most analyses.), autistic behavior, problem/aberrant behavior, adaptive behavior, and language development. We found that, indeed, in terms of problem behavior and adaptive skills, there is a range of severity from FraX + Aut to FraX + PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder) to FraX + none. ADI-R items representing "Play" types of interaction appear to be "susceptibility" factors since they were abnormal across the FraX cohort. Integrated regression models demonstrated that items reflecting complex social interaction differentiated the FraX + ASD (Aut + PDD) subgroup from the rest of the FraX cohort, while abnormalities in basic verbal and non-verbal communication distinguished the most severely affected boys with FraX + Aut from the milder FraX + PDD cohort. Models incorporating language, adaptive communication, and adaptive socialization skills revealed that socialization was not only the main influence on scores but also a predictor of ASD diagnosis. Altogether, our findings demonstrate that the diagnosis of ASD in FraX reflects, to a large extent, an impairment in social interaction that is expressed with variable severity in young males with FraX.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1991

Critical period effects on universal properties of language: the status of subjacency in the acquisition of a second language.

Recent studies have shown clear evidence for critical period effects for both first and second language acquisition on a broad range of learned, language-specific grammatical properties. The present studies ask whether and to what degree critical period effects can also be found for universal properties of language considered to be innate. To address this issue, native Chinese speakers who learned English as a second language were tested on the universal principle subjacency as it applies to wh-question formation in English. Subjects arrived in the U.S.A. between the ages of 4 and 38 years. They were immersed in English for a number of years (a minimum of 5) and were adults at the time of testing. Non-native performance on subjacency was found for subjects of all ages of arrival. Performance declined continuously over age of arrival until adulthood, (r = -.63). When immersion occurred as late as adulthood, performance dropped to levels slightly above chance. In all of the analyses performed, subjacency did not differ from language-specific structures in the degree or manner in which it was affected by maturation. These results suggest that whatever the nature of the endowment that allows humans to learn language, it undergoes a very broad deterioration as learners become increasingly mature.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Practice parameters for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with language and learning disorders. AACAP.

These parameters describe the aims and approach to diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of children and adolescents with language and learning disorders (LLDs). LLDs are among the most common developmental disorders the clinician is likely to encounter. About 50% of children with an LLD also have a comorbid Axis I psychiatric disorder. The diagnosis of an LLD requires a discrepancy, based on age and intelligence, between potential and achievement. The clinician collaborates with parents and school personnel to clarify the diagnosis, implement appropriate treatment and remediation, and monitor progress. The clinician is instrumental in identifying and treating comorbid conditions, including determining the appropriateness of medication. Long-term prognosis depends on the type and severity of the LLD, the availability of remediation, and the presence of a supportive family and school environment.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Language development disorders in childhood: nonverbal intelligence and language comprehension].

33 children with Specific Language Impairment (F 80, ICD 10) were randomly selected and their results regarding nonverbal intelligence, passive vocabulary and sentence comprehension were compared with data of 33 control children matched by age and sex. Although cognitive performance is average in both groups, significant differences regarding nonverbal intelligence are found. Whereas nonverbal intelligence is predictable from sentence comprehension to a high degree in den SLI-group, it is not predictable in the control group.

Austria↗
PubMed1987

An investigation into EEG asymmetry in young children.

Language performance is thought to be related to the functional specialisation of the brain, and particularly to the degree of asymmetry of activity in the two cerebral hemispheres. A microprocessor-based system has been constructed to investigate the relationship between the analogous asymmetry of the EEG and language ability in young children. The system is based on the Intel 8086 microprocessor, with software written both in the high level language PL/M-86 and 8086 assembly language. A test script, instructing the child to perform various lateralised tasks, is played from a cassette recorder to provide a constant stimulus across subjects. The computed power spectra of the resulting EEG waveforms, and the hemispheric specialisation, represented by a derived dominance factor, have been analysed both visually and numerically. Results from a test group of 16 children have not shown a strong correlation between the dominance factors and the related reading quotient.

Alpha Rhythm↗
PubMed1982

Comparison of sampling techniques in the measurement of children's morphological development.

Sixty children ranging in age from 66 to 78 months were administered the Berry-Talbott Exploratory Test of Grammar and the Grammatic Closure subtest of the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Development. The verbal responses obtained of each child from each sampling technique were compared on matched grammatical items. A correlation coefficient between the two test group means indicated only moderate correlation. An analysis of the matched grammatical items (40 comparisons) showed a higher correct response frequency for the Grammatic Closure items than for the Berry-Talbott items. However, children who did achieve correct responses to the Berry-Talbott items almost always achieved success with the Grammatic Closure test items. Success on the Grammatic Closure items did not assume success with the Berry-Talbott items. Various hypotheses are offered to explain differences in response patterns.

Child↗
PubMed1997

Impaired word-stem priming in patients with temporal-occipital lesions.

In the word-stem priming test, words are presented (e.g., MOTEL, PARADE), and later subjects are shown three-letter word stems (e.g., MOT, PAR) and asked to complete each stem with the first word that comes to mind. Word-stem priming, as well as other aspects of implicit memory, are intact in amnesic patients with medial temporal lesions. However, this form of priming has been shown to be impaired in patients with Alzheimer's disease, suggesting that damage to neocortical areas outside the medial temporal lobe contributes to impaired priming in these patients. To examine the role of posterior cortical areas on word-stem priming, we administered the test to patients with unilateral temporal-occipital lesions. Patients with temporal-occipital lesions exhibited significantly impaired priming on this test. The findings suggest a critical role of the inferior posterior neocortex in the expression of this form of implicit memory.

Aged↗
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↗
PubMed2005

Season of birth in Danish children with language disorder born in the 1958-1976 period.

Two preliminary studies have indicated a variation in season of birth in severely language-disordered children. In the current study, the season of birth in 472 Danish children with language disorder born between 1958 and 1976 was compared with the season of birth of all Danish live-born children in the same period. For some part of the period (1964-1969), an excess of boys born in November was found. Particular attention was given to the inconsistent findings also found in language-related disorders like infantile autism and dyslexia and the choice of statistical method to determine seasonality.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed2003

Longitudinal changes in verbal memory in older adults: distinguishing the effects of age from repeat testing.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the relationship between age-related memory change and repeat testing using serial administrations of the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) in 385 nondemented Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging participants aged 55 and older with two or more memory assessments. METHODS: The authors investigated longitudinal change and the effects of age, sex, education, and repeat testing on new learning and recall by analyzing measures of learning and interference, short- and long-delay free and cued recall, and recognition hits in separate mixed-effects regressions. RESULTS: The authors found cross-sectional effects of age (p < or = 0.001) and sex (p < or = 0.05) on learning and interference, regardless of baseline performance. Younger adults outperformed older adults, and women outperformed men. Longitudinal age changes were documented across total learning and long-delay free and cued recall regardless of baseline scores (p < or = 0.05). In addition, controlling for baseline scores enhanced the sensitivity for detection of longitudinal age changes on Trial 5, short-delay cued recall and recognition hits (p < or = 0.05). The influence of repeated administrations changed with advancing baseline age for total learning and short- and long-delay recall such that younger baseline age was associated with improvement over time whereas older baseline age was associated with decline over time. CONCLUSION: Longitudinal declines in CVLT performance exist in normal aging and are influenced by baseline age. Furthermore, failure to account for the influence of repeat testing with aging may decrease sensitivity to detect pathologic decline.

Age Factors↗