Language Development Disorder in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), a Case Study

Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause developmental damage in children. There are different types and ranges of alterations that fall under the name of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Disabilities in learning, cognition, and behavior are observed. Environmental conditions are an influencing factor in this population since they are generally adverse and are either not diagnosed at an early stage or given the appropriate support and approach. We present a case study of a 9-year-old child, in which all the variables affecting his development (FASD diagnosis and socioenvironmental conditions) were observed and analyzed. His early childhood under institutional care, the move to a foster home at the age of 6, and several measures of evaluation from foster care to the present are described. Difficulties in vocabulary, access to vocabulary, morphology, syntax, grammar, oral narrative, pragmatics, speech, and communication were observed, along with cognitive difficulties in memory, perception and executive functioning, social adaptation, learning, and behavior. An early diagnosis and approach enable this population to develop skills in different dimensions to address early adversity despite their neurological and behavioral commitment. Speech-language pathologist services are crucial for the diagnosis and treatment of the language and communication difficulties that characterize this syndrome.

Morphosyntactic Evaluation Protocol (MEP): validation of content

Introduction: the use of language assessment instruments in the area of speech-language-therapy is essential for the diagnosis and, consequently, for therapeutic planning. In Brazil, there is a shortage of instruments constructed and validated in the morphosyntax area. Morphosyntactic Evaluation Protocol (MEP) was constructed based on the main syntactic characteristics of the period of acquisition of children’s language, on the Portuguese grammatical structure and the application in a pilot study. Objective: To verify the validity of MEP content. Methods: for the validation process, the instrument was applied and analyzed through a questionnaire by three judges, a linguist and two speech-language specialists with experience in assisting children with Language Development Disorder. The Index of Judges’ Reliability was used to compare the results of the protocol application and the Cronbach’s Alpha tests, Spearman-Brown and Content Validity Index (CVI) in the questionnaire responses. Results: the statistical tests applied in the validation of content legitimized the reliability of the instrument with indexes considered substantial for both alpha coefficients, higher than 0.80, Spearman and the CVI test had a maximum concept of 1.0. Conclusion: there were compliance and compatibility in the answers of the experts, which indicates the reliability of the instrument. The results of the statistical tests legitimize the reliability of the instrument with indexes considered substantial for alpha and Spearman coefficient. In the future, the protocol may help characterize the syntactic profile of children with language developmental disorder.

Brak bezpośredniego wpływu umiejętności percepcyjnych na umiejętności narracyjne dzieci z niedokształceniem mowy pochodzenia korowego

In the paper, an analysis of information gathered during examinations of children with speech development disorder of cortical origin is presented. The study group consisted of 4 individuals (two girls and two boys), aged 5–10. The results of the examination of phonemic awareness and understanding of a few sentences-long spoken texts as well as articulating a few sentences-long texts suggested a possible correlation between these two types of skills (phonemic awareness, spoken text understanding and production). However, a thorough analysis of the results does not allow one to conclude that the specific phonemic awareness deficits and/or speech perception difficulties have a predominant influence on the narrative skills of children with speech development disorder of cortical origin. Although the main hypothesis was disproved, the results of the analysis shed light on another possible explanation of speech production difficulties in the abovementioned speech and language disorder: deficient/insufficient auditory attention and/or verbal working memory. Such explanation has not yet been taken into consideration in the research on speech and language development disorder of cortical origin.

L’EXPÉRIENCE SCOLAIRE DU POINT DE VUE DE JEUNES AYANT UN TROUBLE DÉVELOPPEMENTAL DU LANGAGE ET DE LEURS PARENTS : L’INFLUENCE DE FACTEURS SCOLAIRES ENVIRONNEMENTAUX DANS LA FRAGILISATION DES LIENS AUX AUTRES ET À L’ÉCOLE

This article focuses on the school experience of youth with a language development disorder. Interviews conducted with adolescents and their parents were analyzed following a qualitative thematic analysis approach. Results reveal that, notwithstanding a few meaningful experiences of affiliation, the youth experienced numerous situations that point toward a weakening of their ties with the school and with others as well as an internalization of expectations and norms conveyed by the school setting. As reported by the participants, different organisational and pedagogical factors seem to play an important role in the construction of pitfalls related to the social sphere. In this sense, the results of- fer a different point of view on these youths’ pedagogical and social difficulties.

Risk Factors of Idiopathic Language Development Disorders in Children

Background: Language Development Disorders (LDD) is a common idiopathic impairment in children. Numerous risk factors play a role in the emergence of this disorder. Objectives: The present study aimed to examine risk factors of LDD in children aged two to five years. Materials & Methods: In this case-control study, 98 children (aged two to five years) with LDD and 98 children without LDD were selected as case and control groups, respectively. Research population comprised children with language development disorder diagnosed by a pediatric neurologist, and the control group consisted of children without this disorder. Risk factors affecting LDD were examined in both groups, and the two groups were compared using Chi-squared and independent samples t-test in SPSS V. 22. Results: Results showed no significant difference between the two groups in terms of weight at birth and at the last visit; parents’ age, education level, language, and occupation; level and hours of access to television and cell phone; place of residence; birth order of children, and going to the kindergarten (P>0.05). However, the two groups significantly differed in terms of a positive family history. Mean age of the onset of developmental behaviors was significantly higher in the case than that in the control group (P<0.05). A positive family history raised the risk of developing LDD by 4.45-fold. Moreover, a significant correlation was observed between the age of head control and uttering the first word and the incidence of LDD (P<0.05). Conclusion: The identification of risk factors for language development disorders in children, including a positive family history, can help better identify, diagnose, and treat these patients. Also, the age of uttering the first word and head control can affect the emergence of LDD.