•  
  •  
 

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Translated Title

不同溝通障礙程度學齡腦性麻痺兒童語言功能及聲學分析之研究

Abstract

Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often exhibit problems with language, speech, and communication. The aim of this study was to examine speech functions and perform an acoustic analysis of speech in children with CP having different levels of proficiency in communication. This study recruited 24 children with CP (17 boys, 7 girls; mean age: 8 years and 4 months, age range: 6-12 years). Children with CP were classified into two groups based on the Communication Function Classification System (CFCS): the mild group (levels I and II) and the severe group (levels III and IV). Children with CP underwent clinical assessments for cognition, language, and motor speech. Acoustic analysis of the speech of these children was also performed. Cognition was evaluated using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV). The Language Impairment Scale and Peabody picture vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) were used to assess language functions. Motor speech functions were evaluated using the Verbal Motor Production Assessment for Children (VMPAC) and Percentage of Correct Consonant (PCC) tests. Acoustic analysis included the examination of the frequencies of the first and second formants (F1 and F2), vowel spaces, voice onset time (VOT), noise durations, percentage of burst, and nasal formants. An independent t test was used to compare the results of the clinical and acoustic analysis between the two groups. A p-value ＜.05) was considered to denote statistical significance. Results showed that the mild group had better cognition, language ability, motor speech control (focal oromotor control, sequence, and total score), and speech intelligibility than did the severe group (p ＜.05). There were no significant differences in the global motor control and the acoustic analysis parameters between the two groups. However, the difference in the percentage of burst fricative between the two groups was marginally significant (p =.083). These findings suggest that the communication function in children with CP is correlated with their cognition, speech, and motor speech functions. Therefore, clinicians may use different treatment strategies to promote speech intelligibility and communication efficiency in children with CP based on their communication abilities.

Language

Traditional Chinese

First Page

35

Last Page

44

Download

Share

COinS