Publications by authors named "Kari-Anne B Naess"

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify commonalities and differences between content components in stuttering treatment programs for preschool-age children.

Method: In this document analysis, a thematic analysis of the content was conducted of handbooks and manuals describing Early Childhood Stuttering Therapy, the Lidcombe Program, Mini-KIDS, Palin Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, RESTART Demands and Capacities Model Method, and the Westmead Program. First, a theoretical framework defining a content component in treatment was developed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The main objective of this systematic review was to synthesize the evidence on the occurrence and characteristics of stuttering in individuals with Down syndrome and thus contribute knowledge about stuttering in this population. Group studies reporting outcome measures of stuttering were included. Studies with participants who were preselected based on their fluency status were excluded.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: This study investigated the treatment practices of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) with preschool children who stutter to explore variations in service delivery and, consequently to better inform and support evidence-based practice.

Method: 121 Norwegian SLPs completed an online survey about stuttering treatment for preschool children aged up to six years. They reported on treatment training, choices, setting, dosage, and outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Second language (L2) learners are a heterogeneous group. Their L2 skills are highly varied due to internal factors (e.g.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The aims of this study were to investigate the occurrence of stuttering behavior across time and to evaluate the relationship between stuttering behavior and language ability in children with Down syndrome.

Method: A national age cohort of Norwegian first graders with Down syndrome ( = 75) participated in the study. Speech samples from a story-retelling task and a picture book dialogue as well as standardized measures of vocabulary, grammar, and nonverbal mental ability were collected at two time points approximately 5 months apart.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Early childhood professionals must accurately identify, refer, and treat children who stutter (CWS) within the scope of their respective roles to ensure each child receives the best possible care. This study aimed to investigate similarities and differences between the practices of speech-language pathologists (SLPs), preschool teachers, and public health nurses when they initially meet a young child reported as stuttering.

Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Norway.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: This narrative systematic review in line with PRISMA guidelines aims to investigate the implementation quality of previously published group comparison clinical trials of stuttering interventions for children and adolescents (under age 18 years).

Methods: We searched for publications in the databases Eric, PsychInfo, PubMed and Web of Science using the search terms 'stutt*' or 'stamm*'and 'intervention', 'trial' or 'treatment'. We reviewed the implementation elements reported in studies and how these elements were used to report intervention outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction Research has revealed the presence of emotional, behavioral, and cognitive reactions in young children who stutter; however, prior studies have not examined the overall impact of stuttering on young children's lives. Such information is necessary for improving understanding of how stuttering affects young children and for ensuring appropriate early intervention. Method This study employed an adaptation of the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering for School-Age Children that was designed to ask parents about their perceptions of the impact of stuttering on their young children.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The present study (a) addressed difficulties in speech fluency in children with Down syndrome and typically developing children at a similar non-verbal level and (b) examined the association between difficulties with speech fluency and language skills in children with Down syndrome. Data from a cross-sectional parent survey that included questions about children's difficulties with speech fluency, as well as clinical tests from a national age cohort of 43 six-year-olds with Down syndrome and 57 young typically developing children, were collected. Fisher's exact test, Student's -test, linear regression, and density ellipse scatter plots were used for analysis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Children with Down syndrome are at risk of reading difficulties. Reading skills are crucial for social and academic development, and thus, understanding the nature of reading in this clinical group is important. This longitudinal study investigated the occurrence of reading skills in a Norwegian national age cohort of 43 children with Down syndrome from the beginning of first grade to third grade.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The purpose of this study was to examine potential differences in the predictors of expressive vocabulary development between children with Down syndrome and typically developing children to support preparation for intervention development. An age cohort of 43 children with Down syndrome and 57 typically developing children with similar nonverbal mental age levels were assessed at three time points. Linear mixed models were used to investigate the predictors of expressive vocabulary over time.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Poor metaphor comprehension was considered a hallmark of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but recent research has questioned the extent and the sources of these difficulties. In this cross-sectional study, we compared metaphor comprehension in individuals with ASD (N = 29) and individuals with typical development (TD; N = 31), and investigated the relationship between core language and metaphor comprehension. Individuals with ASD showed more difficulty but also a more variable performance in both metaphor and literal items of the task used than individuals with TD did.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Prior studies have documented an adverse impact of stuttering on young children's lives. These studies have relied primarily on parent reports, though different caregivers may have unique experiences with children. To date, no study has examined teachers' perceptions of the impact in children below six years of age.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Language disorder is a cardinal challenge for children with Down syndrome, and their learning capacity has been debated. The aim of the current study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing language interventions for children with Down syndrome to reveal knowledge about the effects of these interventions and identify any common characteristics specific to effective or ineffective interventions. A systematic search was conducted in databases relevant for education, speech and language therapy, and psychology.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Successful communication depends on language content, language form, and language use (pragmatics). Children with Down syndrome (DS) experience communication difficulties, however little is known about their pragmatic profile, particularly during early school years. The purpose of the present study was to explore the nature of pragmatic communication in children with DS.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We present a meta-analysis of studies that compare figurative language comprehension in individuals with autism spectrum disorder and in typically developing controls who were matched based on chronological age or/and language ability. A total of 41 studies and 45 independent effect sizes were included based on predetermined inclusion criteria. Group matching strategy, age, types of figurative language, and cross-linguistic differences were examined as predictors that might explain heterogeneity in effect sizes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Practitioners and researchers have asserted for decades that social functioning is a strength in children with Down syndrome (DS). Nevertheless, some studies have concluded that children with DS may be at greater risk of impaired social functioning compared to typically developing controls. This cross-sectional study explores the profile of social functioning (social capabilities and social problems) in six-year-old children with DS, compares it with that of typically developing children and reveals possible differences in predictors between groups.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In the education of pupils with Down syndrome, "simplifying" literal talk and concrete stimulation have typically played a dominant role. This explorative study investigated the extent to which teachers stimulated abstract cognitive functions via inferential talk during book-sharing and how pupils with Down syndrome responded. Dyadic interactions (N=7) were videotaped, transcribed and coded to identify levels of abstraction in teacher utterances and to evaluate the adequacy of pupil responses.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Phonological awareness (PA) is the knowledge and understanding of the sound structure of language and is believed to be an important skill for the development of reading. This study explored PA skills in children with Down syndrome and matched typically developing (TD) controls using a dual approach: a meta-analysis of the existing international literature and a longitudinal empirical study. The results from both the meta-analysis and the empirical study showed that the children with Down syndrome initially had weaker PA skills compared to the controls; in particular, the awareness of rhyme was delayed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: This article presents a meta-analytic review of differences in communication attitudes between children who stutter (CWS) and children who do not stutter (CWNS).

Method: To be included in this review, the studies had to include a group of CWS and CWNS between the ages of 3-18 years and a measurement of communication attitudes. The journal articles were identified by using the key words stutter*, speech disfluenc*, fluency disorder*, and stammer* cross-referenced to awareness*, reaction*, attitude*, KiddyCAT, CAT, A-19 Scale, PASS and OASES.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Children with Down syndrome are at risk for language difficulties, the nature of which is not well understood. This study compared the longitudinal predictors of language skills in children with Down syndrome with those in typically developing control children matched for initial level of nonverbal mental ability. An age cohort of children with Down syndrome (n=43) and 57 typically developing control children was assessed on measures of vocabulary, grammar, and verbal short-term memory three times at yearly intervals.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: This study aims to investigate which communication strategies the people, who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), want their communication partners to use.

Methods: We interviewed eight children using Talking Mats to examine the AAC users' own opinion.

Results: The results showed that they wanted their communication partners to take the initiative, to repair the breaks when communication breakdowns occurred, and to invest time in understanding what AAC users wanted to express.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The authors examine the reading profile in children with Down syndrome by comparing the nonword decoding skills in children with Down syndrome and typically developing children matched for word recognition level. Journal articles published before 04.05.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF