Receptive and expressive lexical stress in adolescents with autism.

Lexical stress abilities were investigated in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to typically developing (TD) controls. We hypothesised that individuals with ASD would demonstrate atypical prosody on lexical and phrase stress tasks and are perceived by listeners as sounding unnatural. A between-group study was conducted to investigate lexical stress abilities among adolescents (12-20 years) with ASD ( = 11) compared to TD controls ( = 11) matched for age and gender.

Intensive Language Action Therapy in Chronic Aphasia: A Randomized Clinical Trial Examining Guidance by Constraint.

Purpose: Intensive language action therapy (ILAT) can be effective in overcoming learned nonuse in chronic aphasia. It is suggested that all three guiding principles (constraint, communication embedding, massed practice) are essential to ILAT's success. We examined whether one of these, guidance by constraint, is critical.

Motor speech skills in children with Down syndrome: A descriptive study.

Purpose: Motor speech characteristics of children with Down syndrome (DS) have historically been viewed as either Childhood Dysarthria (CD) or, more infrequently, as Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). The objective of this study was to investigate motor speech deficits in a systematic manner, considering characteristics from both CAS and CD.

Method: Motor speech assessments were carried out on seven 3;4-8;11-year old children with DS in comparison with younger, typically-developing children using a Language-Neutral Assessment of Motor Speech for young children (LAMS).

Sensory Differences and Mealtime Behavior in Children With Autism.

This study examined sensory differences and mealtime behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; n=34) and compared the results with those of similarly aged peers who were typically developing (TD; n=34). Results from parent-report and child-report questionnaires indicated that children with ASD scored significantly differently from TD peers on the measures of sensory differences and eating behaviors. Data also supported a correlation between sensory differences and eating difficulties in children with ASD.

The Multi-faceted Implementation of Telepractice to Service Individuals with Autism.

Telepractice is a method of service delivery in which professionals provide intervention, assessment and consultation services to individuals through the use of telecommunication technologies. In response to the nationwide school-based shortage of speech-language pathologists, telepractice has emerged as a viable way to reach underserved clients. Telepractice has the potential to extend to populations in need of services, including those diagnosed with autism.

Constrained versus unconstrained intensive language therapy in two individuals with chronic, moderate-to-severe aphasia and apraxia of speech: behavioral and fMRI outcomes.

Purpose: This Phase I study investigated behavioral and functional MRI (fMRI) outcomes of 2 intensive treatment programs to improve naming in 2 participants with chronic moderate-to-severe aphasia with comorbid apraxia of speech (AOS). Constraint-induced aphasia therapy (CIAT; Pulvermüller et al., 2001) has demonstrated positive outcomes in some individuals with chronic aphasia.

Telepractice in the assessment and treatment of individuals with autism spectrum disorders: A systematic review.

Objective: Studies involving the use of telepractice in the delivery of services to individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) were reviewed with the intent to inform practice and identify areas for future research.

Methods: Systematic searches of electronic databases, reference lists and journals identified eight studies that met pre-determined inclusion criteria. These studies were analysed and summarized in terms of the: (a) characteristics of the participants, (b) technology utilized, (c) services delivered via telepractice, (d) research methodology and (e) results of the study.

Potential factors related to untrained singing talent: a survey of singing pedagogues.

A national survey was conducted to identify factors associated with untrained singing talent based on perceptions obtained from a homogeneous group of professional singing pedagogues. Survey items included questions related to the perception of singing talent, factors associated with untrained singing talent, and physiological variables that distinguished untrained singing talented individuals from those without obvious singing talent. The survey data suggested that intonation, timbre, and musicality were rated the most important factors associated with the perception of singing talent in an untrained individual.