Examining the Visual Attention Patterns and Identification Accuracy of Adults With Aphasia for Grids and Visual Scene Displays.

PURPOSE: We compared the degree of cognitive processing needed by people with aphasia to identify themes depicted in grids and visual scene displays (VSDs). We also compared the accuracy of theme identification for both display types. METHOD: Eye-tracking technology was employed to measure the visual processing patterns of 21 adults with aphasia when interpreting themes presented through grids and VSDs. Additionally, we assessed theme identification accuracy by having participants select themes from four choices after viewing each display. RESULTS: Participants more rapidly identified VSDs than grid displays, and VSDs required fewer visual fixations to process than grids. No significant differences were noted between grids and VSDs for theme identification accuracy; however, results indicate a ceiling effect for the variable, as participant accuracy levels were nearly 100% for both display conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study add to a growing body of evidence supporting the use of VSDs for adults with aphasia. Both display types were accurately identified; however, VSDs were processed more efficiently than grids indicating that both display types may prove effective for people with aphasia; however, VSDs may require less cognitive effort to effectively use than grid displays.

Intelligibility in Context Scale: Sensitivity and specificity in the Jamaican context.

The present study investigated the sensitivity and specificity of the English Intelligibility in Context Scale (ICS) and the ICS-Jamaican Creole (ICS-JC) translation with bilingual preschool-aged Jamaican children. Participants in this study were 262 English-Jamaican Creole simultaneous bilingual children (aged 3;3 to 6;3, M = 4;11, SD = 7.8). The ICS and ICS-JC were administered to parents in auditory form, rather than written form. Although recent evidence has demonstrated the validity and reliability of the ICS as an assessment tool in various languages, further data are needed to determine diagnostic accuracy of the ICS and ICS-JC in Jamaican children. The sensitivity and specificity of both tools were high in this cohort of children, indicating that in the Jamaican context, these versions of the ICS could be used as screening tools to identify children who require further assessment of speech sound disorders. A cut-off score of 4.12 was used for both tools to achieve high sensitivity (0.84) and specificity (0.70) values for the ICS, as well as high sensitivity (0.84) and specificity (0.71) for the ICS-JC. The results of this study also demonstrate that administration of the auditory ICS is a valid way of collecting parent reports about children's speech intelligibility, which has implications for use of the ICS in languages with no written form or with parents who have a low level of literacy in the languages they use. This investigation is relevant not only to this underserved population but broadens knowledge of research-based tools for working with bilingual children.

The Narrative Competence of Bilingual Jamaican Creole- and English-Speaking Preschoolers.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to characterize narrative competence of typically developing bilingual children using Jamaican Creole (JC) and English. Method Story comprehension and fictional storytelling tasks in JC and English were completed by 104 bilingual preschoolers aged 4-6 years. Story comprehension was analyzed using inferential story comprehension questions representing Blank's Question Hierarchy. Fictional storytelling was analyzed using the Monitoring Indicators of Scholarly Language framework for narrative macrostructure and microstructure. Results Story comprehension was significantly correlated within each language, but only questions from Level 4 of Blank's Question Hierarchy showed significant correlations between languages. Fictional storytelling was significantly better in English than in JC for macrostructure (total score, internal response, plan, consequence) and microstructure (total score, adverbs, elaborated noun phrases). Story complexity in JC and English was significantly correlated. In terms of developmental effects, children's macrostructure and story complexity appear to be better at 4 years than 5 years, with English outperforming JC. Furthermore, age correlated with story comprehension in JC. Conclusion Comparison of narrative competence in bilingual children provides much needed insights into language development, with examination of JC and English bilinguals representing an understudied bilingual context.