Auditory and language skills in children with cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVES: to investigate auditory and language skills in children with repaired cleft lip and palate. METHODS: The sample was composed of 22 children registered at the hospital where the study was conducted, seven to nine years old, 50% being female, with repaired unilateral cleft lip and palate (right or left), without associated malformations. Auditory skills were assessed using four central auditory processing tests: Random Gap Detection Test, Dichotic Digit Test, Dichotic Non-Verbal Test, Sustained Auditory Attention Ability Test. Language performance was evaluated by four standardized instruments: Illinois Psycholinguistic Skills Test, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Token Test and Phonological Skills Profile. The association between auditory and language skills was evaluated by the Fisher exact test at a significance level of 5% (p<.05). RESULTS: The central auditory processing tests evidenced that only one child presented adequate performance in all skills analysed, five children presented impaired performance in all skills, and 16 exhibited deteriorations in one to three auditory skills, highlighting that temporal resolution was the most impaired skill (81%). Concerning language, three children presented adequate performance in all tests applied, and Visual Association and Auditory Association were the most impaired skills (40%). No association was observed between deteriorations in auditory and language skills. CONCLUSION: There was high occurrence of impairment of auditory skills, which compose the central auditory processing, as well as of language skills, with greatest impairment of receptive language.

Auditory and language skills in children with cleft lip and palate

Objectives: to investigate auditory and language skills in children with repaired cleft lip and palate. Methods: The sample was composed of 22 children registered at the hospital where the study was conducted, seven to nine years old, 50% being female, with repaired unilateral cleft lip and palate (right or left), without associated malformations. Auditory skills were assessed using four central auditory processing tests: Random Gap Detection Test, Dichotic Digit Test, Dichotic Non-Verbal Test, Sustained Auditory Attention Ability Test. Language performance was evaluated by four standardized instruments: Illinois Psycholinguistic Skills Test, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Token Test and Phonological Skills Profile. The association between auditory and language skills was evaluated by the Fisher exact test at a significance level of 5% (p<.05). Results: The central auditory processing tests evidenced that only one child presented adequate performance in all skills analysed, five children presented impaired performance in all skills, and 16 exhibited deteriorations in one to three auditory skills, highlighting that temporal resolution was the most impaired skill (81%). Concerning language, three children presented adequate performance in all tests applied, and Visual Association and Auditory Association were the most impaired skills (40%). No association was observed between deteriorations in auditory and language skills. Conclusion: There was high occurrence of impairment of auditory skills, which compose the central auditory processing, as well as of language skills, with greatest impairment of receptive language.(AU)

Objetivos: Investigar las habilidades auditivas y lingüísticas en niños con labio leporino y paladar reparados. Métodos: La muestra se compuso de 22 niños registrados en el hospital en el que se realizó el estudio, de 7 a 9 años de edad, siendo el 50% niñas con labio leporino unilateral y paladar (derecho o izquierdo) reparados, sin malformaciones. Las habilidades auditivas se evaluaron utilizando 4 pruebas de procesamiento auditivo central: Random Gap Detection Test, Dichotic Digit Test, Dichotic Non-Verbal Test y Sustained Auditory Attention Ability Test. El desempeño lingüístico se evaluó utilizando diversos instrumentos estandarizados: Illinois Psycholinguistic Skills Test, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Token Test y Phonological Skills Profile. La asociación entre las habilidades auditivas y lingüísticas se evaluó mediante la prueba exacta de Fisher, con un nivel de significación del 5% (p<0,05). Resultados: Las pruebas de procesamiento auditivo central evidenciaron que solo un niño presentó un desempeño adecuado en todas las habilidades analizadas, 5 niños presentaron una alteración del desempeño en todas las habilidades y 16 niños mostraron alteraciones en una de las 3 habilidades auditivas, subrayando que la resolución temporal fue la habilidad más deficiente (81%). Con relación al lenguaje, 3 niños presentaron un desempeño adecuado en todas las pruebas aplicadas, siendo las habilidades más deficientes la asociación visual y la asociación auditiva (40%). No se observó asociación entre las alteraciones de las habilidades auditivas y lingüísticas. Conclusión: Existió una alta incidencia de alteraciones de las habilidades auditivas que componen el procesamiento auditivo central, así como habilidades lingüísticas con gran alteración del lenguaje receptivo.(AU)

Auditory and language skills in children with cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVES: to investigate auditory and language skills in children with repaired cleft lip and palate. METHODS: The sample was composed of 22 children registered at the hospital where the study was conducted, seven to nine years old, 50% being female, with repaired unilateral cleft lip and palate (right or left), without associated malformations. Auditory skills were assessed using four central auditory processing tests: Random Gap Detection Test, Dichotic Digit Test, Dichotic Non-Verbal Test, Sustained Auditory Attention Ability Test. Language performance was evaluated by four standardized instruments: Illinois Psycholinguistic Skills Test, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Token Test and Phonological Skills Profile. The association between auditory and language skills was evaluated by the Fisher exact test at a significance level of 5% (p<.05). RESULTS: The central auditory processing tests evidenced that only one child presented adequate performance in all skills analysed, five children presented impaired performance in all skills, and 16 exhibited deteriorations in one to three auditory skills, highlighting that temporal resolution was the most impaired skill (81%). Concerning language, three children presented adequate performance in all tests applied, and Visual Association and Auditory Association were the most impaired skills (40%). No association was observed between deteriorations in auditory and language skills. CONCLUSION: There was high occurrence of impairment of auditory skills, which compose the central auditory processing, as well as of language skills, with greatest impairment of receptive language.

Desempenho em consciência fonológica por crianças com transtorno fonológico: comparação de dois instrumentos / Performance in phonological awareness of children with phonological disorder: comparison of two instruments

OBJETIVO: analisar e comparar o desempenho em consciência fonológica em dois grupos de crianças com transtorno fonológico, sendo um em tratamento fonoaudiológico e outro sem intervenção, a partir de dois instrumentos de avaliação. MÉTODO: amostra de 21 crianças, de ambos os sexos, na faixa etária de 5 anos e 6 meses a 8 anos e 10 meses de idade, com transtorno fonológico. Dez crianças pertenciam ao Grupo 1 que se refere às que não foram submetidas a tratamento fonoaudiológico; e 11 crianças compunham o Grupo 2, correspondente àquelas em intervenção fonoaudiológica por um período superior a 4 meses. Foram utilizados dois instrumentos de avaliação: Perfil de Habilidades Fonológicas (PHF) e Prova de Consciência Fonológica (PCF). RESULTADOS: 85% das crianças do Grupo 1 e Grupo 2 apresentaram desempenho inferior em, pelo menos, um dos dois testes aplicados. O Perfil de Habilidades Fonológicas mostrou alteração de consciência fonológica em 13 (62%) sujeitos e a Prova de Consciência Fonológica em 16 sujeitos (76%), além disso, houve concordância entre os testes em 14 casos (66,7%). Não houve diferença estatisticamente significante comparando os resultados obtidos pelos dois grupos avaliados, tanto pelo PHF quanto pelo PCF de forma global, embora a concordância dos achados ocorreu na maioria dos casos. Porém, considerando as variáveis idade e escolaridade, no PCF constatou-se diferença estatística significante. Os resultados mostraram que há certa variabilidade nos achados obtidos da PCF e do PHF, nas faixas etárias de 5, 6 e 8 anos, enquanto que na faixa etária de 7 anos ambos os instrumentos mostraram-se sensíveis para a detecção da alteração de consciência fonológica e também para o acompanhamento do processo terapêutico. CONCLUSÃO: a maioria das crianças da amostra (85%), independente da terapia fonoaudiológica, apresentou desempenho inferior ao esperado para sua faixa etária em um dos dois instrumentos de avaliação da consciência fonológica, demonstrando a importância da intervenção fonoaudiológica com maior ênfase neste aspecto, já que este irá refletir-se diretamente no processo de alfabetização do indivíduo.

PURPOSE: to analyze and compare the performance of phonological awareness in two groups of children with phonological disorder, one in speech therapy and the other without intervention using two instruments of evaluation. METHOD: sample of 21 children, both genders, aged from 5 years and 6 months old to 8 years and 10 months old, with phonological disorder. Ten of these children belonged to Group 1, which includes children who have not undergone speech therapy treatment; and 11 children composed Group 2, corresponding to those in speech therapy intervention for a period longer than 4 months. Two instruments of evaluation were used: Profile of Phonological Abilities and Phonological Awareness Test RESULTS: 85% of the children in Group 1 and Group 2 presented low performance in at least one of the two tests applied. The Profile of Phonological Abilities showed phonological alteration in 13 (62%) subjects and the Phonological Awareness Test in 16 subjects (76%). Moreover, there was consistency between the tests in 14 cases (66.7%). There was no statistically significant difference when we compare the results obtained by the two groups evaluated with phonological disorders for both the PPA and the PAT in general, even though the consistency between the findings happened in the majority of the cases. However, considering the age variables and schooling, in the PAT we found statistically significant difference. The results showed that there is certain variance in the findings obtained of the PPA and the PAT, in the age group of 5, 6 and 8 years old, whereas in the age group of 7 years old both instruments had revealed themselves sensible to the detection of the alteration of phonological awareness and for the follow up of the therapeutical process. CONCLUSION: most children in the sample (85%), independent of speech therapy, showed inferior performance than the expected for their age group in one of two instruments of evaluation, demonstrating the importance of speech therapy with emphasis on this aspect, because this will be reflected directly in the process of literacy of the children.

Histopathological changes of vocal folds induced by chronic pollutant exposure: an experimental study.

UNLABELLED: Calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)) particles, the main component of chalk, are an important pollutant in the Brazilian school environment. However, there are few reports of the effect of this pollutant in the vocal folds and its influence in voice disorder in the literature. METHODS: Thirty rats (Wistar), randomly divided into two groups, the control group and the experimental group, were submitted to air or to CaCO(3) inhalation, respectively, during 15, 30, and 90 days. Then, the larynx region was dissected and embedded in paraffin, and 5-mum sections were obtained for microscopic analysis. RESULTS: No histopathological alteration was found on the vocal folds in the control group. In the experimental group, a moderate chronic inflammatory infiltrate, characterized by macrophage cells, was found in the vocal folds after 30 and 90 days of the CaCO(3) inhalation. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the inhalation of pollutant particles, such as CaCO(3), induces inflammatory alterations in the larynx; this can affect the vibration of the vocal folds, which influence vocal function.

Efeito da inalação de carbonato de cálcio nas pregas vocais de ratos / The effect of calcium carbonate inhalation on rats' vocal folds

Tema: efeito da inalação de carbonato de cálcio (principal componente do giz) nas pregas vocais de ratos. Objetivo: verificar em animais o efeito independente da inalação crônica de carbonato de cálcio (CaCO3) nas pregas vocais. Método: foram utilizados 30 ratos divididos em 2 grupos: animais expostos ao CaCO3 e animais mantidos como controle. Após 15, 30 e 90 dias os animais foram sacrificados e as pregas vocais analisadas ao microscópio óptico. Resultados: os resultados demonstraram uma maior concentração de macrófagos vacuolizados no grupo dos animais expostos ao CaCO3. Conclusão: estes resultados sugerem que a inalação crônica de partículas como o CaCO3, consideradas inócuas, pode influenciar o adequado funcionamento das pregas vocais, pois induzem uma maior migração de células de defesa para esta região.