Results of the Sensory Profile in children with suspected childhood apraxia of speech.

Speech-sound disorders are common in preschool-age children, and are characterized by difficulty in the planning and production of speech sounds and their combination into words and sentences. The objective of this study was to review and compare the results of the Sensory Profile (Dunn, 1999) in children with a specific type of speech-sound disorder, childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), and to explore the relationship between sensory processing and sound-production deficits. Participants were identified prospectively through an interdisciplinary apraxia clinic at a tertiary care pediatric hospital, and results of the Sensory Profile were compiled and reviewed. Thirty-eight children aged 3 to 10 years with suspected CAS were evaluated from July 2003 to July 2005. The results of the Sensory Profile indicated a difference for these children in several factor clusters when compared to typical peers from the normative population of the Sensory Profile. These findings imply that children with suspected CAS may present with differences in sensory processing in addition to speech impairment. When present, these differences in sensory processing could be addressed with specific therapeutic approaches through occupational therapy or consultation with an occupational therapist.

Fine motor function and oral-motor imitation skills in preschool-age children with speech-sound disorders.

Preschool-aged children with speech-sound disorders may be at risk for associated deficits in fine motor function. The objectives of this study were 2-fold: (1) to determine whether abnormalities in fine motor function could be detected in 2- to 5-year-old children with speech-sound disorders and (2) to determine whether there was a correlation between abnormal oral-motor imitation skills and abnormal fine motor function. Thirty-two children with speech-sound disorders (6 female, 26 male) were prospectively evaluated from July 2003 to July 2005, and the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales and the Kaufman Speech Praxis Test for Children were administered. The presence of abnormal oral-motor imitation skills as measured by the Kaufman Speech Praxis Test was associated with below-average fine motor performance. This finding has important implications for evaluation and treatment of preschool children with severe speech-sound disorders.

The comprehension of humorous materials by adolescents with high-functioning autism and Asperger's syndrome.

This study investigated the ability of adolescents with Asperger's syndrome or high-functioning autism and an age-matched group of typical adolescents to comprehend humorous materials. The analysis of humor focused on picking funny endings for cartoons and jokes. As expected, the adolescents with autism had significantly poorer comprehension of cartoons and jokes. Both groups had more difficulty with the joke than the cartoon task, but when compared with the typical group, the adolescents with autism performed significantly poorer. Examination of the error patterns revealed that subjects with autism had difficulty handling surprise and coherence within humorous narratives.