Browsing by master's degree program "Master 's Programme in Logopedics"

Background and goals. This thesis explores the number, quality and context of initiations and corrections to another's speech in an everyday aphasia conversation where one party has fluent aphasia. The initiation refers to the turn by which the interlocutor makes it clear that a previous turn is partially or completely problematic, or wants it to be refined. In this study, initiations are categorized into open requests, restricted requests, restricted offers and class other. Classification has been further extended to these subcategories. In the previous research literature, aphasia has been found to cause an emphasized role of the interlocutor in managing communication problems. The aphasia class and severity of the aphasic person have also been shown to influence the aphasic person's ability to make other-initiations and the interlocutors' preference to use candidate understandings in aphasia conversations where one party has fluent aphasia. Methods. The study's everyday aphasia conversation data have been collected as part of Managing the problems of speaking and understanding in conversations of speakers with aphasia -research project. The data for this thesis is constituted by the dyadic or three-party conversations of seven aphasic individual with their close persons. The data was annotated using ELAN according to the finished classification created in the COMPAIR project. For this study, it was important to find all other-initiations as well as other-corrections and to classify them. Results and reflection. Aphasic individuals used many of the same other-initiations as their interlocutors. However, aphasic persons did not use all the other-initiations that the interlocutors did, and they did not produce any other-corrections at all. On the other hand, the interlocutors used other-corrections relatively often. Aphasic individuals and interlocutors prefer different other-initiations. Neither the aphasia class nor the severity of aphasia was found to be related to the number of other-initiations by the aphasic person nor the preference for use of the categories, but they were found to be related to the other-initiations made by the interlocutor. Aphasic persons and interlocutors also used other-initiations with different types of problems. Fluent aphasia seems to weaken the aphasic person's ability to correct the interlocutor's speech, but on the other hand, it also increases the need for other-initiations and other-corrections made by the interlocutor to achieve mutual understanding. However, the results were unreliable due to low inter-annotator reliability.

Existing research has yet to explore the production of Finnish children's /r/ sounds and their phonetic variants, despite /r/ sound errors being among the most common speech sound disorders in children. In addition, existing research mainly relies on perceptual observation, which presents challenges when it comes to accurately identifying the quality of the sound error. The use of more objective methods of analysis is essential for the comparability of the research data. The aim of this study was to determine how acoustic analysis and ultrasound analysis can provide new insights and information about the typical and atypical /r/ productions produced by children. This study was conducted as part of the Enhancing visual feedback with ultrasound project, and the results will be used to design an acoustic analysis protocol to measure the effectiveness of controlled ultrasound intervention. The subjects in this study were four boys aged 10–11 years, all of whom produced the Finnish /r/ sound atypically, as well as two control subjects who had already acquired the typical Finnish /r/ sound. The subjects’ different /r/ productions were examined in the study by acoustic analysis and ultrasound analysis. In the Praat program, it was possible to visually observe the manner of articulation, the number of closing and opening phases (vibrations) characteristic of trills, the qualitative variation in the closing phases and the frequency structure of the /r/ sound from the spectrogram and oscillogram. In addition, it was possible to determine the duration of the /r/ sound and, in some cases, formant values. These results reveal variation in the production of the Finnish /r/ even among the control subjects. The word/sound position of the speech sound and the length of the sound appeared to have an effect on the realization and duration of the trill, and more vibrations occurred in longer-lasting trills. When the /r/ sound was produced as an apico-alveolar trill, the main acoustic characteristics of the speech sound were the alternating closing and opening phases (vibrations) and the lower F3 relative to the surrounding vowel environment, as already noted in a previous study. Due to the wide range of phonetic variants that might replace the /r/ sound the differences between typical and atypical /r/ productions were observed depending on the speaker in the manner of articulation, sound duration and/or the number of closing phases. In this study, it was not possible to determine the place of articulation by acoustic analysis, which is partly explained by the failure of formant analysis due to the poor quality of the test subjects' data. Thus, ultrasound data was also included in the analysis, from which it was possible to visually confirm the atypical place of articulation. These results therefore demonstrate how acoustic analysis and ultrasound analysis can supplement auditory perception and provide more qualitative and quantitative information on /r/ productions produced by children. However, it is important for the researcher to consider the typical variation in the realization of /r/ productions and the certain limitations associated with the use of both methods of analysis already at the data collection stage of the study, such as the selection of test words and number of repetitions.

Objectives: In apraxic-aphasic disorder, both apraxia of speech (AOS) and aphasia impede speech production. There is little research on severe apraxic-aphasic disorder and its rehabilitation, which complicates the targeting and planning of rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to obtain information about rehabilitation of severe apraxic-aphasic disorder, by observing changes in production of non-propositional speech production during a three-year period. Additionally, the aim was to observe whether the changes in sound errors were similar between the subjects. Method: The data of this study consisted of audio and video recordings in which the participants with severe apraxic-aphasic disorder produced non-propositional speech. The tasks involved counting the numbers 1–10 and reciting the days of the week. The participants had a severe apraxic-aphasic disorder as a result of left hemisphere ischemic stroke. The study examined the changes of sound distortion errors in non-propositional speech tasks. In the data analysis 0–2 points were given for each type of sound errors (sound omissions, sound substitutions, sound distortions and sound additions) for each individual word. High number of sound errors in speech resulted as a high number of error points in the analysis. Results and Conclusions: Five of the seven participants were able to count from 1 to 10 and recite the days of the week at least once with or without help and two participants were not. Of the five subjects who were able to count the numbers 1–10 and recite the days of the week, four were able to produce the non-propositional speech tasks with fewer sound errors during the follow-up. The number of sound errors decreased the most within 15,5 months post-onset. Most of the sound errors were sound omissions and sound substitutions, but high number of sound omission was in part due to assistance from the researcher. The results show that the number of changes in sound errors among severely apraxic-aphasic subjects vary over the course of a three-year period. Changes in the type of sound errors were minimal. The results of the study help to better understand the apraxic-aphasic disorder and its rehabilitation.

Aims. Parents are most important communication partners for young child, and language, learning and memory skills develop via everyday parent-child interaction. Shared book reading is an interactive moment that fosters parents to use richer and more diverse language than they would otherwise be using in everyday life. Previous research on shared reading has focused particular on the association between reading and children’s language development and vocabulary. However, there are indications that shared reading could also support the development of a child’s later learning skills and memory. The aim of this study was to examine how shared reading (2;7–4;2 years) is connected to the language skills, learning skills and memory functions assessed by the parent of a five-year-old child. In addition, it is explored how shared reading (2;7–4;2 years) manages to explain the child's skills at the age of five, when the background factors are controlled. Methods. The study sample consisted of 70 typically developed Finnish-speaking children. The study sample is part of the LEINIKKI-study. Data on the amount of parents’ reading to a child was collected on a parent-report form. Children’s receptive and expressive language skills at the age 2,7-4,2 years were assessed with the Reynell Developmental Language Scales III. The children's skills at the age of five were assessed using the following sections from the The Five to Fifteen -parent-report questionnaire: Language, Learning, and Memory. The connection between the shared reading and the Language, Learning, and Memory skills at the age of five was analyzed with Spearman correlation, Mann-Whitney U-test, and linear regression analysis. Results and conclusions. Children, whose both parents red books often, had significantly better scores in all three skill areas (Language, Learning and Memory). Regression analysis showed that the more parents red to their 2.7 to 4.2 aged children the higher scores in Learning-section children had at the age of five. However, parents’ active reading to their child may enhance the development of the child’s later learning skills and potentially support children’s language skills and memory. The results of the study can be used to encourage parents to read to their children. Future studies should use larger sample size to confirm the longitudinal association of shared reading and later language, learning, and memory skills.

Tavoitteet. Tässä maisterintutkielmassa tarkastellaan, millaisia viittaussuhteiden tulkitsemisen ongelmia tyypillisesti kehittyvät 4- ja 5-vuotiaat lapset nostavat esiin leikkivuorovaikutuksessa oman vanhemman kanssa. Tutkimuksen kohteena ovat lasten esittämät korjausaloitteet. Korjausaloite on puheenvuoro, jolla ilmaistaan keskustelukumppanin aiemman vuoron olleen vaikeasti kuultavissa tai ymmärrettävissä. Korjausaloitteilla pyritään ylläpitämään ja tarvittaessa palauttamaan hetkellisesti menetettyä keskinäistä ymmärrystä eli intersubjektiivisuutta keskustelussa. Tässä tutkielmassa tarkastellaan, mitä korjausaloitteita lapset käyttävät vanhemman puheenvuorossa esiintyneen viittaussuhteen jäädessä epäselväksi, ja mikä on korjausaloitteiden esiintymisympäristö keskustelussa. Lisäksi selvitetään, voidaanko 4- ja 5-vuotiaiden lasten tekemien korjausaloitteiden välillä havaita eroa. Menetelmät. Tässä työssä tutkittiin kahdeksan 3;11–5;1-vuotiaan lapsen korjauskäytänteitä leikkivuorovaikutuksessa oman vanhemman kanssa. Tutkimusaineistona oli autenttisissa vuorovaikutustilanteissa tallennetut videot, ja yhteensä videoaineistoa oli kuusi tuntia 46 minuuttia. Aineisto on kerätty vuosina 2004–2007 osana Lapsen kehittyvä kieli ja vuorovaikutus -tutkimushanketta (myöh. COMPAIR). Tutkimus perustuu keskustelunanalyyttisen tutkimusparadigman mukaiseen sekventiaaliseen analyysiin ja aineistolähtöiseen ryhmittelyyn. Tulokset ja johtopäätökset. Tutkimukseen osallistuneiden lasten korjausaloitteet vastasivat monelta osin aiemman tutkimuksen havaintoja lasten korjauskäytänteistä. Viittaussuhteita tarkentavien korjausaloitteiden määrässä oli osallistujakohtaista hajontaa. Erot voivat osittain heijastaa lasten keskustelussa kohtaamien ongelmien määrää, osittain lasten taipumusta esittää korjausaloitteita. Lapset nostivat esiin viittaussuhteiden tulkitsemisen ongelmia pääasiassa tulkintaehdokkailla ja kysymyssanoilla. Aineistosta löytyi myös kaksi kysymyslauseen muotoista korjausaloitetta. Pelkkiä ei-sanallisia aineksia sisältäviä korjausaloitteita ei havaittu, mutta tulkintaehdokkaisiin liittyi usein osoittava ele tai tarkistava katse. Aineistoissa havaittiin laajempia toimintajaksoja, ja niiden aikana muotoutuvia tyypillisiä keskustelun lähikonteksteja, joissa lapset tekivät korjausaloitteita. 4- ja 5-vuotiaiden ryhmät eivät juuri eronneet toisistaan korjausaloitteiden esiintymisfrekvenssin tai koostumuksen osalta, mutta lähikonteksteja tarkasteltaessa 5-vuotiailla korjaustoimintaa esiintyi 4-vuotiaita harvemmissa konteksteissa. Kahden ikäryhmän korjauskäytänteiden vertaaminen vahvisti käsitystä siitä, että lapsen iän ja kielellisen kehitystason lisäksi kontekstuaaliset tekijät vaikuttavat siihen, millaisia puheen tulkitsemisen ongelmia lapset keskustelussa kohtaavat ja kuinka intersubjektiivisuus keskustelussa rakentuu. Tässä tutkimuksessa tutkittiin lapsen vuorovaikutusta vanhemman kanssa. Kattavampi kuva saataisiin tarkastelemalla jatkossa lasten korjaustoimintaa myös esimerkiksi leikkivuorovaikutuksessa ikätoverin kanssa.