Prosodic features of pragmatic abilities in adults with intellectual disabilities

Osobe sa intelektualnom ometenošću imaju snižene socio-komunikacione kompetencije. U odnosu na ostale pragmatske sposobnosti, oblast prozodije, kao segmenta paralingvistike, kod osoba sa intelektualnom ometenošću manje je poznata. Cilj rada je pregled i analiza dostupne literature o paralingvističkim prozodijskim sposobnostima kod odraslih osoba sa intelektualnom ometenošću. Rezultati dobijeni analizom dostupnih istraživanja ukazuju na priličnu konzistentnost nalaza u vezi sa akustičkim i perceptivnim prozodijskim manifestacijama kod osoba sa intelektualnom ometenošću, odnosno o višim vrednostima fundamentalne frekvencije koja je van tipičnog opsega, kao i o smanjenoj modulaciji, nižim vrednostima Jittera i Shimmera, ali i sniženoj energiji. Analizom su uočene i metodološke nekonzistentnosti koje se ponajpre ogledaju u veličini uzorka, starosnoj dobi uzorka, etiologiji intelektualne ometenosti, odabiru analiziranih parametara i tipu foniranja. Sumiranjem istraživačke literature uočavaju se atipične prozodijske karakteristike kod odraslih osoba sa intelektualnom ometenošću u odnosu na odrasle tipičnog razvoja. Proučavanje prozodije u adultnom periodu ima veliki značaj, kako za razumevanje razvojnih faktora u vezi sa ovom sposobnošću, tako i za tretman pragmatskih veština kod osoba sa intelektualnom ometenošću.People with intellectual disabilities (ID) have reduced social communication skills. There is less scientific knowledge about prosody, as a segment of paralinguistics, in people with ID, compared to their other pragmatic abilities. The aim of this paper is to review and analyze the available literature on paralinguistic prosodic abilities in adults with ID. The results obtained from the analysis of available research indicate considerable consistency in findings regarding acoustic and perceptual prosodic characteristics in people with ID, ie higher values of fundamental frequency (F0) which is outside the typical range, as well as reduced modulation, lower values of Jitter and Shimmer, and reduced energy. The analysis also revealed methodological inconsistencies, which are primarily reflected in the sample size, sample age, etiology of ID, selected analyzed parameters and type of phonation. By summarizing the research literature, atypical prosodic characteristics are noticeable in adults with ID in relation to adults of typical development. The study of prosody in the period of adulthood is of great importance, both for understanding the developmental factors related to this ability, but also for the treatment of pragmatic skills in people with ID

Prosodic features of pragmatic abilities in adults with intellectual disabilities

Osobe sa intelektualnom ometenošću imaju snižene socio-komunikacione kompetencije. U odnosu na ostale pragmatske sposobnosti, oblast prozodije, kao segmenta paralingvistike, kod osoba sa intelektualnom ometenošću manje je poznata. Cilj rada je pregled i analiza dostupne literature o paralingvističkim prozodijskim sposobnostima kod odraslih osoba sa intelektualnom ometenošću. Rezultati dobijeni analizom dostupnih istraživanja ukazuju na priličnu konzistentnost nalaza u vezi sa akustičkim i perceptivnim prozodijskim manifestacijama kod osoba sa intelektualnom ometenošću, odnosno o višim vrednostima fundamentalne frekvencije koja je van tipičnog opsega, kao i o smanjenoj modulaciji, nižim vrednostima Jittera i Shimmera, ali i sniženoj energiji. Analizom su uočene i metodološke nekonzistentnosti koje se ponajpre ogledaju u veličini uzorka, starosnoj dobi uzorka, etiologiji intelektualne ometenosti, odabiru analiziranih parametara i tipu foniranja. Sumiranjem istraživačke literature uočavaju se atipične prozodijske karakteristike kod odraslih osoba sa intelektualnom ometenošću u odnosu na odrasle tipičnog razvoja. Proučavanje prozodije u adultnom periodu ima veliki značaj, kako za razumevanje razvojnih faktora u vezi sa ovom sposobnošću, tako i za tretman pragmatskih veština kod osoba sa intelektualnom ometenošću.People with intellectual disabilities (ID) have reduced social communication skills. There is less scientific knowledge about prosody, as a segment of paralinguistics, in people with ID, compared to their other pragmatic abilities. The aim of this paper is to review and analyze the available literature on paralinguistic prosodic abilities in adults with ID. The results obtained from the analysis of available research indicate considerable consistency in findings regarding acoustic and perceptual prosodic characteristics in people with ID, ie higher values of fundamental frequency (F0) which is outside the typical range, as well as reduced modulation, lower values of Jitter and Shimmer, and reduced energy. The analysis also revealed methodological inconsistencies, which are primarily reflected in the sample size, sample age, etiology of ID, selected analyzed parameters and type of phonation. By summarizing the research literature, atypical prosodic characteristics are noticeable in adults with ID in relation to adults of typical development. The study of prosody in the period of adulthood is of great importance, both for understanding the developmental factors related to this ability, but also for the treatment of pragmatic skills in people with ID

Learning Prosody in a Video Game-Based Learning Approach

With the growth in popularity of video games in our society many teachers have worked to incorporate gaming into their classroom. It is generally agreed that by adding something fun to the learning process students become more engaged and, consequently, retain more knowledge. However, although the characteristics of video games facilitate the dynamics of the educational process it is necessary to plan a pedagogical project that includes delimitation of learning goals and profile of the addressees, the conditions of application of the educational project, and the methodologies of evaluation of the learning progress. This is how we can make a real difference between gamification and video game based learning. The paper addresses the design of an educational resource for special education needs (SEN) students that aims to help teach communicative skills related to prosody. The technological choices made to support the pedagogic issues that underlie the educational product, the strategies to convert learning content into playful material, and the methodology to obtain measures of its playability and effectiveness are described. The results of the motivation test certified that the video game is useful in encouraging the users to exercise their voice and the indicators of the degree of achievement of the learning goals serve to identify the most affected prosodic skill