Multimodal and Spectral Degradation Effects on Speech and Emotion Recognition in Adults

Research has shown that individuals with severe hearing loss demonstrate considerable adaptation to hearing input from their cochlear implants (CIs), especially when implanted at younger ages. Despite these gains, hearing restoration with sensory prostheses does not match that of normal acoustic hearing. Limitations are especially apparent in complex listening situations. CIs retain important timing information, but discard fine pitch details that are informative to voice quality and music. We examined how speech and emotion recognition can be improved for CI listeners by the addition of informative multimodal (auditory and visual) cues. We created conditions that simulate the hearing experiences of CI listeners using a vocoder, which reduced the fine pitch information. In the unimodal auditory condition, hearing adult participants listened to sentence-length vocoded speech created with 4, 8, 16, and 32 bands that contained increasing amounts of spectral (pitch) detail, respectively. In the multimodal condition, the vocoded speech was superimposed to videos of the talker speaking the sentence. Our results show that listeners capitalized on informative visual cues that complemented the acoustic information and improved their speech and emotion recognition accuracies. The multimodal benefit was greater under the most difficult listening conditions; that is, 4 and 8 bands. Our findings also show that the addition of visual information benefited emotion recognition more greatly, where spectral degradation hampered the perception of important prosodic detail that cue emotion in voice. The present findings can be used to inform rehabilitative practices by incorporating informative multimodal cues to improve communication outcomes of CI listeners. Discipline: Psychology Honours Faculty Mentor: Dr. Tara Vongpaisa

Treatment of perseveration speech in a young adult with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study was implemented to evaluate a treatment approach to reduce perseverative speech in a 21 year old adult with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This study is a brief replication of previous literature that shows differential reinforcement (DR) and extinction can be used to increase appropriate speech and decrease perseverative speech. This also intends to extend the previous literature that shows DR and extinction can be used to increase appropriate speech selected by the listener, and decrease perseverative speech. To promote appropriate speech, a turn-taking format was used during sessions while DR of non-perseverative speech and DR of on-topic speech was implemented. The turn taking sessions were presented in a multiple schedule with a discriminative stimulus that signaled the contingencies, and who was to choose the topic. Both treatments reduced perseverative speech, but only DR of on-topic speech increased appropriate turn taking during conversations. There was a rapid increasing trend of appropriate speech contingent on reinforcement, and a rapidly decreasing trend of perseverative speech. The results show that perseverative speech is sensitive to contingent attention as reinforcement, and DR and extinction can markedly reduce this speech.   Discipline: Psychology Honours Faculty Mentor: Miranda  Macaule

Evaluating the role of strengths in positive outcomes for justice-involved youth with FASD

The objective of this scoping review is to determine how/what strengths and protective factors have been investigated for youth with FASD involved in the criminal justice system. The overarching research question of the scoping review is: In the current literature, how are strengths and protective factors defined and measured, and what strengths and protective factors are identified for youth with FASD that are involved in the criminal justice system

Cumulative Risk and Mental Health Outcomes in Children Prenatally Exposed to Alcohol

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is caused by exposure to alcohol in utero and is the leading cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities. The timing, frequency, and dosage of alcohol consumed during the prenatal period contribute to the heterogeneous presentation of FASD, which includes physical, adaptive, behavioural, and social-emotional difficulties. Difficulties are often solely attributed to the effects of alcohol, yet alcohol is rarely the only explanatory factor for outcomes. Specifically, prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) often co-occurs with other substances, as well as other environmental factors such as lack of prenatal care or poverty/malnutrition. Children and youth with FASD often experience adverse experiences postnatally, such as abuse or neglect. These factors may cumulatively interact to alter individual trajectories of children with PAE. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between cumulative risk factors (both prenatally and postnatally) on mental health outcomes of children exposed to alcohol prenatally. Additionally, the study aims to investigate what/if clinical neurocognitive factors further explain the variance associated with mental health outcomes, given the high prevalence of neurocognitive difficulties in this population. Results demonstrate that although PAE frequently co-occurs with a variety of other prenatal factors, in our sample, PAE was the most significant predictor of mental health symptoms, as measured by the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia – Present and Lifetime Version (KSADS-PL). Our findings also show that postnatal threat or deprivation occurring after two years of age significantly predicted executive dysfunction. A hierarchical multiple regression was run to determine if the addition of postnatal experiences and EF to PAE significantly predicted symptom count. It was found that postnatal risks and executive functioning abilities better explained total mental health symptom count than PAE alone. The research and practice implications of the present study findings are discussed, in addition to strengths, limitations, and for future research directions

Multimodal and Spectral Degradation Effects on Speech and Emotion Recognition in Adult Listeners

For cochlear implant (CI) users, degraded spectral input hampers the understanding of prosodic vocal emotion, especially in difficult listening conditions. Using a vocoder simulation of CI hearing, we examined the extent to which informative multimodal cues in a talker’s spoken expressions improve normal hearing (NH) adults’ speech and emotion perception under different levels of spectral degradation (two, three, four, and eight spectral bands). Participants repeated the words verbatim and identified emotions (among four alternative options: happy, sad, angry, and neutral) in meaningful sentences that are semantically congruent with the expression of the intended emotion. Sentences were presented in their natural speech form and in speech sampled through a noise-band vocoder in sound (auditory-only) and video (auditory–visual) recordings of a female talker. Visual information had a more pronounced benefit in enhancing speech recognition in the lower spectral band conditions. Spectral degradation, however, did not interfere with emotion recognition performance when dynamic visual cues in a talker’s expression are provided as participants scored at ceiling levels across all spectral band conditions. Our use of familiar sentences that contained congruent semantic and prosodic information have high ecological validity, which likely optimized listener performance under simulated CI hearing and may better predict CI users’ outcomes in everyday listening contexts

Coping in pediatric chronic pain populations: A scoping review

The objective of this scoping review is to map the literature on coping within a paediatric chronic and/or recurrent pain context to gain a better understanding of: (1) with whom, how, and when are coping behaviours are measured as well as what research methodologies are used (e.g., study designs, types of data collected); and (2) current working definitions and/or conceptualizations of different coping strategies or higher-order categories of coping. In addition, this review aims identify research gaps and areas for future research

Balancing the story of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: a narrative review of the literature on strengths.

For many years, researchers have explored the complex challenges experienced by individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). This research has been important for documenting the brain- and body-based impacts of prenatal alcohol exposure and the psychosocial vulnerabilities and environmental adversities frequently associated with FASD. It has also supported advocacy efforts and highlighted the necessity of providing FASD services and supports. However, with the focus on deficits and needs, there is a considerable gap in the literature on the strengths and successes of individuals with FASD. The lack of strengths-based FASD research has likely perpetuated the stress and stigma experienced by individuals with FASD and their families. Thus, there is a critical need to shift the direction of the field. Here we provide a narrative review of the literature on strengths in FASD. Our goals are to: (1) understand the state of strengths-based research related to individuals with FASD across the lifespan, and (2) describe positive characteristics, talents, and abilities of individuals with FASD that may be cultivated to promote their fulfillment and well-being. We identified a total of 19 studies, most of which were conducted to explore the lived experiences of adults with FASD. This preliminary but critical body of evidence highlights the intrinsic strengths of individuals with FASD, including strong self-awareness, receptiveness to support, capacity for human connection, perseverance through challenges, and hope for the future. Despite the importance of this emerging evidence, appraisal of the literature indicates a need for more intentional, methodologically rigorous, participatory, and theory-driven research in this area. Findings from this study, including the identified gaps in the literature, can be used to inform research, practice, and policy to meaningfully advance the field of FASD and promote positive outcomes in this population

Latent classes of neurodevelopmental profiles and needs in children and adolescents with prenatal alcohol exposure.

BACKGROUND: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder, but substantial interindividual heterogeneity complicates timely and accurate assessment, diagnosis, and intervention. The current study aimed to identify classes of children and adolescents with PAE assessed for FASD according to their pattern of significant neurodevelopmental functioning across 10 domains using latent class analysis (LCA), and to characterize these subgroups across clinical features. METHODS: Data from the Canadian National FASD Database, a large ongoing repository of anonymized clinical data received from diagnostic clinics across Canada, was analyzed using a retrospective cross-sectional cohort design. The sample included 1440 children and adolescents ages 6 to 17 years (M = 11.0, SD = 3.5, 41.7% female) with confirmed PAE assessed for FASD between 2016 and 2020. RESULTS: Results revealed an optimal four-class solution. The Global needs group was characterized by high overall neurodevelopmental impairment considered severe in nature. The Regulation and Cognitive needs groups presented with moderate but substantively distinguishable patterns of significant neurodevelopmental impairment. The Attention needs group was characterized by relatively low probabilities of significant neurodevelopmental impairment. Both the Global and Regulation needs groups also presented with the highest probabilities of clinical needs, further signifying potential substantive differences in assessment and intervention needs across classes. CONCLUSIONS: Four relatively distinct subgroups were present in a large heterogeneous sample of children and adolescents with PAE assessed for FASD in Canada. These findings may inform clinical services by guiding clinicians to identify distinct service pathways for these subgroups, potentially increasing access to a more personalized treatment approach and improving outcomes