Kindergarten screening tools filled out by parents and teachers targeting dyslexia. Predictions and developmental trajectories from age 5 to age 15 years

The concept of early ‘efforts’ has led to discussions for and against introducing language assessment for all kindergarten children. Evidence-based kindergarten screening tools completed by close caregivers could solve this controversy as the children themselves would only be indirectly involved. The aim of this study was to see whether the scores of such early screening tools aiming at developmental dyslexia could predict school marks of literacy competence 10 years later, and to see whether these screening tools would reveal different dyslexia trajectories. The study is part of the Bergen Longitudinal Dyslexia Study, and the results from individual testing are reported elsewhere. Here, the caregivers' views isolated from the rest of the study are focused. Three tools were used: the RI-5, a questionnaire assessing the risk of dyslexia; the TRAS, a non-standardized observation tool of children's communication skills; and the CCC-2, a questionnaire assessing Developmental Language Disorders. Screening was performed at age 5 (TP1), age 11, (TP2) and age 15 (TP3). At TP2, when dyslexia was identified, 13 children formed the dyslexia group, and the rest formed the control group. At TP3, the RI-5 and CCC-2 turned out to be predictive of literacy competence as measured by school marks. Developmental trajectories were seen through the regroupings and scorings into a persistent group, a late onset group and a resolving group. Evidence-based preschool screening tools filled out by close caregivers offer valid information on later literacy developmental trajectories.publishedVersio

Self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression in chronic stroke patients with and without aphasia

Background: About half of the stroke population suffers from emotional difficulties, such as anxiety and depression post-stroke. Acquiring aphasia is seen to increase the risk of developing symptoms of emotional difficulties such as anxiety and depression. Aims: The aim of the present study was to investigate self-reported emotional difficulties in chronic stroke patients with and without aphasia 1 year post-stroke. Further, we aimed to investigate the relationship between aphasia severity and self-reported symptoms of post-stroke depression and anxiety. We expected to find that patients with aphasia reported more symptoms of anxiety and depression than patients without aphasia. Furthermore, we expected to find that aphasia severity was associated with self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression. Methods & Procedures: The Norwegian Basic Aphasia Assessment (NBAA) was used to assess aphasia severity. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was administered to all patients to assess self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression. To investigate group differences we used the patients’ scores on the subscales communication, ability to carry out daily activities, and ability to participate in social/leisure activities from the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS), the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Outcomes & Results: There were no significant differences between the groups regarding self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression. We found a significant correlation between aphasia severity and symptoms of depression, indicating that patients with more aphasic difficulties reported more symptoms of depression. Specifically, the subscale repetition and reading comprehension from the NBAA correlated with the HADS total score. Furthermore, we found significant correlations between the patients’ performance on reading comprehension, repetition, and reading out loud and the HADS depression subscale. There was a significant difference between the groups on the SIS communication scores and the patients’ scores on the MMSE, whereas the aphasia group had more self-reported communication difficulties and a lower level of cognitive functioning 1 year post-stroke. However, on the SIS daily activities the non-aphasia group scored significantly lower. Finally, the groups did not differ on functional disability as measured by the mRS at admission to the hospital. Conclusions: Although there were no significant differences between the aphasic and non-aphasic groups as to the degree of self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression, patients with aphasia reported symptoms of anxiety and depression that seemed to be associated with specific language problems, as the ability to repeat, and to read and comprehend words and sentences.acceptedVersio

Associations between lesion size, lesion location and aphasia in acute stroke

Background: The localization and organization of language has been an ongoing research interest ever since the early findings of Paul Broca. The emergence of neuroimaging the past 20 years has given us new insights on the anatomical and structural organization of the brain. Lesion studies on patients with aphasia can provide knowledge on where and how specific language functions are organized in the brain. Aims: The primary objective of the study was to investigate the relationships between aphasia severity, aphasic symptoms, lesion location and lesion volume in patients with left hemispheric stroke in the acute phase (within one week post-stroke). Using a voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping method (VLSM), we hypothesized that lesions associated with speech comprehension deficits mainly would involve regions within the posterior superior and middle temporal lobe, and lesions associated with speech production deficits would mainly be associated to the inferior frontal areas of the left hemisphere. Methods & procedures: Findings from diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI-MRI) and patients’ scores from the Norwegian Basic Aphasia Assessment (NBAA) were used to investigate our research questions. We did a whole group analysis of descriptive statistics, lesion localization and lesion volume. We thereafter divided the patients into two groups based on their median scores on the NBAA, one high comprehension group and one low comprehension group. We used VLSM to investigate the associations between the patients’ lesions and the results from the NBAA. Outcomes & Results: Lesion volume was significantly associated with all subtest from the NBAA. Our initial analysis of the whole group showed that difficulties in naming was associated with lesions within the rolandic operculum. We also found that difficulties in repetition was associated with lesions within the rolandic operculum, and in addition, the superior temporal gyrus. In the group of patients with high comprehension scores lesions within Broca’s area, insula, the superior temporal gyrus (STG) and Heschl’s gyrus were found to be associated with difficulties with overall aphasia severity, repetition, naming, and reading out loud from the NBAA. Conclusions: Lesion volume is strongly associated with aphasia severity in the acute stages of stroke. Further, lesions within Broca’s area, the insula, the STG and Heschl’s gyrus were found to be crucial areas in language comprehension and production. This confirms current views that speech and language processes depend on the integrity of the entire network comprising both cortical structures and their interconnected fibre tracts

Kindergarten screening tools filled out by parents and teachers targeting dyslexia. Predictions and developmental trajectories from age 5 to age 15 years

The concept of early ‘efforts’ has led to discussions for and against introducing language assessment for all kindergarten children. Evidence-based kindergarten screening tools completed by close caregivers could solve this controversy as the children themselves would only be indirectly involved. The aim of this study was to see whether the scores of such early screening tools aiming at developmental dyslexia could predict school marks of literacy competence 10 years later, and to see whether these screening tools would reveal different dyslexia trajectories. The study is part of the Bergen Longitudinal Dyslexia Study, and the results from individual testing are reported elsewhere. Here, the caregivers' views isolated from the rest of the study are focused. Three tools were used: the RI-5, a questionnaire assessing the risk of dyslexia; the TRAS, a non-standardized observation tool of children's communication skills; and the CCC-2, a questionnaire assessing Developmental Language Disorders. Screening was performed at age 5 (TP1), age 11, (TP2) and age 15 (TP3). At TP2, when dyslexia was identified, 13 children formed the dyslexia group, and the rest formed the control group. At TP3, the RI-5 and CCC-2 turned out to be predictive of literacy competence as measured by school marks. Developmental trajectories were seen through the regroupings and scorings into a persistent group, a late onset group and a resolving group. Evidence-based preschool screening tools filled out by close caregivers offer valid information on later literacy developmental trajectories

Self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression in chronic stroke patients with and without aphasia

Background: About half of the stroke population suffers from emotional difficulties, such as anxiety and depression post-stroke. Acquiring aphasia is seen to increase the risk of developing symptoms of emotional difficulties such as anxiety and depression. Aims: The aim of the present study was to investigate self-reported emotional difficulties in chronic stroke patients with and without aphasia 1 year post-stroke. Further, we aimed to investigate the relationship between aphasia severity and self-reported symptoms of post-stroke depression and anxiety. We expected to find that patients with aphasia reported more symptoms of anxiety and depression than patients without aphasia. Furthermore, we expected to find that aphasia severity was associated with self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression. Methods & Procedures: The Norwegian Basic Aphasia Assessment (NBAA) was used to assess aphasia severity. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was administered to all patients to assess self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression. To investigate group differences we used the patients’ scores on the subscales communication, ability to carry out daily activities, and ability to participate in social/leisure activities from the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS), the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Outcomes & Results: There were no significant differences between the groups regarding self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression. We found a significant correlation between aphasia severity and symptoms of depression, indicating that patients with more aphasic difficulties reported more symptoms of depression. Specifically, the subscale repetition and reading comprehension from the NBAA correlated with the HADS total score. Furthermore, we found significant correlations between the patients’ performance on reading comprehension, repetition, and reading out loud and the HADS depression subscale. There was a significant difference between the groups on the SIS communication scores and the patients’ scores on the MMSE, whereas the aphasia group had more self-reported communication difficulties and a lower level of cognitive functioning 1 year post-stroke. However, on the SIS daily activities the non-aphasia group scored significantly lower. Finally, the groups did not differ on functional disability as measured by the mRS at admission to the hospital. Conclusions: Although there were no significant differences between the aphasic and non-aphasic groups as to the degree of self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression, patients with aphasia reported symptoms of anxiety and depression that seemed to be associated with specific language problems, as the ability to repeat, and to read and comprehend words and sentences

Pragmatic language impairment in children with Noonan syndrome

Noonan syndrome (NS) is a disorder causing symptoms like short stature, characteristic facial features, congenital heart disease, possible mental retardation, and pragmatic difficulties. This study describes the pragmatic skills in NS and discusses the linguistic profile of 17 informants aged 6–15 years, by comparing the participants’ scores on the Children’s Communication Checklist, 2nd edition (CCC-2) (Bishop, 2011), with a group of typically developing children of matching age and gender. Language impairments were common in the NS group. The results show that children and adolescents with NS do not have one coherent pragmatic profile. However, 76.5% of the participants displayed communication impairments, and pragmatic skills were significantly lower than in the control group

Voksne CI-brukeres post-operative erfaringer. En kvalitativ undersøkelse av hva fire voksne CI-brukere erfarer som viktig i tiden etter lydpåsetting

Formålet med denne kvalitative studien var å undersøke hva voksne som har operert inn cochleaimplantat (CI) erfarer som viktig, og studiens problemstilling var: Hva erfarer et utvalg voksne CI-brukere som viktig i tiden etter lydpåsetting? Fire voksne med ervervet alvorlig hørselstap ble intervjuet. Intervjuene ble transkribert og analysert etter induktiv tematisk analyse, hvor fem tema ble trukket frem: Motivasjon til å lytte aktivt i hverdagen, oppfattelse av nyanser i tale og musikk, tilpasset logopedisk behandling, erfaringsutveksling med andre i samme situasjon, og viktigheten av å være ærlig mot seg selv. Resultat i denne studien peker på viktigheten av psykososial støtte på lik linje med lyttetrening i tiden etter lydpåsetting

Emotional and behavioural function in children with language problems- a longitudinal, population- based study

This longitudinal, population-based study investigated associations between language problems (LP) and emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD). Parents and teachers gave information about LP and EBD when the children were 7–9 (T1) and 11–13 years old (T2). Self-reports of EBD were included at T2. In line with findings from clinically referred samples, children with LP scored higher than controls on all measures of EBD at both time-points. A subgroup with persistent LP showed more severe EBD than a subgroup with transient LP. Hyperactivity and peer problems at T1 were significantly associated with the risk of persistent LP. Boys in the persistent subgroup had more severe behaviour problems as reported by all informants, whereas self-reports revealed more severe emotional problems in girls with LP. The profound and consistent reports across informants of EBD in children with LP emphasise the importance of providing both mental health and language support in childhood as well as in adolescence. Addressing symptoms associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and social problems may be of especial importance to improve LP outcome. The complexity of problems encountered underlines the need for a combined expertise and multidisciplinary approach to language impairment in youth

The dynamics of narrative writing in primary grade children: Writing process factors predict story quality

In this study of third grade school children, we investigated the association between writing process measures recorded with key stroke logging and the final written product. Moreover, we examined the cognitive predictors of writing process and product measures. Analyses of key strokes showed that while most children spontaneously made local online revisions while writing, few revised previously written text. Children with good reading and spelling abilities made more online revisions than their peers. Two process factors, transcription fluency and online revision activity, contributed to explaining variance in narrative macrostructural quality and story length. As for cognitive predictors, spelling was the only factor that gave a unique contribution to explaining variance in writing process factors. Better spelling was associated with more revisions and faster transcription. The results show that developing writers’ ability to make online revisions in creative writing tasks is related to both the quality of the final written product and to individual literacy skills. More generally, the findings indicate that investigations of the dynamics of the writing process may provide insights into the factors that contribute to creative writing during early stages of literacy