Articulator Movement in Developmental Apraxia of Speech

描述(申请人提供)：发育性言语失用症(DAS)被描述为一种实践障碍，导致沟通能力严重受损。许多患有DAS的儿童会产生难以理解的语言，这使得口头交流极具挑战性。有人假设，言语运动控制受损可能是导致这一人群言语困难的原因。然而，目前对DAS儿童的运动语言技能知之甚少，特别是关于发音架运动的技能。为了解决这一知识差距，我们将比较患有DAS的儿童和他们的年龄匹配的同龄人(通常是发育中的同龄人)在具有不同语言需求的言语任务中如何改变他们的发音动作。这项研究将包括20名患有发育性言语失用的儿童和20名年龄匹配、具有典型的言语和语言技能发展的儿童。当参与者说出单音节、双音节和三音节单词时，将使用光学运动捕捉系统检查嘴唇和下巴的运动学。研究的具体目标是(1)确定发育性言语失用(DAS)儿童与一般言语和语言技能发展儿童之间的发育性言语失用(DAS)儿童与一般言语和语言技能发展儿童(TD)之间的发育性言语失用(DAS)儿童发音系统运动的时长、位移和速度是否存在差异；(2)研究发育性言语失用(DAS)儿童与一般言语和语言技能(TD)儿童之间是否存在发育性言语失用(DAS)儿童发声增加语言复杂性的差异；以及(3)发育性言语失用(DAS)儿童是否会随着发育性言语失用(DAS)儿童语言复杂性的增加而改变发育性语言失用(DAS)儿童的发音能力。这项研究的广泛和长期目标是确定言语运动系统的组成部分，这些组成部分在言语障碍儿童的发育过程中崩溃。了解DAS儿童言语运动控制和发声之间的关系将有助于了解该障碍的病因以及与其相关的言语特征。这将对DAS的鉴别诊断和治疗干预产生重要影响。 相关性：发育性语言失用症会阻碍儿童的交流能力，这也可能延伸到发展的社会、学术和情感方面。这项工作将检查患有DAS的儿童的口腔发音架运动，以了解这一人群中言语运动控制和声音产生之间的关系。这个项目与健康相关的地方在于它可以对DAS的鉴别诊断和治疗干预产生重要影响，这两者都将提高儿童的沟通技能。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Developmental apraxia of speech (DAS) has been described as a disorder of praxis which results in significantly impaired communication skills. Many children with DAS produce unintelligible speech, making verbal communication extremely challenging. It has been hypothesized that impaired speech motor control may underlie speech difficulties in this population. There is currently little known, however, about the motor speech skills of children with DAS, particularly with regard to articulator movement. To address this gap in knowledge, we will compare how children with DAS and their age-matched, typically developing, peers alter their articulatory movements during speech tasks with varying linguistic demands. Twenty children with developmental apraxia of speech and twenty age-matched children with typically developing speech and language skills will be included in the study. Lip and jaw kinematics will be examined using an optical motion capture system as participants produce one, two and three syllable words. The specific aims are (1) To determine whether the duration, displacement and velocity of articulator movements differ between children with developmental apraxia of speech (DAS) and those with typically developing speech and language skills; (2) To determine whether articulator movement variability differs between children with developmental apraxia of speech (DAS) and those with typically developing speech and language skills (TD); and (3) To determine whether articulator movement variability changes as children with developmental apraxia of speech (DAS) produce speech that increases in linguistic complexity. The broad, long-term objective of this research is to identify components of the speech motor system that break down during development in children with impaired speech. Understanding the relationship between speech motor control and sound production in children with DAS will shed light on the etiology of the disorder, as well as the speech characteristics associated with it. This will have an important impact on the differential diagnosis of DAS, as well as therapeutic intervention. Relevance: Developmental apraxia of speech will impede a child's ability to communicate, which can also extend to social, academic and emotional aspects of development. This work will examine oral articulator movement in children with DAS in order to understand the relationship between speech motor control and sound production in this population. The health relatedness of this project lies in the important impact it can have on the differential diagnosis of DAS and on therapeutic intervention, both of which will lead to improved communicative skills in children.