Predicting Useful Speech in Children With Autism

描述(由申请人提供)：被认为减慢或阻止一些自闭症儿童口语发展的三个特别难以测量的儿童特征是：(A)缓慢的语音处理，(B)非典型的文字处理，和(C)非典型的言语前发声。该项目旨在改善这些特征的测量，并解决以下研究问题：(A)在最初患有自闭症的非言语学龄前儿童中，语音处理速度、文字处理的典型性和发声的复杂性(即三个新的语言假定预测因子)是否与后来的产出性或接受性词汇水平存在正向预测关系？(B)在自闭症儿童中，语言的三个新假定预测因子之间的同时相关性是积极的和显著的吗？(C)言语处理的速度或文字处理的典型性与后来的词汇水平之间的关系是否可以用最初患有自闭症的非言语儿童的注意力与儿童定向言语的协变来解释？(D)发声的复杂性和后来的产出性语言之间的关系能否通过与患有自闭症的非言语儿童的发声交流或口头运动能力的粗略测量之间的协变来解释？本附录将使用现有的R01‘S纵向相关设计，以及已在家长R01补助金中招募的自闭症儿童的子组，以满足这些目标。补充资金将用于(A)招募35名典型发育中(TD)婴儿的新样本，(B)评估TD样本和R01‘S ASD大样本中的事件相关电位(ERPs)，以及(C)评估ASD亚组中发声的复杂性。将对40名患有自闭症的学龄前儿童(24-48个月)和35名在词汇理解方面(大约8-18个月)匹配的典型发育(TD)婴儿进行对语音或单词(及其对比刺激)的事件相关电位(ERP)的评估。测量语音处理的速度或字处理的典型性。根据我们过去在这些人群中获得“好的”ERP数据的比率，预计每个样本中的ERP数据的可分析样本量为30。对TD婴儿的ERP数据的一种新的使用将被实施，以得出ASD组在处理过程中的个体差异的测量。在自闭症参与者的分组中，将收集儿童发声的一天录音样本，以使用最近开发的声学分析方法来估计自闭症儿童发声的发展水平(即，第一次同行评议的使用于2010年7月10日发表在PNAS上，Oller等人，2010年)。这项工作将提高我们对患有ASD的学龄前儿童早期口语发展的差异以及选定的可能是ASD人群特有的语言预测因素之间相互关系的模式的理解。这一认识最终将为选择现有的沟通疗法提供经验指导，并帮助我们为自闭症非言语儿童开发新的沟通疗法。 公共卫生相关性：这一修订是为了响应PA-10-158(自闭症和自闭症谱系障碍研究)，旨在支持自闭症战略计划的研究目标。ASD研究的战略计划包含了解ASD异质性的长期目标。这项拟议的研究将提高我们对最初患有自闭症的非言语学龄前儿童早期口语发展差异的理解，建立未来的研究，为选择现有的沟通疗法提供经验指导，并产生将刺激未来非言语自闭症儿童沟通疗法发展的数据。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Three child characteristics thought to decelerate or prevent spoken language development in some children with ASD that are especially difficult to measure are (a) slow speech processing, (b) atypical word processing, and (c) atypical pre-speech vocalizations. The proposed project seeks to improve the measurement of these characteristics and to address the following research questions: (a) Do speed of speech processing, typicality of word processing, and complexity of vocalizations (i.e., the three new putative predictors of language) have positive, predictive relations with later productive or receptive lexical levels in initially nonverbal preschoolers with ASD? (b) Are the concurrent correlations among the three new putative predictors of language positive and significant in children with ASD? (c) Can the relation between speed of speech processing or typicality of word processing and later lexical levels be explained by covariation with attention to child-directed speech in initially nonverbal children with ASD? (d) Can the relation between complexity of vocalizations and later productive language be explained by covariation with gross measures of vocal communication or oral-motor ability in initially nonverbal children with ASD? The supplement will use an existing R01's longitudinal correlational design and a subgroup of the children with ASD that are already being recruited in the parent R01 grant to address the aims. The supplemental funds will be used to (a) recruit a new sample of 35 typically developing (TD) infants, (b) assess event-related potentials [ERPs] in the TD sample and the subgroup of the R01's larger ASD sample, and (c) assess complexity of vocalizations in the ASD subgroup. ERPs to speech sounds or words (and their contrast stimuli) will be assessed in 40 preschoolers (24 - 48 months) with ASD who are initially nonverbal at R01-study entry and 35 typically developing (TD) infants who are matched on lexical comprehension (approximately 8 - 18 mos.) to measure speed of speech processing or typicality of word processing. Based on our past rates of attaining "good" ERP data in these populations, expected analyzable sample size for the ERP data is 30 in each sample. A novel use of TD infants' ERP data will be implemented to derive measures of individual differences in processing in the ASD group. In the subgroup of ASD participants, day-long audio-recorded samples of children's vocalizations will be collected to derive estimates of the developmental level of ASD children's vocalizations using a very recently-developed acoustic analysis method (i.e., 1st peer-reviewed use was published in PNAS on 7/10/2010, Oller et al., 2010). The work will improve our understanding of the variance in early spoken language development in initially nonverbal preschoolers with ASD and the pattern of intercorrelation among selected putative predictors of language that may be unique to the ASD population. This understanding will eventually provide empirical guidance in selecting among existing communication treatments and help us develop new communication treatments for nonverbal children with autism. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This revision is responding to PA-10-158 (Research on Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders), which is intended to support research goals for the Strategic Plan for ASD. The strategic plan for ASD research contains a long-term goal of understanding the heterogeneity of ASD. The proposed research will improve our understanding of the variance in early spoken language development in initially nonverbal preschoolers with ASD, set-up future research to provide empirical guidance in selecting among existing communication treatments, and generate data that will stimulate future development of new communication treatments for nonverbal children with autism.