Articulator Movement in Developmental Apraxia of Speech

描述（由申请人提供）：发展性言语失用症（DAS）被描述为一种导致沟通能力严重受损的行为障碍。许多患有失语症的儿童会产生难以理解的语言，这使得语言交流极具挑战性。据推测，言语运动控制受损可能是这一人群言语困难的根本原因。然而，目前对DAS儿童的运动语言技能知之甚少，特别是关于发音器运动。为了解决这一知识上的差距，我们将比较患有失语症的儿童和他们同龄的正常发育的同龄人在不同语言要求的言语任务中如何改变他们的发音动作。20名患有发展性言语失用症的儿童和20名具有典型言语和语言技能的年龄匹配的儿童将被纳入研究。当参与者说出一个、两个和三个音节的单词时，将使用光学动作捕捉系统检查嘴唇和下巴的运动学。本研究的具体目的是：(1)确定发展性言语失用症儿童与言语和语言技能正常发展儿童在发音动作的持续时间、位移和速度上是否存在差异；(2)探讨发展性言语失用症（DAS）儿童与典型发展性言语和语言技能（TD）儿童的发音器运动变异性是否存在差异；(3)确定发展性言语失用症（DAS）儿童产生语言复杂性增加的言语时，发音器运动变异性是否会发生变化。这项研究的广泛而长期的目标是确定言语障碍儿童在发育过程中言语运动系统的组成部分。了解DAS患儿的言语运动控制和发声之间的关系，将有助于了解该疾病的病因，以及与之相关的言语特征。这将对DAS的鉴别诊断以及治疗干预产生重要影响。

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.