Motor speech and language in typical development and in complex neuro-developmental conditions.

• Applicants: Dr. Theresa Schölderle; Professor Dr. Wolfram Ziegler
• Subject Area: General and Comparative Linguistics, Experimental Linguistics, Typology, Non-European Languages ; Clinical Neurology; Neurosurgery and Neuroradiology
• Term: since 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 321324637

The follow-up project proposed here pursues the overall objective of integrating two research disciplines, i.e. language development and neurophonetics. By relating theoretical concepts of these disciplines and combining their methodologies, scientific questions can be answered and outcomes can be made available for clinical applications.During the first funding period, we provided auditory-perceptual norms on neurophonetic parameters from typically developing children between 3 and 9 years. These data served as a template for a developmental examination of childhood dysarthria. In the follow-up project, we aim to expand our knowledge by widening our view to more advanced age groups and by extending our methodological inventory. We will examine older typically developing and dysarthric children, in order to test the hypothesis that adult-typical dysarthria syndromes are masked by developmental speech features. In addition, acoustic and statistical tools will be refined to allow the use of more elaborate classification methods. Our approach will also be transferred to American children, to broaden the empirical basis of our findings and, at the same time, increase international visibility.In order to analyze interactions between impairments of speech and language development, we investigated, in the first project phase, receptive phonological skills in children with dysarthria. It was found that children with dysarthria showed disturbances in phonological processing independent of their age. These experimental data gain importance against the background of theories postulating interactional processes of typical development. In the follow-up project, a study complementary to the previous investigation will be conducted, which will focus on speech motor development in children with specific language impairment. The previous study provides the methodological prerequisites for this inquiry. Moreover, the planned examination can make use of the comprehensive norm data base we have created so far.The developmentally oriented approach established to date also allows for a valid examination of speech disorders in Down syndrome. Children with Down syndrome show symptoms of dysarthria, which have not been examined with sufficient scrutiny so far. It must be considered, though, that the dysarthric features of Down syndrome can be influenced significantly by concomitant symptoms, such as hearing impairment or structural-anatomic characteristics of the condition. Accordingly, the detailed neurophonetic analyses we are planning will be complemented by examinations of other relevant factors through the application of specific methods.The follow-up project proposed here contributes to a better understanding of speech motor processes in typically developing children and in complex neurodevelopmental conditions. In addition, the results set the stage for a theoretically and empirically sound approach to a disorder-specific clinical care of affected children.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: USA
• Cooperation Partners: Professorin Katie Hustad; Antje Mefferd, Ph.D.