ERIC Number: EJ1408534
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 29
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1092-4388
EISSN: EISSN-1558-9102
Vocal Characteristics of Infants at Risk for Speech Motor Involvement: A Scoping Review
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, v66 n11 p4432-4460 2023
Purpose: The purpose of this scoping review was to (a) summarize methodological characteristics of studies examining vocal characteristics of infants at high risk for neurological speech motor involvement and (b) report the state of the high-quality evidence on vocal characteristic trends of infants diagnosed or at high risk for cerebral palsy (CP). Method: The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) extension for scoping reviews was followed for reporting our review. Studies measured prelinguistic vocal characteristics of infants under 24 months with birth risk or genetic conditions known to commonly present with speech motor involvement. Fifty-five studies met criteria for Part 1. Eleven studies met criteria for synthesis in Part 2. Results: A smaller percentage of studies examined infants with or at risk for CP compared to studies examining genetic conditions such as Down syndrome. The median year of publication was 1999, with a median sample size of nine participants. Most studies were conducted in laboratory settings and used human coding of vocalizations produced during caregiver-child interactions. Substantial methodological differences were noted across all studies. A small number of high-quality studies of infants with or at risk for CP revealed high rates of marginal babbling, low rates of canonical babbling, and limited consonant diversity under 24 months. Mixed findings were noted across studies of general birth risk factors. Conclusions: There is limited evidence available to support the early detection of speech motor involvement. Large methodological differences currently impact the ability to synthesize findings across studies. There is a critical need to conduct longitudinal research with larger sample sizes and advanced, modern technologies to detect vocal precursors of speech impairment to support the accurate diagnosis and prognosis of speech development in infants with CP and other clinical populations.
Descriptors: Infants, Cerebral Palsy, Speech Impairments, Motor Development, Verbal Communication, Research Methodology
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: slhr@asha.org; Web site: http://jslhr.pubs.asha.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: N/A
Sponsor: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (DHHS/NIH); National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) (DHHS/NIH); National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: T32HD007489; U54HD090256; R01DC009411; TL1TR002375; UL1TR002373