ERIC Number: EJ1112303
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Aug
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1092-4388
EISSN: N/A
Is There a Relationship between Speech Identification in Noise and Categorical Perception in Children with Dyslexia?
Calcus, Axelle; Lorenzi, Christian; Collet, Gregory; Colin, Cécile; Kolinsky, Régine
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, v59 n4 p835-852 Aug 2016
Purpose: Children with dyslexia have been suggested to experience deficits in both categorical perception (CP) and speech identification in noise (SIN) perception. However, results regarding both abilities are inconsistent, and the relationship between them is still unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between CP and the psychometric function of SIN perception. Method: Sixteen children with dyslexia, 16 chronological-age controls, and 16 reading-level controls were evaluated in CP of a voicing continuum and in consonant identification in both stationary and fluctuating noises. Results: There was a small but significant impairment in speech identification performance of children with dyslexia in stationary noise compared with chronological age--matched controls (but not reading level--matched controls). However, their performance increased in a fluctuating background, hence suggesting normal masking and unmasking effects and preserved sensory processing of speech information. Regarding CP, location of the phoneme boundary differed in the children with dyslexia compared with both control groups. However, scrutinizing individual profiles failed to reveal consistently poor performance in SIN and CP tasks. In addition, there was no significant correlation between CP, SIN perception, and reading scores in the group with dyslexia. Conclusions: The relationship between the SIN deficit and CP, and how they potentially affect reading in children with dyslexia, remains unclear. However, these results are inconsistent with the notion that children with dyslexia suffer from a low-level temporal processing deficit and rather suggest a role of nonsensory (e.g., attentional) factors in their speech perception difficulties.
Descriptors: Dyslexia, Children, Acoustics, Speech Communication, Phonemes, Control Groups, Comparative Analysis, Correlation, Psychometrics, Age, Speech Impairments
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; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A