Type of research: basic Duration from: 01/01/91. to 12/31/94. Papers on project (total): 112
Institution name: Fakultet za defektologiju, Zagreb (13) Department/Institute: Department of Logopedics Address: Kušlanova 59a City: 10000 - Zagreb, Croatia
Communication
Phone: 385 (0)1 233 80 22
Fax: 385 (0)1 22 99 50
E-mail: Marta.Ljubesic@public.srce.hr
Summary: The goal of the project was to collect data on speech and
language disorders in school children in order to get a profound
description of the disorders in the acute phase as well as to analyse
their underlying dynamic. Research design involves four groups of school
children with speech and language disorders (specific language
impairement - SLI, dyslexia, stuttering, language of the hearing
impaired), preschool children with voice disorders and control groups.
The results show a significant deficit in a language knowledge in
children with SLI and with dyslexia, while in hearing impaired children
this deficit is even more dramatic. The kind of linguistic errors made
by children with language disorders does not differ from the errors
made by control groups (except in frequency of occurance). We can assume
that the kind of errors is not indicative for differential diagnosis.
Only the distribution of errors in verbal tasks is significant.
Regarding etiology of SLI and dyslexia, our data support the assumption
that these impairments are result of insuficiency in a working memory
and perceptive processing of speech. It was noticed that in children
with severe hearing impairement certain undesired behaviors affect the
communication process. The evaluation of special programmes for these
behaviors has shown the positive results. New diagnostic materials for
the assesment of the language of hearing impaired school childern have
been made and evaluated, too. Among 502 preschool children, 36 children
with voice disorders were selected. The method of voice assesment and
acoustic analyses was applied for selected 36 children. A group of
research workers dealing with stuttering has analysed the therapy
programme with electromyographic biofeedback. As the result of the
therapy it is noticed a significant improvement in all the variables,
especially in the decrease of larynx area muscle tension and in reading
speed.
Keywords: speech and language disorders, voice disorders, articulation disorders, specific language impairment, stuttering, speech and language of hearing impaired, dyslexia, biofeedback, speech and language therapy,
Research goals: The main purpose of the project is a profound and
wellcoordinated investigation of different speech and language disorders
in school children. Although disorders differ among each other a great
deal they have a common consequence - speech communication disturbance.
The project intention is: 1) to describe structure of the disorders in
laryngeal voice, articulation, speech fluency, language proccesing,
reading and writing 2) to define precise criterions for subclassification
of each disorder: dysphonia, articulation disorders, specific language
impairment, stuttering, dyslexia, and speech and language of hearing
impaired; 3) to describe the verbal communication in circumstances of
speech and language disorders; 4) to create special therapy and diagnostic
programmes and to evaluate them.
COOPERATION - PROJECTS
Name of project
: DFG-Az.:SCHO 311 Dysgrammatismus - Projekt Name of institution: Paedagogische Hochschule Heidleberg,
Sonderpaedagogische Fakultaet City: 69120 - Heidelberg, S.R. Njemačka
COOPERATION - INSTITUTIONS
Name of institution
: Kinderzentrum Muenchen Type of institution: Other Type of cooperation: Occasional exchange of experts City: 81377 - Muenchen, Njemačka
Name of institution
: Djelatnost za rehabilitaciju govora i
slušanja, Dom zdravlja Varaždin Type of institution: Institution whose primary activities ar Type of cooperation: Systematic exchange of experts City: 42000 - Varaždin, Croatia
Name of institution
: Paedagogische Hochschule Heidelberg Type of institution: University/Faculty Type of cooperation: Joint publishing of scientific papers City: 69120 - Heidelberg, S.R. Njemačka
Name of institution
: Opća bolnica Varaždin, Djelatnost za
rehabilitaciju slušanja i govora Type of institution: Institution whose primary activities ar Type of cooperation: Occasional exchange of experts City: 42000 - Varaždin, Croatia Other information about the project.