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Biomedical subjects

J Kwiatkowski

Publications and source records attributed to J Kwiatkowski.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

Intelligibility assessment in developmental phonological disorders: accuracy of caregiver gloss.

Fifteen caregivers each glossed a simultaneously videotaped and audiotaped sample of their child with speech delay engaged in conversation with a clinician. One of the authors generated a reference gloss for each sample, aided by (a) prior knowledge of the child's speech-language status and error patterns, (b) glosses from the child's clinician and the child's caregiver, (c) unlimited replays of the taped sample, and (d) the information gained from completing a narrow phonetic transcription of the sample. Caregivers glossed an average of 78% of the utterances and 81% of the words. A comparison of their glosses to the reference glosses suggested that they accurately understood an average of 58% of the utterances and 73% of the words. Discussion considers the implications of such findings for methodological and theoretical issues underlying children's moment-to-moment intelligibility breakdowns during speech-language processing.

Caregivers

Tabletop versus microcomputer-assisted speech management: response evocation phase.

This is the third in a series of studies on the use of microcomputers with speech-delayed children. Two repeated-measures designs (n = 15) and five case studies were completed to compare tabletop management at early and late stages of the response development phase with two comparable, computer-assisted drill-and-practice activities. Discrimination of correct articulatory responses was mediated by the clinician in all modes, rather than by speech recognition hardware, but all contingent reinforcement in the computer modes was presented by animation graphics. The two computer modes were identical except for the addition of fantasy involvement in one of the modes. Findings indicated that the three modes of intervention were equally effective, efficient, and engaging. Subject-level analyses suggested that microcomputer software has excellent potential to engage children in drill-and-practice for late-phase response evocation, when the target sound is stimulable, but limited usefulness with young children at early-phase response evocation, when specific articulatory behaviors need to be cued. Discussion considers learning, child, and hardware/software factors in microcomputer-assisted speech management.

Child

Tabletop versus microcomputer-assisted speech management: stabilization phase.

Few controlled data are available on the efficacy of microcomputers for speech management with children. The focus of this second report in a study series using microcomputers with speech-delayed children (Shriberg, Kwiatkowski, & Snyder, 1986) is on the response stabilization stage of speech management. Two repeated-measures designs were conducted with two samples of preschool children (n = 18) to compare tabletop management with comparable computer-assisted activities. Findings indicate that response stabilization tasks in the two intervention modes were equally effective, efficient, and engaging. Additional analyses suggest that the two modes engage the children in different ways, however, and that children may have individual needs for mode-specific features.

Age Factors

A follow-up study of children with phonologic disorders of unknown origin.

Recent emphasis on early intervention programming for children with speech delays of unknown origin has yielded considerable literature on alternative forms of assessment and management. Less is known about the long-term special educational needs of such children. This study reviews the exceptional educational needs histories of 36 children who had received preschool speech services at a phonology clinic. Findings indicate that a high percentage of children continued to have speech and language and other special educational needs as they neared middle school and beyond. Many children eventually required special class placements. Discussion focuses on issues in classification, prediction, and management. On the bases of both original and follow-up data in this and other studies, the term phonological disorder appears to be appropriate for approximately 75%-80% of children referred early for speech disorders of unknown origin.

Child

Lipogenetic and glycolytic enzyme activities in carcinoma and nonmalignant diseases of the human breast.

Activities of some enzymes associated with carbohydrate and lipid metabolism were determined in 48 human breast carcinomas and compared with those found in 35 nonmalignant breast tumours and also in 13 normal breast tissues. In fibrocystic disease only the activity of citrate lyase was markedly higher (14-fold) than in normal tissue. The activities of the remaining enzymes did not differ significantly from those in normal tissue. Enzyme activities in breast carcinoma were 4--160 x those determined in normal tissue according to the following sequence : phosphofructokinase less than malate NADP dehydrogenase less than hexokinase less than lactate dehydrogenase less than isocitrate NADP dehydrogenase less than ATP citrate lyase. Activity of citrate lyase, very low in normal breast (0.0017 mumol/min/g of tissue) rose gradually to 0.039, 0.072 and 0.258 mumol/min/g of tissue in localized fibrocystic disease, fibroadenomas and carcinomas respectively. These data support the idea that citrate lyase may play an important role in lipogenesis in hyperplastic human breast tissues.

Breast

Scanning electron microscopy in medico-legal investigations of hair.

The appearance of the hair surface as revealed by scanning electron microscopy is described. Intact human and animal hair, hair after shot and hair treated with thermic energy were the subject of investigation. The authors paid attention to numerous details of the pictures obtained due to high resolving power of scanning electron microscope.

Animals