INTRODUÇÃO: O desenvolvimento das habilidades auditivas sofre influência dos estímulos sonoros aos quais as crianças são expostas. Filhos ouvintes de pais surdos (CODAs - Children of Deaf Adults) geralmente não recebem os estímulos de fala da mesma forma que crianças filhas de ouvintes. Tendo em vista que as informações sonoras são importantes para o processo maturacional do sistema auditivo, torna-se pertinente a análise das habilidades auditivas de CODAs que foram pouco expostas à linguagem oral na primeira infância. OBJETIVO: Comparar o processamento auditivo de crianças filhas de surdos, que foram pouco expostas à língua oral no início de suas vidas, com o de crianças filhas de ouvintes. MÉTODO: Participaram deste estudo 60 crianças, na faixa etária entre 5 e 10 anos de idade, com avaliação audiológica básica (audiometria, logoaudiometria e imitanciometria) dentro dos limites de normalidade, destras, sem histórico de doenças sistêmicas e/ou neurológicas que pudessem afetar o sistema nervoso central e sem aprendizado prévio de música ou de segunda língua oral. Foram formados dois grupos semelhantes quanto a idade e sexo, sendo o Grupo Estudo (GE) composto por 30 crianças filhas de surdos sinalizadores, e o Grupo Controle (GC), por 30 crianças filhas de ouvintes. Os testes selecionados foram: Pediatric Speech Intelligibility em português, Dicótico de Dígitos, Padrão de Frequência, Gaps-In-Noise e também testes de Memória para Sons Instrumentais e Verbais. RESULTADOS: Houve diferença estatisticamente significante de desempenho entre os dois grupos, em todos os testes aplicados, com pior desempenho para o GE. Na análise de desempenho dos grupos por faixa etária, foi possível observar que a média de desempenho do GE ficou abaixo da apresentada pelo GC em todos os testes e em todas as idades avaliadas, sendo a diferença de desempenho entre os grupos maior em faixas etárias menores (5 e 6 anos). CONCLUSÕES: Pode-se concluir que a pouca exposição a estímulos linguísticos orais no início da infância, associada a fatores específicos da vivência de grande parte dos CODAs estudados, contribuiu para o baixo desempenho do GE nos testes. Assim, esses resultados indicam que estímulos sonoros ambientais, sobretudo os de linguagem oral, exercem importante influência no desenvolvimento das habilidades auditivas. Este estudo chama a atenção para a importância do acompanhamento auditivo de filhos ouvintes de pais surdos, assim como para a necessidade de exposição destas crianças aos sons linguísticos orais desde o início de suas vidas / INTRODUCTION: The development of auditory skills is influenced by the sound stimuli to which children are exposed. Hearing children of deaf adults (CODAs) do not usually receive speaking stimuli in the same way as those of hearing adults. Given that sound information is important to the maturation process of the auditory system, it is pertinent to analyze the auditory skills of hearing children of deaf signer adults that were little exposed to oral language in their infancy. OBJECTIVE: To compare the auditory processing of CODAs that were little exposed to oral language in their early infancy with that of children of hearing adults. METHOD: A total of 60 children aged 5-10 years participated in the present study. All participants received normal ratings in their basic audiometric evaluation (audiometry, speech audiometry and imitanciometry). They were right-handed, without a history of systemic and/or neurological diseases that might affect the central nervous system, and without previous musical or second spoken language training. Two groups similar in age and sex were established: the Study Group (SG) comprised 30 children of deaf signer adults and the Control Group (CG) comprised 30 children of hearing adults. The tests selected were Pediatric Speech Intelligibility, Dichotic Digits, Pitch Pattern, Gaps-In-Noise, and Memory for Instrumental Sounds and Verbal Sounds. RESULTS: The SG performed significantly worse than the CG for all tests. Moreover, an analysis of the performance of the groups per age range revealed that for all age ranges assessed, the SG performance average was below that of the CG average; the performance difference between the groups was greater in younger children (5- and 6-year olds). CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that the low exposure to oral linguistic stimuli during infancy, associated with specific aspects of the experience of a large proportion of the CODAs studied, contributed to the low performance of the SG in the tests. These results indicate that ambient sound stimuli, especially those related to oral language, strongly influence auditory skills. This study highlights to the importance of the auditory follow-up of hearing CODAs, as well as to the need for exposing these children to oral linguistic sounds from a very early age

INTRODUÇÃO: O desenvolvimento das habilidades auditivas sofre influência dos estímulos sonoros aos quais as crianças são expostas. Filhos ouvintes de pais surdos (CODAs - Children of Deaf Adults) geralmente não recebem os estímulos de fala da mesma forma que crianças filhas de ouvintes. Tendo em vista que as informações sonoras são importantes para o processo maturacional do sistema auditivo, torna-se pertinente a análise das habilidades auditivas de CODAs que foram pouco expostas à linguagem oral na primeira infância. OBJETIVO: Comparar o processamento auditivo de crianças filhas de surdos, que foram pouco expostas à língua oral no início de suas vidas, com o de crianças filhas de ouvintes. MÉTODO: Participaram deste estudo 60 crianças, na faixa etária entre 5 e 10 anos de idade, com avaliação audiológica básica (audiometria, logoaudiometria e imitanciometria) dentro dos limites de normalidade, destras, sem histórico de doenças sistêmicas e/ou neurológicas que pudessem afetar o sistema nervoso central e sem aprendizado prévio de música ou de segunda língua oral. Foram formados dois grupos semelhantes quanto a idade e sexo, sendo o Grupo Estudo (GE) composto por 30 crianças filhas de surdos sinalizadores, e o Grupo Controle (GC), por 30 crianças filhas de ouvintes. Os testes selecionados foram: Pediatric Speech Intelligibility em português, Dicótico de Dígitos, Padrão de Frequência, Gaps-In-Noise e também testes de Memória para Sons Instrumentais e Verbais. RESULTADOS: Houve diferença estatisticamente significante de desempenho entre os dois grupos, em todos os testes aplicados, com pior desempenho para o GE. Na análise de desempenho dos grupos por faixa etária, foi possível observar que a média de desempenho do GE ficou abaixo da apresentada pelo GC em todos os testes e em todas as idades avaliadas, sendo a diferença de desempenho entre os grupos maior em faixas etárias menores (5 e 6 anos). CONCLUSÕES: Pode-se concluir que a pouca exposição a estímulos linguísticos orais no início da infância, associada a fatores específicos da vivência de grande parte dos CODAs estudados, contribuiu para o baixo desempenho do GE nos testes. Assim, esses resultados indicam que estímulos sonoros ambientais, sobretudo os de linguagem oral, exercem importante influência no desenvolvimento das habilidades auditivas. Este estudo chama a atenção para a importância do acompanhamento auditivo de filhos ouvintes de pais surdos, assim como para a necessidade de exposição destas crianças aos sons linguísticos orais desde o início de suas vidas / INTRODUCTION: The development of auditory skills is influenced by the sound stimuli to which children are exposed. Hearing children of deaf adults (CODAs) do not usually receive speaking stimuli in the same way as those of hearing adults. Given that sound information is important to the maturation process of the auditory system, it is pertinent to analyze the auditory skills of hearing children of deaf signer adults that were little exposed to oral language in their infancy. OBJECTIVE: To compare the auditory processing of CODAs that were little exposed to oral language in their early infancy with that of children of hearing adults. METHOD: A total of 60 children aged 5-10 years participated in the present study. All participants received normal ratings in their basic audiometric evaluation (audiometry, speech audiometry and imitanciometry). They were right-handed, without a history of systemic and/or neurological diseases that might affect the central nervous system, and without previous musical or second spoken language training. Two groups similar in age and sex were established: the Study Group (SG) comprised 30 children of deaf signer adults and the Control Group (CG) comprised 30 children of hearing adults. The tests selected were Pediatric Speech Intelligibility, Dichotic Digits, Pitch Pattern, Gaps-In-Noise, and Memory for Instrumental Sounds and Verbal Sounds. RESULTS: The SG performed significantly worse than the CG for all tests. Moreover, an analysis of the performance of the groups per age range revealed that for all age ranges assessed, the SG performance average was below that of the CG average; the performance difference between the groups was greater in younger children (5- and 6-year olds). CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that the low exposure to oral linguistic stimuli during infancy, associated with specific aspects of the experience of a large proportion of the CODAs studied, contributed to the low performance of the SG in the tests. These results indicate that ambient sound stimuli, especially those related to oral language, strongly influence auditory skills. This study highlights to the importance of the auditory follow-up of hearing CODAs, as well as to the need for exposing these children to oral linguistic sounds from a very early age

Introdução: Crianças com transtorno fonológico (TF) apresentam dificuldade na percepção de fala, em processar estímulos acústicos quando apresentados de forma rápida e em sequência. A percepção dos sons complexos da fala, dependem da integridade no processo de codificação analisado pelo Sistema Nervoso Auditivo. Por meio do Potencial Evocado Auditivo de Tronco Encefálico com estímulo complexo (PEATEc) é possível investigar a representação neural dos sons em níveis corticais e obter informações diretas sobre como a estrutura do som da sílaba falada é codificada no sistema auditivo. Porém, acredita-se que esse potencial sofre interferências tanto de processos bottom-up quanto top-down, o que não se sabe é quanto e como cada um desses processos modifica as respostas do PEATEc. Uma das formas de investigar a real influência dos aspectos top-down e bottom-up nos resultados do PEATEc é estimulando separadamente esses dois processos por meio do treinamento auditivo e da terapia fonoaudiológica. Objetivo: Verificar o impacto da estimulação sensorial (processamento bottom-up) e cognitiva (processamento top-down), separadamente, nos diferentes domínios da resposta eletrofisiológica do PEATEc. Método: Participaram deste estudo 11 crianças diagnosticadas com TF, com idades entre 7 e 10:11, submetidas a avaliação comportamental e eletrofisiológica e então dividas nos grupos Bottom-up (B-U) (N=6) e Top-down T-D (N=5). A estimulação bottom-up foi voltada ao treinamento das habilidades sensoriais, através de softwares de computador. A estimulação top-down foi realizada por meio de tarefas para estimular as habilidades cognitiva por meio do Programa de Estimulação Fonoaudiológica (PEF). Ambas as estimulações foram aplicadas uma vez por semana, num período de aproximadamente 45 minutos por 12 semanas. Resultados: O grupo B-U apresentou melhoras em relação aos domínios onset e harmônicos e no valor da pontuação do escore após ser submetido à estimulação bottom-up. Por sua vez, após serem submetidos à estimulação top-down, o grupo T-D apresentou melhoras em relação aos domínios onset, espectro-temporal, fronteiras do envelope e harmônicos e para os valores da pontuação do escore. Conclusão: Diante dos resultados obtidos neste estudo, foi possível observar que a estimulação sensorial (processamento bottom-up) e a estimulação cognitiva (processamento top-down) mostraram impactar de forma diferente a resposta eletrofisiológica do PEATEc / Introduction: Children with speech sound disorder present difficulties in speech perception specially regarding the processing of acoustic stimuli when they occur rapidly and sequentially. The perception of complex sounds of speech depends on the integrity of the codification process analyzed by the auditory system. Through the Auditory Brainstem Response to complex sounds (cABR) it is possible to investigate the neural representation of sounds in cortical levels to obtain direct information about how the sound structure of the stressed syllable is codified in the auditory system. However, it is believed that bottom-up and top-down processes interfere in the cABR, though the level of intensity and the way through which they can change the response of the cABR is still unkown. One of the methods for investigating the actual influences of the bottom-up and top-down processes in cABR responses is by stimulating separately those two processes by means of auditory training and speech therapy. Objective: Verify the impact of both sensory stimulation (bottom-up processing) and cognitive stimulation (top-down processing) separately, in the different domains of the cABR electrophysiological response. Method: The participants of the study were 11 children of 7 to 10:11 year-old diagnosed with speech sound disorder, who underwent behavioral and electrophysiological assessment and were divided in the following groups: Bottom-up (B-U) (N=6) and Top-down (T-D) (N-5). The bottom-up stimulation focused on sensorial skills by using computer softwares. Top-down stimulation was prosecuted by using tasks to stimulate cognitive skills through the Speech Stimulation Program. Both stimuli were applied once a week for 45 minutes, in a period of 12 weeks. Results: The B-U group showed improvement in relation to onset and harmonic domains, and in relation to the score punctuation values after being subjected to bottom-up stimulation. On the other hand, the T-D group, after being subjected to top-down stimulation, showed improvement in relation to the onset, time domain spectrum, envelope boundaries and harmonics, and to the score punctuation values. Conclusions: According to the results of this study, it was possible to conclude that sensorial stimulation (bottom-up processing) and cognitive stimulation (top-down processing) showed different impacts on the cABR electrophysiological response

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Text in Afrikaans / Die waarde van visueel-perseptuele skoling of terapie vir visueel-perseptueel gestremde leerlinge as 'n subgroep van leergestremdheid, is reeds vir dekades 'n omstrede aangeleentheid. Hierdie omstredenheid is ondersoek aan die hand van sewe internasionaal erkende psigometriese toetse. Die interne konsekwentheidskoeffisiente van hierdie toetse het vir die huidige studie van 0,62 tot 0,95 gestrek. 'n Faktorontleding van die toetsinterkorrelasies het 'n gemeenskaplike faktor blootgele. Ses toetse was primer visueel-perseptueel, en Goodenough <1926> se skaal is vir die bepaling van intelligensie gebruik. Bykomend hiertoe, is leerlinge se prestasies in hul eerste taal, wiskunde en skrif gebruik om die effek van terapie te bepaal. Proefpersone is as visueel-perseptueel gestremd gediagnoseer deur 'n opvoedkundige sielkundige en 'n visuele skolingsentrum in Pretoria, waar eksper imentele leerlinge terapie ontvang het. Hierdie diagnoses is deur die Test for Visual Analysis Skills wat beduidend tussen normale en visueelperseptueel gestremdes onderskei, bevestig. Die toets se geldigheid vir Suid-Afrikaanse omstandighede is in 'n voorstudie bepaal. Honderd en ses, ses- tot negejarige proefpersone (82 seuns en 24 dogters>, van normale intelligensie, gesigskerpte en gehoor, is betrek. Drie en vyftig het die eksperimentele groep gevorm wat onderverdeel is in 32 wat terapie voltooi het, en 21 wat nie het nie. Hierdie leerlinge is individueel afgepaar met kontroleleerlinge van dieselfde geslag, ouderdom, huistaal, sosio-ekonomiese status en skoolstanderd. Eksperimentele leerlinge het visuele terapie in n breer groepsverband vir een uur per week ontvang. Terapieperiodes het van 4 tot 15 maande gewissel. Die eksperimentele ontwerp was 'n voortoets-natoets-tweegroepontwerp. t-Toetse vir afhanklike (afgepaarde) groepe is uitgevoer op die verskille tussen voor- en natoetstellings, asook tussen die eksperimentele en kontrolegroepe. Geeneen van die primer visueel-oerseptuele meettegnieke het beduidende resultate opgelewer nie. Dit is aanduidend van die ondoeltreffendheid van visueel-perseptuele terapie om die tekorte waarop dit gemik is, reg te stel. Die waarde van visueel-perseptueie terapie is inteendeel beperk tot 'n oorhoofse verbetering in konseptualisering en intellektuele ryping by die groep wat terapie voltooi het. Skrif was die enigste vak wat by dieselfde groep beduidend verbeter het. Hierdie resultaat is egter twyfelagtig vanwee beoordelingstekorte. / The value of visual perceptual training or therapy, to visually perceptually impaired pupils as a subgroup of the learning disabled, has been a controversy far decades. This controversy was investigated by means of seven internationally recognised psychometric tests. The internal consistency coefficients of these tests for the present study ranged from 0,62 to 0,95. A factor analysis of test intercorrelations revealed a common factor. Six tests were primarily visual perceptual, whilst the Goodenough (1926) scale determined intelligence. Additionally, pupils' performance in their first language, mathematics and writing, was used to assess the therapeutic effect. Subjects were diagnosed as visually perceptually impaired by an educational psychologist and a visual training centre in Pretoria where experimental pupils received therapy. These diagnoses were confirmed by the Test for Visual Analysis Skills, which significantly differentiates between the normal and visually perceptually impaired. This test's validity for South African circumstances was determined in a prestudy. One hundred and six, six to nine year old subjects <82 boys and 24 girls>, of normal intelligence, visual acuity and hearing, were involved. Fifty three formed the experimental group which was subdivided in 32 who completed therapy, and 21 who did not. These pupils were individualiy matched with controls of similar sex, age, home language, socio economic status and school standard. Experimental pupils received visual therapy within a broader group context for one hour per week. Therapy periods fluctuated between 4 and 15 months. The experimental design was a pretest-posttest two group design. t-Tests for dependant <matched) groups were conducted on the differences between pre and oosttest scores, as well as between the experimental and control groups. None of the primarily visual perceptual tests revealed significant results. This signifies the inefficiency of visual perceptual therapy to rectify the deficits at which it is directed. The value of visual perceptual therapy is, on the contrary, restricted to an overall improvement in conceptualization and intellectual maturation within the group which completed therapy. Writing was the only subject which improved significantly within the same group. However, this result is dubious, due to evaluation deficits. / Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

Introdução: O considerável aumento da população idosa no Brasil e no mundo tem motivado pesquisas acerca da qualidade de vida do idoso. Distúrbios auditivos e a diminuição da capacidade de processar os sons são comuns no processo de envelhecimento, o que provoca dificuldades na compreensão de fala e na comunicação do idoso. A pesquisa do Processamento Auditivo (Central) em adultos e idosos pretende compreender as mudanças que ocorrem nas funções auditivas centrais durante o processo de envelhecimento, assim contribuindo para a melhor compreensão deste processo e facilitando a elaboração de estratégias para melhoria na comunicação destes indivíduos. Objetivo: Avaliar e comparar o desempenho de grupos de diferentes faixas etárias em testes logoaudiométricos, comportamentais do processamento auditivo (central) e eletrofisiológicos da audição. Método: O estudo analisa o desempenho de 131 adultos e idosos, com idade entre 50 e 79 anos, divididos em três grupos, compostos por três faixas etárias: G1 (50-59 anos) com 63 participantes, G2 (60-69 anos) com 47 participantes e G3 (70-79 anos) com 21 participantes, os quais realizaram testes logoaudiométricos (Limiar de Reconhecimento de Fala e Índice Percentual de Reconhecimento de Fala), comportamentais do Processamento Auditivo (Central) (Fala com Ruído Branco, Dicótico de Dígitos e Teste do Padrão de Frequência) e testes eletrofisiológicos da audição (PEATE e P300). Resultados: Os resultados mostram que houve diferença estatisticamente significante no desempenho dos grupos nas respostas dos testes do Limiar de Reconhecimento de Fala, Índice Percentual de Reconhecimento de Fala e Fala com Ruido Branco nas orelhas direita e esquerda e no teste Dicótico de Dígitos na orelha esquerda. Houve também diferença estatisticamente significante nos valores de latência das ondas I, III e V no PEATE na orelha direita e latência das ondas III e V no PEATE na orelha direita. Na análise dos resultados do teste Padrão de Frequência e P300 não houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre os grupos. Conclusões: O estudo mostra que com o processo de envelhecimento houve o aumento do Limiar de Reconhecimento de Fala nas orelhas direita e esquerda; a diminuição das porcentagens de acerto no teste de Índice Percentual de Reconhecimento de Fala e Fala com Ruído Branco nas orelhas direita e esquerda, e no teste Dicótico de Dígitos na orelha esquerda. Nos potenciais eletrofisiológicos, o envelhecimento provocou o aumento dos valores de latência do PEATE, nas ondas I, III e V na orelha direita, e III e V na orelha esquerda, e no P300 na orelha direita / Introduction: The considerable increase of the elderly population in Brazil and worldwide has motivated research on the quality of life of the elderly. Hearing disorders and the decrease in the ability to process sounds are common in the aging process, which provoke difficulties in speech comprehension and in the communication of the elderly. The research on central auditory processing in adults and elderly people aims at understanding the changes which occur in the central auditory functions during the aging process, thus contributing to the better understanding of the process and facilitating the development of strategies to improve these subjects\' communication.Objectives: To evaluate and compare the performance of groups of different ages in speech recognition and behavioral and electrophysiological evaluation of the central auditory system. Methods: The study analyses the performance of 131 adults and elderly people, ranging from 50 to 79 years of age, divided in three groups, formed by the age groups: G1 (50-59 years of age) with 63 members, G2 (60-69 years of age) with 47 members and G3 (70-79 years of age) with 21 members, who did speech audiometry (Speech Reception Threshold and Speech Recognition Test), behaviral evaluation of the central auditory process (Speech in Noise, Dichotic Digit Test and Pitch Pattern Sequence Test) and auditory electrophysiological tests (ABR and P300. Results: The results show that was a statistically significant difference in the performance of the groups on the Speech Recognition Threshold Test, Speech Recognition Test, and Speech in Noise Tests in the right and left ears and the Dichotic Digit Test in the left ear. There was also a statistically significant difference in the latency values of the I, III and V waves in the ABR of the right ear and Latency of the III and V waves in the ABR in the left ear and in the latency values of the 300 of the right ear. In the analysis of the Frequency Pattern Test and in the amplitude values P300 there was no significant difference in the groups\' performances. Conclusions: The study shows that, with the aging process, there was a decrease in the Speech Reception Threshold, Speech Recognitiontion Test and Speech in Noise in the right and left ears, and in the Dichotic Digit Test in the left ear. In the electrophysiological evaluation, the aging process led to an increase in the latency values of the ABR in the I, III and V waves in the right ear, and III and V in the left ear and in the latency of the P300 of the right ear

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Text in Afrikaans / Die waarde van visueel-perseptuele skoling of terapie vir visueel-perseptueel gestremde leerlinge as 'n subgroep van leergestremdheid, is reeds vir dekades 'n omstrede aangeleentheid. Hierdie omstredenheid is ondersoek aan die hand van sewe internasionaal erkende psigometriese toetse. Die interne konsekwentheidskoeffisiente van hierdie toetse het vir die huidige studie van 0,62 tot 0,95 gestrek. 'n Faktorontleding van die toetsinterkorrelasies het 'n gemeenskaplike faktor blootgele. Ses toetse was primer visueel-perseptueel, en Goodenough <1926> se skaal is vir die bepaling van intelligensie gebruik. Bykomend hiertoe, is leerlinge se prestasies in hul eerste taal, wiskunde en skrif gebruik om die effek van terapie te bepaal. Proefpersone is as visueel-perseptueel gestremd gediagnoseer deur 'n opvoedkundige sielkundige en 'n visuele skolingsentrum in Pretoria, waar eksper imentele leerlinge terapie ontvang het. Hierdie diagnoses is deur die Test for Visual Analysis Skills wat beduidend tussen normale en visueelperseptueel gestremdes onderskei, bevestig. Die toets se geldigheid vir Suid-Afrikaanse omstandighede is in 'n voorstudie bepaal. Honderd en ses, ses- tot negejarige proefpersone (82 seuns en 24 dogters>, van normale intelligensie, gesigskerpte en gehoor, is betrek. Drie en vyftig het die eksperimentele groep gevorm wat onderverdeel is in 32 wat terapie voltooi het, en 21 wat nie het nie. Hierdie leerlinge is individueel afgepaar met kontroleleerlinge van dieselfde geslag, ouderdom, huistaal, sosio-ekonomiese status en skoolstanderd. Eksperimentele leerlinge het visuele terapie in n breer groepsverband vir een uur per week ontvang. Terapieperiodes het van 4 tot 15 maande gewissel. Die eksperimentele ontwerp was 'n voortoets-natoets-tweegroepontwerp. t-Toetse vir afhanklike (afgepaarde) groepe is uitgevoer op die verskille tussen voor- en natoetstellings, asook tussen die eksperimentele en kontrolegroepe. Geeneen van die primer visueel-oerseptuele meettegnieke het beduidende resultate opgelewer nie. Dit is aanduidend van die ondoeltreffendheid van visueel-perseptuele terapie om die tekorte waarop dit gemik is, reg te stel. Die waarde van visueel-perseptueie terapie is inteendeel beperk tot 'n oorhoofse verbetering in konseptualisering en intellektuele ryping by die groep wat terapie voltooi het. Skrif was die enigste vak wat by dieselfde groep beduidend verbeter het. Hierdie resultaat is egter twyfelagtig vanwee beoordelingstekorte. / The value of visual perceptual training or therapy, to visually perceptually impaired pupils as a subgroup of the learning disabled, has been a controversy far decades. This controversy was investigated by means of seven internationally recognised psychometric tests. The internal consistency coefficients of these tests for the present study ranged from 0,62 to 0,95. A factor analysis of test intercorrelations revealed a common factor. Six tests were primarily visual perceptual, whilst the Goodenough (1926) scale determined intelligence. Additionally, pupils' performance in their first language, mathematics and writing, was used to assess the therapeutic effect. Subjects were diagnosed as visually perceptually impaired by an educational psychologist and a visual training centre in Pretoria where experimental pupils received therapy. These diagnoses were confirmed by the Test for Visual Analysis Skills, which significantly differentiates between the normal and visually perceptually impaired. This test's validity for South African circumstances was determined in a prestudy. One hundred and six, six to nine year old subjects <82 boys and 24 girls>, of normal intelligence, visual acuity and hearing, were involved. Fifty three formed the experimental group which was subdivided in 32 who completed therapy, and 21 who did not. These pupils were individualiy matched with controls of similar sex, age, home language, socio economic status and school standard. Experimental pupils received visual therapy within a broader group context for one hour per week. Therapy periods fluctuated between 4 and 15 months. The experimental design was a pretest-posttest two group design. t-Tests for dependant <matched) groups were conducted on the differences between pre and oosttest scores, as well as between the experimental and control groups. None of the primarily visual perceptual tests revealed significant results. This signifies the inefficiency of visual perceptual therapy to rectify the deficits at which it is directed. The value of visual perceptual therapy is, on the contrary, restricted to an overall improvement in conceptualization and intellectual maturation within the group which completed therapy. Writing was the only subject which improved significantly within the same group. However, this result is dubious, due to evaluation deficits. / Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

Introdução: O considerável aumento da população idosa no Brasil e no mundo tem motivado pesquisas acerca da qualidade de vida do idoso. Distúrbios auditivos e a diminuição da capacidade de processar os sons são comuns no processo de envelhecimento, o que provoca dificuldades na compreensão de fala e na comunicação do idoso. A pesquisa do Processamento Auditivo (Central) em adultos e idosos pretende compreender as mudanças que ocorrem nas funções auditivas centrais durante o processo de envelhecimento, assim contribuindo para a melhor compreensão deste processo e facilitando a elaboração de estratégias para melhoria na comunicação destes indivíduos. Objetivo: Avaliar e comparar o desempenho de grupos de diferentes faixas etárias em testes logoaudiométricos, comportamentais do processamento auditivo (central) e eletrofisiológicos da audição. Método: O estudo analisa o desempenho de 131 adultos e idosos, com idade entre 50 e 79 anos, divididos em três grupos, compostos por três faixas etárias: G1 (50-59 anos) com 63 participantes, G2 (60-69 anos) com 47 participantes e G3 (70-79 anos) com 21 participantes, os quais realizaram testes logoaudiométricos (Limiar de Reconhecimento de Fala e Índice Percentual de Reconhecimento de Fala), comportamentais do Processamento Auditivo (Central) (Fala com Ruído Branco, Dicótico de Dígitos e Teste do Padrão de Frequência) e testes eletrofisiológicos da audição (PEATE e P300). Resultados: Os resultados mostram que houve diferença estatisticamente significante no desempenho dos grupos nas respostas dos testes do Limiar de Reconhecimento de Fala, Índice Percentual de Reconhecimento de Fala e Fala com Ruido Branco nas orelhas direita e esquerda e no teste Dicótico de Dígitos na orelha esquerda. Houve também diferença estatisticamente significante nos valores de latência das ondas I, III e V no PEATE na orelha direita e latência das ondas III e V no PEATE na orelha direita. Na análise dos resultados do teste Padrão de Frequência e P300 não houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre os grupos. Conclusões: O estudo mostra que com o processo de envelhecimento houve o aumento do Limiar de Reconhecimento de Fala nas orelhas direita e esquerda; a diminuição das porcentagens de acerto no teste de Índice Percentual de Reconhecimento de Fala e Fala com Ruído Branco nas orelhas direita e esquerda, e no teste Dicótico de Dígitos na orelha esquerda. Nos potenciais eletrofisiológicos, o envelhecimento provocou o aumento dos valores de latência do PEATE, nas ondas I, III e V na orelha direita, e III e V na orelha esquerda, e no P300 na orelha direita / Introduction: The considerable increase of the elderly population in Brazil and worldwide has motivated research on the quality of life of the elderly. Hearing disorders and the decrease in the ability to process sounds are common in the aging process, which provoke difficulties in speech comprehension and in the communication of the elderly. The research on central auditory processing in adults and elderly people aims at understanding the changes which occur in the central auditory functions during the aging process, thus contributing to the better understanding of the process and facilitating the development of strategies to improve these subjects\' communication.Objectives: To evaluate and compare the performance of groups of different ages in speech recognition and behavioral and electrophysiological evaluation of the central auditory system. Methods: The study analyses the performance of 131 adults and elderly people, ranging from 50 to 79 years of age, divided in three groups, formed by the age groups: G1 (50-59 years of age) with 63 members, G2 (60-69 years of age) with 47 members and G3 (70-79 years of age) with 21 members, who did speech audiometry (Speech Reception Threshold and Speech Recognition Test), behaviral evaluation of the central auditory process (Speech in Noise, Dichotic Digit Test and Pitch Pattern Sequence Test) and auditory electrophysiological tests (ABR and P300. Results: The results show that was a statistically significant difference in the performance of the groups on the Speech Recognition Threshold Test, Speech Recognition Test, and Speech in Noise Tests in the right and left ears and the Dichotic Digit Test in the left ear. There was also a statistically significant difference in the latency values of the I, III and V waves in the ABR of the right ear and Latency of the III and V waves in the ABR in the left ear and in the latency values of the 300 of the right ear. In the analysis of the Frequency Pattern Test and in the amplitude values P300 there was no significant difference in the groups\' performances. Conclusions: The study shows that, with the aging process, there was a decrease in the Speech Reception Threshold, Speech Recognitiontion Test and Speech in Noise in the right and left ears, and in the Dichotic Digit Test in the left ear. In the electrophysiological evaluation, the aging process led to an increase in the latency values of the ABR in the I, III and V waves in the right ear, and III and V in the left ear and in the latency of the P300 of the right ear

Introduction Cette thèse s’intéresse principalement à l’investissement des occupations vécues et perçues de la personne présentant un trouble perceptuel associé aux troubles des comportements alimentaires (TCA). Le projet de recherche s'articule autour d’un objectif préalable et de deux objectifs généraux, dont les résultats sont présentés dans le cadre de trois articles scientifiques. Dans un volet empirique, l’objectif préalable de cette thèse (article 1) vise à faire la synthèse des résultats empiriques sur l’état actuel des connaissances de la dynamique occupationnelle des personnes présentant un TCA. Ce volet couvre un double objectif spécifique, soit (OS.1) de documenter les occupations investies au quotidien par les personnes présentant un TCA et (OS.2) d’identifier les caractéristiques personnelles et environnementales influençant les occupations investies de ces personnes. Les résultats de ce volet empirique de la thèse indiquent une rareté d’études empiriques sur le sujet et permettent de préciser les sous-questions de recherche. De plus, la recension des écrits dégage clairement que la personne présentant un TCA envisage, expérimente et organise ses occupations autour de sa symptomatologie. En effet, les différents auteurs recensés s’appuient de modèles théoriques en sciences de l’occupation et en ergothérapie afin d’illustrer un investissement diminué dans certaines occupations et accentué dans d’autres. Ces occupations sont liées à la prise alimentaire, à la présence de comportements compensatoires inappropriés ainsi qu’à la relation à l’autre et à l’image du corps. Objectifs Au regard des constats issus du premier article et de la discussion intégrative qui en découle affinant les questions de recherche tout en positionnant le cadre de référence, la thèse se structure autour de deux objectifs généraux correspondant respectivement à deux volets de recherche intégratifs : un volet nomothétique et un volet idiographique. Le premier objectif général correspond au volet nomothétique (article 2) et consiste à caractériser les occupations quotidiennes des personnes présentant un TCA. Cet objectif général se décline en deux objectifs spécifiques (OS.1, OS.2). Le premier objectif spécifique (OS.1) vise à catégoriser et quantifier l’organisation temporelle des occupations d’une journée type autorapportée par les personnes présentant un TCA. Le deuxième objectif spécifique (OS.2) consiste à comparer l'utilisation du temps dans chaque occupation quotidienne entre les types de TCA (c.-à-d. anorexie mentale, boulimie, trouble d’accès hyperphagiques). Enfin, le deuxième objectif général qui s’inscrit à l’intérieur du volet idiographique (article 3) vise à démontrer la dynamique occupationnelle relative aux troubles perceptuels liés à l’alimentation. Plus spécifiquement, le premier objectif spécifique (OS.1) vise à dresser le portrait idiographique de l’évolution des perceptions du soi physique à l’égard de deux dimensions – insatisfaction corporelle et distorsion corporelle – des deux cas cliniques. Le second objectif spécifique (OS.2) tend à dresser le portrait idiographique de l’évolution de la perception des occupations vécues à l’égard de trois dimensions – importance, rendement et satisfaction – de ces mêmes deux cas cliniques. Méthode Étant donné que l’étude de portée est identifiée comme étant l’étude 1 (E1) de la thèse, les deux autres études identifiées sont respectivement l’étude 2 (E2) et l’étude 3 (E3). Ces études considèrent l’apport nécessaire de données quantitatives et qualitatives pour répondre aux objectifs de recherche. Plus précisément, le devis de l’étude 2 (E2) associé au volet nomothétique correspond à une étude quantitative rétrospective basée sur les principes de la recherche sur l'utilisation du temps alors que le devis de l’étude 3 (E3) associé au volet idiographique correspond à une étude exploratoire de deux cas cliniques prenant en compte des données mixtes. L’utilisation de données secondaires anonymisées de recherche de la Banque de données-Loricorps aussi intitulée BDL caractérise la collecte des données de cette thèse. Les mesures extraites proviennent principalement de la description d’une journée type de personnes présentant un TCA faisant partie du programme d’interventions eLoriCorps et d’un carnet de suivi basé sur l’évaluation écologique instantanée (Intervenant de poche-Loricorps) de ces mêmes personnes. Différentes analyses descriptives sont réalisées comme traitement de données. Concernant l’étude 2 (E2), une analyse descriptive a été effectuée pour obtenir la moyenne de l'utilisation quotidienne du temps pour chaque occupation et l'écart-type. Une série d'analyses de variance à sens unique (ANOVA) a été réalisée pour comparer l'utilisation du temps de chaque occupation selon les types de TCA (anorexie mentale, boulimie et trouble d’accès hyperphagiques). Concernant l’étude 3 (E3), une analyse descriptive et visuelle des séries temporelles représentées graphiquement incluant l’ajout des verbatim permet d’observer la tendance de la variabilité intra-individuelle de l’insatisfaction corporelle et de la distorsion corporelle ainsi que de l’importance, du rendement et de la satisfaction perçue de l’occupation pour chacun des cas. Résultats/Discussion Les résultats de l’étude 2 (E2) mettent en exergue certaines occupations sous-investies par les personnes présentant un TCA particulièrement liées aux loisirs, notamment les occupations de socialisation. L’analyse des résultats permet également d’envisager la possibilité d’un certain dysfonctionnement caché (blind dysfunctional occupation) à l’égard de certaines occupations associées aux soins personnels et à la productivité. En d’autres termes, certaines occupations peuvent sembler fonctionnelles, mais la qualité de cet investissement peut être problématique selon la perception de la personne. De plus, l’émergence d’occupations-symptômes apparaît dans la description d’une journée type comme un SUR-investissement de l’occupation alimentation. Ces occupations peuvent référer à la place accordée des attitudes et comportements alimentaires dysfonctionnels en termes d’investissement occupationnel, influencés de surcroît par la sévérité du trouble des personnes présentant un TCA. Par ailleurs, certains résultats significatifs démontrent que les caractéristiques cliniques spécifiques de chaque type de TCA, combinées à la probabilité qu'une occupation accentue les préoccupations corporelles et alimentaires, entraînent un SOUS- ou un SUR-investissement de certaines occupations. L'étude 3 (E3) a permis d’illustrer les situations de deux cas cliniques à l’égard de l’évolution de leur perception du soi physique et de leurs occupations. Les résultats discutés confirment la présence du trouble perceptuel influençant la perception du fonctionnement quotidien. Plus précisément, les perturbations affectives et émotionnelles de la personne influencent à la hausse le trouble perceptuel et occasionnent une fluctuation importante de l’occupation perçue. En effet, les résultats démontrent un niveau de fluctuation plus élevé lors de moments reliés à l’alimentation, la pratique d’activités physiques et aux occupations mobilisant le regard sur soi. Conclusion L’ensemble des observations faites dans le cadre de ce projet doctoral mènent à des perspectives émergentes selon une visée conceptuelle et pratique. Une conceptualisation de la dynamique occupationnelle est présentée en mettant l’accent sur une possible relation entre les perceptions du soi physique et le continuum de l’investissement occupationnel allant de l’occupation-symptôme ou dysfonctionnelle (NON-, SOUS-, ou SUR-investissement occupationnel/ACAD) en passant par l’occupation-bien-être ou fonctionnelle (zone optimale de fonctionnement/ACAF). Des pistes de réflexion cliniques basées sur l’analyse des résultats et les meilleures pratiques sont également exposées. En somme, la compréhension de la dynamique occupationnelle des personnes présentant des attitudes et des comportements alimentaires dysfonctionnels telle qu’abordée invite à des explorations futures de recherche pour mettre à contribution l’expertise disciplinaire des sciences de l’occupation au service de la transdisciplinarité. / Introduction This thesis is primarily interested in the investment of the « perceived » occupations of the person with a perceptual eating disorder (ED). The research is articulated around a preliminary objective and two general objectives, the results of which are presented in three scientific articles. In an empirical component, the preliminary objective of this thesis (paper 1) aims to synthesize empirical results on the current state of knowledge of the occupational dynamics of people with an ED. This component covers a double specific objective, namely (SO.1) to document the occupations invested in daily life by people with an ED and (SO.2) to identify the personal and environmental characteristics influencing the invested occupations of these people. The results of this empirical component of the thesis indicate a scarcity of empirical studies on the subject. Moreover, the literature review clearly shows that people with an ED envisage, experiment and organize their occupations around their symptomatology. Indeed, the different authors reviewed illustrate a decreased investment in certain occupations and an increased investment in others. These occupations are related to food intake, the presence of inappropriate compensatory behaviors as well as the relationship with other persons and body image. Objectives In view of the findings of the first article positioning the frame of reference, the thesis is structured around two general objectives corresponding respectively to two integrative research components: a nomothetic component and an idiographic component. The first general objective corresponds to the nomothetic component (paper 2) and consists to establish the time-use patterns of people with an ED and to characterize their daily occupations. The first specific objective (SO.1) is to categorize and quantify the temporal organization of a typical day's occupations as self-reported by individuals with an ED. The second specific objective (SO.2) is to compare daily occupational time use across ED types (i.e., anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder). Finally, the second general objective that corresponds an idiographic component (paper 3) aims to demonstrate the occupational dynamics related to perceptual ED. More specifically, the first specific objective (SO.1) is to draw the idiographic portrait of the evolution of physical self perceptions to two dimensions – body dissatisfaction and body distortion – of the two clinical cases. The second specific objective (SO.2) is to develop an idiographic portrait of the evolution of perceptions of « lived » occupations to three dimensions – importance, performance, and satisfaction – of two clinical cases. Method Since the scoping study is identified as Study 1 of the thesis, the other two studies identified are Study 2 and Study 3 respectively. These studies consider the necessary input of quantitative and qualitative data to meet the research objectives. Specifically, the design of study 2 associated with the nomothetic component corresponds to a retrospective quantitative study based on time-use research principles and the design of study 3 associated with the idiographic component corresponds to exploratory study of two clinics case. These studies were conducted by analyzing data from an anonymized secondary dataset (LoriCorps’s Databank). The measures extracted were primarily from the description of a typical day of individuals with ED in the eLoriCorps intervention program and via a tracking book based on the ecological momentary assessment (Loricorps-IDP) of these same individuals. Different descriptive analyses are performed as data processing. Regarding Study 2, a descriptive analysis was performed to obtain the mean daily time use for each occupation and the standard deviation. A series of one-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) were performed to compare the time use of each occupation according to the types of CAT (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder). Regarding Study 3, a visual analysis of the graphically represented time series including the addition of the verbatim allows for the observation of the trend of intraindividual variability in body dissatisfaction and body distortion as well as the importance, performance, and perceived satisfaction of the occupation for each case. Results/Discussion The results of study 2 highlight certain occupations that are under-invested by people with an ED, particularly those related to leisure, notably socialization occupations. In addition, personal care and productivity can represent the blind dysfunctional occupations. In other words, some occupations may appear to be functional, but the quality of this investment may be problematic depending on the individual's perception. The role of eating disorder–related behaviors in daily routines can be explored from an occupation-as-symptom perspective as an OVER-investment in the eating occupation. These occupations may refer to the place given to dysfunctional eating attitudes and behaviours in terms of occupational investment, influenced, moreover, by the severity of the disorder of people with an ED. Furthermore, some significant results demonstrate that the specific clinical characteristics of each type of ED, combined with the probability that an occupation accentuates body and food concerns, lead to an UNDER- or OVER-investment in certain occupations. The study 3 illustrates the situations of two clinical cases with regard to the evolution of their perception of the physical self and their occupations. The results discussed confirm the presence of the perceptual disorder influencing the perception of daily functioning. More specifically, the affective and emotional disturbances of the person increase the perceptual disorder and cause a significant fluctuation of the perceived occupation. In fact, the results show a higher level of fluctuation during moments related to eating, physical activity and occupations that involve looking at oneself. Conclusion All of the observations made during this thesis lead to emerging conceptual and practical perspectives. A conceptualization of occupational dynamics is presented, emphasizing a possible curvilinear relationship between perceptions of the physical self and the continuum of occupational investment, ranging from symptomatic or dysfunctional occupation (NO-, UNDER-, or OVER-investment in occupation/DEAB) to wellness or functional occupation (optimal zone of functioning/FEAB). Clinical considerations based on the analysis of results and best practices are also presented. In short, the understanding of the occupational dynamics of people with dysfunctional eating attitudes and behaviours as discussed invites future research explorations to bring the disciplinary expertise of occupational sciences to bear on transdisciplinarity.

In this report, we evaluate the role of visual areas responsive to motion in the human brain in the perception of stimulus speed. We first identified and localized V1, V3A, and V5/MT+ in individual participants on the basis of blood oxygenation level-dependent responses obtained in retinotopic mapping experiments and responses to moving gratings. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) was then used to disrupt the normal functioning of the previously localized visual areas in each participant. During the rTMS application, participants were required to perform delayed discrimination of the speed of drifting or spatial frequency of static gratings. The application of rTMS to areas V5/MT and V3A induced a subjective slowing of visual stimuli and (often) caused increases in speed discrimination thresholds. Deficits in spatial frequency discrimination were not observed for applications of rTMS to V3A or V5/MT+. The induced deficits in speed perception were also specific to the cortical site of TMS delivery. The application of TMS to regions of the cortex adjacent to V5/MT and V3A, as well as to area V1, produced no deficits in speed perception. These results suggest that, in addition to area V5/MT+, V3A plays an important role in a cortical network that underpins the perception of stimulus speed in the human brain.