The functional neuroanatomy of language localization in dyslexia has primarily been studied in the context of reading. However, dyslexia is sometimes referred to as a “language-based learning disability,” yet the functional signature of the core language comprehension network in dyslexia is far less understood. This thesis presents a series of studies designed to compare the functionality of the brain regions supporting linguistic processing between typical and impaired readers in order to characterize the cortical language network in dyslexia. First, we investigate the extent to which the efficiency (or quality of data vs. amount of scan time) of a functional language localizer based on passive spoken language comprehension can be maximized in Chapter 2. By demarcating the language network based on smaller amounts of data and testing stability and reliability within this framework, we found that scan time can be substantially reduced without sacrificing functional specialization for language. In Chapter 3, we apply the spoken language localizer to determine differences in functional organization of language in dyslexia and provide evidence that the core spoken language comprehension network is not markedly different between typical readers and those with dyslexia. We compared the individual activations from whole-brain analysis and functional profiles in the canonical language-selective regions and found that the functional response of localized language regions in individuals with dyslexia was as selective as in typically reading adults. Chapter 4 follows up on the functional evidence reported in Chapter 3 to examine the structural connectivity within the same functional language network and additionally found essentially no differences between controls and dyslexia, further supporting the observations made in Chapter 3 that core linguistic processing is intact in dyslexia. All together, these findings converge on the suggestion that individuals with dyslexia do not rely on a separate cognitive architecture for language, potentially revealing important new insight into the dissociation of language specialization abilities and reading difficulty in dyslexia.

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Many performance-based assessment tools are available to measure upper extremity function. Most define hand function by the time taken to complete a task. A new computer game-based hand-arm function evaluation (GHA) tool has been developed to quantify fine and gross object manipulations skills. Objective of this study was to evaluate the test-retest reliability and convergent validity of the GHA assessment tool. Thirty stroke clients with the mean age of 68.41 years were recruited. Test-retest reliability was assessed by Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICCs) and t-test. Convergent validity between GHA and the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) was determined using the Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Most of the GHA outcome measures had moderate to high ICC (0.5-0.9). With scant exceptions, low correlations were observed between GHA measures and WMFT score. The ICC values reflected the complexity of the tasks, more complex task showed lower ICCs values. / October 2016

The purpose of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability of the Revised Conners' Parent Rating Scale. The Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS-48) was administered to 59 elementary school children between the ages of 5 and 10 years. After a period of two weeks, the same children were re-tested with the CPRS-48. The results of this research lend support to the integrity of the test-retest reliability of the CPRS-48. The need for further psychometric studies on the Conners' Scales is noted.

This thesis deals with personal integrity and its testing for the job tender. The main objective is to determine the test-retest reliability of the integrity test, which is currently being developed and studied at the National Institute of Mental Health in Klecany. Another aim of the work is to compare the Czech version of the integrity test, a whole set of psychological tests designed to investigate the integrity intended for recruiting new employees, and the findings of foreign tests, which are used primarily in the United States. The use of integrity tests is a common practice abroad in the selection process of new employees, for example in lower administration or positions working with money. Work has both theoretical and practical character. The theoretical part summarizes the findings about integrity from authors throughout history, present information about foreign integrity test (types, weaknesses, ethical issues of testing, the proposed rules for the implementation of integrity tests for job tenders for organization, etc.). Finally, it discusses psychometrics and required characteristics for quality tests. The practical part is based on a test-retest study that was conducted on a sample of 51 respondents in the time interval of 4 to 5 months. Respondents were repeatedly presented with a...

For many years, speech recognition threshold (SRT) testing has been used as an indicator of audiologic health. However, with changing methods and technology, test-retest reliability has not been reviewed extensively with newer digitally recorded spondaic words which meet a published criterion of listener familiarity. This study examined the test-retest reliability of 33 high frequency usage and psychometrically equated spondaic words. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association recommended method (2-dB decrements) was used to measure the left and right SRT of 40 participants using both male and female talker recordings. For each participant, four SRTs were found during the test condition and four SRTs were found during the retest condition. All of the SRT scores were analyzed and the averaged SRT values found using a male talker recording resulted in an average retest SRT to be 1.4 dB better than the average test SRT. The averaged SRT values found using a female talker recording resulted in an averaged retest SRT to be 1.2 dB better than the averaged test SRT. The SRT scores also showed high validity when compared to each participant's pure tone average (PTA). This study additionally found no significant interaction in using a male versus a female talker when using digitally recorded and psychometrically equated spondaic words.

The clinical value of oto-acoustic emissions (OAEs) for the identification of the integrity of outer hair cell function has been proven numerous times in research studies, and OAEs are commonly included in the audiological test battery used by audiologists. The technological advances in this field, however, require continuous research to determine the value of new equipment. The main objective of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability of distortion product oto-acoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and transient evoked oto-acoustic emissions (TEOAEs). The subjects were female adults between 18 and 25 years of age, and 30 ears were used for this study. All participants had normal middle-ear function, normal hearing sensitivity (pure tone thresholds) and present OAEs. DPOAEs and TEOAEs were performed at specific time intervals to determine the test-retest reliability, and an OAE-gram was generated by combining DPOAE and TEOAE test results. These measures were performed as an initial measure (M1), after five minutes (M2), after an hour (M3), after a week (M4) and after a month (M5). The test-retest reliability was calculated by analysing the statistics quantitatively. Results were analysed to determine the variance between each participant individually at different time intervals, and also to determine the variance of the group as a whole at different time intervals. Through this analysis high test-retest reliability between the different tests was proven. Inferential statistical Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) proved that the test-retest reliability of DPOAEs, TEOAEs and the OAE-gram (generated through a combination of the DPOAE and TEOAE results) was consistent throughout all periods of testing. The highest correlation existed between immediate re-measurements, while the largest difference was observed between M1 and M3. High test-retest reliability for all tests conducted at different time intervals from original measures were confirmed. Recommendations that arose from this study are further research in the normal hearing population for better generalization, research into specific variables between subjects, research with longer time between different tests, as well as the test-retest reliability in pathologic populations. / Dissertation (MCommunication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / MCommunication Pathology / Unrestricted

Background: Atypical processing of auditory information in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be observed at a neurological as well as at a behavioural level. The Functional Auditory Performance Indicators (FÁPI) is an observational monitoring tool for pre-school children with hearing loss, but has not yet been described in children with ASD. A reliable instrument to monitor progress of functional auditory performance in young children with ASD may contribute to evidence-based practice during intervention. Method: The aim was to describe the overall performance of five-year-old children with ASD on the FÁPI; to determine the test-retest reliability and inter-rater reliability of the tool. The study was exploratory with a descriptive design incorporating repeated measures. Twelve participants with ASD were purposely selected. The mean age was 65 months and all were exposed to English as additional language. Ten of the 12 participants had very little speech as reported by their parents. Pre-recorded sound and speech stimuli were used to elicit responses from participants in their familiar therapy rooms. For test-retest reliability three data collection sessions per participant were conducted over a two-week period. Video recordings were provided in randomised order and analysed by two independent raters. The raters were blind to the order of data sets. Results and conclusion: With an increase in complexity of auditory stimuli a marked decrease in response was observed in the participants. Category seven, the highest level of auditory responses, demonstrating the child's ability to process linguistic information, showed the least responses The test-retest reliability was good, with a single difference in the category 'Awareness and meaning of sound'. Inter-rater reliability indicated a significant difference in two of the seven categories of the FÁPI, 'Awareness and meaning of sound' and 'Sound localisation' with p-values of 0,006 and 0,003. These categories may be the most subjective in the tool. Despite some subjectivity in two of the seven categories the FÁPI was reliable to plot functional auditory performance in the sample group. Since the instrument relies on direct observation with very few demands to participate on a social level, it has potential for use in five-year-old children with ASD. Further research is required to determine the tool's performance using natural sound conditions to monitor the progress of children with ASD longitudinally, against themselves during intervention. / Dissertation (M Communication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / MCommunication Pathology / Unrestricted

Retest stability and retest reliability were assessed for the Words-in-Noise Test (WIN) in two experiments involving older listeners with sensorineural hearing loss. In Experiment 1, the 70-item WIN protocol was administered during two sessions 12 months apart to examine retest stability on a sample of 315 veterans from four VA Medical Centers. The mean 50% points on the WIN were 12.5- and 12.8-dB S/N for the two sessions with a critical difference of 3.5 dB and an intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.88. [Normal recognition performance on the WIN (50% point) is ≤6-dB S/N.] In Experiment 2, intra- and inter-session retest reliability was examined for the two 35-word WIN protocols on 96 veterans, 48 of whom had mild-to-severe hearing loss (Group 1) and 48 of whom had a moderate-to-severe hearing loss (Group 2). The mean 50% points on the WIN during the two sessions (separated by 40 days) were 13.0- and 13.4-dB S/N (Group 1) and 15.3- and 15.8-dB S/N (Group 2) with no significant intra-session differences. A 3.1-dB critical difference was calculated for the groups combined with intraclass correlations of 0.89 and 0.91 for Group 1 and Group 2, respectively.

Rationale: Schizophrenia patients consistently show deficits in sensory-evoked broadband gamma oscillations and click-evoked entrainment at 40 Hz, called the 40-Hz auditory steady-state response (ASSR). Since such evoked oscillations depend on cortical N-methyl D-aspartic acid (NMDA)-mediated network activity, they can serve as pharmacodynamic biomarkers in the preclinical and clinical development of drug candidates engaging these circuits. However, there are few test-retest reliability data in preclinical species, a prerequisite for within-subject testing paradigms. Objective: We investigated the long-term psychometric stability of these measures in a rodent model. Methods: Female rats with chronic epidural implants were used to record tone- and 40 Hz click-evoked responses at multiple time points and across six sessions, spread over 3 weeks. We assessed reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Separately, we used mixed-effects ANOVA to examine time and session effects. Individual subject variability was determined using the coefficient of variation (CV). Lastly, to illustrate the importance of long-term measure stability for within-subject testing design, we used low to moderate doses of an NMDA antagonist MK801 (0.025–0.15 mg/kg) to disrupt the evoked response. Results: We found that 40-Hz ASSR showed good reliability (ICC=0.60–0.75), while the reliability of tone-evoked gamma ranged from poor to good (0.33–0.67). We noted time but no session effects. Subjects showed a lower variance for ASSR over tone-evoked gamma. Both measures were dose-dependently attenuated by NMDA antagonism. Conclusion: Overall, while both evoked gamma measures use NMDA transmission, 40-Hz ASSR showed superior psychometric properties of higher ICC and lower CV, relative to tone-evoked gamma.