Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different upper retainers in speech, through Perceptual Auditory Analysis by the laypersons and acoustic analysis. Methods: Eighteen volunteers were selected to use four types of upper retainers: conventional Wrap-Around (CWA), modified horseshoe Wrap-Around (HWA), modified anterior hole Wrap-Around (AHWA) and vacuum-formed (VF). They were used for 21 days each, with intervals of 7 days without use among them. Speech evaluation was performed in vocal excerpts recordings made before installation of the retainers (T0), immediately after the installation of each retainer (T1), and 21 days after the installation (T2). The Perceptual Auditory Analysis of laypersons was performed by means of the visual analogue scale of 100 mm, while the acoustic analysis consisted of the mean diadochokinesia (DDK) rate evaluation, as well as the formant frequencies F1 and F2 of the fricative consonants. One-way ANOVA and two-way ANOVA were used. Results: In the Perceptual Auditory Analysis of laypersons, there was a worsening in the values of T0 to T1 in all the retainers, but only for CWA and VF the values were statistically lower. In T2 the values increased, but for the VF the value still remained statistically lower than T0 while for the AHWA the difference of T0 for T2 was practically null. There were no changes in DDK values. For the formant frequencies, in general way there was a difference from T0 to T1 and a little difference from T0 to T2, whereas in the comparison among the devices the CWA presented greater changes in the F1 formants of some consonants, whereas AHWA presented lower values, with the others devices showing intermediate values. Conclusions: In both types of analysis (subjective and objective), there was a change in speech after the installation of each retainer, with an improvement after 21 days of use. The laypersons considered larger speech disorders involving VF, and smaller ones involving AHWA. For the acoustic analysis, the changes were greater for CWA, whereas for AHWA there were lower changes. / Introdução: O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a influência de diferentes contenções superiores na fala, através de análise perceptiva auditiva por leigos e análise acústica. Métodos: Dezoito voluntários foram selecionados para utilizar quatro tipos de contenções superiores, sendo elas: placa Wrap-Around convencional (WAC), Wrap- Around modificada em formato de ferradura (WAF) Wrap-Around modificada com orifício anterior (WAO) e contenção termoplástica transparente (CTT). Elas foram usadas por 21 dias cada, com intervalos de 7 dias sem utilização entre elas. A avaliação da fala foi realizada em gravações de trechos vocais realizadas antes da instalação das contenções (T0), imediatamente após a instalação de cada contenção (T1), assim como após 21 dias de uso destas (T2). A análise perceptiva auditiva dos leigos foi realizada através da escala visual analógica de 100 mm, enquanto a análise acústica consistiu na avaliação da média da taxa de diadococinesia (DDC), bem como a frequência dos formantes F1 e F2 das consoantes fricativas. Os testes ANOVA a um critério e ANOVA a dois critérios foram utilizados. Resultados: Na análise perceptiva auditiva dos leigos houve uma piora nos valores de T0 para T1 em todas as contenções, mas somente para WAC e CTT os valores foram estatisticamente menores. Em T2 os valores voltaram a aumentar, mas para CTT ainda houve um valor estatisticamente menor do que T0 enquanto para WAO a diferença de T0 para T2 foi praticamente nula. Não houve alterações nos valores da DDC. Para os formantes, de uma maneira geral houve uma diferença de T0 para T1 e pouca diferença de T0 para T2, enquanto na comparação entre os aparelhos a WAC apresentou alterações maiores nos formantes F1 de algumas consoantes, enquanto WAO apresentou valores menores, e os demais dispositivos valores intermediários. Conclusões: Nos dois tipos de análise (subjetiva e objetiva) houve alteração na fala após a instalação de cada contenção, havendo uma melhora após 21 dias de uso. Os leigos consideraram maiores as alterações da fala envolvendo a CTT, e menores envolvendo WAO. Para a análise acústica os valores foram piores para WAC, enquanto para WAO as alterações foram menores.

No description available.

<p><b>Purpose:</b> Children with speech sound disorder (SSD) mispronounce more speech sounds than is typical for their age and a growing body of research suggests that a deficit in speech perception abilities contributes to development of the disorder. However, little work has been done to characterize the neurophysiological processes indexing speech perception deficits in SSD. The primary aim of the current study was to compare the neural activity underlying speech perception in young children with SSD and typical development (TD).</p><p><b>Method</b>: Twenty-eight children ages 4;1-6;0 participated in the current study. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while children completed a speech perception task which included phonetic (speech sound) and lexical (meaning) matches and mismatches. Groups were compared on their judgment accuracy for matches and mismatches as well as the mean amplitude of the Phonological Mapping Negativity (PMN) and N400 ERP components.</p><p><b>Results</b>: Children with SSD demonstrated lower judgment accuracy across the phonetic and lexical conditions compared to peers with TD. The ERPs elicited by lexical matches and mismatches did not distinguish the groups. However, in the phonetic condition, the SSD group exhibited a more consistent left lateralized PMN effect and a delayed N400 effect over frontal sites compared to the TD group.</p><p><b>Conclusions</b>: These findings provide some of the first evidence of a delay in the neurophysiological processing of phonological information for young children with SSD compared to their peers with TD. This delay was not present for the processing of lexical information, indicating a unique difference between children with SSD and TD related to speech perception of phonetic errors.</p>

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Healthcare professionals such as speech and language therapists are expected to change their practice throughout their career. However, from a practice perspective, there is a lack of knowledge around what practice change is, what it really takes, and why there are different trajectories. Consequently, therapists, managers and commissioners lack empirical evidence on which to base decisions about enabling practice change. In addition, intervention researchers lack basic sociological research around implementation that could inform their research designs, reporting and impact. This case-based sociological inquiry, underpinned by critical realist assumptions, was designed to address this knowledge gap. It includes a two-stage qualitative synthesis of 53 (then 16) studies where speech and language therapists explained the work of their practice in depth, and a primary qualitative study focused on one professional jurisdiction, children with speech sound difficulties (SSD). Forty two speech and language therapists from three NHS areas and independent practice in Scotland participated in individual interviews or self-organised pairs or focus groups to discuss in depth how and why they had changed their practice with these children. A variety of comparative methods were used to detail, understand and explain this particular aspect of the social world. The resulting theory of SSD practice change comprises six configured cases of practice change (Transforming; Redistributing; Venturing; Personalising; Delegating; Refining) emerging from an evolving and modifiable practice context. The work that had happened across four key aspects of this context (Intervention; Candidacy; Caseload; Service) explained what made each case possible, and how practice had come to be one way rather than another. Among its practical applications, the theory could help services plan more realistic practice change. In addition, the inductively developed layered model of SSD intervention change has the potential to contribute to speech and language therapy education as well as methodological discussions around complex interventions.