Dr. S.R. Chandrasekhar Institute of Speech and Hearing

Although age-related auditory changes are well recognized, limited studies have examined how aging affects middle ear mechanics, which can be assessed using wideband tympanometry (WBT). Unlike conventional tympanometry, WBT offers frequency-specific insights into middle ear acoustic transfer function. Ethnic differences in the anatomy of the external and middle ear such as canal length, ossicular dimensions, and stapes configuration may influence acoustic transmission. This study aimed to investigate the effect of aging on middle ear absorbance across frequencies using WBT. A nonexperimental, standard group comparison design was used to test 60 ears from older adults (50-70 years of age) and young adults (20-30 years of age) with clinically normal hearing. Wideband absorbance was measured using click stimuli (0.2-8 kHz) at 100 dB peSPL under both ambient and peak pressure. Data were analyzed using mixed repeated-measures analysis of variance to assess the main and interaction effects of group, gender, frequency, and pressure condition; independent t test for between-group comparisons at each frequency; and paired t test between pressure within-group comparisons. Both groups showed a similar wideband absorbance pattern. However, older adults exhibited a significantly higher absorbance at low frequencies (250-600 Hz) and a lower absorbance at high frequencies (2000-8000 Hz) compared to young adults. These differences indicate age-related alterations in middle ear mechanics, likely due to ossicular joint loosening and tissue degeneration. Pressure-related absorbance changes were more pronounced in younger adults at low to mid frequencies, suggesting that middle ear function in this group is more sensitive to pressure variations. Moreover, gender did not show a significant main effect on absorbance across frequencies. WBT appears to be a sensitive tool to detect subtle age-related changes that may not be evident with conventional tympanometry. The findings offer insights into age-related middle ear changes and suggest possible modification that might be considered during hearing aid fitting in older adults. Additionally, it also suggests that gender may not be a significant factor in assessing middle ear transfer function.

Background/Objectives: Speech understanding in noise relies on both temporal fine structure (TFS) and temporal envelope (ENV) cues. While TFS primarily conveys interaural time differences (ITDs) at low frequencies, ENV cues can also support ITD processing, especially when TFS is unavailable or degraded. Expanding the ENV by increasing modulation depth has been proposed to improve speech perception, but its effects on spatial release from masking (SRM) and binaural temporal processing in normal-hearing listeners remain unclear. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of ENV enhancement on SRM in young adults with normal hearing and its influence on ITD sensitivity and interaural coherence (IC). Method: Thirty normal-hearing native Kannada speakers (19-34 years) participated. Speech stimuli consisted of Kannada sentences embedded in four-talker babble at -5, 0, and +5 dB signal to noise ratio (SNR). Target and masker were spatialized using head-related transfer functions at 0°, 15°, and 37.5° azimuths. Stimuli were presented with and without ENV enhancement (compression-expansion algorithm). Speech recognition scores were analyzed using generalized linear mixed models, and SRM was calculated as performance differences between co-located and spatially separated conditions. Cross-correlation analyses were performed to estimate ITDs and IC across SNRs. Result: ENV enhancement yielded significantly higher SRM values across all SNRs and spatial separations. Benefits were greatest at lower SNRs and wider target-masker separations. Cross-correlation analysis showed enhanced IC and more reliable ITD estimates under the expanded condition, particularly at moderate SNRs. Conclusions: Temporal ENV enhancement strengthens spatial unmasking and binaural timing cues in normal-hearing adults, especially under adverse listening conditions. These findings highlight its potential application in auditory rehabilitation and hearing technologies where ENV cues are critical.

The study aims to explore the efficacy of play therapy in enhancing vocabulary in children diagnosed with Autism. The objectives were to evaluate the improvement of vocabulary through play therapy for trained and untrained sets of words through a multiple case study approach. The study included three children between 3 and 5 years, and receptive and expressive ages of 2–3 years. The efficacy of the therapy was evaluated using pre- and post-therapy language and vocabulary assessments for the set of words selected. The study results showed a substantial improvement in vocabulary size in all three children. The study also draws attention to the improvements noted in each child's sensory skills and other behaviors in detail. Findings from this study contribute valuable insights into the role of play therapy as an effective tool for improving vocabulary in children diagnosed with Autism, offering implications for therapeutic practices and further research in the field.

Background: Children with repaired cleft lip and palate (RCLP) often face persistent speech and language difficulties requiring long-term intervention. However, due to practical challenges such as distance, finance, personal, logistical barriers, etc., access to consistent therapy is limited. Aim: The present study examined the impact of teleintervention on speech and language outcomes in children with RCLP, with a focus on analyzing maternal language measures. Methods: A pre-post single-case study design was employed with five children (aged 1–4 years) diagnosed with a spoken language disorder secondary to RCLP. Each child and their mother participated in 20 telesessions involving the Focused Stimulation approach and strategies conducted over the Zoom platform to stimulate speech and language outcomes. Language and speech measures were analyzed pre- and post-intervention using mother–child interaction samples. The language outcome measures included the total number of utterances, total number of words, number of different words, mean length of utterance, type-token ratio, and speech measures, such as vowel and consonant inventories. Similar maternal language measures were also analyzed. Results: Post-teleintervention findings revealed notable improvements in all language measures, characterized by increased lexical diversity and longer utterances. Speech analysis showed expansion in vowel and consonant inventories, particularly in high vowels, glottal stops, nasal bilabial, and nasal dentals. Mothers demonstrated increased use of responsive communication strategies, indicating enhanced awareness and engagement. Conclusions: Teleintervention is a promising and effective model for delivering early speech–language services in underserved settings. It facilitates parent-led support, promotes consistent care, and addresses access barriers, making it a practical solution for early intervention in children with RCLP.

Abstract The polyamide/thermoplastic copolyester (PA/CoPe) blend is unique among the limited selection of thermoplastic matrices due to its enhanced mechanical and physical characteristics. Exploring the sway of silane-treated silica and graphene nanofillers on the mechanical behavior of short carbon fiber/PA6/CoPe blend (CF/PA blend) composites is the central aim of this work. Two distinct nanocomposites were made by extrusion and injection molding. The first incorporated silica nanofillers, while the second used a combination of graphene and silica. Hardness, tensile, short beam, flexure, and impact tests were performed to ascertain the effect of the nanofillers on mechanical behavior. Experimentally, nanofillers noticeably improved the composite’s mechanical properties, with silane treatment fostering superior nanofiller-matrix bonding. The synergistic effect of silica and graphene led to a significant 32.3 % increase in interlaminar shear strength. Moreover, this combination yielded substantial gains in hardness (14.1 %), tensile strength (16 %), flexural strength (19 %), and impact strength (33.2 %) over the unfilled blend. Conversely, using 1.5 % silica as the sole reinforcement resulted in smaller increases of 8.5 %, 5.6 %, 5.4 %, and 8.5 % for the same mechanical attributes. Together, these nanofillers improve network structure formation and silica and graphene dispersion, strengthening the CF/PA blend composite’s mechanical characteristics. Additionally, this will open the door to creative structural engineering designs and more environmentally friendly solutions.

Background and ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to assess the homogeneity of the audibility of word and sentence corpora for use in the development of speech audiometry test tools in Tamil.Materials and MethodsA Tamil corpus (675 words and 195 sentences) was compiled from books, magazines, and novels of children aged five to ten years. A female speaker was chosen to record the corpus based on expert ratings. All recorded contents were root mean square–normalized using Adobe Audition 3.0. The recorded material was randomly placed into 27-word lists (25 words/list) and 20-sentence lists for psychometric assessment. Speech perception testing was done at five intensities (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 dB SL; referenced to pure-tone average) in 20 adults with normal hearing.ResultsAnalysis of variance indicated significant differences (p<0.01) in speech perception scores as a function of intensity for all words and sentences. A logistic regression model was fitted to estimate the thresholds (i.e., the intensity level at which 50% scores were obtained) from the curve, which was observed around 10.12 dB SL for the words and 11.77 dB SL for the sentences.ConclusionsAll words and sentences in the pediatric Tamil corpus were observed to be homogenous in audibility. Hence, all words and sentences can be utilized for developing an assessment tool process, as well as in subsequent clinical assessments.

BackgroundThe digit span task, a measure of auditory verbal short‐term and working memory, is widely used globally. Emerging research has revealed variations in digit span performance across languages among young adults; however, studies focusing on older populations are scarce and typically involving limited languages. This study investigates digit span performance among older adults (40‐90 year‐old) across fourteen languages and explored the influence of lexical and numerical properties on cognitive assessment.MethodWe examined digit span performance among cognitively normal participants (CN), individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) across fourteen language cohorts totalling 3,681 participants: English (n = 446), Mandarin (n = 97), Cantonese (n = 65), Spanish (n = 218), Kannada (n = 69), Hindi (n = 72), Telugu (n = 69), Malayalam (n = 70), Bengali (n = 70), French (n = 299), Korean (n = 1098), Italian (n = 540), Arabic (n = 50), and Turkish (n = 518). First, we analyzed language differences in digit span performance among CN using ANOVA and general linear models. We then conducted Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses to identify the optimal cutoff values for AD. Next, we computed the digit count, syllable count, and numerical magnitude (i.e. the average sum of the digits) of all digit stimuli in the English cohort and analyzed their effects via linear and ridge regression analyses.ResultThe forward (FDS) and backward digit span (BDS) tests revealed significant differences among CN across the fourteen language cohorts even after adjusting for age and education (FDS:F=38.62, p <0.001; BDS:F=19.23, p <0.001). ROC analysis revealed varying optimal cutoff values across languages: English (FDS:6, BDS:4), Italian and Turkish (FDS:5, BDS:4), Mandarin (FDS:7, BDS:5), Cantonese (FDS:7, BDS:4), and French (FDS:6, BDS:3). Further analysis indicated that the interaction between digit and syllable counts significantly impacted FDS accuracy in English speakers (linear:p=0.00035; ridge:p< 0.000001), with no significant effect from digit count alone after adjusting for interaction. Conversely, BDS performance showed a significant negative influence from digit count (p = 0.00858), with numerical magnitude and syllable count nearing significance (p = 0.083 and p = 0.066, respectively).ConclusionVariations in digit span performance across languages illustrate the role of linguistic and numerical factors in cognitive assessments, even with tests targeting non‐language domains using digit stimuli. These findings underscore the critical value of language diversity in cognitive research.