hedieh hashemi

Geriatric period has such particular conditions that the aged feel the need of helpful and dynamic communication more than any other time. In this research, we are going to measure the aged people attitude toward their speech communication in comparison with middle-aged people. Methods and Materials: In this descriptive-analytic study, one hundred staffs of Isfahan education department are compared with one hundred staffs working in Isfahan education department. In this study data was collected by the adjustment and attitude scale (AAS) and results were analyzed by SPSS16 and through chi-square and T- test. This survey revealed that Attitude toward ability to communication in experimental group was 35% (generally). It was reported 84% in male group and 26/5% in females based on gender and based on marriage, in single group are 50% and 34/8% in marrieds. In the control group attitudes are 37/2% in males and 33/3% in females, 44/4% in single group and 35/2% among the marrieds. There is no significant difference between attitudes toward the ability to speech communication in elderly compared with middle-aged people, but in the attitude of two groups by sex, male subjects with p = 0.003 and marital status, married people with p = 0.04, there is a significant relationship with the ability to communicate..

Multiple Sclerosis is (MS) a neurological disorder with damage in central nervous system. This disease begins between ages of 20-40. A common problem in patients is voice disorders that have negative impact on the quality of life of patients. The aim of this study was to examine the quality of life in MS patients with the voice disorder.
This is a descriptive-analytic study. Participants included 30 people with multiple sclerosis who referred to Semnan (Iran) clinics of neurology. The patients who were their EDSS score between 1-6 and at least 3 years of onset disease last were enrolled. All Patients were asked to produce the vowel /a/ and /i/ at a comfortable loudness level and a constant pitch at least three seconds in three trials and sample sounds were analyzed for acoustic parameters by Praat software, then voice handicap index (VHI) was presented to all participants to complete.
The finding of this study indicated that, there is not statistically significant correlation between acoustic parameters and VHI.
The results of this study indicated that voice disorders have no significant effects on the quality of life in patients with MS, but these disorders should be detected and treated during the rehabilitation of these patents.

Due to numerous difficulties in patients suffering from varieties of cleft lip and palate, their therapeutic management involves interdisciplinary teamwork. This study was conducted to compare the age of commencing treatments such as speech therapy, secondary palate and alveolar bone grafting and orthodontics between those who sought treatment early and late.
In this retrospective study, 260 files of patients with cleft lip and palate based on their age at the time of admission to a cleft care team were divided into two groups: The early admission and late admission. Both groups compared based on four variables including the mean age of beginning speech therapy, palatal secondary surgery, alveolar bone grafting, and receiving orthodontics using t‑test.
Based on the results, among 134 patients admitted for speech therapy, the mean age of initiating speech therapy in early clients was 3.3 years, and in the late ones was 9 years. Among 47 patients with secondary surgery, the mean age in early clients was 3.88 years, and in the late clients was 15.7 years. Among 17 patients with alveolar bone grafting, the mean age in the first group was 9 years, and in the other was 16.69 years. Among 24 patients receiving orthodontic services, the mean age in early clients was 7.66 years, and in the second group was 17.05 years.
There was a significant difference between the age of performing secondary surgery and alveolar bone grafting and the age of beginning speech therapy and receiving orthodontic services in early references and late references to the team.

In the process of assessing the nasalance scores in patient’s speech, it is vital to know about normative data in the speech of normal subjects. The main objective in this study was to obtain normative data on nasalance scores in normal Persian-speaking children aged 3.5 to 6.5 years. In this cross-sectional and comparative study, nasalance was measured in the speech of 112 children (55 boys and 57 girls) in Tehran, Iran. After auditory screening and speech assessments, the subjects who get the sufficient criterions entered the study. Speech sample was obtained by imitation and repeating sentences (14 oral and 3 nasal sentences) and mean nasalance score was measured by Nasal view software. A mean nasalance score of 46.25% was obtained for nasal sentences and a mean score of 43.67% for fricative sentences, 43.41% for affricative sentences and 42.21% for stop sentences. There was higher nasalance scores in girls but the difference was not significant (p=0.201); there was a significant difference in nasalance scores between different age groups in stop (p=0.037), fricative (p=0.036) and nasal sentences (p=0.032). Findings of this study prepared good statistical data about nasalance scores in normal Persian-speaking children aged 3.5-6.5 years. The study also revealed that nasalance scores can be different in sentences with same manner of articulation and can be affected by presence or absence of nasal consonants and even age.

Autism is a complicated developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life as a result of a neurological disorder affecting performance. The present study aimed at studying significant developmental events happening to autistic children compared to those occurring for normal ones. 50 autistic children and 50 normal children with an age range of 4 to 11 years participated in this descriptive-analytic study which was conducted in Isfahan-Iran. Important developmental factors related to pre-, peri- and post-natal periods were collected from literature and a tailor-made questionnaire was designed to be later completed by children's mothers. The data was statistically analyzed via Chi-Square, Fischer Exact and Mann-Whitney test. The results indicated that the factors which occurred significantly more frequently among children with autism were as follows: advanced maternal and paternal age, maternal stress, allergic signs during pregnancy, familial marriages, having a history of communication and/or speech-language disorders in the family, cesarean delivery, high fever after birth, seizures and head trauma (P < 0/05). Although this study cannot determine decisive causes of development of autism in children, it can introduce possible risk factors. In fact, our findings suggest that pre-natal, neonatal and post-natal factors contributing to deviant growth are important in the pathogenesis of the disorder.

Due to numerous difficulties of patients suffering from various types of cleft lip and/or palate, their therapeutic management involves an interdisciplinary teamwork. The aim of present study was to compare the mean age of receiving teamwork intervention including speech therapy, secondary surgery, alveolar bone grafting and orthodontics among early-referred and late-referred patients visited at Isfahan Cleft Palate Team. In this study, we first reviewed 260 charts of patients with cleft lip and palate and then, based on their age at the time of entrance to cleft care team, divided them into two groups the early references and late references. These two groups were compared on four variables: the mean age of beginning speech therapy, the mean age of palate secondary surgery, alveolar bone grafting and the average age of receiving orthodontics. All data of interest were statistically analyzed through t test. The main results of the present study are as follows: (1) For 134 patients, who were referred to speech therapy, the mean age of initiating speech therapy in early- and late-referred clients was 3.3 and 9 years respectively. (2) For 47 patients, who underwent secondary surgery, the mean age of conducting early surgery was 3.88 years compared to late-referred group who had had this kind of intervention at 15.7 years of age on average. (3) 9 and 16.69 years were the respective mean age of early and late referral to alveolar bone grafting in 17 patients who had received this intervention and (4) for 24 patients who had received orthodontic services, the mean age of early-referred clients was 7.66 years compared to 17.05 years which was the mean age of referral in second group. The results suggest that there is a significant difference between early and late referrals with regard to the mean age of receiving secondary surgery, alveolar bone grafting, speech therapy and orthodontic services.