Logopedia Silesiana 10(1) 2021

Logopedia Silesiana 10(1) 2021

The article delineates the changes that have taken place as a result of the use of new media, especially the Internet, in the context of the development of information and communication technologies, and describes the differences between classical communication and web contacts. The most common types of Internet threats and the ambiguous influence of online contacts on the social life of an individual are discussed. It is emphasised that new media have numerous advantages, but they can also cause risky situations, and therefore it is necessary to provide education in this area, especially (but not only) to young generations. Further multifaceted research is also recommended to enable the diagnosis of the changing reality and develop solutions to problems related to the use of information and communication technologies.

In the clinical presentation of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), speech and communication disorders coexist with cognitive deficits. Discourse is impaired both at the syntactic and lexical levels. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the existence of scintigraphic correlates with lexical and syntactic errors in the patients’ narrative speech. Twelve patients with DLB participated in the study. Analysis shows relationships between selected aspects of narrative discourse in DLB and cerebral hypoperfusion. It has identified correlations between lexical and syntactic impairment of speech and hypoperfusion within temporal, parietal and occipital areas, both in left and right hemisphere. The ability to create narrative speech on the basis of complex pictorial material requires the engagement of the perceptual function, which may explain the relationship between discourse impairment and posterior, in particular right-sided, hypoperfusion.

The subject literature continues to lack descriptions of speech therapy of children with SMA1. The progressive character of the disease did not allow considerable progress to be made in therapy. However, currently available treatments bring about observable changes in patients in the sphere of activity of the speech apparatus, in the ability to receive food and swallow, as well as in respiratory activity. Making use of purposeful procedures and appropriate rehabilitation techniques, the speech therapist is able to attain positive effects and observe the development of functions which would decline without the medical support currently available. This article presents the case study of a child with SMA1. On the basis of appropriately selected diagnostic tools, an assessment was made of the child’s range of vocabulary and basic communicative skills, as well as sensorimotor evaluation of the oral-facial area. The article also discusses the activities undertaken during therapy and the rehabilitation techniques recognised as most significant and having the greatest effect.

This article is the first part of a study concerned with vocabulary in autism spectrum disorders. In a brief historical outline, Ewa Hrycyna describes the main directions of the research on autism and their relation to linguistic issues, including lexical ones. She then goes on to look at the main areas of the research on vocabulary in autism. Her examination takes into account both the quantitative and qualitative aspects. The latter, particularly significant for autism, is revealed at the level of expression and understanding, and concerns the vocabulary content and the depth of semantic understanding. In the final section of her article, the author identifies the main problems of the methodology which has dominated autism research so far.

When a pregnant woman consumes alcohol, the child may end up having physical, mental, cognitive, and social problems. The most dangerous among these problems is known as the fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). An important indicator of the level of functioning of people with FAS is provided by the syntactic system, the structure of utterances being an exponent of sentence-forming skills. This article presents the results of a study of the syntactic skills of FAS children. An analysis
of the utterances of six- and ten-year-olds suffering from FAS has shown differences in the scope of the application of syntactic formulas and rules in comparison to their peers from control groups. The reduced level of syntactic competence in children with FAS is indicated by the limited number of syntactic constructions used to make a story, the low average sentence length, the more frequent use of single rather than compound utterances, and the low variation in syntactic constructions in texts produced by FAS children.

Alcohol dependence is a chronic disease that causes damage to various organs and systems in the human body, including damage to the central nervous system. The toxic effects of alcohol on the brain lead to the development of cognitive and language disorders. The article presents the exponents of language concretisation appearing in selected narrative statements of three alcohol dependent men undergoing alcohol addiction therapy while maintaining abstinence.

Involution changes are normative consequences of ageing of the organism. They are observed through transformations in the structure of tissues and organs. As age increases, the systemic reorganisation affects the functions (changes in hormonal activity and the number of neurotransmitters) and the structure (gradual brain shrinking) of the central nervous system (CNS). Neurobiological changes are visible in one’s cognitive capabilities, which are nowadays seen as the index of a brain’s potential and plasticity. As a theoretical basis, the model of selective optimisation with compensation and the adaptive-regulatory theory are used. According to them, changes in the elderly age result from natural processes and can be considered as the measures of individual adaptive capability. Taking into consideration the resources possessed in the late adulthood, this article presents a particular point of view on such a topic. Practically speaking, it implies the need to conduct educational and rationalising actions that will improve the living standard of elderly people.

This paper is a second part of a publication devoted to the level of nomination skills of children aged four to six. Whilst the first part focused on toys: humanoid and not modelled on living beings – this paper examines the naming of animals and plush toys modeled on animals. The author analyses methods used by children to create proper names (chrematonyms) and elements of extralinguistic reality rooted in these names. The influence of socio-cultural factors (age and gender) on the development of naming skills of pre-schoolers is also examined.

Voice is a work instrument in many professions, especially in that of teaching. Teachers are prone to develop voice impairment that is likely to occur due to lack of practice in and familiarity with the voice production principles and occupational hygiene. In spite of growing understanding and awareness of the need to use one’s voice properly, a significant share of vocal apparatus disorders include complaints resulting from excessive and inappropriate vocal strain. The following article aims at summarizing preliminary results of a study oriented towards assessment of teachers’ knowledge and practice in the field of vocal hygiene.

In this article, the author examines the relationship between selected aspects of psychological flexibility and the experience of the burnout syndrome among professionally active speech therapists. The author presents results from a correlation analysis (n = 143) of the relationship between the burnout syndrome (OLBI) and selected aspects of psychological flexibility: experience avoidance (MEAQ-30), cognitive fusion (CFQ), and acceptance and action (AAQ-II). These results indicate that there is a statistically significant relationship (p < 0.05) between burnout and non-acceptance and action (0.38), cognitive fusion (0.56), as well as the following components of avoidance (0.4): procrastination (0.37), repression/denial (0.33) and the resistance to stress (–0.26). The conclusions emphasize the need to carry out burnout prevention therapy among speech therapists which should involve instruction on the skills that make up the different aspects of psychological flexibility.

Lgopedia Silesiana tom 10(1) 2021