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Aim: This paper describes the development, validation, and reliability of the Functional Communication Classification System (FCCS), designed to classify expressive communication skills of children with cerebral palsy (CP) aged 4 years and 5 years (between their fourth and sixth birthdays)., Method: The Functional Communication Classification System (FCCS) was developed in 2006 using a literature review, client file audit, and expert consultative committee process in order to devise scale content, structure, and check clinical validity and utility. Interrater reliability was examined between speech-language pathologists (SLPs), other allied health professionals (AHPs), and parents of 48 children with CP. The scale was revised and a clinical reasoning prompt sheet added, then trialled again for 42 children. The result was a five-level system with descriptors and decision-making guides for classification of functional expressive communication for children with CP., Results: Overall interrater reliability was excellent for the final FCCS, intraclass correlation coefficient=0.97 (95% confidence interval 0.95 to 0.98). Kappa values were 0.94 between SLPs and AHPs, 0.59 between SLPs and parents, and 0.60 between AHPs and parents., Interpretation: The FCCS is a reliable tool for describing functional communication in young children with CP, appropriate for use by SLPs, other AHPs, and parents of children with CP., (© 2016 Mac Keith Press.)

Aim: We compared early vocal development in children "at risk" for cerebral palsy (CP) with typically developing (TD) infants aged 6 to 15 months using the SAEVD-R, investigating potential pre-linguistic markers of communication impairment. Additionally, we sought to examine the agreement between the SAEVD-R and IMP, which uses parent report, in identifying departure from typical vocal development in at-risk infants. Method: Utilising a longitudinal cohort study, >10,000 vocalisations of 33 infants (15 at risk for CP and 18 TD) were assessed at 6, 9, 12, and 15 months using the SAEVD-R. Generalised linear mixed models (GLMMs) compared groups, and Spearman correlations explored IMP ceiling scores and SAEVD-R measures. Results: At 6 months, both TD and CP groups reached SAEVD-R vocalisation level 3 (expansion). By 9 months, 51% of TD infants progressed to advanced babbling (levels 4 and 5), while 80% of at-risk infants remained at level 3. At 12 and 15 months, over 90% of TD children advanced, compared to 67% at 12 months and 53% at 15 months for at-risk infants, who stayed at the pre-canonical stage. Strong correlations were found between IMP scores and vocalisation levels at 9 and 12 months. Remaining at the pre-canonical stage at 12 months correlated with delayed vocal development as per IMP scores. Interpretation: TD infants achieved higher SAEVD-R levels than at-risk infants. At 12 months, IMP scores effectively identified infants with speech-like vocalisation difficulties, demonstrating its clinical utility in identifying atypical vocal development in infants at risk for CP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of an intervention protocol aimed at increasing vocal complexity in three pre-linguistic children with cerebral palsy (two males, starting age 15 months, and one female, starting age 16 months) was evaluated utilising a repeated ABA case series design. The study progressed until the children were 36 months of age. Weekly probes with trained and untrained items were administered across each of three intervention blocks. Successive blocks targeted more advanced protophone production and speech movement patterns, individualised for each participant. Positive treatment effects were seen for all participants in terms of a greater rate of achievement of target protophone categories and speech movement patterns. Tau coefficients for trained items demonstrated overall moderate to large AB phase contrast effect sizes, with limited evidence of generalisation to untrained items. Control items featuring protophones and speech movements not targeted for intervention showed no change across phases for any participant. Our data suggest that emerging speech-production skills in prelinguistic infants with CP can be positively influenced through a multimodal intervention focused on capitalising on early periods of plasticity when language learning is most sensitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]