Waldemar von Suchodoletz’s research while affiliated with Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich and other places

The current study used event-related brain potentials to investigate lexical-semantic processing of words in sentences spoken by children with specific language impairment and children with normal language development. Children heard correct sentences and sentences with a violation of the selectional restriction of the verb. Control children showed an N400 effect followed by a late positivity for the incorrect sentences. In contrast, children with specific language impairment showed no N400 effect but did show a late, broadly distributed positivity. This absence of the N400 effect is due to a relatively large negativity for correct sentences, suggesting weaker lexical-semantic representations of the verbs and their selectional restrictions in children with specific language impairment.

In the present study, event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were used to compare auditory sentence comprehension in 16 children with developmental dyslexia (age 9–12 years) and unimpaired controls matched on age, sex, and nonverbal intelligence. Passive sentences were presented, which were either correct or contained a syntactic violation (phrase structure) or a semantic violation (selectional restriction). In an overall sentence correctness judgment task, both control and dyslexic children performed well. In the ERPs, control children and dyslexic children demonstrated a similar N400 component for the semantic violation. For the syntactic violation, control children demonstrated a combined pattern, consisting of an early starting bilaterally distributed anterior negativity and a late centro-parietal positivity (P600). Dyslexic children showed a different pattern that is characterized by a delayed left lateralized anterior negativity, followed by a P600. These data indicate that dyslexic children do not differ from unimpaired controls with respect to semantic integration processes (N400) or controlled processes of syntactic reanalyses (P600) during auditory sentence comprehension. However, early and presumably highly automatic processes of phrase structure building reflected in the anterior negativity are delayed in dyslexic children. Moreover, the differences in hemispheric distribution of the syntactic negativity indicate different underlying processes in dyslexic children and controls. The bilateral distribution in controls suggests an involvement of right hemispherically established prosodic processes in addition to the left hemispherically localized syntactic processes, supporting the view that prosodic information may be used to facilitate syntactic processing during normal comprehension. The left hemispheric distribution observed for dyslexic children, in contrast, suggests that these children do not rely on information about the prosodic contour during auditory sentence comprehension as much as controls do. This finding points toward a phonological impairment in dyslexic children that might hamper the development of syntactic processes.

The concept of Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) as a cause of language, learning and behavioral problems is discussed. Difficulties during the diagnostic processes are pointed out. Several methods of an auditory training and new studies for evaluation of auditory therapies are reviewed. It is concluded that the underlying theoretical concept is questionable that no valid diagnostic methods exist and that there is no evidence for the efficacy of an auditory training. Consequently a training of auditory functions may not be considered as an useful therapy for developmentally disturbed children.

Stigmatization can strongly affect the social integration of children and adolescents with developmental and behavioral disorders. The goal of the study was to investigate negative and positive labeling of speech-language impaired children as perceived by their parents. We analyzed 386 parental questionnaires on stigmatization by and support from other children, family members and other adults. Half of the parents reported stigmatization of their child. They perceived negative labeling and exclusion most frequently in the child's peer group, but also among family members. Support was more common than negative labeling, however. There was a strong positive relationship between negative labeling and behavioral problems. Parents of children with developmental and behavioral disorders often perceive stigmatization of their child. Therefore, in counseling such families child and adolescent psychiatrists should address this issue adequately and recommend appropriate coping strategies.

It has been suggested that training in temporal processing may significantly improve language processing and reading skills. However, improvement effects of training on language impairment or dyslexia have not been proven so far. In the present study a temporal processing training was evaluated. The participants of the present study were 42 children (5th graders) of a special school for children with reading and spelling problems. Children of one class (n = 21) were assigned to a training group (n = 21), the other class to a control group. Children in the training group took part in a training program consisting of auditory and visual order threshold and sound localisation tasks, over a period of eight weeks. We determined the order thresholds, sound localisation ability and reading and spelling performance of all children before and after the training period. Six months later all subjects were re-tested. Auditory and visual order thresholds decreased significantly more in the training group than in the control group. However, these changes were not accompanied by improvements in reading or spelling skills. In the present study no training effects on reading and writing performance were observed by using a program including temporal processing tasks. It is questionable whether training programs of temporal processing are useful methods in therapy of dyslexic children.

Zusammenfassung: Fragestellung: Ein Training der Zeitverarbeitung ist mittlerweile ein relativ weit verbreitetes Verfahren zur Behandlung von Störungen der Laut- und Schriftsprache, ohne dass dessen Wirksamkeit ausreichend belegt ist. In der vorliegenden Untersuchung wird der Frage nachgegangen, inwieweit ein Zeitverarbeitungstraining positive Auswirkungen auf Lese- und Rechtschreibleistungen ausübt. Methodik: In die Studie wurden 42 Kinder aus zwei 5. Klassen einer speziellen Schule zur Betreuung lese-rechtschreibschwacher Kinder einbezogen. Die Schüler der einen Klasse wurden der Trainingsgruppe (N = 21) und die der anderen der Kontrollgruppe (N = 21) zugeordnet. Das Training der Ordnungsschwelle (auditiv und visuell) und des Richtungshörens erfolgte über acht Wochen. Unmittelbar vor und nach der Behandlungsphase wurden bei allen Kindern neben Ordnungsschwelle und Richtungshören auch Lese- und Rechtschreibleistungen überprüft. Ein weiterer Retest wurde nach einem Zeitraum von sechs Monaten durchgeführt. Ergebnisse: Das Training führte zu einer deutlichen Verbesserung sowohl der visuellen als auch der auditiven Ordnungsschwelle. Hinsichtlich des Lesens und Rechtschreibens waren in der Therapiegruppe keine deutlicheren Fortschritte als in der Kontrollgruppe zu verzeichnen. Schlussfolgerung: Die Ergebnisse sprechen gegen spezifische Behandlungseffekte eines Zeitverarbeitungstrainings auf den Schriftspracherwerb. Es lassen sich zwar deutliche Verbesserungen der unmittelbar trainierten Leistungen, nicht jedoch Transfereffekte auf die Schriftsprache nachweisen. Ein Training von Ordnungsschwelle oder Richtungshören kann somit nicht zur LRS-Therapie empfohlen werden.

It has been claimed that children with dyslexia show auditory processing deficits and a training of auditory perception is recommended as a therapy. this study addresses the question whether a causal connection between auditory perception and dyslexia can be proven empirically. 27 dyslexic children with average intelligence and normal hearing and 31 controls were examined. The auditory perception ability was judged with non-linguistic (pitch, tone duration, sound discrimination tasks) and verbal (speech in noise, compressed speech) tasks. In addition auditory short-term memory, nonverbal IQ, spelling and language ability were assessed. Group differences were found in tone processing tasks, but not in sound discrimination or auditory verbal tasks. Despite significant main effects in tone processing tasks the individual values of the dyslexic children lay predominantly in the range of the controls. In addition, there was no correlation between tone processing and spelling ability. Dyslexic children do not show remarkable deficits in verbal auditory processing. Auditory low level deficits can only be observed within a small subgroup. There is no evidence for central auditory dysfunction as a cause of dyslexia. The relevance of auditory processing training for treatment programmes for dyslexia should be questioned.

Specific language impairment is assumed to be caused by deficits in auditory perception and therefore the training of auditory abilities is recommended as a treatment. Our study focussed on the question of whether a correlation between language disorders and auditory perception abilities can be proven empirically. 23 language impaired children and 52 controls aged 7 to 11 years were examined. Auditory abilities were measured by means of a battery of nonverbal and verbal tests. The children had to identify tones of different frequencies, loudness, duration or patterns as well as every day sounds and mixtures of such sounds. Noise-overlaid, time-compressed and frequency-limited speech tasks, and binaural summation tasks were also used. In addition, phoneme discrimination ability and auditory memory were assessed. Language impaired children scored low on phoneme discrimination and auditory memory tests but not on nonverbal or verbal auditory perception tasks. There are significant correlations between their expressive language ability and their scores on phoneme discrimination, auditory memory and sound duration identification tests. The results do not support the assumption that developmental language disorders are associated with auditory perception deficits. However, there are indications that auditory memory and time processing are deficient. Thus, training of auditory perception does not appear to be a suitable treatment for language impaired children.

Abnormal auditory temporal processing might be an underlying deficit in language disabilities. The auditory temporal-order threshold, one measure for temporal processing abilities, is defined as the shortest time interval between two acoustic events necessary for a person to be able to identify the correct temporal order. In our study, we examined the reliability of the auditory temporal-order threshold during a one-week period and over a time interval of four months in normally developing children aged 5 to 11 years. The results of our method show that children younger than 7 years have difficulties performing the task successfully. The reliability of the assessment of the temporal-order threshold during a period of one week is only moderate, and its stability over a time interval of four months is low. The results show that auditory-order thresholds in children have to be treated with caution. A high temporal-order threshold does not necessarily predict disabilities in temporal processing.

Objective: One of the most powerful medications that have very broad aspects of clinical application are the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). We use SSRI as a first choice agents in treatment of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders and some anxiety disordes. Objective: To analyze the outcome of treatment of adolescent depresion with SSRI’s, considering the age group, disorder categories, response to treatment and side effects. Methods: A retrospective epidemiological investigation was conducted by means of medical records for all adolescent treated with sertraline during six months period at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Belgrade. The clinical response to treatment was rated by Beck Depression Inventory and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Results: 5 boys and 10 girls (mean age 15.7) were treated with sertraline during the first episode of depression; administred doses were 50–75 mg per day. 86% of patients improved, 10% droped out because of economic reasons, and 4% experienced side affects (nausea, vomiting, headache). Conclusion: Sertraline is potent, safe and effective in the treatment of young people with first episode of depression.