The present study compared the ability of school-aged children with and without a history of otitis media (OM) to understand everyday speech in noise using the University of Queensland Understanding of Everyday Speech Test (UQUEST). Participants were 484 children (246 boys, 238 girls) attending Grade 3 (272, mean age = 8.25 yr., SD = 0.43) and Grade 4 (212, mean age = 9.28 yr., SD = 0.41) at 19 primary schools in Brisbane metropolitan and Sunshine Coast schools. Children selected for inclusion were native speakers of English with normal hearing on the day of testing and had no reported physical or behavioral impairments. The children were divided into three groups according to the number of episodes of OM since birth. The results showed no significant differences in speech scores across the participant groups. However, a significant difference in mean speech scores was found across the grades and the noise conditions. Although children with a history of OM performed equally well at a group level when compared to the controls, they exhibited a large range of abilities in speech comprehension within the same group.

The aim of this study was to describe relationships in young children with motor coordination problems between measures of motor, functional, self-efficacy, and communication administered by a multidisciplinary team and the fit of these measures within the framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) (World Health Organisation, 2001). Sixty children, 40 males and 20 females, with mean age 72.5 months (SD= 11.4 months) referred to a university physiotherapy clinic met the inclusion criteria for developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Each measure provided a different perspective of performance when considered within the framework of the ICF. The findings suggest caution when using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC) for the purpose of diagnosis with young referred children, since 25 of the 60 children scored > 15th percentile, despite demonstrating motor deficits at home and school. Further research is needed to address assessment at the participation level. Viewing children from the multiple perspective of each discipline highlights the range of challenges faced by children with DCD.

These results suggest that any potential benefits of SFA devices are more likely to be realized in classrooms with better acoustics.

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The correlation between the communicative intent of parents, in terms of their expectation of a response and the response patterns of young children aged 23-25 months during parent-child interactions was investigated. An Observational Framework was used to code these parameters in interactions between 36 children and their mothers. The children were assigned by cluster analysis to 'advanced', 'typical' and 'delayed' language groups and their responses were coded with respect to the degree of correctness or appropriateness within the interaction. Differences in both the parental response expectations and the children's response patterns across the three clusters are discussed.3