Introduction The current work presents a framework of motoric complexity where stimuli differ according to movement elements across a sound sequence (i.e., consonant transitions and vowel direction). This framework was then examined in children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), other speech sound disorders (SSDs), and typical development (TD). Method Twenty-four children (CAS, n = 8; SSD, n = 8; TD, n = 8), 5–6 years of age, participated in this study. The children produced words that varied in motoric complexity while transcription, acoustic, and kinematic data were collected. Multidimensional analyses were conducted to examine speech production accuracy, speech motor variability, and temporal control. Results Analyses revealed poorer accuracy, longer movement duration, and greater speech motor variability in children with CAS than TD (across all measures) and other SSDs (accuracy and variability). All children demonstrated greater speech motor variability and longer duration as movement demands increased within the framework of motoric complexity. Diagnostic grouping did not mediate performance on this task. Conclusions Results of this study are believed to reveal gradations of complexity with increasing movement demands, thereby supporting the proposed framework of motoric complexity. This work also supports the importance of considering motoric properties of sound sequences when evaluating speech production skills and designing experimental and treatment stimuli.

中文翻译：

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运动复杂性框架：对典型语言发育障碍儿童的调查

介绍目前的工作提出了一个运动复杂性的框架，其中刺激根据声音序列中的运动元素（即辅音过渡和元音方向）而有所不同。然后在患有儿童言语失用症 (CAS)、其他言语声音障碍 (SSD) 和典型发育 (TD) 的儿童中检查了该框架。 方法二十四名儿童（CAS，n= 8；固态硬盘，n= 8；TD，n= 8)，5-6 岁，参加了本研究。孩子们在收集转录、声音和运动学数据的同时，说出了运动复杂性各异的单词。进行多维分析以检查言语产生准确性、言语运动变异性和时间控制。 结果分析显示，与 TD（所有指标）和其他 SSD（准确性和变异性）相比，CAS 儿童的准确性较差、运动持续时间较长、言语运动变异性较大。随着运动复杂性框架内运动需求的增加，所有儿童都表现出更大的言语运动变异性和更长的持续时间。诊断分组不会影响此任务的表现。 结论这项研究的结果被认为揭示了随着运动需求的增加而复杂性的分级，从而支持了所提出的运动复杂性框架。这项工作还支持在评估言语产生技能和设计实验和治疗刺激时考虑声音序列的运动特性的重要性。