Word-retrieval abilities in children can be assessed using word generation or verbal fluency task. The ability to retrieve is related to the individual's ability to retrieve associated words from the mental lexicon in an organized manner. The present study focuses on the developmental aspects of semantic fluency in 1,015 Malayalam-speaking children in the age range of 5 years to 15 years across both genders. The study revealed a developmental trend in the mean total number of correct word scores, number of clusters generated, and switching scores; however, mean cluster size did not show any statistically significant variation. Further, the scores did not vary across genders. Overall, the study indicated a linear developmental trend during verbal fluency with the increase in complexity of strategy use.

Objectives: Comparison of acoustic parameters of voice between normal and high pitch phonation in normal adults, and comparison between genders. Participants and Methods: A total of 48 normal laryngeal speakers were considered for this study. The acoustic parameters were analyzed using the Multi-Dimensional Voice Program. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis of the acoustic parameters across tasks and genders. Paired-samples t tests were used to compare measures between tasks. Independent-samples t tests were used to compare parameters between genders. Results: Significant differences were found across tasks in the range of fundamental frequency and average fundamental frequency. Females showed a significant difference in the frequency perturbation measures – percent jitter and relative average perturbation, while males demonstrated a significant difference in the noise-to-harmonic ratio. While comparing mean differences between genders, significant differences were observed in fundamental frequency, range of the fundamental frequency, and smoothed pitch perturbation quotient during both phonation tasks. Conclusion: Comparison of acoustic parameters between normal and high pitch phonation would facilitate understanding the effect of high pitch phonation on voice parameters. Subsequently, this would help clinicians to focus on important acoustic parameters while assessing professional voice users who are at risk of developing voice problems.

The benefits of parent–child storybook reading experiences in the home are well documented. However, there is a dearth of information regarding parent–child storybook reading experiences in Indian home contexts. This study investigated parental perspectives towards storybook reading in the Indian context among 100 parents of typically developing preschool children. In this questionnaire-based study, parental responses were collected and the patterns of reading exposure, child’s interest in reading, storybook reading practices, and attitudes & beliefs towards storybook reading were reported using descriptive statistics. Correlation between demographic variables (i.e., child’s age and socioeconomic status) and storybook reading domains were explored. The majority of parents initiated storybook reading with their children at 2 years of age or older. Parents read to their children one to two times per week for 10 min and had fewer than 10 books in the home. Parents reported that their children were interested in storybook reading and reported the use of quality storybook reading practices. Homes characterized with higher socioeconomic status included more quality home literacy environment factors, although socioeconomic status did not correlate with the parental beliefs and attitudes towards reading. Results provide preliminary information regarding parental perspectives on storybook reading in Indian home contexts and point toward socioeconomic and sociocultural variation in home literacy environments. Understanding more about the parental interactions surrounding storybook reading will facilitate the development of parent programs to enhance and promote quality home literacy environment in Indian home contexts.

Buccal carcinoma is one of the most common malignant neoplasms among all oral cancers in India. Understanding the role of speech language pathologists (SLPs) in the domains of evaluation and management strategies of this condition is limited, especially in the Indian context. This is a case report of a young adult with recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa with no deleterious habits usually associated with buccal mucosa carcinoma. Following composite resection, pectoralis major myocutaneous flap reconstruction, he developed severe oral dysphagia and demonstrated unintelligible speech. This case report focuses on the issues of swallowing and speech deficits in buccal mucosa carcinoma that need to be addressed by SLPs, and the outcomes of speech and swallowing rehabilitation and prognostic issues.

Verbal fluency tasks are simple behavioral measures useful in assessing word retrieval abilities. Among the verbal fluency tasks, the utility of the Phonemic Fluency Task in children has received less attention. As the task is dependent on phonemic characteristics of each language, there is a great need for understanding its developmental trend. The present study, therefore, aims to delineate the performance on phonemic fluency in typically developing Malayalam-speaking children. Verbal fluency performance on 2 tasks of phonemic fluency was tested using a cross-sectional study design among 1,015 school-going Malayalam-speaking typically developing children aged 5 to 15 years old. Performance with respect to word productivity and clustering-switching measures was analyzed. The effect of age, gender, and tasks on the outcome measures were investigated in the present study. Study findings revealed a positive influence of age with no statistically significant gender effects. Children employed both task-discrepant and task-consistent organizational strategies during tasks of phonemic fluency, dependent purely on the Malayalam language. Future research focusing on developmental trends across different languages is vital for enhancing the task's clinical sensitivity and specificity among childhood disorders.