Auditory processing , reading and writing in the Silver - Russell syndrome : case report

The aim of this study was to describe the speech-language pathology aspects of auditory processing, reading and writing of a male patient diagnosed with Silver-Russell syndrome. With two months of age the patient presented weight-for-height deficit; broad forehead; small, prominent and low-set ears; high palate; discrete micrognathia; blue sclera; cafe-au-lait spots; overlapping of the first and second right toes; gastroesophageal reflux; high-pitched voice and cry; mild neuropsychomotor development delay; and difficulty to gain weight, receiving the diagnosis of the syndrome. In the psychological evaluation, conducted when he was 8 years old, the patient presented normal intellectual level, with cognitive difficulties involving sustained attention, concentration, immediate verbal memory, and emotional and behavioral processes. For an assessment of reading and writing and their underlying processes, carried out at age 9, the following tests were used: Reading Comprehension of Expository Texts, Phonological Abilities Profile, Auditory Discrimination Test, spontaneous writing, Scholastic Performance Test (SPT), Rapid Automatized Naming Test (RANT), and phonological working memory. He showed difficulties in all tests, with scores below expected for his age. In the auditory processing assessment, monotic, diotic and dichotic tests were conducted. Altered results were found for sustained and selective auditory attention abilities, sequencial memory for verbal and non-verbal sounds, and temporal resolution. It can be concluded that the patient presents alterations in the learning of reading and writing that might be secondary to the Silver-Russell syndrome, however, these difficulties can also be due to deficits in auditory processing abilities.