IngentaConnect Cry features in siblings of SIDS

Authors: Robb, Michael P¹; Crowell, David H²; Dunn-Rankin, Peter³; Tinsley, Cynthia⁴

Source: Acta Pædiatrica, Volume 96, Number 10, October 2007 , pp. 1404-1408(5)

Abstract:

Aim: To examine the acoustic features of crying demonstrated by infants whose older sibling died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and compare these features to a nonrisk group of infants.

Methods: Pain-induced crying episodes were collected from a group of healthy term (HT) infants and siblings of SIDS infants. One complete crying episode was obtained from each infant and analyzed acoustically with regard to durational and spectral features.

Results: The cries of SIDS siblings were found to be significantly higher in pitch and reflected hyperadductory vocal fold vibratory behaviour compared to the HT group. There were no group differences with regard to durational features of crying.

Conclusions: The laryngeal behaviour of infant crying, as inferred via acoustic analyses, differs between HT infants and siblings of SIDS infants. Accordingly, acoustic features of infant crying may serve as an additional diagnostic marker in the identification of children who may be at risk for SIDS.

Keywords: Acoustic analysis; Cry; Siblings; SIDS

Document Type: Regular article

DOI: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2007.00486.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Communication Disorders, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand 2: Department of Pediatrics, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa and Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA 3: College of Education, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA 4: Department of Pediatrics, Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, Loma Linda, California, USA

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