Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Selective Mutism In Immigrant Children, Lauren Cummings

Honors Program Theses

Selective mutism is a highly debilitating anxiety disorder that is characterized by a child’s lack of verbal speech in certain situations, despite having the ability to speak (Elizur & Perednik, 2003). Children with selective mutism may present with a variety of symptoms, including high levels of anxiety and isolation, which significantly impacts their social and
language development, educational and occupational achievement, and mental health (Elizur & Perednik, 2003). Children who are diagnosed with selective mutism in early childhood often have communication or cognitive difficulties and may display higher rates of psychiatric disorders later in life compared to children without selective …

Assessing The Comfort Level Of Speech-Language Pathologists In Assessing And Treating Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Children, Kaitlyn Burkamper

Honors Program Theses

When a child is diagnosed with a hearing loss, there are many different facets of their diagnosis to consider, and all of these facets are affected by the configuration, type, and severity of the hearing loss. Because of the patient's age, all decisions are at least impacted, if not made, by their parents or guardians. Depending on these factors, there are options for assistive devices, such as hearing aids, and one of the main concerns is access to language. While signed language is a completely valid path for a child with hearing loss, some parents make the decision that their …

Methods And Evaluation Outcomes In Speech, Language, And Hearing Camps, Lindsey Paige Carter

Honors Program Theses

This investigation explores survey information on speech, language, and hearing camps throughout the United States. Thirty-seven speech-language pathologists from the United States agreed to complete the survey about their camp and thirteen completed the entire survey. These camps are growing in popularity and express benefits of attendance. There is currently limited research on assessment measures taken pre- and post- camp to determine the effectiveness of these camps. The purpose of this study was to investigate the structure of these camps, pre- and post- camp evaluation methods, how success is defined, and the impact these camps have. Results from the survey …

Pre-Service Students Understanding Of Professional Roles, Anne Whalen Gradoville

Honors Program Theses

This study aims to begin understanding how well pre-service speech-language pathologists and teachers understand their roles in collaboration in the schools. Data were collected from a survey completed by undergraduate and graduate students in the Communication Sciences and Disorders and Education departments at one middle-sized university in the Midwest. Results indicated a wide range of understanding and preparedness. Several themes emerged as to what students feel confident about in terms of collaboration, as well as what they believe they still need to learn before they can be confident in collaborating in the schools. The data provides insight into what pre-service …

Identifying Spanish-English Cognates As Intervention Targets For Speech Sound Disorders With Bilingual Children, Janessa A. Klein

Honors Program Theses

The focus of this thesis was to generate a comprehensive list of age-appropriate words to use in therapy for children ages 3-8 years old. Additionally, the research involved identifying words that are cognates in both Spanish and English. Word similarity was analyzed across languages to identify cognates using a well-known tool, the Crosslinguistic Overlap Scale of Phonology (COSP; Kohnert et al., 2004), which will be described in the methodology. Ideally, these target words will be used in speech therapy by a SLP who is serving preschoolers and early elementary-aged students with identified SSDs. As such, the research question addressed was: …

A Workbook Presenting Fluency Shaping And Narrative Therapy Strategies For School-Age Children Who Stutter, Bailey Nicole Rustad

Honors Program Theses

Stuttering occurs when there are frequent and effortful disfluencies in speech. People who stutter may have individual difficulties with particular sounds, but the research showed that some commonalities exist. Fluency shaping may be a helpful strategy for those who stutter to reduce the occurrence and frequency of and tension in stuttering. The majority of struggles that people who stutter have are related to negative thoughts and feelings about their stuttering, so this is also important to be targeted in therapy. Narrative therapy is a possible option to reduce these negative thoughts and feelings.

In order to provide a resource for …

Respiratory Differences In Spontaneous And Scripted Speech Among Bilingual Adults, Anna Irene Sagan

Honors Program Theses

This investigation explored respiratory differences between a speaker’s first language (L1) and second language (L2) during spontaneous and scripted speech in six adult bilingual speakers (two native bilingual speakers and four non-native bilingual speakers). Respiratory kinematic data using Respitrace respiratory inductance plethysmography and acoustic recordings were collected during five tasks: tidal breathing at rest, scripted speech in L1, spontaneous speech in L1, scripted speech in L2, and spontaneous speech in L2. Results indicated a significant interaction effect between proficiency and syllables produced during spontaneous speech, but no other significant differences were found among inspiratory/expiratory duration, task, proficiency or language. The …

Informed Hearing Loss Prevention For Theatre Uni, Mallory Park

Honors Program Theses

This study explores the opinions and behaviors related to hearing loss and hearing loss prevention in the demographic of theatre workers at Theatre UNI. Data was collected through a survey dispersed in a department-wide email and by measuring sound level in the scene shop and the costume studio. Survey responses from 11 participants indicated that theatre workers at Theatre UNI may be at risk for noise-induced hearing loss and that further education may aid in prevention of hearing damage.

Comparison Of Two Levels Of Inpatient Dysphagia Treatment Dosages On Swallowing Outcomes, Paige Licht

Honors Program Theses

Current research reveals great variability in many aspects of service delivery for swallowing rehabilitation, including dosage or intensity of treatment. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the effects of treatment intensity on swallowing rehabilitation outcomes. The purpose of this study is to determine whether two levels of treatment intensity produce different patterns of swallowing recovery for inpatients with neurogenic dysphagia. Blinded analysis of pre- and post-treatment videofluoroscopic measures of swallowing were completed for six inpatients at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago who were previously randomized to one of two dysphagia exercise programs. One arm consisted of traditional 30-minute treatment …

Comparison Of Various Technologies In The Acquisition Of Speech Samples For Transcription Purposes: Listener Perception Vs. Acoustic Analysis Of Signal Quality, Alexa Klimes

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the quality of recordings obtained with a dedicated recording device in comparison to more readily available devices. Professionals in the field of communication disorders need to identify and transcribe specific details about individuals’ speech and need high quality recordings for this purpose (Louko & Edwards, 2001). The dedicated recording devices that provide high quality signals are not readily available and can be expensive. The available research on this topic focuses on analysis of voice characteristics such as fundamental frequency, amplitude, and stability of amplitude and frequency (Lin, Hornibrook, & Ormond, 2012; Vogel …

A Comparison Of Technologies For Recording Speech And The Effects Of Speaker Age, Jacquelyn Marie Knustrom

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare recordings of speech samples obtained with a dedicated recording device to those from more readily available devices. Speech recordings are used by professionals in the field of communication sciences and disorders to identify and transcribe features of an individual’s speech, regardless of his or her age. This process requires high-quality recordings, but devices intended to produce such recordings are often expensive, not easily accessible, and have few uses. This research addressed the following questions: (A) What combination of microphones and recording devices provides the clearest speech sample based on a signal-to- noise …

Speech Inhibition With Utterance Length And Complexity, Meghan Opolka

Honors Program Theses

For many individuals, speech is a nearly automatic behavior which requires little in the way of thinking about each step in the process. In addition, speech is variable and flexible both across and within situations (Netsell, 1982). Despite the fact that this is true for many individuals, speech is an extremely complex motor behavior that requires many different systems and structures to be functioning with one another. These three major systems that must work efficiently and effortlessly include the articulatory/resonatory, phonatory, and respiratory systems. This interaction relies on the theory of motor equivalence; where the capacity of the motor control …

Barriers To Accessing Augmentative And Alternative Communication (Aac): Pogo Boards As A Potential Solution, Amanda Jo Huisman

Honors Program Theses

Communication is extremely important to our livelihood because it gives us an avenue to ensure our basic needs are met, create and foster growth of relationships, solve disputes, and learn from one another. As a result, most individuals find communication both satisfying and rewarding. However, for others communication can be a source of frustration, and may simply be impossible for some. When this is the case, certain types of technology, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) can be used to assist an individual with their communication. Despite the many advantages of AAC, there are unique challenges associated with its use as …

Semantic Feature Analysis Application For People With Aphasia, Alison Meyer

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the Name That! App as a treatment for aphasia. There are a variety of treatment approaches available. This study will look into the benefits of each approach as well as testing one approach in particular: Semantic Feature Analysis. In addition, there are a limited number of apps available that use this approach and there is very little research into the efficacy of them. Conducting research will help determine the benefits of using a Semantic Feature Analysis approach as well as the benefits of working with the Name That! App. …

Does Baby Sign Open The Door To Second Language Learning?, Nicole A. Hulme

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this thesis project is to determine the relationship between an infant's acquisition of Baby Sign and their ability to acquire a second language later in life. An explanation of why infancy is a critical time for language development will be presented and information about the impact of Baby Sign on an infant's development will be provided. There are many research and popular claims regarding Baby Sign that will be discussed, in addition to research findings concerning second language learning. Based on this research, conclusions about the connection between Baby Sign and second language learning will be drawn …

Beliefs, Concerns, And Methods Of Parents Raising Children Bilingually: A Study Of Hispanic Iowa Mothers Attempting To Maintain Heritage Language In Their Children, Briana Vera

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of my thesis was to discover more about parents who are raising their children to be English-Spanish bilingual, particularly their beliefs, concerns, and methods regarding this issue. I focused specifically on mothers in Iowa whose native language was Spanish and who had at least one child in the household between the ages of four and sixteen. A point of interest I focused on were the beliefs, concerns, and methods these mothers have and use to maintain their children‟s heritage language (Spanish) as the community language (English) becomes more prominent in their children‟s lives. This information is important for …

The Parallel Experience Of A Bilingual Child With A Communication Disorder And A College Language Immersion Program, Kate Sussan Elahi

Honors Program Theses

For many speech-language pathologists, it is difficult to truly understand the experience a child goes through when they have a communication disorder. Especially when at the same time, a child is learning a new language in an unfamiliar culture. This thesis bridges that gap of understanding by comparing the experience of a bilingual child with a communication disorder and that of a college student studying abroad in a language immersion program. It reviews and compares various literature and studies describing the language characteristics (i.e., form, content, use, and behavior) of bilingual children with a communication disorder. These characteristics are then …

Analysis Of Echoic Properties In Vocalizations Of A Preverbal Child On The Autistic Spectrum, Sarah A. Mcconnell

Honors Program Theses

Echolalia, the echoing of words, is a hallmark of language in children with autism. Echolalia in autistic language is generally viewed as a manifestation of gestalt learning, a particular cognitive style that impacts language learning, memory, and overall cognition. While extensive research has investigated echolalia, research has not investigated non-word echoing.