Speech and Hearing Science Commons^™

Online Communities For People Who Stutter: An Ethnographic Study Of A Facebook Social Networking Support Group, Erik X. Raj

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of people who stutter who digitally connect and share with other people who stutter on a social networking site, specifically Facebook. This study used a qualitative, ethnographic approach to gain insight from members of a private Facebook group for people who stutter and to collect their opinions as to whether an online community was a beneficial means of obtaining psychosocial support from other people who stutter. The primary investigator collected textual data and artifacts from 3 months of Facebook group postings, semi-structured interviews with 7 of the Facebook group members, …

Evaluating The Relationship Between Diadochokinesis And Severity Of Dysphagia As It Relates To Forced Vital Capacity In Individuals With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Arthur Franklin Knack

Wayne State University Dissertations

Purpose: To determine if the severity of dysphagia, as determine by Penetration Aspiration Scale (PAS) ratings and pharyngeal residue scale ratings in individuals with ALS, can be predicted through performance on diadochokinesis (DDK) and force vital capacity (FVC) measures.

This study was designed to evaluate differences in performance of clinical measures and objective swallowing severity ratings between individuals with ALS and a Control group of similar age. The goal of this study was to attempt to develop a clinical assessment battery that can predict swallowing impairment in ALS patients. In addition, potential predictive relationships between dysphagia ratings and other commonly …