Speech and Hearing Science Commons^™

Evaluation Of Swallowing Related Measures In Different Head And Neck Postures In Healthy Young And Older Adults, Mabell Vargas

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated swallowing related measures (oral transit time and number of swallows, tongue force and lip force) and different head and neck postures in a group of healthy young adults and older adults. Participants consisted of 19 healthy young and 17 healthy old. They were asked to ingest 2 different liquid consistency to measure the time they take to swallow and the number of swallows. The maximum tongue and lip force was measured with the IOPI device for 3 seconds and repeated 3 times.

The results of the study showed that the number of swallows is not significant regardless …

Effect Of Flow Phonation Voice Exercises On Vocal And Aerodynamic Measures In Undergraduate Student Singers, Jorge A. Diaz

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of Flow Phonation Voice Exercises on vocal measures in undergraduate student singers. Whereas these exercises have provided positive outcomes in individuals with vocal hyperfunction, the use of these exercises in potentially enhancing the singing voice has not been explored. A total of 10 participants were randomly assigned into an experimental group (n = 6), that received 5 sessions of the Flow Phonation Voice Exercises across 5 weeks, and a control group (n = 4) which did not receive the treatment. Changes in auditory-perceptual, acoustic, subjective respiratory, quality-of-life and fatigue related measures compared across two groups. …

Perceptions Of Speech-Language Pathologists On Childhood Bilingualism, Sherlie V. Paz

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A total of 320 Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) completed a survey stating their perceptions on childhood bilingualism for typically developing children and children with disabilities. Based on the number of significant responses, 292 participants were analyzed utilizing a binary logistic regression to identify whether SLPs thought childhood bilingualism was advantageous or neutral, while incorporating the predictors of bilingual status and bilingual education received. Additionally, a content analysis was conducted on 173 participants who chose to respond to an open-ended question stating their additional perceptions on childhood bilingualism. Results revealed that bilingual status did not predict the probability of an advantageous perception …

The Effects Of Acidic Foods On Vocal Quality Of Vocally Healthy Individuals, Melissa Barbieri

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between the consumption of acidic liquids on the vocal quality of vocally healthy individuals. Acidic foods and liquids are known to be possible causes of common voice disorders because of their putative effect on systemic hydration of the vocal folds impacting their viscoelastic properties and eventually affecting vocal quality, as they are found in over 50% of dysphonic patients (Karkos et al., 2007). This study investigated the effects of acidic foods on vocal quality in comparison to the effects of non-acidic/alkaline beverages in vocally healthy individuals.

One hundred participants …

Quality Of Language In Spanish-Speaking Parents Who Are Learning English: Conversations With Their Children, Amber A. Betances

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to analyze adult language in Spanish-speaking parents who are English second language learners, during conversations with their children in both Spanish-only and English-only play sessions. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to determine the difference in the parents’ Spanish and English skills across a variety of different variables such as mean length of utterance in words (MLU-w), number of total words (NTW), number of different words (NTD), type-token ratio (TTR), mazes, and complex sentences.

A total of 11 participants above the age of 18 years old with children between 12-46 months of age …

Spanish-Speaking Parents' Perceptions And Experiences Before And After English-Only And Spanish-Only Interactions With Their Children, Maria Morales

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions and experiences of Spanish-speaking parents who are learning English, before and after English-only and Spanish-only interactions with their children to find what their interactions would look like if they followed the advice of speaking English only with their children, as opposed to speaking in their native language. Eleven primarily Spanish speaking parents of typically developing children 12-46 months of age were interviewed prior to completing play samples with their children and again afterwards. The interviews were transcribed, translated, and analyzed using thematic analysis procedures to identify salient themes. Four major …

Investigation Of Bilingualism Knowledge Of Speech-Language Pathologists And Speech-Language Pathology Students, Michelle Leon

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to administer a survey to obtain information on practicing Speech-Language Pathologists’ (SLPs) knowledge of bilingual issues, while also considering whether any academic background on bilingualism guides SLP’s diagnostic and treatment options. This was done by comparing survey results of practicing SLPs with different academic backgrounds on bilingualism with current Master’s students registered at the Communication Sciences and Disorders Masters’ program at Florida International University (FIU). The survey consisted of 26 questions that examined participant’s history, and bilingual knowledge.

Data was collected from 89 surveys. Data analyses showed that students and SLPs with a strong …

Vocabulary Comprehension In Children With Autism, Melissa A. Pierro

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An open question in autism research is how to assess language abilities in this population. We investigated language development in monolingual and bilingual children with varying degrees of autism, ages 3 to 9, with the aim of better understanding vocabulary comprehension. Two different methodologies were used: the Receptive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test (ROWPVT) and eye-tracker technique.

We examined whether the eye-tracker could help in the assessment of these children because it does not require the child to point during the test. Four typically developing control children, 14 monolingual English children with moderate/mild autism, and 4 children (2 monolingual English, 2 …