Speech Pathology and Audiology Commons^™

Caregiver Experiences Of Feeding Instruction For Infants Born With Cleft Lip And/Or Palate, Clare Huang

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to learn what feeding education was provided to caregivers of infants with cleft lip and/or palate and how they view the feeding experience. Method: Participants (n=5) were recruited from two Facebook support groups, Cleft Lip and Palate Support Group :*) and Cleft Mom Support. The data were collected using Qualtrics™ software. The questionnaire consisted of eight demographic questions and seven topic-specific questions. The demographic questions included the exclusion and inclusion criteria. The participants of this study were required to be an English-speaking parent or a caregiver of a child under one year of …

Mental Health Professionals' Beliefs About, Reactions Toward, And Overall Impression Of Stuttering, Elise Anne Nasser

Masters Theses

The purpose of the current study is to better understand mental health professionals' beliefs, reactions, overall impression, and familiarity with stuttering to gain insight into areas where they may need more support. Some people who stutter develop increased levels of anxiety because of negative evaluation from the public (Iverach & Rapee, 2014). It is likely that a sub-group of people who stutter may benefit from mental health services; however, misinformation about stuttering may serve as a barrier in effective service provision for those who work with people who stutter (Ginsberg & Wexler, 2000). Quantitative survey data (Public Opinion Survey of …

Living With Stuttering: Authenticity, Identity, And Mental Health, Sarah Musilli

Masters Theses

In an effort to manage stigma, some PWS attempt to conceal stuttering and pass as a fluent speaker (Constantino et al., 2017). These efforts to conceal may be counterintuitive, as concealment of stuttering is predictive of elevated distress (Gerlach et al., 2021) and decreased quality of life among PWS (Boyle et. al., 2018). Although this association exists, the factors explaining how and why it exists are unexplored. Identity conflict and feelings of in/authenticity are two potential factors that are explored in this study. Qualitative interviewing supplemented with quantitative survey data is utilized to explore the lived experiences of identity conflict …

Exploring Discourse Markers As A Treatment Outcome Measure For Aphasia, Anna K. Cedoz

Masters Theses

Discourse Markers (DMs) are communicative tools or resources that people use to organize conversations. The use of DMs among individuals with aphasia has been documented to support their communicative competence (Simmons-Mackie & Damico, 1996). Further research on the use of DMs by individuals with aphasia has been limited. The current study features a secondary analysis using existing data from Devanga (2020), which studied the effects of Collaborative Referencing Intervention (CRI; Hengst et al., 2010) on three participants with chronic aphasia. This study analyzed 18 conversation probes from one participant across baseline, treatment, and maintenance phases with clinician and spouse partners. …

Differential Effects Of Speech And Language Therapy And Rtms In Chronic Versus Subacute Post-Stroke Aphasia: Results Of The Northstar-Ca Trial, Anna Zumbansen, Heike Kneifel, Latifa Lazzouni, Anja Ophey, Sandra E. Black, Joyce L. Chen, Dylan Edwards, Thomas Funck, Alexander Erich Hartmann, Wolf Dieter Heiss, Franziska Hildesheim, Sylvain Lanthier, Paul Lespérance, George Mochizuki, Caroline Paquette, Elizabet Rochon, Ilona Rubi-Fessen, Jennie Valles, Susan Wortman-Jutt, Alexander Thiel

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background & objective: Contralesional 1-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the right pars triangularis combined with speech-language therapy (SLT) has shown positive results on the recovery of naming in subacute (5–45 days) post-stroke aphasia. NORTHSTAR-CA is an extension of the previously reported NORTHSTAR trial to chronic aphasia (>6 months post-stroke) designed to compare the effectiveness of the same rTMS protocol in both phases. Methods: Sixty-seven patients with left middle cerebral artery infarcts (28 chronic, 39 subacute) were recruited (01-2014 to 07-2019) and randomized to receive rTMS (N = 34) or sham stimulation (N = 33) with SLT for …

Predicting Autism From Infant Characteristics: A Systematic Review, Alysha Y. Henrichs, Cynthia Cress Ph.D.

Honors Theses, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

A literature review was conducted of 73 articles to explore 12-month-old characteristics in infants that predicted later diagnosis with autism (ASD). Articles were reviewed if they discussed ASD, infants with siblings diagnosed with autism (high-risk) and/or infants later diagnosed with autism without known family history of ASD (low risk). Articles were not reviewed if the participants were 36 months or older at the start of the study. More factors were identified that discriminate characteristics associated with later ASD diagnosis in infants between 12-24 months compared to characteristics of infants below 12 months. Characteristics of infants under 12 months that were …

Comparing Measures Of Phonological Development For Bilingual Speech Sample Analysis: A Descriptive Study, Julianna Ciccarelli

Honors Projects

The present study analyzed two common measures of phonology for use within a bilingual (Spanish-English) preschool population. The utilized measures include Percentage of Consonants Correct-Revised (PCC-R) and Phonological Mean Length of Utterance (pMLU) and were selected to avoid sources of bias, often found in standardized, norm-referenced assessments. The scores calculated from these measures were analyzed across language.

Implications Of Facial Coverings On Communication, Katherine Giustino

Honors Theses

Nonverbal communication constitutes over half of communication in verbal communicators’ production. With so much lost to covering essential parts of expressing nonverbal communication, for example the mouth, this study aims to find how that impacts the general population’s ability to communicate effectively.

A study found that masks act as an acoustic filter for speech and can attenuate high frequencies (Marler & Ditton, 2020). At the most basic level, a facial covering creates a physical barrier to communication.

This study was designed in a survey format to gather data. A total of 95 participants completed the survey in its entirety. The …

Sudden Hearing Loss: Wrs Importance And Timing Of Medical Intervention, Irina Linkov Middleton, Alexandra Costlow, Molly Wolfson, Midori Wakabayashi, Tingting Zhan

Aria Health Posters

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate recovery in hearing acuity of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) based on timing of onset to determine how late is too late to medically intervene.

Study Design: A retrospective chart review was conducted in patients previously treated for primary complaint of sudden hearing loss (HL). Participants meeting inclusion criteria were analyzed based on timing of onset to service date, age, gender, associated ear, associated symptoms as well as recovery in pure tone average (PTA) and recovery in word recognition scores (WRS).

Setting: All patients seeking treatment for SSNHL were seen …

The Flipped Classroom Model As Applied To An Augmentative And Alternative Communication Course, Eric J. Sanders, Louise C. Keegan, Mary Culshaw, Colin Tomes

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

The Flipped Classroom Model (FCM) is an andragogical approach where students complete content-related work outside of the class and engage in activities related to this content during the class period. This approach has garnered recent attention in the field of speech-language pathology, but its implementation has not been studied in an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) course and there is limited information on student perspectives of the experience. This study presents the results of a qualitative investigation designed to investigate the preferences and experiences of preservice speech-language pathology graduate students in an AAC course utilizing the FCM. Semi-structured interviews with …

The Effectiveness Of Near-Peer Mentoring And Clinical Laboratory Experiences In Undergraduate Student Perceptions Of Career Preparedness And The Profession Of Audiology, Ashley G. Flagge, Julie M. Estis

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Students in undergraduate Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) programs with an interest in audiology often report feeling unprepared to make career and graduate school decisions due to a lack of exposure to the field. The present study examines the impact of near-peer mentoring and hands-on lab experiences on undergraduate student perceptions of career preparedness and of the profession of audiology by examining pre- and post-course survey responses and lab wrapper responses of 41 undergraduate speech and hearing science majors enrolled in an introductory audiology course. Students were paired in groups with a first-year audiology graduate mentor to walk through a …

Using Ability Grouping To Examine The Effects Of Differentiated Instruction In An Undergraduate Course In Communication Sciences & Disorders, Katherine B. Green, Jacqueline Towson

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Differentiated instruction is a student-centered approach to instruction that considers the differing characteristics and aspects of the learner. With increasing diversity in higher education, differentiated instruction is one strategy that instructors may use to facilitate student success. However, there is limited empirical research examining the effectiveness of differentiated instruction in higher education. Using a quasi-experimental pretest posttest group design, the effects of differentiation of instruction, specifically differentiation of content and variable grouping, on student content knowledge were examined in an undergraduate course in a Communication Sciences and Disorders program. Students in the intervention group scored significantly higher on final course …

Implementing Interprofessional Education: Challenges For Csd Graduate Programs, Claire M. Edwards, Jason M. Newell

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

The focus on interprofessional education (IPE) for professional training programs in allied health professions, such as speech-language pathology, has recently increased. There is currently limited pedagogical literature regarding both the instruction and application of IPE in any given discipline. This paper will outline challenges CSD graduate programs may face when implementing IPE content within the existing curricula and explore possible solutions. Delineation of preparation and integration process of an IPE course taught at a small liberal arts university where it was cross-listed in two undergraduate pre-professional programs in speech-language pathology and social work will be provided. Elements of the course, …

A Practice-Based Interprofessional Emergent Writing Intervention: Impacts On Graduate Students And Preschoolers, Danika Pfeiffer, Stacey Pavelko, Dannette Allen-Bronaugh, Carol C. Dudding, Geralyn Timler

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Despite the importance of collaboration in schools, few studies have examined interprofessional education (IPE) interventions for graduate speech-language pathology (SLP) students designed to prepare them with the skills necessary to effectively work on school-based teams. The current pilot study implemented a five-week practice-based IPE intervention with six SLP graduate students and three occupational therapy (OT) graduate students. Three SLP students were randomly assigned to the ‘unpaired’ condition and delivered emergent writing activities independently to a small group of preschoolers (n = 10). The other three SLPs were each randomly assigned an OT student to collaborate with in a ‘paired’ …

Developmental Changes In Graduate Student Supervisory Needs And Expectations: A Longitudinal Investigation, David M. Rehfeld, R. Noah Padgett, Deborah Rainer

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Supervision of graduate students in the field of speech-language pathology during their pre-service training is critical to their professional development. The present study followed a cohort of graduate students (N=31) over the course of their clinical training to track changes in their self-reported needs and expectations regarding clinical supervision practices. Over the course of one year, graduate students’ self-reported supervisory needs and expectations decreased significantly with the exception of those variables associated with supervisor-controlled behaviors such as serving as a teacher rather than a colleague. Implications for incorporating supervisee perceptions into effective supervision practices and directions for future …

The Process Of Telepractice Implementation During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Inquiry Of Preschool Speech-Language Pathologists And Assistants From One Center In Canada, Elaine Yl Kwok, Jessica Chiu, Peter Rosenbaum, Barbara Jane Cunningham

PRECISe Preschool Speech and Language Publications

Background: Many professional services were pressed to adopt telepractice in response to the global coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. The need to adopt a new service delivery approach quickly created different implementation challenges. This study explored the lived experiences of frontline clinicians who successfully transitioned their in-person speech-language therapy services to telepractice through an implementation science lens.

Methods: The study was conducted in partnership with one publicly funded program in Ontario, Canada that offers services to preschoolers with speech, language and communication disorders. Sixteen frontline speech-language pathologists and assistants at this organization shared their lived experience transitioning to telepractice during the …

Effects Of Hearing Aid Amplification On The Ability Of Individuals With Hearing Loss To Perceive Spectral Information, Angela Huebert, Marc Brennan

Honors Theses, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Individuals with sensorineural hearing loss often struggle to understand speech even with the use of hearing aids; simply making sounds louder is not enough. Listeners decode various speech sounds with the help of spectral information, but how hearing aid amplification affects individuals’ ability to perceive those cues is not currently well understood. Altering the way hearing aids are programmed to provide amplification can potentially improve the ability of listeners with sensorineural hearing loss to access spectral information. The purpose of this study was to quantify the effects that hearing aid amplification has on the perception of spectral cues. Outcomes could …

A Preliminary Descriptive Examination Of Divorce And Grief Resolution Portrayed In Children’S Literature, Tricia Martin

2022 Celebration of Scholarly Works

Books expose children to language and introduce issues that help children cope with trauma (Heath & Young, 2017). About 33% of children in the U.S. live with divorced parents (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021). The effects of parental divorce have been categorized in multiple ways. Wallerstein (1983) conceptualized 6 coping tasks for children while Kubler and Ross (2009) describe a 5-stage grief process.

PURPOSE: We sought to examine the language in children’s books about divorce to determine whether (1) the grief resolution process is accurately portrayed and (2) male vs. female characters experience realistically different grief stages in the divorce process. …

School Provided Speech-Language Therapy Plans Amid The Coronavirus Pandemic And Correlating Provider Attitudes, Zabia Evans

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to be a threat for those of all ages, schools were a main concern when discussing how we should attempt to return to our “normal” lives. A considerable amount of speech therapy is done in schools, and speech-language pathologists nationwide are also being impacted by the changes during this school year. This research examined many aspects of providing speech therapy during the 2020-2021 school year, beginning with introductory statistics concerning the number of children participating in each session, the instruction styles, and grade levels taught. Respondents answered a set of questions concerning their attitudes towards …

Ehealth Education And Support For Pediatric Hearing Aid Management: Parent Goals, Questions And Challenges, Natalie Nichols, Karen F. Munoz, Guadalupe G. San Miguel, Michael P. Twohig

Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education Student Research

Purpose: To investigate parent goals, questions, and challenges that emerged during coaching phone calls in an eHealth program designed to provide education and support for hearing aid management.

Methods: Coaching phone calls were audio-recorded, transcribed and qualitatively analyzed for emergent themes within the categories of goals, questions, and challenges.

Results: Emergent themes revealed parent goals were focused on self-efficacy, routines, device care and child development. Emergent themes for questions revealed parents asked questions related to the device care, audiology appointments, confirmation of learning, and child development. For challenges emergent themes revealed parents’ own struggles (e.g., with emotions), issues related to …