Education Commons^™

Instrumental Assessment Of Aero-Resistive Expiratory Muscle Strength Rehabilitation Devices, Angela M. Dietsch, Rahul Krishnamurthy, Kelsey Young, Steven M. Barlow

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose

Expiratory muscle strength training (EMST) is increasingly being used to treat voice, cough, and swallowing deficits in a wide range of conditions. However, a multitude of aero-resistive EMST models are commercially available, and the ab-sence of side-by-side comparative data interferes with clinicians’ ability to assess which model is best suited to a particular client’s needs. The primary aim of this research was to test and compare the pressure and flow parameters of six currently available EMST models to help inform clinical decision making.

Method

We identified and tested five devices of each of six different EMST models to generate …

Home-Literacy Environments And Language Development In Toddlers With Down Syndrome, Madison S. Dulin, Susan J. Loveall, Laura J. Mattie

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Introduction: The present study aimed to (1) characterize the home-literacy environments (HLE) of toddlers with Down syndrome (DS) and (2) examine if richness of the HLE, child engagement during shared storybook reading activities, quality of a caregiver-child shared storybook reading activity, and exposure to language in the home environment predicted child receptive vocabulary concurrently (Time 1) and 6 months later (Time 2).

Methods: Participants were toddlers with DS (n = 13 at Time 1, 11–29 months of age; n = 10 at Time 2) and their mothers. Mothers completed a Home Literacy Environment Questionnaire at Time 1, …

Spontaneous Allelic Variant In Deafness–Blindness Gene Ush1g Resulting In An Expanded Phenotype, Vladimir Vartanian, Jocelyn F. Krey, Paroma Chatterjee, Allison Curtis, Makayla Six, Sean P. M. Rice, Sherri M. Jones, Harini Sampath, Charles N. Allen, Renee C. Ryals, R. Stephen Lloyd, Peter G. Barr-Gillespie

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Relationships between novel phenotypic behaviors and specific genetic alterations are often discovered using target-specific, directed mutagenesis or phenotypic selection following chemical mutagenesis. An alternative approach is to exploit deficiencies in DNA repair pathways that maintain genetic integrity in response to spontaneously induced damage. Mice deficient in the DNA glycosylase NEIL1 show elevated spontaneous mutations, which arise from translesion DNA synthesis past oxidatively induced base damage. Several litters of Neil1 knockout mice included animals that were distinguished by their backwards-walking behavior in open-field environments, while maintaining frantic forward movements in their home cage environment. Other phenotypic manifestations included swim test failures, …

Comparing Taste Perception Across Modalities In Healthy Adults: Liquids Versus Dissolvable Taste Strips, Ross M. Westemeyer, Angela M. Dietsch

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Taste stimulation has rehabilitative value in dysphagia management, as it activates salient underlying afferent pathways to swallowing which may evoke feedforward effects on swallow biomechanics. Despite its potential beneficial effects on swallow physiology, taste stimulation’s clinical application is limited for persons unsafe to orally consume food/liquid. This study aimed to create edible, dissolvable taste strips matched to flavor profiles previously used in research assessing taste’s effects on swallowing physiology and brain activity, and to evaluate how similar their perceived intensity and hedonic, or palatability, ratings were between their liquid counterparts. Plain, sour, sweet–sour, lemon, and orange flavor profiles were custom-made …

Photographs And Parent Training To Support Conversations About Past Events Between Caregivers And Children With Autism, Naima Bhana, Tracy J. Raulston, Ciara Ousley, Atikah Bagawan

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Objectives Children with autism spectrum disorder experience communication difficulties that can make it challenging to engage in conversations. Their caregivers also often struggle with finding ways to support the child’s communication. Parent-implemented interventions and visual supports are evidence-based practices to support the communication skills of children with autism.

Method A multi-method design (single-case multiple probe and qualitative) was used to evaluate the effects of family photographs, training, and telecoaching on parental implementation of communication strategies. Three parents and their children with and at risk for autism participated.

Results Results indicate that the use of photographs increased the communication strategies used …

“You Feel A Sense Of Accomplishment”: Outdoor Adventure Experiences Of Youths With Visual Impairments During A One-Week Sports Camp, Lauren J. Lieberman, Katie Ericson, Melanie Perreault, Pamela Beach, Kelsey Williams

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

There are many cognitive, physical, and social–emotional benefits for youths from participating in outdoor adventure activities. However, youths with visual impairments are not given the same opportunities to participate in outdoor adventure activities as their peers without disabilities. The purpose of this study was to examine the outdoor adventure experiences of youths with visual impairments participating in a week-long sports camp. Thirty-seven youths with visual impairment (ages 9–19 years) attending a one-week sports camp participated in this study. Participants engaged in a variety of outdoor adventure activities throughout the week of camp (e.g., sailing, hiking, rock climbing, biking, kayaking). Participants …

Inherent Envelope Fluctuations In Forward Masking: Effects Of Age And Hearing Loss, Marc A. Brennan, Adam Svec, Afagh Farhadi, Braden N. Maxwell, Laurel H. Carney

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Forward masking is generally greater for Gaussian noise (GN) than for low-fluctuation noise maskers, i.e., GN disruption. Because the minimal hearing loss that is associated with older age may affect GN disruption differently than more significant hearing loss, the current study explored the contribution of minimal hearing loss associated with older age to GN disruption. GN disruption was measured using three masker-signal delays (25, 75, and 150 ms) for three adult groups: younger participants with normal hearing (NH), older participants with minimal hearing loss, and older participants with sensorineural hearing loss. The role of underlying mechanisms was tested using a …

Perspectives On Adaptive Functioning And Intellectual Functioning Measures For Intellectual Disabilities Behavioral Research, Laura J. Mattie, Susan J. Loveall, Marie Moore Channell, Derek B. Rodgers

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Intellectual disability (ID) is a significant limitation in both intellectual ability and adaptive functioning, but many studies of participants with ID only include a measure of overall intellectual functioning when describing their samples. The purpose of this perspective article was to provide a starting point for future research regarding the utility of including measures of both intellectual and adaptive functioning in research focused on ID. In this article, we discuss the differences and similarities between the constructs of intellectual and adaptive functioning, how they are measured, and the benefits of using both measures to describe participant abilities. Data …

Revisiting The Rainbow: Culturally Responsive Updates To A Standard Clinical Resource, Angela M. Dietsch, Richard Mocarski, Debra A. Hope, Nathan Woodruff, Miechelle Mckelvey

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose

Cultural responsivity is essential for efficacious and affirming clinical relationships. This may be especially important with historically marginalized clients, such as transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) people seeking behaviorally based affirming communication services. We recommend modifications to standard tools for diagnostics and training that otherwise might undermine our efforts to create an inclusive and affirming environment.

Method

Modifications to the Rainbow Passage, a standardized paragraph utilized for eliciting speech samples in clinical settings, focused on nongendered terminology and the elimination of content with religious connotations.

Results

The recommended edits to the Rainbow Passage maintain similar length, cadence, and phonetic balance …

Investigating The Use Of Spread Of Excitation As A Measure Of Sensitivity To Interaural Asymmetry, Mona Jawad, Simin Soleimanifar, Michelle L. Hughes, Justin M. Aronoff

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Interaural asymmetry decreases sensitivity to binaural cues such as interaural time differences (ITD) for bilateral cochlear implant users. However, the effects of interaural asymmetry may be mitigated for this population by the broad current spread typical of electrical stimulation. Current spread can be estimated using spread of excitation (SOE) functions. These measure the extent to which electrodes stimulate overlapping neural populations. This is done by measuring electrically evoked compound action potentials (eCAPs) in response to stimulating different masker electrodes. The goal of this study was to determine if SOE functions can predict the effect of interaural asymmetry on cochlear implant …

Addressing The Need For Training More School Psychologists To Serve Toddlers And Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Therese L. Mathews, Edward J. Daly Iii, Gina M. Kunz, Ashley M. Lugo, Paige Mcardle, Katy Menousek, Kevin A. Kupzyk

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has risen significantly in the past two decades. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of mental health providers who have specialized training in delivering evidenced-based services to this population. Early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) is an evidenced-based treatment recommended for toddlers with ASD, and school psychologists are uniquely positioned to help children with ASD receive it. However, many school psychologists do not receive adequate training in this subspecialty. This paper makes recommendations to school psychology training programs about how to add or improve training in this subspecialty based on the results of an Office …

Function Of Bidirectional Sensitivity In The Otolith Organs Established By Transcription Factor Emx2, Young Rae Ji, Yosuke Tona, Talah Wafa, Matthew E. Christman, Edward D. Tourney, Tao Jiang, Sho Ohta, Hui Cheng, Tracy Fitzgerald, Bernd Fritzsch, Sherri M. Jones, Kathleen E. Cullen, Doris K. Wu

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Otolith organs of the inner ear are innervated by two parallel afferent projections to the brainstem and cerebellum. These innervations were proposed to segregate across the line of polarity reversal (LPR) within each otolith organ, which divides the organ into two regions of hair cells (HC) with opposite stereociliary orientation. The relationship and functional significance of these anatomical features are not known.Here, we show regional expression of Emx2 in otolith organs, which establishes LPR, mediates the neuronal segregation across LPR and constitutes the bidirectional sensitivity function. Conditional knockout (cKO) of Emx2 in HCs lacks LPR. Tmie cKO, in which mechanotransduction …

Students’ Self-Efficacy In Self-Regulation Together With Behavioural And Emotional Strengths: Investigating Their Self-Perceptions, Minna Ikävalko, Erkko Sointu, Matthew C. Lambert, Jaana Viljaranta

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Students’ self-perceptions are a foundation for educational and psychosocial development. In order to investigate self-perceptions, we need to recognise the preconceptions (e.g. doubts and confidence) students hold about themselves. In this study, we examined 10–16-year-old students’ (N=599) self–perceptions from the viewpoints of the sources of self-efficacy in self-regulation and behavioural and emotional strengths. Specifically, we used descriptive analyses to examine whether students’ ages or received pedagogical support played a role in how they perceived themselves, and whether these viewpoints are related to each other. Our results indicate that, in general, primary school students perceived their sources of self-efficacy in self-regulation …

Characteristics Of Emotional Disturbance Of Female And Male Students In Elementary, Middle, And High School, Douglas Cullinan, Matthew C. Lambert, Michael Epstein

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Provide data on the five characteristics of emotional disturbance (ED). For 503 students with ED and 2016 without disabilities, teachers rated the characteristics (Inability to Learn; Relationship Problems; Inappropriate Behavior; Unhappiness or Depression; Physical Symptoms or Fears), plus Socially Maladjusted. We applied a 2 (ED, without disabilities) × 2 (female, male) × 3 (elementary, middle, high school) covariance analysis, with follow‐up comparisons. Students with ED showed greater problems than students without disabilities on all five characteristics, and Socially Maladjusted. On Inability to Learn, among students with ED genders did not differ at elementary but males …

Inclusion Of Individuals With Neurodevelopmental Disorders In Norm-Referenced Language Assessments, Susan J. Loveall, Marie Moore Channell, Laura J. Mattie, Alexandria E. Barkhimer

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Standardized, norm-referenced language assessment tools are used for a variety of purposes, including in education, clinical practice, and research. Unfortunately, normreferenced language assessment tools can demonstrate floor effects (i.e., a large percentage of individuals scoring at or near the lowest limit of the assessment tool) when used with some groups with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), such as individuals with intellectual disability and neurogenetic syndromes. Without variability at the lower end of these assessment tools, professionals cannot accurately measure language strengths and difficulties within or across individuals. This lack of variability may be tied to poor representation of individuals with NDDs in …

Assessing Pre-Literacy Behaviors In Infants And Toddlers: Psychometric Evaluation Of The Infant Toddler Literacy Assessment (Itla-3), Barbara J. Jackson, Christine Marvin, Amy J. Encinger, Nicole Buchholz, Becky Zessin

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Assessment of emerging literacy in young children is generally limited to either skill development in children over 3 years of age or the quality and context of young children’s early literacy experiences. Although there has been promotion of their early literacy experiences, assessment of emerging pre-literacy behaviors in children younger than 3 years has yet to be organized into a single tool.

Preliminary work on the Infant Toddler Literacy Assessment (ITLA) has progressed through initial steps of scale development and shown promise as a criterionbased, standardized assessment for tracking children’s pre-literacy behaviors and guiding practitioners in supporting development of those …

Hearing And Vestibular Loss With Misuse Of Opioids And Illicit Drugs: A Review Of The Literature, Michelle L. Hughes, Amanda Rodriquez, Jonathan Hatch, Kenneth Zoucha

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Background: The purpose of this review was to summarize the literature regarding the effects of opioids and illicit drugs on the auditory and vestibular systems.

Methods: Data were sourced from published papers reporting hearing loss (HL) and/or vestibular loss (VL) following misuse or overdose of opioids or illicit drugs. Most papers consisted of retrospective single-case reports, with few retrospective reviews or prospective cohort studies. Search terms included variations of HL, VL, opioids, and illicit drugs. Search results yielded 51 articles published between 1976 and 2021. A total of 44 articles were reviewed after excluding studies that were not available in …

Dynamic Causal Modeling Of Neural Responses To An Orofacial Pneumotactile Velocity Array, Yingying Wang, Rebecca Custead, Hyuntaek Oh, Steven M. Barlow

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

The effective connectivity of neuronal networks during orofacial pneumotactile stimulation with different velocities is still unknown. The present study aims to characterize the effectivity connectivity elicited by three different saltatory velocities (5, 25, and 65 cm/s) over the lower face using dynamic causal modeling on functional magnetic resonance imaging data of twenty neurotypical adults. Our results revealed the contralateral SI and SII as the most likely sources of the driving inputs within the sensorimotor network for the pneumotactile stimuli, suggesting parallel processing of the orofacial pneumotactile stimuli. The 25 cm/s pneumotactile stimuli modulated forward interhemispheric connection from the contralateral SII …

The Perspectives Of Augmentative And Alternative Communication Experts On The Clinical Integration Of Non-Invasive Brain-Computer Interfaces, Kevin Pitt, Miechelle L. Mckelvey, Kristy Weissling

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

As brain-computer interface for augmentative and alternative communication access (BCI-AAC) development continues to consider avenues for translation into the clinical setting, the perspectives of clinician experts in AAC should be considered. Therefore, 11 USA-based speech-language pathologists who are experts in AAC completed a semistructured interview along with Likert scale measures to assess their perspectives on BCI-AAC. The interviews and scales explored the potential impact of BCI-AAC, along with barriers and solutions to BCI-AAC implementation. Speech-language pathologists estimated that 1.5% to 50% of their caseload may benefit from BCI-AAC across various settings. Further, identified barriers and solutions included (a) BCI-AAC implementation …

Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Elementary School Teachers’ Practices And Perceptions Across The Spring And Fall 2020 Semesters, J. Marc Goodrich, Michael Hebert, Jessica M. Namkung

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Following the closure of schools in the spring 2020 semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed two surveys to understand how the pandemic affected elementary education in the U.S. First, we distributed a survey at the end of the spring 2020 semester to understand how school closures impacted delivery of instruction. Second, we conducted a follow up survey in November 2020 to determine the nature of instruction provided to students when schools did or did not re-open in Fall 2020 and understand teachers’ perceptions of student learning and achievement during the pandemic. Each survey was sent to a sample …

Ankrd24 Organizes Triobp To Reinforce Stereocilia Insertion Points, Jocelyn F. Krey, Chang Liu, Inna A. Belyantseva, Michael Bateschell, Rachel A. Dumont, Jennifer Goldsmith, Paroma Chatterjee, Rachel S. Morrill, Lev M. Fedorov, Sarah Foster, Jinkyung Kim, Alfred L. Nuttal, Sherri M. Jones, Dongseok Choi, Thomas B. Friedman, Anthony J. Ricci, Bo Zhao, Peter G. Barr-Gillespie

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

The stereocilia rootlet is a key structure in vertebrate hair cells, anchoring stereocilia firmly into the cell’s cuticular plate and protecting them from overstimulation. Using superresolution microscopy, we show that the ankyrin-repeat protein ANKRD24 concentrates at the stereocilia insertion point, forming a ring at the junction between the lower and upper rootlets. Annular ANKRD24 continues into the lower rootlet, where it surrounds and binds TRIOBP-5, which itself bundles rootlet F-actin. TRIOBP-5 is mislocalized in Ankrd24^KO/KO hair cells, and ANKRD24 no longer localizes with rootlets in mice lacking TRIOBP-5; exogenous DsRed–TRIOBP-5 restores endogenous ANKRD24 to rootlets in these mice. Ankrd24 …

Active Learning And Student Achievement: A Matter Of Space, Experiences, Or Pedagogy?, Justin Bruner, Rebecca Affoo, Angela M. Dietsch

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

The goal of this study was to contribute to research on active learning by addressing the problem of disentangling the effects of classroom architecture, student characteristics, and pedagogical design as they relate to student achievement. The study utilized a quasi-experimental design where data was collected on student perceptions of their classroom, their experience in the course, and the pedagogy of the instructor, then analyzed with respect to the course grade. Results indicate that neither student perceptions of the classroom spaces nor the spaces themselves had an impact on course grade, but the pedagogy employed by the instructor and student experiences …

The Effect Of Taste On Swallowing: A Scoping And Systematic Review, Rachel Mulheren, Ross M. Westemeyer, Angela M. Dietsch

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Consuming foods and liquids for nutrition requires the coordination of several muscles. Swallowing is triggered and modified by sensory inputs from the aerodigestive tract. Taste has recently received attention as a potential modulator of swallowing physiology, function, and neural activation; additionally, taste impairment is a sequela of COVID-19. This review presents factors impacting taste and swallowing, systematically summarizes the existing literature, and assesses the quality of included studies. A search was conducted for original research including taste stimulation, deglutition-related measure(s), and human participants. Study design, independent and dependent variables, and participant characteristics were coded; included studies were assessed for quality …

Muscle Assessment System And Method, Steven M. Barlow, Jacob L. Greenwood

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

A system and method are described for assessing muscle parameters (e.g., force(s) exerted, force dynamics, strength, voluntary muscle movement, etc.) in a diagnostic or therapeutic environment. The muscle parameter assessment system includes a force-gauging device and a computing device. The force-gauging device includes at least one pressure-sensing component (e.g., transducer, pressure sensor, etc.) configured to respond to a force applied by a subject and produce one or more output signals. The force gauging device can further include electronic circuitry con figured to convert the output signals into data indicative of a muscle parameter. The computing device is configured to build …

Strategies For Highlighting Items Within Visual Scene Displays To Support Augmentative And Alternative Communication Access For Those With Physical Impairments, Kevin Pitt, John W. Mccarthy

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose: In contrast to the traditional grid-based display, visual scene displays (VSDs) offer a new paradigm for aided communication. For individuals who cannot select items from an AAC display by direct selection due to physical impairments, AAC access can be supported via methods such as item scanning. Item scanning sequentially highlights items on a display until the individual signals for selection. How items are highlighted or scanned for AAC access can impact performance outcomes. Further, the effectiveness of a VSD interface may be enhanced through consultation with experts in visual communication. Therefore, to support AAC access for those with physical …

Evaluating The Perspectives Of Those With Severe Physical Impairments While Learning Bci Control Of A Commercial Augmentative And Alternative Communication Paradigm, Kevin Pitt, Jonathan S. Brumberg

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) techniques can provide access to communication for individuals with severe physical impairments. Brain–computer interface (BCI) access techniques may serve alongside existing AAC access methods to provide communication device control. However, there is limited information available about how individual perspectives change with motor-based BCI-AAC learning. Four individuals with ALS completed 12 BCI-AAC training sessions in which they made letter selections during an automatic row-column scanning pattern via a motor-based BCI-AAC. Recurring measures were taken before and after each BCI-AAC training session to evaluate changes associated with BCI-AAC performance, and included measures of fatigue, frustration, mental effort, …

Evaluating Person-Centered Factors Associated With Brain–Computer Interface Access To A Commercial Augmentative And Alternative Communication Paradigm, Kevin Pitt, Jonathan S. Brumberg

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Current BCI-AAC systems largely utilize custom-made software and displays that may be unfamiliar to AAC stakeholders. Further, there is limited information available exploring the heterogenous profiles of individuals who may use BCI-AAC. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate how individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) learned to control a motor-based BCI switch in a row-column AAC scanning pattern, and person-centered factors associated with BCI-AAC performance. Four individuals with ALS completed 12 BCI-AAC training sessions, and three individuals without neurological impairment completed 3 BCI-AAC training sessions. To assess person-centered factors associated with BCI-AAC performance, participants completed both initial and …

Interpretation Of Ambiguous Pronouns In Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, Kara Hawthorne, Susan J. Loveall

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Background — Pronouns are referentially ambiguous (e.g. she could refer to any female), yet they are common in everyday conversations. Individuals with typical development (TD) employ several strategies to avoid pronoun interpretation errors, including the subject bias — an assumption that a pronoun typically refers to the subject (or, with the closely related order-of-mention bias, the first-mentioned character) of the previous sentence. However, it is unknown if adults with intellectual disability (ID) share this strategy or the extent to which the subject bias is associated with non-verbal abilities or receptive vocabulary.

Methods — We tested 22 adults with mixed-aetiology ID …

Finding A Voice For Individuals With Asd Who Are Minimally Verbal Through Comprehensive Communication Assessment, Shelley Lund, Kristy Weissling, Wendy Quach, Miechelle L. Mckelvey

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose: Many, but not all, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a difficult time communicating in conventional ways to express their decisions, preferences, and ideas. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) can fulfill many purposes of communication and support a child to achieve maximal self-determination and agency. The goal of assessment is not to fit the child to a particular device or communication strategy—but rather to identify the strategies that enhance the child’s strengths to maximize their independent communication and ultimately their ability to exert control over their world.

Method: Our method was to combine results from our scoping review …

Applying Implementation Science To Support Active Collaboration In Noninvasive Brain–Computer Interface Development And Translation For Augmentative And Alternative Communication, Kevin Pitt, Aimee Dietz

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to consider how, alongside engineering advancements, noninvasive brain–computer interface (BCI) for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC; BCI-AAC) developments can leverage implementation science to increase the clinical impact of this technology. We offer the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) as a structure to help guide future BCI-AAC research. Specifically, we discuss CFIR primary domains that include intervention characteristics, the outer and inner settings, the individuals involved in the intervention, and the process of implementation, alongside pertinent subdomains including adaptability, cost, patient needs and recourses, implementation climate, other personal attributes, and the process of …