Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

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 …

“I Just Stay In The House So I Don’T Need To Explain”: A Qualitative Investigation Of Persons With Invisible Disabilities, Gillian Hendry, Claire Wilson, Mairi Orr, Rebecca Scullion

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Research has shown that persons with disabilities continually face discrimination. More research attention has focused on individuals’ experiences of visible disability, despite evidence that there are higher numbers worldwide of people with invisible disabilities. As such, persons with invisible disabilities can feel under-represented in disability literature. A qualitative study was conducted to address this. Twenty-five persons with an invisible disability were recruited to take part in focus groups and interviews aimed at understanding the lived experience of invisible disability on social life and within the workplace. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis, identifying themes of (1) …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

The Effects Of Self-Regulated Strategy Development On Students With Emotional/Behavioral Disorders: A Literature Review, Danika Lang

The Nebraska Educator: A Student-Led Journal

Students identified with or at risk for emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) face a number of challenges, both academic and behavioral (Trout et al., 2003). Individuals in this disability category especially struggle due to their challenges with self-regulation skills. These difficulties make it strenuous for students with EBD to regulate their thoughts, feelings, actions, and environments that may serve as distractions when attempting to attend to key learning tasks, including written expression. Self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) is a general framework of intervention designed to guide students through the complex process of writing while embedding necessary strategy instruction in self-monitoring, self-instruction, goal setting, …

Neurobehavioral Correlates Associated With Melodic Intonation Therapy For Adults With Nonfluent Aphasia, Caitlin Norquist

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Recent trends in neuroimaging, as it relates to the field of communication disorders, have shed new light on the nature of neuroplasticity and reorganization of brain function as it pertains to recovery from nonfluent aphasia following Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT). However, demographic limitations in these client populations necessitate synthesis across individual studies to form meaningful patterns for application to clinical practice. We conducted a systematic review of all studies involving pre-and post-treatment neurological and behavioral measures following MIT treatment for adults with nonfluent aphasia. Ten studies were identified for synthesis involving a variety of languages, treatment conditions, and neuroimaging and …

Teaching Writing Strategies To Students Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Kyrie Kellogg

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) may access language differently than their typical hearing peers, or they may require additional supports and accommodations. This can lead to differences in communication modes and styles that can make communication and language development difficult, which can impact reading and writing skills. When their specific writing concerns are addressed, writing offers these students another outlet to express their ideas, share thoughts, and engage in meaningful communication with others. The purpose of this study was to examine whether Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) persuasive writing strategies would help improve writing length and quality …

Spaces And Societal Interactions: Foundations Of The Critical Disabled Cultural Lens Of A Child Of Disabled Adults, Amelia-Marie Altstadt

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

CoDisA are present on our campuses, but not present within research. This autoethnographic study focuses on providing the foundation of the critical disabled cultural lens of a Child of Disabled Adults (CoDisA) for future study of CoDisA within higher education research. The findings of spaces and societal interactions are presented through the accessible format of autoethnodrama. This two act show is a fun and immersive way to take you on a college tour trip “up the 5," from San Diego, California to Rohnert Park, California in Sonoma County. Act 1, the findings chapter with thorough scene descriptions, helps frame where …

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, …

Examining The Effects Of The Write Sounds Intervention With First Grade Students, Brittany Wambold

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Students who have difficulty with reading and writing are at risk to continue having difficulty throughout their schooling. Lack of time and resources may be a contributing factor for students not receiving additional instruction for both skills. However, there is evidence that balanced reading and writing programs can be effective. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the Write Sounds intervention for students who had deficits in reading and writing. This study was a multiple baseline across participants design with three first-grade students who showed difficulty with reading, spelling, and phonemic awareness. Students received 40 minutes …

How Local School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists Facilitate Skill Transfer And Generalization For Students Who Stutter, Chloe Strong, Naomi Rodgers

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The purpose of this study was to determine what local school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are doing to help their students who stutter generalize target communication skills beyond the therapy room. A survey was distributed to SLPs who work in the Lincoln Public Schools and 28 completed the survey. The survey covered the following topics: career background, self-efficacy in stuttering therapy, frequency of specific clinician practices, and goal setting and evaluating therapeutic progress. Results revealed that while treatment goals are being developed across the multiple domains impacted by stuttering, the majority of transfer activities focus on fluency techniques. Results also showed …

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 …

Changes In Sensorimotor Cortical Activation In Children Using Prostheses And Prosthetic Simulators, Christopher Copeland, Mukul Mukherjee, Yingying Wang, Kaitlin Fraser, Jorge M. Zuniga

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

This study aimed to examine the neural responses of children using prostheses and prosthetic simulators to better elucidate the emulation abilities of the simulators. We utilized functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to evaluate the neural response in five children with a congenital upper limb reduction (ULR) using a body-powered prosthesis to complete a 60 s gross motor dexterity task. The ULR group was matched with five typically developing children (TD) using their non-preferred hand and a prosthetic simulator on the same hand. The ULR group had lower activation within the primary motor cortex (M1) and supplementary motor area (SMA) compared to …

What’S In A Photograph? The Perspectives Of Composition Experts On Factors Impacting Visual Scene Display Complexity For Augmentative And Alternative Communication And Strategies For Improving Visual Communication, Kevin Pitt, John W. Mccarthy

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose: Visual scene displays (VSDs) can support augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) success for children and adults with complex communication needs. Static VSDs incorporate contextual photographs that include meaningful events, places, and people. Although the processing of VSDs has been studied, their power as a medium to effectively convey meaning may benefit from the perspective of individuals who regularly engage in visual storytelling. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perspectives of individuals with expertise in photographic and/or artistic composition regarding factors contributing to VSD complexity and how to limit the time and effort required to apply principles …

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 …

Brain Lateralization In Children With Upper‑Limb Reduction Deficiency, Jorge Zuniga, James E. Pierce, Christopher Copeland, Claudia Cortes‑Reyes, David Salazar, Yingying Wang, K. M. Arun, Theodore Huppert

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Background: The purpose of the current study was to determine the influence of upper-limb prostheses on brain activity and gross dexterity in children with congenital unilateral upper-limb reduction deficiencies (ULD) compared to typically developing children (TD). Methods: Five children with ULD (3 boys, 2 girls, 8.76 ± 3.37 years of age) and five age- and sex-matched TD children (3 boys, 2 girls, 8.96 ± 3.23 years of age) performed a gross manual dexterity task (Box and Block Test) while measuring brain activity (functional near-infrared spectroscopy; fNIRS). Results: There were no significant differences (p = 0.948) in gross dexterity …

Barriers And Solutions For Translating Brain-Computer Interfaces For Augmentative And Alternative Communication From Research Into Practice., Kevin Pitt

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Barriers to the clinical translation of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) include problems with reliability and set up. However, translation is further impeded by a lack of consistency between AAC practices and BCI procedures. This presentation will discuss barriers to BCI translation along with possible solutions and future directions for BCI research.

The Effect Of High School Disability-Based Peer Mentoring On Perspectives Toward People With Disabilities, Caroline Jacobs

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Negative perspectives towards people with disabilities have been shown to lead to discrimination, prejudice, and an overall decreased quality of life. One way to possibly improve attitudes and interactions with students with disabilities could be implementing peer mentoring programs for special education students in high school. Research presented in this thesis examines the difference in perspectives toward people with disabilities between people who have or have not participated as a mentor in a disability-based peer mentoring program in high school. Data were collected through an online survey that assessed peer mentoring experiences as well as a scale to measure comfort …

Empower: An Adaptable Writing Intervention, Carly Dinnes

The Nebraska Educator: A Student-Led Journal

EmPOWER is a six-stage writing intervention designed by speech-language pathologists to improve the expository writings of school-aged children with language learning and executive function disabilities. The intervention uses scaffolded instruction to transform struggling students into independent and self-regulating writers by training the students to use a variety of supports (e.g., graphic organizers, checklists) and strategies (e.g., referring back to the writing prompt) throughout the writing process. Many key features of the EmPOWER approach to writing instruction directly support components described in cognitive models of writing, which indicates that EmPOWER is a theory-guided writing intervention that may benefit a wide range …

Effects Of The "Write Sounds" Program On Handwriting And Phonics Skills, Pam Bazis

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Reading and writing rely on related foundational literacy skills (e.g., phonological processing, phonological memory, phonemic awareness; Brooks et al., 2011; Graham & Hebert, 2010, 2011; Sanders et al., 2018). Therefore, students struggling with reading often have writing problems, including handwriting (Kandel et al., 2017; Sanders, Berninger, & Abbott, 2018). It is often difficult to determine the source of writing difficulties as they could come from uncertainty in how to form the graphemes, poor spelling skills, or organizational deficits (Berninger et al., 2008). This study aimed to determine the usability, feasibility, and promise of an integrated handwriting intervention on 33 students …

Effects Of Informational Text Instruction For Students With Or At-Risk For Disabilities: A Meta-Analysis, Mackenzie Burk

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to investigate the impact of informational writing interventions on informational text writing outcomes for 4^th to 12^th graders with or at-risk for disabilities. Informational text writing is heavily used in daily lives and not enough attention is brought to how the informational text writing is taught. A total of nine studies with 39 effects sizes were included. The studies included were coded by the first author and a graduate research assistant for specific design features (e.g., age, interventionist, dosage, teacher effects). The results indicated that informational writing instruction had positive impacts on …

Revisiting The Role Of Augmentative And Alternative Communication In Aphasia Rehabilitation, Aimee Dietz, Sarah Wallace, Kristy Weissling

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose — The purpose of this article is to revisit the role of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in post stroke aphasia rehabilitation. The authors’ intent is to provide a viewpoint that expands the use of AAC in post stroke aphasia rehabilitation. Specifically, we seek to clarify the role of AAC in restorative and participation approaches to aphasia rehabilitation while also considering the role of AAC in a comprehensive treatment plan. The authors support their viewpoint with citations from both the historic and contemporary literature on aphasia rehabilitation.

Conclusions — A thought-provoking viewpoint on the role of AAC in post …

A Qualitative Study Of An Interprofessional Collaborative Practicum Cohort, Mallory Tvrdy, Lisa Lenz, Sue Kemp, Kristy Weissling

UCARE: Research Products

Interprofessional education (IPE) occurs “when students from two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes” (WHO, 2010). While IPE with a healthcare focus has been around for years, literature regarding IPE in the school setting involving speech-language pathology (SLP) and special education (SPED) is sparse. Online database searches using the key words “interprofessional education,” “interprofessional collaboration,” “special education,” and “speech-language pathology” yield only a few studies.

• In the Special Education and Communication Disorders department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, aninterprofessional practicum experience was developed to address the need …

Project View: Visual Impairments Education In Writing, Madison Thompson, Bridget Leutzinger

UCARE: Research Products

The purpose of Project VIEW is to describe the writing practices used by TVIs and GENs to teach writing to students with VI, flexible factors associated with those writing practices. The project explore writing instructional practices among K-12 teachers serving students with visual impairments in Nebraska and aims to identify important factors that may influence those writing practices and student’s academic success. These factors possible moderators of the relationship between factors and writing practices, and how the writing practices are associated with student outcomes. Aspects of “writing practices” we propose to examine include 1) Quantity of writing practices, 2) Quality …

Encapsulating Educational Design For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Lauren Praeuner

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This paper is a thesis/creative project hybrid split into two parts. First, it examines different aspects of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the symptoms experienced by those on the spectrum, and the guidelines that parents, medical professionals, and educators should follow to ensure a holistic approach to the care and education of children with autism. The text also notes some of the considerations that designers should review when designing educational facilities for these individuals, as well as few precedents that successfully do so. The second part of the paper presents my team’s architectural studio project, contributed to by UNL students Lindsay …