Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Numerical Investigation Of Subglottal Stenosis Effects On Human Voice Production, Dariush Bodaghi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation aimed to advance knowledge of how subglottal stenosis impacts voice production physiology. An in-house fluid-structure-acoustic interaction approach based on the hydrodynamic/acoustic splitting technique was employed. This technique was rigorously verified for simulating phonation by matching the acoustic behavior to a compressible flow solver for phonation-relevant geometries. Simulations of an idealized 2D vocal tract model demonstrated the effects of supraglottal acoustic resonance on vocal fold kinematics and glottal flow waveform. Results showed that the acoustic coupling between higher harmonics and formats generated pressure oscillations, modifying vocal fold dynamics and glottal flow rate.

A major novelty was the incorporation and …

The Relationship Between Social Cognition And Social Behavior Of Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder Using The Ucla Peers® For Young Adults Social Skill Program, Meaghan Balsdon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates that social communication impairments are a defining and persistent feature of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Social communication consists of what an individual knows about social skills (i.e., social cognition) and how they observably respond in social situations (i.e., social behavior). It is difficult to gain a comprehensive assessment of social communication because social cognition assessments are prone to inaccuracies due to poor metacognitive skills in individuals with ASD (DeBrabander et al., 2021; Cederlund et al., 2010; Vickerstaff et al., 2006). Inaccurate reporting of social cognition leads to potential discrepancies in observable …

Early Intervention Speech-Language Pathologists: A Systematic Review, Margaret M. Pierce

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this Thesis is to describe the current supporting evidence base for speech-language pathologists working within early intervention with the birth through two-years-old population. Aims: The aims of this systematic review are to determine: (a) the current evidence base of early intervention by speech-language pathologists with infants and toddlers and (b) the quality of research available. Method: An exhaustive systematic review method is used. Search terms are based on subject or index headings related to the aims of this systematic review, i.e. early intervention and speech-language pathologists. A screening method is used to identify eligible publications for …

The Prevalence Of Voice Disorders In University Teaching Faculty, Kristen P. Higgins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

K-12 teachers are known to be at a higher than average risk for developing voice disorders. Less is known about the prevalence of voice disorders among teaching faculty in higher education. In this study, 100 university teaching faculty members were interviewed to assess possible voice problems. Information on risk factors such as demographic variables (i.e. gender and age) and health and behavioral variables (i.e. illness, use of tobacco, alcohol, and medications) was also gathered. The results were compared to published data on K-12 teachers and non-teachers. University professors reported significantly more cases of voice disorders than non-teaching professionals, but significantly …

The Adaptation Effect In Bilingual People Who Stutter: An Examination Of The Oral-Motor Rehearsal Theory, David L. Evans

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study provided further information about stuttering among bilingual populations and attempted to assess the significance of repeated oral-motor movements during an adaptation task in two bilingual adults. This was accomplished by requesting that bilingual people who stutter to complete an adaptation task of the same written passage in two different languages. Explored was the following research question: In bilingual speakers who stutter, what is the effect of altering the oral-motor movements by changing the language of the passage read during an adaptation task? Two bilingual adults were each requested to complete an adaptation task consisting of 10 readings …

The Production Of Emotional Prosdy In Varying Severities Of Apraxia Of Speech, Steffany M. Van Putten

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One mild AOS, one moderate AOS and one control speaker were asked to produce utterances with different emotional intent. In Experiment 1, the three subjects were asked to produce sentences with a happy, sad, or neutral intent through a repetition task. In Experiment 2, the three subjects were asked to produce sentences with either a happy or sad intent through a picture elicitation task. Paired t-tests comparing data from the acoustic analyses of each subject's utterances revealed significant differences between FO, duration, and intensity characteristics between the happy and sad sentences of the control speaker. There were no significant differences …