Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Comparison Of Pass Rates Across Three Language Screeners For Spanish-English Bilingual Children, Mariajose Bosanko

LSU Master's Theses

There is limited research regarding the efficacy of the language screening process, especially for bilingual populations. The purpose of this study was to examine the pass rates of three language screeners when administered to Spanish-English bilingual and ELL children. A total of ten Spanish-English bilingual children enrolled in either Pre-K, kindergarten, or first grade completed each screener. The screeners were: the Preschool Language Scales Spanish Screening Test-Fifth Edition (PLSSST-5; Zimmerman et al., 2012a), the Bilingual English Spanish Oral Screener (BESOS; currently in development; Lugo-Neris et al., n.d.), and the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation-Screening Test (DELV-S; Seymour et al., 2003). …

Verbal -S Productions In The Structured Writing Samples Of Variable Aae-Speaking Fourth-Grade Students With And Without Language Impairment, Jacklyn High Felton

Doctoral Dissertations

Researchers in speech-language pathology and ethnolinguistics have worked to gain knowledge about typical and atypical language patterns of African American children who are identified as African American English (AAE) dialect speakers. Much progress had been made, but limitations in this field of knowledge have persisted, especially for AA children who demonstrate variable use of AAE, presumably through the process of assimilation in the school setting. Therefore, more information is needed to provide diagnostic markers for deviations in typical language development for variable AAE-MAE speakers. Prior empirical research has found that third- and fourth-grade AAE-speaking children with typical language development overtly …

Music Perception Performance In Prelingually Deafened Children With Cochlear Implants Pre And Post Structured Music Training Postoperative Habilitation Programs: A Systematic Review, Jessica K. Woodson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The goal of this project was to systematically review literature in order to analyze music perception performance in prelingually deafened children with cochlear implants before and after structured music training postoperative habilitation programs. Features of music which were evaluated included pitch, melody, timbre, rhythm, and appraisal. In six studies, these measures of music perception were compared pre and post formal music training; in one study, music perception performance was compared between prelingually deafened cochlear implant users and individuals with normal-hearing sensitivity. Overall, when the music training was sufficiently long, the findings indicated that music training significantly improves pitch perception ability. …

Cochlear Implantation In Adults With Neurofibromatosis Type Ii: Outcomes, Benefits, And Limitations, Lydia Riehl

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The objective of the current study was to examine, in a retrospective case series, outcome in terms of word-recognition performance in patients with neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2) who have received a cochlear implant (CI) The primary independent variables were duration of deafness (DoD) and age at cochlear implantation. The secondary independent variables were status of hearing sensitivity in the ear contralateral to the one that received cochlear implantation and the type of tumor treatment.

The retrospective case series comprised eight patients who were implanted at New York University Medical Center, or who were receiving follow-up care there. All NF2 patients …

Hearing Related Concerns Among Parkinson’S Patients And Their Care Partners, Samantha Morgan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The goal of this study is to evaluate the relationship between self-reported subjective hearing loss and objective measures of hearing in older adults with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), as well as the relationship between self-reported hearing handicap of those with PD and the report of their care partners. Twenty-four individuals, comprised of older adults with PD and their primary care partners, underwent subjective and objective hearing screenings and completed measures of self-reported hearing handicap. Results revealed no significant relationship between the subjective and objective hearing screening results of those with PD, nor any significant relationship between the self-report of hearing handicap …

Occlusion Effects In Various Testing Conditions Using Insert Earphones, Amanda M. Desantolo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The occlusion effect is a well-known phenomenon that can affect audiological testing. Sound energy that would typically escape is trapped when covering the ear(s) and reflected back toward the inner ear. This increases the intensity of the sound, resulting in the “appearance” of a more sensitive threshold. Many aspects of the occlusion effect have been well researched and understood, however there are still aspects that warrant further investigation, such as the degree of occlusion with insert earphones when using partial versus full insertion and whether one or both of the ears are occluded. A within-subject design (n=5) was utilized to …

A Systematic Review Of Occupational Music-Induced Hearing Loss, Lilach Gez Saperstein

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The prevalence of noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a public health concern with government regulations (i.e. OHSA, NIOSH) in place to protect employees in occupational settings. Sound pressure levels (SPL) of various industries have been measured and exposure dosages monitored as per the national regulations. Previous research has demonstrated that occupational exposure to loud noise has led to audiometric evidence of NIHL. Thus, it raises the question about the impact of occupational exposure to music on hearing. For the purposes of this capstone, literature pertaining to occupational music exposure levels, and the effects on both hearing threshold levels and …

Methods And Professionals Involved In Evaluating Postural Control In The Autism Spectrum Disorder Population: A Systematic Review, Christina Melora

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The objective of this systematic review was to determine the methods in which postural stability and control are being quantified in persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), with what instrumentation and which healthcare professionals are included in this process. It is well studied that persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which now include those with Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger Disorder, often suffer from vestibular modulation abnormalities (Rogers & Ozonoff, 2005; American Psychiatric Association, 2013.) These individuals may present with either an under- or over-responsiveness to vestibular inputs resulting in a variety of repetitive behaviors or …

Development Of 90th Percentile Norms For Ipsilateral Acoustic Reflex Thresholds: A Feasibility Study, Iris Wertheimer

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The acoustic reflex threshold has been well established in the literature as an involuntary bilateral contraction of the stapedius muscle in response to loud transient sounds. Additionally, the clinical utility of the acoustic reflex threshold has been established as it allows for the differential diagnosis of many different conductive, cochlear and retrocochlear pathologies. Gelfand, Schwander and Silman (1990) have established and validated 90^th percentile normative data for use with the contralateral acoustic reflex threshold. Much of the literature on the acoustic reflex threshold has focused on the contralateral acoustic reflex threshold; however, surveys have found that many clinicians are …

Affordable And Accessible Hearing Healthcare Interventions In The United States: A Literature Review And Prospective Analysis, Garrett Thompson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Age-related hearing loss is a significant public health concern with serious and far-reaching consequences including: social isolation, depression, faster cognitive decline, and increased risk of falls. Hearing loss is a widespread condition, it is in fact a leading cause of disability among older people. Hearing aids, the primary intervention for adults with hearing loss, are costly and inaccessible to many patients who need them. Among other reasons, these factors have led to a low uptake rate among the adult population; only one in seven adults who could benefit from wearing hearing aids utilizes them. Given the status quo of high …

Recreational Music Exposure And Music-Induced Hearing Loss: A Systematic Literature Review, Carolyn Lindenbaum

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Legislation regarding occupational noise exposure is the result of a long period of interest and research; more recently, the effects of recreational noise are receiving increasing attention. Various sources of recreational noise and music exposure have become more widespread among the general public, increasing research in this source of potential risk. The proliferation of personal music players that are easily available and accessible to children and adults has contributed to the spread of leisure music exposure. Leisure music exposure is also common in the attendance of concerts and clubs/discos, and bars/pubs. The present systematic literature review focused exclusively on recreational …

Application Of The Dual-Route Model In Exploring Dyslexia And Dysgraphia In Arabic Speaking Adults With Aphasia: Clinical And Theoretical Implications, Maha Aldera

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Objective: The cognitive neuropsychology is based on the “universality” assumption, which suggest that all normal people have the same cognitive systems regardless of their culture and language (Coltheart, 2001). The aim of the study is to test the universality assumption of the dual-route model (DRM) for spelling and reading in modern Arabic language. The study follow the same architecture of the DRM taking into considerations specific variables that hold certain features of the Arabic script. Methods: The study results were secured by using case series method analysis of each individual participant’s performance. The Case series method offered the ability to …

Interdisciplinary Skill Development During Summer Autism Clinic, Rachel F. Kagle

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The present paper focuses on the interdisciplinary skill development of speech-language pathology graduate student clinicians and occupational therapy graduate student clinicians in the treatment of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This paper explains the significance of these disciplines in the treatment of Autism before giving the results of the study. For the present study, data was collected at James Madison University’s Summer Autism Camp over a four-week period. There were ten speech-language pathology (SLP) clinicians that received the survey and eleven children with Autism that were enrolled in the program. It was hypothesized that the SLP clinicians would display skill …

Effect Of Biofeedback And Exercise Type On Neural Swallowing Control, Rachel J. Rinehart

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The clinical efficacy of swallowing exercises is well established in swallowing literature, and biofeedback has been shown to augment cortical hemodynamic response (HDR) during normal swallowing. This study compared HDR during swallowing exercises with and without biofeedback to HDR during normal swallows with and without biofeedback. Healthy adult participants (n=6, mean age=50.83 male=2) were recruited and trained on the following conditions: normal swallowing, swallowing exercise in which a specific physiological target was given (skilled), and swallowing exercises in which no specific physiological target had to be achieved (non-skilled). Biofeedback consisted of submental surface electromyography (sEMG) signals displayed visually. HDR were …

Effects Of Age, Timbre, Pitch Contour, And Background Noise On Melodic Contour Identification And Sentence Recognition By Children, Lindsey M. Seyfried, Sarah A. Troy

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The researchers collaborated together with the help of Dr. Yingjiu Nie in the Lab of Auditory Perception in Children and Adults on the four research studies completed there. Through these projects, they were involved in all areas of the research process. While they cannot claim the research project as their own, by assisting the graduate students and Dr. Nie, they exposed themselves to how research is conducted in this field and gained valuable knowledge in the process. To conclude the project, they each wrote individual personals reflection to summarize and review the experience.

Maladaptive Behavior And Communication Disorders Following Tbi: Survivor, Caregiver And Speech-Language Pathologists' Perspectives, Marena S. Jones

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Following traumatic brain injury (TBI), individuals often face neurobehavioral challenges (e.g., aggression) that hinder treatment. Research on the relationship between communication disorders and maladaptive behaviors is limited. Participants from a convenience sample of two survivors of TBI, a caregiver, and a speech-language pathologist were interviewed about their experiences and perspectives. The interviews reflected focused questions that were congruent across participants. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded. Each coder coded the transcriptions individually, they were then compared using consensus coding for reliability, and finally analyzed for emergent themes. The two most referenced themes were “Communication challenges” and “Changes through rehab”. “Communication …

Mother’S Perceptions Of Their Personal Impact On Infant Language Development, Miranda Steinbeck

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

During the early months of a child’s language development, their ability to perceive and process language is very fluid and the language input they receive can have a large impact on their language later in life. From the beginning, children need to be able to differentiate the sounds of speech from the rest of the sounds that occur in their environment (Golinkoff, Can, Soderstrom, Hirsh-Pasek, 2015). In other words, children are exposed to the different sounds in their environment and they begin to pick up on the speech sounds, such as conversation-like interactions, with their parents (Golinkoff et al., 2015). …

The Effects Of Age On The Perception Of Frequency In Noise, Mary E. Scherer

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Difficulty understanding speech in the presence of background noise is one of the most common complaints of older adults, both with and without hearing loss. One possible contributing factor is an age-related decline in neural synchrony (e.g., phase locking). Tones-in-noise were used in an attempt to disrupt rate-place coding of frequency and to encourage participants to use phase-locked, temporal representations of frequency during a behavioral frequency discrimination task. Fourteen adults participated in the study (five younger, aged 21-29; four middle aged, 41-50; and five older, aged 61-80). Participants had clinically normal hearing sensitivity (≤ 25 dB HL at octave frequencies …

The Effect Of Workplace Noise Exposure On Reaction Time, Hollis T. Leidy

Dissertations, 2014-2019

This study examined the effect of listening fatigue on the reaction time of normal hearing listeners, who work in noisy places, at different signal to noise ratios (quiet, +5 and +10 dB). Reaction time was measured using a single task paradigm on twelve male listeners (ages 23-58 years) before and after an eight hour shift at a noisy power plant. The participants in the study also completed a subjective rating questionnaire at two intervals, before and after the fatigue-inducing condition. Results of the study indicated that the reaction time was significantly longer for the most difficult listening condition, indicating the …

Development And Deployment Of A Small Stereo-Hearing Testing System: Two Manuscripts, Sofia A. Ganev

Dissertations, 2014-2019

MANUSCRIPT #1 TITLE

Development of a Deployable Stereo-Hearing System

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of a portable stereo-hearing testing system with the intent of deployment for data collection in future studies. We quantify sound localization accuracy and speech-in-noise thresholds comparing unilateral (such as single-sided deafness) and bilateral subjects. We desired to design a small, inexpensive system that would show a large effect size between binaural and monaural subjects in a variety of stereo hearing tasks.

Methods: Subjects were tested on localization accuracy and speech understanding in noise using a laboratory-made stereo-hearing testing device. For the …

The Neural Representation Of Frequency In Quiet And Noise Across The Adult Life Span, Alexandra Bove

Dissertations, 2014-2019

The purpose of the present study was to examine why older adults have trouble with speech-in-noise understanding. Difficulty with speech-in-noise comprehension has been associated with age-related degradation in frequency processing. Our study sought to investigate this relationship by examining the neural representation of frequency in quiet and in noise across the adult-life span. In order to do this, one behavioral correlate of frequency processing, frequency difference limens (FDLs), and one electrophysiological correlate, the frequency following response (FFR), was utilized. In the present study, we specifically focus on the electrophysiological measures of frequency processing across the adult life span. It was …

Effect Of Age On Abrs In Mice With Epha4 Mutations, Melissa M. Teller

Dissertations, 2014-2019

It is known that EphA4 can influence the establishment of tonotopic pathways in the auditory system. This can be measured by an increase in thresholds on the auditory brainstem response test (ABR) in mice. It is also known that the aging population in humans tends to have poorer thresholds in the high frequency sounds as they age, termed presbycusis or age-related hearing loss. The C57BL/6J background strain of mice that is known to experience a presbycusis-like process, although it is not specified when this process begins and how it progresses through their life span. The goal of this study was …

Musical Ear Syndrome: What Do We Know?, Cara D. Pestel

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to review the existing literature regarding Musical Ear Syndrome and other related auditory hallucinations. While the existence of auditory hallucinations is evident, their cause is unclear and widely understudied. There was a need for existing information to be compiled for use in the healthcare field. This review of existing literature will aid speech-language pathologists, audiologists, nurses, psychologists, and physicians in understanding this condition and what differentiates it from other various disorders. This will allow these professionals to better understand the experiences and needs of those with Musical Ear Syndrome.

Pitch Perception In Preschool-Age Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Megan Lambert

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This research thesis will 1) provide an overview of the psychoacoustics of music perception, particularly as related to the properties of pitch perception in young children and 2) describe the methods and outcomes of an exploratory study to evaluate the efficacy of obtaining pitch perception data from preschool age children with hearing loss. Each child completed a series of three tasks, including coaching and practice, single note perception, and pitch contrasts. All of the children readily understood the single-note pitch perception task. Pitch contrast performance across participants ranged from 50% to 96% correct for the first data collection period and …

The Impact Of Technology On Individuals With Down Syndrome And Their Families, Morgan N. Fritz

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the role technology plays in the everyday lives of individuals with Down syndrome and their families. Data was collected via an online questionnaire for parents of adolescents with Down syndrome and took place in two phases: the pilot phase and the large-scale data collection phase. The pilot phase consisted of constructing, giving, and modifying the questionnaire. The large-scale data collection phase included disseminating the questionnaire through social media and resulted in 107 responses. These revealed that technology is widely used by individuals with Down syndrome. As a main outcome, technology provided these …

Need For Speech-Language Pathologists In Juvenile Detention Centers In Arkansas, Jessica R. Stephenson

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

Young offenders in juvenile detention centers (JDCs) have a higher than average incidence of communication difficulties. There is limited published research on incidence of communication disorders and intervention techniques on this population in Arkansas. Speechlanguage pathologists (SLP) have been implemented in the JDC setting in other countries to determine if having speech-language therapy services will benefit juvenile offenders with their legal experiences and their lives post release. The limited research that is available identifies the need for a full range of speech-language therapy services to lower recidivism rates and provide offenders with the necessary tools for functional communication. The first …

An Internationally Adopted Child's Transition: A Family Story, Holly C. Heckmann

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

The goal of this study was to contribute to the literature on international adoption by conducting a case study with one adoptive family. Data was collected using a semi-structured, in-depth interview that was audio recorded and transcribed word-for-word. The interview questions asked about family configuration, language background and use, adoptive family decisions about cultural inclusiveness, and the transition from home to school. The analysis was member-checked following coding for the themes that emerged. Results indicated that lingering differences from reduced exposure to language in the first year of life took the form of subtle language differences that continued through the …

A Qualitative Study Of The Effects Of The University Of Arkansas Autism Support Program, Jessica Post

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

Individuals who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder are often united by the following characteristics: difficulty communicating and interacting with others, inhibited ability to function socially, difficulty functioning academically or at work, and trouble transitioning to independent lifestyles (Lord, 2013). The purpose of this study was to determine how undergraduate students with Autism Spectrum Disorder perceive the helpfulness of the University of Arkansas Autism Support Program in the following areas: reducing college- related stress, facilitating academic success, facilitating social success, and preparing individuals for independent adult roles. In short, the study sought to determine the effects of the …

Detecting Cognitive Load During Working Memory Tasks Utilizing A Digitizer Tablet, Cassandra K. Ward, Pradyumn Srivastava

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this line of research is to determine whether the ‘Digitizer’ is a reliable and valid way to measure cognitive load during dual working memory-drawing tasks. A quasi-experimental study was conducted at the University of Arkansas in a research laboratory, and participants included seven right-handed healthy adults with normal or corrected vision and no reading difficulty. The participants were selected on a volunteer basis. The study required participants to draw circles while continuously performing in three conditions – one baseline and two working memory experimental tasks, administered in counterbalanced order. The baseline task was to read an 8 …

Voices In Treble: Self-Reported Vocal Health Of Student Singers, Jane Dreier

Honors Projects

The investigator examined reports of vocal health among singers in two different choral groups on a university campus, a population consisting of both music majors and non-music majors. These student singers consented to filling out a 36-question survey that asked about their overall vocal health and daily habits that might affect that health. A section of this survey involved rating answers from 0-4, while the other section required write-in answers. Results indicate that there is no significant difference in self-reported vocal health between music majors and non-music majors, although there were minor differences between these populations regarding daily habits, such …