Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

Aphasia In Multilingual Patients, Mira Goral, Zahra Hejazi

Publications and Research

Purpose of Review

We summarize recent published work concerning assessment and treatment of aphasia in bilingual and multilingual people and review current related models of treatment outcomes. As well, we discuss studies that address the recently debated topic of cognitive processes in bilingual individuals with aphasia, with a focus on the effects of bilingualism on aphasia recovery and its potential protective effects.

Recent Findings

Providing assessment and treatment tools that best serve multilingual individuals with aphasia and unpacking the variables and mechanisms that underlie response to treatment have emerged as goals of several recent studies. Additionally, while findings are still …

Variables And Mechanisms Affecting Response To Language Treatment In Multilingual People With Aphasia, Mira Goral, Aviva Lerman

Publications and Research

Background: Despite substantial literature exploring language treatment effects in multilingual people with aphasia (PWA), inconsistent results reported across studies make it difficult to draw firm conclusions. Methods: We highlight and illustrate variables that have been implicated in effecting cross-language treatment effects in multilingual PWA. Main contribution: We argue that opposing effects of activation and inhibition across languages, influenced by pertinent variables, such as age of language acquisition, patterns of language use, and treatment-related factors, contribute to the complex picture that has emerged from current studies of treatment in multilingual PWA. We propose a new integrated model—Treatment effects in Aphasia in …

Behavioral Outcomes In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Cochlear Implants, Patricia K. Herz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The purpose of this literature review was to establish what is currently known about behavioral outcomes of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and cochlear implants (CIs). Sixteen articles were included in this review. The areas investigated were behavioral changes postimplantation, as determined by subjective and objective measures, mode of communication used by children with ASD and CIs, and effects of additional comorbidities on these outcomes. Considerations for CI use for children with ASD include potential hypersensitivity to auditory stimuli, inability to complete performance measures, and markedly slower progress than their typically developing peers. Many of the studies included in …

Visual Perspective Taking In Autism Spectrum Disorders, Erin L. Reilly

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have difficulty in recognizing environmental perspectives other than their own. Perspective-taking deficits impact language use and understanding in discourse and more general social and cognitive function. Despite extensive research on perspective taking abilities in individuals with ASD, many factors have not been fully examined. This study further examined the contribution of angular disparity, anthropomorphism of an observer, and language use on visual perspective-taking.

Individuals with (ASD) demonstrate a strength in visual spatial cognition and a weakness in visual social cognition. This study examined the factors that may cause people with ASD to have difficulties …

Cochlear Implantation: Why Vs. Why Not? A Pocket Guide For Non-Cochlear Implant Audiologists, Lauren Mccauley

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The goal of this guide is to provide audiologists with the insights to patient fears and motivators for cochlear implant uptake to ensure all cochlear implant candidates are identified, counseled, and cared for appropriately. Cochlear implant uptake is low compared to the population of people who may be considered candidates, despite the numerous benefits cochlear implants have been shown to provide to these patients. Hearing loss that remains untreated or undertreated in adults can lead to negative consequences, including poorer quality of life, social isolation, and even increased rates of cognitive decline. It is becoming increasingly important for audiologists to …

Maximum Sound Output Levels Of Pediatric Marketed Headphones: The Development Of Healthy Listening Habits In Children, Adrienne L. Ammirati

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: In recent years there has been a growing concern regarding the etiology of pediatric hearing loss. Based on cross-sectional studies of data produced by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, the incidence of hearing loss in US adolescents (age 12-19 years) has increased from 14.9 to 19.5% from 1988-2006 (Shargorodsky, Curhan, & Eavey, 2010) (Brooks & Chan, 2017). Many individuals suspect the leading contributor of this to be frequent exposure to unsafe listening conditions (Muchnik, Amir, Shabtai, & Kaplan-Neeman, 2012) (Brookhouser, Wothington, & Kelley, 1992).

Presently there are no government issued regulations on the maximum sound output …

Speech Outcomes And Hearing Preservation In Adults With Hybrid Cochlear Implants: A Systematic Review, Victoria J. Dillon

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Objective: The goal of this review is to systematically review literature in order to investigate the speech recognition and subjective performance outcomes, as well as determine the degree of hearing preservation, in adult hybrid cochlear implant patients through the utilization of electric acoustic stimulation (EAS).

Methods: A comprehensive search, utilizing various peer-reviewed databases, was conducted via the City University of New York’s (CUNY) Graduate Center Library to identify the relevant studies published. Inclusion criteria was studies that involved adult hybrid cochlear implant users which reported speech outcomes and hearing preservation, with performance outcomes obtained at least 12 months’ post-implantation. Studies …

The Perception Of Prosody In English-Speaking Children With Cochlear Implants: A Systematic Review, Grace R. Smith

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Objective: The goal of this paper was to systematically review literature in order to investigate the perception of prosody in English-speaking children with cochlear implants.

Methods: A comprehensive search utilizing various peer-reviewed databases accessible through the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center Library was conducted to identify relevant studies. Inclusion criteria included studies that examined prosody perception in pre-and post-lingually deafened children with cochlear implants. Children who utilized unilateral, bilateral, and bimodal configurations of cochlear implants were therefore included in this search.

Results: 9 studies met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. The findings …

A New Method In Subjective Tinnitus Management: The Use Of A Nutraceutical Formulation To Improve Patient Outcomes, Jade Faulkner

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Objective: This project aims to implement an evidence-based clinical practice guideline at the International Hearing Centre (IHC) in Lagos, Nigeria for future research and data collection of their subjective tinnitus management using a nutraceutical formulation called ‘NHANCED Hearing (NH). After learning the IHC had incomplete charting in regard to tinnitus questionnaires pre- and post-administration of the NH formula, this capstone project sought to apply evidence-based guidelines for proper diagnostic evaluations and charting to assist in future research of the NH formula.

Methodology: A review and synthesis of current clinical practice guidelines in the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, …

Outcomes Of Tinnitus Post-Cochlear Implantation In Adult Populations: A Systematic Review, Evangeline Wong

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The purpose of this investigation is to conduct a systematic review on the outcomes of tinnitus, in both its characteristics and psychosocial impact, post-cochlear implantation in profound bilateral and single-sided deafness (SSD) adult populations. A longitudinal case study will also be presented to show long-term effects of tinnitus outcomes in a cochlear implant recipient in a clinical setting. The investigation may, in turn, provide information regarding tinnitus in the selection criteria of which ear to implant, considerations in implantation eligibility for patients with bilateral and unilateral severe hearing loss associated with severe tinnitus, and to inform patients about the possible …

Assistive Listening Devices: A Guide, Alexa Brody

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Objective: The purpose of this research was to develop a guide on assistive listening devices (ALDs) describing the various types of ALDs, the basic underlying concepts, their advantages and disadvantages, the instrumentation and its components, and the setup and procedures for specification/evaluation of ALDs in accordance with national standards or guidelines issued by professional organizations in our field. This guide is intended for audiologists, hearing scientists, and audiology and hearing science students.

Method: A thorough review of the previous ALD literature including national and international standards for set-up and installation, specification/evaluation and verification of ALDs; guidelines from professional audiology and …

Development Of An Aba Tool Kit For Audiologists To Increase Hearing Aid Wear Time In Individuals With Autism, Lindsay Brown

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

When working with individuals with the dual-diagnosis of hearing loss and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), audiologists are often faced with unique challenges and must adapt their approach in order to more effectively address the needs of these individuals. Currently, there is only a small body of research focused on the special considerations required for appropriately fitting and utilizing amplification for children with the dual-diagnosis of hearing loss and ASD. Subsequently, recommendations and strategies for clinicians to implement when faced with these common challenges, specifically of hearing aid compliance and appropriate hearing aid wear time, are lacking. It is important to …

Primary Care Physician Perceptions Of Hearing Loss And Amplification: A Survey, Sophie Racine

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The goal of this survey is to determine primary care physicians’ (PCP) views regarding hearing loss and hearing amplification. A questionnaire was created, using TypeForm©. Factors interrogated in the survey included structural aspects of the health care delivery system, presence of stigma among providers regarding hearing amplification, PCPs’ knowledge of hearing loss, the utility of amplification, official recommendations on screening and amplification, costs of hearing aids and risks of untreated hearing loss, and practitioners’ viewpoints and practice behaviors surrounding hearing loss and amplification. The survey instrument is comprised of four domains: 1) demographics, 2) knowledge of hearing loss and amplification, …

The Impact Of Childhood Music Experience On Speech Perception And Processing: A Systematic Review, Erika Lanham

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Objective: The purpose of this investigation was to conduct a systematic review of the literature that addresses the impact of childhood musical experience on speech perception and processing abilities. Specifically, this review assessed how musical training impacted scores on both objective and behavioral tests of speech perception/processing in children. This analysis contributes to a better understanding of the effects of individual musical experience in childhood on our ability to perceive and process speech in a variety of listening conditions. This analysis also determined the clinical implications of such findings.

Methods: A comprehensive search utilizing the Web of Science database accessible …

Effects Of Speech Cues In French-Speaking Children With Dysarthria, Erika S. Levy, Gemma Moya-Galé, Younghwa Michelle Chang, Luca Campanelli, Andrea A. N. Macleod, Sergio Escorial, Christelle Maillart

Publications and Research

Background: Articulatory excursion and vocal intensity are reduced in many children with dysarthria due to cerebral palsy (CP), contributing to the children’s intelligibility deficits and negatively affecting their social participation. However, the effects of speech-treatment strategies for improving intelligibility in this population are understudied, especially for children who speak languages other than English. In a cueing study on English-speaking children with dysarthria, acoustic variables and intelligibility improved when the children were provided with cues aimed to increase articulatory excursion and vocal intensity. While French is among the top 20 most spoken languages in the world, dysarthria and its management in …

Investigating The Modulatory Effect Of Expectations On Memory Retrieval During Sentence Comprehension, Luca Campanelli

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Memory retrieval and probabilistic expectations are recognized factors in sentence comprehension that capture two different critical aspects of processing difficulty: the cost of retrieving and integrating previously processed elements with the new input words and the cost of incorrect predictions about upcoming words or structures in a sentence. Although these two factors have independently received substantial support from the extant literature, how they interact remains poorly understood. This study investigated memory retrieval, more specifically retrieval interference, and lexical-semantic expectations in three reading experiments, pitting these factors against each other to observe how they interact. Overall, results showed that retrieving and …

Speech Motor Control In Younger And Older Adults: The Effect Of Age And Individual Differences On Speech Error Production, Katherine M. Dawson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation investigates three main issues in speech motor control, all of which are explored through the lens of speech error production. The speech error elicitation task used is the alternating onset, identical coda (e.g. ‘top cop’) paradigm, which in this incarnation is executed in time to a rate-increasing metronome. The first experimental chapter asks why some speakers may be more prone to the production of speech errors than others, from an individual differences perspective. A number of speaker attributes are taken into account, including age (older and younger adults), performance on a subset of cognitive tasks, as well as …

Direct And Indirect Treatment Effects In Multilingual People With Aphasia, Aviva Lerman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Successfully assessing and treating aphasia in multilingual people requires a detailed understanding of the mechanisms underlying language processing in the multilingual population, and the potential impairments to those mechanisms. The balance between spreading activation of language processes via treatment and controlling interference of competing items within the lexico-semantic networks appears to be a key factor in determining whether treatment effects generalise within and across languages in multilingual people with aphasia (Kiran, Sandberg, Gray, Ascenso, & Kester, 2013).

This balance can be exploited through treatment, which, if carefully chosen, should maximise potential within- and cross-language generalisation. One treatment that has …

Outcomes In Children With Additional Disabilities Following Cochlear Implantation: A Systematic Review, Rebecca M. Tuchman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Thirty percent of children with hearing loss have an additional disability. These children may be difficult to test according to standard audiologic behavioral test protocols. Additionally, progress within this population may present differently than in children with no additional disability. Currently, no evidence-based protocol exists for assessing cochlear implant benefit and outcomes in this population.

Objective: The purpose of this investigation is to perform a systematic review on the outcomes of cochlear implantation in children with additional disabilities. Specifically, this study focused on areas of function assessed, outcome measures used, and evidence of benefit observed.

Methods: A comprehensive search …

A Musician Centered Toolkit For Audiologists, Ava Bonavita

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The toolkit for audiologists working with musicians includes a set of materials for use in a musician centered audiology practice. Given the rise in streaming of music by individuals of all ages and the recognition of susceptibility of musicians to hearing loss, the prevalence of hearing loss is on the rise necessitating the need for materials and protocols to better protect, educate, and treat music lovers of all ages who may be prone to hearing loss. Music induced hearing loss typically falls under the category of recreational noise exposure, a subset of noise induced hearing loss (NIHL). Musicians are the …

Just Culture: It's More Than Policy, Linda Ann Paradiso, Nancy Sweeney

Publications and Research

Any healthcare organization’s top priority is effective and safe care. Despite this, medical error is the third-leading cause of death in the US. Hospitals are imperfect systems where nurses have competing demands and are forced to improvise and develop workarounds. Errors rarely occur in a vacuum, rather they’re a sequence of events with multiple opportunities for correction. Clinical nurses can have a significant impact on reducing errors due to their proximity to patients. When errors are identified, the events and impact on safe care need to be shared. Just culture is a safe haven that supports reporting. In a just …

Implications Of Vestibular Dysfunction Among The Aging Population: A Pocket Guide For Health Care Professionals, Maia L. Weisenfeld

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The goal of this health information booklet is to provide healthcare professionals with the appropriate tools and information required to ensure all patients with a vestibular impairment are cared for and treated appropriately. The following guide includes overview of the vestibular system, vestibulotoxic medications, and common vestibular disorders. These notable areas are required for appropriate treatment and referral to other professionals for treatment.

Effects Of Primary And Secondary Cigarette Smoke On Auditory Function: A Systematic Review, Hilary Mcmanus

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Objective: The goal of this paper was to systematically review literature in order to investigate the effects of active and passive cigarette smoke on auditory function when assessing outcome measures including pure tone audiometry, otoacoustic emissions, high-frequency audiometry, and auditory evoked potentials.

Methods: A comprehensive search using the Medline Complete database was conducted to identify relevant studies published after 2005. Inclusion criteria included the use of pure tone audiometry, high-frequency audiometry, otoacoustic emissions, and/or auditory evoked potentials to examine the effect of primary or secondary cigarette smoke. Studies involving noise exposure or other confounding factors were excluded.

Results: A total …

Across Curriculums: A Need For Audiology Instruction For Teachers Of The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing, Jenna M. Morishita

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Objective: The purpose of this project is to gain insight into the requirements of teacher education programs with regard to instruction in audiology for teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing. Though individual teacher preparation programs have vast differences as they pertain to philosophy and methodology, graduates of each of these programs seek to work with children with hearing loss and therefore should have more than a basic understanding of audiology.

Method: The websites and course catalogs (when available) were reviewed for the 48 graduate programs listed on DeafEd.net. Data was collected on courses with the term “audiology” in …

Review Of Au.D. Program Curriculums And The Current State Of Audiology Roles And Responsibilities In The United States, Kerri L. Heesemann

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Audiology, a health profession concerned with all auditory impairments and their effect on communication, has rapidly and dramatically changed over the last 70 years of its existence (American Academy of Audiology [AAA], 2004). What began as a field dedicated to helping address veterans with hearing difficulties sustained while in the service, has now become a medical profession with a wide and varied Scope of Practice that requires an entry level a doctoral degree. With the evolution of technology, and knowledge about hearing loss, there has been an increase in the information and knowledge required for best practice. While education standards …

Caring For Persons With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Toolkit For Audiologists, Melanie Rosenthal

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

As the symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can mimic those of hearing loss, an audiologic evaluation is often a component of the differential diagnostic process. These audiologic evaluations can be complicated by social communication deficits, as well as sensory issues demonstrated by individuals with ASD. Typical testing procedures may need to be adapted, as well as multiple appointments may be needed, to obtain sufficient audiologic information. Although there is an abundance of literature suggesting that alternative approaches (i.e. visual schedules, social stories) should be utilized in the audiologic evaluation, there has yet to be a comprehensive toolkit for audiologists …

Screening For Hearing Loss: Physician Attitudes And Practice, Theresa N. Vitale

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Age related hearing loss (ARHL) is considered a public health hazard in large part due to the negative health outcomes with which it is associated, such as, cognitive decline, increased risk of falling, social isolation and depression. Despite the health-related costs of ARHL, physician’s rarely screen older adults for ARHL. Some of the reasons previously cited include a lack of time and resources in medical offices, a lack of reimbursement for such measures, or lack of knowledge of risk factors associated with hearing loss. The latter is problematic as improved communication among physicians and their patients is an important correlate …

Neural Indices Of Vowel Discrimination In Monolingual And Bilingual Infants And Children, Yan H. Yu, Carol Tessel, Henry Han, Luca Campanelli, Nancy Vidal, Jennifer Gerometta, Karen Garrido-Nag, Hia Datta, Valerie L. Shafer

Publications and Research

Objectives: To examine maturation of neural discriminative responses to an English vowel contrast from infancy to 4 years of age and to determine how biological factors (age and sex) and an experiential factor (amount of Spanish versus English input) modulate neural discrimination of speech.

Design: Event-related potential (ERP) mismatch responses (MMRs) were used as indices of discrimination of the American English vowels [ε] versus [I] in infants and children between 3 months and 47 months of age. A total of 168 longitudinal and cross-sectional data sets were collected from 98 children (Bilingual Spanish–English: 47 male and 31 female …

Lcd 322 Disorders Of Speech, Karen Ball

Open Educational Resources

LCD 322 is an undergraduate class that provides an overview of the symptoms, etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of various speech disorders including disorders of phonology/articulation, voice/resonance, fluency, swallowing, and speech impairment associated with neurological impairment. Speech disorders will be considered across the lifespan.

Vowel Production In Down Syndrome: An Ultrasound Study, Micalle Carl

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The present study investigated the articulatory and acoustic characteristics of vowel production in individuals with Down syndrome (DS). Speech production deficits and reduced intelligibility are consistently noted in this population, attributed to any combination of phonological, structural, and/or motor control deficits. Speakers with DS have demonstrated impaired vowel production, as indicated by perceptual, acoustic, and articulatory data, with emerging evidence of vowel centralization. Participants in the study included eight young adults with DS, as well as eight age- and gender-matched controls. Ultrasound imaging was utilized to obtain midsagittal tongue contours during single-word productions, specifically targeting the corner vowels /ɑ/, /æ/, …