Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

The Efficacy Of Melodic Based Communication Therapy For Eliciting Speech In Nonverbal Children With Autism, Givona A. Sandiford

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this dissertation is to compare the efficacy of Melodic Based Communication Therapy (MBCT) to traditional speech and language therapy for eliciting speech in nonverbal children with autism. Efficacy was assessed by number of: verbalizations, correct words, words reported by parent, and imitative attempts. Additionally it examines the effect of exposure to MBCT on social language abilities as measured by score on the Pragmatic Language Skills Inventory (PLSI); the effect of age on the response to treatment, and the predictors of overall effectiveness of treatment. Participants were 12 nonverbal children with autism ages 5 through 7 randomly assigned …

Language Sampling Analyses: Bridging The Gap Between Assessment And Therapy, Maria C. Wood

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Six language sampling analyses: (a) MLU, (b) Grammatical Morpheme Analysis, (c) Sentence Development Analysis, (d) TTR, (e) Semantic Roles/Categories, and (f) LSAT were performed on language samples elicited from five subjects age range 5:8 – 7:0 years. Efficacy of these analyses were determined by: (a) how well intervention targets could be determined to address identified deficits, (b) effects of length of sample size on assessment findings, (c) precision of the analyses’ results, and (d) the validity of the “time-consumption” often associated with language sampling analyses. Results indicated that language sample analyses bridged the gap between assessment and intervention by making …

Standardization Of Oral Cloze As A Language Assessment Device For Bilingual Hispanic Children, Shannon Ventuleth

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This present study was initiated to determine the feasibility of oral cloze procedures as a language screening for bilingual Hispanic students. If such a procedure were normed, and proven to be both reliable and valid, the resultant assessment device would have potential screening tool as a for determining the presence of a language disorder in the bilingual Hispanic child aged 8 through 10 years.

A review of current tests available, and a review of the literature, revealed few language tests designed specifically for and normed on bilingual Hispanic children. Tests available for bilingual Hispanic children over 7 years of age …

Language Disabilities Of Delinquent Adolescents, Sue E. Eaton

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Many studies have been conducted on the prevalence of learning disabilities in the population of juvenile delinquents (Holte, 1972; Broder, Dunivant, Smith, and Sutton, 1981; Meltzer, 1983; Bachara and Zada, 1978). One investigation conducted by the United States Government, found that juvenile delinquents have severe learning problems (Reed and Heilman, 1981).

Learning disabilities appear in eight to 10 percent of all school age children and adolescents. Of that group, 39 to 63 percent show a language disorder syndrome which may negatively affect school learning over a broad range of the curriculum area (Semel and Wiig, 1980). The prevalence of learning …

Implementing Augmentative Communication For Aphasic Patients In Convalescent Facilities, Susan H. Mcgann

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A one-hour Blissymbol in-service training program was developed for presentation to staff members of a skilled nursing facility. The purpose was to determine whether the program would produce significant learning to justify its use in similar facilities to bridge the communication gap between nonspeaking/nonwriting aphasic patients who communicate with Blissymbols and their direct care personnel as well as family members and others who are significant in their lives.

After development, the in-service program was given two "dry-runs" in skilled nursing facilities similar to the "study facility". It was then revised to improve clarity and to make it fit within time …

A Comparison Of Level Of Knowledge In Communicative Disorders Between Senior Medical Students And Senior Speech-Language Pathology Students, Cynthia R. Huffman

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

In California, physicians are required to "refer and prescribe the extent and duration of hearing, speech and equilibratory services for their patients who are beneficiaries of the state's Medicaid program (Title 22, Division 3 and 4 of the Medi-Cal Utilization Controls #51096). The present study was designed to determine whether senior medical students have knowledge in all areas of Communicative Disorders which is equal to or better than that of the senior speech-language pathology students to whom they will "prescribe" when they enter professional practice.

The study was conducted with the cooperation of students from the Loma Linda University School …

Lingual Function And Articulatory Competence, Donna E. Swenson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Dworkin (1979) states that, of the 2.5 million children and young adults in the United States with a communication problem, 60% have a functional articulation disorder for which no psychologic or physical problem can be found. The oral mechanism examination is an established part of a speech and language examination for testing these children, and the tongue is the most important organ for speech (Johnson, Darley, and Spriestersbach, 1963). However, no conclusive rationale for the procedure or objective lingual measurements have been established. This research, therefore, was designed as a pilot study to investigate whether lingual structure and function are …

Easily Administered Recognition Of Linguistically-Handicapped Youngsters, Robin J. Webb

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study investigates the feasibility of involving parents as evaluators using an objective screening test for their children who are 36 to 42 months of age. A more available and nonthreatening assessor is needed as physicians, dentists and other allied health professionals who are typically used to screen children for speech, language and hearing have not been effective with this age group. This is partially due to the limited contacts they have with these children and the environmental limitations for eliciting an adequate speech and language sample (Behrens, 1978; Webb, 197B; Hirsch, 1981).

An objective-type screening instrument has been designed …

Evaluating The Aural/Oral Skills Of Children Identified By The Slingerland Pre-Reading Screening Procedures, Sandra L. Singleton

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Research tends to confirm the concept that it is imperative to diagnose learning disorders early and start remediation immediately. Slingerland (1977) developed an assessment tool, which reportedly aids in the identification of remediational needs before a child has experienced failure. This screening device was designed to "show modality weaknesses that call for specific instruction to prevent early failare" (Slingerland, 1977). All of the subtests from the Pre-Reading Screening Procedures are cross-modality tasks because the testing of a modality, "Auditory" or "Visual", requires the use of one or two other modalities (motor or speech) to generate a response. In order to …

Survey Of Pediatricians : What Are The Criteria Used For Referral To Speech And Language Pathologists?, Janet Bradley

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of the present research was to summarize from the pediatric literature the norms for speech and language development and to determine if the pediatrician is utilizing these norms as criteria for making referrals to speech and language pathologists. Research tends to show a discrepancy between the incidence of speech and language disorders and the rate of referrals made by physicians.

The methodology involved developing a three-part questionnaire to determine what screening instruments are being used in the pediatric office in regard to speech, language, and hearing, and what informal criteria are utilized for making referrals for a speech …

An Age Related Feature Analysis Of The Autocom, Nancy Jo Blair

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The current research was designed to outline the Autocom features, develop teaching sequences which incorporated these features and determine the ability of prefirst and third grade subjects to operate the features for functional conmunication. The population was comprised of 20 physically and intellectually normal children-- 10 prefirst graders and 10 third graders. The subjects were met with individually at the La Sierra Hearing, Speech and Language Center for one or two sessions, for approximately 45 to 60 minutes per session.

Using teaching sequences developed by the investigator, the subjects were taught to operate each feature of the Autocom. At specific …

The Prevalence Of Visual Disorders In Speech And Language Delayed Children, Lori A. Hanson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Many of the tests used in speech and language evaluations involve visual stimuli. It is assumed that the child being tested has adequate vision to perform these tests. The present study examined the prevalence of vision problems in speech and language delayed children to determine if a routine vision screening is necessary. The study also investigated whether student speech pathologists' screening results were significantly different from an optometrist's results.

Prior to actual testing, the student speech pathologists were taught how to administer and score a vision screening composed of tests from the Modified Clinical Technique. The children were initially screened …

Survey Of Skills For Blissymbol Use : A Pilot Study, Leisa J. Moore

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to design an evaluative questionnaire to be used by two speech-language pathologists to survey cerebral palsied children's skills in areas pertinent to the learning of Blissymbolics, and to outline a Blissymbol protocol for recording Blissymbols of which children had knowledge. Skills of cerebral palsied children were surveyed and the Blissymbol knowledge of each was recorded.

The subjects of this pilot study were four cerebral palsied children, ages five years seven months to eight years five months. The children were currently involved in Blissymbol training, or had received Blissymbol training within the past year. Two …

The Norming Of The Shortened Form Of The Carrow Elicited Language Inventory, Barbara Brown

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The present investigation was initiated to establish cut-off scores for the shortened form of the Carrow Elicited Language Inventory (CELI). With such norms available, the assessment tool might be utilized as an expressive language screening device for the children ages five years nine months through six years nine months who are entering the first grade.

A review of the literature revealed few expressive language screening devices which are practical for use by the speech-language specialist in the schools. Some screening tools available are impractical in length of time to administer, for example the Northwestern Syntax Screening Test requires fifteen minutes …

Evaluation Of Blissymbolics As A Means Of Communication For The Deaf-Cerebral Palsy Population, Linda Howells

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purposes of this study are:

1. To present the deaf-cerebral palsied population with a more functional means of communication.
2. To test the validity of using a non-vocal means of communication, Blissymbolics, when other more traditional methods of teaching communication skills (sign language or verbal communication) have been ineffective.

Blissymbolics has been found to be an effective means of communication with cerebral palsy children who are unable to develop verbal communication skills. However, there is no research in the use of Blissymbolics with the deaf-cerebral palsy population.

The traditional means of communication used with the nonspeaking deaf person (manual sign language) …

Review Of Prognostic Factors For Esophageal Voice, Christine G. Bravos

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Plan A of this study was completed. Plan B of the study is the subject for future research. A review of the laryngectomy literature, from the earliest mention of the laryngectomy surgical procedure to the present was conducted; with specific emphasis upon factors pertinent to laryngectomee rehabilitation and esophageal speech development. Psychological, idiosyncratic, social, therapeutic and physiological factors were reported as affecting esophageal voice development. There were a great diversity of variables that might be predictive in judging acquisition of esophageal voice. However, much of the information regarding predictive variables was based on subjective reports, poorly controlled statistical research, or …

Blissymbolics As An Augmentative Communication Tool For Adults With Expressive Aphasia, Lynne K. Nishikawa

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The present study had been designed to determine whether Blissymbolics - a visual-graphic communication system based on meaning rather than phonetics - could be used as a means of communication re-training with adults having expressive aphasia. This study investigated the performance of those individuals who had plateaued in re-learning expressive language and speech via traditional speech therapy techniques.

Specifically, answers were sought to the following questions:

1. To what extent does Blissymbolics augment the expressive communication of adults with expressive aphasia, compared with their ability to communicate through speech and writing?
2. Will there be any statistically significant difference in the ability …

Development Of Age Normative Data For The Oral Language Sentence Imitation Screening Test, Melinda Diane Roos

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this investigation was to develop objective pass/fail age-related scores for the Oral Language Sentence Imitation Screening Test (OLSIST). A group of 60 children, ages five years zero months to five years eleven months, served as subjects. The Denver Articulation Screening Exam (DASE), and the Screening Test For Auditory Comprehension of Language (STACL) were used to determine if each child's articulation and receptive language abilities were within normal limits. Each subject's scores on the OLSIST were then compared with his/her score on the CELI to determine the degree of correlation in pass/fail performances on the two tests.

The …

A Videoflouroscopic Study Of Postlaryngectomized Esophageal Speakers, Patricia E. Sakover

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study was designed to explore the relationships between the physio-anatomical structure of the post-laryngectomee and quality of esophageal speech. An attempt was also made to correlate radiation and radical neck procedures with quality of esophageal speech.

A videofluoroscopic examination of the post-laryngectomized site was performed while 18 subjects read a short passage. The observations from each examination were evaluated by a board certified radiologist. The passage, recorded on tape, was rated by 18 judges for quality on a scale from one to seven and seven specific factors of the esophageal speech rated on their contribution to the overall score …

Diagnostic Comparison Between Free Speech Samples And Imitation Tasks, Tina Valcarenghi

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study investigated and compared the advantages and disadvantages of a free speech sample and imitation type task in analyzing language performance in kindergarten children. An analysis of the language performance of 15 children was completed. Their language ranged in severity from normal to severely delayed. The children were divided into three distinct subgroups; severely delayed, moderately delayed and normal. The subject's scores were analyzed to determine if there was a significant difference in the reliability of these two measures and in the sensitivity in identifying presence and severity of disorder.

Laura Lee's Development of Sentence Structure (DSS) was the …

The Acquisition Of Five Specific Morphemes By English-Speaking Preschool Children, Maxine Ulyate

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of the present research was to study the acquisition of the morphemes involved in the production of the noun plural and possessive, the present progressive tense, the third person singular of the verb and the regular past tense. Research had documented that a time lapse existed between the time that a child was able to correctly inflect a common English word and when he could correctly inflect a phonetically similar nonsense item. This lapse appeared to be the time during which the child formulated an internal rule for the production of each morpheme.

The methodology involved testing sixty …

Developing Local Educational Agency Participation In An Augmentative Communication Model Program, Myrna M. Fisher

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The Department of Speech and Language Development / Blissymbolics Resource Centre at Lorna Linda University Medical Center is proposing to provide a comprehensive Augmentative Communication Model Program (ACMP) which will serve non-vocal severely physically handicapped (NVSPH) students in the Inland Empire area. The model program would offer a trans-disciplinary team approach to the assessment of each student for appropriate selection, fitting, modification and continuing evaluation of communication prostheses designed to meet individual needs. It is felt that these services are vital to the establishment of appropriate educational programs for NVSPH students as mandated by Public Law 94-142 and implemented in …

Development Of A Short Form For The Carrow Elicited Language Inventory, Janet Lee Lawson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This investigation was designed to determine if a shortened or screening form could be developed for use with the Carrow Elicited Language Inventory (CELl) at the first grade level. The sample for this research was comprised of fifty-six children between the ages of 5 years 9 months and 6 years 9 months. The children were chosen according to availability and time factors and came from middle socioeconomic backgrounds.

All subjects were tested with the CELl. After selection of items for the short form, each child's score on the short form was compared with his score on the CELI with the …

The Effect Of Perceptual Set On Listener Judgments Of Voice Quality Deviations, Patricia M. Hansen

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to test the possible influence of perceptual set on listeners' judgments of voice quality deviations. Perceptual set was created by instructions given to an experimental group which limited their choices, thus encouraging a particular response. The effect of set on the overall performance of the group, on backward versus forward voice samples and on the level of experience of the listener were all investigated.

The sample for this study was comprised of 24 students of speech pathology and audiology. The subjects were divided into matched experimental and control groups and asked to listen to …

Relationships Between Central Auditory Function And Learning Disabilities, Joan M. Hirabayashi

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of "learning disabled" (LD) children and children with no identified learning problems on tests of central auditory function. Katz's Staggered.Spondaic Word (SSW) test and Willeford's Tests of Central Auditory Function (TCAF) were administered.

The groups consisted of twenty-one LD children (experimental) and twenty-one children with no identified learning problems (control). The groups were matched for age, sex, socioeconomic background, and IQ. None of the subjects had a peripheral auditory impairment.

Experimental and control groups differed significantly on the corrected left SSW ear scores at the 0.03 level, the corrected total …

A Comparative Analysis Of Tests For Central Auditory Function And Tests For Auditory Processing, Lynnee C. Luckett

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of the present investigation was to determine whether there was a relationship between the results obtained from tests of auditory language performance and those obtained from tests of central auditory performance. The performances of ten learning disabled children were compared with the performances of ten normal achievers on the six auditory language subtests of the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities and the staggered spondaic word test and Willeford's tests of central auditory processing abilities. The two groups were matched according to sex, age, and socioeconomic status. Only children having normal peripheral hearing and an IQ within normal range …

The Effect Of Masking On The Acoustic Reflex Threshold, Nancy E. Aldrich

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study investigated the effect of masking noise on the threshold for stapedial reflex. It has been shown that masking which shifts the hearing threshold causes a loudness function typical of recruitment. It was hypothesized that the stapedial reflex threshold remains the same in a masked situation as in the unmasked situation . It was suggested that this demonstrates recruitment in that the presence of noise reduces the range between hearing thresholds and stapedial reflex thresholds.

Ten subjects, with no known hearing loss or pathology involving the ear or reflex arc were used in this study. A 1000 Hz tone …

Subvocalization And Stuttering, Laverne Brent Gohl

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Twenty-six subjects, thirteen stutterers and thirteen fluent speakers, were matched by age, sex and educational background. None had any history of neurosurgery, neuropathology or debilitating injury to the head or neck.

Two GRASS silver chloride electrodes were attached to the chin and inferior surface of the lower lip of each subject. This recording site was chosen because, presumably, it would detect activity of the quadratus labii inferioris, a muscle involved in the articulation of labial phonemes, permitting a distinction between the labial and nonlabial ensembles and, therefore, speech and nonspeech oral activity. EMG recordings, measuring covert phonetic activity, were obtained …

Programmed Articulation Therapy Administered By Supportive Personnel, Leona B. Smook

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Using the principles of programmed instruction, a motor skill program was designed to instruct a nonprofessional how to teach a child to make a speech sound, specifically the phoneme /th/ (voiceless) in isolation.

A cognitive program describing the speech mechanism and act was also developed to be used in conjunction with the motor skill program.

These programs were pretested, then tested using 15 nursing attendants (aides) as subjects. Their presentation was compared to methods used by professionally trained clinicians. Three fully trained and qualified judges rated the performance of both groups. Analysis of the ratings showed that the performance of …

Tongue-Thrust Etiology : A Review Of The Literature, Betty C. Vine

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

In recent years the attention of specialty groups has been drawn toward the peculiar oral behavior commonly referred to as tongue-thrust. This behavior is not only characterized by multiple symptomatology, but it also has been characterized by multiple terminology.

In addition to the wide variety of views and theories on the tongue-thrust behavior, there is an ever greater discrepancy of opinion concerning the causal factors of this behavior. What is its etiology? Is it a functional disorder? Is it organically based or a combination of the two?

The purpose of the study was to attempt to organize the most prevalent …