Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

An Examination Of The Research Addressing Evidence-Based Communication Approaches For Students With Autism, Sydni Kaye Mcatee

Honors Theses

The meta-analysis examines scholarly articles regarding research on evidence-based communication for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. More specifically, this research involves different forms of Alternative and Augmentative Communication. This form of communication is used without a voice. A variety of interventions for Manual Signing (MS), Speech Generating Devices (SGD), and Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS) are reviewed within the research study. The purpose of this research is to define which evidence-based Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) interventions are most effective for children with Autism. More specifically, determining which form of communication can help lead children to more expressive language and …

Telepractice-Based Language Intervention Training For Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Sarah Bryan

Honors Theses

This study closely examined the progression and fidelity of strategy implementation of parents undergoing an ASD language intervention training program. This instructional, interactive program was designed for parents of children with autism, thus catering to the needs of participants involved. This study assessed the use of parent comments and redirects, two kinds of parent strategies, during each parent-child interaction to provide more information about the impact of training sessions. The researchers hypothesized that by the end of training, parent participants would increase their fidelity of strategy implementation, increase their use of comments rather than redirects, and employ more open-ended questions …

The Relationship Between Coping Behaviors And Misophonia Symptom Severity And Impairment, Ruth Emmon Tyson

Honors Theses

Misophonia is a complex disorder that is characterized by an extreme disliking of sounds. Individuals with misophonia may engage in anxiety-driven coping behaviors that constitute avoidance and safety behaviors. Current literature shows that while coping behavior may offer temporary relief of anxiety and distress, they can lead to persisting anxiety and avoidance of experiences. Given preliminary evidence demonstrating a link between coping behaviors and maintained or worsening symptoms, additional research is warranted to further understand the role of coping behaviors in misophonia. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between coping behaviors and maintenance or worsening of misophonia symptom severity …

A Survey Of Speech-Language Pathologists' Academic Preparation In Craniofacial Anomalies, Francesca Myerski

Honors Theses

Craniofacial anomalies occur in 1 of 750 newborns a year with the three main types being cleft lip, cleft palate, and cleft lip and/or cleft palate. There are six main factors that affect craniofacial anomalies that are focused on in this research, including genetics, environmental factors, medications, diet, health risks, and surgical procedures/surgeons. The research found that there is a lot of information on craniofacial anomalies and speech-language pathologists need to learn about as much as possible. The lack of knowledge and academic preparations speech-language pathologists have in craniofacial anomalies has decreased their awareness in the birth defect and has …

Indirectly And Directly Involved Students' Perspectives On Multi-Modal Communication Treatment In Persons With Aphasia, Emily Lewis

Honors Theses

Our study investigated the perspectives of students who were either directly or indirectly involved in the Multi-modal communication treatment (MCT) sessions for persons with aphasia. Two undergraduate and two graduate students were recruited from the University of Mississippi who participated in the MCT sessions. We collected their perspectives through semi-structured interviews and used thematic qualitative analysis to analyze our data. We reported themes from the indirectly involved students and the directly involved students and compared how the themes were similar and different between the indirectly and directly involved students. We discussed that both direct and indirect experience for clinical therapy …

Intensive, Interprofessional Therapy: A Case Approach, Emma C. Schrotenboer

Honors Theses

This research looks at the impacts of intensive, interprofessional therapy for children with disabilities. There is very little literature currently published on this topic, although what is available generally finds that more intense therapy is more beneficial. The child who was studied was a camper at Adam’s Camp therapy camp, a week-long program that involves six hours of therapy each day with therapists from five different fields. Her progress over the week, as well as her retention of skills several weeks later, were determined by pre- and post-camp surveys sent to the mother and the therapists’ notes from during the …

Resilience Training And Quality Of Life In Stuttering Therapy: A Systematic Review, Ashley Koehler

Honors Theses

Abstract

This study investigated correlations between resilience and quality of life relative to stuttering therapy. A systematic review and meta-analysis of articles published with focuses on stuttering, resilience training, and quality of life was conducted. Electronic databases, PubMed, and Google Scholar, were used to gain results of relevant published articles. Both search engines in this review produced relevant articles. Google Scholar produced more articles that met all 3 inclusion criteria, while PubMed produced more results that met at least 1 or 2 inclusion criteria. From both databases, numerous articles included the need for a multidimensional therapy emphasizing personal resilience. However, …

Patients’ Perspective Of Patient-Centered Approach Vs. Biomedical Approach, Lakynn Hillhouse

Honors Theses

Evidence-based practice in audiology may consist of a patient-centered approach or a biomedical approach when offering individuals the results of hearing evaluations. Boisvert et al. (2017) and the Institute for Defense Analysis confirmed that audiologists preferred to select one approach. The question was if an audiology patient is presented with two options of explaining the hearing health issues, which model/approach will be his or her preference?

Participants may have had unconscious biases related to race or gender that could have unknowingly impacted their perception of the videos. The results of this research will facilitate clinical understanding of individual preferences regarding …

The Efficacy Of The Student Communication Repair Inventory And Practical Training Program On Adolescent’S Self-Advocacy Skills In Communication Breakdowns, Karlye Tolbird

Honors Theses

Purpose

Hearing loss can affect several aspects of an adolescent’s life, particularly their self-advocacy skills and ability to communicate their needs in the classroom. Literature shows that adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 years have a prevalence of hearing loss between 14.9 percent and 19.5 percent (Shargorodsky et al., 2010). Therefore, early identification and intervention of hearing loss are necessary to reduce the adverse effects on the development of cognition, verbal communication skills, and self-advocacy skills (Michael & Zidan, 2018). This research study aimed to determine if the implementation of the SCRIPT program changes the communication repair behavior …

Resilience Training & Parental Support For Children Who Stutter - A Systematic Review, Rachel Elizabeth Davis

Honors Theses

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between emotional resilience and family/parental/caregiver support for children who stutter, and to review existing research on resilience training and family support relative to enhancing the quality of life in children who stutter. Thus, A systematic review of appropriate published studies was conducted utilizing the electronic databases PubMed and Google Scholar. Analysis revealed that there is an abundance of research supporting parental support and resilience training; however, there was limited direct clinical application relative to the unification of these concepts. Data indicates that the clinical application of emotional resilience and cognitive …

Effects Of Parent Intervention Via Tele-Practice On Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Rural Mississippi, Erin Bowens

Honors Theses

Background

The present study explored the use of parent intervention via tele-practice for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and how effective that intervention was in increasing the child’s language and communication skills and the parents’ strategy use in the rural state of Mississippi.

Methods

Two dyads of participants were used. Dyad 1 included a mother and her 4-year-old son with high-functioning ASD, and Dyad 2 included a mother and her 4-year-old daughter with severe ASD. Standardized tests were administered to gather data about the children’s diagnoses. The study included four phases across four months, including pre-test, intervention, post-test, and …

Pragmatic Deficits In Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Paige Kessler

Honors Theses

Background: Most studies have found pragmatic language skills to be poorer in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) populations, but there is no conclusive evidence.

Aim: Our aim was to conduct a meta-analysis of pragmatic language abilities in ADHD populations to more definitively demonstrate the extent of pragmatic language deficits in these populations as compared to typically developing (TD) populations.

Methods and procedures: Journal articles were identified using the search terms ((attention deficit) OR (adhd)) AND (pragmatics). Identified studies were screened and reviewed for inclusion criteria, descriptive information, and outcome variables. A meta-analysis was conducted, and individual effect sizes and overall effect size …

Functional Connectivity Of The Inferior Frontal Gyrus In Autism Spectrum Disorders, Emma Miller

Honors Theses

ABSTRACT

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association defines Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as a “neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and social interaction” which is heavily impacts language abilities. There is an abundance of research on the neurological aspects of the disorder, which appear to have major differences of activation and functionality when compared to typically developing peers. Specifically, in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), a key language region of the brain, functional connectivity levels tend to be significantly less in ASD groups. This study recognizes these trends and aims to expand the research by locating specific functional connections …

The Effects Of Disclosure On Perceptions Of Different Overt Stuttering Severity Levels, Katelyn Geringswald

Honors Theses

This study measured perceptions of a 17-year-old adolescent male who stutters, relative to select speech skills and personality characteristics, as a function of self-disclosure at various overt severity levels. 983 participants were assigned one of the four conditions, including (1) a no-disclosure control group, (2) mild stuttering severity self-disclosure, (3) moderate stuttering severity self-disclosure, and (4) severe stuttering severity self-disclosure. Participants assigned to the control condition viewed only a primary video stimulus of a 17-year-old adolescent who stutters. Participants assigned to one of the three experimental conditions (mild, moderate, or severe severity disclosure) watched a brief self-disclosure statement, followed by …

The Functional Connectivity Of The Auditory Cortex In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Katherine Wilson

Honors Theses

Disturbance of the auditory cortex in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is well known as well as its influence on hearing. Functional connectivity within the brain is also known to be affected by ASD. However, functional connectivity of the auditory cortex in ASD has yet to be studied. In this study, using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE), functional connectivity of the auditory cortex was examined by comparing 68 individuals with ASD and 75 individuals with ASD. Four brain regions showed smaller functional connectivity to and from the auditory cortex; the occipital cortex, …

The Effect Of Advocate Disclosure On The Perceptions Of A Young Adult Who Stutters, Madeline Simpson

Honors Theses

This between-group study designed weighed the effects of stuttering disclosure on the perceptions of a 17-year-old male who stutters, relative to perceived speech skills and personality characteristics. 1225 participants were included in the dataset analysis with a balanced distribution across all ranges. The conditions used in this study include (1) control condition (no disclosure), as well as experimental conditions including: (2) father disclosure, (3) male coach disclosure, (4) female teacher disclosure, (5) girlfriend disclosure, and (6) female speech-language pathologist. Participants in the control group only viewed the primary video stimulus, while participants in the experimental groups viewed one of the …

Light And Heavy Verb Usage By People With Non-Fluent Aphasia, Chase Sophia Kozak

Honors Theses

The purpose of the study was to investigate the discourse elicitation task effect and whether it affects the production of verbs with different semantic weight (light verbs with vague semantic representations, e.g., ‘do’, or heavy verbs with specific semantic representations, e.g., ‘deliver’). Thirty people with non-fluent aphasia and twenty people without aphasia were included. The light and heavy verb ratios over the total number of verbs were calculated for two discourse elicitation tasks: sequential picture description and storytelling. The results for the healthy control group showed that they produced a significant higher heavy verb ratio in sequential picture description than …

Early Intervention Service Delivery Models In Mississippi: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis, Claire Harper

Honors Theses

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to compare two models of service delivery for early intervention in Mississippi from a health care sector perspective: (1) face-to-face therapy in the home environment and (2) a hybrid model (i.e., telepractice and face-to-face therapy in the home environment), in order to compare costs and determine the most cost-effective service delivery of early intervention.

Methods: Children (n = 10) were recruited and determined to qualify for early intervention services through the Mississippi First Steps Early Intervention program. One early intervention provider, a certified SLP, from the northern health region provided early intervention …

The Interhemispheric Connectivity Of The Auditory Cortices, Taylor Stansberry

Honors Theses

Objectives: The corpus callosum of the brain is an important and complex structure that allows communication between the two cerebral hemispheres. In the absence of knowledge about the relationship between the corpus callosum and the auditory cortices, this study aimed to investigate how the structure changes. Specifically, we explored the age associated changes of interhemispheric connectivity between left and right cortices through the corpus callosum.Methods: Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) data from enhanced Nathan Kline Institute- Rockland Sample (NKI-RS), we isolated the auditory corpus callosum, or the section of the corpus callosum that transfers auditory information, in each individual subject …

Clinical Effectiveness Of Early Intervention Via A Hybrid Teletherapy Model: Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Rylan Ponthier

Honors Theses

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of Early Intervention (EI) provided via a hybrid model of teletherapy and traditional face-to-face therapy for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) compared to children without ASD.

Methods: In total, 10 children were evaluated receiving early intervention via a hybrid model of teletherapy and traditional face-to-face therapy. The children were divided up into two groups. Group 1 consisted of 5 children with ASD and Group 2 consisted of children without ASD. All children were assessed using the Rossetti Infant-Toddler Language Scale (RITLS).

Results: After 20 early intervention sessions, …

Hippocampal Connectivity In Parkinson's Disease, Landis Llewelyn

Honors Theses

Background: This thesis was conducted in order to investigate possible connections between functional connectivity of the hippocampus in individuals who have Parkinson’s disease.

Methods: The MRI images, the clinical data, and the demographic data of 93 individuals with PD and 18 individuals without PD were obtained from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative. Resting-state fMRI data from a group of PD patients was compared to a control group of non-PD patients by using previously published methods with FMRIB Software Library (FSL) as well as Analysis of Functional Neuroimages (AFNI).

Results: Compared to the control (non-PD) group, results bilaterally showed lesser connectivity …

Light And Heavy Verb Productions Between Single And Sequential Picture Description Tasks In People With And Without Non-Fluent Aphasia, Jessica Hall

Honors Theses

Background: Previous research has shown that persons with non-fluent aphasia (PWNFA) suffer from the inability to retrieve words, specifically more of a difficulty with verb productions. Various discourse elicitation tasks have shown to have differing effects on verb retrievals in this population. However, there is a lack of research on the relationship between single vs. sequential picture description tasks and the productions of heavy and light verbs in persons with non-fluent aphasia.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the ratios of heavy and light verbs produced in both single picture description tasks and sequential picture description tasks …

The Effects Of Cochlear Implantation And Educational Audiology Services On Language Skills: A Case Study, Madison Josey

Honors Theses

Purpose

Hearing loss can affect many aspects of a child’s life, particularly their language abilities and academic performance. Literature shows that children with hearing loss are more likely to have language deficits compared to their hearing peers (Tomblin et al., 2015). The degree to which language skills are affected has been shown to correlate with various factors, such as age of identification, hearing levels, and amount of speech and language intervention (Delage & Tuller, 2020; Shojaei et al., 2016). The aim of this research study was to assess how cochlear implantation and speech-language intervention affects the language skills and academic …

Assessment Of Orofacial Myofunctional Profiles Of Undergraduate Students In The United States, Rachel Yockey

Honors Theses

Background: Previous research indicates a high prevalence of orofacial myofunctional disorders in the general population. It was further reported that orofacial dysfunction may have wide ramifications, such as teeth displacement, articulation errors, swallowing difficulties, middle ear infections, and frequent colds. The purpose of this study was to examine orofacial myofunctional profiles of undergraduate students in the United States.

Method: The English version of the Nordic Orofacial Test-Screening (NOT-S) was used to assess 55 undergraduate university students (age range:18 to 23 years). In addition, each participant completed a standard hearing screening, as well as a hearing history questionnaire.

Results: In our …

Wernicke’S Area In Autism: Rsfmri Study, Sydney Osbarn

Honors Theses

We investigated the functional connectivity of Wernicke’s Area and its right homologue (Planum Temporale) in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and typically developing individuals. We used resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging to analyze these areas in 145 participants from The University of Michigan via ABIDE. As a retest sample, we also used data from a University of Pittsburgh cohort. There is weakened functional connectivity between Wernicke’s Area and Planum Temporale in individuals with ASD as opposed to typically developing individuals. Participants with ASD did not have greater connectivity in other regions compared to the control group. Pragmatics, nonverbalism, …

Differential Effects Of Verbal And Written Disclosure On Perceptions Of A Child Who Stutters, Peyton Mcknight

Honors Theses

This study measured perceptions of a 12-year-old boy who stutters, relative to perceived speech skills and personal characteristics, as a function of seven potential stuttering disclosure conditions, featuring either a personal verbal disclosure, written disclosure, or no disclosure, delivered by various authors (i.e., self/child, mother, teacher). 641 participants college-aged adults were randomly assigned to one of seven stuttering disclosure groups: no disclosure control, verbal self-disclosure, written self-disclosure, verbal mother disclosure, written mother disclosure, verbal teacher disclosure, or written teacher disclosure. Participants in the control group viewed a brief video of a 12-year-old male who stutters reciting a short passage. Participants …

The Raphe-Hippocampal Tract And Its Age Differences: Diffusion Tensor Imaging And Probabilistic Tractography Study, Ashley Sekul

Honors Theses

The raphe-hippocampal tract links the raphe nuclei to the hippocampus and is responsible for the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin. The hippocampus is key in regulating emotional and stress responses. This study utilized diffusion tensor imaging which uses Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to provide scans of the brain for analyzing differences in the raphe-hippocampal tract as one ages. In this specific study, 491 samples were visually analyzed to gather data about the fractional anisotropy of the raphe nuclei in both male and female brains ranging from 6 to 85 years old. Through the ranking of images, some were discarded, and …

Investigating The Link Between Executive Function And Creativity In School Aged Children, Katherine Crenshaw

Honors Theses

The primary purpose of this research was to examine links between executive function (i.e., EF or conscious control) and creativity in school aged children. To accomplish this, participants completed measurements of creativity (i.e., Alternative Uses) and EF (i.e., the Backwards Digit Span to test working memory, the Delay of Gratification task to test inhibition). I also examined whether a creative manipulation (i.e., free coloring or coloring task-relevant materials) would impact EF performance in the Dimensional Card Change Sort (DCCS) focused on cognitive flexibility. While I did not find evidence for a relationship between my measures of EF and creativity, I …

The Effects Of Written Stuttering Disclosure On Young Adult's Perceptions Of Children Who Stutter, Ashlee Manahan

Honors Theses

Abstract:

Purpose: This study measured between-group differences in perceived speech skills and personality characters of a 12-year-old male child who stutters (CWS) as a function of a written factual stuttering disclosure statement, delivered by a male CWS, his “mother”, and his “teacher”.

Methods: Four-hundred twenty-four college aged adults were randomly assigned to one of four groups. The groups included three experimental groups (i.e. written self-disclosure, written mother-disclosure, written teacher disclosure) and a control group (no written disclosure). Participants in the control condition viewed a brief video of a 12-year-old male who stutters. In the experimental conditions, participants viewed a brief …

Receptive And Expressive Prosodic Abilities In Adults With Down Syndrome, Logan A. Kingry

Honors Theses

Individuals with Down syndrome, a population that often struggles with communication, present a unique linguistic profile of strengths and weaknesses. Almost no research has examined prosody in adults with DS, despite the important role it plays in effective communication. The present study investigated the prosodic profile of seven adults with Down syndrome (18;07-34;11 years) using the Profiling Elements of Prosody for Speech and Communication (PEPS-C), and compared the group’s expressive and receptive prosodic abilities to a group of seven adults with mixed-etiology intellectual and developmental disability (29;02-37;07 years) matched on nonverbal ability. Data analyses showed that the group with Down …