Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Student And Family Perspectives On Using Augmentative And Alternative Communication Devices, Saili S. Kulkarni, Jessica Parmar

Faculty Publications

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices are essential to children with disabilities that result in complex communication needs (CCN) to fully participate in social and academic realms of life. As the numbers of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) learners in schools increase, so does the imperative to better inform instruction for CLD students who use AAC devices. This paper reviewed N=14 articles that emphasized CLD students who use AAC devices and their families. Implications highlighted that Euro-American culture dominates many aspects of AAC use, assessment, and professional recommendations. Additionally, there are limited perspectives of AAC users and families from CLD, …

Combined Aphasia And Apraxia Of Speech Treatment (Caast): Systematic Replications In The Development Of A Novel Treatment, Julie L. Wambaugh, Sandra Wright, Shannon C. Mauszycki, Christina Nessler, Dallin Bailey

Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of a modified version of a newly developed therapy for aphasia and acquired apraxia of speech (AOS), Combined Aphasia and Apraxia of Speech Treatment (CAAST).

Method: Four speakers with chronic AOS and aphasia received CAAST in the context of multiple baseline designs. Dependent variables included language measures (i.e. production of correct information units (CIUs)) and speech production measures (i.e. speech intelligibility and percent correct consonants (PCC) in sentence repetition).

Result: Three of the participants demonstrated improved CIU production with treated picture sets and two also demonstrated generalization to untreated …

Incorporating Spanish Language Instruction Into Health Sciences Programs In A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Connie Summers, Vannesa Mueller, Celia Pechak, Jeri J. Sias

Faculty Publications

Patient-provider language discordance is a growing problem in health care among Spanish-speaking patients. To produce graduates capable of linguistically competent care, three university programs are incorporating Spanish language instruction into their curricula (pharmacy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology). We review these three models of Spanish language training and summarize the lessons learned to date. Differences in the training models reflect fundamental differences regarding the use of spoken language in the disciplines.

Vocal Fry Use In Adult Female Speakers Exposed To Two Languages, Todd A. Gibson, Connie Summers, Sydney Walls

Faculty Publications

Summary: Objective. Several studies have identified the widespread use of vocal fry among American women. Popular explanations for this phenomenon appeal to sociolinguistic purposes that likely take significant time for second language users to learn. The objective of this study was to determine if mere exposure to this vocal register, as opposed to nuanced sociolinguistic motivations, might explain its widespread use. Study Design. This study used multigroup within- and between-subjects design. Methods. Fifty-eight women from one of three language background groups (functionally monolingual in English, functionally monolingual in Spanish, and Spanish-English bilinguals) living in El Paso, Texas, repeated a list …

Perceptions Of Mentoring Slps And Clinical Fellows During The Clinical Fellowship, Maria Resendiz, Connie Summers, Roxanna Ruiz-Felter, Elizabeth Belasco, Katherine Fox

Faculty Publications

The clinical fellowship (CF) is completed by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) after graduating with a master’s degree. The clinical fellow is supervised by a mentoring SLP who meets the qualifications set forth by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The current study focused on differences and similarities in expectations during the CF by the mentoring SLP and clinical fellow. Participants were asked about knowledge and skills for which clinical fellows are evaluated at the end of the CF in the areas of assessment and treatment. Clinical fellows wanted more help with assessment and less assistance with treatment. Mentoring SLPs felt assistance was …

Language Of Intervention In Bilingual Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Connie Summers, Vanessa Smith, Vannesa Mueller, Victoria Alexander, Amelie Muzza

Faculty Publications

Selecting the appropriate language of intervention for bilingual children with language impairment is difficult, especially for bilingual children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) as their families are often encouraged by professionals to select one language only for communication. The limited evidence supports the use of bilingual language interventions when working with bilingual children with ASD. The current study sought to expand this limited work by presenting preliminary data of the effects of a bilingual and monolingual treatment condition on the language skills of two bilingual children with ASD (ages 3 and 5) using an alternating treatment, single-subject design. The two …

The Effects Of Stimulus Rate On Abr Morphology And Its Relationship To P1 Caep Responses And Auditory Speech Perception Outcomes In Children With Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder Evidence From Case Reports, Garrett Cardon, Rosemary J. Mcknight, Hannah Glick, Anu Sharma

Faculty Publications

Objective: Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) affects approximately 5–15% of children with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). ANSD is characterized by the presence of otoacoustic emissions (OAE) and an absent or abnormal auditory brainstem response (ABR). The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of slow-rate ABR in predicting the auditory cortical development and auditory speech perception outcomes in case studies of children with ANSD. Design: ABR waveform characteristics were collected at slow stimulation rates (5.1 clicks/second) and a fast stimulation rates (>11–31.1 clicks/second, rates typically used in a clinical setting) in three case reports of children …

The Social Validity Of Telepractice Among Spanish-Speaking Caregivers Of English Learners: An Examination Of Moderators, Lisa Fitton, Kristina N. Bustamante, Carla Wood

Faculty Publications

The purpose of the present paper was to examine the social validity of telepractice as a service delivery model for Spanish-speaking families of English learners. Quantitative survey methodology was employed to examine 79 caregivers' opinions regarding telepractice and to obtain background information about participants' home environments. Findings revealed that approximately 46% of the participant sample reported being interested in their children receiving services via telepractice. Caregivers reported limited familiarity with telepractice as an option, but were likely to express interest if their child had an identified speech or language disorder or if they were interested in increased access to Spanish …

Corticosteroid-Laba Inhalers Increase Phonation Threshold Pressure (Ptp) And Flow (Ptf) In Rabbits, Christopher Dromey, Kristine Tanner, Heidi J. Robison, Maya Elena Stevens, Ray M. Merrill, Julie Barkmeier-Kraemer, Ben Christensen

Faculty Publications

Objectives: This study examined the effects of a combination corticosteroid plus long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist inhaler (IC) on rabbit phonation. Methods: White New Zealand male rabbits were assigned randomly to experimental and control groups (n = 11 per group). The experimental group received twice-daily doses of Advair HFA™ (fluticasone propionate 45 mcg and salmeterol 21 mcg) via a veterinary facemask with 1-way valve and spacer; the control group received aerosolized saline. After 8 weeks, animals were euthanized, larynges excised, frozen, and subsequently thawed and mounted on a standard bench apparatus. Phonation was elicited during 15 successive trials, and phonation threshold pressure …

Effects Of Laryngeal Activity On Articulation, Christopher Dromey, Katherine M. Black

Faculty Publications

Abstract—This study examined the effects of three speech conditions (voiced, whispered, and mouthed) on global average measures of articulatory movement during sentence production. Participants were 20 adults (ten males and ten females) with no history of speech, language, or hearing disorders. They produced six target utterances in the three speaking conditions. Movements of the following articulators were recorded with an electromagnetic articulograph: Mid tongue, front of tongue, jaw, lower lip, and upper lip. The kinematic metrics were averages derived from movement strokes defined by minima in the speed record of each articulator. These measures revealed a number of significant changes …

Effects Of Voice-Sparing Cricotracheal Resection On Phonation In Women, Christopher Dromey, Kristine Tanner, Mark L. Berardi, Lisa M. Mattei, Jenny L. Pierce, Jonathan J. Wisco, Eric J. Hunter, Marshall E. Smith

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Individuals with idiopathic subglottic stenosis (SGS) are at risk for voice disorders prior to and following surgical management. This study examined the nature and severity of voice disorders in patients with SGS before and after a revised cricotracheal resection (CTR) procedure designed to minimize adverse effects on voice function. Method: Eleven women with idiopathic SGS provided presurgical and postsurgical audio recordings. Voice Handicap Index (VHI) scores were also collected. Cepstral, signal-to-noise, periodicity, and fundamental frequency (F0) analyses wereundertaken for connected speech and sustained vowel samples. Listeners made auditory-perceptual ratings of overall qualityand monotonicity.Results: Paired samples statistical analyses revealed that …

Effects Of Speech Intensity On Acoustic And Kinematic Articulatory Working Space, Christopher Dromey, Panika Palmer, Jason Whitfield

Faculty Publications

Acoustic measures calculated from the formant frequencies of corner vowels, such as the vowel space areas of triangles or quadrilaterals, have often been used as a window into articulatory function. Other measures, such as the formant centralization ratio (Sapir, Ramig, Spielman, & Fox, 2010), have been suggested as more sensitive alternatives. The purpose of this study was to compare changes in acoustic and kinematic measures of articulation across soft, comfortable, and loud speech conditions using both corner vowel-based and sentence level metrics. There were 19 participants, 9 male and 10 female, with ages ranging from 20 to 34 years. Each …

Structural Covariance Of Sensory Networks, The Cerebellum, And Amygdala In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Garrett Cardon, Susan Hepburn, Donald C. Rojas

Faculty Publications

Sensory dysfunction is a core symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and abnormalities with sensory responsivity and processing can be extremely debilitating to ASD patients and their families. However, relatively little is known about the underlying neuroanatomical and neurophysiological factors that lead to sensory abnormalities in ASD. Investigation into these aspects of ASD could lead to significant advancements in our general knowledge about ASD, as well as provide targets for treatment and inform diagnostic procedures. Thus, the current study aimed to measure the covariation of volumes of brain structures (i.e., structural magnetic resonance imaging) that may be involved in abnormal …

Intensifying English Vocabulary Instruction For English Language Learners, Lisa A. Fitton Ph.D., Kristina Nichole Bustamante, Mary Claire Wofford, Dana Brown, Clariebelle Gabas, Rachel Hoge, Carla Wood

Faculty Publications

English vocabulary development is a key component of language and literacy development for English language learners (ELLs) living in the United States. With the increase in the number of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) with ELLs on their caseloads, it has become increasingly important for SLPs to be able to facilitate vocabulary growth in ELLs. To assist SLPs working with ELLs in schools, the present paper provides an overview of strategies to enhance English vocabulary instruction for ELLs, drawing on evidence from research with both monolingual and bilingual students. Strategies included are: leveraging the native language, teaching comprehension monitoring, embedding instruction in …

Interfaces Between Linguistic Systems: Evidence From Child Language, Lyle Lustigman

Faculty Publications

Interfaces between grammatical domains have been considered from various perspectives in child language research and in general linguistics. The study aims to provide evidence for interfaces in acquisition of early clause-structure, based on longitudinal data from three Hebrew-acquiring toddlers. Two facets of their early speech output were examined: Usage productivity in verb-inflection, identified by a criterion of contextual appropriateness; and structural transparency/opacity of children’s speech output, with transparent forms being unambiguous in relation to their grammatical targets. These factors yielded two distinct developmental periods for the three children: I – from the onset of verb usage to productive verb inflection, …

What Do Children Use Complements For? Representing Speaker Perspectives In Recounting Conversations, Lyle Lustigman

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Russian Palatalized And Unpalatalized Coda Consonants: An Electropalatographic And Acoustic Analysis Of Native Speaker And L2 Learner Productions, Shawn L. Nissen, Jane F. Hacking, Bruce L. Smith, Hannah Allen

Faculty Publications

One fundamental aspect of the Russian phonological system is a contrast between palatalized and unpalatalized consonants. This distinction poses a challenge for native English speakers learning Russian as a second language because palatalization is not a feature of their first language (L1) phonology. The present study examined word-final palatalized and unpalatalized consonants produced by native Russian speakers and native English speakers learning Russian. Electropalatographic (EPG) and acoustic recordings were made of six native Russian speakers and six native English speakers, who had significant classroom and immersion experience with Russian. Data from the native Russian speakers suggested that the contrast between …

Exploring The Clinical Utility Of Relative Fundamental Frequency As An Objective Measure Of Vocal Hyperfunction, Christopher Dromey, Nelson Roy, Rebecca A. Fetrow, Ray M. Merrill

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Vocal hyperfunction, related to abnormal laryngeal muscle activity, is considered the proximal cause of primary muscle tension dysphonia (pMTD). Relative fundamental frequency (RFF) has been proposed as an objective acoustic marker of vocal hyperfunction. This study examined (a) the ability of RFF to track changes in vocal hyperfunction after treatment for pMTD and (b) the influence of dysphonia severity, among other factors, on the feasibility of RFF computation. Method: RFF calculations and dysphonia severity ratings were derived from pre- and posttreatment recordings from 111 women with pMTD and 20 healthy controls. Three vowel–voiceless consonant–vowel stimuli were analyzed. Results: RFF …

Articulatory-Acoustic And Kinematic Relationships In Comfortable And Loud Speech, Christopher Dromey, Jason A. Whitfield, Panika Palmer

Faculty Publications

During speech, movements of the vocal tract systematically alter vowel acoustics. A number of investigations have examined these articulatory acoustic relationships (e.g., Mefferd & Green, 2010). Studies have shown that systematic changes in speaking style, such as in clear or loud speech, yield greater excursions of articulatory gestures that are accompanied by an expansion of formant frequency measures in F1-F2 space (Mefferd & Green, 2010; Tasko & Greilick, 2010). A recent investigation introduced the Articulatory-Acoustic Vowel Space (AAVS), a measure of working formant space that uses continuously sampled formant data from connected speech (Whitfield & Goberman, 2014). No data, however, …

Comparing Methods For Assessing The English Grammatical Development Of Spanish-Speaking English Learners, Lisa A. Fitton Ph.D., Mary Claire Wofford, Kristina N. Bustamante, Natasha De Novi, Bibiana Nuñez, Carla L. Wood

Faculty Publications

Identifying valid and informative approaches for assessing young English learners (ELs) is essential for school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs). The present paper focuses on two distinct approaches for assessing English grammatical development, a key component and indicator of language development for ELs. The approaches addressed are standardized normreferenced assessment and grammatical feature coding from story retell narratives. The authors review the utility of these approaches for evaluating the English grammatical development of Spanish-speaking ELs. A research example is provided to illustrate how a small sample (n = 18) of ELs performed on each of these English-based tasks. Findings reveal that children …

Learning By Doing: Students From Three Disciplines Work Together To Help People With Dementia With Their Communication And Physical Challenges., Tyson G. Harmon, Brenda Everett Mitchell, Anna Weinberg

Faculty Publications

None

Recovering With Acquired Apraxia Of Speech: The First 2 Years, Tyson G. Harmon, Katarina L. Haley, Jennifer N. Shafer, Adam Jacks

Faculty Publications

This study was intended to document speech recovery for 1 person with acquired apraxia of speech quantitatively and on the basis of her lived experience. The second author sustained a traumatic brain injury that resulted in acquired apraxia of speech. Over a 2-year period, she documented her recovery through 22 video-recorded monologues. We analyzed these monologues using a combination of auditory perceptual, acoustic, and qualitative methods. Recovery was evident for all quantitative variables examined. For speech sound production, the recovery was most prominent during the first 3 months, but slower improvement was evident for many months. Measures of speaking rate, …

Laryngeal Desiccation Challenge And Nebulized Isotonic Saline In Healthy Male Singers And Nonsingers: Effects On Acoustic, Aerodynamic, And Self-Perceived Effort And Dryness Measures, Christopher Dromey, Kristine Tanner, Robert B. Fujiki, Ray M. Merrill, Whitney Robb, Katherine A. Kendall, J Arden Hopkin, Ron W. Channell, M Preeti Sivasankar

Faculty Publications

Summary: Objectives. This study examined the effects of a laryngeal desiccation challenge and nebulized isotonic saline on voice production in young, healthy male singers and nonsingers. Study design. This is a prospective, double-blind, within-subjects experimental design. Methods. Participants included 10 male university-trained singers and 10 age-matched nonsingers (mean age, 21.8 years; range, 18–26 years) who underwent a 30-minute oral breathing laryngeal desiccation challenge using medical grade dry air (<1% relative humidity) on two occasions in consecutive weeks. After the challenge, participants received either 3 mL or 9 mL of nebulized isotonic saline (0.9% Na+ Cl); order of administration was counterbalanced. Phonation threshold pressure (PTP), the cepstral spectral index of dysphonia (CSID) for sustained vowels and connected speech, and self-perceived vocal effort, mouth dryness, and throat dryness were measured at each recording (baseline, after challenge, and at 5, 35, and 65 minutes after treatment). Results. Self-perceived effort and dryness measures increased (worsened) after desiccation challenge and decreased (improved) after nebulized treatment (P < 0.05). No consistent changes were observed for PTP or CSID over time. Overall, singers demonstrated significantly lower vocal effort and CSID as compared with nonsingers. Conclusions. Young, vocally healthy men may not experience physiologic changes in voice production associated with laryngeal desiccation and nebulized saline treatments; however, self-reported increases in vocal effort which are associated with dryness symptoms might improve with nebulized treatments. Future hydration research should consider age and sex variables

The Effects Of Noise On Speech Movements In Young, Middle- Aged, And Older Adults. Speech, Language And Hearing, Christopher Dromey, Sarah Scott

Faculty Publications

People often talk in noisy environments, which can influence the effectiveness of communication. This study examined the impact of several types of noise on speech production by measuring lip movements during a sentence repetition task. Sixty participants in three age groups ranging from 20 to 70 repeated a sentence under five noise conditions (silence, one person reading aloud, two readers, six readers, and pink noise).A head-mounted strain gauge system tracked vertical lip movements. With the presentation of noise during a speaking task, the intensity increased due to the Lombard effect in all of the noise conditions. The utterance duration for …

Listener Perceptions Of Simulated Fluent Speech In Nonfluent Aphasia, Tyson G. Harmon, Adam Jacks, Katarina L. Haley, Richard A. Faldowski

Faculty Publications

Background: People with aphasia (PWA) are frequently perceived less favorably by listeners than their peers. These perceptions include incorrect assumptions that can prevent successful social interactions. While communication partner training has been shown to improve social outcomes related to the listener (see e.g., Kagan, Black, Duchan, Simmons-Mackie, & Square, 2001), changing the verbal output of PWA may also yield more favorable listener perceptions about the speech, speaker, and their own affective response. We investigated the effects of artificially altered fluency (i.e., simulated fluency) on listeners’ subjective impressions.

Aims: The purpose of the study was to (1) confirm that listeners perceive …

Short Report: Raising Children Bilingually, Henriette Langdon

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this article is to describe the process of becoming bilingual by sharing my own experience being raised in a four-language environment and how it influenced the upbringing of my daughter in two, and subsequently three languages. The other purpose is to dispel the myth that children with language, developmental and/or intellectual impairments or those diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum cannot or should not be exposed to two languages because it is confusing, or because they simply cannot handle two languages due to their disability. As a bilingual speech and language pathologist (SLP) who has practiced …

Interpreter-Assisted Speech-Language Intervention In Poland: Needs, Possibilities And Prospects (Współpraca Polskiego Logopedy Z Tłumaczem – Potrzeby, Możliwości I Perspektywy), Katarzyna Gaweł, Henriette Langdon, Katarzyna Węsierska

Faculty Publications

Due to the constantly evolving global demographic situation, speech-language therapists (SLTs, also: speech-language pathologists – SLPs) have to deal with an increasing workload of bilingual/multilingual clients. This article presents results of a survey conducted among Polish SLTs aimed at investigating their views with regards to the possibility of collaboration with an interpreter during therapeutic intervention. The original version of the questionnaire (Gaweł & Węsierska, 2014) used in this survey was filled out by 206 respondents from different areas across Poland. The following issues were addressed in the study: the SLTs’ views on the incidence of bilingualism in Poland, their self-evaluation …

Evidence-Based Practice In Stuttering: Views From American And Polish Clinical Perspectives, Henriette W. Langdon, Pei-Tzu Tsai, Katarzyna Węsierska

Faculty Publications

In this paper the authors present the underpinnings of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) with application to stuttering. The application of intervention practices using EBP are discussed from two different countries, the United States and Poland. Advantages, Challenges and Future Directions as well as Solutions are presented. In sum, the authors conclude that both perspectives are relatively similar and going generally in the same direction.

Visual Analog Rating Of Mood By People With Aphasia, Tyson G. Harmon, Katarina L. Haley, Jennifer L. Womack, Sharon W. Williams

Faculty Publications

Background:

Considerable attention has been given to the identification of depression in stroke survivors with aphasia, but there is more limited information about other mood states. Visual analog scales are often used to collect subjective information from people with aphasia. However, the validity of these methods for communicating about mood has not been established in people with moderately to severely impaired language.

Objective:

The dual purposes of this study were to characterize the relative endorsement of negative and positive mood states in people with chronic aphasia after stroke and to examine congruent validity for visual analog rating methods for people …

Developmental Surveillance And Referral In A Traditionally Medically Underserved Border Community, Eugenia C. Gonzalez, Connie Summers, Vannesa Mueller, Anne Hernandez, Gilda Gil-Lopez, Danielle C. Garcia, Maritza E. Lopez

Faculty Publications

Purpose Early identification and referral have been shown to improve long-term outcomes for children with disabilities. However, the number of children enrolled in early intervention services continues to be lower than the number of children confirmed to be developmentally delayed later in life. This study investigated the pattern of developmental surveillance and referral practices of pediatricians in a traditionally medically underserved border community. Description An online survey was created by members of a community/academic partnership. Emails were followed up with a personal contact to doctor’s offices to increase the response rate. Assessment Response rate for the survey was 26.7 %. …