Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

The Development Of Psychometrically Equivalent Cantonese Speech Audiometry Materials, Shawn L. Nissen, Richard W. Harris, Ron W. Channell, Brooke Conklin, Misty Kim, Lena Wong

Faculty Publications

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically evaluate speech audiometry materials that can be used to measure word recognition (WR) and speech recognition testing (SRT) in quiet for native speakers of Cantonese. Study Sample: Commonly used bisyllabic and trisyllabic Cantonese words were digitally recorded by native male and female talkers and then evaluated by twenty normal-hearing Cantonese listeners. Design: The recorded bisyllabic words were psychometrically evaluated and arranged into four WR lists and eight half-lists that are relatively homogeneous in audibility. Using logistic regression, SRT materials were developed by selecting 28 trisyllabic words with relatively steep …

The Acoustic Effects Of Vowel Equalization Training In Singers, Christopher Dromey, Emily Heaton, J. Arden Hopkin

Faculty Publications

Vowel equalization is a technique that can be used by singers to achieve a more balanced vocal resonance, or chiaroscuro, by balancing corresponding front and back vowels, which share approximate tongue heights, and also high and low vowels by means of a more neutral or centralized lingual posture. The goal of this single group study was to quantify acoustic changes in vowels following a brief training session in vowel equalization. Fifteen young adults with amateur singing experience sang a passage and sustained isolated vowels both before and after a 15 minute training session in vowel equalization. The first two …

Cerebral Perfusion In Chronic Stroke: Implications For Lesion-Symptom Mapping And Functional Mri, Jessica D. Richardson, Julie M. Baker, Paul S. Morgan, Chris Rorden, L. Bonilha, Julius Fridriksson

Faculty Publications

Lesion-symptom mapping studies are based upon the assumption that behavioral impairments are directly related to structural brain damage. Given what is known about the relationship between perfusion deficits and impairment in acute stroke, attributing specific behavioral impairments to localized brain damage leaves room for speculation, as impairments could also reflect abnormal neurovascular function in brain regions that appear structurally intact on traditional CT and MRI scans. Compared to acute stroke, the understanding of cerebral perfusion in chronic stroke is far less clear. Utilizing arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI, we examined perfusion in 17 patients with chronic left hemisphere stroke. The …

The Route Less Travelled: Assessment Of Procedural Memory In Dementia. Poster, Nidhi Mahendra, Amanda Scullion, Cassandra Hamerschlag

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Monitoring Carboplatin Ototoxicity With Distortion-Product Otoacoustic Emissions In Children With Retinoblastoma, Shaum Bhagat, Johnnie Bass, Stephanie White, Ibrahim Qaddoumi, Matthew Wilson, Jianrong Wu, Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo

Faculty Publications

ObjectiveCarboplatin is a common chemotherapy agent with potential ototoxic side effects that is used to treat a variety of pediatric cancers, including retinoblastoma. Retinoblastoma is a malignant tumor of the retina that is usually diagnosed in young children. Distortion-product otoacoustic emission tests offer an effective method of monitoring for ototoxicity in young children. This study was designed to compare measurements of distortion-product otoacoustic emissions obtained before and after several courses of carboplatin chemotherapy in order to examine if (a) mean distortion-product otoacoustic emission levels were significantly different; and (b) if criterion reductions in distortion-product otoacoustic emission levels were observed in …

Neural Plasticity And Treatment-Induced Recovery Of Sentence Processing In Agrammatism, Cynthia K. Thompson, Dirk B. Den Ouden, Borna Bonakdarpour, Kyla Garibaldi, Todd B. Parrish

Faculty Publications

This study examined patterns of neural activation associated with treatment-induced improvement of complex sentence production (and comprehension) in six individuals with stroke-induced agrammatic aphasia, taking into account possible alterations in blood flow often associated with stroke, including delayed time-to-peak of the hemodynamic response function (HRF) and hypoperfused tissue. Aphasic participants performed an auditory verification fMRI task, processing object cleft, subject cleft, and simple active sentences, prior to and following a course of Treatment of Underlying Forms (TUR; Thompson et al., 2003), a linguistically based approach for treating aphasic sentence deficits, which targeted objective relative clause constructions. The patients also were …

Louder Speech Leads To Greater Intelligibility Improvements Than Amplification Of Habitual Speech In Parkinson’S Disease, Christopher Dromey

Faculty Publications

Effects of loud and amplified speech on sentence and word intelligibility in Parkinson disease.

Louder Speech Leads To Greater Intelligibility Improvements Than Amplification Of Habitual Speech In Parkinson Disease, Christopher Dromey

Faculty Publications

Amplification may be helpful in improving speech intelligibility for some speakers with Parkinson disease. Because the gain used in the present study was limited to the dB increase from habitual to loud speech, it is unclear how performance might increase with higher amplification levels. Increases in the signal to noise ratio in the present study only account for about one third to one half of the intelligibility improvements that accompany loud speech. Thus, loud speech differs from habitual speech in more than just its amplitude. Articulation appears to play a lesser role in these improvements, whereas source spectral changes may …

Vocal Fold Bowing In Elderly Male Monozygotic Twins: A Case Study, Kristine Tanner, Cara Sauder, Susan L. Thibeault, Christopher Dromey, Marshall E. Smith

Faculty Publications

Objectives: This study examined case histories, diagnostic features, and treatment response in two 79-year-old male monozygotic (identical) twins with vocal fold bowing, exploring both genetic and environmental factors.
Study Design: Case study.
Methods: DNA concordance was examined via cheek swab. Case histories, videostroboscopy, auditory- and visual-perceptual assessment, electromyography, acoustic measures, and Voice Handicap ratings were undertaken. Both twins underwent surgical intervention and subsequent voice therapy.
Results: Monozygosity was confirmed for DNA polymorphisms, with 10 of 10 concordance for STR DNA markers. For both twins, auditory and visual-perceptual assessments indicated severe bowing, hoarseness and breathiness, although Twin 1 was judged to …

Bilingual Performance On Nonword Repetition In Spanish And English, Connie Summers, Thomas M. Bohman, Ronald B. Gillam, Elizabeth D. Pena, Lisa M. Bedore

Faculty Publications

Background: Nonword repetition (NWR) involves the ability to perceive, store, recall and reproduce phonological sequences. These same abilities play a role in word and morpheme learning. Cross-linguistic studies of performance on NWR tasks, word learning, and morpheme learning yield patterns of increased performance on all three tasks as a function of age and language experience. These results are consistent with the idea that there may be universal information-processing mechanisms supporting language learning. Because bilingual children’s language experience is divided across two languages, studying performance in two languages on NWR could inform one’s understanding of the relationship between information processing and …

Bidirectional Interference Between Speech And Postural Stability In Individuals With Parkinson's Disease, Christopher Dromey, Eon Jarvis, Stuart Sondrup, Shawn Nissen, K. Bo Foreman, Leland E. Dibble

Faculty Publications

Because people frequently talk while engaged in other activities, and because Parkinson's disease (PD) is known to diminish multi-tasking performance, we examined dual task interference between speaking and postural stability in 9 individuals with PD, 7 age-matched and 10 healthy young controls. Participants repeated a target utterance and performed a rise to toes task in both single and dual task conditions. Diphthong transitions were measured from audio recordings and postural variables reflecting planning, coordination, and stability were derived from a multi-camera motion capture system and force plate recordings. Thus, sensitive measures of both control groups for the isolated postural task, …

Computer-Based Cognitive Interventions For Persons With Dementia: Feasibility And Outcomes, Nidhi Mahendra, Allegra Apple, Susan Carroll, Adithya Chandregowda

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Barriers Influencing Minority Clients’ Access To Speech Language Pathology Services. Poster, Nidhi Mahendra, Katie Schoneman, Nisha Engineer

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Acoustic And Spectral Patterns In Young Children's Stop Consonant Productions, Shawn L. Nissen, Robert Allen Fox

Faculty Publications

The aim of this study was to examine the acoustic and spectral patterns of stop articulation in the speech of pre-pubescent children. A set of voiceless stop consonants, /ptk/, produced by a group of adults and typically developing children 3-5 years of age were examined in terms of multiple acoustic and spectral parameters. Findings indicated that, with the exception of spectral kurtosis, the acoustic and spectral characteristics of the stop productions varied significantly as a function of place of articulation and vowel context. Sex-specific differences in spectral slope, mean, and skewness were found for the 5-year-old and adult speakers. Such …

The Effect Of Semantic Set Size On Word Learning By Preschool Children, Holly L. Storkel, Suzanne M. Adlof

Faculty Publications

Purpose - The purpose was to determine whether semantic set size, a measure of the number of semantic neighbors, influenced word learning, and whether the influence of semantic set size was broad, showing effects on multiple measures both during and after learning.

Method - Thirty-six preschool children were exposed to 10 nonobjects, varying in semantic set size, paired with 10 nonwords, controlling phonotactic probability and neighborhood density. Nonobject-nonword pairs were presented in a game format. Learning was measured in naming and referent identification tasks administered before, during, and 1 week after training.

Results - Results showed no differences in naming …

Adult And Child Semantic Neighbors Of The Kroll And Potter (1984) Nonobjects, Holly L. Storkel, Suzanne M. Adlof

Faculty Publications

Purpose - The purpose was to determine the number of semantic neighbors, namely semantic set size, for 88 nonobjects (J. F. Kroll & M. C. Potter, 1984) and determine how semantic set size related to other measures and age.

Method - Data were collected from 82 adults and 92 preschool children in a discrete association task. The nonobjects were presented via computer, and participants reported the first word that came to mind that was meaningfully related to the nonobject. Words reported by two or more participants were considered semantic neighbors. The strength of each neighbor was computed as the …

Exploring The Phonatory Effects Of External Superior Laryngeal Nerve Paralysis: An In Vivo Model, Christopher Dromey, Nelson Roy, Marshall E. Smith, Jonathan Redd, Skylee Neff, Doug Grennan

Faculty Publications

Objectives/Hypothesis: Little is known regarding the phonatory consequences of unilateral external superior laryngeal nerve (ESLN) paralysis. By selectively blocking the ESLN with lidocaine HCl (with laryngeal electromyography verification), we modeled acute, unilateral cricothyroid (CT) muscle dysfunction to explore possible acoustic, aerodynamic, auditory-perceptual and auto-perceptive effects. Study Design: Prospective, repeated measures, experimental design. Methods: Ten, vocally-normal adult males underwent lidocaine block of the right ESLN. Multiple measures of phonatory function across a variety of vocal tasks/conditions were acquired before and during the block using standard data acquisition and analysis protocols. Results: During ESLN block, phonatory frequency range was significantly reduced with …

Argument Structure Effects In Action Verb Naming In Static And Dynamic Conditions, Dirk B. Den Ouden, Steve Fix, Todd B. Parrish, Cynthia K. Thompson

Faculty Publications

Argument structure, as in the participant roles entailed within the lexical representation of verbs, affects verb processing. Recent neuroimaging studies show that when verbs are heard or read, the posterior temporoparietal region shows increased activation for verbs with greater versus lesser argument structure complexity, usually bilaterally. In addition, patients with agrammatic aphasia show verb production deficits, graded based on argument structure complexity. In the present study, we used fMRI to examine the neural correlates of verb production in overt action naming conditions. In addition, we tested the differential effects of naming when verbs were presented dynamically in video segments versus …

How Can A Video Game Cause Panic Attacks? 1. Effects Of An Auditory Stressor On The Human Brainstem, Judith Lauter, Elizabeth Mathukutty, Brandon Scott

Faculty Publications

The auditory brainstem response (ABR) was recorded during simultaneous binaural presentation of two types of sounds: 1) condensation clicks presented through in-the-ear earphones at 43.1/sec, 60dB nHL; and 2) recordings of breathing sounds, presented through supra-aural headphones, at levels adjusted by participants to be equivalent to the clicks. In alternate blocks, the breathing sounds were either: 1) a recording of quiet breathing (blocks 1, 3, 5); or 2) a recording of erratic (stressed) breathing (blocks 2, 4). The erratic breathing was modeled on a video game soundtrack in which the character was represented as running, wounded, and frightened. Four 2048-sweep …

Estimating Dysphonia Severity In Continuous Speech: Application Of A Multi-Parameter Spectral/Cepstral Model, Christopher Dromey, Shaheen N. Awan, Nelson Roy

Faculty Publications

The purpose of the study was to identify a sub-set of spectral/cepstral-based analysis methods that would most effectively predict dysphonia severity (as estimated via auditory-perceptual analysis) in samples of continuous speech. Acoustic estimates of dysphonia severity were used as an objective treatment outcomes measure in a set of pre- vs post-treatment speech samples. Pre- and post-treatment continuous speech samples from 104 females with primary muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) were rated by listeners using a 100 point visual analogue scale (VAS) and analysed acoustically with spectral/cepstral-based measures. Stepwise linear regression produced a three-factor model consisting of the cepstral peak prominence (CPP); …

An In Vivo Model Of External Superior Laryngeal Nerve Paralysis: Laryngoscopic Findings, Christopher Dromey, Michael E. Barton, Marshall E. Smith, Ray M. Merrill, Cara Sauder, Nelson Roy

Faculty Publications

Objectives/Hypothesis: For over 100 years, a controversy has existed regarding the laryngeal signs that should be considered pathognomonic of unilateral external superior laryngeal nerve (ESLN) paralysis. By selectively blocking the ESLN using lidocaine, we attempted to identify the salient laryngeal features associated with acute, unilateral cricothyroid(CT) muscle dysfunction. Study Design: Prospective, repeated measures, experimental design. Methods: Ten vocally normal adult males under-went lidocaine block of the right ESLN with laryngeal electromyography verification. Flexible videolaryngostroboscopic (FVLS) recordings were acquired before and during the block. Eleven blinded, expert judges, rated randomized pre- versus during block recordings of 10 vocal tasks using standardized …

Articulatory Changes In Muscle Tension Dysphonia: Evidence Of Vowel Space Expansion Following Manual Circumlaryngeal Therapy, Christopher Dromey, Nelson Roy, Shawn L. Nissen, Shimon Sapir

Faculty Publications

In a preliminary study, we documented significant changes in formant transitions associated with successful manual circumlaryngeal treatment (MCT) of muscle tension dysphonia (MTD), suggesting improvement in speech articulation. The present study explores further the effects of MTD on vowel articulation by means of additional vowel acoustic measures. Pre- and post-treatment audio recordings of 111 women with MTD were analyzed acoustically using two measures: vowel space area (VSA) and vowel articulation index (VAI), constructed using the first (F1) and second (F2) formants of 4 point vowels/ ", i, æ, u/, extracted from eight words within a standard reading passage. Pairwise t-tests …

Acoustic And Spectral Patterns In Young Children’S Stop Consonant Productions, Shawn L. Nissen, Robert Allen Fox

Faculty Publications

The aim of this study was to examine the acoustic and spectral patterns of stop articulation in the speech of pre-pubescent children. A set of voiceless stop consonants, /ptk/, produced by a group of adults and typically developing children 3–5 years of age were examined in terms of multiple acoustic and spectral parameters. Findings indicated that, with the exception of spectral kurtosis, the acoustic and spectral characteristics of the stop productions varied significantly as a function of place of articulation and vowel context. Sex-specific differences in spectral slope, mean, and skewness were found for the 5-year-old and adult speakers. Such …

Intra-Speaker Variability In Palatometric Measures Of Consonant Articulation, Christopher Dromey, Marybeth Sanders

Faculty Publications

Electropalatometry is a useful clinical and research tool for measuring linguapalatal contact. The goal of this study was to examine intra-speaker variability in performance. Twenty individuals spoke VCV nonsense words using a schwa in the initial position, the 15 palatal consonants, and three corner vowels, /ɑ/, /i/, /u/. A variability index was created to examine speaker consistency.
Different aspects of articulation (i.e. place, manner, voicing, coarticulation) were compared. Significant differences for variability were found for place of articulation in the /i/ vowel context and for manner of articulation in the /ɑ/ vowel context. Also for the /ɑ/ vowel, significant differences …

Social Or Academic Language Intervention? You Don’T Have To Choose, Lee Robinson

Faculty Publications

Students with a variety of types of language impairments exhibit deficits that affect both social interactions and academic performance. Two types of theory of mind underlie social and academic language skills: interpersonal and intrapersonal. In this article, the authors describe strategies for developing interpersonal and intrapersonal theory of mind abilities with the goal of promoting the inferencing skills essential for comprehension of social and academic language.

Laryngeal-Level Amplitude Modulation In Vibrato, Christopher Dromey, Lorie Reese, J Arden Hopkin

Faculty Publications

Summary: The goal of this investigation was to test a new methodology for measuring amplitude modulation (AM) at the level of the vocal folds during vibrato in trained singers, because previous research has suggested that AM arises in large part as an acoustic epiphenomenon through an interaction of the harmonics in the laryngeal source with the resonances of the vocal tract as the fundamental frequency oscillates. A within-subjects model was used to compare vocal activity across three pitch and three loudness conditions. Seventeen female singers with a range of training and experience were recorded with a microphone and an electroglottograph …

Laryngeal Level Amplitude Modulation In Vibrato, Christopher Dromey, Lorie Reese, J. Arden Hopkin

Faculty Publications

Objectives: The goal of this investigation was to test a new methodology for measuring amplitude modulation (AM) at the level of the vocal folds during vibrato in trained singers, because previous research has suggested that AM arises in large part as an acoustic epiphenomenon through an interaction of the harmonics in the laryngeal source with the resonances of the vocal tract as the fundamental frequency oscillates.
Study Design: A within-subjects model was used to compare vocal activity across three pitch and three loudness conditions.
Methods: Seventeen female singers with a range of training and experience were recorded with a microphone …

Computerized Visually Presented Story Recall Tasks: Effects On Performance In Dementia, Nidhi Mahendra, Nisha Engineer, Susan Carroll

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Neuroimaging And Recovery Of Language In Aphasia, Cynthia K. Thompson, Dirk B. Den Ouden

Faculty Publications

The use of functional neuroimaging techniques has advanced what is known about the neural mechanisms used to support language processing in aphasia resulting from brain damage. This paper highlights recent findings derived from neuroimaging studies focused on neuroplasticity of language networks, the role of the left and right hemispheres in this process, and studies examining how treatment affects the neurobiology of recovery. We point out variability across studies as well as factors related to this variability, and we emphasize challenges that remain for research.

Acoustic Characteristics Of English Lexical Stress Produced By Native Mandarin Speakers, Shawn L. Nissen, Yanhong Zhang, Alexander L. Francis

Faculty Publications

Native speakers of Mandarin Chinese have difficulty producing native-like English stress contrasts. Acoustically, English lexical stress is multidimensional, involving manipulation of fundamental frequency (F0), duration, intensity and vowel quality. Errors in any or all of these correlates could interfere with perception of the stress contrast, but it is unknown which correlates are most problematic for Mandarin speakers. This study compares the use of these correlates in the production of lexical stress contrasts by 10 Mandarin and 10 native English speakers. Results showed that Mandarin speakers produced significantly less native-like stress patterns, although they did use all four acoustic correlates to …