Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

Right Hemisphere Effects On Language Processing: Suppression Or Activation Deficit, Sarah A. Orjada

Masters Theses

This study was designed to add to the body of research that examines the possibility of semantic activation or suppression deficits as underlying right hemisphere communication disorders. Modified treatment techniques for activation and suppression deficits proposed by Myers (1999) were used as stimuli for the experimental tasks. A total of four RHD participants and four control participants matched in age, gender, and level of education were included in the study. The study aimed to answer the following questions. Do RHD or control participants have higher scores on the suppression tasks? Do RHD participants have longer reaction times? Do RHD or …

The Immediate Effects Of Vestibular Stimulation On The Language Performance Of A Child With Autism, Jennifer L. Sova

Masters Theses

There is a proposed link between sensory processing abilities and language performance in children with autism. Research evaluating such a relationship is limited. This study sought to evaluate the hypothesis that language expression is facilitated by the application of vestibular stimulation in a child with autism. The purpose of the present study was to implement language interaction techniques and measure the outcome of language performance in a 4-year-old child with autism and sensory integration dysfunction. The child was evaluated in regards to vestibular stimulation and its facilitative effect on language production for social communicative purposes. Direct observation was used to …

Evaluation Of The Pediatric Test Of Brain Injury, Heather K. Koole

Masters Theses

This study was designed to evaluate the Pediatric Test of Brain Injury (PTBI), as well as to examine information obtained from informal measures in assessing children and adolescents with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Three students with TBI and three grade- and gender- matched subjects participated in this study. All six students were administered the PTBI, and their performances were given raw scores, rated for level of difficulty in performing the tasks, and compared among and across the two groups. The students with TBI were interviewed by the graduate student researcher regarding self-perceptions of their strengths and weaknesses. In addition, their …

Individual Phonological Awareness Training For Speech/Language Impaired First Graders, Sarah Weaver

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study is to determine the effects of individual phonological awareness and phonics training emphasizing auditory, motoric, and alphabetic properties of phonemes with 3 children who did not make substantial gains following classroom phonological awareness intervention. Subjects were enrolled in the first grade and exhibited speech and/or language impairments. The individual phonological awareness program contained 3 parts: (1) phonological awareness, (2) phoneme-grapheme correspondence, and (3) decoding and spelling and employed a single subject multiple probe baseline across behaviors design. Results indicated that individual treatment was successful for teaching phonological awareness, phoneme-grapheme correspondence, and decoding and spelling. …

Vocal Hygiene Training In The Elementary School Teacher Population, Jamie Hethke Talley

Masters Theses

This study investigated the effectiveness of vocal hygiene training in improving knowledge and self-rated characteristics of the voice. The subjects were 10 kindergarten through third grade school teachers who received 4 half-hour sessions of vocal hygiene training in the experimental group. Eleven kindergarten through third grade school teachers served as control subjects and received no training. The teachers were placed in subgroups dependent upon their reports of experiencing voice difficulties or not experiencing voice difficulties. This study also researched the effectiveness of vocal hygiene for teachers with self-reported vocal difficulties versus those without difficulties. Lastly, the perception of importance of …

A Survey Of Illinois Speech-Language Pathologists Regarding Sensorimotor Techniques, Patricia Ann Finley

Masters Theses

Research studies have suggested improvement in communication deficit areas when sensory integrative techniques involving sensorimotor stimulation are implemented to facilitate speech-language therapy objectives. Therefore, a questionnaire was designed by the examiner to identify the extent of awareness, training, incorporation, and co-treatment of sensorimotor techniques of Illinois speech-language pathologists. The subjects were also asked to rate the effectiveness of different sensorimotor techniques and to rate the benefits when incorporating sensorimotor techniques into therapy. Subjects consisted of 232 speech-language pathologists who completed the questionnaire.

Results revealed that speech-language pathologists working in rehabilitation had a higher awareness level about sensorimotor techniques than those …

Pragmatic Behaviors And Competency Levels Of Typically Developing And High Risk African American Preschoolers, Jennifer Dodd

Masters Theses

The pragmatic behaviors and competency levels of typically developing (TD) and high risk (HR) African American preschool children were assessed through the use of the Pragmatic Coding System (PCS, Hyter & Dodd, 1999). Ten children were videotaped within two play settings (i.e., dramatic play and manipulative toy play) for a total of twenty minutes. Results indicated that TD and HR children used the same types of pragmatic behaviors in both play settings. Frequency differences, however, were found between the two groups. Typically developing children produced a significantly greater number of initiations, total responses, multi word responses, one word responses, no …

Effects Of Adult Modeling On Literacy Behaviors Of Head Start Preschoolers, Stephanie L. Kerbel

Masters Theses

This project explored the uses of literacy artifacts in the dramatic play of preschool children from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds who live in poverty in Kalamazoo County. The purpose of this 9-week study was to determine the impact of adult modeling on the frequency and quality of use of literacy artifacts during the dramatic play of at-risk preschoolers. Two Head Start classrooms received different types of intervention: (a) a literacy-enriched dramatic play area with adult modeling for 5 minutes at the start of each play period ( once per week); and (b) a literacy-enriched dramatic play area without adult …

Comparison Of Traditional Pull-Out Therapy Versus Collaborative Classroom-Based Services On Articulation Skills, Pamela S. Davidson

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the improvement of articulation skills of children who received speech services through collaborative classroom-based intervention versus those who were provided services through traditional pull-out therapy. Nine children in first and second grades were treated using a collaborative classroom-based model and eleven first and second grade children were provided treatment in a pull-out setting. All twenty students were assessed using the Secord Contextual Articulation Tests (S-CAT) (Secord & Shine, 1997) at the beginning and end of the study. Children treated in the classroom setting weekly received 30 minutes of intervention time from …

Individual Phonological Awareness Intervention For Children With Phonetically-Based Reading Difficulties, Kara E. Hilgenberg

Masters Theses

Many researchers have reported that phonological awareness training is highly related to the acquisition of pre-reading skills (Ball & Blachman, 1991; Lundberg, Frost, & Peterson, 1988) and that phonological awareness should be a part of any good reading curriculum (Adams, 1990; Blachman, 1989). In addition, when phonological awareness is taught in the classroom it has been proven that class averages of phonological awareness skills improve (Blachman, 1991; Barnes, Smitley, & Throneburg, 1998). However, the research also suggests that students with speech and/or language disorders often exhibit poor reading skills (Gillam & Carlile, 1997; Menyuk & Chestnick, 1997). The purpose of …

The Effects Of Collaborative Versus Traditional Service Delivery On Narrative Language Arts Curricular Goals, Shara C. Barlage

Masters Theses

This study investigated the improvement of narrative language arts curricular goals in 140 school-aged children in first and second grade from an east central Illinois elementary school. The progress of non-communication disordered children as well as children with documented speech-language deficits was evaluated. Five classrooms (3 first and 2 second grade) received collaborative classroom-based lessons from the speech-language pathologist (SLP) and classroom teacher. Narrative curricular goals were targeted during whole-class collaborative lessons provided once a week for 30 minutes and incorporated children's storybooks as the theme. The subjects with speech-language deficits in the collaborative group received speech-language services from the …

The Use Of Gesture To Facilitate Early Communication In Language Delayed Children, Jamie L. Labuda

Masters Theses

This study investigated the effectiveness of gesture to facilitate communication in young children with language delays. Two children with expressive language delays, ages 18 and 22 months, served as participants. The children were exposed to intervention which targeted six vocabulary words verbally and through gesture, in two 45-minute treatment sessions weekly over a six-week period. Parent education and a home component were also included. A single subject multiple baseline across behaviors design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of gesture in intervention. Results indicated that both participants demonstrated an immediate response to gestural treatment, as seen in the production of …

A Longitudinal Descriptive Study Of Service Delivery Employing Collaborative Classroom-Based Or Pull-Out Service Delivery, Courtney L. Benefiel

Masters Theses

This study investigated whether there was a difference in SLP behaviors during 40 minutes of speech-language intervention using a collaborative classroom-based model of intervention versus 40 minutes of traditional pull-out intervention. Additionally the study evaluated whether there was a difference in the amount of child practice productions of IEP goal behaviors during 40 minutes of speech-language intervention provided in the classroom versus 40 minutes of intervention provided in the pull-out speech room. One-half of the subjects participated in the collaborative classroom-based model, while the other half participated in the traditional pull-out intervention. Four hours of classroom-based or pull-out treatment were …

The Effects Of Collaboration Versus Traditional Service Delivery On Reading And Listening Comprehension With School-Aged Students, Megan E. Grimaldi

Masters Theses

This study investigated improvement of reading comprehension and listening comprehension in school-aged students in first through third grades at two different elementary schools. Approximately half of the students at each school received collaborative classroom-based language lessons from the teacher and speech-language pathologist. The other half of the students at each school received regular instruction from the classroom teacher without input from the speech-language pathologist. The speech-language pathologist provided services to the students with speech or language IEP goals in the collaborative classrooms primarily in the classroom during these language lessons. The students who received speech or language services in the …

An International View Of Traumatic Brain Injury, Erin S. Wesley

Masters Theses

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of disability in the world. This was a descriptive study implemented through a survey which gathered information on epidemiology, demographics, service delivery, and the role of the SLP in countries outside the United States. Contact persons were notified and asked to distribute surveys to health care professionals who work with TBI. The survey was completed by 14 individuals in 5 different countries. Countries included Brazil, Israel, Italy, South Africa, and United States.

Compelation of this information revealed that there was a large variety of answers both within and between countries. There was …

Toys As Language Stimuli For Individuals With Alzheimer’S Disease, Cassandra M. Baer

Masters Theses

The study of the use of toys with institutionalized adults began in the field of gerontological nursing (Bailey, Gilbert, & Herweyer, 1992; Francis & Baly, 1986; Mayers & Griffin, 1990; Milton & MacPhail, 1985). Hopper, Bayles, and Tomoeda (1998) described the comforting qualities of plush animals for people with dementia and began to explore the effects of these toys on the language production of women with Alzheimer's Disease. Women were found to produce more information in fewer words when the toys were present.

This study builds on the work of Hopper et al. (1998), comparing language productions of two men …

Perceptions Of The Effects Of Vocal Hygiene Training On College Professors, Kimberly D. Wait

Masters Theses

This study investigated the efficacy of vocal hygiene training by studying changes in the self- and listener-rated vocal characteristics of college professors before and after vocal hygiene training. Eight college professors served as experimental subjects and received three half-hour sessions of vocal hygiene training. Nine college professors served as control subjects and received no vocal hygiene training. Subgroups of professors with self-reported vocal difficulties were further identified within each group. An original vocal characteristic scale based on the literature was used to measure self-rated vocal characteristics. Results indicated no significant difference in self-rated voice characteristics between subjects who received vocal …

The Impact Of Fast Forword On Phonological Awareness And Literacy Skills, Melissa Nulty

Masters Theses

This study investigated the impact of Fast ForWord on individual children's phonological awareness and reading skills as well as general language and auditory processing skills. Five children, ages six through eight years, served as experimental subjects. The duration of participation in the Fast ForWord (FFW) training program was approximately 2 hours per day, 5 days a week, for 6 to 8 weeks. Fast ForWord training was completed when the subject reached at least 90 percent completion on five of the seven training exercises or when it was determined by the Fast ForWord professional that the child had received maximum benefit …

Collaboration Versus Pull-Out Intervention: Effects On Vocabulary Acquisition And Classroom Communication, Jennifer J. Sturm

Masters Theses

This study investigated improvement in curricular vocabulary in school-aged children grades kindergarten through third at two different elementary schools. One school received collaborative classroom-based language lessons from the teacher and speech-language pathologist (Collaborative School). The other school received regular instruction from the classroom teacher without the input of the speech-language pathologist (Traditional School). The speech-language pathologist provided services to the children with speech or language IEP goals at the Collaborative School primarily in the classroom through these language lessons. The students who received speech or language therapy at the Traditional School received services solely through the pull-out model of intervention. …

Phonological Awareness Training: Effects On Phonological Awareness And Reading Skills, Cassie Nelson

Masters Theses

Past research has established that phonological awareness skills are an important precursor to the development of reading (Jenkins & Bowen, 1994; Catts & Karnhi, 1986; Bradley & Bryant, 1978; Frith, 1981). Results of numerous phonological awareness training programs have been published (Ball & Blachman, 1988, 1991; Lundberg, Frost, & Petersen, 1988; Bradley & Bryant, 1983, 1985), however, none have compared the roles of professionals involved in teaching phonological awareness skills. Additionally, the effectiveness of various service delivery models has not been reported. This study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of a phonological awareness training program on kindergarten children's phonological …

A Survey Of Illinois Speech-Language Pathologists And School Psychologists Regarding Selective Mutism, Sarah Megan Toland

Masters Theses

A questionnaire was designed by the examiner to identify the views and knowledge of Illinois school psychologists and speech-language pathologists regarding selective mutism. Subjects consisted of 119 school psychologists and 106 speech-language pathologists, who completed the questionnaire.

The results of the survey revealed that both Illinois school psychologists and speech-language pathologists viewed themselves as partially responsible for the assessment and treatment of selective mutism, however, both samples indicated low levels of comfort in their ability to successfully provide those services. Additionally, very few of the respondents in either group had received formal training in the area of selective mutism.

Results …

Parent Perceptions Of Speech And Language Characteristics Of Children With Fragile X Syndrome, Trina Marie Ungrund

Masters Theses

Children with Fragile X syndrome (FXS) have significant speech/language difficulties. Additional information is needed regarding the demographics and speech/language characteristics of this population. Participants in this study were parents of children with FXS. Contact persons for three FXS support groups were notified of this study and were asked to provide surveys to parents of children with FXS. The survey was completed by 50 parents of children with FXS who answered questions concerning their child's demographics and speech/language characteristics. Information on speech/language characteristics was gathered through use of a severity rating scale. This severity rating scale was used to rate the …

The Effect Of Choice On Off Task Behavior In A Child With Autism, Stacia Gibson

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Teacher Involvement In Classroom-Based Intervention For Vocabulary Acquisition And Classroom Communication Skills, Alexis A. Paramboukas

Masters Theses

The present study investigated curricular vocabulary acquisition in children enrolled in grades kindergarten through third. A collaborative classroom-based treatment approach was compared with a classroom-based "SLP-teach" method of intervention. Children at the collaborative school received a curricular language lesson in the classroom which was team taught by the classroom teacher and speech-language pathologist. The speech-language pathologist and classroom teacher met weekly to determine curricular vocabulary words and materials for the lessons. Children at the SLP-teach school received the same curricular language lessons, however, the classroom teachers were not present during the lessons and collaborative planning did not occur between the …

A Comparison Of F2 Transitions In The Disfluent Speech Of Persistent And Recovered Preschool Children Who Stutter, Jennifer K. Niemann

Masters Theses

This study investigated second formant transition extent and direction in disfluent speech samples recorded close to stuttering onset in preschool age children. Comparisons were made among subgroups of children known to persist in stuttering, those who recovered from stuttering, and normally fluent control subjects. Twenty-eight subjects, eight persistent stutterers, eight recovered subjects, and twelve normally fluent subjects participated. These children were enrolled in the longitudinal Stuttering Research Project at the University of Illinois at Urbana. The initial consonant to vowel transition in the second formant of the repeated portion of the part-word repetition was compared to the transition in the …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Tactile Stimulation For Task-Related Behaviors And Language Comprehension On Two Children With Autism, Lynn A. Patterson

Masters Theses

Previous research has investigated the effects of tactile stimulation on autistic behavior in the realm of occupational therapy (McClure, & Holtz-Yotz, 1991; Zissermann, 1991); however, no studies were found which investigated the effects of tactile stimulation on autistic behavior within the realm of speech-language pathology. This study was conducted to examine the effects of tactile stimulation on task-related behaviors and language comprehension.

The subjects were two school-aged males with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (Autism) grouped for speech-language therapy. The subjects exhibited difficulties in modulating sensory input in the areas of tactile/proprioceptive functioning, as assessed by an occupational therapist. Both subjects were …

Assessing The Pragmatic Skills Of Adolescents With And Without Learning Disabilities On A Dramatization Task, Amy L. Juergens

Masters Theses

This study was designed to compare the pragmatic skills of adolescents with and without learning disabilities as measured by a dramatization task. Seventeen high school students with learning disabilities and 17 normal-achieving high school students participated in this study. Twenty scenes were presented verbally to the participants who were instructed to act out the part of a character in each scene, making up the dialogue to fit the scene. The responses were scored for their pragmatic appropriateness and linguistic quality. Task reliability and validity analyses indicated that the dramatization task was an effective measure of key aspects of pragmatic skills. …

Impact Of Amateur Educational Video Viewing On Language Acquisition Of Preschool Children, Jennifer L. Radcliffe

Masters Theses

Child language-learning is a complex process that varies for each individual child. Researchers have found that children learn from viewing professional television programs specifically designed for children, such as Sesame Street. Professional television programming principles can be adopted to produce amateur educational videos. Video may also be a viable option to provide repetitive models to improve vocabulary acquisition within speech-language pathology. The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of direct stimulation with amateur educational videos on a child's general and specific vocabulary acquisition.

A six-week experiment included an initial two-week control period, a two-week experimental period …

Speech-Language Pathologists' Opinions Of The Reliability Of The Modified Evan's Blue Dye Test For Detecting Aspiration, Amy N. Sanders

Masters Theses

This study attempted to determine if there was a relationship between speech-language pathologists (SLP) opinion of the reliability of the Modified Evan's Blue Dye Test (MEBDT) for assessing aspiration in tracheostomized patients and three factors: (1) number of years working in the field of speech-language pathology, (2) amount of hours per week spent treating dysphagia patients , and (3) number of seminars/conferences attended related to dysphagia management in the last two years. One hundred and six SLPs in the medical setting were surveyed, 52 responded resulting in a return rate of 49.5%. The data collected through the survey was subjected …

Differences In The Self-Talk Of Students With Language Impairments When Completing Math Computation And Story Problems, Jennifer Shepard Crouse

Masters Theses

This study was designed to analyze the differences in the self-talk of students with language impairments when compared with students with normal language. Nine fifth grade students with language impairments and nine fifth grade students with normal language, identified by their teachers as average-achieving, participated in this study. Participants were instructed to use a think-aloud technique while completing sets of computational and math story problems. Resulting samples of self-talk were transcribed and coded.

Results indicated several significant differences in the self-talk of students with language impairments when compared with their normal language peers. In regard to quantitative aspects of self-talk, …