Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

A Case History Of Non-Causational Autism And Hearing Loss Diagnoses, Alexandra Gray

2023 SLP Posters

This case study looks retroactively at one now 20-year-old white male's case history -- for privacy purposes, our participant will be referred to a ZG -- reviewing his Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis, his bilateral hearing loss diagnosis, and treatment services he received. This study will review literature relating to those who have had similar dual diagnoses, how one can look like the other by discussing symptoms of both and where they overlap, and what treatment was given to those patients. By the end, the author will infer if the best choices were made given his diagnoses and which diagnosis …

Taking Down Barriers To Work With People Who Are Deaf, Grace Kite

2023 SLP Posters

This poster presents information from the literature regarding the preparedness of SLPs to work with the deaf and hard-of-hearing population compared to the hearing population when enrolled in an intervention program related to speech, language, and listening development.

The Use Of Aac To Reduce Challenging Behaviors In Children, Kerri Mcfarland

2023 SLP Posters

This session provides an overview of the use, benefit, and implementation of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) with children who present with challenging behaviors. The basic process of when to implement AAC will be discussed. There will be a brief review of literature regarding the benefit of AAC on students with challenging behaviors. Application of this knowledge in practice will also be discussed.

Enhancing Expressive Language Skills In Children Who Are Deaf And Hard Of Hearing With Alternative Augmentative Communication, Alexis Parkinson

2023 SLP Posters

Deaf and hard of hearing children develop vocabulary slowly and struggle with abstract words, functional words, and multiple meanings. According to Scott and Dostal (2019) a deprivation of language in the early years may be a part of the puzzle for difficulties deaf and hard of hearing children encounter, rather than the hearing loss itself. Research points towards the use of American Sign Language (ASL) as a reliable treatment for deafness and hearing loss but is often overlooked due to many deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children being born to hearing parents (Grether et al., 2019:Lederberg, et al., 2013; …

Verbal Expressive Language Intervention For Children With Down Syndrome: What Works?, Kelsey Christman

2023 SLP Posters

Down Syndrome is defined as a genetic disorder that is caused by abnormal cell division that results in an extra full or partial copy of chromosome 21. Children with Down Syndrome (DS) experience delays in all areas of development; however, they have specific deficits in developing expressive language acquisition. This review explores the effect of both play and joint attention on expressive language development. It also discusses the effect of Naturalistic Sign Intervention. The LENA (Language Environment Analysis) was used to explore the effect of behavioral phenotypes on expressive language development.

Cultural Responsiveness In Assessing Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder​, Nicole Rose Colflesh

2023 SLP Posters

In 2013, the new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) introduced the diagnosis of Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder (SPCD) as a disorder characterized by deficits in pragmatic abilities. Many professionals often compare this diagnosis to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) due to their similarities in diagnostic criteria. However, unlike ASD, SPCD currently has no standardized assessments created specifically for this diagnosis. Furthermore, SPCD lacks culturally valid assessment tools. Considering recent research and data on SPCD and methods to provide culturally valid evaluations, this poster aims to provide a resource for Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) to self-educate and …

Implementation Of Life Participation Approach For Persons With Aphasia, Allison Cosma, Lauren Blodgett, Monika Bozickovic Bozickovic

2023 SLP Posters

Objectives

• Explain the Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPAA) and how it relates to persons with aphasia and their caregivers.
• Discuss the significance of Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPAA) and explain how it can be implemented in the community, as well as what resources are available for Persons with aphasia (PWA) and their caregivers.
• Perform activities that observe the Life Participation Approach to Aphasia.

Implementing In-Line Speaking Valves During Mechanical Ventilation, Grace Davis

2023 SLP Posters

The Passy Muir Valve (PMV) is a one-way speaking valve that allows a patient with a tracheostomy to inspire through the trach tube and exhale through the upper airway and vocal cords. The PMV provides opportunity for increased communication for respiratory patients, decreasing psycho-emotional distress and increasing overall quality of life while the tracheostomy is placed. Additionally, the PMV also improves secretion management and swallowing leading to a reduced risk of aspiration. While it is common to delay intervention until a patient is no longer using mechanical ventilation, a review of literature has indicated benefits to initiating PMV intervention prior …

Using Virtual Reality To Treat Cognitive & Communication Impairments In Adults, Aubrey Hicks

2023 SLP Posters

Cognitive and communicative deficits are experienced by individuals with dementia, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and developmental disabilities. Skilled speech therapy services are required for these individuals’ experiencing impairments in communication, memory, problem-solving, and processing. Treatment targets may vary including communication, attention, focus, orientation, word retrieval, and executive functioning. Treatment tasks must be personalized and purposeful to provide the most functional therapy possible. Virtual reality (VR) has been proposed as a means to provide these services for individuals to promote independence in their environment, and in turn, more functional success in real life. VR is the “use of interactive simulations created …

Effectiveness Of Core Vocabulary On An Aac Device In Children With Expressive And Receptive Language Disorders, Madison Hissong

2023 SLP Posters

Core vocabulary is a set of words in any language used in an everyday context. Words that fall into this category include: “can,” “do,” “want,” “more,” “have,” “where,” “when,” “why,” “get,” “give,” “have,” “me,” “you,” “go,” “stop,” “yes,” “no,” etc. Children who are using an AAC device will practice communicating with these core vocabulary words along with nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc to build phrases. Research indicates that core vocabulary is just as beneficial to high-functioning students as it is too low-functioning students (Cannon, Edmond, 2009). Most of what individuals say is communicated through core vocabulary words which is why …

Assessing Auditory Comprehension In Persons With Mild-Moderate Aphasia, Kirsten Johnson

2023 SLP Posters

Challenges in auditory comprehension ability are some of the most crippling aspects of aphasia. The degree to which auditory comprehension is impacted by aphasia is variable, can be inconsistent, and may depend on the severity of the neural damage. ‘High-level’ aphasic patients can be dismissed or go unnoticed due to ignorance of symptoms, passing scores on standardized assessments, and the frequent, inconspicuous nature of a mild-moderate diagnosis. Understanding deficits in mild-moderate aphasia related to auditory comprehension could aid in choosing beneficial communication modalities for conversation partners to use during intervention, interactions, and daily activities.

Peer Socialization For Individuals Who Are Deaf/Hard Of Hearing, Alyssa Keune

2023 SLP Posters

Peer relationships are needed for positive development, but children who are deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) experience difficulties when socializing with their typically hearing peers. This poster will provide an overview of various supports that can be put in place to facilitate socialization for DHH children with their hearing peers. Opportunities for practitioners and parents to promote peer socialization will be provided.

Benefits Of Online Support Groups For People With Aphasia (Pwa), Benjamin Norell

2023 SLP Posters

Research on quality of life for People with Aphasia (PWA) post-stroke. Benefits of Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPAA).

Neurodiversity Affirming Goal Writing, Maggie O’Brien O’Brien

2023 SLP Posters

The rise of the neurodiversity movement has started to question social communication and pragmatic therapy as we know it today. This movement started in the 1990s when Autistic people were able to connect and share ideas in online forums. These groups went on to create a social-justice movement for Autistic self-advocacy along with their own Autistic culture. This community has pointed out that some forms of pragmatic therapy can promote masking.

Possible Effects Vaping Nicotine Has On Laryngeal And Vocal Health, Ashley Reichwein

2023 SLP Posters

The act of smoking electronic cigarettes, known as “vaping”, has increased in popularity in recent years. According to the FDA, 1 in 10, more than 2.5 million, U.S high school and middle school students have reported using e-cigarettes in 2022. In 2018, an estimated 8.1 million U.S adults reported using e-cigarettes (Villarroel et al, CDC). Vaping is defined as “inhaling a smoke-free aerosol through a mouthpiece, which is produced through the heating of a liquid such as glycol or glycerin in an electronic device” (Lyzwinski et al., 2022). Vaping was originally marketed as a safer alternative to traditional smoking; however, …

Factors Affecting Correct Diagnosis Of ​Paradoxical Vocal Fold Motion​, Nicolas Valdez

2023 SLP Posters

Paradoxical Vocal Fold Motion is a laryngeal disorder where sudden, inappropriate adduction of the true vocal folds during inspiration causes dyspnea. Due to the respiratory distress found with this disorder, it is often misdiagnosed for asthma and a correct diagnosis is often not made until after the patient has undergone costly office visits, procedures, and pharmaceutical interventions (Ibrahim et. al, 2007). It may take years of inappropriate treatment with no benefit to receive a correct diagnosis for this disorder. Though the exact cause of PVFM is idiopathic, four main pathogenetic mechanisms have been suggested in the literature: laryngeal hypersensitivity, altered …

Post-Aphasia Diagnosis: The Impact Of Social And Emotional Stress On Language, Sarah Alagna

2023 SLP Posters

“Up to 62-70% of persons with aphasia following a stroke experience symptoms of depression. Furthermore, multiple studies indicate that the QOL (Quality of Life) of persons with aphasia is significantly worse than the QOL of stroke survivors without aphasia” (Kristinsson & Halldorsdottir, 2021, p.244). Aphasia is a diagnosis that can cause social and emotional isolation by affecting one’s ability to communicate daily needs and wants. Regarding treatment, the utilization of specific treatment approaches, therapy techniques, and group treatment interventions will be discussed in relation to emphasizing addressing linguistic factors instead of incorporating the social and emotional needs of people with …

Supporting Aac Users With Complex Communication Needs In Community Settings, Megan Wich

2023 SLP Posters

Effective communication allows us to express wants and needs, gain information about the world around us, build relationships, and take part in social activities. We often use speech and language to communicate although, people with complex communication needs may use Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC). AAC allows users to communicate with the many people in their lives (family members, teachers, peers, etc.). Whether in the classroom or out in the community, it is important to understand what AAC is and how it is used. Additionally, it is important to understand how to support users.

Predicting Long-Term Personality Changes Following Tbi, Sarah Baer

2023 SLP Posters

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is an acquired neurological disorder caused by trauma to the brain. Those who have experienced a traumatic brain injury often report changes to their personality immediately and sometimes lasting for years after the initial injury. Personality changes like depression, anxiety, mood swings, emotional lability, and impulse control can negatively affect the patient’s recovery. These changes are a result of the damage done to the frontal lobe and other parts of the brain; therefore, it is important to understand the structures and functions of the brain and how they are affected by a TBI. od can be …

Reframing The Goals Of Stuttering Therapy, Maxwell Atzemis

2023 SLP Posters

Stuttering therapy is a distant cousin to many other subfields of Speech and Language Pathology. Incorporating many client feelings, beliefs, and attitudes compared to other subfields we practice.

Nicu Premature Oral Motor Intervention, Abby Bagby

2023 SLP Posters

Speech-Language Pathologists in the NICU are tasked with many roles and responsibilities. An SLP needs to be aware of what these different roles and responsibilities require because, with an “increase in the birth and survival rate of the premature infants, a need for supportive health care services becomes more evident” (Ghomi et al., 2019). This presentation will provide an overview of the general roles and responsibilities of SLPs within the NICU. Specifically, Premature Infant Oral Motor Intervention (PIOMI) will be discussed. PIOMI was compared to Oromotor Stimulation (OMS), and it was found to ultimately be more effective on oral feeding …

Advantages Of Augmentative And Alternative Communication Use In Individuals With Satb2 Gene Mutation, Regan Brisker

2023 SLP Posters

This poster discusses the gene mutation SATB2 associated syndrome and how Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices benefit the group. The history of this mutation will be discussed, along with its side effects, dysmorphology and cause. An examination of how using AAC devices facilitates language, increases social communication, and encourages oral language will be provided. Available AAC devices will be provided, along with the research supporting the use of AAC on non-verbal children.

Music Perception In Cochlear Implant Users, Rachel Fortney

2023 SLP Posters

This session provides an overview of the use, benefit, and implementation of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) with children who present with challenging behaviors. The basic process of when to implement AAC will be discussed. There will be a brief review of literature regarding the benefit of AAC on students with challenging behaviors. Application of this knowledge in practice will also be discussed.

Communication Approach For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder: ​ Picture Exchange Communication System, Melissa Davis

2023 SLP Posters

There is a range of intervention approaches for individuals with autism who have minimal verbal expressive language. This study reviews a commonly used low-tech option known as Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) to teach functional communication to individuals through a multi-phase process. Through different research findings, the study will demonstrate factors influencing the effectiveness of PECS for communication development at a school setting. As seen in Ganz et al. (2012) meta-analysis, it has been determined that PECS can be effective in developing functional communication for individuals with autism.

Treatment Strategies For A Gestalt Language Learner, Mckenzie De La Cruz

2023 SLP Posters

Gestalt language processing is a form of language development in which full phrases or (scripts) are memorized and used before basic units of speech such as individual words. “At first, children produce “chunks” or “gestalt form” (e.g., echolalic utterances), without distinction between individual words and without appreciation for internal syntactic structure” (ASHA, 2022). Current literature suggests various definitions and methods of treatment to support gestalt language learners. Inconsistent definitions of gestalt language have led professionals working with this population to utilize subjective treatment frameworks. The purpose of this review is to provide effective and peer reviewed strategies for speech language …

Counseling Clients With Traumatic Brain Injury:​ Exploring Slp’S Role, Connie Chiang

2023 SLP Posters

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability in the United States, contributing to about 30% of all injury deaths (CDC, 2020). Survivors may experience various cognitive or communication disorders symptoms depending on the type of TBI sustained. The injury can range from mild to severe and may increase the risk of mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Speech-language pathologists (SLP) use counseling to address the psychological well-being of people affected by TBI. However, SLPs report low counseling knowledge, skill, and confidence for working in various communication disorders (Kaderavek, Laux, & Mills, 2004) caused …

Dementia: Effects On The Language Skills Of Bilingual Speakers, Christopher Logan Durr

2023 SLP Posters

Dementia is a type of condition that is generally characterized by any progressive decline in the brain’s ability to function cognitively and linguistically, brought by either injury or disease. Around the world, roughly 55 million people, live with dementia, with an incidence rate of nearly 10 million per year. Some of the individuals affected by this condition are also bilingual speakers, who comprise about 43% of the global population (World Health Organization: WHO, 2023). Individuals who speak more than one language actively engage in code-switching, where they must alternate between languages. Because of this, speech-language pathologists and other allied health …

Right-Side Neglect:​ What Is Known About It And Its Effects?, Julia Do

2023 SLP Posters

Right-side neglect is a result of a stroke in the left portion of the brain, however, there is limited knowledge of this consequence in comparison to a stroke in the right side of the brain resulting in left-side neglect. As a result of limited data on ride-side neglect – misdiagnoses have occurred. The most common symptom of right-side neglect revolves around an individual’s daily operations that include naming (identifying objects) and reading. This impairment can impact an individual’s ability to be independent. The purpose of this presentation will be to pinpoint focal areas that will result in RSN, symptoms, and …

Individuals With Tbi: Language Processing And Pragmatic Considerations, Elizabeth Fleming

2023 SLP Posters

Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) often present with some degree of compromised language processing (LP). This may impact the rate and accuracy individuals with TBI process language which can lead to pragmatic concerns. This presentation will focus on how each end of LP may impact components of pragmatic language, including but not limited to topic maintenance, turn-taking abilities, relevancy of response, and listening skills. Pragmatic deficits (PD) may impact the ability to create and sustain human connection or participate in vocational settings resulting in negative impacts on quality of life. Although behaviors of accelerated LP may overlap with executive …

People With Aphasia Rehabilitation: Post-Stroke Depression Considerations​, Allison Frey

2023 SLP Posters

The aim of this poster is to provide speech-language pathologists an overview of the development of post-stroke depression (PSD) in individuals with aphasia and its impact on rehabilitation outcomes. Information provided regarding the underlying causes for development of PSD for people with aphasia (PWA) that aids referring for appropriate screening and assessment. PSD treatment considerations and outcomes for PWA will also be discussed. Given the high prevalence of people with aphasia developing PSD, adults with aphasia are 7.408 times more likely to exhibit PSD symptoms when compared to adults without aphasia (Zanella et al., 2022). In closing, it is important …