Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

Influences Of An After-School Literacy Program: A Barton Reading & Spelling System® Efficacy Study, April Dawn Morgan

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to examine how many levels of the Barton Reading and Spelling System® (BRSS®) should be completed in order to achieve a target normative score on standardized tests which measure literacy skills, and to examine the efficacy of an after-school literacy program by comparing a group of similar students who did not participate. Standardized tests used were the Arkansas Benchmark Examination Literacy Subtest (ABLS) and the Stanford Achievement Test, Tenth Edition English Language Arts Subtest (SAT-10 ELA). Average scores for students in the experimental group did not reflect target normative scores within the time frame …

Perceptions Of Nonclinical Competencies As An Organizational Response: Exploring The Influence Of Institutional. Task Environments, Organizational Factors And Interorganizational Relationships On Educators' And Employers' Perceptions Of Nonclinical Competencies In Newly Graduated Speech Pathologists, Paula H. Boaz

Theses and Dissertations

The qualitative comparative case study had as its purpose to explore perceptions of nonclinical competencies as viewed through the lens of organizational theroy, vis-a-vis the perceptions of educators and employers and the environmental pressures placed on them through institutional and task environments, by organizational factors, and through interorganizational relationships. Knowledge and abilitites which are not clinical in nature, yet are essential in professional postitons, are termed nonclinical competencies. The literature on organizational theory and nonclinical competency in speech pathology was reviewed. A conceptual framework was developed from reviews of the related literature and was used as a guide to the …

The Influence Of Literacy Intervention On Mathematics Performance, Twana R. Watkins

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether participation in an after-school literacy program utilizing the Barton Reading & Spelling System® (BRSS; Barton, 2000; Barton, 2002) would significantly affect mathematics skills as measured by total mathematics scores on a state-mandated testing assessment. The study consisted of 38 age- and gender-balanced participants categorized into an experimental or control group based on participation in the after-school program. Independent samples t tests and a paired samples t test were used to analyze test score differences for the first (Year 1) and second (Year 2) testing opportunities after exposure to the BRSS program. …

Evidence-Based Multifactorial Assessment Of Preschool-Age Children Who Stutter., Victoria Tumanova, Chagit E. Clark, Dahye Choi

Communication Sciences and Disorders - All Scholarship

This review summarizes extant findings supporting multifactorial models of stuttering within the context of preschool-age stuttering assessment. Evidence is given for a number of speech-language and associated factors/domains to consider when evaluating young children who stutter. Selected factors are presented in two parts: (1) Caregiver Interview and (2) Direct Child Assessment. Factors addressed during caregiver interviews include: gender, time since and age at stuttering onset, family history of stuttering, caregivers’ perception/concerns about stuttering, and temperament. Factors addressed during direct child assessments include: stuttering behaviors, speech-associated attitudes/awareness, speech rate, as well as speech sound and language development. Interactions/relations among factors are …

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 …

Finding The Experts In The Crowd: Validity And Reliability Of Crowdsourced Measures Of Children’S Gradient Speech Contrasts, Daphna Harel, Elaine Hitchcock, Daniel Szeredi, José Ortiz, Tara Mcallister Byun

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Perceptual ratings aggregated across multiple nonexpert listeners can be used to measure covert contrast in child speech. Online crowdsourcing provides access to a large pool of raters, but for practical purposes, researchers may wish to use smaller samples. The ratings obtained from these smaller samples may not maintain the high levels of validity seen in larger samples. This study aims to measure the validity and reliability of crowdsourced continuous ratings of child speech, obtained through Visual Analog Scaling, and to identify ways to improve these measurements. We first assess overall validity and interrater reliability for measurements obtained from a large …

Knowledge And Perception Of Speech-Language Pathologists By Allied Health Personnel In The Acute Care Hospital Setting, Elizabeth E. King

Merge

No abstract provided.

Sources And Content Of Popular Online Videos About Autism Spectrum Disorders, Betty Kollia, Margaret T. Kamowski-Shakibai, Corey H. Basch, Ashley Clark

Communication Sciences and Disorders: Faculty Publications

Background: Our study aimed to determine source of upload and content portrayed in the 100 most-viewed videos on autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) on the video sharing public forum, YouTube. ASDs have become highly prevalent in the last decade, arousing a significant response from the media and psycho-educational health professions. Utilization of and reliance on social media for information on health matters has also proliferated. Some suggest that online videos could promote early detection (and intervention) of ASD by prompting caregivers to seek guidance. However, the usefulness of the available videos is unclear. Methods: The 100 most popular YouTube videos were …

Do You Know If Your Clients Are Having Challenges Coping, Karen F. Muñoz, Hannah Mcleod, Cache Pitt, Elizabeth S. Preston, Tiffany Shelton, Michael P. Twohig

Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education Faculty Publications

Hearing loss is a common condition, yet, many adults who could benefit from amplification do not use their hearing aids, even though it could help them overcome negative consequences such as social withdrawal, loneliness, and depression. Equally concerning, hearing aid use is highly variable for young children, compromising speech and language developmental outcomes.

How clients are coping with emotional challenges may be a contributing factor to hearing aid usage, and such challenges may go undetected by audiologists. Depression and anxiety are common mental health conditions, and can interfere with effective healthcare management and treatment adherence; for example, when parents of …

The Ability To Critically Evaluate Research Literature In Speech-Language Pathology, David Gregorio

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research in Speech-Language Pathology provides the basis for understanding how and to what degree therapeutic techniques and interventions affect the health and quality of life of individuals with communication disorders. Across numerous fields of healthcare, research serves just as important a function and is used to guide the practices of professionals across the public health sector. Several disciplines, including chiropracty, nursing, and physical therapy, rely on the implementation of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) to ensure that the process of rehabilitation and the techniques employed therein are carried out though the synthesis of best clinical judgment, empirical evidence, and patient values. The …

Working Memory And Language Learning: A Review, Lisa Archibald, Lisa Archibald

Communication Sciences and Disorders Publications

Children with speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN) form a highly heterogeneous group including those with an unexplained delay in language development known as specific language impairment (SLI). There is growing recognition that multiple mechanisms underlie the range of profiles observed in these children. Broadly speaking, both the domain-general executive attentional system known as working memory and domain-specific linguistic processing have been implicated in children with SLI. It has been challenging to tease apart these influences, however, due to the symbiotic relationship between working memory and language learning. For example, working memory limits might constrain the linguistic detail encoded whereas …

Do Bilingual Speakers Shift Fundamental Frequency Based On Language Acquisition Or Language Dominance?, Nydia Abigail Mendez

ETD Archive

As Spanish-English bilingual speakers continue becoming a growing part of the population in the United States it is essential to investigate their acoustic measures. The purpose of this study was to investigate a possible shift in fundamental frequency (F0) measures in bilingual speakers, and it sought to determine whether that shift was based on language acquisition or language dominance. Eleven Spanish-English bilinguals were asked to complete the following tasks 1) answer the Language Experience and Proficiency Questionnaire (LEAP-Q) 2) complete 3 Spanish and 3 English category fluency trials by naming words belonging to a category (e.g. animals), each one minute …

An Ableist Society: What Does Disability Look Like?, Maricela Paramo

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

One out of every five adults in the United States has a disability. That is about 63.976 million people, yet, ableism is a common type of discrimination. This paper is an attempt to create awareness of ableism and its negative effects by providing testimonies and methods that will help people with disabilities live a life without prejudice.

The United States is nowhere close to being an ableist free society and it will remain this way until people stop using ableist language as an insult or to mock someone, until mocking the disabled is not a media entertainment, until public figures …

Assessment With Children Who Need Augmentative And Alternative Communication (Aac): Clinical Decisions Of Aac Specialists, Shelley Lund, Wendy Quach, Kristy S. E. Weissling, Miechelle L. Mckelvey, Aimee R. Dietz

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore how speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who are augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) specialists approach the assessment process for 2 case studies, 1 child with cerebral palsy and 1 with autism spectrum disorder. The aim of the study was to answer the following questions: (a) How do clinicians with expertise approach the AAC assessment process for children with developmental disabilities? (b) Can any initial hypothesis be drawn about how SLPs approach the assessment of children with motor versus social interactive deficits?

Method

This study used a phenomenological qualitative design. The researchers conducted 2 …

Social Communication And Technology, Lesli G. Hughes

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Research has been well documented as to the effects of screen time on mental health, physical health, cognitive development, and social development. However, little research exists as to the effects of screen time on the nonverbal aspects of communication, specifically eye gaze. In order to inform speech language pathologists when treating children with language and pragmatic disorders, this study examined the eye gaze of participants during physical play. Twenty-six participants from 5 to 8 years of age were recruited from a western Kentucky school. Results of eye gaze durations in participants were compared to screen time amounts in the home. …

The Psychosocial Effects Of Aphasia On The Caregiver, Lauren A. Ferrara

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Studies have investigated the physical and emotional wellbeing of family members and spouses who care for persons with stroke (Bakas, et al. 2006). Literature shows burden of care is high in role reversal and depression is frequent. Variables that affect the caregiver burden with persons with aphasia (PWA) have not been identified prior to this study. Results from caregiver interviews found six themes, some which have not been identified prior, such as feelings of optimism.

The Advancement Of Voice Therapy And The Contribution Of Vocal Function Exercises, Sydney Barnett

Lewis Honors College Capstone Collection

The human voice can transmit multiple streams of information about a person including physical, emotional, and social state. Voice disorders can interfere with social relationships, work productivity, and ultimately, impair an individual’s image. Speech-language pathologists have developed several approaches to voice therapy over the past several decades. Vocal function exercises (VFE) are physiological in nature and aim to restore the balance between the three subsystems of vocal production: respiration, phonation, and resonance. With advancing technology and more sophisticated experiments, researchers have shown positive outcomes with VFE regimens in the normal voice population, superior voice population, and disordered voice population. Data …

The Distribution Of Talker Variability Impacts Infants’ Word Learning, Carolyn Quam, Sara Knight, Louann Gerken

Speech and Hearing Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Infants struggle to apply earlier-demonstrated sound-discrimination abilities to later word learning, attending to non-constrastive acoustic dimensions (e.g., Hay et al., 2015), and not always to contrastive dimensions (e.g., Stager & Werker, 1997). One hint about the nature of infants’ difficulties comes from the observation that input from multiple talkers can improve word learning (Rost & McMurray, 2009). This may be because, when a single talker says both of the to-be-learned words, consistent talker’s-voice characteristics make the acoustics of the two words more overlapping (Apfelbaum & McMurray, 2011). Here, we test that notion. We taught 14-month-old infants two similar-sounding words in …

Speech-Language Pathologists' Perceptions And Use Of Service Delivery Methods And Models In School-Based Practice, Burgandy Deann Henderson

Online Theses and Dissertations

ASHA (1991c) identifies the value of consultation and collaboration across disciplines in the public school setting. Historically, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have pulled children out of the classroom to provide therapy in individual or small group settings. However, evidence continues to show the merit of consulting and collaborating with other professionals in the school in order to fully integrate classroom curriculum and support service goals (ASHA, 1991c; ASHA, 2010f; Mecrow, Beckwith, & Klee, 2010; Ritzman, Sanger, & Coufal, 2006). The purpose of this study was to explore SLPs' perspectives and use of consultation and collaboration in the public schools. A survey …

Recovery From Diffuse Brain Injuries: Two Case Studies., Alejandro E. Brice, Roanne G. Brice

USF St. Petersburg Campus Faculty Publications

Subarachnoid hemorrhages (SAHs) are grave medical emergencies, whereas 30–50% of all SAHs may ultimately result in death. Subarachnoid hemorrhages share many resemblances with other neurological traumas such as a cerebral vascular accident, meningitis, and/or traumatic brain injury. Autoimmune encephalopathies (AE) occur when human antibodies assault the body’s cell surfaces and/or synaptic proteins. Consequently, widespread nervous system and diffuse brain involvement may occur. With subarachnoid hemorrhages and autoimmune encephalopathies, multiple areas of cognition and language can be impaired. Case studies in communication sciences and disorders are underutilized, yet are important in evidenced‐based practice. Speech-language pathologists in medical settings have worked with …

The Effect Of Road Noise On Sound Pressure Levels And Preferred Listening Levels Using Personal Listening Devices, Hayley Himstedt

Doctoral Dissertations

Using a PLD in an automobile introduces unique threats such as volume levels set at higher levels to reduce the masking effects of road noise that enters the automobile. Passengers enjoying prolonged PLD exposure may be at an increased risk of noise exposure or fluctuating sound pressure levels resulting in hearing loss. Historically, hazardous noise has been primarily associated with industrial/occupational activities; however, harmful noise from recreational activities is also prevalent. The Center for Disease Control (2015) lists turning down PLD volume as one of their top three methods for reducing the possibility of NIHL in children. Excessive listening level …

Mandarin-English Bilinguals Process Lexical Tones In Newly Learned Words In Accordance With The Language Context, Carolyn Quam, Sarah C. Creel

Speech and Hearing Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Previous research has mainly considered the impact of tone-language experience on ability to discriminate linguistic pitch, but proficient bilingual listening requires differential processing of sound variation in each language context. Here, we ask whether Mandarin-English bilinguals, for whom pitch indicates word distinctions in one language but not the other, can process pitch differently in a Mandarin context vs. an English context. Across three eye-tracked word-learning experiments, results indicated that tone-intonation bilinguals process tone in accordance with the language context. In Experiment 1, 51 Mandarin-English bilinguals and 26 English speakers without tone experience were taught Mandarin-compatible novel words with tones. Mandarin-English …

Caregiver Training Program On Emergent Literacy Development Of Augmentative And Alternative Communication Users, Meghan Bowers

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Teaching early literacy to typically developing individuals is widely practiced and has a vast amount of research backing its success (Strum et. al., 2006). Current research has shown that both children and adult augmentative and alternative (AAC) users are underachieving in the development of reading and spelling skills, but the underachievement in these areas is not correlated to a lack of cognitive and linguistic abilities (Sandberg, Smith, Larsson, 2010). Like their typically developing peers, AAC users must have the same repeated opportunities to participate in a wide range of literacy tasks to attain literacy skills (Strum et. al., 2006).

Children …

Challenges To Augmentative And Alternative Communication Interventions With Autism Spectrum Disorder Students, Kristy Jane Singer-Macnair

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have challenges with communication, social interactions, and behavior, which can limit their functioning in school settings. They need to have functional communication skills to access the curriculum and have their needs met across all social environments. Special education teachers often experience barriers to successful implementation of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions appropriate for these students. The purpose of this case study was to understand how special education teachers experience AAC intervention processes, and illuminate the conditions for effective AAC implementation. A qualitative case study was conducted using interviews from 6 credentialed special education …

Gender Differences In Parents' Assessment Of Language Development, Michelle Lacroix

Honors Theses and Capstones

This study aims to determine if there is a statistically significant difference between genders in the reporting of their child’s communication abilities. Possible variances between men and women are important to consider because parent-based questionnaires are often used to help identify children who are in need and eligible for the services of a speech-language pathologist. Literature surrounding parental stereotypes and the impact of the parent in development, as well as stigma in relation to the need for speech therapy services is explored. A survey based off of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition was distributed to parents of children …

Social-Pragmatic Communication In Women With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Multiple Case Study, Lacey W. Ryder

Honors Theses and Capstones

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is identified much later and less often in females than in males. Some researchers suspect that a different set of characteristics of ASD in females may not be consistent with the more established and widely recognized characteristics of ASD, leading to under-identification in women. In the present study, four women and one non-binary feminine-presenting person with ASD were interviewed. The five participants conveyed their experiences with social-pragmatic communication, and their views on gender, ASD, and gender differences in ASD. The results are discussed in relationship to the limited amount of past research on women with ASD.

A Vowel Analysis Of The Northwestern University-Children's Perception Of Speech Evaluation Tool, Kassie Nicole Zukowski

Honors Theses and Capstones

In an analysis of the speech perception evaluation tool, the Northwestern University – Children’s Perception of Speech test, the goal was to determine whether the foil words and the target word were phonemically balanced across each page of test Book A, as it corresponds to the target words presented in Test Form 1 and Test Form 2 independently. Based on vowel sounds alone, variation exists in the vowels that appear on a test page on the majority of pages. The corresponding formant frequencies, at all three resonance levels for both the average adult male speaker and the average adult female …

Characterizing Food Selectivity In Children With Autism, Samantha H. Wohlmacher

Honors Theses and Capstones

Food selectivity or “picky eating” affects a large percentage of children on the autism spectrum and as a result can have negative impacts on a child’s health and nutritional status (Cermak, Curtin, & Bandini, 2010). Few studies compare food selectivity in children on the autism spectrum to children with other developmental issues. Such a comparison may reveal how food selectivity presents itself uniquely in children on the autism spectrum. This study examined data from past health records collected from the Seacoast Childhood Development Center (SCDC). Thirty-eight children whose parents were concerned about their diets were taken from a larger sample …

Language Of Intervention In A Bilingual Child With Autism, Amelie Muzza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study was conducted to address language of intervention for the rapidly-growing bilingual population of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the United States. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a monolingual English or bilingual Spanish/English condition would yield a greater number of request types in a 3-year-old bilingual participant with autism. A single-subject, rapid alternating treatments design with baseline and a final maintenance phase was used to alternate between monolingual English and bilingual Spanish/English interventions. Results did not meet the criteria set for continuation of treatment in either condition; therefore, both monolingual and bilingual interventions …

Using Neural Response Telemetry To Monitor Physiological Responses To Acoustic Stimulation In Hybrid Cochlear Implant Users, Paul J. Abbas, Viral D. Tejani, Rachel Scheperle, Carolyn J. Brown

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Objective: This report describes the results of a series of experiments where we use the neural response telemetry (NRT) system of the Nucleus cochlear implant (CI) to measure the response of the peripheral auditory system to acoustic stimulation in Nucleus Hybrid CI users. The objectives of this study were to determine whether they could separate responses from hair cells and neurons and to evaluate the stability of these measures over time. Design: Forty-four CI users participated. They all had residual acoustic hearing and used a Nucleus Hybrid S8, S12, or L24 CI or the standard lateral wall CI422 implant. The …