The Effects Of Dance Therapy On Voice In Patients With Parkinson's Disease In A Multicultural Population, Ivon N. Ramirez

Theses and Dissertations

Current literature suggests that dance therapy in individuals with Parkinson’s disease shows noticeable improvement in motor functions, for example gait and balance improvement. Additionally, patients with Parkinson’s disease who participate in dance therapy may perceive positive benefits on their quality of life. Therefore, it is believed that increases in core support and improvements in posture, as a result of dance therapy, will have effects on the voice in patients with PD.

This thesis pulls from literature supporting treatment approaches in the field of speech-language pathology for voice patients with Parkinson’s disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the …

Swallow And Breathing Coordination Following Suprahyoid Muscle Injury., Bradley Kimbel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Swallowing motility disorders (dysphagia) are a major complication following radiation treatment for head and neck cancer, affecting ~50% of those treated. One reason for this is that radiation causes muscle damage, provoking sensorimotor pathologies. Previous work has suggested that injury may cause discoordination between breathing and swallowing behaviors. We sought to determine if muscle injury provokes changes in this behavior. We hypothesized that acute suprahyoid muscle damage would alter cross-behavior excitability, causing destabilization of the respiratory-swallow pattern. Swallowing was evoked in anesthetized spontaneously breathing cats via injection of a 3cc bolus of water into the oropharyngeal cavity. A suprahyoid injury …

Judgments Of Intelligence And Likability For Young Adult Female Speakers Of American English: The Influence Of Vocal Fry And The Surrounding Acoustic-Prosodic Context, Michelle Parker

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Objective: There is little consensus about how the use of the voice quality feature, vocal fry, in the speech of college-aged American women influences listener judgements of the speaker. This study investigates how vocal fry influences the judgement of speaker intelligence and likeability in this population, while taking into account the surrounding acoustic-prosodic context, specifically speech rate and voice pitch.

Method: Speech samples were obtained from eight American English speaking females who presented with different combinations of voice pitch (low or high), speech rate (slow or fast), and vocal fry (presence or absence). Listener judgements from 463 adults (262 males; …

The Relationship Between Narrative Proficiency And Syntactic Complexity Of Spontaneously Generated Stories Elicited From Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd), Megan Israelsen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a narrative program designed to increase narrative language proficiency was associated with improved syntactic complexity for 5, school-aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Method: A multiple-baseline across participants design was employed. Children participated in a narrative intervention for 45 minutes, twice weekly for a period of time ranging from 19 to 33 sessions. Spontaneously generated narratives were collected after every other intervention session and analyzed for narrative and syntactic complexity.

Results: Results indicated that during baseline, three of the student’s spontaneous stories contained syntactically complex utterances that were comparable …

Associations Of The Medial Olivocochlear Reflex And Speech-In-Noise Abilities In Normal Hearing Adult Listeners: A Systematic Review, Imari J. Greaves

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This systematic review analyzed the research concerning the medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) and speech-in-noise abilities in normal hearing adult listeners. In an attempt to understand the underlying difficulties in this population, the following research questions were proposed: 1) Does the research indicate that the magnitude of MOC suppression measured via OAEs is related to a normal hearing subject’s ability to recognize speech-in-noise? 2) Are MOC effects measured via OAEs lateralized? Is there a right ear advantage as suggested by Khalfa, Morlet, Micheyl, Morgon & Collet (1997)? Ten studies met the standards for inclusion for this review. Analysis of the research …

A New Surgical Approach For O-C2 Fusion, Solving The Problem Of Dysphagia., M. Kathryn Mcclure

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The fusion of the second cervical vertebrae to the occipital bone (O-C2 fusion) for head stabilization can result in postoperative dysphagia and dyspnea, negatively impacting the patient’s quality of life. Currently, the O-C2 angle is used for head placement, which may not place the head neutrally. We hypothesize that aligning the external auditory meatus with midline of the C2 will reduce oropharyngeal stenosis, reducing dysphagia. One male patient with poor swallow quality of life who required a revision of a previous O-C2 surgery was evaluated via videofluoroscopy and completed the standard swallow quality of life questionnaire (SWAL-QOL) before and after …

Development Of A Journaling Application To Track Progress Of Adaptation To Amplification For Adult Patients: Deardiary, Nicole C. Snider

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The DEar Diary application is an illustration of concept of an Apple iOS (operating system) application designed as a tool for supporting compliance and satisfaction with the use of amplification. The audiologist’s main purpose is to counsel, support and to provide rehabilitative counseling to their patients. Helping a patient succeed while using hearing devices for the first time is a complicated task which can be accomplished with the proper counseling and helpful tools in place.

The use of a journal to write down experiences and providing written support material the patient can refer to once they are out of the …

Hearing Loss And Third Party Disability: A Systematic Review, Kathleen H. Wallace

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Objective: The purpose of this investigation is to conduct a systematic review of the quality of life (QoL), social, and emotional aspects of third party disability experienced by communication partners of persons with hearing loss (PHL), including a comparison of communication partners of users of hearing aids, users of cochlear implants, and unaided persons with hearing loss.

Methods: A comprehensive search utilizing various peer-reviewed databases accessible through the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center Library was conducted to identify relevant studies evaluating quality of life, social, and emotional outcome measures of communication partners of persons with hearing loss …

Otologic Blast Injuries, Michelle Singer

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The otologic system functions as a highly sensitive pressure transducer. Because of this, the ear is the most commonly affected organ in primary blast injury. Frequently encountered symptoms include hearing loss, tinnitus, and tympanic membrane perforations. The ear is repeatedly overlooked during triage and easily forgotten in subjects with multiple injuries after major catastrophic events such as explosions. This systematic review provides an overview of the most common otologic injuries observed after blast exposure in a variety of settings and populations. An analysis of 35 studies and an additional 23 reviews was performed in attempt to uncover patterns of otologic …

The Effect Of Hearing Aid Use On Cognition In Older Adults With Adult Onset Hearing Loss: A Systematic Review, Jona Cano

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The goal of this paper was to systematically review literature in order to investigate whether the use of amplification in the form of hearing aids by older adults positively impacts cognitive status. If the results of this review uncover a positive association between hearing-aid use and cognition, then hearing aids can be recommended as an intervention method for the mitigation of cognitive decline. The eight studies included in this paper were reviewed based on the research design and the cognitive outcome measures employed. Additionally, the secondary measures of health utilized by study investigators were also evaluated. Of the eight studies …

Noise Levels In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Systematic Review, Esther Cohn

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Advisor: Carol A. Silverman, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Objective: The purpose of this systematic review is to investigate noise levels in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in order to see if they are in compliance with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) proposed standards. This investigation also aims to compare noise levels among various NICU conditions in order to best hospital conditions for noise reduction.

Methods: A comprehensive search of the literature utilizing various peer-reviewed databases through the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center Library was conducted to identify relevant studies on noise levels in the NICUs. Articles that …

Development Of Realistic Stimuli For The Evaluation Of Listening Effort Using Auditory Evoked Potentials, Christie Hoo Yee Leung

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Purpose – Listeners often report difficulty perceiving speech in background noise, such as when listening in a restaurant. A common complaint of difficulty perceiving speech in noisy restaurants leads to the development of the present study, where audio recordings of connected discourse mixed with restaurant noise at different signal-to-noise ratios were made to determine the effect of restaurant noise on listening effort. Listening effort has previously been examined with psychophysiological measures, a dual-task paradigm, and qualitative measures using a variety of auditory stimuli ranging from simple tonal stimuli to complex speech stimuli, such as consonant-vowel syllables, words, and full sentences, …

Audiometric Status, Self-Perception Of Hearing Disorders, And Noise Dose In Audio Post-Production Engineers, Laura M. Sinnott

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Numerous studies have assessed the risk of hearing injury for musicians and other sound professionals due to excessive sound exposure, however no studies have investigated whether audio post-production engineers have this same risk. This preliminary study first measured 23 participants’ hearing thresholds and prevalence of audiometric notches. Second, a questionnaire, the Questionnaire for Sound Professionals (QUSP), was designed and administered to determine whether correlations between audiometric status and self-perception of hearing loss and hearing disorders existed. Third, sound dosimetry measurements were conducted at film audio post-production studios to assess whether this population is at risk for permanent hearing loss due …

Individual Differences In Stimulus Frequency Otoacoustic Emission Phase, Joshua J. Hajicek

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) are sounds that originate in the cochlea and are measured in the ear canal. OAEs provide a noninvasive tool for investigating cochlear mechanics. Stimulus-frequency OAEs (SFOAEs) are evoked by presenting a single frequency tone, called a probe tone, which have an advantage over other OAEs because they are the least influenced by cochlear nonlinearities. However, because the SFOAE are generated in the cochlea with the same frequency as the stimulus, additional techniques, such as the use of suppressor tones are needed to enable separation of the probe tone from the SFOAE.

The primary goal of this investigation …

Decibel Levels And Employee Perceptions Of Noise Levels In Child Care Facilities, Emily K. Pope

Honors Program Theses and Projects

This quantitative study investigated decibel levels and employee perceptions of the noise levels in four child care facilities. Using a sound level meter, the decibel levels of each facility were measured when the rooms were unoccupied and when they were unoccupied and, information about the acoustic environment was collected. Employees (n= 22) completed a survey rating noise levels during activities throughout the day and the potential implications of the noise levels on their voice and hearing. Results showed that the child care facilities adhered to OSHA standards for permissible noise in work environments (90dBA for 8 hours). The sound-level measurements …

Raps—Measuring Problem Solving In Children With And Without Autism, Haley Jones

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This thesis discusses a study conducted that compared the Rapid Assessment of Problem Solving (RAPS) with the Ravens Progressive Matrices (RPM) in assessing the problem solving of children with and without autism. While the effectiveness of the RAPS had been evaluated for neurotypical children and adults, and adults with traumatic brain injuries, severe mental illness, and Alzheimer’s disease, no studies had yet been conducted with children with autism. The RAPS and the RPM were administered to twelve adolescents with autism and fifteen neruotypical, ages 10:0-17:11. To assess problem solving abilities, questions were analyzed in terms of inefficient constraint questions, frank …

Promoting Aphasia Awareness, Yvonne M. Faria, Fiona Mcnulty, Veronica C. Gonzalez, Peggy S. Conner

Publications and Research

The National Aphasia Association defines aphasia as an impairment of language, affecting the production or comprehension of speech and ability to write. This communication disorder is typically acquired after a brain injury resulting from an accident or stroke. Nearly 180,000 Americans acquire aphasia each year. Despite efforts to increase awareness about aphasia, via organizations such as the National Aphasia Association, general knowledge is still limited. In 2000 Elman and colleagues collected data on the number of news articles that mentioned the term “aphasia” and compared it to similar health conditions with comparable or lower prevalence rates. They found that these …

Examining Social Pragmatic Communication: Evidence From Parent And Professional Questionnaires, Katelyn Adams

Honors Theses

Hyter (2007) defined pragmatics as “daily interactions among groups of people with varying worldviews, each influenced by a history of social practices” (p.131). People use aspects of pragmatics in their everyday life depending on the context of their current social situation. For example, one’s pragmatic language could differ in a day from talking with a boss at work to having a conversation with a friend on the phone. These variations in conversational processes result in the assessment of pragmatics being a difficult task.

In this honors thesis, I examined results from Dr. Yvette Hyter’s assessment battery, the Assessment of Pragmatic …

Effectiveness Of Literacy Intervention Provided By School-Based Slps: Roles & Impressions On Literacy Teams, Ashley Alvarado

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine how effective speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are meeting all areas of responsibility for literacy intervention. To meet this purpose, SLPs from Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota were surveyed. The survey examined SLP’s roles on literacy teams, areas of involvement, potential attitudes, impressions, and educational experiences of SLPs to explain why their role and opinions on involvement in literacy intervention may vary.

Speech Naturalness Before And Following Treatment In Adults Who Stutter, Alexis Novelli

Honors Theses

Purpose: The speech of persons who stutter can often sound unnatural. This can be due to a variety of factors including the presence of stuttering itself and/or the unintended consequence of speech-altering treatment. Understanding factors that contribute to speech naturalness within the stuttering population can direct improved management approaches. This study examines associations between speech task, behavioral measures of stuttering, and selected acoustic measures on listener ratings of speech naturalness for a group of adults immediately before and after participation in an intensive fluency-shaping treatment program. A secondary aim of this study is to assess the use of a novel …

Interpreting Mmse Performance In Highly Proficient Bilingual Spanish-English And Asian Indian-English Speakers: Demographic Adjustments, Item Analyses, And Supplemental Measures, Lisa H. Milman, Yasmeen Faroqi-Shah, Chris D. Corcoran, Deanna M. Damele

Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education Faculty Publications

Purpose: Performance on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), among the most widely used global screens of adult cognitive status, is affected by demographic variables including age, education, and ethnicity. This study extends prior research by examining the specific effects of bilingualism on MMSE performance.

Method: Sixty independent community-dwelling monolingual and bilingual adults were recruited from Eastern and Western regions of the United States in this cross-sectional group study. Independent sample t-tests were used to compare two bilingual groups (Spanish-English and Asian Indian-English) with matched monolingual speakers on the MMSE, demographically adjusted MMSE scores, MMSE item scores, and a nonverbal cognitive …

The Predictors Of Juvenile Recidivism: Testimonies Of Adult Students 18 Years And Older Exiting From Alternative Education, La Toshia Palmer

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive, qualitative study was to identify and describe the importance of the predictors of juvenile recidivism and the effectiveness of efforts to prevent/avoid juvenile recidivism as perceived by previously detained, arrested, convicted, and/or incarcerated adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education in Northern California. A second purpose was to explore the types of support provided by alternative schools and the perceived importance of the support to avoid recidivism according to adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education.

Methodology: This qualitative, descriptive research design identified …

Transition Of Care For Young Adults With Cleft Lip And Palate: We’Ve Got Some Growing Up To Do, Brenda Louw, Linda Vallino

ETSU Faculty Works

Participants will be able to:

• Describe the characteristics and needs of young adults with CLP.
• Discuss the model of transition of care for the young adult with CLP.
• Extrapolate strategies that teams could use to improve the care of young adults with CLP.

Full abstract available through The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal.

Efficacy Of A Three-Week Intervention Program For A School-Aged Children In The Areas Of Language, Literacy, Phonological Awareness, And Auditory Processing, Nicole Weis

Honors Theses

Research demonstrates that competency in the areas of language, phonological awareness, and auditory processing is vital to academic success in children, as well as in navigating adult life. The study's purpose is to measure the efficacy of an intensive, three-week summer camp therapy program for school-aged children in addressing these areas, and to identify areas of strength and weakness in the program and interventions implemented. Programs utilized during the summer camp included Visualizing and Verbalizing(TM), Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing(R), On Cloud Nine(R), Color My Conversation, Differential Processing Training Program(TM), as well as science experiments, and snack and crafts time.

Azbio Sentence Accuracy For English As A Second Language Adults In Quiet And Background Noise, Alexandra Wiist

Honors Theses

The objective of this study is to examine indications of a significant difference in listening ability between native English speakers and English as a Second Language (ESL) students in quiet and background noise specifically on the AZBIO Sentence test. Three Language groups were analyzed: Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. AZBIO lists were used to assess ESL students' ability to repeat sentences. An analysis of errors was completed to determine variance and similarities between the four language groups. Native English speakers had no difficulty repeating sentences in either condition, ESL students' data suggested more difficulty in both quiet and background noise and …

The Impact Of Task-Specific Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (Tdcs) On Sustained Attention In A Healthy Population, Kasi Dawn Steele

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Objective: To examine the impact of task-specific anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) administered over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) on sustained attention in healthy participants.

Methods: This study examined the effects of task-training and tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on sustained attention. Participants (n=13) completed four sessions consisting of either true-stimulation (2 mA for 10 minutes) or sham-stimulation (2 mA for 30 sec) in counterbalanced order. Participants completed one session every 7 to 10 days and were randomly assigned to one of two task-specific conditions in counterbalanced order. All sessions consisted of a 10-minute Go/No-Go …

Articulatory Kinematics During Stop Closure In Speakers With Parkinson’S Disease, Austin Ross Thompson

LSU Master's Theses

Purpose: The goal of this exploratory study was (a) to investigate the differences in articulatory movements during the closure phase of bilabial stop consonants with respect to distance, displacement, and timing of motion between individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and healthy controls; and (b) to investigate changes in articulatory movements of speakers with PD when they voluntarily vary the degree of speech intelligibility.

Methods: Six participants, 4 PD and 2 healthy control (HC) speakers, participated in this study. The stimulus was a sentence containing several bilabial stop consonants (i.e., “Buy Bobby a puppy”). Movement data were collected using …

The Dixit Method Of Language Sampling In Early Adolescence, Tanner Smith

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The current study examined two methods of language sampling (interview and the Dixit Method) in early adolescents with typical language development. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the two procedures in eliciting lexical diversity in spoken language samples in the early adolescent population. To examine lexical diversity, traditional methods of analysis (type token ratio, average type token ratio, and mean length of utterance) were applied. However, because literature historically alludes to flaws in these traditional methods, the researchers also applied an ecological approach to analysis of lexical diversity proposed by Scott Jarvis (2013). Student participants …

Effects Of Larynx Preservation Method On Phonation Threshold Flow In An Excised Porcine Benchtop Model, Emily Huber Webster

Theses and Dissertations

An excised animal larynx model has been used in many studies to better understand the physiological and anatomical properties of the human larynx. One difference between an ex vivo model and an in vivo model is that ion loss occurs postmortem. To compensate for this in the excised model, researchers most commonly use a preservation method that includes completely submerging the specimen in isotonic saline (0.9% Na+Cl-) and then flash freezing it in liquid nitrogen. The flash freezing method allows researchers to maintain the integrity of the structures while also being able to gather specimens as they become available. Not …

A Vowel Perceptual Analysis Of Four Regional Dialects Of Louisiana, Lauren De Mahy

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.