Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

Using Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation To Improve Naming Ability In Post-Stroke Aphasia: Evaluating Evidence And Optimizing Outcomes, Mohammed Alharbi

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Introduction. Aphasia is a devastating acquired language disorder that affects about one third of stroke survivors. Aphasia can severely affect quality of life and can be associated with economic burdens due to the need for long-term communication rehabilitation. Traditional aphasia therapies are known to be effective; however, progress is often slow and limited in severe cases – full restoration of communication abilities is rarely achieved. Thus, there is a critical need for therapeutic solutions that can reduce the associated burden of aphasia. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive and inexpensive neuromodulation technique that has the potential to boost …

Assessing Attitudes And Knowledge Regarding Voice Modification In Transgender People Among Practicing Speech Language Pathologists (Slps) In Texas, Iliana Renee Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to examine the attitudes and knowledge of voice modification in TG persons among practicing SLPs in the state of Texas. Thirty-nine individuals completed the 10-minute survey with 38 questions. SLPs in Texas who responded are professionally and personally comfortable working with transgender individuals. Most respondents did not know what was targeted in voice modification services, however are willing to learn. Respondents' attitudes, knowledge and comfort were impacted most by personal values, graduate school education and personal relationships. The results from this study support the need for education and clinical training on cultural competence …

Cyberbullying, Digital Citizenship, And Youth With Autism: Lis Education As A Piece In The Puzzle, Abigail Phillips, Amelia Anderson

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Librarians are beginning to address the lack of services for youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by providing flexible and tailored programming and services. One important need among youth with ASD is a better understanding of how to navigate the online environment safely and responsibly. Given different engagement styles with social interaction and communication, youth with ASD may be more susceptible to cyberbullying and misinterpretations during online communications than their peers. This study investigates whether librarians can (or should) play a role in digital citizenship education for youth with ASD and provides suggestions for LIS educators preparing future librarians on …

Dissimilar Phonemes Create A Contextual Interference Effect During A Nonword Repetition Task, Kimberly Michelle Meigh, Elisabeth Kee

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Purpose: The contextual interference effect is a motor learning phenomenon where conditions that decrease overall learning during practice enhance overall learning with new tasks. In the limb literature, this effect is observed when different practice conditions are used (e.g., blocked vs. random practice schedules). In speech motor learning, contextual interference effects are mixed. The differences observed during speech motor learning may be due to the stimuli used. We hypothesized that dissimilar phonemes might create interference during speech motor learning, such that training accuracy would decrease. However, generalization accuracy would increase compared to practice with nonwords containing similar phonemes.

Method …

Impact Of Nicu Design On Feeding-Related Outcomes In Preterm Infants, Emma Kate Calvert

Theses and Dissertations--Communication Sciences and Disorders

Many NICUs around the country are moving away from traditional open-bay designs in favor of single-family rooms (SFRs) as more is understood about the impact of the sensory environment on neurodevelopment in preterm infants. SFRs house one infant and their family for the length of the infant’s stay and are associated with improvements in numerous outcomes, including increased milk intake and weight gain and earlier transition to enteral feeding. Oral feeding remains a critical requirement for NICU discharge; however, the impact of NICU design on feeding outcomes remains unknown.

The purpose of this study was to compare feeding outcomes between …

Legibility Of Communicative Writing And Drawing In Aphasia: Does The Orthographic Medium Matter?, Nicole Waugaman

Theses and Dissertations--Communication Sciences and Disorders

Expressive language difficulties are commonplace in aphasia and are often further complicated by co-occurring motor speech disoders. Therefore, many people with aphasia (PWA) are unable to meet all their communication needs by speaking, and they may compensate with the use of communicative writing and drawing. Communicative writing and drawing can be defined as preserved, but imperfect, orthographic skills that PWA use to compensate for expressive language deficits resulting from aphasic and/or motor speech difficulties. The purpose of this study was to determine if the orthographic medium used by a PWA to write and draw influenced the legibility of their writing …

Outcome Measures For Chronic Cough: A Literature Review, Sarah Campbell

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Background: Approximately 9-10 percent of adults experience chronic cough. Chronic cough is a cough that lasts greater than eight weeks, with significant impacts on an individual's quality-of-life in social, psychological, and physical domains. Current treatment is not successful for all patients, and a lack of validated outcome measures makes it challenging to determine the efficacy of experimental chronic cough interventions.

Aims: The purpose of this review is to determine the optimal protocols for outcome measures needed to ascertain the efficacy of chronic cough treatment.

Main contribution: Inconsistent correlations were found between objective and subjective outcome measures. The strongest outcome measure …

Communicating Simply, But Not Too Simply: Reporting Of Participants And Speech And Language Interventions For Aphasia After Stroke, Release Collaboration, Marian C. Brady, Myzoon Ali, Kathryn Vandenberg, Linda J. Williams, Louise R. Williams, Masahiro Abo, Frank Becker, Audrey Bowen, Caitlin Brandenburg, Caterina Breitenstein, Stefanie Bruehl, David A. Copland, Tamara B. Cranfill, Marie Di Pietro-Bachmann, Pamela Enderby, Joanne Fillingham, Federica Lucia Galli, Marialuisa Gandolfi, Bertrand Glize, Erin Godecke, Neil Hawkins, Katerina Hilari, Jacqueline Hinckley, Simon Horton, David Howard, Petra Jaecks, Elizabeth Jefferies, Luis Mt Jesus, Maria Kambanaros, Eun Kyoung Kang, Eman M. Khedr, Anthony Pak-Hin Kong, Tarja Kukkonen, Marina Laganaro, Matthew A. Lambon-Ralph, Ann Charlotte Laska, Béatrice Leemann, Alexander P. Leff, Roxele R. Lima, Antje Lorenz, Brian Macwhinney, Rebecca Shisler Marshall, Flavia Mattioli, İlknur Maviş, Marcus Meinzer, Reza Nilipour, Enrique Noé, Nam-Jong Paik, Rebecca Palmer, Ilias Papathanasiou, Brigida F. Patricio, Isabel Pavão Martins, Cathy Price, Tatjana Prizl Jakovac, Elizabeth Rochon, Miranda L. Rose, Charlotte Rosso, Ilona Rubi-Fessen, Marina B. Ruiter, Claerwen Snell, Benjamin Stahl, Jerzy P. Szaflarski, Shirley A. Thomas, Mieke Van De Sandt-Koenderman, Ineke Van Der Meulen, Evy Visch-Brink, Linda Worrall, Heather Harris Wright

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose: Speech and language pathology (SLP) for aphasia is a complex intervention delivered to a heterogeneous population within diverse settings. Simplistic descriptions of participants and interventions in research hinder replication, interpretation of results, guideline and research developments through secondary data analyses. This study aimed to describe the availability of participant and intervention descriptors in existing aphasia research datasets.

Method: We systematically identified aphasia research datasets containing ≥10 participants with information on time since stroke and language ability. We extracted participant and SLP intervention descriptions and considered the availability of data compared to historical and current reporting standards. We developed an …

Developing The Rapid Assessment Of Problem Solving For Kids (Raps-K), Emily Phillips

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The Rapid Assessment of Problem Solving (RAPS) was created by Dr. Robert Marshall in order to assess an individuals’ problem solving abilities. This assessment is set up like the popular twenty-questions game and is used to assess adults with cognitive impairments. An administrator chooses a picture from a board of thirty-two pictures and the subject must ask yes or no questions in order to guess the target picture in as few questions as possible. Analysis assesses integration planning scores, question asking efficiency scores, and question types to determine a level of problem solving abilities.

Smith and Jones (2018) used the …

Selective Service: Experiences Of Speech-Language Pathologists Serving Underrepresented Populations, Maymuna Najam Jamil

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Members of underserved populations, particularly those of low socioeconomic standing, are less likely to receive speech-language pathology services. Through a series of indepth interviews, this study observes the experiences of speech-language pathologists working with underserved populations in order to understand how they help such populations. The subjects include at least one speech-language pathologist from each of the following settings: school, private practice, hospital, and skilled nursing facility. Results of this study yield common themes in working with members of underserved populations, as well as implications for improving the accessibility of speech-language pathology services.

The Effects Of Dyslexia In College-Aged Students Studying Special Education, Kailah Hardy

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This project focused on the disadvantages students with dyslexia face in college as a result of the still present deficits in reading and writing. One-to-one interviews revealed gathered participant information such as demographic information, their history with dyslexia (such as the social, academic, and personal struggles each individual experiences and how they cope with these struggles), and their present challenges/difficulties related to dyslexia, but also with college-level writing. The findings of this study detailed the lingering effects of three college students who still struggle with dyslexia and in what ways it has affected their life.

The Role Of Socio-Economic Status On The Language Output Of 3-6 Year Old's During A Naturalistic Museum Study, Serena K. Mueller

Honors Theses and Capstones

Over the past 50 years, the lexical nature of young children’s multi-word utterances has been disputed. We ask how socioeconomic status (SES) impacts content and function word usage, and how function word use impacts MLU. Findings show that SES positively correlates with content word production and MLU, which contributes to our knowledge on how SES shapes language and highlights the need for its consideration across settings.

Efficiency Of Low-Tech Augmentative And Alternative Communication (Aac) Access Methods, Brittany Davis

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) implementation and intervention continues to be a critical component of the speech-language pathology scope of practice (ASHA,2020a). As communication has be come increasingly technological, there is a growing need for individuals using AAC to participate remotely using their preferred method of AAC (DeRuyter et al., 2007). Research on use of low-tech AAC systems in telecommunication and the instruction of low-tech communication AAC methods via telepractice is limited. This paper focuses on participants’ experience with learning a modality of communication, low-tech AAC,over Zoom (Zoom Communications Video Communications Inc.,2020). Using a descriptive-comparative design to evaluate efficiency, three …

Breaking The Cycle Of Intergeneration Literacy Deficits: Describing Linguistic Interactions Between Adolescent Mothers And Their Young Children, Diana Abarca

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this pilot descriptive study was to begin the exploration of adolescent mothers' and their children's sociodemographic characteristics and language and literacy skills, the home literacy environment (HLE) provided by adolescent mothers, and the quality of linguistic interactions between adolescent mothers and their children. Eight adolescent mother-child dyads were recruited from local school counties. Data were collected through demographic and HLE questionnaires, various language standardized measures (i.e., Preschool Language Scales, Fifth Edition and Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, Fifth Edition), and scored interactions between mother-child dyads using the Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes …

Automated Phonetic Transcription Grading Tool (Aptgt), Marisha Speights Atkins, Dallin J. Bailey, Cheryl D. Seals, Guorui Li, Robertson Bassy, Yang Cao, Sicheng Li, Bennett Abigail

Faculty Publications

The Automated Phonetic Transcription Grading Tool (APTgt) is an online Learning Management System (LMS) that facilitates the comparison of phonetic transcriptions for instruction and clinical training purposes. It uses an embedded IPA graphical keyboard for transcription input. A custom edit distance algorithm aligns transcriptions in an intuitive way and then calculates differences quantitatively. This allows for objective scoring of transcriptions of even severely impaired productions, which may be difficult to score via traditional comparison methods. APTgt also includes support for comparing narrow phonetic transcriptions with diacritics. Contact the Technologies for Speech Language Pathology Research Lab at [email protected] for registration information.

Vocal Fry: Acoustics, Airflow, And Egg Analysis Of Various Types, Kiersten Mccormick, Dr. Ronald Scherer, Katherine Proctor

Honors Projects

Objective: Current studies on vocal fry at BGSU involve categorizing various types of vocal fry production (Proctor et al., 2019 ASHA conference). The objective of the current study was to characterize vocal fry types using acoustic, airflow, and electroglottographic measures. Such characterization should shed light on the physiological production of vocal fry and potential clinical understanding and intervention.

Methods/design: Three men and three women, 18-22 years old, read the Rainbow passage as well as spoke conversationally and spontaneously in a sound treated booth. The participants spoke using a microphone and an EGG system (Kay Model 6103), as well …

Age-Related Changes In Speech And Voice: Spectral And Cepstral Measures, Christopher Dromey, Sammi Taylor, Shawn L. Nissen, Kristine Tanner, Dennis Eggett, Kim Corbin-Lewis

Faculty Publications

Purpose

This study examined differences in selected acoustic measures of speech and voice according to age and sex and across families.

Method

Participants included 169 individuals, 79 men and 90 women, from 18 families, ranging in age from 17 to 87 years. Participants reported no history of articulation disorders, stroke or active neurologic disease, or severe-to-profound hearing loss. They read aloud two passages to facilitate examination of the following speech and voice acoustic parameters: fricative spectral moments (center of gravity, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis), the proportion of time spent speaking, mean speaking fundamental frequency, semitone standard deviation (STSD), and …

Prosodic Elements For Content Delivery In Broadcast Journalism: A Quantitative Study Of Vocal Pitch, Shawn L. Nissen, Quint B. Randle, Jared L. Johnson, Jenny Lynes

Faculty Publications

Individuals verbally express meaning not only through speech sounds and words but also prosodically through the pitch, loudness, and tempo of their voice. Through a quantitative analysis, this exploratory study examined the prosodic elements of mean pitch, pitch variability, and pitch range in a sample of 450 voice-overs and throws from 90 male and female broadcast reporters and anchors from larger markets across the United States. Findings indicate that compared to typical speakers in the general population, male broadcasters actually speak with an elevated mean pitch, more pitch variability, and use more range. However, female broadcasters were found to speak …

A Case Study On Accessible Reading With Deaf Children, Jody H. Cripps, Samuel J. Supalla, Laura A. Blackburn

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

The concept of accessible reading for deaf students is new and worthy of exploration. In the face of the reading difficulties often experienced by deaf students, the lack of a specialized reading methodology that works for them must be addressed. Central to the paper is a research case study undertaken with two young deaf students, proficient in American Sign Language (ASL) and learning to read. The students participated in a tutorial with a tutor knowledgeable in a specialized reading methodology called ASL Gloss. The participating students demonstrated progress in reading skills over time. Two reading measures were adapted from English …

Programmatic Desensitization Of The Cough Reflex In Patients With Refractory Chronic Cough, Emma Bozarth Dailey

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Aim: The purpose of this blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot clinical trial was to determine the potential of treating refractory chronic cough (RCC) using a progressive desensitization model paired with behavioral cough suppression.

Methods: Twelve adults with chronic cough who had failed behavioral cough treatment enrolled in and completed the study. Participants were randomly assigned to a treatment (n=8) or placebo group (n=4). The study consisted of three phases. During Phase I, participants completed baseline testing, including cough sensitivity testing with capsaicin, the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ), urge-to-cough-testing, and 24-hour cough frequency testing. During Phase II, participants practiced behavioral cough suppression …

Curriculum For Hippotherapy For Children With Autism, Brenna Schulte, Kristy Weissling

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Innovative effective forms of allied health therapies across disciplines including occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy are being continuously researched and implemented for people with a variety of disabilities. One form of therapy increasing in popularity is Hippotherapy (HPOT). There is a variety of terms related to hippotherapy. More broadly, Equine Assisted Therapy (EAT) is the use of horses to promote physical and mental health and can be utilized for a wide variety of disabilities, such as ADHD and Autism, as well as physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy. HPOT occurs when OT, PT, and ST professionals utilizes horse …

Spectrographic Analysis Of The Lombard Effect, Julia Saxon

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In my honors project I will study the feasibility of using spectrographic analysis to measure the Lombard effect. The Lombard effect is a well-known phenomenon in which talkers reflexively increase the intensity of their voices in the presence of background noise. We hypothesize that other measurable features of speech will also change with vocal intensity consistent with what is shown in literature. However, the current authors will discuss findings in terms of its potential value as a test of pseudohypoacusis, also known as nonorganic or functional hearing loss. The author and a licensed audiologist will examine the /i/ and /u/ …

Cochlear Implants And Executive Function In Children: A Current Review Of Literature, Jessica Bonezzi, Dr. Alex Meibos

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

We systematically reviewed existing research on cochlear implantation and executive function to determine if children with bilateral profound hearing loss with cochlear implantation have executive functioning levels similar to their normal hearing peers. Overall, we wanted to know if cochlear implantation resulted in executive functioning in deaf children. A systematic analysis of research was performed using the Preferred Reporting of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) technique. Research comparing unilaterally implanted children to bilaterally implanted children shows that bilaterally implanted children scored higher on verbal IQ tests. Research comparing predominately bilaterally implanted children to norms presents split results.

Qualitative Survey Of A Collaborative Team Approach To Treating Autism Spectrum Disorder, Theresa Duff

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

PURPOSE: To examine a unique interdisciplinary approach to ASD care that is utilized at KidsLink School/Neurobehavioral Center through a qualitative survey. This study determines the role of each interdisciplinary team member, the advantages and disadvantages of KidsLink’s approach, what is unique about their approach, and how a collaborative approach affects individual team members. METHODS: An online qualitative survey was distributed to KidsLink’s professional staff who are members on the interdisciplinary care teams. The survey results were read over three times in order to identify common themes and conduct a frequency analysis of codes across all participant responses. RESULTS: There were …

Toward Enhancing Ecological Validity Of Cognitive-Linguistic Assessment: The Role Of Individual Differences In Cognitive Capacity On Oral Discourse Processing, Nancy Naperala

Wayne State University Dissertations

A growing body of multidisciplinary research indicates the need for more holistic tests of executive cognitive functioning and complex language metrics that predict real-life performance. However, empirical studies investigating cognitive aging, limited capacity processing and everyday discourse behaviours are still lacking. The present research focused on ecologically valid methods for capturing individual differences in cognitive capacity and the effects of cognitive load on oral discourse processing (ODP) in healthy adult participants. This methodology sought to tease apart the nature of capacity limits and provide a better estimate of age-related differences in everyday discourse behaviors in three parts. First, the effects …

Cortical Neurophysiologic Correlates Of Auditory Threshold In Adults And Children With Normal Hearing And Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder, Garrett Cardon, Anu Sharma

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Auditory threshold estimation using the auditory brainstem response or auditory steady state response is limited in some populations (e.g., individuals with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder [ANSD] or those who have difficulty remaining still during testing and cannot tolerate general anesthetic). However, cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) can be recorded in many such patients and have been employed in threshold approximation. Thus, we studied CAEP estimates of auditory thresholds in participants with normal hearing, sensorineural hearing loss, and ANSD. Method: We recorded CAEPs at varying intensity levels to speech (i.e., /ba/) and tones (i.e., 1 kHz) to estimate auditory thresholds …

Inner Ear Disorders Associated With Hearing And Vestibular Loss: A Case Series, Kelly Retzlaff

AuD Capstone Projects - Communication Sciences and Disorders

Introduction: Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), a hearing loss of at least 30 dB at three or more consecutive frequencies within a 72-hour period, is typically idiopathic. Potential causes are thought to include viral, autoimmune, vascular, neurologic, neoplastic, or traumatic origins. Treatment consists of steroids. Poor patient follow up and compliance with rehabilitation negatively affect outcomes. Poor follow-up also results in the inadequate medical documentation of outcomes. Case Presentation: a 20-year old female presented with unilateral SSNHL with high-frequency tinnitus in the right ear. Her audiological history includes a known profound hearing loss in the left ear, as well as, …

The Use Of Differing Verb Types In The Oral Narratives Of School-Age Children, Allison Ann Switzer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The aim of this project was to examine the use of action, metacognitive, and metalinguistic verbs in narratives relative to age-related growth for children with typical language and their peers with a language-based disorder. While limited information is known about the use of these differing verb types, there is evidence to show that metacognitive and metalinguistic verbs are less salient than action verbs, and therefore have a longer trajectory of acquisition. The oral narratives of 84 typically developing students were coded for occurrences of action verbs, metacognitive verbs, and metalinguistic verbs to obtain a total use as well as to …

Hearing Care And Management Priority Among Parents Of Children With Down Syndrome: A Grounded Theory, John J. Whicker, Karen F. Muñoz, Nicole J. Pearson, Trenton J. Landon, Lauri H. Nelson, Karl R. White, Michael P. Twohig

Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education Faculty Publications

Objective: This study qualitatively explored the factors that influence how parents of children who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing with Down syndrome prioritize hearing care and management and developed an associated theory to explain that priority.

Design: Grounded theory was used for the purposes of this qualitative study. Data were collected using in-depth interviews which were analyzed using a three-tiered qualitative coding process.

Study Sample: Eighteen mothers of children who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing with Down syndrome participated in this study.

Results: The higher the extent of engaged professional support, perception of benefit for child, parent activation, and family engagement, the …