Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

Ambulatory Monitoring Of Subglottal Pressure Estimated From Neck-Surface Vibration In Individuals With And Without Voice Disorders, Juan P Cortés, Jon Z Lin, Katherine L Marks, Víctor M Espinoza, Emiro J Ibarra, Matías Zañartu, Robert E Hillman, Daryush D Mehta

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The aerodynamic voice assessment of subglottal air pressure can discriminate between speakers with typical voices from patients with voice disorders, with further evidence validating subglottal pressure as a clinical outcome measure. Although estimating subglottal pressure during phonation is an important component of a standard voice assessment, current methods for estimating subglottal pressure rely on non-natural speech tasks in a clinical or laboratory setting. This study reports on the validation of a method for subglottal pressure estimation in individuals with and without voice disorders that can be translated to connected speech to enable the monitoring of vocal function and behavior in …

Defining Change Beyond A Binary System: Measurement And Interpretation Of Degrees Of Dysphonia Severity In The Individual And Across Voice Disorders, Lindsey Ann Parker

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Objective: The current study examined the sensitivity of voice outcome measures in discriminating cut-off thresholds between degrees of dysphonia severity, correlations to perceived dysphonia, and the impact of vocal task. Differences between cases of adductor spasmodic dysphonia, benign vocal fold polyps, and unilateral vocal fold paralysis were also explored.

Method: Auditory-perceptual judgments were performed by three raters for four diagnostic groups: Normal (n=14), AdSD (n=15), Polyp (n=15) and UVFP (n=15). Receiver operator characteristic area under the curve (AUC) analyses established screening and dysphonia severity (mild, moderate, severe) cut-off thresholds for auditory-perceptual visual analog scale (VAS) ratings and acoustic measures (f0_SD, …

The Effect Of Word-Learning Biases On Early Vocabulary Acquisition In Young Children On The Autism Spectrum, Claire C. Bourgeois

LSU Master's Theses

Background: Vocabulary composition and word-learning biases are closely interrelated in typical development. Such word-learning biases are influenced by perceptually and conceptually salient word features, including imageability, concreteness, iconicity, and attention to shape. Autistic children often have delayed language acquisition, but there is currently little research examining the underlying mechanisms autistic children use to acquire words. The current study aimed to examine the noun composition of autistic children across a range of vocabulary sizes by examining associations between expressive noun vocabulary size and imageability, iconicity, concreteness and evidence for the shape bias, and to examine whether these patterns differ from their …

Impact Of Language Sampling Context On Language Productivity And Complexity, Trina J. Tolentino

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Language sampling is a familiar tool in the speech-language pathologist’s (SLP’s) repertoire, used to assess a student’s language ability and inform treatment targets. The current literature has several studies comparing various dimensions of language sampling context, but with relatively small samples. The goal of this study was to identify what sampling contexts elicit the most productive and complex language, thereby contributing insight into what conditions may yield the most accurate representation of a child’s language skill, as well as the resulting intervention focus.

One-thousand thirty-seven kindergarten, first-, second-, and third-grade students (mean age [years; months] ≈ 7;5; range = 5;0-10;9), …

Assessing The Bilingual Advantage: Is Support Found In Aphasia Patients?, Alexa Juarez-Le, Caroline Kerrigan

Kean Quest Graduate

No abstract provided.

How Differences In Personal Style Can Impact Participation In Group Therapy Sessions Across Delivery Models, Chelsea A. Libreros-Cortes, Kylie Trebour, Nicholas Zablocki

Kean Quest Graduate

No abstract provided.

Brain Age Predicts Long-Term Recovery In Post-Stroke Aphasia, Sigfus Kristinsson, Natalie Busby, Christopher Rorden, Roger Newman-Norlund, Dirk B. Den Ouden, Sigridur Magnusdottir, Haukur Hjaltason, Helga Thors, Argye E. Hillis, Olafur Kjartansson, Leonardo Bonilha, Julius Fridriksson

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

The association between age and language recovery in stroke remains unclear. Here, we used neuroimaging data to estimate brain age, a measure of structural integrity, and examined the extent to which brain age at stroke onset is associated with (i) cross-sectional language performance, and (ii) longitudinal recovery of language function, beyond chronological age alone. A total of 49 participants (age: 65.2 ± 12.2 years, 25 female) underwent routine clinical neuroimaging (T1) and a bedside evaluation of language performance (Bedside Evaluation Screening Test-2) at onset of left hemisphere stroke. Brain age was estimated from enantiomorphically reconstructed brain scans using a machine …

Bug-In-Ear Technology As A Clinical Teaching Tool For Au.D. Education: A Pilot Study, Teffany R. Ventura, Diana C. Emanuel, Emily Hildebrand, Amanda Kozlowski

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Traditional forms of clinical pedagogy include post-observation feedback and side-by-side coaching. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate a newer strategy, bug-in-ear technology (BIET), in which clinical supervisors provide live feedback through a discrete earpiece. BIET has the potential to overcome limitations associated with traditional clinical pedagogy. This pilot study compared side-by-side coaching to BIET coaching, using standardized patients in an on-campus audiology clinic. In this study, first-year Au.D. students conducted a case history assessment for two standardized patients. Likert-response ratings and qualitative data from open-set questions indicated BIET coaching was well received by supervisors because it provided …

Student Voices From A Student- And Faculty-Led Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Committee, Mary C. Wofford, Thales De Nardo, Amy Rose, Yelena Carlisle, Nicholas Fasanello, Emma Himelein-Wachowiak, Karis Kerr, Helen Whiteside

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Speech-language pathologists and audiologists have recognized an increased need for discussions surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the profession. The purpose of this work is to describe one evidence-informed approach to forming a departmental student- and faculty-led committee at a university and to highlight participant student voices from the committee. The committee’s formation, organization, and activities are discussed from the perspectives of its members.

Self-Care With Self-Compassion (Sc2): A Program To Foster Well-Being In Graduate Speech-Language Pathology Students, Laura R. Chapman, Karalee Cole

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

This article describes elements of Self-Care with Self-Compassion (SC²), a novel program designed to foster well-being in graduate speech-language-pathology (SLP) students. Graduate SLP students experience elevated levels of perceived stress, which can ultimately impact their professional competence. University programs, faculty, and staff are uniquely positioned to help students learn to cope with stress. Self-care and self-compassion may buffer some of the effects of stress, and at the same time foster qualities in students that facilitate learning and promote healthy clinical practice. Twenty-five incoming SLP graduate students participated in SC², a required, two-part workshop. Levels of perceived …

Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Student Clinicians’ Self-Perceived Competency In Dysphagia Management, R. Jordan Hazelwood, Erin D. Bouldin, Indigo R. Burford, Emily A. Steffen

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are the preferred healthcare providers for managing the direct clinical care of patients with dysphagia. By assessing self-perceived competency during academic training, SLP graduate student clinicians may increase their understanding of their skills in dysphagia management. We modified the Dysphagia Competency Verification Tool (DCVT) to use a 5-point ordinal scale to explore how SLP graduate student clinicians’ self-perception of competency in dysphagia management changes over time and to determine the impact of clinical practicum experiences. Seventy-two SLP graduate student clinicians rated their self-perceived competency for four DCVT domains. We used Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) models to analyze …

The Development And Implementation Of Align: A Multidimensional Program Designed To Enhance The Success Of Black, Indigenous, And People Of Color (Bipoc) Graduate Students In Communication Sciences And Disorders, Soren Y. Lowell, Stephanie Mcmillen, Anita L. Lightburn, Jamie L. Desjardins, Ellyn A. Riley

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

The critical lack of racially and ethnically diverse healthcare professionals in the field of Communication Sciences & Disorders (CSD) in contrast to the increasing diversity of the U.S. population may contribute to healthcare disparities and negatively impact healthcare outcomes. It is therefore imperative for transformational programs and practices to be enacted to substantially increase the number of CSD professionals representing Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). As training institutions that graduate and contribute to the certification of CSD professionals, universities are fundamental for contributing to this change. Numerous barriers have been identified that limit the number of underrepresented minority …

Problem-Based Learning As A Tool To Facilitate Graduate Students’ Understanding Of Terminology And Evidence-Based Practice In Child Language Disorders, Nicole Magaldi, Kristen Victorino

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

There have historically been a variety of diagnostic terms used to describe children with unexplained language disorders. Recently there has been some consensus around the use of the term developmental language disorder (DLD) however, students, in particular graduate students, need to be aware of the various terms that have historically been used so that they are able to successfully employ evidence-based practice (EBP). The current study used a Problem Based Learning (PBL) approach, based on a teaching module recently published by the authors (see Victorino & Magaldi, 2019), to teach students enrolled in a graduate program in Communication Sciences and …

A Tool For Differential Diagnosis Of Childhood Apraxia Of Speech And Dysarthria In Children: A Tutorial, Jenya Iuzzini-Seigel, Kristen M. Allison, Ruth Stoeckel

Speech Pathology and Audiology Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose:

While there has been mounting research centered on the diagnosis of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), little has focused on differentiating CAS from pediatric dysarthria. Because CAS and dysarthria share overlapping speech symptoms and some children have both motor speech disorders, differential diagnosis can be challenging. There is a need for clinical tools that facilitate assessment of both CAS and dysarthria symptoms in children. The goals of this tutorial are to (a) determine confidence levels of clinicians in differentially diagnosing dysarthria and CAS and (b) provide a systematic procedure for differentiating CAS and pediatric dysarthria in children.

Method:

Evidence …

Prologue To The Forum: Care Of The Whole Child: Key Considerations When Working With Children With Childhood Apraxia Of Speech, Jenya Iuzzini-Seigel

Speech Pathology and Audiology Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose: This prologue introduces the LSHSS Forum: Care of the Whole Child: Key Considerations When Working With Children With Childhood Apraxia of Speech. The goals of the forum are to provide (a) an overview of several co-occurring conditions and challenges that may affect children in this population and (b) methods and materials to enhance diagnostic accuracy and treatment efficacy to help children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) to thrive.

Method: The prologue provides an overview of what it means to care for the whole child and introduces the five articles in the forum, including research and clinical focus articles …

Orthographic Knowledge And Phonological Awareness In Children With Speech Sound Disorder, Anna Marie Ehrhorn

Theses and Dissertations

Speech sound disorder (SSD) puts children at risk for word reading difficulties but does not guarantee them. Research on early literacy skills in children with SSD has primarily focused on phonological awareness due to speech sound deficits associated with SSD. Researchers have begun to examine multiple factors beyond phonological awareness that may impact word reading and spelling development. Orthographic knowledge is another essential factor understudied in children with SSD. Previous research has shown that orthographic properties of words influence phonological awareness performance in skilled readers and children with reading difficulties. No known previous studies have examined whether orthography influences phonological …

Behavioral And Neurophysiological Measures Of Speech Auditory Feedback Processing Impairment In Left Hemisphere Stroke, Stacey Sangtian

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify behavioral and neural correlates of impaired speech auditory feedback processing in people with a history of left-hemisphere stroke (LHS). To do this, we used the altered auditory feedback (AAF) paradigm to externally induce speech errors by randomly shifting the pitch frequency of the online auditory feedback up or down at ±100 cents in 38 LHS and 27 neurologically intact control participants under two experimental conditions: 1) active vocalizations of a steady speech vowel sound “ah,” and 2) passive listening to the playback of the same self-produced vocalizations. Randomized control trials were included …

Assessment And Diagnostic Practices Relating To Autism Spectrum Disorder In The United States And Mexico, Maria Valdez, Jessica R. Stewart, Wan-Lin Chang, Ruth Crutchfield, Ralph Carlson

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The present study examined and compared professional assessment and diagnostic practices relating to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Mexico and the United States (U.S.). This information is of great importance because there is an extremely limited amount of information pertaining the assessment and diagnostic practices for ASD in Mexico and little is known about how these practices compare to those in the U.S. Methods: Archival data from a survey investigating ASD in the U.S. and Mexico was used for this study. Participants included 29 professionals from the U.S. and 7 professionals from Mexico. Professionals were from a variety of …

Understanding The Relationship Between Age-Related Hearing Loss And Alzheimer's Disease: A Narrative Review, Hadeel Y. Tarawneh, Dona M. P. Jayakody, Hamid R. Sohrabi, Ralph N. Martins, Wilhelmina H.A.M. Mulders

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Evidence suggests that hearing loss (HL), even at mild levels, increases the long-term risk of cognitive decline and incident dementia. Hearing loss is one of the modifiable risk factors for dementia, with approximately 4 million of the 50 million cases of dementia worldwide possibly attributed to untreated HL. This paper describes four possible mechanisms that have been suggested for the relationship between age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is the most common form of dementia. The first mechanism suggests mitochondrial dysfunction and altered signal pathways due to aging as a possible link between ARHL and AD. The …

Auditory Stream Segregation Of Amplitude-Modulated Narrowband Noise In Cochlear Implant Users And Individuals With Normal Hearing, Alexandria F. Matz, Yingjiu Nie, Harley J. Wheeler

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders - Faculty Scholarship

Voluntary stream segregation was investigated in cochlear implant (CI) users and normal-hearing (NH) listeners using a segregation-promoting objective approach which evaluated the role of spectral and amplitude-modulation (AM) rate separations on stream segregation and its build-up. Sequences of 9 or 3 pairs of A and B narrowband noise (NBN) bursts were presented which differed in either center frequency of the noise band, the AM-rate, or both. In some sequences (delayed sequences), the last B burst was delayed by 35 ms from their otherwise-steady temporal position. In the other sequences (no-delay sequences), the last B bursts were temporally advanced from 0 …

A Survey Study Of Speech-Language Therapists’ Experiences With Teletherapy At The Onset Of The Covid-19 Crisis, Jason A. Rosas

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The present study aimed to understand how delivering pediatric treatment services via ‘teletherapy’ affected speech-language therapists (SLTs) during the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis in 2020. SLTs reported on their experiences with the change from in-person to remote service delivery via two national surveys distributed at the start of the pandemic between April 2020 and July 2020. To explain SLTs’ survey responses, this dissertation introduced the Professional Adaptation Model (PA Model). The PA Model facilitated evaluation of the SLTs’ professional environment and the psychological constructs of their professional identity believed to influence the transition to speech-language teletherapy. Specifically, …

The Effects Of The Effortful Swallow Maneuver On Hyolaryngeal Movement And Tongue-To-Palate Pressure, Mariana Mendes Bahia

Dissertations - ALL

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the effortful swallow maneuver under two different instructions on tongue-to-palate pressure and hyolaryngeal displacement in healthy adults. Studying typical kinematic parameters and pressure generation in healthy individuals is critical for differentiating normal from pathological patterns and for determining swallowing parameters that can be targeted to optimize and individualize treatment plans for people with swallowing disorders. The primary objectives in this study were: (1) to determine the physiological effects of two different types of effortful swallows on anterior and posterior tongue pressure generation, hyoid displacement, and hyoid-larynx approximation in …

The Intersectionality Of Stuttering And Aging, Mary Elizabeth Herring

University Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore relationships between stuttering and aging so that speech-language pathologists can be informed about the intersectionality of these identities.

Three adult men who stutter, all over the age of 65, were interviewed in semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts were analyzed with in-vivo coding to find codes and themes between participants. From the interviews, 20 categories were identified. These categories were then funneled into four overarching themes: 1) Personal factors impacted by stuttering, 2) Stuttering perspectives across the lifespan, 3) Stuttering therapy experiences, and 4) Covert stuttering.

This study shows that attitudes, perspectives, and experiences …

A Delphi Study Of The Skills Necessary For A Speech-Language Pathologist Or Occupational Therapist To Be Successful In A Leadership Position, Jessica Miller

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify the skills necessary for a speech-language pathologist or occupational therapist to be successful in a leadership position using an expert panel. In addition, the purpose was to rate the identified skills based on importance and lastly to determine the activities experts recommend to acquire the top-rated skills. Methodology: This study used a three-round Delphi method to collect data from expert leaders in speech-language pathology and occupational therapy. In Round 1, the expert panel was asked to identify the skills necessary to transition from a speech-language pathologist or occupational therapist to …

Training The Next Generation Of Practitioners In Early Intervention And Telepractice: Three University Models, K. Todd Houston, Lauri Nelson, Kristina Blaiser

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to shape the provision of family-centered early intervention services for children who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing and their families. In programs, schools, and centers, direct in-person contact with families have been significantly curtailed as a means to limit the exposure to and spead of the virus. Emergency remote learning has lead to an increase in telepractice, also referred to as teleintervention, as the designated model of service provision. Most early interventionists, speech-language pathologists, and teachers of the Deaf were not sufficiently trained to suddenly implement emergency remote teaching or telepractice services, but service providers had no …

Telepractice-Based Assessment Of Children Who Are Deaf/Hard-Of-Hearing: Focus On Family-Centered Practice, Kristina M. Blaiser, Lauri Nelson, K. Todd Houston

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Ongoing assessment and progress monitoring is considered best practice to serve children who are Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) yet logistics related to provider shortages, distances between families, and illness make regular assessment difficult if not impossible. In the last ten years, telepractice has become a more commonly used service delivery model for serving children who are DHH and their families, however, many providers lack the training needed to adequately assess this population (Behl & Kahn, 2015). With explicit planning of the assessments and tools needed on both sides of the camera, providers can create a shared framework to collect the information needed …

A Review Of Current Pediatric Tele-Audiology Ehealth Platforms, Alex Meibos

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify current pediatric tele-audiology hearing technology platforms for young children with hearing loss and their families.

Method: An exploratory, descriptive design was used to evaluate features of available pediatric tele-audiology platforms for parents and audiologists to implement for young children. The study explored internet resources including hearing industry websites, for information related to specific eHealth platform features designed to support pediatric hearing devices currently available to audiologists and families.

Results: Of the websites reviewed, only four major technology companies were found to have pediatric tele-audiology ready platforms designed to support young children …

Intra-Operative Language Assessment For Adult Brain Tumor Survivors: A Systematic Review, Carissa Jolley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Awake craniotomy and language assessment procedures for brain tumor survivors can drastically affect patient outcomes and quality of life. The goal of intra-operative language mapping is to help preserve vital communicative functions. However, there is currently no standardized set of measures for intra-operative language assessment. This systematic review identified behavioral language measures used during intra-operative procedures and the resulting outcomes for adult brain tumor patients, with the aim of helping clinicians and researchers select intra-operative language assessments supported by the highest levels of evidence.

PRISMA guidelines were used to systematically identify articles. Patient demographic and medical information, neuroimaging data, intra-operative …

Non-Nutritive Suck Burst Pattern Stability In Extremely Premature Infants, Alejandra Marquez

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The development of non-nutritive suck (NNS) burst dynamics in preterm infants reflects the integrity of the brain and is used clinically to assess feeding readiness and orofacial motor development (Mizuno and Ueda, 2005). The application of NNS analytics in the present report represents one outcome measurement set that is part of an ongoing clinical trial involving extremely preterm infants (EPI’s,[GA]) randomized to receive either pulsed orocutaneous stimulation therapeutics or a sham (blind pacifier), in conjunction with salivary sampling twice weekly to map gene expression of key proteins involved in neural development and molecular sensing of feeding related pathways in the …

Bias In Measurement Of Autism Symptoms By Spoken Language Level And Non-Verbal Mental Age In Minimally Verbal Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Shuting Zheng, Aaron Kaat, Cristan Farmer, Audrey Thurm, Catherine A. Burrows, Stephen Kanne, Stelios Georgiades, Amy Esler, Catherine Lord, Nicole Takashashi, Kerri P. Nowell, Elizabeth A. Will Ph.D., Jane E. Roberts, Somer L. Bishop

Faculty Publications

Increasing numbers of children with known genetic conditions and/or intellectual disability are referred for evaluation of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), highlighting the need to refine autism symptom measures to facilitate differential diagnoses in children with cognitive and language impairments. Previous studies have reported decreased specificity of ASD screening and diagnostic measures in children with intellectual disability. However, little is known about how cognitive and language abilities impact the measurement of specific ASD symptoms in this group. We aggregated a large sample of young children (N = 1196; aged 31-119 months) to examine measurement invariance of ASD symptoms among minimally verbal …