Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

Initial Qualitative Inquiry Into Social Proverb Use And Acceptability, Emma K. Hinds

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Currently,  1 in 36 individuals are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is characterized by social communication differences and restricted and/or repetitive behaviors. Many children with ASD also present with sensory, behavioral, and emotional differences, underscoring the need for specialized, evidence-based interventions. Social proverb is a novel intervention approach developed by Dr. Schoffer Closson that provides in-the-moment guidance by explicitly stating expected social behaviors and the rationale behind them (e.g., “We cover our coughs, so we don’t spread germs”). To date, no research has examined the use of social proverbs as an intervention strategy. The purpose of this qualitative …

Perspectives Of Poetry: Peering Into Poetry And Aphasia, Kristian M. Perez

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

People with aphasia often experience significant barriers to communication, emotional expression, and participation in meaningful life activities following stroke or neurological injury. Although poetry and creative expression have been explored in broader therapeutic contexts, limited research has examined how people with aphasia perceive poetry. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of people with aphasia regarding definitions of poetry, level of interest in poetry and the factors influencing said interest. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with adults with aphasia recruited through convenience sampling. Participants responded to questions before and after exposure to the poem Trust by Mark …

Double Burden: Exploring The Impact Of Epilepsy On Caregivers Of Children With Medical Complexities, Maria Eduarda Baldanzi Silva

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Children with medical complexities (MC) often have epilepsy as a comorbidity. The demanding management of conditions in children with complex needs requires specialized medical care. This care usually prioritizes the child’s health but often disregards caregivers' physical and mental health. This study examined the relationship between epilepsy in children with medical complexities (MC) and their caregivers' quality of life (QoL), with a focus on mental health, physical well-being, and financial stability. A national survey was conducted to compare the experiences of two groups of caregivers: 1) those who have children with MC and epilepsy, and 2) those who have children …

Investigating Speech-Language Pathologists’ Perception On Bilingual/Multilingual Aac Intervention And Quality Of Care., Lillian Griffith

2026 Research Poster Competition

In recent decades, the caseloads worldwide of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have become increasingly linguistically diverse (Soto & Yu 2014). However, current research in the field of communication sciences and disorders is primarily focused on monolingual populations, with a similar lack of research in the field regarding bilingual/multilingual Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) (Tönsing & Dada 2022). AAC refers to methods of communication other than spoken language and can augment existing speech or serve as an alternative to speech (ASHA n.d.). Although advancements in the field regarding AAC use for monolingual/English-speaking clients have been made, there is a lack of research …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists Following Implementation Of H.R.1 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act), Jenna Burns

2026 Research Poster Competition

Communication is a human right. As such, ASHA’s official Code of Ethics (2023) states that all speech-language pathologists working under the organization’s credentials have a responsibility to provide equitable and accessible care, regardless of socioeconomic status, citizenship status, or place of origin; however, there can be many barriers to the provision of this service, one of the most prominent being policy. Beginning in 2025, federal policy reforms enacted under H.R.1, colloquially known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” have impacted health care access, immigration policy, and educational funding, leading to eventual effects on the services of paraprofessionals in publicly-funded …

Exploring The Impact Of Age On Traumatic Brain Injury Cause And Recovery In Arkansas: A Retrospective Review, Abby Jones

2026 Research Poster Competition

Traumatic brain injury remains a major public health concern, and increasing evidence demonstrates the significance of the effect of age in quality of care, diagnosis, and recovery outcomes. In rural states, such as Arkansas, where research has shown a lack of resources and higher fatality rates among persons with TBI, healthcare professionals can become better informed and equipped to optimize recovery and rehabilitation as a result of research efforts to explore the effects of age from the standpoint of cause and recovery (Daugherty et al., 2022). This study was a retrospective analysis involving data covering a two-year period extracted from …

Beyond Mean Length Of Utterance: Novel Measures For Characterizing The Spoken Language Of Autistic Children, Janine Mathee-Scott, Courtney E. Venker

Speech Pathology and Audiology Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose:

Mean length of utterance (MLU) is a common measure of expressive language complexity in young children, including autistic children. However, means, by nature, obscure some information about spread and variability in data. Thus, we aimed to examine a new approach to characterizing linguistic complexity in autistic children by investigating the validity of two novel measures—range of length of utterance (RLU), standard deviation of length of utterance (SDLU)—alongside established measures: MLU and total utterances (TU).

Method:

Participants were 40 autistic children (12 girls, 28 boys; M_age = 41.78 months). Children participated in 10-min, play-based language samples with their caregivers. …

Gender, And Socioeconomic Status In School-Based Speech-Language Pathology Decision-Making For Adolescents With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Critically Appraised Topic, Geneva Renee Toledo

Selected Full-Text Master Theses 2021-

Purpose: Adolescents are at greater risk for traumatic brain injury (TBI), and TBI-related symptoms may contribute to disciplinary actions that increase their risk of entering the school-toconfinement pipeline. Given the disproportionate representation of racially marginalized male adolescents within this pipeline, this critically appraised topic (CAT) examined how race, gender, and socioeconomic status may influence school-based speech-language pathology (SLP) services and clinical decision-making following TBI. Method: A structured search of five electronic databases was conducted to identify studies examining speech-language pathologists’ (SLPs’) clinical decision-making and management of adolescents with TBI in relation to race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Relevant studies were …

Exploring Vocal Fatigue In Female Singers, Cory M. Pinto

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Vocal fatigue is a complex issue that may signal underlying vocal pathology or exist independently, especially among professional voice users such as singers, whose high vocal demands make them particularly susceptible. This dissertation investigates vocal fatigue in young adult female singers using both objective and subjective voice assessment measures during a novel vocal loading task. Key research questions addressed in this dissertation are as follows: (1) Which voice assessment measures demonstrate significant change over time in response to vocal loading? (2) which Participant Profile Characteristics most accurately predict changes in perceived vocal fatigue severity? (3) In what ways do symptom …

How Autistic Children Define Novel And Real Words, Henry James Tomiser

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Word knowledge is highly valuable to Autistic individuals, and although much research has characterized Autistic children’s vocabulary breadth (i.e., the number of lexical entries), less attention has been paid to vocabulary depth (i.e., the richness with which one understands a given word). In this exploratory post-hoc study, 11 Autistic children (one assigned female at birth) participated in novel and real word learning paradigms in which child-friendly referents were paired with CVCV word forms. Participants were then asked to provide open-ended definitions of the words. Definitions were parsed into meaningful subunits, or semantic features. Semantic features were coded by type of …

Bridging The Gap: How Sociodemographic Factors Shape Adults’ Decisions To Pursue Hearing Aids, Logan Lorié

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Despite hearing aids becoming more accessible to adults with hearing loss, hearing aid uptake rates remain low, partly due to sociodemographic factors that influence an adults’ decision to pursue amplification. This study systematically reviewed research on how sociodemographic factors – to include age, gender, socioeconomic status, education level, race/ethnicity, and military status – contribute to the decision-making process. This review guided an analysis of these variables using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a large public health database. To ensure enough hearing aid users were included in the analysis, NHANES data were combined across survey cycles from 1999 …

The Qualitative Investigation Of The Role Of Nicu-Based Slps, Netanya Tsang

Selected Full-Text Master Theses Collection 2018-

In 2004 that the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) released a position statement pertaining the roles of SLPs in swallowing and feeding disorders, specifically in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). In the NICU, one of the last criteria for discharge of the neonate is to demonstrate consistent and stable feeding. For NICU-based speech-language pathologists (SLP)s, a primary responsibility is treating the neonate’s ability to feed and swallow. Within this specialized setting over time, the role of the SLP has changed, but there is significant variation across locations and setting; with little formally documented regarding updated responsibilities. Therefore, this …

Experience And Barriers In Pediatric Dysphagia Rehabilitation: A Quantitative Survey Study, François-Xavier Brajot, Ai-Ju Wu, Pao-Chuan Torng

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Purpose: Despite an important need for health care services targeting pediatric dysphagia, there exist a number of barriers to doing so, including workforce competence. The current study surveyed practicing Speech-Language Pathologists to determine (1) the importance of pediatric dysphagia in their caseload, (2) the adequacy of existing educational resources, and (3) perceived barriers to providing quality care in Taiwan.

Methods: An anonymous survey was completed by Speech-Language Pathologists working in Taiwan. Responses were analyzed with respect to current work setting, experience, preparation, and perceived barriers.

Results: Survey results from 122 respondents indicated that the pediatric dysphagia caseload is unexpectedly low …

Advancing Interprofessional Communication: Preliminary Outcomes Of A Novel Collaboration Framework In A Student Head Injury Clinic, Natalia Noce, Kelly Ann Pena, Susan Paparella, Andrew Lynch, Erin Keller, Aaron Dallman, Pamela Rothpletz-Puglia

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

When healthcare providers practice interprofessional practice, care improves, and medical errors are reduced. Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) principles and the Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Patient Performance and Safety (TeamSTEPPS®) frameworks are utilized in healthcare education to develop interprofessional collaborative practice skills, but there is little understanding of how these skills change over time. We sought to evaluate the development of interprofessional collaborative practice skills by examining graduate occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology students' first-hand reports of their experiences over time in an interprofessional head injury clinic. We employed an applied interpretive qualitative research approach longitudinally collecting …

A Survey Of Student Opinions About A Haiku Writing Assignment, Manish Rami

Communication Sciences & Disorders Faculty Publications

This study examined the instructional value of a haiku writing assignment (HWA) from the graduate students’ perspective via a survey of their opinions. Fifty-eight students wrote and submitted haiku over the course of a semester. A 10-item survey instrument was used to elicit students’ opinions about the assignment. The probability of responses to each of the items on the survey was compared to chance occurrence. Chi-Square tests found that students enjoyed the assignment and the example haiku; they believed that the assignment helped them grasp concepts and be more engaged with the course content; and recommended the use of such …

The Influence Of Early Detection And Intervention Providers' Actions And Communication On Parental Emotions And Early Intervention Engagement After A Child Is Diagnosed With Hearing Loss: A Scoping Review, Charlene M. Watson, D. Ellen Rick, Jillian Ingratta, Patti-Jo Sullivan, Xurong Zhao, Sheila Moodie

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Despite well-intentioned early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) programs, parents receiving a newborn hearing loss diagnosis often experience distress, uncertainty, and fear, which can impact their readiness to engage in early intervention. The communication and support provided by clinicians in early hearing detection and intervention play a critical role in helping families navigate emotions, overcome barriers, and actively participate in EHDI programs. The purpose of this scoping review is to advance our knowledge of the following: For parents who have a newborn newly diagnosed with hearing loss, how do the actions/behaviors and communication (or lack thereof) of EHDI providers influence …

Fine And Gross Motor Skills Assessment, From A Caregiver's Perspective, In Children With Hearing Loss Using A Modified Ages And Stages Questionnaire (Asq-3), Steven M. Doettl, Patrick N. Plyler, Erin Plyler, Kelly R. Yeager, Leeann Hutker, Ginger Tallmadge, Aspen Gutknecht, Amy Becker

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a significant difference on ASQ-3 (Ages and Stages Questionnaire version 3) Gross (ASQ G) and Fine (ASQ F) Motor scores between children with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and children with normal hearing.

Methods: Data was gathered from the ASQ-3 as reported by parents/caregivers of 61 children (28 normal hearing children and 33 children with SNHL) ages 6-36 months. Results were averaged across the participants for both groups. Independent sample t-Tests were used to assess for any statistically significant difference in the ASQ scores between groups. Chi-square analysis …

From Policy To Practice In Deaf Education: American Sign Language And Spoken English Outcomes Of Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Children In Kansas, Jena Mcdaniel, Shreyas Teegala, Rebecca Maloney, Angie Walker, Mary S. Dietrich, Matthew L. Hall, Leah C. Geer, Julie Bustos

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose: In the context of the recent expectation for state Early Hearing Detection and Intervention programs to track language milestones of deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children, we examine how to leverage statewide assessment programs for improving language outcomes of DHH children. We present the degree to which DHH children in Kansas are meeting their language milestones for American Sign Language (ASL) and English and the influence of two measurement features.

Method: Performance on the ASL/English Language Milestones for 198 children who were DHH (aged 1 to 8) was analyzed for attainment of age-expected language skills and …

Cv: Ann Guernon (Speech-Language Pathology), Ann Guernon

Rehabilitation and Health Sciences Department Faculty Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.

Cv: Ann Guernon (Speech-Language Pathology), Ann Guernon

Rehabilitation Sciences Department Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.

Relationships Between Cultural Factors And Motor Abilities In Autistic And Non-Autistic Children, Lindsey Anderson, Allison Gladfelter, Milijana Buac, Waifong Catherine Cheung, Ziteng Wang, Sinan Onal

CISLL Publications

Autism and motor abilities have been found to be closely related. Culture affects motor development as well as various diagnostic criteria for an autism diagnosis, yet cultural factors are rarely considered in research and in clinical diagnostics. This study explored the relationship between cultural factors, characteristics of autism, and balance abilities in autistic (n = 16) and non-autistic (n = 28) children by utilizing a demographic survey, the Social Responsiveness Scale, 2nd edition (SRS-2), and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2) Balance subtest. A multiple linear regression model was used to analyze whether the relationship between autism characteristics and …

Central Auditory Processing Is Altered After Traumatic Brain Injury In Tanzanian Adults, Jonathan D. Lichtenstein, Christopher E. Niemczak, Abigail Fellows, Lindsay J. Wood, Shufaa Masoud, Alexis Rooney, Monika Adhikari, Albert Magohe, Jay C. Buckey

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) damages pathways throughout the brain and is a significant global health concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where the incidence is high and long-term deficits are prevalent. This study explores the utility of central auditory processing (CAP) testing as a marker of previous TBI. Seventy individuals with a history of moderate to severe TBI (msTBI) were matched by age and sex to 46 healthy controls in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Participants underwent comprehensive behavioral CAP testing, including tests of speech-in-noise ability, temporal resolution, and dichotic listening. Multivariate logistic regression showed the Triple Digit Test (TDT) …

Prosodic Comparisons Between Speech And Music For Different Emotions, Reagan Brothers

Honors Projects

This study compares the prosodic acoustic characteristics between different emotional expressions in speech and clarinet playing and evaluates the similarities in prosody between these two domains. The prosodic features analyzed include pitch, loudness, and duration, which are the psychoacoustic terms referring to fundamental frequency [f_o], intensity, and rate of time. The American folksong “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” was both spoken and performed with three emotions: neutral, sad, and happy. The first comparison was how each prosodic characteristic compared across the three different emotions within each domain, and then prosody was compared across the two domains …

Effect Of Digital Noise Reduction Processing On Subcortical Speech Encoding And Relationship To Behavioral Outcomes, Subong Kim, Mary Schroeder, Hari M. Bharadwaj

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Perceptual benefits from digital noise reduction (NR) vary among individuals with different noise tolerance and sensitivity to distortions introduced in NR-processed speech; however, the physiological bases of the variance are understudied. Here, we developed objective measures of speech encoding in the ascending pathway as candidate measures of individual noise tolerance and sensitivity to NR-processed speech using the brainstem responses to speech syllable /da/. The speech-evoked brainstem response was found to be sensitive to the addition of noise and NR processing. The NR effects on the consonant and vowel portion of the responses were robustly quantified using response-to-response correlation metrics and …

A Clinical Training Program For Auditory-Perceptual Rating Of Connected Speech In Aphasia., Marianne Casilio, Manaswita Dutta, Katherine Bryan, Kelly Crouch, Zachary Dewall, Ilana Feld, Jennifer Kile, Keely Mcmahan, Jacqueline Samora, Kiiya Shibata, Stacey Steel, Multiple Additional Authors

Speech and Hearing Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Although discourse analysis has been receiving growing interest among aphasia researchers and speech-language pathologists (SLPs), several key challenges, such as limited time, insufficient training, and a lack of accessible tools, preclude its practical application in clinical settings. To address these barriers, we developed and evaluated a clinical training program for Auditory-Perceptual Rating of Connected Speech in Aphasia (APROCSA; Casilio et al., 2019), a time-efficient and psychometrically robust transcriptionless system for quantifying a range of speech-language impairment features.

Protocol For Visual-Acoustic Intervention With Service Delivery In-Person And Via Telepractice (Visit) Non-Inferiority Trial For Residual Speech Sound Disorder, Tara Mcallister, Jonathan L. Preston, Elaine R. Hitchcock, Nina R. Benway, Jennifer Hill

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Background: Residual speech sound disorder (RSSD) is a high-prevalence condition that negatively impacts social and academic participation. Telepractice service delivery has the potential to expand access to technology-enhanced intervention methods that can help remediate RSSD, but it is not known whether remote service delivery is associated with a reduction in the efficacy of these methods. This project will systematically measure the outcomes of visual-acoustic biofeedback intervention when delivered in-person or online. Methods/design: This project, Visual-acoustic Intervention with Service delivery In-person and via Telepractice (VISIT), aims to treat 76 children in a parallel randomized controlled clinical trial in which children with …

Is Noise Exposure Associated With Impaired Extended High Frequency Hearing Despite A Normal Audiogram? A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Sajana Aryal, Monica Trevino, Hansapani Rodrigo, Srikanta K. Mishra

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding the initial signature of noise-induced auditory damage remains a significant priority. Animal models suggest the cochlear base is particularly vulnerable to noise, raising the possibility that early-stage noise exposure could be linked to basal cochlear dysfunction, even when thresholds at 0.25-8 kHz are normal. To investigate this in humans, we conducted a meta-analysis following a systematic review, examining the association between noise exposure and hearing in frequencies from 9 to 20 kHz as a marker for basal cochlear dysfunction. Systematic review and meta-analysis followed PRISMA guidelines and the PICOS framework. Studies on noise exposure and hearing in the 9 …

Dual-Task Interaction Between Vestibular Function And Cognitive Processing Using The P300 Event-Related Potential, Laurel Elise Money-Nolan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Previous research has established links between vestibular function and cognitive processing, aging and cognitive function, and aging and vestibular function. Theories of cognitive resource allocation discuss how cognitive resources, such as attention, are devoted towards and divided between tasks when multitasking. This dual-task study, utilizing a balance task and a listening/cognitive task, across the young- and middle-aged adult age range, aimed to evaluate potential relationships between vestibular function, cognition, and age, and to examine how cognitive resources might be allocated under dual-task conditions.

The dual-task protocol in this study utilized an oddball paradigm with tonal stimuli to measure the P300 …

Exploring Future Educators’ Roles In Classroom Aac Use: Insight Into Knowledge, Skills, And Attitudes, Katrina M. King

Honors College Theses

The United States public school system requires the provision of a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) for qualifying students with disabilities (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.). Speech, language, and hearing related disabilities are among the qualifying categories (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.). Students with these disabilities may have complex communication needs (CCN), or significant limitations in their speech, language, and communication abilities (Communication Rights Australia, 2018). Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), a type of assistive technology, offers support for these students, however, several barriers inhibit full communicative participation (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], n.d.-a). …

Tinkering In Clinical Practice: Exemplars From Slps Working With Persons In Disordered States Of Consciousness, Ann Guernon, Christina Papadimitriou, Jennifer A. Weaver, Trudy Mallinson, Marla Clayman, Jay Meehan, Keith Cox, Luke Lindemann, Patricia Grady

Rehabilitation and Health Sciences Department Faculty Conferences

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) providing care for people living with disordered states of consciousness frequently navigate ambiguity and uncertainty. Using interview and video data we will show how SLPs clinically reason via tinkering or “thinking in action”. This undervalued and understudied clinical reasoning skill is a caring practice comprised of curiosity, experimentation, flexibility and adaptation to attend to a person’s needs. SLPs will have the opportunity to reflect and discuss their experiences with tinkering in a wide range of patient populations.