Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

The Output Of Compression Hearing Aids With A Transient Input Signal, Michael Andrew Berg

Dissertations and Theses

The output characteristics of five compression hearing aids in response to a transient signal were examined to determine if, the input-output function (i.e. output levels of the hearing aid as a function of input level) for a transient signal could be made to approximate that of a continuous signal, by activating the compression circuit with a second signal (activator). Input-output functions for three input compression and two output compression hearing aids were obtained in order to determine if: 1. the automatic gain control (AGC) was activated by the second signal and the transient signal output approximates that of a continuous …

The Interaction Of Stimulus Rate And Polarity Effects On The Auditory Brainstem Response, Michelle Ann Nielsen Ziegler

Dissertations and Theses

Research on the Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) has been dominated by attempts to develop techniques to enhance the clarity of the ABR waveform and to define the parameters that separate normal from abnormal responses. While the effects of stimulus rate are clearly documented, the effects of stimulus polarity on the ABR are not. There may be an interaction of polarity and rate which accounts for the inconsistent results reported in the literature.

This study examined the effect of stimulus rate and polarity for waves I, III, and V, on the ABR latency, amplitude, and amplitude ratio. Rarefaction and condensation clicks …

Types Of Phonological Processes Occurring In Normal Black English Speakers, Eileen Rella

Dissertations and Theses

Black English (BE) is a rule-governed linguistic system with its own phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. BE is a dialect, not a disordered variation of standard English (SE). When compared to SE, BE phonology has been described in terms of omissions, substitutions, and additions. This study looked at normal BE speakers in Portland, Oregon and described their dialectal differences in terms of phonological processes.

Naive Listener Judgments Of Esophageal Air Intake Noise Acceptability, Janet Gordon Daucsavage

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the judgments by naive listeners of the acceptability of esophageal air intake noise and compare those ratings to their judgments of overall esophageal speech proficiency. The primary question this study sought to answer was: Are naive listener judgments of overall esophageal speech proficiency significantly correlated with naive listener judgments of esophageal air intake noise acceptability? The secondary question asked was: Are naive listener acceptability judgments of air intake noise significantly correlated with sophisticated listener acceptability judgments of air intake noise?

Normative Data On The Auditory Memory Test Battery For Ages 9 Through 13 Years, Elisabeth Y. Carter

Dissertations and Theses

Auditory short-term memory (STM) is important for speech and language development and for learning new information presented auditorily. Research has shown that auditory STM ability is of a developmental nature in the 5 through 8 year age range for a variety of auditory stimuli. Many tests and subtests are available to measure auditory STM ability, however one test, the Auditory Memory Test Battery (AMTB) measures auditory memory span and memory for sequence for 5 types of stimuli.

The purpose of this study was to collect normative data on the AMTB scores of normal 9 through 13 year old students and …

A Longitudinal Study Of Disfluencies In The Speech Of Normal Preschool Children, Susan Marto Crowell

Dissertations and Theses

The process of differentially diagnosing a child who is experiencing temporary normal disfluency from one who is beginning to stutter could be made objective by the establishment of normative data on fluency development. To date, there are no standardized norms on the development of fluency in children. Current investigations have contributed greatly to expectations of certain types and amounts of disfluencies in preschool-age children. Most of the research, however, has focused on observing children at discrete age levels from 2- to 7-years-of-age. Only one longitudinal study to date has been reported. Additional longitudinal data of preschoolaged children would benefit the …

Desensitization To Medical Examining Equipment Through Learner Control In A Child With Severe Mental Retardation, Michael Giangreco, William J. Keogh

College of Education and Social Services Faculty Publications

While the psychological literature is replete with examples of desensitization to phobic stimuli, few studies have documented successful interventions conducted with individuals identified as mentally retarded. The study describes desensitization to basic medical examining equipment in a youngster with severe mental retardation and autistic tendencies. Following desensitization to feared stimuli through the repeated exposure of baseline, intervention was initiated on the remaining feared stimuli through a learner control technique which combined modeling, behavioral rehearsal, and a variation of contact desensitization (Ritter, 1968). Results of a return-to-baseline design suggested that the medical examinations feared most by the child were of the …

Maternal Linguistic Input To Normal And Expressive Language Delayed Toddlers, Terril Joy Elwood

Dissertations and Theses

Research suggests that the linguistic environment of the expressive language delayed child is different from that of his peers. Does this difference actually exist and if so, what are its characteristics? The purpose of this study was to describe the linguistic characteristics of mothers' input to children with normal language acquisition and those of mothers of expressively delayed toddlers; and to identify any differences between these groups. Though considerable research exists in this area, few studies have dealt specifically with large groups of expressively delayed toddlers.

Speech Reception Via Bone Conduction, Sherry G. Morris

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if the performance-intensity function for spondees delivered via bone conduction (using the Radioear E-72 and Pracitronic KH-70) differed from the performance-intensity function for air conduction (using TDH-39 earphones). A secondary consideration addressed in this study was the comparison of the discrimination scores using the three transducers. Performance-intensity functions for spondee thresholds were calculated on 12 normal hearing subjects using two bone conduction vibrators, the Radioear B-72 and Pracitronic KH-70, and TDH-39 earphones. Results indicated that there was no significant difference between the performance-intensity function of speech via bone conduction as compared to …

In Situ Measurements Of Two Amplified And One Acoustic Stethoscope, Sara Ruth Ann Oliver

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the following questions: 1) What is the spectra of human heart sounds when transmitted to the listener's ear through amplified and acoustic stethoscopes? 2) How does the acoustic spectrum of normal heart sounds compare to the threshold of audibility for normal hearing sensitivity? 3) Do normal hearing listeners elect to listen to heart sounds at a higher intensity than the acoustic stethoscope is able to transmit?

The Use Of Auditory Brainstem Responses In Determining The Maximum Outputs Of Hearing Aids, Kathryn Jean Merry

Dissertations and Theses

Uncomfortable listening level (UCL) is a behavioral measure which is currently used to set the maximum outputs of hearing aids. This study explored the feasibility of prescribing the maximum outputs of hearing aids by using results obtained from auditory brainstern response (ABR) testing. More specifically, this study compared ABR wave latencies with behaviorally-measured UCLs for a single cycle 3 kHz stimulus in normal-hearing adults.

Reading Comprehension In Dementia Of The Alzheimer's Type : Factual Versus Inferential, Donna Jensen Graville

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reading comprehension abilities of those with mild and moderate dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT) and compare their performance to that of a sample of non-demented elderly. Thirty-eight male subjects were used, 20 non-demented elderly, nine mild DAT and nine moderate DAT. All were administered level B of the NRST. This test contains questions requiring three levels of inference: literal, translational, and high-level inference.

A Longitudinal Study Of The Disfluencies Of Four And Six Year Old Children, Mary B. Cox

Dissertations and Theses

Investigations into the speech of normal children have indicated that disfluencies are common. It is important for the Speech Language Pathologist to have knowledge of normal disfluencies for differential diagnosis, parent counseling, and in order to plan strategies for intervention.

The purpose of this study was to compare the frequency of disfluencies in 4 year old and 6 year old normal male children to the frequency of disfluencies when they were 3 years old and 5 years old respectively.

Speech And Language Disorders In Children: The Family Practitioner’S Role, Brenda Louw

Brenda Louw

Pitch Of Complex Tones With Low- And High-Order Harmonics, Adrianus J. M. Houtsma, Jacek Smurzynski

Jacek Smurzynski

Effects Of Intervention On The Ability Of Students With Hearing Impairments To Write Personal Narrative Stories, Beth L. Miller

Masters Theses

This study was designed to determine whether students with hearing impairments could be taught to write more mature personal narrative stories. An experimental group of junior high students received intervention focused on teaching the elements of story grammar and their application to the students' written narrative stories. A matched control group of students spent equal time with the researcher and received intervention focused on improvement of basic language skills. Pretest, posttest-1, posttest-2, and generalization samples were taken. Students' metatextual skills for telling how to write a story were also probed.

A significant difference was found between the experimental and control …

Coverbal Behavior Of Aphasic And Right Hemisphere Damaged Subjects In Conversation, Jill Duvall

Dissertations and Theses

The frequency and duration of six coverbal behaviors were examined in two experimental groups and one control group. Conversational samples of ten aphasic subjects, ten right hemisphere damaged (RHD) subjects, and ten matched, non-brain damaged (NBD) control subjects were scored for frequency and duration of eye contact, head nod, head shake, head tilt, smile and eyebrow raise. Only the frequency of smile was found to differ significantly; the RHD subjects smiled less often than either of the other two groups.

Communication And Socialization Profiles In Toddlers With Expressive Language Delay, Shawn Spangle-Looney

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare expressive communication, receptive communication, and socialization achievement in 18- to 34-month-old ELD toddlers to the same skills in normally-speaking children. The questions this study sought to answer were, how do the three skill areas in ELD toddlers compare with the same skills in normal toddlers?, will ELD subjects evidence specific profiles of deficits involving not only expressive but receptive and social skills as well? and, within the ELD subjects will two subgroups emerge, one group having poor expressive skills only, and a second group having deficits in addition to expression.

A Comparison Of Three Methods For Measuring The Attenuation Provided By Insert-Type Hearing-Protective Devices, Lois Jeanne Gaier

Dissertations and Theses

To effectively implement an occupational hearing conservation program, employers must know the amount of attenuation (noise reduction) provided by the hearing protective devices used by their employees. Currently standardized test methods, performed under laboratory conditions, cannot be easily implemented in industrial settings, and previously proposed field methods have depended upon the use of special headphones which are not typically available in the workplace. These problems have led many occupational hearing conservationists to use standard audiometric headphones to evaluate the attenuation provided to employees using insert-type hearing-protective devices. There has, however, been little research into the validity of using standard audiometric …

Cognitive, Behavioral, And Adaptive Functioning In Fragile X And Non-Fragile X Retarded Men, E. Dykens, J. Leckman, Rhea Paul, M. Watson

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

The cognitive, behavioral, and adaptive functioning of 12 men with fragile X syndrome (aged 23 to 62 years) was systematically assessed and compared to two matched groups of retarded men without fragile X syndrome residing at the same institution. The fragile X group was largely indistinguishable from the comparison groups on the cognitive, behavioral, and adaptive measures. Fragile X patients were, however, significantly more likely to have achieved levels of adaptive functioning commensurate with their intellectual abilities. Fragile X subjects who had similarly affected siblings emerged as significantly higher-functioning in all areas than Fragile X subjects who did not have …

A Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Three Language Intervention Strategies: Imitation, Modeling, Combination, Margaret I. Slattery

Masters Theses

The literature on language acquisition and the treatment of language disorders in children has been dominated by two variables. These variables are imitation and modeling. Research regarding the best technique for eliciting, generalizing and changing overall language performance in children has been inconclusive.

This study compared the effectiveness of three language intervention strategies: imitation, modeling, and a combination of imitation and modeling in eliciting and generalizing basic concepts and improving pre and post treatment scores on three standardized tests. Six language delayed kindergarten children served as subjects. The subjects were seen twice a week for five weeks.

No significant differences …

Effect Of Visual Reminder On The Ttr And Mlu-W Of Oral Hearing-Impaired Students During High/Scope Recall Sessions, Joan S. Kissel

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Language samples of sixteen oral hearing-impaired students, aged 3.8 to 10.6 years with a mean SRT average of 27dB, were taken during High/Scope recall sessions under two conditions: with visual reminder (a videotape replay of their session work-time) or without visual reminder (no videotape replay of their work-time). These language samples, taken over a three month period, were analyzed with SALT (Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts) for flexibility (using TTR) and structure (using MLU-W), and for five other SALT analyses. In each of the seven SALT analyses, improvement was shown for both groups with a trend for greater improvement shown …

An Investigation Of The Effect Of Using Varying Stimuli To Assess Normal Children's Comprehension Of Five Locative Prepositions, Kathleen Gray Versteeg

Dissertations and Theses

The questions posed in this study were: Are there significant differences among various tasks for eliciting five locative prepositions, and, if so, do tasks vary in their effectiveness according to the age of the children?

Sixty children, ten within each of six age groups, aged eighteen to forty-eight months, participated in the study. All the children had normal language and hearing abilities. An investigator-developed assessment, the Test for Comprehension of Five Locative Prepositions, was administered to each child by the investigator. The Test for Comprehension of Five Locative Prepositions involved picture contexts and object contexts of varying sizes, and required …

A Study Of The Capability Of The Computerized Visi-Pitch When Investigating Prosodic Features Of Motherese, Denise Leslie Clemens

Dissertations and Theses

With commercial availability of non-real and real-time spectrum analyzers, the speech-language pathologist has the means to objectively extract and measure pitch taken from speech samples. Though both types of spectrum analyzers provide the clinician with viable methods of measuring fundamental frequency and frequency range values, pitch extraction using real time allows for greater efficiency in acoustic measurements. The Kay Elemetrics Visi-Pitch is one such real-time spectrum analyzer that is less expensive and more accessible than other real time speech science hardware. The purpose of this study was to investigate the capability of a computerized Visi-Pitch to reflect elevation of fundamental …

Metalinguistics And Reading Implications For Future Assessment And Management, Valerie Ann Lovegreen

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Unilateral Brain Damage On Analogical Reasoning By Stroke Patients, Letitia Lynn Gillespie

Masters Theses

This study examined the ability of individuals with unilateral left hemisphere damage (LHD) and right hemisphere damage (RHD) to complete multiple modality analogy tasks. Four groups, for a total of 46 subjects--12 LHD patients, 8 RHD patients, 20 child control subjects, and 6 adult control subjects--performed word, figure, and picture analogies. The combined non brain damaged control groups performed significantly better than the combined brain damaged experimental groups on the combined analogy tasks. No significant difference was found between the LHD and RHD groups on the combined analogy tasks. The modalities of analogical reasoning tasks did not differentially affect the …

The Differential Role Of The Ssi With Normal Preschool Children, Caroline Joy Semler

Dissertations and Theses

The onset of stuttering usually occurs between two and six years which is the same time most children exhibit normal disfluencies often making it difficult to differentiate between normally disfluent children and incipient stutterers. Clinicians need information on the types and frequencies of disfluencies exhibited by normal preschool children in order to determine if a child is more likely to be an incipient stutterer or normally disfluent child. Some clinicians feel uncomfortable relying on past literature since there is a limited amount of information available and the studies have shown a considerable amount of variability in the types and frequencies …

Disfluencies In Normal Three-Year-Old And Five-Year-Old Male Children, Pamela Paguia Christianson

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare the frequency of specific disfluencies in 3 year old and 5 year old normal male children in terms of part-word repetitions, word repetitions, phrase repetitions, interjections, revision-incomplete phrases, disrhythmic phonations and tense pauses. The disfluencies were observed while each child spontaneously interacted with an investigator in a clinical room. Two questions were addressed:

1. Do three-year-old male children exhibit a higher overall frequency of disfluencies than five-year-old male children?
2. Do three-year-old male children exhibit a greater frequency of certain disfluencies than five-year old male children?

A Comparison Of The Expressive Speech Of Profoundly Hearing-Impaired Children : "Hearing Aids On" Versus "Hearing Aids Off", James Allen Henry

Dissertations and Theses

This investigation was conducted to determine whether the removal of hearing aids from these children for eighteen hours (+ 1/2 hour and including sleep time) would result in reduced speech intelligibility as perceived by a panel of listening judges who were unfamiliar with the speech of the deaf.

Data On The Ppvt-R For Black Kindergarteners, Christy Gail Stocks

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to obtain data from the PPVT-R scores of low and middle SES black kindergartners in the Portland area to determine if there is a difference between their scores and the scores reported in the PPVT-R. The primary question to be answered was do the scores of black kindergartners in Portland vary significantly dependent upon SES? The secondary questions this study sought to answer were: what are the means, standard deviations, and ranges of scores for black kindergartners in Portland and what are the means, standard deviations, and ranges for each two-month age group of …