Speech and Hearing Science Commons^™

Pressure Induced By Roll-Down Foam-Earplugs On Earcanal, Ahmed Dalaq, Luiz Melo, Franck Sgard, Olivier Doutres, Éric Wagnac

Études primaires

Physical discomfort of earplug is a common complaint, so much so it jeopardizes the health and safety of workers, resulting in frequent noncompliance to proper wearing of earplugs. A pressing need thus arises to understand the underlying mechanics for the interaction of earplugs with earcanal walls. An idealized cylindrical geometry of earcanal is first treated with computational and analytical modeling to predict the pressure induced by roll-down cylindrical PVC foam earplugs. In order to predict representative pressure values and distribution, we estimated the hyperelastic properties of foam-based earplugs and characterized their behavior using a stent testing machine (J-Crimp^TM machine) …

Development And Validation Of The Montreal Cognitive Assessment For People With Hearing Impairment (Moca-H), Piers Dawes, David Reeves, Wai Kent Yeung, Fiona Holland, Anna Pavlina Charalambous, Mathieu Côté, Renaud David, Catherine Helmer, Robert Laforce, Ralph N. Martins, Antonis Politis, Annie Pye, Gregor Russell, Saima Sheikh, Marie-Josée Sirois, Hamid R. Sohrabi, Chyrssoula Thodi, Kathleen Gallant, Ziad Nasreddine, Iracema Leroi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Hearing impairment is common among older adults and affects cognitive assessments for identification of dementia which rely on good hearing function. We developed and validated a version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) for people with hearing impairment. Methods: We adapted existing MoCA 8.1 items for people with hearing impairment by presenting instructions and stimuli in written rather than spoken format. One Attention domain and two Language domain items required substitution by alternative items. Three and four candidate items respectively were constructed and field-tested along with the items adapted to written form. We used a combination of individual item …

Plasma Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein Is Associated With 18f-Smbt-1 Pet: Two Putative Astrocyte Reactivity Biomarkers For Alzheimer's Disease, Pratishtha Chatterjee, Vincent Doré, Steve Pedrini, Natasha Krishnadas, Rohith Thota, Pierrick Bourgeat, Milos D. Ikonomovic, Stephanie R. Rainey-Smith, Samantha C. Burnham, Christopher Fowler, Kevin Taddei, Rachel Mulligan, David Ames, Colin L. Masters, Jürgen Fripp, Christopher C. Rowe, Ralph N. Martins, Victor L. Villemagne, Aibl Research Group

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background:

Astrocyte reactivity is an early event along the Alzheimer's disease (AD) continuum. Plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), posited to reflect astrocyte reactivity, is elevated across the AD continuum from preclinical to dementia stages. Monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) is also elevated in reactive astrocytes observed using ¹⁸F-SMBT-1 PET in AD.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between the abovementioned astrocyte reactivity biomarkers.

Methods:

Plasma GFAP and Aβ were measured using the Simoa^® platform in participants who underwent brain ¹⁸F-SMBT-1 and Aβ-PET imaging, comprising 54 healthy control (13 Aβ-PET+ and 41 Aβ-PET-), 11 …

A Scoping Review: Identifying Targeted Intervention Strategies For Workers With Occupational Hearing Loss, Adelle Liebenberg, Melinda Gardner, Valerie M. Nie, Carole L. James, Sue Reed

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

An apparent disconnect exist in workplaces regarding identification of occupational hearing loss (OHL) and implementation of specific strategies to prevent progression of OHL, evident through continued high incidence of OHL. This scoping review aimed to identify evidence regarding targeted intervention used by industry, specifically to prevent the progression of OHL for workers. The scoping review was undertaken using the PRISMA-ScR methodology. Search terms were based on three broad categories, hearing loss, workplace, and intervention. Initially 1309 articles were identified for screening and 1,207 studies not meeting the criteria were excluded. Full text reviews of 102 articles were completed and a …

Exposure, Adaptation And Expectations: How They Affect Perception Of Foreign Accented Speech, Isabella Huddleston

Honors Program Theses

Understanding accented speech is becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society. The world is connected through technology allowing us to reach further than we ever have before. One challenge this presents is the necessity to communicate across languages. Even if an individual has learned another language proficiently, the speech they produce is influenced by their native language resulting in foreign accented speech (FAS). There now exists the need for understanding how FAS affects speech perception and uncovering ways to improve communication situations between native and nonnative communication partners.

Feasibility And Reliability Of Health-Related Physical Fitness Tests In Children And Adolescents With Hearing Impairment, Jiafu Huang, Jianmei Yang, Justin A. Haegele, Lijuan Wang, Sitong Chen, Chunxiao Li

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Although research supports the feasibility and reliability of health-related physical fitness (HRPF) tests in typically developing children and adolescents, little is known regarding the feasibility and reliability of these tests for those with hearing impairments (HI). The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and reliability of a HRPF test battery for children and adolescents with HI. A test–retest design with a one-week interval was conducted with 26 participants with HI (mean age: 12.7 ± 2.8 years; 9 male). The feasibility and reliability of seven field-based HRPF tests (i.e., body mass index, grip strength, standing long jump, vital …

Effect Of Nodule Size And Stiffness On Phonation Threshold And Collision Pressures In A Synthetic Hemilaryngeal Vocal Fold Model, Mohsen Motie-Shirazi, Matías Zañartu, Sean D Peterson, Daryush D Mehta, Robert E Hillman, Byron D Erath

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Synthetic vocal fold (VF) replicas were used to explore the role of nodule size and stiffness on kinematic, aerodynamic, and acoustic measures of voiced speech production. Emphasis was placed on determining how changes in collision pressure may contribute to the development of phonotrauma. This was performed by adding spherical beads with different sizes and moduli of elasticity at the middle of the medial surface of synthetic silicone VF models, representing nodules of varying size and stiffness. The VF models were incorporated into a hemilaryngeal flow facility. For each case, self-sustained oscillations were investigated at the phonation threshold pressure. It was …

Association Of Hearing Loss And Tinnitus Symptoms With Health-Related Quality Of Life Among Long-Term Oropharyngeal Cancer Survivors, Puja Aggarwal, Marc-Elie Nader, Paul W Gidley, Raj Pratihar, Shirin Jivani, Adam S Garden, Frank E Mott, Ryan P Goepfert, Christopher Wallace Ogboe, Camille Charles, Clifton D Fuller, Stephen Y Lai, G Brandon Gunn, Erich M Sturgis, Ehab Y Hanna, Katherine A Hutcheson, Sanjay Shete

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the association of hearing loss and tinnitus with overall health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among long-term oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) survivors.

METHODS: This study included OPC survivors treated between 2000 and 2013 and surveyed from September 2015 to July 2016. Hearing loss and tinnitus were measured by asking survivors to rate their "difficulty with hearing loss and/or ringing in the ears" from 0 (not present) to 10 (as bad as you can imagine). Hearing loss and tinnitus scores were categorized as follows: 0 for none, 1-4 for mild, and 5-10 for moderate to severe. The primary outcome …

Differences Between Monolinguals And Bilinguals In Phonetic And Phonological Learning And The Connection With Auditory Sensory Memory, Laura Spinu, Jiwon Hwang, Mariana Vasilita

Publications and Research

Bilingualism has been linked with improved function regarding certain aspects of linguistic processing, e.g., novel word acquisition and learning unfamiliar sound patterns. Two non mutually-exclusive approaches might explain these results. One is related to executive function, speculating that more effective learning is achieved through actively choosing relevant information while inhibiting potentially interfering information. While still controversial, executive function enhancements attributed to bilingual experience have been reported for decades. The other approach, understudied to date, emphasizes the role of sensory mechanisms, specifically auditory sensory memory. Bilinguals outperformed monolinguals in tasks involving auditory processing and episodic memory recall, but the questions whether …

An Exploration Of Quality Of Life Perceptions Of Cochlear Implant Recipients And Their Frequent Communication Partners, Jessica L. Bishop, Ashley G. Flagge

Ashley Flagge Publications

Purpose: Quality of life (QoL) after cochlear implantation has been investigated using a variety of QoL questionnaires. However, few studies have examined the perceived QoL of cochlear implant (CI) recipients compared between the recipient and a frequent communication partner (FCP) using both hearing-related (hearing-specific), and health-general (health-general) measures.

Method: For this multiple case study, five participant pairs were recruited, consisting of five adult recipients who were implanted at least six months prior to the time of evaluation, and five adult frequent communication partners who lived with the recipient at the time of evaluation. All ten participants (five pairs) completed a …

Hearing Loss And Cortical Atrophy: A Case Study, Nithin Anand Kottikkulam, Sinju P. Kandathil, Badarunisa Mohamad Basheer

Manipal Journal of Medical Sciences

Background Cerebral atrophy results from the loss of neurons and their connections with the brain. As dementia progresses, an increasing number of neural connections die off. Brain atrophy may potentially damage hearing capacity through the impairment of primary and secondary auditory centres which are located in the temporal lobe. While there is no proven evidence or definitive evidence that hearing loss results in cognitive decline and mental health issues, there is definitely some connection and several clues that experts are looking into.Through this case report, the occurrence of ARHL with a mild dementia is been highlighted. Documenting such cases would …

Emotional Engagement To Music Is Correlated With Enhanced Frisson Experience But Not Misophonia, Sarah Al-Shimary, Nicole Datastanyan, Shelbie Silvers, Sivan Barashy, Solena Mednicoff

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

There is evidence that individuals who are particularly sensitive or intolerant to sounds are also more engaged or fascinated with positive sounds such as music.

Indirectly And Directly Involved Students' Perspectives On Multi-Modal Communication Treatment In Persons With Aphasia, Emily Lewis

Honors Theses

Our study investigated the perspectives of students who were either directly or indirectly involved in the Multi-modal communication treatment (MCT) sessions for persons with aphasia. Two undergraduate and two graduate students were recruited from the University of Mississippi who participated in the MCT sessions. We collected their perspectives through semi-structured interviews and used thematic qualitative analysis to analyze our data. We reported themes from the indirectly involved students and the directly involved students and compared how the themes were similar and different between the indirectly and directly involved students. We discussed that both direct and indirect experience for clinical therapy …

An Assessment Of 50 State Early Hearing Detection And Intervention Websites: Is Needed Information Being Provided For Parent Decision Making?, Nichole Westin, Donna Sorkin

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Growth of the Internet as an information resource has provided expanded opportunities for families to easily gather information on a range of topics, including health related topics. State Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) websites and other electronic data sources are an important opportunity to support families seeking information on options for their children who have been identified as deaf or hard of hearing. A review was undertaken between August and September 2021 of the 51 US EHDI (state and DC) websites and related information (such as links to others’ sites) to determine if information that is specifcally discussed in …

Application Of Intervention Mapping To Address Lost To Intervention In Early Hearing Detection And Intervention, Torri Ann Woodruff-Gautherin, Kathleen Cienkowski

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Abstract

Purpose: Detail the application of intervention mapping as a protocol for developing a novel way to address lost to intervention within the early hearing detection and intervention systems.

Design: Intervention mapping (IM) is an approach to behavior change that is typically utilized in public health initiatives. This six-step process walks health program developers, researchers, and policy makers through a rigorous research and community-based approach to understanding why a health concern or problem is present in a community. While using IM to address lost to intervention in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention programs, the focus is on why families, after …

Impact Of Social Determinants Of Health On Early Hearing Detection And Intervention Screening/Diagnosis Outcomes, Nannette Nicholson, Ellen A. Rhoades, Rachel E. Glade, Laura Smith-Olinde

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose

We reviewed how Social Determinants of Health relate to health inequities and disparities for Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs. Then, we examine links between specific sociodemographic factors (maternal age, maternal education, ‘race’/ethnicity) and hearing screening and diagnostic audiology follow-up for newborns in the U.S. and its territories.

Methods

Maternal demographic, hearing screening and diagnostic data extracted from publicly available Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) records were reported to CDC by personnel responsible for EHDI programs. Data were subjected to statistical analysis using analysis of variance and multiple regression techniques.

Results

Results showed no significant differences …

Dialect Density, Language Abilities, And Emergent Literacy Skills Of Prekindergarten Children Who Speak African American English, Erika Baldwin, John J. Heilmann, Denise A. Finneran, Chi C. Cho, Maura Jones Moyle

Speech Pathology and Audiology Faculty Research and Publications

Background Numerous studies have observed a significant and unique relationship between children's use of nonmainstream dialect and reading outcomes. We aimed to examine the relationship between nonmainstream dialect and reading at its roots by completing a preliminary evaluation of the relationship between African American English (AAE) dialect and multiple dimensions of emergent literacy skills in young African American children enrolled in Head Start. Methods Seventy-eight African American preschoolers completed the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening-PreK (PALS-PreK) and a narrative retell of the wordless picture book, Frog, Where Are You? The narratives were used to generate three measures of narrative productivity and …

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), …

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 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 …

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 …

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 …

A Systematic Review Of Research On Augmentative And Alternative Communication Brain-Computer Interface Systems For Individuals With Disabilities., Betts Peters, Brandon Eddy, Deirdre Galvin-Mclaughlin, Gail Betz, Barry Oken, Melanie Fried-Oken

Speech and Hearing Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Augmentative and alternative communication brain-computer interface (AAC-BCI) systems are intended to offer communication access to people with severe speech and physical impairment (SSPI) without requiring volitional movement. As the field moves toward clinical implementation of AAC-BCI systems, research involving participants with SSPI is essential. Research has demonstrated variability in AAC-BCI system performance across users, and mixed results for comparisons of performance for users with and without disabilities. The aims of this systematic review were to (1) describe study, system, and participant characteristics reported in BCI research, (2) summarize the communication task performance of participants with disabilities using AAC-BCI systems, and …

Implications For Cross-Training Between Applied Behavior Analysis And Speech-Language Pathology, Katherine Lynn Isaacson

Speech and Hearing Sciences Publications

This paper is to provide clarity about the overlaps between the fields of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and speech-language pathology, including evaluation, assessment, intervention planning, and treatment of language development, nine articles were selected for a review of terms and definitions, philosophical and theoretical underpinnings, and licensure/certification requirements pertaining to both scopes of practice. Behavior analysts and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are likely to provide intervention alongside one another due to their frequent provision of intervention with individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite broad, initial overlaps between the professions, the required educational coursework, supervised fieldwork and clinical practicums, and …

Implicit Learning In Preschool Children With And Without Developmental Language Disorder, Abigail E. Tolomei

University Honors Theses

The study below was designed to compare implicit learning in fifty-two preschool-aged children with and without developmental language disorder (DLD) to test the Procedural Deficit Hypothesis (PDH). The PDH claims that procedural memory, the basis of implicit learning, is the main impairment in DLD. Using a computer-based program to conduct sound-meaning-mapping tasks, we asked children to select one of two images according to the corresponding sound they heard. After all the participants were tested, an additional cue was found in the experiment that impacted the data. Instead of the children attuning to the sounds to depict the correct answer, the …

Transitioning From Face-To-Face To Telehealth Speech And Language Services Due To The Covid-19 Pandemic: Perceptions Of Persons With Aphasia And Their Ehelpers, Emma Logan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to investigate the perceptions of the aphasia community, as well as their caregivers, that are provided speech and language services and how their services were affected due to transitions because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The recency and novelty of the pandemic warrants research of many areas related to health care, including that of speech language pathology.

An online survey was completed by nine persons with aphasia and three eHelpers. Participants were recruited through a university clinic and by informational fliers through social media. Participants with aphasia qualified by having experiences with speech and …

The Effects Of Language Proficiency On Narrative Macrostructure In Spanish-English Bilinguals, Jenny Magallon

Dissertations and Theses

Bilingual children of the same age may have different narrative skills depending on the quantity and quality of their experiences in the two languages. Thus, children's storytelling skills can vary depending on children's oral proficiency in each language. The present study examined the effects of oral proficiency on story structure in forty 5- to 7-year-old Spanish-English speaking children using Spanish and English samples from story retelling tasks. Language proficiency was measured as continuum of performance using the Spanish-English Language Proficiency Scale (SELPS; Smyk et al., 2013). To estimate the effects of Spanish and English proficiency on story structure, linear regressions …

The Effect Of Aac-Modeling Intervention (Aac-Mod) Within Dialogic Reading On Vocabulary Learning In Children With Down Syndrome, Emily A. Mchugh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effect of aided Alternative and Augmentative Communication-Modeling (AAC-MOD) intervention on the communication skills of preschool-age children with Down syndrome (DS) during dialogic book reading. The study investigated to what extent AAC-MOD is effective in increasing the acquisition of target vocabulary and expressive communication acts by children with DS who use few words functionally. Two children aged 3;10 and 5;4, with repertoires of less than 75 intelligible words were selected. A repeated acquisition experimental design was used to examine the effects of instruction on target vocabulary word learning and symbolic communication. …

Perceptual Flexibility For Speech: What Are The Pros And Cons?, F. Sayako Earle, Carolyn M. Quam

Speech and Hearing Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

How listeners handle acoustic-phonetic variability during spoken language processing is a fundamental question in the field of speech perception. A robust behavioral literature describes ways in which humans adapt their perception to accommodate idiosyncratic, or foreign-accented, speech -- or how we learn to attend to new phonetic cues, as may be important for learning a different language. And yet, we are still in the early stages of understanding the neurocognitive mechanisms that underlie group-level or individual differences in perceptual flexibility. This special issue focuses on how contextual information and acoustic-phonetic input interacts with neurocognitive factors that shape the boundaries of …