Speech Pathology and Audiology Commons^™

Audiological Characteristics Of The Monge Family Of Costa Rica, Christine Moulton

Dissertations and Theses

The audiological characteristics of the Monge family of Costa Rica were investigated in a sample of fifty-two affected members and twelve unaffected members. Through laboratory analysis by staff personnel from the University of Costa Rica and audiological test results obtained in the present investigation, it was concluded that affected Monge members demonstrate a slowly progressive low frequency sensorineural hearing loss of autosomal dominant transmission. The initial site of lesion appears to be the apical portion of the cochlea, with significant onset occurring during early childhood following normal speech and language acquisition. The rate at which the hearing loss progresses and …

The Expressive Acquisition Of Locative And Directional Prepositions By Severely-To-Profoundly Hearing Impaired Children, Joann Warlick

Dissertations and Theses

Prepositions are important for the syntactical structure of the sentence and also to relate meaning, particularly meaning associated with concepts of place and time. Expressive acquisition of function words, including prepositions, is significantly delayed in the hearing impaired population. Yet, acquisition sequence for expressive prepositions has not been determined for this population.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the oral expressive acquisition of locative and directional single word prepositions in severely-to-profoundly hearing impaired children. The question this study sought to answer was: At what age levels are seventeen locative and directional single word prepositions expressively acquired by severely- …

The Correlation Between Expressive Language Delay In Children And Their Motor Abilities, Gail G. Cunningham

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the present study was to determine the correlation between expressive language delay in children and their gross and fine motor skills. Twenty children five years through six years, eleven months with a diagnosed expressive language delay, were selected to participate in the study. Each was screened on the basis of normal hearing, receptive vocabulary skills, motor functioning, and an expressive language delay of one year or more. After screening procedures, each child was administered the Preschool Language Scale-PLS (Zimmerman, et al., 1969) and the short form of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-BOMP (Bruininks, 1978). …

Comprehension Of Abstract And Concrete Commands By High And Low Level Aphasic Subjects : Effects Of Presentation Mode, Karen Jaruckis Lambrecht

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the influence of three presentation modes (live voice, tape recorded, and videotape recorded) on aphasic subjects' comprehension of concrete and abstract commands.

Adult Oral Diadochokinesis Rates : Preliminary Normative Data, Carol Kafton-Minkel

Dissertations and Theses

In the clinical evaluation and management of speech disorders, a speech-language pathologist may observe disturbances in a client's motor abilities that suggest possible neurological dysfunction. One possible disturbance is in oral diadochokinesis (DIO), an individual's ability to start and stop the movement of the articulators rapidly and execute repetitive, alternating, sequential movements typically associated with speech articulation. It is often recommended that a speech-language pathologist test DIO speed and compare the performance to available norms. There is, however, a lack of normative DIO data spanning all ages of adulthood. The purpose of this study was to develop preliminary normative data …

Preliminary Study : The Effects Of Instrumentation On The Air Intake Times Of The Esophageal Speaker, Sandra I. Pasak Neuburger

Dissertations and Theses

This research examined the use of visual feedback provided by electronic instrumentation to reduce air intake times of esophageal speakers during speech management. The subjects were six esophageal speakers from the Portland Metropolitan area. Three subjects made up the experimental group and three were placed in the control group. Prototype instrumentation was used to measure air intake times and give visual feedback to the experimental group during twelve sessions of speech management. The control group participated in traditional speech management procedures to reduce air intake times without benefit of instrumentation. Rate of improvement was measured using the prototype instrumentation without …

Pragmatic Deficits In Normal, Articulation Disordered, And Language Delayed Samples, Karen Jean Lucas

Dissertations and Theses

The purposes of this investigation were to identify, via the Pragmatic Protocol, the incidence of pragmatic disorders within public school articulation and language caseloads and a control group of normal students and to specify the pragmatic areas, i.e., utterance propositional, and/or illocutionary/perlocutionary act categories in which deficits occur.

The Effects Of Overt And Covert Observation On The Clinical Behavior Emitted By Untrained Clinicians, Carol L.K. Middleton

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the effects overt and covert observation of live clinical sessions have on the number of social/ neutral verbal behaviors emitted by untrained speech clinicians and their respective clients enrolled Summer Term, 1980, in the Articulation and Language Clinic at Portland State University, Speech and Hearing Sciences. The Boone-Prescott Interactional analysis System (Boone and Prescott, 1972), a numerically coded system, was used to record clinician-client interactions. Data were obtained for a randomly selected five minute period from each of forty clinical sessions.

Correlates Of Sophisticated Listener Judgments Of Esophageal Air Intake Noise, Vincent Eccleston

Dissertations and Theses

The literature on esophageal speech has identified the problem of extraneous air intake noise, suggested its possible etiology, and provided practical advice for clinical management. Documentation on the efficacy of specific methodology is lacking in the literature. Such documentation would be simplified if objective criteria were used to rate the severity of intake noise. The present study was prompted by the lack of basic data regarding listener evaluation of intake noise.

The purpose of this study was to identify physical and perceptual correlates of acceptability of esophageal air intake noise. A primary and a secondary question were asked:

Are selected …

Acoustical And Perceptual Correlates Of Vocal Effort In Normal Hearing And Hearing-Impaired Children, Corinne A. Thomas-Kersting

Dissertations and Theses

The present study was designed to investigate the perceptual and spectrographic features of vocal effort in the speech of severely to profoundly hearing-impaired children and their normal hearing agemates. Recorded vowel and speech samples were obtained from ten normal hearing children, ten severely to profoundly hearing-impaired children attending Oral/Aural educational programs, and eight severely to profoundly hearing-impaired children attending Total Communication programs. The degree of perceived vocal effort for vowels and speech was evaluated, using a nine point equal-appearing-interval scale. In order to obtain a physical measurement for vocal effort, a digital wave analyzer was used to produce vowel spectra, …

A Change In Pass/Fail Criterion On The Mini-Screening Language Test For Adolescents, Denice Lynn Palmer Milholland

Dissertations and Theses

This study was designed to determine whether varying criterion for pass/fail on the Mini-Screening Language Test for Adolescents (Mini-STAL) would increase accuracy of predicting outcome of the Screening Test of Adolescent Language (STAL). The Mini-STAL was developed by Prather et al. (1981) to identify rapidly those students between grades six through twelve who are in need of language intervention. Using Prather's established criterion (one or more errors equal failure), the Phoenix school district (Prather, 1981) found too many of their school population (20 percent) were failing the Mini- STAL. Thus, they established an experimental criterion (two or more errors equal …

Language Development And Visual-Motor Integration In The Preschool Child, Andrea Lynn Perry Graham

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare the visual-motor integrative abilities of preschool children with their articulatory and syntactical development. Two questions were posed: Do children having accelerated visual-motor integrative skills perform at a higher level than children having delayed visual-motor integration skills in 1) their articulation proficiency, and 2) their syntactical abilities?

The Descriptive Function Of Language: Changes With Age And Pressure To Inform, Eve Susan Liebman

Dissertations and Theses

Currently language is viewed as a multi-dimensional construct, consisting of three interrelated components; content, form and function (Bloom and Lahey, 1978). In recent publications, language function has been referred to as pragmatics (Prutting, 1979). The essence of pragmatic theory is that language is used functionally in social contexts, to accomplish specific types of communication (Wood, 1981). One such communicative function is referred to as the informative function, which occurs when a speaker provides ideas and information to others, as in describing, naming and giving examples {Wood, 1981). It is not clear, however, when children become competent in making specific, clear …

A Comparison Of Two Language Screening Instruments In Two Populations, Karen Kumpula-Lacey

Dissertations and Theses

Screening has been suggested as the most efficient method to find students with potential language problems (Neidecker, 1980). Based on the need for a standardized adolescent language screening tool, Prather, Breecher, Stafford, and Wallace (1980) developed the Screening Test of Adolescent Language (STAL). This is a six to eight minute test with twenty-three items which examine vocabulary, auditory memory span, language processing, and proverb explanation. Following an item analysis of the STAL, Prather, Brenner, and Hughes (1981) derived the Mini-Screening Test of Adolescent Language (M-STAL). This test contains five items from the STAL and requires one minute to administer.

A Comparison Of The Effects Of Non-Operant And Operant Carryover Techniques For /L/, Michelle Ann Tremblay

Dissertations and Theses

Developing strategies to promote effective carryover is one of the most difficult tasks a clinician faces. Mention has been made in the literature of possible activities to use in the clinical setting to promote carryover. Suggestion has been made in the literature that operant conditioning is a technique which can be employed to achieve carryover. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether there is a difference in relative effectiveness between operant and non-operant techniques for achieving carryover of /l/.

The Acquisition Of Obligatory-Do, Bernadette Maresh-Ericksen

Dissertations and Theses

The auxiliary verb obligatory-do is used in forming questions, negative and emphatic sentences. Currently there is no test or norms established for the acquisition of obligatory-do. The purpose of this study was to establish age trends, via elicited imitation for the acquisition of obligatory-do according to the sentence type in which it expressively occurs i.e., negative sentences, emphatic sentences, interrogative reversals and wh-questions. This study addressed the following question: At what ages do children expressively demonstrate, via elicited imitation, the auxiliary verb obligatory-do in negative sentences, emphatic sentences, interrogative reversals and wh-questions? A secondary question was: In what manner does …

Towards A Measure Of Superior-Subordinate Perceptual Correspondence And Its Relationship To The Performance Appraisal, Elizabeth Duane Vergeer Crist

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the present study was to determine what, if any, relationship existed between the correspondence of perceptions between superior-subordinate work dyads and the superior's rating of the subordinate's work performance.

Toward A Measure Of Correspondence In Relational Perceptions In Marital Dyads, Deborah Anne Coker

Dissertations and Theses

In order to assess a component of communication in interpersonal relationships, an instrument was developed to determine the correspondence in relational perceptions between partners in a marital dyad. The current study focuses on the levels of awareness spouses exhibit regarding phenomenological perceptions of themselves, their partners and the status of their dyadic system.

The Effect Of Parent-Child Interaction On The Language Development Of The Hearing-Impaired Child, Arla J. Melum

Dissertations and Theses

In recent years much interest has been focused on the manner in which the young child acquires language. Some researchers (Chomsky, 1965; McNeil) have postulated an inherent capacity to comprehend and utilize linguistic structures, while others such as Irwin, (1960), Hess and Shipman (1965), and Greenstein, et al, (1974) have focused on experiential determinants of language competence in early childhood. As with all children, the social and emotional behavior of deaf children is greatly influenced by their ability to communicate with significant others. Interactions between the normally developing child and his parents are characterized by mutual responsiveness, where each initiates …

Verbal Fluency Performance Of Normal Elderly Subjects, Molly Secrest

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to measure the verbal fluency of normal gerontologic subjects and to determine the extent of association between verbal fluency score and level of education. Specifically, this investigation sought to determine means, ranges and standard deviations for three groups of subjects: those 61 to 69 years of age, those 70 to 79 years of age, and those 80 years of age and above. In addition, correlations between verbal fluency score, and age, sex, years of education, and order of stimulus presentation were computed.

Pragmatics: The Verbal Expression Of Feelings, Ann Paula Zimmerman

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this investigation was to determine at which age levels, between four and eight years, children express Praise, Apology, Commiseration, Blame, Challenge, Endearment, and both a Positive and Negative State.

Subjects were thirty children, six from each age level between four and eight years, selected from an elementary and preschool within the Portland area. Sixteen picture cards and stories were designed to elicit the eight different feelings. Each subject responded to questions at the end of the story and was given two chances to express the appropriate feeling. Each response was judged as appropriate or inappropriate and scored …

Phonational Frequency Ranges In Vocally Untrained Adults Using Different Cardinal Vowels, Lorie Renee Chambers

Dissertations and Theses

In the clinical management of voice clients, it is important to measure accurate pitch ranges in order to determine if a client has a normal range or is speaking at an optimum pitch. It is not clear from the literature which vowel should be used in determining these pitch ranges. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the phonational frequency ranges in adults with no vocal training when phonating the cardinal vowels of /i/, /u/, and /a/. The investigation sought to answer the following question: Does the phonational frequency range in vocally untrained adults vary significantly when phonating the …

A Comparison Of Two Articulation Carry-Over Techniques, Robyn Schwartz

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the comparative effectiveness of two articulation carry-over techniques. It was hoped that through this comparison answers regarding carry-over results could be ascertained for purposes of aiding public school clinicians currently spending the majority of management time on carry-over. If one technique was found to be superior, its use among speech pathologists might aid in changing this time allocation trend.

Characteristics And Practices Of Forensics Programs In Oregon Secondary Schools, Gregg T. Sylvester

Dissertations and Theses

Since 1943, six studies have been made of speech education in Oregon public schools. Several make reference to forensics, but none discuss this aspect of speech education in depth. As a result, the role of forensics in the schools has been assumed or denied. With the educational situation as it is, however, it is necessary that we have a greater understanding of the relationship between forensics and general speech education and language arts education.

A Comparison Of Boone-Prescott Content And Sequence Analysis Data Of Poorly And Highly Rated Clinician-Client Interactive Skills, Kathleen M. Noonan

Dissertations and Theses

One of the qualifications for being a competent speech and language clinician is to be skilled in interactional procedures within a clinic setting. A clinician's interactional skills are developed through training whereby one participates in several clinical settings with clients displaying a variety of speech, language and hearing disorders. Various evaluation methods, both subjective and objective, have been utilized in guiding the clinician towards interactional competency.

Interactional analysis systems have been designed to provide more objective feedback. The Boone-Prescott Content and Sequence Analysis System (B-P) is one of several such systems. Although this system has been found to be an …

An Investigation Of Observer Evaluation Accuracy Of Clinical Sessions, Douglas Scott Peterson

Dissertations and Theses

Student speech-language pathologists begin their academic preparation as observers. Observations of the clinical management session are for the purpose of providing student clinicians with insight into the management process by providing clinical models. To make observation experiences meaningful there must be some guiding framework which will demonstrate the significance of behaviors observed. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect Boone-Prescott Content and Sequence Analysis System (B-P) instruction had upon the accuracy of beginning student observation evaluations of clinical management sessions.

Developmental Sentence Scoring Sample Size Comparison, Marilyn May Valenciano

Dissertations and Theses

Assessment of language abilities is an integral part of accruing information on the development of concept formation and the learning of grammatical rules. The maturity and complexity of a child's language can be assessed through the use of a language sample. The sample consists of a specified number of utterances which are emitted spontaneously and then analyzed according to a given procedure.

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a significant difference among the scores obtained from language samples of 25, 50, and 75 utterances when using the DSS procedure for ages 4.0 through 4.6 years. …

An Analysis Of The Relationship Between The Degree Of Maintained Fluency Improvement Of Former Portland State University Stuttering Clients And The Overall Language Themes They Used, Karen F. Mathew

Dissertations and Theses

This research examined the relationship between the degree of maintained fluency improvement and the type of language used to respond to questions directly and indirectly related to speaking behavior. The subjects included sixteen former Portland State University stuttering clients who had participated in the Ginter (1979) study on fluency maintenance. The subjects responded to a thirteen item questionnaire dealing with themselves and their speaking behavior. Responses were recorded on the Modified Thematic Analysis Form developed by this examiner and analyzed according to guidelines set down by Stone and Casteel (1975) and this examiner.

Comparison Of Scores Obtained On The Ppvt And The Ppvt-R, Jennie L.M. Choong

Dissertations and Theses

The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) is a widely used receptive vocabulary screening tool, but it is not without its limitations, such as inadvisable I.Q. usage and a standardization procedure that lacks scope. A revision of the PPVT, known as the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) was published in 1981, and contains a more complete standardization procedure as well as some structural changes of the test itself (Dunn, 1981). Speech/language pathology, whose diagnosticians most commonly use the age equivalent value, is a profession that would gain from information which deals with the equivalency of the PPVT-R to the original PPVT. …

A Comparison Of Spanish Language Samples Elicited By The Investigator In The Clinic And By The Mothers In The Home, Soledad Chavarria Navas

Dissertations and Theses

The primary purpose of the present study was to compare the quality of spontaneous language samples elicited from twelve low socioeconomic, normally developing, migrant Spanish-speaking subjects by their mothers in the home and by this investigator in the clinic. The subjects ranged in age from three years, one month to six years, nine months.

The essential question sought to determine if the comparison of language samples elicited in the home by the mothers and the language samples. elicited in the clinic by the investigator yielded significant differences in syntactical language development as measured by the Developmental Assessment of Spanish Grammar …