Speech Pathology and Audiology Commons^™

A Comparison Of Nal And Dsl Prescriptive Methods For Paediatric Hearing-Aid Fitting: Predicted Speech Intelligibility And Loudness, Teresa Y.C. Ching, Earl E. Johnson, Sanna Hou, Harvey Dillon, Vicky Zhang, Lauren Burns, Patricia Van Buynder, Angela Wong, Christopher Flynn

ETSU Faculty Works

Objective: To examine the impact of prescription on predicted speech intelligibility and loudness for children. Design: A between-group comparison of speech intelligibility index (SII) and loudness, based on hearing aids fitted according to NAL-NL1, DSL v4.1, or DSL m[i/o] prescriptions. A within-group comparison of gains prescribed by DSL m[i/o] and NAL-NL2 for children in terms of SII and loudness. Study sample: Participants were 200 children, who were randomly assigned to first hearing-aid fitting with either NAL-NL1, DSL v4.1, or DSL m[i/o]. Audiometric data and hearing-aid data at 3 years of age were used. Results: On average, SII calculated on the …

Hearing-Aid Safety: A Comparison Of Estimated Threshold Shifts For Gains Recommended By Nal-Nl2 And Dsl M[I/O] Prescriptions For Children, Teresa Y. C. Ching, Earl E. Johnson, Mark Seeto, John H. Macrae

ETSU Faculty Works

Objective: To investigate the predicted threshold shift associated with the use of nonlinear hearing aids fitted to the NAL-NL2 or the DSL m[i/o] prescription for children with the same audiograms. For medium and high input levels, we asked: (1) How does predicted asymptotic threshold shifts (ATS) differ according to the choice of prescription? (2) How does predicted ATS vary with hearing level for gains prescribed by the two prescriptions? Design: A mathematical model consisting of the modified power law combined with equations for predicting temporary threshold shift (Macrae, 1994b) was used to predict ATS. Study sample: Predicted threshold shift were …

Update On The Clinical Utility Of Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials, Faith W. Akin, Owen D. Murnane

ETSU Faculty Works

Vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) supplement the vestibular test battery by providing diagnostic information about otolith organ function. The purpose of this presentation is to provide an update on the clinical use of the cervical VEMP and ocular VEMP as clinical tests of otolith function

Effects Of Truncation On Language Sample Analysis In Aphasia, Gerasimos Fergadiotis, Heather Harris Wright

Speech and Hearing Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The goal of this study is to determine if the length of a language sample elicited from a person with aphasia (PWA) is of consequence when making inferences about the patient's functional language ability. When conducting a language sample analysis, a sample representing a snapshot in time is used to make inferences about an individual's language capacity in general. However, current findings are inconclusive regarding the ideal length of the language sample necessary to draw valid conclusions about patients (e.g. Heilman, Nockerts, & Miller, 2010).

Measuring Global Coherence In Aphasia, V. Galetto, S. Kintz, T. West, Heather Harris Wright, Gerasimos Fergadiotis

Speech and Hearing Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Discourse coherence may be conceptualized as representing the listener's ability to interpret the overall meaning conveyed by the speaker. Discourse schemas serve as the organizing frameworks for placing the essential discourse elements within a language sample (Bloom, Borod, & Santschi-Haywoor, Pick, & Obler, 1996; Peterson & McCabe, 1983). When the essential elements are provided a logical consistency of the discourse schema is maintained and the listener perceives the discourse as coherent (Ditman & Kuperberg, 2010; Trabasso, van den Broek, & Suh, 1989; van den Broek, Virtue, Everson, Tzeng, & Sung, 2002). Global coherence refers to the ability to semantically relate …

Predicting Language Impairment Status: A Risk Factor Model, Johanna Maria Rudolph

Open Access Dissertations

The etiology of specific language impairment (SLI) is multifactorial. Research has shown that genetic, environmental, and developmental factors may influence the course of its development. Because many of these factors are present even before a child is born, it is possible that a child's risk of developing the disorder can be identified long before grammatical deficits are observed. The goal of this study was to develop and validate a screening tool to discriminate between children with SLI and typically developing (TD) children using risk factor information including gender, family history of communication or reading disorders, socioeconomic status, maternal and paternal …

Developing A Drug Delivery System For Treatment Of Vocal Fold Scarring, Aaron Michael Kosinski

Open Access Dissertations

Vocal fold scarring is an affliction that results in the formation of a disorganized and stiff extracellular matrix (ECM) with abnormal ECM component densities & structures including a significant increase in collagen deposition. It is caused by improper healing post injury and results in profound changes in the biomechanical properties of the vocal folds impairing their ability to generate a normal mucosal wave during phonation.

Finding an effective treatment for vocal fold scarring has been elusive. Currently, treatments seek temporary solutions that correct glottal incompetence and reduce stiffness caused by the scar through the augmentation of the vocal folds using …

Effects Of Hearing Aid Amplification On Robust Neural Coding Of Speech, Jonathan Daniel Boley

Open Access Dissertations

Hearing aids are able to restore some hearing abilities for people with auditory impairments, but background noise remains a significant problem. Unfortunately, we know very little about how speech is encoded in the auditory system, particularly in impaired systems with prosthetic amplifiers. There is growing evidence that relative timing in the neural signals (known as spatiotemporal coding) is important for speech perception, but there is little research that relates spatiotemporal coding and hearing aid amplification.

This research uses a combination of computational modeling and physiological experiments to characterize how hearing aids affect vowel coding in noise at the level of …

Neural Encoding Of Complex Signals In The Healthy And Impaired Auditory Systems, Saradha Ananthakrishnan

Open Access Dissertations

Individuals with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) typically experience difficulty in understanding speech. Our current knowledge of deficits in speech perception and encoding consequent to SNHL is restricted to psychophysical studies in humans and single-unit experiments in animals. However, the nature of degradation in neural encoding of speech following hearing impairment in humans has not been extensively researched. The objective of this dissertation is to provide a systematic evaluation of neurobiological signature of hearing loss at the subcortical level using an objective electrophysiological non-invasive neural index, the frequency following response (FFR). Subcortical neural encoding of speech signals is explored by quantifying …

Modern Prescription Theory And Application: Realistic Expectations For Speech Recognition With Hearing Aids, Earl E. Johnson

ETSU Faculty Works

A major decision at the time of hearing aid fitting and dispensing is the amount of amplification to provide listeners (both adult and pediatric populations) for the appropriate compensation of sensorineural hearing impairment across a range of frequencies (e.g., 160?10000?Hz) and input levels (e.g., 50?75?dB sound pressure level). This article describes modern prescription theory for hearing aids within the context of a risk versus return trade-off and efficient frontier analyses. The expected return of amplification recommendations (i.e., generic prescriptions such as National Acoustic Laboratories?Non-Linear 2, NAL-NL2, and Desired Sensation Level Multiple Input/Output, DSL m[i/o]) for the Speech Intelligibility Index (SII) …

Relationship Between A Measure Of Social And Emotional Development And Early Communication Development In Young Children With Cleft Palate, Jenna L. Pugh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was an examination of responses to a standardized assessment of social-emotional behaviors and correlation with speech and language development in young children with cleft palate and/or lip. Twenty-eight participants aged 14-35 months with nonsyndromic cleft palate and or lip were included in this study. The Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSEA) was used to identify emerging social and emotional behaviors. Descriptive analysis of ITSEA results was completed. Pearson correlation coefficient and effect size estimates were calculated between ITSEA domain raw scores and measures of speech and language development. A small proportion of participants (14%) showed ITSEA scores beyond …

Brittany Bernal - Sensorimotor Adaptation Of Vowel Production In Stop Consonant Contexts, Brittany A. Bernal

Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program 2013

The purpose of this research is to measure the compensatory and adaptive articulatory response to shifted formants in auditory feedback to compare the resulting amount of sensorimotor learning that takes place in speakers upon saying the words /pep/ and /tet/. These words were chosen in order to analyze the coarticulatory effects of voiceless consonants /p/ and /t/ on sensorimotor adaptation of the vowel /e/. The formant perturbations were done using the Audapt software, which takes an input speech sample and plays it back to the speaker in real-time via headphones. Formants are high-energy acoustic resonance patterns measured in hertz that …

Alternative Ear-Canal Measures Related To Absorbance, S. T. Neely, S. Stenfelt, Kim S. Schairer

ETSU Faculty Works

Abstract:

Several alternative ear-canal measures are similar to absorbance in their requirement for prior determination of a Thévenin-equivalent sound…

Executive Functions And Social Interactions: Developing Social Scenarios, Mackenzie Waite

Masters Theses

The aim of this study was to develop a series of vignettes to form the basis for an assessment of executive functions (EFs) for 9 – 12 year old children. Although EFs are necessary for effective social communication and positive social interactions, currently, most EF assessments focus on impersonal activities. Little research exists that incorporates real-time processing using ecologically valid social scenarios. The current study aims to develop realistic scenarios that children could encounter in daily life. Ethnographic interviews were conducted with six participants, who worked in a school with 9-12 year old children, to gain their perspective on social …

Relations Between Oral Pharyngeal Size And Kinematic Measures Of Tongue Related Swallowing Movements, Danielle Monast

Honors Theses

Background: Though the tongue plays a critical role during the oral phase of swallowing, studies have found that the size and shape of tongue movements during swallowing can vary greatly among individuals. One factor that may contribute to this movement variability is oral-pharyngeal cavity geometry. A cavity with a different size and shape may require different movements for efficient swallowing. While there are a number of studies that have attempted to relate the oral-pharyngeal anatomy with features of orofacial movement, these studies focused on speech movements and no studies have directly evaluated the relation between swallowing related tongue movements and …

Audiology Services At Remote Area Medical Expeditions In Southern Appalachia, Marc A. Fagelson

ETSU Faculty Works

This presentation summarizes the preparation for, and execution of, audiology series provided by East Tennessee State University's Audiology, Program at Remote Area Medical (RAM) expeditiors in the Southern Appalachian region. In 2010 and 2012, ETSU audiology faculty and students evaluatd 281 patients and subsequently fit 178 hearing aids.

Effects Of Noise On Cognitive Function During Dual Tasks Across Normally Aging Adults, Jennine Harvey

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

This study expands upon methods used to investigate cognition and speech perception which have been limited by lack of (a) pre-screening of cognitive function in participants, (b) reporting visual or auditory accuracy and reaction time measures across experimental conditions that examine reaction times, and (c) comprehensive test battery that includes performance across multiple levels of dual task paradigms (DTPs). This study aims to examine group performance on dual tasks (DT) increasing in cognitive (task difficulty) and perceptual load (noise) with age. Participants were divided into two groups based upon age. Group 1 consisted of 14 listeners (Female=11) who were 40-59 …

Aerodynamic And Acoustic Features Of Vocal Effort, Allison Rosenthal

Speech-Language Pathology - Theses

Many voice disorders are associated with an effortful voice; however, there have been very few studies that have examined the physiological changes that contribute to this sense of effort. Determining the factors that contribute to change in vocal effort may help clinicians to effectively target these variables when working with people with voice disorders so that voice improvement is accompanied by decreased vocal effort after treatment. Prior research has shown that alterations in aerodynamic and acoustic variables are often associated with voice disorders involving increased muscular effort, and change in these variables is correlated with abnormal voice qualities. The current …

A Comparison Of Caregiver And Speech-Language Pathologist's Ratings Of Speech Outcome In Oral Cleft Clinic, Emily Swain

Honors Theses

Background: Cleft lip and/or palate is one of the most common congenital anomalies. The goal of treatment of cleft palate is normal speech, but a proportion of children with clefts exhibit speech disorders. Various outcome measures are used, but relatively few have focused on self-assessment or caregiver perception of outcome. The studies that have been done focus on comparing parents' and speech-language pathologists' ratings of speech outcome. These studies can be used to determine the degree to which caregivers are satisfied with speech outcome over time.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between speech ratings …

Supporting Identity In Aphasia: A Survey Of Speech-Language Pathologists, Katie Strong

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

No abstract provided.

Let's Talk Speech! Volume 6 Issue 2, Barbara T. Schmidt Ph.D.

Communication Sciences and Disorders Newsletter

The spring 2013 semester has indeed been a memorable one. This newsletter keeps you informed of the activities that have transpired this semester. As you read, I think you will get a sense of how our department has grown and how many things we have to celebrate. And celebrate we do! First, this semester marks the graduation of our first class of master’s degree students in Speech-Language Pathology. The class of 7 students completed their 56 credit degree in 2 years. The clinical educators, faculty and staff all watched them eagerly, struggled with them and rejoiced in their success. I …

The Measurement Of Auditory Interhemispheric Transfer Time (Ihtt) In Children With Normal Auditory Processing Abilities, Brittany Suzanne Keahey

Doctoral Dissertations

Interhemispheric transfer time (IHTT) is the time it takes for information to be transmitted from one hemisphere to the other. The goal of this study was to determine if differences existed in the IHTT of children 6 to 9 years of age with normal auditory processing abilities by the use of an objective measure (auditory late evoked potentials [ALEPs]), specifically waves P1, N1 and P2. It was hypothesized that there would be no difference in IHTT between the groups due to the age range of participants being tested. The 16 participants were divided into two groups based on age and …

Asymmetrical Speech In Noise Assessment For Children With (Central) Auditory Processing Disorders, Jessica Vaughn

Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this investigation was to determine if children with (Central) Auditory Processing Disorder have better word recognition abilities for monosyllabic words under monaural speech-in-noise conditions than binaural speech-in-noise conditions. Fifteen participants, five females and ten males, ages 8-10 years, were included in this study. There were 7 children placed in the experimental group with a diagnosis of (C) APD identified from the Louisiana Tech University Speech and Hearing Center. There were 8 typically developing children placed in the control group. Each participant had pure-tone thresholds of 0-20 dB HL for 250-8000 Hz bilaterally. The SCAN-3 for children, …

Effects Of Untrained Earmold Impression Taking On Custom Hearing Protector Device Performance, Kelly R. Pack

Doctoral Dissertations

Today's consumer is increasingly turning to the internet for both healthcare information as well as the purchase of custom hearing protection devices (HPDs). These HPDs are often cast from do-it-yourself home ear impression kits that include a syringe and silicone earmold impression material to be injected into the ear canal. Although not required by law, earmold impressions have typically been taken by medical professionals and other individuals formally trained in the procedures and safety measures of effective earmold impression taking. The main purpose of this study was to determine if do-it-yourself earmold impressions produce HPD's with lower attenuation levels than …

Preschoolers With Speech And Language Impairment: Case Studies From A Teacher-Delivered Phonological Awareness Program, Katherine J. Wickham

Masters Theses

Past and present research demonstrates early reading success related to phonological awareness (PA) instruction conducted individually or in small groups outside of the preschool classroom. This study investigated the effects of an explicit, intensive and teacher-delivered PA instruction for children with speech sound disorder and language impairment as part of the preschool curriculum. The investigator examined the performance of individual cases in both groups, those who received instruction and the control. Two participants in each of the experimental (E1 and E2) and control (C1 and C2) groups had standardized scores indicating deficits in speech and/or language. These children who received …

Slps And Auds Go Global: A Research-Based Cross-Linguistic Consortium, A. Lynn Williams, Brenda Louw

ETSU Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Aging And Spectral Shaping On The Sub-Cortical (Brainstem) Differentiation Of Contrastive Stop Consonants, Dania A. Rishiq

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Purpose: The objectives of this dissertation are to: (1) evaluate the influence of aging on the sub-cortical (brainstem) differentiation of voiced stop consonants (i.e. /b-d-g/); (2) determine whether potential aging deficits at the brainstem level influence behavioral identification of the /b-d-g/ stimuli, (3) investigate whether spectral shaping diminishes any aging impairments at the brainstem level; and (4) if so, whether minimizing these deficits improves the behavioral identification of the speech stimuli.

Subjects: Behavioral and electrophysiological responses were collected from 11 older adults (> 50 years old) with near-normal to normal hearing and were compared to those of 16 normal-hearing younger …

Enhanced Maternal Origin Of The 22q11.2 Deletion In Velocardiofacial And Digeorge Syndromes, Maria Delio, Tingwei Guo, Donna Mcdonald-Mcginn, Elaine Zackai, Sean Herman, Mark Kaminetzky, Anne Marie Higgins, Karlene Coleman, Carolyn Chow, Maria Jalbrzikowski, Carrie E. Bearden, Alice Bailey, Anders Vangkilde, Line Olsen, Charlotte Olesen, Flemming Skovby, Thomas M. Werge, Ludivine Templin, Tiffany Busa, Nicole Philip, Ann Swillen, Joris R. Vermeesch, Koen Devriendt, Maude Schneider, Sophie Dahoun, Stephen Eliez, Kelly Schoch, Stephen R. Hooper, Vandana Shashi, Joy Samanich, Robert Marion, Therese Van Amelsvoort, Erik Boot, Petra Klaassen, Sasja N. Duijiff, Jacob Vorstman, Tracy Yuen, Candice Silversides, Eva Chow, Anne S. Bassett, Amos Frisch, Abraham Weizman, Doron Gothelf, Maria Niarchou, Marianne Van Den Bree, Michael J. Owen, Damian Heine Suñer, Jordi Rosell Andreo, Marco Armando, Stefano Vicari, Maria Christina Digilio, Adam Auton, Wendy R. Kates, Tao Wang, Robert J. Shprintzen, Beverly Emanuel, Bernice Morrow

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

Velocardiofacial and DiGeorge syndromes, also known as 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS), are congenital-anomaly disorders caused by a de novo hemizygous 22q11.2 deletion mediated by meiotic nonallelic homologous recombination events between low-copy repeats, also known as segmental duplications. Although previous studies exist, each was of small size, and it remains to be determined whether there are parent-of-origin biases for the de novo 22q11.2 deletion. To address this question, we genotyped a total of 389 DNA samples from 22q11DS-affected families. A total of 219 (56%) individuals with 22q11DS had maternal origin and 170 (44%) had paternal origin of the de novo deletion, …

Hearing Loss In The Dental Office: The Effects Of High Speed Dental Drills On Dentists' Hearing, Krisztina Johnson, Jacek Smurzynski, Saravanan Elangovan, Marc Fagelson

ETSU Faculty Works

Hearing test results of 23 dentists obtained before and after working hours are compared to determine if dentists experience any temporary hearing loss. The aim of the project is to determine whether dental drills cause hearing loss and to document the consequences of the loss. Hearing evaluations include pure-tone audiometry, middle-ear testing, and measurements of otoacoustic emissions. The results are expected to convince dentists of the danger of noise exposure and the need for hearing protection

Modeling Hrtf For Sound Localization In Normal Listeners And Bilateral Cochlear Implant Users, Douglas A. Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mathematical models can be very useful for understanding complicated systems and for testing algorithms through simulation that would be difficult or expensive to implement. This dissertation presents a model that attempts to simulate the sound localization performance of persons using bilateral cochlear implants. The expectation is that this model could prove to be a useful tool in developing new signal processing algorithms for neural encoding strategies.

The head related transfer function (HRTF) is a critical component of this model, and in the ideal case, provides the base characteristics of head shadow, torso and pinna effects. This defines the temporal, intensity …