Speech Pathology and Audiology Commons^™

Diagnostic Infant Abr Testing Via Telehealth: A Survey Of Professional Opinions And Current Barriers, Haley B. Prins, Kimberly A. Peters, Douglas P. Sladen

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose: To examine the barriers to Washington State audiologists adopting telehealth as a means of improving accessibility to diagnostic audiology for infants.

Methods: A Qualtrics survey was distributed via e-mail and social media. Survey participants were required to be audiologists practicing in Washington State. The sixteen-question survey consisted of topics related to participant demographics, previous telehealth experience, and barriers to the use of telehealth for diagnostic infant auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing. A total of 17 participants completed the survey.

Results: Survey responses indicated that Washington State audiologists are largely neutral or disagree with telehealth being an effective means of …

Developing A Spoken Language Outcome Monitoring Procedure For A Canadian Early Hearing Detection And Intervention Program: Process And Recommendations, Olivia Daub, Janis Cardy

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Abstract:

Purpose: Routine spoken language outcome monitoring is one component of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs for children who are hard-of-hearing and learning a spoken language. However, there is no peer-reviewed research that documents how spoken language outcome monitoring may be achieved, or what processes EHDI programs can use to develop these procedures. The present paper describes the process used by a Canadian EHDI program, and the final recommendations that were developed from this process.

Methodology: Through consultation with the program’s stakeholders, consideration of the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing’s recommendations, and drawing on our own expertise in …

The Effects Of Early Intervention On Language Growth After Age 3 For Children With Permanent Hearing Loss, Lisa Davidson, Andrea Osman, Ann E. Geers

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose: The overall goal of this study was to examine language performance in children with permanent hearing loss who were enrolled in a Listening and Spoken Language program. The influence of time spent in Early Intervention (EI) on language trajectories and ability to attain age-appropriate language skills was examined.

Methods: Retrospective data were obtained from children (N=48) who attended Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) for various lengths of time between 2004 and 2017. Children were grouped into those who had received EI prior to age 3 years versus those who did not. Standardized tests of receptive and …

The Impact Of Technology On The Developing Visual And/Or Auditory Memory In School-Aged Children, Cameron Mayer

Honors Theses

This study aimed to determine whether time spent on technology impacts the developing auditory or visual memory in school-aged children. A survey was completed with the child participants to acquire a catalog of time spent on both technological devices and non-technological activities. Tests included a visual and auditory memory assessment adapted from the Preschool Language Scales Fifth Edition (PLS-5). The results indicated that there was no significance between the time spent on technology and the visual and auditory memory scores. However, the researchers did find that the auditory mean scores were significantly different from the visual mean scores across the …

Exploring The Impact Of Animal-Assisted Therapy On Children’S Literacy Skills In Speech-Language Interventions, Samantha Wingate

Honors College Theses

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a therapeutic approach that uses therapy dogs to improve the clinical goals of individuals who need rehabilitative support. While AAT research within the health professions is developing, there is support showing that this type of milieu therapy has potential benefits when working with children with literacy concerns. Within the field of communication sciences and disorders (CSD), AAT can be used by speech-language pathologists to establish goal-directed therapy sessions to improve children’s literacy skills. This paper will highlight current literature that explores the use of AAT within literacy interventions, the use of evidence-based measures, and the feasibility …

Predictors And Characteristics Of Aac Service Delivery Among Post-Professional Speech-Language Pathologists, Meredith Gohsman, Rachel Johnson

College of Health Sciences Posters

In the United States, approximately four million individuals are unable to use verbal speech to meet communication needs (Beukelman & Mirenda, 2013). Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) modalities support the needs of these individuals, offering temporary or permanent solutions to meet an individual’s communication needs across environments (Beukelman & Mirenda, 2013). Tasked with the use of AAC to support individuals with communication impairments, speech-language pathologists are directly involved in AAC service provision (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2016). Past research has identified barriers to AAC service provision and use of AAC modalities, including lack of perceived competence, time, financial support, and availability …

A Survey Of Slp Graduate Students Pre- And Post-Telepractice Training During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kelly Allison Frost

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Many university programs in speech-language pathology who offer clinical training as part of their graduate program, transitioned to a telepractice service delivery model in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the current research project was to survey graduate student opinions and perspectives on the telepractice service delivery model before and after training. Graduate students enrolled in a SLP distance program at WKU participated in a summer clinical internship and were asked to complete pre- and post-surveys about their remote clinical experience. Pre- and postsurveys were completed by 27 graduate students who were enrolled in the summer clinical internship …

Phonological Variation Among Young Spanish-English Dual Language Learners On An English Sentence Repetition Task, Sarah Kate Coleman

Senior Theses

Purpose - There is a need for research informing best practices for assessing the language abilities of bilingual children, as well as research regarding typical phonological development of bilingual children. The purpose of the present paper is to contribute broadly to informing bilingual phonological assessment practice by examining phonological variation in Spanish-English speaking children’s English sentence repetition responses and the relation between these phonological variations and performance on the English sentence repetition task.

Method - 20 Spanish-English speaking kindergarteners completed the English sentence repetition task of the Bilingual English-Spanish Assessment (BESA; Peña et al., 2014). The phonological variations present in …

An Assessment Of Communication Between Speech-Language Pathologists And Intervention Specialists In Schools, Sarah Painter

Honors Projects

The American Speech-Language Hearing Association states that Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) should collaborate with other professionals, including Intervention Specialists (ISs). In recent decades, there has been a shift from pull-out therapy, where students are removed from the classroom for services, to push-in therapy, which takes place within the classroom. This shift has resulted in greater overlap in SLP-IS caseloads. However, there is little known about the collaborative practices of these professionals. This study aimed to close the gap by using surveys to address two main research questions.

1) What is the focus, modality, and frequency of collaboration between SLPs and ISs? …

Development And Implementation Of Computer-Based Learning Modules On Alternative Communication For Pediatric Nurses And Nursing Students, Amanda Kaye Simmons

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Purpose and Rationale. To develop, implement, and assess computer-based learning modules (CBLs) on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) with pediatric nurses and nursing students for knowledge outcomes, self-efficacy, and perceived relevance and effectiveness. Effective communication ensures all parties can understand and express themselves clearly, through any means necessary, often including AAC tools, supports, and strategies. Communication is essential in healthcare but there is limited research with pediatric nurses. Previous research with a single hospital indicated a need for nurse education on AAC. This research used focus groups and interviews to understand pediatric nurse and nursing student knowledge about AAC. The …

Voice Therapy: Racial Disparities In Adherence And Clinically Significant Outcomes, Amber D. Burks

LSU Master's Theses

Voice therapy is evidence-based, behavioral intervention that can reduce functional and organic voice disorders. Despite its proven effectiveness, non-adherence to voice therapy is still an issue. Research shows that an estimated 65% of patients who initiate voice therapy drop out before reaching therapeutic goals. Voice therapy outcomes are largely dependent on patients’ adherence to treatment regimens, but there is limited information concerning factors that may be associated with voice therapy adherence and therapeutic outcomes for patients who successfully complete voice therapy.

The purpose of this study was to investigate which demographic factors could be associated with higher adherence rates to …

Three's Company: Collaborative Instructional Design On A Librarian-Instructor Team, Brittany L. O'Neill, Allen Leblanc, Deirdre Larsen

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

This session will describe a unique collaboration that resulted in development of a strategic research assignment design supported by relevant information literacy sessions. This effort stems from an existing relationship between research librarians and an instructor who was previously a graduate assistant in Research & Instruction Services and became an instructor of a general education course in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Through this collective, a synergistic arrangement developed where librarians contribute to research assignment design and the instructor contributes to developing the information literacy sessions to prepare students for finding, evaluating, and understanding relevant scholarly articles early in their college …

Reliability Of Speech-Language Pathologists’ Categorizations Of Preschoolers’ Communication Impairments In Practice, Bj Cunningham, Janis Oram Cardy

PRECISe Preschool Speech and Language Publications

Abstract

Method

Results

Increasing Access To Augmentative And Alternative Communication Services For People With Complex Communication Needs During Covid-19 And Beyond, Cristina L. Pujol, Anamaria Nevares, Michelle Schladant

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

The COVID-19 global pandemic has affected the disability network across the world. In the United States, there are millions of people who cannot use their natural speech to communicate. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), a form of assistive technology (AT), helps people with complex communication needs (CCNs) to communicate with others. Examples of AAC include printed pictures and speech-generating devices. A team of professionals work together with the person with CCNs and their caregivers to choose the right type of AAC. Often, people with CCNs need face-to-face and ongoing AAC support. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, this population already faced …

Adapting During A Pandemic: Using Ethics Of Care And Cosmopolitanism To Train Graduate Students During The Covid-19 Crisis, Jennifer Whited, Anne Marie Sisk

Journal of Interprofessional Practice and Collaboration

The COVID-19 crisis impacted university clinics in numerous devastating ways. Educators across the world have had to completely retool their approaches to training students in a clinical setting. The authors describe two overall approaches they adapted to guide new ways of training students, as well as three practical strategies they used to implement quality instruction.

Brown's Stages Of Morphosyntactic Development Applied To The Typical Development Of Italian, Marie Laiche

LSU Master's Theses

Background: In A First Language (1973), Roger Brown called for an increase in crosslinguistic data and analysis of morphosyntax across languages as more research in this field is crucial for working out the overarching determinants of language acquisition order and for the ability to accurately compare child language acquisition across different languages. An increase in this research would benefit linguistic researchers and speech-language-pathologists offering services to or evaluating children speaking a different language or more than one language. The current study seeks to add to the field of crosslinguistic research by adapting Brown’s guidelines of English language acquisition to the …

Self-Perception Of Stuttering Frequency Across The Lifespan: A Pilot Study, Natalia C. Newton

University Honors Theses

Purpose: The purpose of the current pilot study is to analyze the accuracy of self-rating of stuttering frequency as compared to clinician calculations of stuttering frequency in order to further examine possible factors that affect the accuracy of a stutterer’s self-rating of their overt stuttering.

Method: Three participants (i.e., one child, one teen, one adult) self-rated their perceptions of their stuttering frequency on a scale of 1-5 after three telepractice speech therapy sessions. Each of the telepractice therapy sessions were recorded and reviewed asynchronously after the session to conduct a disfluency count with a 300-word sample and calculate the percentage …

Strengths And Challenges Of The Cosmin Tools In The Appraisal Of Outcome Measures: A Case Example For Speech-Language Therapy, Elaine Kwok, Peter Rosenbaum, Nancy Thomas-Stonell, Barbara Jane Cunningham

PRECISe Preschool Speech and Language Publications

Background: The Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) is an international initiative that offers standardized and validated tools to guide the appraisal of outcome measures in healthcare.

Aims: This study aimed to explore the use of a new set of tools from COSMIN to appraise studies on outcome measures available to speech and language therapists (SLTs).

Methods: We used the COSMIN tools to appraise seven studies and a user manual that reported the measurement properties of the Focus on the Outcomes of Children Under Six (FOCUS), a validated measure of preschoolers’ communicative participation that …

Student Perceptions Of A Simulated Clinical Experience: A Pilot Study, Haley Elliott, Klaire Brumbaugh

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to document the experience of using a computer-based simulated (Simucase, 2019) learning opportunity in a Master of Science in speech-language pathology program.

Method: Focus groups were held utilizing a semi-structured interview format. Themes were identified using a qualitative methodological approach. Participants were first year graduate students (N=10) that were interviewed after completing an eight-week simulated learning opportunity.

Results: Seven themes emerged from the data. The themes were as follows: setup of the computer-based simulation, the incorporation of computer-based simulation in courses, supplemental information that assisted in development of clinical knowledge, …

Establishing Diagnostic Skills In Novice Bilingual Clinicians: A Scaffolded Approach, Carlos D. Irizarry-Pérez, Mirza J. Lugo-Neris, Lisa M. Bedore, Elizabeth D. Peña

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

This study sought to scaffold administration performance of a standardized bilingual screener to sufficient levels of accuracy for data collection using principles of Cognitive Load Theory by managing task complexity when training pre-service clinicians. Before training administration skills, two students were given copies of the manual for the Bilingual English Spanish Oral Screener (BESOS) and asked to administer the protocol independently. During the intervention phase, students were scaffolded through administration tasks of increasing complexity and given explicit instruction, which included tailored goals, modeling and feedback. Performance for four skills was assessed using a fidelity rubric and analyzed using visual analysis. …

A Pilot Study Investigating The Effect Of The Supervision-Questioning-Feedback Model Of Supervision On Stimulating Critical Thinking In Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Students, Samantha J. Dalessio (Procaccini), Nancy Carlino, Mary G. Barnum, Denise Joseph, Melissa M. Sovak

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the supervision-questioning-feedback (SQF) model of supervision on critical thinking in graduate students studying speech-language pathology. The researchers hypothesized that students who were provided with the SQF model of supervision would score higher than students who received the non-SQF (NSQF) style of supervision on the selected critical thinking measures.

Method

Seventeen out of 24 first semester graduate students in speech-language pathology completing their on-site university-based clinical practicum experience consented to participate in the study. Of the 17 participating first semester students, 9 were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 …

Three Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Programs, One Model: Using Systematic Instruction To Develop Students’ Clinical Decision-Making Skills, Bryan M. Ness, Therese O'Neil-Pirozzi, Peter Meulenbroek

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

To prepare graduate students to implement evidence-based practice effectively, educators must integrate instruction on rational clinical decision-making into course curricula. Three faculty members at different universities adopted an educational approach derived from the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System (RTSS) to teach and assess clinical decision-making in the context of treating acquired cognitive-communication disorders for people with traumatic brain injury. Using treatment theory illustrated in the RTSS, the authors piloted instruction and assessment materials to examine potential usefulness of the approach and effects on student knowledge and confidence in clinical decision-making. The results indicated that the instructional approach effectively bolstered students’ knowledge …

A Capstone Course In Speech-Language Pathology, Linda C. Murdock, Carson M. York

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Capstone courses are considered a high impact practice with the potential to positively affect student learning. This article describes the design and implementation of a capstone in speech-language pathology designed to round out the undergraduate experience by shifting the learning focus away from disorder characteristics and onto individuals living with disabilities. The course is designed to teach students compassion, self-evaluation, and strategies for personal growth.

Interprofessional Experience For Future Education Professionals: School Psychology And Speech-Language Pathology Students, Shari L. Deveney, Brian Mckevitt

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Educational training programs are tasked with addressing potential barriers to interprofessional practice through experiences that promote interprofessional collaborations. The present study of interprofessional experiences (IPE) had both research and pedagogical purposes. The research purpose was to describe graduate student self-perceptions related to interprofessional teaming/collaboration before and after an IPE involving two educational training programs, school psychology and speech-language pathology. The pedagogical purpose was to convey a detailed description of a case-based IPE offered as a course assignment and offer implementation suggestions. Participants in this course-based IPE were 109 students in the school psychology and speech-language pathology graduate programs at a …

Creating A Theoretical Framework To Underpin Discourse Assessment And Intervention In Aphasia, Lucy Dipper, Jane Marshall, Mary Boyle, Deborah Hersh, Nicola Botting, Madeline Cruice

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Discourse (a unit of language longer than a single sentence) is fundamental to everyday communication. People with aphasia (a language impairment occurring most frequently after stroke, or other brain damage) have communication difficulties which lead to less complete, less coherent, and less complex discourse. Although there are multiple reviews of discourse assessment and an emerging evidence base for discourse intervention, there is no unified theoretical framework to underpin this research. Instead, disparate theories are recruited to explain different aspects of discourse impairment, or symptoms are reported without a hypothesis about the cause. What is needed is a theoretical framework that …

Encoding And Perception Of Voicing And Aspiration In Native And Non-Native Listeners In Quiet And In Background Noise, Reethee Antony

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The perception and encoding of voice cues in consonants have been well studied, whereas there has been relatively little research on aspiration. The current study examined the encoding and perception of aspiration and voicing in Hindi, American English, and Tamil listeners when relevant cues were and were not degraded by noise. This study is novel because of the inclusion of aspiration, the language groups, inclusion of noise masking, and inclusion of auditory evoked potentials (in addition to behavioral testing).

The first aim was to determine whether language groups for whom aspiration and/or voicing is phonemically contrastive show better perception and …

Auditory Brainstem Responses To Successive Sounds: Effects Of Gap Duration And Depth, Fan-Yin Cheng, Craig A. Champlin

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Temporal acuity is the ability to differentiate between sounds based on fluctuations in the waveform envelope. The proximity of successive sounds and background noise diminishes the ability to track rapid changes between consecutive sounds. We determined whether a physiological correlate of temporal acuity is also affected by these factors. We recorded the auditory brainstem response (ABR) from human listeners using a harmonic complex (S1) followed by a brief tone burst (S2) with the latter serving as the evoking signal. The duration and depth of the silent gap between S1 and S2 were manipulated, and the peak latency and amplitude of …

The Effect Of Screen Time/Technology On Children With Hearing Loss, Alexa Goodwin

2021 Honors Symposium

Introduction
The use of technology is often promoted as an impactful educational tool, but research often fails to link to these positive outcomes. Negative impacts of “screen addiction” on children whose brains are still developing is an oftenexpressed concern. This is due to excessive screen exposure correlating with increases in disorders such as depression, ADHD, anxiety, and aggression. However, some consider technology use to be valuable for social skills and connection. This study explores the correlation of screen exposure on the executive functioning and social skills of children with hearing loss between the ages 8-12. Executive functioning includes mental skills …

Noise Exposure And Hearing Protection In Marching Band Students, Emily Myers

2021 Honors Symposium

Musicians, marching band students in particular, are at risk for Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NlHL) as they are frequently exposed to sound levels ranging from 85-114dB (Dinakaran, & Rejoythadathil, 20 I 8; Jansen et al., 2008; Libbin, 2008). It is recolillilended that those exposed to loud sounds wear ear protection regularly (Audiological Services for Musicians and Music Industry Personell, 2019.; Loud Noise Dangers, n.d.). Musicians are often reluctant to wear hearing protection for various reasons (Jin et al., 2013). Standard earplugs are typically offered to marching band members.

The purpose of this study was to determine how many band members …

Physiological Stability During Oral Feeding In Preterm Infants: Associations With Feeding Behaviors And Cues, Cindy M. Lund

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between measures of physiological stability/instability during feeding. An additional aim was to determine if behaviors associated with physiological stability were also perceived as readiness or stress cues. Participants included 5 preterm infants (<37 weeks gestation) with no craniofacial anomalies. Infants were videotaped when they were taking at least 90% of prescribed volume. This study analyzed the common behaviors seen in preterm infants during bottle feeding to determine if there were associations with measures of physiological stability. Behaviors were also analyzed to determine which were perceived as indicating stress or readiness to feed by novice observers. Coding was conducted offline using Noldus Observer software.

Results revealed a statistically significant relationship between behaviors classified as stress cues and HR instability. There was not a significant association between stress cues and RR or SPO2. Binomial testing identified specific preterm infant feeding behaviors that were more often classified as stress cues, with significance noted in audible swallow and vocalization. Several of the specific preterm …