Speech Pathology and Audiology Commons^™

An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Caregivers' Support For Their Preschool Children's Language And Social Skills Development, Sheri Stein Blum

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some children have difficulty communicating due to a lack of age-appropriate language and social skills. Researchers have explored how music and language share features that shape language processing. The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological analysis was to explore the experiences of caregivers of preschool children who participated in a music-based program and to understand their perspectives related to children's language and social skill development. Learning style and sensory integration processing theories were used as framework to provide foundations of skills in this study. Research questions addressed caregivers' choices related to this program for their children, their experiences of their children's …

Paraprofessionals' Experiences And Understandings Of The Maternal Infant Health Outreach Worker Program (Mihow) In West Virginia, Amy Knell Carlson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

MIHOW, the Maternal Infant Health Outreach Worker Program, is a parent-to-parent home visitation program that aims to enhance early childhood development and parent education in economically disadvantaged and geographically isolated families with children birth to three. This qualitative case study conducted in two rural Appalachian counties examined the perceptions and experiences of paraprofessionals who are trained and work as home visitors in the MIHOW Program. Findings were interpreted in relation to extant literature on the use of paraprofessionals in home visitation. Three themes emerged from the data. The first theme related to the use of a strength-based approach and how …

Interactions Between A Speech Pathologist And People With Aphasia In The First 6 Weeks Post Stroke: A Qualitative Study Of Assessment Experiences, Penelope Judith Wood

Theses : Honours

This study examines clinician and client interactions in the context of an acute care unit in a small urban Western Australian Hospital. The study involved audiovisual recordings and observations of assessment sessions, and in-depth interviews with the assessing Speech Pathologist and her clients. Analysis used Discourse Analysis of assessment sessions and Thematic Analysis of interviews. There is growing evidence as to how less formal non-traditional assessment might be more supportive of people with aphasia—for instance, by using concepts and techniques drawn from Dynamic Assessment and principles of Adult Learning. Surveys of Australian and New Zealand Speech Pathologists reflect a move …

Literature Review And Case Study Of The Functionality Of Video Self Modeling, Carly Conklin

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This report includes a literature review and case study examination to determine the functionality and effectiveness of video self-modeling as a speech-language therapy technique for a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Research has shown that video modeling is effective to teach language skills to individuals with ASD. This case study focused on teaching a child with ASD receptive language skills to identify emotions based on body language and tone of voice. A single subject pretest posttest design was used to measure the results for the case study participant.

Treatment Outcomes For The Mass Treatment Approach For Adults Who Stutter: A Case Study Assessment, Danielle Reymann

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Multi-Modal Communication In School-Age Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Lauren Dougherty

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have a difficult time communicating on a daily basis. To help enhance and sometimes substitute speech altogether, they require Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices. A review of literature found that school-age children with ASD utilize multiple modes of communication. The observation conducted looked at six school-age children, grades 6-8, with ASD and their use of multimodal communication. Each child was observed throughout their school day in settings such as the classroom, lunch/recess, and the speech therapy room. Data was collected for the number of times a child was given the opportunity to use …

A Survey Of Speech-Language Pathologists On Facilitating Support Groups For Those With Communication Disorders, Danielle A. Hower, K. Todd Houston Ph.D

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Support groups are used in a variety of settings and can be helpful for group members to develop coping strategies. This research aims to evaluate Ohio Speech-Language Pathologists’ perceived knowledge of planning and implementing support groups. Another goal for this research is to gain information on how many Speech-Language Pathologists are using this knowledge to conduct a support group, what type of populations are benefiting, and in what setting type utilizes support groups.

Identifying Speech-Language Pathologists' Current Perceptions And Practice Patterns, Mary Margaret Griffith

Online Theses and Dissertations

A web-based survey was collected and analyzed from 39 speech-language pathologists (SLP) contacted through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's (ASHA) Special Interest Groups #2 and #4 as well as members of the American Board of Fluency and Fluency Disorders (ABFFD) via email regarding their current perceptions and clinical practice patterns with individuals with neurogenic and psychogenic stuttering. Participants reported using a battery of assessments and a variety of treatment approaches to diagnose neurogenic and psychogenic stuttering in addition to traditional fluency assessments and fluency enhancing techniques. Participants rated themselves as having more knowledge and experience with neurogenic stuttering than psychogenic stuttering. …

The Role Of Speech-Language Pathologists In Swallowing Treatment Of Individuals With Hiv/Aids, Sarah Lynn Warner

Online Theses and Dissertations

The role of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in the assessment and treatment of dysphagia in individuals living with HIV/AIDS is relatively absent from the literature. Dysphagia is described as difficulty swallowing that can be caused by oral indicators, structural dysfunction, and neurological disease (Bladon & Ross, 2007; Bobba et al., 2007; Nkuize et al., 2010). Dysphagia is a prevalent symptom secondary to the HIV/AIDS virus, yet dysphagia in the HIV/AIDS population often goes untreated (Bladon & Ross, 2007). One way to improve assessment and treatment of dysphagia is to ensure medical professionals are knowledgeable of the communication and swallowing disorders that …

Using Visual Scene Displays As Communication Support Options For People With Chronic, Severe Aphasia: A Summary Of Aac Research And Future Research Directions, David R. Beukelman, Karen Hux, Aimee R. Dietz, Miechelle L. Mckelvey, Kristy S.E. Weissling

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Research about the effectiveness of communicative supports and advances in photographic technology has prompted changes in the way speech-language pathologists design and implement interventions for people with aphasia. The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of photographic images as a basis for developing communication supports for people with chronic aphasia secondary to sudden-onset events due to cerebrovascular accidents (strokes). Topics include the evolution of AAC-based supports as they relate to people with aphasia, the development and key features of visual scene displays (VSDs), and future directions concerning the incorporation of photographs into communication supports for people with …

Accreditation As An Organizational Response: Exploring The Influence Of Leadership And Institutional And Task Environments On The Accreditation Process In Communication Sciences And Disorders Programs, Jeffrey Charles Adams

Theses and Dissertations

Influences on the accreditation process in communication sciences and disorder (CSD) programs were examined using a cross case comparative qualitative analysis among four successfully accredited academic departments in the southern United States. Program chairs, CSD administrators, clinic directors and faculty were interviewed. Four institutional sites were selected for the case studies based upon the outcome of the program’s most recent accreditation site visit, the date of the accreditation site visit, number of available faculty, and institutional type. The four institutions included one master’s granting private institution, one master’s granting (larger) program, one doctoral/research medical university, and one doctoral/research university (very …

Speech-Language Pathologists On Multicultural Counseling Competency, Denise Moore Revel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite reports of speech-language pathology graduate-level programs focusing on multicultural competence, the literature suggests speech-language pathologists are not adequately educated and trained to be culturally competent. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of public school-based speech-language pathologists' graduate-level academic instruction and the clinical practicum experiences in multicultural competence, specifically in the area of multicultural counseling. Guided by the theory of multicultural counseling and therapy, this study used a phenomenological approach, employing semistructured, in-person interviews with 7 participants. The inclusion criteria used for selecting study participants included: having a master's degree in speech-language pathology, graduation from an …

Monolingual And Bilingual Intervention Outcomes In A Bilingual Child With Autism, Victoria Alexander

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: When treating bilingual children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the language of intervention has been a controversial topic among professionals. There is limited research on the treatment of bilingual children with ASD.

Purpose: To extend the limited research on the use of language of intervention in bilingual children with ASD. This study compared a monolingual English treatment and a bilingual English-Spanish treatment, to examine which one was more efficient.

Methods: A single-subject alternating treatment design with a baseline was used to compare the efficacy of two treatment conditions in increasing language skills in a bilingual child with ASD. The …

Processing Of Language Switches In Bilingual Individuals With Aphasia: An Event-Related Potential Comparison, Lizette Rodarte

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Switching between languages, or code-switching, is a common phenomenon in bilingual individuals. In proficient bilinguals, these switches are done with ease and are used for many purposes. Contrary to popular belief, these switches are rule-governed and follow grammatical structure. Bilingual individuals diagnosed with aphasia present with difficulty processing languages and these language switches. With the increase in bilingual individuals, it is likely that the speech-language pathology community will see an increase of bilingual individuals with aphasia on their caseload. For this reason, the purpose of this study is to increase our understanding of the neural processes involved in processing of …

The Impact Of Accented English On Speech Comprehension, Benigno Valles

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

In the context of shifting demographics in the United States and with an increasing multicultural workforce, the verbal exchange of information is vital especially between health care providers and patients. Although English is the official language in the United States, many individuals from different national origins speak English with some degree of accent. Before we can address health care provider/patient communication, it is necessary to investigate the potential impact of accented English on speech comprehension and its implications on basic communicative interactions. The verbal exchange of information between health care providers and patients is important in diagnostics, treatment, patient …

The Effects Of Baby Sign Training On Child Development, Bethany Iris Urquidi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Baby sign has gained the attention of many researchers and parents. Relatively little is known about the use of baby sign and the impact it has on the development of children. As the use of baby sign increases in popularity, research studies have had limited and inconsistent results regarding its influence. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to measure the effects of baby sign training on the overall development of normally hearing children while improving on the limitations of current studies (between group study). Methods: Participants in the study included 22 children, ages 6 months to 2 years; …

A Comparative Assessment Of Electrophysiological And Behavioral Performance In Individuals With Aphasia Responding To Spoken And Written Sentence Length Commands, Sha-Renae Alexander

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The aim of this study is to investigate whether deficits in processing affect auditory and reading comprehension in the same manner. This study compared the behavioral and electrophysiologic performance of four individuals with aphasia and four participants with no brain damage responding to spoken and written sentence length commands using a modified version of the Revised Token Test (McNeil & Prescott, 1978). Electrophysiological responses were recorded from the scalp using event related potentials (ERP). The latency and amplitude of the N400 ERP component were measured and analyzed. Behavioral reaction times and correct responses were collected and examined. Performance differences between …

The Contribution Of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury/Concussion To The Development Of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms, Kylie Lauren Marshall

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A controversial issue is whether TBI is a necessary precursor to the development of PTSD symptoms, or if the two variables are mutually exclusive. Recent rodent-models reveal that a stressful environment cannot cause PTSD symptoms directly without TBI, yet it is unknown if PTSD symptoms can develop following a TBI. This study provides a potential analogue to study this relationship by evaluating the effects of sports-related concussion. Purpose: This study investigated two questions, 1) Is there a significant difference in the frequency of PTSD symptoms reported by athletes at baseline (BL) testing and post-concussion (PC) testing over time? 2) Is …

The Effects Of Baby Sign On Child Development, Joanna Scott

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Although the popular media supports the use of baby sign for enhanced developmental outcomes of children, empirical research verifying the actual effects of baby sign on the areas of communicative, cognitive, social, and physical development, is limited. Advocates of baby sign suggest pre-lingual symbolic communication may result in accelerated development whereas critics claim definitive conclusions cannot be drawn because of flawed methodology in the research. Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to explore whether baby sign has an impact on the developmental growth of children. Methods: Using a between groups research design, assessment data were obtained from …

Predicting Protracted Recovery From Sports-Related Concussion Using Computerized Neurocognitive Test Scores And Symptom Cluster Scores, Amanda Sepulveda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: A previous study showed that symptom evaluation, in conjunction with computerized neurocognitive testing, improved predictions of protracted recovery in a group of male high school football players. The determination of prognosis following sports-related concussion can be used to facilitate return-to-play and academic decision making in concussion management.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend previous research in determining the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of computerized neurocognitive test scores and symptom cluster scores in predicting protracted recovery following sports-related concussion.

Study Design: Systematic replication, Cohort study (prognosis)

Methods: 30 concussed collegiate athletes were followed …

A Comparison Of Maze Frequency And Type Across Language And Speaker: A Look At English And Spanish Narrative Retells, Melissa Silver

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: Mazes, as they are referred to in the language literature, are disfluencies that do not add meaning to an utterance including filled pauses, whole word revisions, part word revisions, part word repetitions and whole word repetitions. Extensive research has been conducted on mazes in monolingual and bilingual children, yet the research has not been extended to adults' narrative retell production.

Aims: The current study analyzes monolingual English, monolingual Spanish, and bilingual English and Spanish narrative retells to compare the percent of maze use and type of maze use amongst groups.

Methods & Procedures: The narrative retells of thirty-nine bilingual …

Does Knowledge Of Concussion Symptoms Influence An Athlete's Self-Report Of History Of Concussion Across Age Groups?, John Pfirman

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if an athlete's self-report of a history of concussion would increase if they are provided with information about concussions.

Study Design: This study used a group design pre-test information group and a post-test information group matched for age.

Methods: Prior to cognitive testing, the athletes were divided into an experimental and control group. The experimental group received information about concussions before taking the cognitive test. The control group did not receive concussion information before cognitive testing. Both groups completed a questionnaire following testing that asked: "Based on your experience here today, …

The Impact Of Baby Sign Training On Stress Levels Of Daycare Providers, Grisel Julieta Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Proponents of baby sign claim improvements in child-caregiver interactions and reductions in parental stress as benefits of implementing baby sign. Due to research contradicting the claims, and to the rise in daycare attendance, the current study investigated the effects of a baby sign workshop on the stress perception of daycare providers. A pre-test post-test between groups design with 20 participants was conducted using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS10) and a workshop-specific descriptive survey as measures. The difference between the post-test stress levels of experimental and control groups approached significance, as did the differences between pre-test and post-test results for the …

Event Related Potentials In A Two Stimuli Auditory Oddball Task In Concussed College Athletes: A Linguistic Component Replication Study, Christopher Anthony Roosmalen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Concussions affect an estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million individuals annually and can result in persistent symptoms and cognitive impairments in attention and memory. Concussions are a rising health concern especially in concussion management. Event Related Potentials (ERP) may more accurately assess cognitive recovery making better return to play decisions. In 2013, Sanchez found no significant difference between concussed athletes and non-concussed individuals in the in amplitude of the P300 ERP component using an auditory oddball task consisting of 2 different consonant, vowel (CV) syllables. Because participants were instructed to maintain a mental and verbal count of the target stimuli, a …

Indirect Approaches: A Systematic Review Of Paediatric Dysphagia Interventions, Bianca Piano

Theses : Honours

Background and purpose: Dysphagia can be described as difficulty within the oral, pharyngeal and/or oesophageal phases of deglutition and occurs in approximately 80% of children with developmental disabilities, according to the American Speech and Hearing Association (2015). It occurs when there is impairment to the motor and/or sensory aspects of swallowing, due to a range of disorders affecting the voluntary and reflexive components of deglutition. The ability to swallow safely is essential in preventing medical complications, sustaining life and maintaining social participation. Paediatric interventions can be categorized into three broad approaches; direct, indirect and mixed. At present, two systematic reviews …

A Comparative Acoustic Examination Of Infant Cries: Children At High Risk Versus Low Risk For Autism Spectrum Disorder Development, Ildiko Eva Bruz

Theses : Honours

Background: Early interventions for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have shown positive gains in children who enter therapy at a young age. However, commencement of early intervention is often hindered by challenges with diagnosis. Due to the complex nature of ASD, the age of detection can range from 2 years old into adulthood. This highlights the need for methods of early detection. Previous research has found infants at risk for ASD to present atypical cry characteristics, possibly as a result from damage to the brainstem. In particular, measures of fundamental frequency appear to be the most sensitive to …

Early Intervention Of Parent-Infant Interactions In Preterm Infants: A Systematic Review, Stacey Osborne

Theses : Honours

Every year approximately 15 million babies are born preterm. These infants are at an increased risk of language, and other developmental delays due to their immature brain development and higher incidence of brain abnormalities. They also have poorer health outcomes in the early stages of life which may go on to hinder successful parent-infant interactions. Successful parent-infant interactions are important for infant developmental outcomes such as language, cognition and behaviour. While interventions targeting the promotion of positive interactions have been found to have positive effects in a number of populations to date, interactions involving preterm infants have not been explored. …

Psychometric Evaluation Of Lexical Diversity Indices: Assessing Length Effects, Gerasimos Fergadiotis, Heather Harris Wright, Samuel B. Green

Speech and Hearing Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose—Several novel techniques have been developed recently to assess the breadth of speaker’s vocabulary exhibited in a language sample. The specific aim of this study was to increase our understanding of the validity of the scores generated by different lexical diversity (LD) estimation techniques. Four techniques were explored: D, Maas, Measure of Textual Lexical Diversity (MTLD), and the Moving Average Type Token Ratio (MATTR).

Method—Four LD indices were estimated for language samples on four discourse tasks (procedures, eventcasts, story retell, and recounts) from 442 neurologically intact adults. The resulting data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

Results—The scores on the …

Enhancing Generalisation In Biofeedback Intervention Using The Challenge Point Framework: A Case Study, Elaine Hitchcock, Tara Mcallister Byun

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Biofeedback intervention can help children achieve correct production of a treatment-resistant error sound, but generalisation is often limited. This case study suggests that generalisation can be enhanced when biofeedback intervention is structured in accordance with a "challenge point" framework for speech-motor learning. The participant was an 11-year-old with residual /r/ misarticulation who had previously attained correct /r/ production through a structured course of ultrasound biofeedback treatment but did not generalise these gains beyond the word level. Treatment difficulty was adjusted in an adaptive manner following predetermined criteria for advancing, maintaining, or moving back a level in a multidimensional hierarchy of …

Validating And Optimizing A Crowdsourced Method For Gradient Measures Of Child Speech, Tara Mcallister Byun, Elaine Hitchcock, Daphna Harel

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

There is broad consensus that speech sound development is a gradual process, with acoustic measures frequently revealing covert contrast between sounds perceived as identical. Well-constructed perceptual tasks using Visual Analog Scaling (VAS) can draw out these gradient differences. However, this method has not seen widespread uptake in speech acquisition research, possibly due to the time-intensive character of VAS data collection. This project tested the validity of streamlined VAS data collection via crowdsourcing. It also addressed a methodological question that would be challenging to answer through conventional data collection: when collecting ratings of speech samples elicited from multiple individuals, should those …