Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

Dual-Task Interaction Between Vestibular Function And Cognitive Processing Using The P300 Event-Related Potential, Laurel Elise Money-Nolan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Previous research has established links between vestibular function and cognitive processing, aging and cognitive function, and aging and vestibular function. Theories of cognitive resource allocation discuss how cognitive resources, such as attention, are devoted towards and divided between tasks when multitasking. This dual-task study, utilizing a balance task and a listening/cognitive task, across the young- and middle-aged adult age range, aimed to evaluate potential relationships between vestibular function, cognition, and age, and to examine how cognitive resources might be allocated under dual-task conditions.

The dual-task protocol in this study utilized an oddball paradigm with tonal stimuli to measure the P300 …

In The Pursuit Of Parent Caregiver Well-Being: A Phenomenological Study, Glenda E. Hux, Natalie King, Sarah A. Schoen

Communication Disorders and Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Unmet needs in parent of children with chronic and complex conditions often result in adverse outcomes to their mental health and well-being. This descriptive phenomenological study explores their lived experiences and daily participation patterns. Thirteen participants in a global cohort shared their experiences via a secure digital platform. Five themes emerged illustrating the parents' pursuit of well-being and the barriers encountered: Embodying the Caregiver Life, Navigating Intricate Realities, Emotional and Existential Landscape, Navigating Healthcare Systems, and Connected Yet Alone. This study underlies parents' occupational participation challenges and the crucial need to address them using parent-centered approaches to promote family well-being.

Is Noise Exposure Associated With Impaired Extended High Frequency Hearing Despite A Normal Audiogram? A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Sajana Aryal, Monica Trevino, Hansapani Rodrigo, Srikanta K. Mishra

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding the initial signature of noise-induced auditory damage remains a significant priority. Animal models suggest the cochlear base is particularly vulnerable to noise, raising the possibility that early-stage noise exposure could be linked to basal cochlear dysfunction, even when thresholds at 0.25-8 kHz are normal. To investigate this in humans, we conducted a meta-analysis following a systematic review, examining the association between noise exposure and hearing in frequencies from 9 to 20 kHz as a marker for basal cochlear dysfunction. Systematic review and meta-analysis followed PRISMA guidelines and the PICOS framework. Studies on noise exposure and hearing in the 9 …

A Clinical Training Program For Auditory-Perceptual Rating Of Connected Speech In Aphasia., Marianne Casilio, Manaswita Dutta, Katherine Bryan, Kelly Crouch, Zachary Dewall, Ilana Feld, Jennifer Kile, Keely Mcmahan, Jacqueline Samora, Kiiya Shibata, Stacey Steel, Multiple Additional Authors

Speech and Hearing Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Although discourse analysis has been receiving growing interest among aphasia researchers and speech-language pathologists (SLPs), several key challenges, such as limited time, insufficient training, and a lack of accessible tools, preclude its practical application in clinical settings. To address these barriers, we developed and evaluated a clinical training program for Auditory-Perceptual Rating of Connected Speech in Aphasia (APROCSA; Casilio et al., 2019), a time-efficient and psychometrically robust transcriptionless system for quantifying a range of speech-language impairment features.

Exploring Future Educators’ Roles In Classroom Aac Use: Insight Into Knowledge, Skills, And Attitudes, Katrina M. King

Honors College Theses

The United States public school system requires the provision of a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) for qualifying students with disabilities (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.). Speech, language, and hearing related disabilities are among the qualifying categories (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.). Students with these disabilities may have complex communication needs (CCN), or significant limitations in their speech, language, and communication abilities (Communication Rights Australia, 2018). Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), a type of assistive technology, offers support for these students, however, several barriers inhibit full communicative participation (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], n.d.-a). …

Tinkering In Clinical Practice: Exemplars From Slps Working With Persons In Disordered States Of Consciousness, Ann Guernon, Christina Papadimitriou, Jennifer A. Weaver, Trudy Mallinson, Marla Clayman, Jay Meehan, Keith Cox, Luke Lindemann, Patricia Grady

Rehabilitation and Health Sciences Department Faculty Conferences

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) providing care for people living with disordered states of consciousness frequently navigate ambiguity and uncertainty. Using interview and video data we will show how SLPs clinically reason via tinkering or “thinking in action”. This undervalued and understudied clinical reasoning skill is a caring practice comprised of curiosity, experimentation, flexibility and adaptation to attend to a person’s needs. SLPs will have the opportunity to reflect and discuss their experiences with tinkering in a wide range of patient populations.

The Radical Middle: Caregiver Beliefs About Language Access For Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Children, Monica Zmudzinski, Krystal L. Werfel

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

The purpose of this study was to explore the communication choices of caregivers of deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) children. Specifically, we explored what communication options caregivers were presented with, identify what factors impacted a caregiver’s decision to pursue spoken language, and identify what barriers exist to learning sign language. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 caregivers of DHH children who had decision making power at the time of their child’s diagnosis. Transcripts were coded using an inductive approach with triangulation between authors. Many families reported that minimal to no information was provided about communication options at the time …

Evaluating Preschoolers Who Are Deaf/Hard Of Hearing Using Listening And Spoken Language To Determine Special Education Eligibility, Kameron C. Carden, R. A. Mcwilliam

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

The aim of this study was to increase understanding of evaluation practices used when determining special education eligibility for preschoolers who are deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) using listening and spoken language (LSL), particularly during the early intervention to preschool transition. Specifically, we explored alignment of school-based practices with recommended practices from the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE, 2018). An online survey was distributed to school-based special educators, including speech-language pathologists (SLPs), special education teachers, and teachers of the deaf within the United States that included a) evaluation practices, b) eligibility requirements, and c) practice demographics. Participant …

The Follow-Up Gap: Racial Disproportionality And Social Determinants Of Health In New Jersey’S Hearing Detection And Intervention Program, Maryrose Mcinerney, Wendy Zeitlin

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Objectives. To assess how race/ethnicity and social determinants of health are related to loss to follow-up (LTF) from NJ’s Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program.

Methods. All infants born in NJ between June 2015 and June 2017 referring for additional hearing healthcare after hospital discharge were considered for inclusion in this study. The sample consisted of 4,141 babies, 10.7% of which received no follow-up care. Step-wise multi-level logistic regression was used to determine how race/ethnicity, family-level, and community-level social determinants of health (SDOH) were predictive of LTF.

Results. In each model, the odds of being LTF were significantly higher …

The Effect Of Childhood Psychological Abuse On Depressive Symptoms In Adolescents Exposed To Campus Suicide: The Chain Mediating Role Of Psychological Trauma And Anxiety Symptoms, Tingting Tan, Jiawei Zhao, Mengxuan Wu, Xinyue Zhang, Xinchun Liu, Lili Zhang, Jie Wu

Communication Sciences & Disorders Faculty Publications

Exposure to campus suicide poses a significant threat to adolescent mental health. While childhood psychological abuse (CPA) is a known vulnerability factor for depression, the mechanisms linking this early adversity to depressive symptoms (DS) following acute trauma remain unclear. This study aimed to test a chain mediation model where CPA contributes to DS through the sequential effects of psychological trauma (PT) and anxiety symptoms (AS). In a cross-sectional study of 1603 adolescents exposed to a campus suicide event, participants completed self-report measures for CPA, PT, AS, and DS. Chain mediation analysis revealed a significant direct effect of CPA on DS. …

A Socioecological Needs Assessment Of Alternative Learning Environments: Implications For Occupational And Mental Well-Being In School Settings, Glenda Hux, Sydney Rice, Lexus Brettell Wicinski, John V. Rider

Communication Disorders and Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Alternative learning environments (ALEs) support students with complex behavioral, emotional, and social needs, yet only a small amount of research has examined their occupational and mental health needs using a socioecological approach. This study aimed to demonstrate the process of conducting a socioecological needs assessment in an ALE and identify needs from multiple stakeholder perspectives. A qualitative descriptive design was employed. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 24 stakeholders, including students, educators, counselors, administrators, and a dietitian. Data were analyzed thematically by stakeholder group. Four overarching themes emerged: This School is a Shelter, We Believe in Resilience, We …

The Progression Of Deinstitutionalization And Its Effects On The American South: A Judicial Analysis Of 20th-Century United States Supreme Court Decisions, Eva-Marie V. Jones

Honors College Theses

This thesis explores the effects of four landmark Supreme Court cases on the deinstitutionalization movement in the American south. Previous literature frequently discusses the legislative implications of this era; however, no law is applicable without the interpretation and application of the judiciary, which so often contextualizes the greater public perspective. Rarely has an analysis of judicial decisions involving psychiatric care merged with regional focus, and certainly not in a format accessible to the average individual.

From unmarked graves to abandoned infrastructure, the legacy of historic psychiatric care in the United States has been largely obscured – yet its consequences continue …

Exploring Perception Of Coarticulatory Cues In Childhood Apraxia Of Speech And Residual Speech Sound Disorders: A Pilot Study, Molly Beiting, Navin Viswanathan, Nicole Caballero, Elaine Hitchcock, Tara Mcallister, Jonathan L. Preston

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Introduction: Children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) exhibit speech production deficits beyond segmental errors, including atypical coarticulation. Broadly, children with speech sound disorders (SSD) also exhibit weaknesses in speech perception, which may directly relate to specific production difficulties. This study examined differences in categorical perception among children with CAS, residual SSD affecting /ɹ/ (rSSD), and typical speech (TD). We hypothesized that children with CAS would demonstrate weaker performance on a task requiring perception of coarticulatory cues—a defining weakness in their speech production—but perform similarly to rSSD peers on a segmental task. Methods: This study was designed as an exploratory …

A Novel Method For Examining Autistic Children’S Comprehension Of Individual Words Produced Within Delayed Echolalia: A Proof-Of-Concept Pilot Study, Janine Mathee-Scott, Grace Corrigan, Emily Lorang, Zachary Hesse, Jennifer Johnson, Courtney E. Venker

Speech Pathology and Audiology Faculty Research and Publications

Delayed echolalia, or the repetition of previously heard speech, is often observed in the expressive language of autistic children. Relatively little is known about how the production of delayed echolalia fits within the overall picture of autistic children’s language ability, including receptive language. To date, no empirical studies have tested autistic children’s comprehension of individual words within their delayed echoes. The present study aimed to establish proof-of-concept for a novel method of examining children’s comprehension of individual words that they produce in their own delayed echoes. Using natural language sampling combined with parent report, we identified instances of delayed echolalia …

Too Loud To Ignore: Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices Regarding Hearing Protection In Student Musicians And Ensemble Directors, Lucile Donald, Ashley G. Flagge

Ashley Flagge Publications

Musicians are at an elevated risk for noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) due to repeated exposure to sound levels exceeding occupational safety guidelines. Although many strides have been made in educating music students on the potential dangers of noise exposure and the mitigating effects of hearing protection devices, the current attitudes on this topic among high school and college-level student musicians remain largely unknown. An electronic survey was administered to high school (n = 195) and university (n = 161)-level band students and ensemble directors (n = 15) regarding knowledge of noise/music-induced hearing loss (MIHL), personal practices with HPDs, and types …

Vestibular Migraine And Ssri Withdrawal: A Case Report, Grace Fairchild, Sarah Redding, Ashley G. Flagge

Ashley Flagge Publications

Vestibular migraine (VM) has been described as a diagnosis of exclusion, with no one singular definitive assessment for diagnosis. It has been suggested that possible pharmaceutical intervention for VM can include antidepressant drugs, but this is potentially complicated by the fact that dizziness is a common side effect of both use and withdrawal for certain types of antidepressant medications. This article describes the case of a 56-year old with probable VM, who was previously diagnosed with depression and treated with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) Citalopram. Following discontinuation with no taper, the patient experienced a series of withdrawal side …

Invisible Print? Reading Skill Predicts Children's Learning Of Novel Spoken Words, Taylor J. Bryant, Dawna Duff, Bethany Bell, Lisa Fitton, Suzanne M. Adlof

Faculty Publications

Research indicates that when literate children and adults hear a new word that they have never seen in print, they create an expectation for how the word may be spelled. However, studies have not yet examined the extent to which orthographic knowledge plays a role in children's spoken vocabulary learning when words are taught without print. The current study used structural equation modelling to examine the relation between children's word reading ability and their ability to learn novel words from spoken instruction. Children (N = 335; 7–9 years; 52% female; <  1% American Indian/Alaskan Native, 33% Black, 1% Multiracial, <  1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 2% Other; 57% White; 6% did not report race; 2% Hispanic/Latino, 97% Not Hispanic/Latino; <  1% did not report ethnicity) completed norm-referenced language and reading assessments and experimental measures of spoken word learning. Word reading ability and vocabulary knowledge uniquely predicted spoken word learning with respective medium-small and medium-large effects after controlling for phonological memory, general language ability, and nonverbal cognition. Thus, orthographic skill has important effects on vocabulary learning, unaccounted for in previous research, that should be addressed in current theory and practice.

Econometric Analyses Across The Continuum Of Care For Individuals With Hearing Loss, Teresa I. Anthony

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hearing loss affects individuals across the age span and, if left untreated, can lead to developmental delays and health and well-being concerns. This dissertation applies econometric analyses to investigate factors influencing diagnostic outcomes in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), intervention enrollment rates among babies with permanent childhood hearing loss (PCHL), and utilization and hospitalization outcomes among adults with sensory impairment (SI). The first study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of automated auditory brainstem response (aABR) versus transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) for newborn hearing screenings in a Thailand hospital NICU. Decision tree modeling and economic evaluation suggested that although aABR is …

Preparedness And Engagement Of Rehabilitation Professionals In Disaster Management: A Cross-Sectional Survey Of Ots, Pts, And Slps In Florida, Rebecca I. Estes, Shari Rone-Adams

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Allied health professionals, specifically, physical therapists (PTs), occupational therapists (OTs), and speech-language pathologists (SLPs), are under-recognized and underutilized in disaster management. The purpose of this study was to investigate awareness, prevalence of engagement, interest level, roles, perceptions, and training of rehabilitation professionals in the disaster management cycle. Method: The Healthcare Practitioner Disaster Management Questionnaire, an anonymous quantitative survey, was deployed to OTs, PTs, and SLPs, licensed in Florida, a convenience sample. Descriptive analysis and Spearman Rho correlation were used to understand the data. Results: Respondents believe that licensed clinicians have a role in disaster management. Respondents had little familiarity, …

Educating Future Nurse Practitioners And Physician Associates On Pretreatment Of Swallowing In Head And Neck Cancer, Hannah M. Berk, Erin L. O'Bryan, Imran Musaji, Carly A. Thomas, Jamie Harrington

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Head and neck cancer treatment frequently results in long-term severe swallowing deficits, often requiring feeding tube dependency. Patients who have completed swallowing exercise programs before and during cancer treatment experienced more positive swallowing outcomes, but most patients are not referred for swallowing intervention early enough in their care to prevent long-term deficits. This student research project aimed to measure health profession students’ knowledge of swallowing pretreatment for head and neck cancer patients and to investigate the impact of an educational module developed and presented by a Communication Sciences and Disorders graduate student to improve knowledge and awareness of this clinical …