Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

Progress Monitoring Timing Effects In Speech And Written Language Therapy, James P. Blaida

Theses and Dissertations

Progress monitoring is a crucial aspect of speech-language pathology. Without it, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have little way of determining if patients are making progress with the implemented therapy. Currently, most SLPs perform progress monitoring during therapy. This study compared the traditional, status-quo, method of progress monitoring to that of progress monitoring performed before therapy begins in an effort to determine if a timing change would affect therapy outcomes. 2 boys, receiving articulation therapy, and 1 girl, receiving spelling therapy, each had 1 treatment goal for the during condition and 1 treatment goal for the before condition. The children all received …

Neuroanatomical Correlates Of Speech And Melody Repetition In Chronic Stroke, Sarah Elizabeth Bradford

Theses and Dissertations

The ability to repeat speech is impaired in most individuals with aphasia. Recent evidence suggests damage to area Spt (boundary of the parietal and temporal lobes at the Sylvian fissure) may cause the repetition difficulties commonly seen in aphasia. This study examined if such repetition impairments are specific to speech or reflect a more general repetition deficit, and determined how regional and network brain damage predict repetition impairments. Participants in the chronic phase of stroke (N=47) listened to a series of ten five-second melodies that consisted of six tones and repeated the melody (by humming) following its presentation. The participants’ …

Individual Differences In Music Discrimination And Their Relation To Reading And Reading-Related Skills In Children, Elaina C. Hill

Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that there may be a relationship between music and reading. Some researchers have found that musical rhythm is related to reading in children, while others have found that it is musical pitch and not rhythm that correlates with reading. Prosody is the melodic element of language that encompasses both pitch and rhythm. In the past, these have been studied separately. In the present study, we analyzed pitch and rhythm discrimination skills, phonological awareness, prosody and reading in thirty-nine seven and eight year old children. We predicted that music and reading skills would be related, and that prosody would …

Hablando De La Herida: Honoring Spanish-Speaking Parents’ Experiences Obtaining School-Based Speech And Language Services For Their Children, Amalia W. Hernández

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the experiences of Spanish-speaking Latino/a parents in their attempts to obtain school-based speech and language services for their children; the impact of these experiences on parents; and parent perspectives on how school-based speech-language pathologists can co-create collaborative relationships. Through a detailed analysis of a focus group and individual interviews of 31 Spanish-speaking parents of children in the REAAD! (Reaching Educational Achievement and Development) Literacy Enrichment Program at a university in Los Angeles, California, this study provided a space for parents to share their experiences and offer insights regarding what shaped their experiences. Through the theoretical lens of …

Tuned In: An Investigation Of The Use Of Group Amplification Systems For Students, Including Those On The Autism Spectrum, In First Grade Mainstream Classrooms, Emily Velichka

Senior Independent Study Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the academic benefits and challenges, if any, of utilizing a group amplification system in first-grade mainstream classrooms. More specifically, this study measured the influence of a group amplification system throughout language-based tasks, such as spelling accuracy. A total of 33 first-grade students, including two students reportedly diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), participated in the study, with 17 students in Classroom A and 16 students in Classroom B. This study’s experimental procedures included a spelling pretest, two intervention activities, and a spelling posttest, administered over the course of four days. The …

Examining Acoustic And Kinematic Measures Of Articulatory Working Space: Effects Of Speech Intensity, Christopher Dromey, Jason A. Whitfield, Panika Palmer

Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of speech intensity on acoustic and kinematic vowel space measures and conduct a preliminary examination of the relationship between kinematic and acoustic vowel space metrics calculated from continuously sampled lingual marker and formant traces. Method: Young adult speakers produced 3 repetitions of 2 different sentences at 3 different loudness levels. Lingual kinematic and acoustic signals were collected and analyzed. Acoustic and kinematic variants of several vowel space metrics were calculated from the formant frequencies and the position of 2 lingual markers. Traditional metrics included triangular vowel space area and …

Evidence-Based Clinical Decision Making For Bilingual Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Guide For Clinicians, Vanesa Smith, Connie Summers, Vannesa Mueller, Alejandra Carillo, Gabriela Villaneda

Faculty Publications

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are treating an increasing number of bilingual clients, including those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). There is not a clear consensus among professionals regarding which language should be used in intervention when treating bilingual children with ASD. For this reason, it is imperative that SLPs ensure that they are making evidence-based decisions. This article will review the current research that examines bilingualism in children with ASD along with research focused on the language of intervention in bilingual children with ASD. We present a clinical scenario with common concerns presented to SLPs in their work settings and …

Polysyllabic Shortening In Speakers Exposed To Two Languages, Todd A. Gibson, Connie Summers

Faculty Publications

Polysyllabic shortening is used to maintain stress-timed rhythm in English, but used negligibly in Spanish. It is unknown how polysyllabic shortening is influenced when individuals are exposed to one language that employs it and one that does not. We calculated polysyllabic shortening for 35 functionally monolingual English-speaking adults and 19 relatively balanced Spanish–English bilingual peers who repeated English and Spanish nonwords. Results showed that speech motor patterns learned early in life might be sufficient to block cross-linguistic transfer of polysyllabic shortening despite limited language proficiency, and bilingual speakers appear to signal membership in the majority language by increasing polysyllabic shortening.

Dynamic Balance Control And Segmental Orientation While Listening During Walking: Effects Of Age And Hearing Loss, Sin Tung Lau

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Dynamic control of balance changes with age and changes with declines in sensory and cognitive abilities. For instance, emerging, yet robust associations between hearing loss and poor mobility have been described and yet the mechanism underlying these associations remains unknown. It could be that age-related declines in hearing ability result in different kinematic strategies when having to walk and listen at the same time (e.g. head and body orienting responses toward sounds) and/or that declines in hearing result in increased cognitive load during listening, at the detriment to mobility-related performance. Therefore, this thesis sought to better characterize these associations by …

Proactive Social Validation Of Methods And Procedures Used For Training Speech Production In Aphasia, Tyson G. Harmon, Lucy Hardy, Katarina L. Haley

Faculty Publications

Background: Social validation evaluates the importance and acceptability of treatment goals, procedures, and outcomes. Previous studies for treatments that train speech production in aphasia have applied social validation during the post-treatment period or to treatment protocols that are already fully developed.

Aims: The purposes of this study were to (1) examine the social validity of goals and procedures experienced in speech production treatment for people with aphasia and (2) evaluate the feasibility of procedural choice-making during such tasks.

Method: Seven people with aphasia and eight speech-language pathologists were interviewed about previous treatment that targeted speech production. Participants were also observed …

The Effects Of Enactment On Communicative Competence In Aphasic Casual Conversation: A Functional Linguistic Perspective, Rimke Groenewold, Elizabeth Armstrong

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Previous research has shown that speakers with aphasia rely on enactment more often than non-brain-damaged language users. Several studies have been conducted to explain this observed increase, demonstrating that spoken language containing enactment is easier to produce and is more engaging to the conversation partner. This paper describes the effects of the occurrence of enactment in casual conversation involving individuals with aphasia on its level of conversational assertiveness. Aims: To evaluate whether and to what extent the occurrence of enactment in speech of individuals with aphasia contributes to its conversational assertiveness. Methods & Procedures: Conversations between a speaker with …

Comparison Of Two Levels Of Inpatient Dysphagia Treatment Dosages On Swallowing Outcomes, Paige Licht

Honors Program Theses

Current research reveals great variability in many aspects of service delivery for swallowing rehabilitation, including dosage or intensity of treatment. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the effects of treatment intensity on swallowing rehabilitation outcomes. The purpose of this study is to determine whether two levels of treatment intensity produce different patterns of swallowing recovery for inpatients with neurogenic dysphagia. Blinded analysis of pre- and post-treatment videofluoroscopic measures of swallowing were completed for six inpatients at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago who were previously randomized to one of two dysphagia exercise programs. One arm consisted of traditional 30-minute treatment …

A Comparison Of Two Treatment Approaches For Agrammatic Broca's Aphasia: Script Therapy Vs. Verb Network Strengthening Treatment, Maureen Costello-Yacono

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Background/Introduction: Individuals with agrammatic Broca’s aphasia frequently are treated at single word level, verb priming, or simple sentence structure treatments. In this study, an impairment specific treatment such as Verb Network Strengthening Treatment (VNeST) was explored as well as a social functional approach such as Script Therapy. These two approaches were assessed by the outcome measures of rate of speech, subject-verb-object production, and error rates during probe tasks.

Objective: To examine the impact of two treatment approaches: Script Therapy and Verb Network Strengthening Treatment for two individuals with chronic agrammatic Broca’s aphasia.

Method: A single subject multiple baseline …

The Impact Of Language Acquisition Through Motor Planning (Lamp) On Speech And Language Development In Children With Developmental Delays (Dds), Ella Corrine Mcdaniel

Student Theses and Dissertations

This investigation examined the impact of Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP) on speech and language development in young, nonverbal or minimally verbal children with developmental delays. A non-experimental longitudinal observational case study design was used consisting of the weekly collection of speech and language samples to track speech and language growth. In addition, Realize Language information was downloaded and analyzed from each augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device to further assess vocabulary use and growth. The data collected from the speech samples showed that the frequency of imitated words and spontaneous words increased in three of the four participants. …

A Concurrent Validity Study Of Listening Comprehension Measures In English Language Learners (Ells), Jessica A. Day

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate valid measures of listening comprehension for English Language Learners (ELLs) in elementary school. The participants were Hispanic and recruited from the Hispanic Community Services Inc. in Jonesboro, AR. Each participant was administered a series of test batteries in the fall 2016 academic semester. The concurrent validity of the following assessments was determined through a correlational analysis: the Listening Comprehension subtest of the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery- Revised (WLPB-R), the Listening Comprehension subtest of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test- Third Edition (WRMT-III), and the Test for Auditory Comprehension of Language- Third Edition (TACL-3). …

Should It Stay Or Should It Go? The Case Of Silent 'E' In Derived Word Spelling., Olivia Peek Goodon

Student Theses and Dissertations

In English, sound-letter correspondence is not always consistent, and one letter or string of letters can represent many sounds. Additionally, there are many exceptions to spelling rules, making spelling difficult to master. Spelling is a linguistic skill. Children use a variety of linguistic strategies and spelling rules when spelling, including knowledge of morphology, phonology, orthography, and etymology. In the upper elementary years, derived word reading and spelling becomes integral to vocabulary growth and literacy development (Anglin, 1993). Taran and Shollenbarger (2011) found that 5th graders had a higher frequency of spelling errors involving derived words that originally ended in silent …

The Effectiveness Of Video Modeling In Word-Finding Therapy For Individuals Diagnosed With Aphasia, Hannah Catherine Harris

Student Theses and Dissertations

Aphasia, deficits in language due to neurological damage, can impact receptive and expressive language skills. A common characteristic of aphasia is anomia, or word-finding difficulties. The purpose of this study was to determine if the type of modeling would impact the success of word-finding therapy on individuals diagnosed with aphasia. A quasi-experimental longitudinal alternating treatment single-group design was selected. Speech samples of two participants were collected over a three-month period. Duration of response time and the accuracy of target words were indicators of word-finding abilities. There were significant differences in the rate and accuracy of response for the target words …

Improving The Reading Comprehension Skills Of Hispanic Youth That Attend An After-School Program, Brooke Mccurley

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between vocabulary growth and reading comprehension as well as the improvement of reading comprehension in Spanish speaking English Language Learners (ELLs). Participants were recruited from Hispanic Community Services Inc. in Jonesboro, AR. Five first through third grade Spanish-English bilingual children participated. Reading comprehension was measured using the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests–Third Edition. Vocabulary growth was measured using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test – III. After fall testing, participants received two hours of tutoring each week. Tutoring was individualized to target specific reading and writing skill areas for each child. In …

Speech Perception And Word Retrieval In Alzheimer's Disease (Ad): A Pilot Study, Jennifer Dennis

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

This research pilot project investigated speech and language related deficiencies in participants with and without Alzheimer's disease (AD). Information obtained from this study may lead to identification of early indicators of the disease that are not obtrusive. It was hypothesized that an individual with AD would still have storage of phonetic and lexical items, yet be unable to access them due to increased memory and processing demands (Bayles, Tomeoeda, & Trosset, 1992; Grossman & White, 1998). Participants consisted of one individual with Alzheimer's disease and a matched control without the disease. Neither participant had a prior history of speech or …

Perceptual And Physiologic Analysis Of Dystussia In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Stephanie Anne Watts

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Swallowing and cough are two vital functions that are reflexive in nature and are related to each other in terms of shared neural and anatomical space. When a disorder impacts normal and effective swallowing and/or cough, the consequences can be life-threatening. Evaluation and treatment of swallowing and cough disorders can fall under the scope of practice of the speech-language pathologist and speech-language pathologists often are leading professionals. Furthermore, much of the current research on swallowing and cough is spearheaded by speech-language pathologists often working with a multi-disciplinary team. The focus of this dissertation is on the clinical evaluation of cough …