Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

Experiences Of Those With "Other" Disfluencies, Kathleen Scaler Scott, Emma Schaedler, Erica Scheinberg, Sarah Hardy, Margaret Koester, Brenna Field, Emma Maley, Kayla Montemarano, Kateri Grice

Student Research Poster Presentations 2025

This ethnographic study collected and analyzed interviews of 8 children with “other” fluency disorders: cluttering, atypical disfluency, excessive non-stuttering like disfluency. Each school-age child participated in a semi-structured interview focusing on grand and mini tour questions. The participants were asked to speak about their perspective and experience with communication in general. Preliminary results of this study revealed the following themes: friendships are hard; high-level communication is a goal; everyone doesn’t ‘get’ me when I talk. Clinical and research implications of findings will be discussed.

Exploring The Impact Of Yoga On Self-Perception In People With Aphasia, Meta Riley Hurm

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Instances of complex diagnoses and acquired language loss, such as aphasia, are often accompanied by a variety of deficits in quality of life. Most notably, individuals’ self-perceptions can be altered by these diagnoses, as new life complications bring about the necessity for major adjustments. This study utilized interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to analyze the effects of participation in an adapted yoga program on self-perception, specifically evoking change in identity, emotional health, sense of community, and self-acceptance. Through interviews with six individuals with a primary aphasia diagnosis, findings revealed three major superordinate themes of self-perception: identity, self-care, and attunement. Participants' answers …

Practice Patterns In Pediatric And Adult Dysphagia: Implications For Clinical Training, Jane Grothaus, Kaitlyn Hill, Marlee Nebesniak, Anastasia Raymer

Speech-Language Pathology Faculty Publications

Objective: Most speech language pathologists (SLPs) receive training to work with patients with swallowing disorders in graduate school, focusing primarily on adult dysphagia. Although SLPs share common foundational knowledge and skills for adult and pediatric dysphagia populations, there are considerable differences in these two specialized areas of practice. We aimed to query SLPs’ practice patterns for dysphagia assessment and management for adults and pediatric populations to consider differences and guide training efforts.

Methods: We distributed two comprehensive anonymous surveys to explore practice patterns of SLPs who provide assessment and management of dysphagia for adult or pediatric populations. The 118 respondents, …

An Observational Study Of Discourse Tasks And Running Speech Sampling In The Assessment Of Paediatric Voice Quality, Victoria Reynolds, Kristin Scavo-Smith, Kate Oteng-Bediako, Sophie Scanlon

Speech-Language Pathology Faculty Publications

Introduction

Running speech sampling is an essential component of a paediatric voice evaluation, in that it should provide the examiner with a representative vocal sample of the child's everyday voice use outside of the clinic setting. Current speech sampling practices, consisting of reading tasks, informal conversation sampling and the voice question ('Tell me about your voice problem'), may not elicit consistent samples or samples of sufficient length to allow the examiner to make a reliable and valid judgement about vocal quality. The aim of this study is to compare the voice quality of children produced in response to existing running …

Addressing Ai Usage In Your Course Syllabus: A Guide For Faculty, Diana Almodovar Ph.D.

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

1st Place Research Paper: Increasing The Accessibility Of Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Tf-Cbt) For Adolescents With Developmental Language Disorder: A Pilot Study, Lauren A. Fillet

Eric M. Scandrett Graduate Library Research Prize

Research has demonstrated that adolescents with developmental language disorder (AWDLD) perform more poorly compared to typically developing peers on measures of narrative production.This limitation may not only impact education and social life, but also possibly post-traumatic stress recovery, as Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) involves a Trauma Narrative production activity (D’Amico et al., 2022). A limited amount of research has been conducted on adapting TF-CBT for children with intellectual disability, developmental disabilities, and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (D’Amico et al., 2022; Anderson & Cook, 2015). However, there is currently no available research explicitly addressing how TF-CBT can be individualized to …

Elementary School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists' Perspectives On The Management Of Pediatric Feeding And Swallowing Disorders, Kelsi L. Szakovits

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) frequently serve autistic students in the school setting. Research reveals a correlation between autism, sensory processing, and pediatric feeding disorder (PFD). As a result, autistic students may have compromised nutritional health and safety, which stands to impact their ability to access the curriculum. PFD is under the scope of the school-based speech-language pathologist’s practice. However, data has shown a perceived lack of confidence and a limited number of support and resources in the educational setting for SLPs to carry out interventions. This qualitative study will seek to understand the perspectives of elementary school-based SLPs regarding the implementation …

Clinicians Perspective On The Implementation Of Person-Centered Care In Persons With Aphasia, Carmen S. Alderman

Theses and Dissertations--Communication Sciences and Disorders

This paper examines speech-language pathologist perspective on implementing person-centered care for persons with aphasia. Person-centered care is based on the social model, which emphasizes the importance of including the client. The survey addressed clinicians’ use of person-centered care related to collaborative goal setting and treatment planning, as well as facilitators and barriers to implementing person-centered care for individuals with aphasia based on the view of practicing clinicians across a variety of settings. The results indicated most speech-language pathologists have heard of person-centered care, understand the importance of involving clients in goal setting, ask clients about their preferences when setting goals, …

Revealing Spatiotemporal Neural Activation Patterns In Electrocorticography Recordings Of Human Speech Production By Mutual Information, Julio Kovacs, Dean Krusienski, Minu Maninder, Willy Wriggers

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Background

Spatiotemporal mapping of neural activity during continuous speech production has been traditionally approached using correlation coefficient (CC) analysis between cortical signals and speech recordings. A prior study employed this approach using electrocorticography (ECoG) data from participants who underwent invasive intracranial monitoring for epilepsy. However, CC cannot detect nonlinear relationships and is dominated by the correspondence between periods of silence and of non-silence.

New Method

We introduce the mutual information (MI) measure, which can capture both linear and nonlinear dependencies. We validated CC and MI on the sub-second spatiotemporal brain activity recorded during continuous speech tasks. To refine the results, …

Elementary-School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists’ Perspectives On Implementing Literacy, Samantha Kadian

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study explores elementary-school-based speech-language pathologists’ (SLPs) perspectives about implementing literacy. Though the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) standards specify literacy is within their scope of practice, many school-based SLPs may not be addressing reading and writing competencies. The literature indicates that several constraints may contribute to this lack of involvement, including a lack of preparation, varied expectations, and ambiguous definitions. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the perspectives of elementary-school-based SLPs. Three SLPs were interviewed in a semi-structured format, and the data from the interviews was examined using qualitative analysis. The findings indicated that SLPs …

Fundamental And Formant Frequencies Of Vowels In Ventriloquial And Normal Speech, Corrie S. Wiesner, Manish Rami

Communication Sciences & Disorders Faculty Publications

This study explored the fundamental frequency and the first and second formant frequencies of vowels produced in ventriloquial and normal speech. It tested whether these frequencies differ by speech type and vowels. Voice recordings were collected from a participant who produced words containing ten target English vowels in normal and ventriloquial speech. Digitized recordings were analyzed to determine formant frequencies. A multivariate analysis detected statistically significant differences in the three frequency measures across speech type. Speech type by frequency interaction was examined via overlapping vowel quadrilateral plots that explored differences in formants of vowels across speech type and the vowel …

Examining The Relationship Between Cognitive Auditory Processing And Sex Hormones, Trey A. Cline

Theses and Dissertations--Gerontology

Estrogen and progesterone have demonstrated modulatory effects on central auditory nervous system (CANS) function. Post-menopausal females often present to audiology clinics with complaints of difficulty hearing in background noise. However, these individuals often have normal peripheral hearing sensitivity on standard audiometry. Previous studies using the auditory brainstem response (ABR) in post-menopausal females demonstrated longer response latencies compared to their premenopausal counterparts, suggesting that sound does not transmit through the CANS as efficiently. However, to date, the available literature focused on sex hormones and the CANS relies mainly on objective measures, predominantly the ABR. The ABR reflects physiologic function through the …

Challenge Based Learning For Social Entrepreneurship Education, Koen Depryck, Ilse Wambacq

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Challenge Based Learning (CBL) provides a promising educational framework for teaching social entrepreneurship, addressing the persistent gap between theoretical knowledge and practical implementation. Through a comprehensive analysis of existing literature and theoretical frameworks, this paper demonstrates how CBL’s seven key elements-authentic challenges, stakeholder involvement, interdisciplinary approaches, student agency, work and life skills development, entrepreneurial mindset cultivation, and impact focus-directly align with and support core social entrepreneurship competencies. The integration of Kolb’s experiential learning theory, Santos’ social entrepreneurship framework, and Rogers’ innovation diffusion theory provide a basis for understanding how CBL can enhance social entrepreneurship education. Evidence suggests that CBL particularly …

Pediatric Hearing Loss: Screening For Developmental Delays Among Children With Hearing Aids, Kelsey Wallace

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

Children with hearing impairments are at risk for developmental delay, and research has shown that children born with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) are at a higher risk for delays in motor, sensory, and social skills development. The literature points to an obvious impact of hearing loss on development, but also a lack of screening for this phenomenon beyond language development skills. A doctoral capstone project was conducted to pilot a process for the implementation of developmental screening for children with hearing aids (HAs), as well as subsequent therapy referrals and parent education, in collaboration with a hospital-based pediatric audiology department. …

Speech-Language Pathologists’ Preparation To Become Clinical Educators, Alivia English

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Clinical education is significant in a student clinician’s educational journey to prepare them for their career after graduation. It provides the hands-on component that can only be learned and fully understood through performing. The literature regarding students’ experiences in clinical education is vast, but there is a shortage of literature that explores the perceptions of clinical educators (CEs). This thesis consists of three articles. The first article explores the perceptions speech-language pathologists’ have regarding the preparation they received to become CEs, and then the second article takes a look at how the requirements to becoming CEs differ across similar clinical …

Practicing Clinicians' Views Of The Life Participation Approach To Aphasia Therapy, Stephanie H. Mays

Theses and Dissertations--Communication Sciences and Disorders

The Life Participation Approach to Aphasia therapy (LPAA) aligns with a person-centered, functional approach to speech therapy. Past research has demonstrated that persons with aphasia (PWA) benefit from this approach and prefer it when compared to the traditional medical model to therapy. However, a disconnect between PWA preferences and SLP treatment approaches in therapy persists. This study aims to identify both barriers and facilitators that SLPs face when implementing LPAA. Five CCC-SLPs practicing in the state of KY with experience working with PWA were recruited as participants. Participants were placed into two focus groups, with each group meeting for 2-3 …

Critical Appraisal Of Language Assessment Tasks For African American Children, Tamara Diana Jacobs

Selected Full-Text Master Theses 2021-

Language assessment is a fundamental aspect of the speech-language therapist's role. However, a critical examination of standardized assessments reveals their historical association with constructing disability and exerting control over individuals with a disability, often rooted in the medical model of disability (Nair et al., 2023). As a result, there has been a growing interest in developing alternative methods for evaluating language and speech, particularly in diverse populations (Hyter, 2022). This interest has extended to the study of assessment methods within urban communities, including African American English (AAE) speakers.

Language assessment is a fundamental aspect of the speech-language therapist's role. However, …

Faculty And Student Perspectives On Course Collaborations Within The Communication Sciences And Disorders Discipline, Shanna R. Morrison

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Collaborative course (re)design (CCRD) allows faculty and students to redesign a course together that the faculty teaches and the student has previously taken. This process amplifies student voices and helps faculty better understand students’ perspectives. However, barriers such as faculty’s feelings of ownership, students’ hesitations to share feedback, and logistical challenges often discourage participation. This qualitative study explores the perspectives of students and faculty in the communication sciences and disorders discipline following their engagement in CCRD. Findings include shifts in participants’ teaching and learning perspectives, insight into partnership dynamics, logistical challenges of CCRD, and ideas for future CCRD implementation. This …

Promoting Parent-Child Connectedness: Insights From A Parent Education Training., Bisola E. Duyile, Robyn Becker, Kate Papas, Shanta K. Pamphile

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Purpose: This study explores the interrelationship of speech, language, and literacy development, parentchild connectedness, and children’s mental health when viewed as social determinants of health, specifically among families of children with developmental disabilities. Through interprofessional collaboration, researchers aim to identify effective strategies that parents can use to enhance their children’s communication skills and emotional well-being.

Methods: A mixed methods design was employed, involving a post-workshop survey completed by five mothers. The quantitative component included Likert scale items to measure satisfaction with social support. We also evaluated satisfaction with the workshop. The qualitative component comprised openended questions about newly learned tools …

A Systematic Review Of Reading Comprehension Assessment And Intervention In Minimally And Nonspeaking Autistic Children, Grace T. Clark, Madison Skibicki, Gabriella Pesantes

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Up to 25% of autistic individuals are minimally or nonspeaking and require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). While literacy instruction for this group is increasing, limited research has examined their reading comprehension. This systematic review examined assessment and intervention practices targeting reading comprehension in autistic children who use AAC. A search of five databases yielded 586 articles, of which 6 studies met inclusion criteria. Studies were included if they featured autistic participants under 18 who were minimally or nonspeaking and addressed reading comprehension beyond single-word decoding. Findings varied widely in participant profiles, comprehension targets, and methodological rigor. There is a …