Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation As An Adjuvant For Nonfluent Aphasia Therapy: A Proof-Of-Concept Study, Lynsey Mcgrath Keator

Theses and Dissertations

Identifying effective and efficient rehabilitation tools is crucial to improve language outcomes for persons living with chronic aphasia. Speech entrainment has proved to be particularly successful in improving speech output in nonfluent aphasia. It is hypothesized that, for patients with aberrant oscillatory synchronization between anterior and posterior language regions of the left hemisphere, speech entrainment may act as an external gaiting mechanism to bolster an impaired efference copy and improve synchrony between these regions. Theoretical and empirical evidence supports this idea that speech production relies on anterior-posterior connectivity in the left hemisphere.

Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) delivers low, periodically-alternating …

A Novel Cognitive Stress Paradigm To Assess Subtle Cognitive Differences In Women With The Fmr1 Premutation, Jillian Margaret Gierman

Theses and Dissertations

Fragile X premutation (FXPM) is a genetic mutation of the FMR1 gene characterized by having between 55-200 CGG repetitions. FXPM women are at risk for a variety of reproductive, cognitive, and neuropsychiatric deficits, including fragile X-associated primary ovarian insufficiency (FXPOI) and fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS). FXTAS is a late-onset neurodegenerative disorder characterized by tremor, gait ataxia, cognitive decline, brain atrophy, and deficits in executive functions. With the evidence supporting premature aging, prevalence of cognitive deficits, and risk of developing FXTAS and dementia, it is imperative to find a reliable measure that identifies at-risk FXPM women and their subtle cognitive …

Investigating The Impact Of Nonlinguistic Cognitive Reserve On Naming Pre- And Post-Treatment, Lillian Jarold

Theses and Dissertations

Background: The relationship between linguistic and nonlinguistic cognition in persons with aphasia is complex and often debated in the literature. Furthermore, the impact of nonlinguistic cognition on aphasia treatment outcomes is unclear. The present study sought 1) to examine the relationship between WAIS scores and performance on a test of naming and 2) to examine the relationship between WAIS scores and change scores on a test of naming between baseline and post-treatment in persons with chronic aphasia.

Method: This retrospective study utilized data from participants (N=102) who were recruited for a multi-center cross-over trial (POLAR: Predicting Outcomes of Language Rehabilitation). …

Feasibility And Preliminary Outcomes Of A 6-Week Mindful Walking Program To Maintain And Improve Cognition In Adults At Risk For Alzheimer’S Disease Or Other Related Dementias, Caroline Mannion Wood

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the impact of a 6-week Mindful Walking intervention. Participants completed 30 minute walking sessions twice a week for 6 weeks. Ten older adults attended 100% of the supervised walking sessions. Pre-post comparison of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and examination of subtests of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment did not reveal a significant change in mean scores (p.05, one-tailed). The number of steps accumulated as a result of Mindful Walking and other activities measured with the ActivPAL and change in MoCA total scores did not reach significance. Generally, the Mindful Walking program was well-liked (4 on a scale …

Cortical Organization For Encoding And Perception Of Auditory Spectral And Temporal Cues In Younger And Older Adults, Jitpakorn Pichaitanaporn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Perception of spectral and temporal acoustic cues is fundamental to most auditory tasks including speech discrimination, sound localization, and segregation of speech in background competition. Although neuroimaging studies have shown hemispheric asymmetry in processing spectral and temporal features, where right hemisphere is dominant for spectral processing while left hemisphere is dominant for temporal processing, the effects of aging on hemispheric asymmetry and associated auditory perceptual consequences have not been well studied. Neurocognitive aging studies support that due to limited neural resources, older adults may use different neural circuits than younger adults to maintain perceptual and cognitive performance during the same …

Intolerance Of Uncertainty, Sensory Processing, And Related Correlates In Autistic Children During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Mollie Bradley

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic increased uncertainty and anxiety for most and was especially disruptive to autistic people and their families. Autistic children were particularly vulnerable due to their intolerance for increased uncertainty and disruption to their school and therapy support. This study aimed to investigate the effect that increased uncertainty had on autistic children, specifically their sensory behaviors and stress levels and on the stress levels of their primary caregivers. Parents and guardians of 47 autistic children completed an online survey consisting of questions investigating background and demographic information, their experiences during the first six months of the pandemic, information about …

A Comparative Study On The Expository Writing Abilities Of Kindergarten Students With And Without Developmental Language Disorder, Kristine Michelle Dayley Andrus

Theses and Dissertations

State standards require kindergarten students to produce expository writing, but little research has been done regarding their abilities in this area. This study describes expository writing samples of 47 typically developing (TD) kindergarteners and 43 kindergarteners with developmental language disorder (DLD). The Expository Language Measures (ELM) Flow Chart and the Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT) software were used to detail the language complexity and text structure features the children in the sample produced. When comparing TD and DLD children's expository written samples, no significant differences in the language and text structure measures were found. It is important to continue …

The Impact Of Background Noise On The Communicative Experience Of People With Mild To Moderate Aphasia: A Qualitative Study, Riley Robertson Hegewald

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how retelling stories with a variety different background noise conditions affected the communicative experiences of people with aphasia (PWA). Participants included 11 adults with mild to moderate aphasia and 11 age- and gender-matched controls. Participants participated in a semi-structured interview immediately following the experimental measure where they were asked open-ended questions regarding their experience retelling stories and how those experiences related to their everyday lives. Results revealed three themes related to how participants responded to communicating in noise: (a) cognitive reactions, (b) emotional reactions, and (c) social reactions. The findings suggest that PWA exert more effort when …

The Analysis Of Omission And Substitution Errors In Various Language Tasks In Bilingual Children, Macy Whiting

Theses and Dissertations

As the population of Spanish-English bilingual children in the United States steadily grows, the importance of accurately assessing and diagnosing developmental language disorder (DLD) has also grown. Understanding a child's underlying language learning system is critical in this process. Several studies have demonstrated the efficacy of nonword repetition (NWR) tasks in bilingual children across a wide range of development, however there is little information regarding guidelines for interpretation of NWR performance or analyzing error patterns. This study was conducted to address these gaps in the research. A sample of 26 Spanish-English bilingual school aged children (6;0-9;4) were administered English and …

Examining The Preliminary Validity Of A Dynamic Assessment Of Narrative Language In Mandarin Chinese, Lok Yee Sarah Cheung

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the preliminary validity of a newly developed dynamic assessment of narrative language in Mandarin Chinese. Two studies are reported in this thesis. Study 1 included 31 second grade participants and Study 2 included 43 first grade participants. All participants were enrolled in a Chinese immersion program in an elementary school in Utah. A dynamic assessment of narrative language was administered to each participant in Mandarin Chinese. A teacher rating was also included in Study 1. Results indicated that the dynamic assessment investigated in this thesis demonstrated some similar characteristics with other valid …

Implicit Learning In Preschool Children With And Without Developmental Language Disorder, Abigail E. Tolomei

University Honors Theses

The study below was designed to compare implicit learning in fifty-two preschool-aged children with and without developmental language disorder (DLD) to test the Procedural Deficit Hypothesis (PDH). The PDH claims that procedural memory, the basis of implicit learning, is the main impairment in DLD. Using a computer-based program to conduct sound-meaning-mapping tasks, we asked children to select one of two images according to the corresponding sound they heard. After all the participants were tested, an additional cue was found in the experiment that impacted the data. Instead of the children attuning to the sounds to depict the correct answer, the …

Transitioning From Face-To-Face To Telehealth Speech And Language Services Due To The Covid-19 Pandemic: Perceptions Of Persons With Aphasia And Their Ehelpers, Emma Logan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to investigate the perceptions of the aphasia community, as well as their caregivers, that are provided speech and language services and how their services were affected due to transitions because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The recency and novelty of the pandemic warrants research of many areas related to health care, including that of speech language pathology.

An online survey was completed by nine persons with aphasia and three eHelpers. Participants were recruited through a university clinic and by informational fliers through social media. Participants with aphasia qualified by having experiences with speech and …

Implementing Service-Learning Projects For The First Time During The Pandemic: Two Instructors’ Inspiration, Motivation And Goals, Lesley Sylvan, Robyn Becker

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

While much has been written about student experiences with service-learning and factors that sustain university instructors’ experiences in service-learning over time, less is understood about the contexts that prompt instructors to embark on their first experiences of incorporating service-learning into their teaching. The focus of this article is the experiences of two instructors, one tenure track faculty member and one adjunct faculty member, who incorporated service-learning projects into their classes for the first time during the 2020-2021 academic year. Both professors teach within a speech-language pathology graduate program. The timing and context of their first service-learning experiences are important because …

Clinical Feasibility, Utility, And Usability Of The Profile Of Preschool Communication: A Pilot Test In Community Settings, Barbara Jane Cunningham, Carly Cermak, Julianna Head, Janis Oram Cardy

PRECISe Preschool Speech and Language Publications

This study aimed to pilot test, assess usability and utility of, and identify barriers to implementation for the Profile of Preschool Communication (PPC) - a new data collection tool designed to support outcome monitoring in preschool speech-language programs and practice-based research. Methods. This pilot study was conducted with three sites in the Ontario Preschool Speech and Language (PSL) program. Twenty-three speech-language pathologists used the PPC for all outcome monitoring assessments for 2-3-months and provided feedback about their experience using it in practice. Then, 18 of the 23 speech-language pathologists completed online surveys to rate usability and utility, and report …

The Effects Of Language Proficiency On Narrative Macrostructure In Spanish-English Bilinguals, Jenny Magallon

Dissertations and Theses

Bilingual children of the same age may have different narrative skills depending on the quantity and quality of their experiences in the two languages. Thus, children's storytelling skills can vary depending on children's oral proficiency in each language. The present study examined the effects of oral proficiency on story structure in forty 5- to 7-year-old Spanish-English speaking children using Spanish and English samples from story retelling tasks. Language proficiency was measured as continuum of performance using the Spanish-English Language Proficiency Scale (SELPS; Smyk et al., 2013). To estimate the effects of Spanish and English proficiency on story structure, linear regressions …

A Scoping Review Of Technology And Infrastructure Needs In The Delivery Of Virtual Hearing Aid Services, Danielle Difabio, Robin O'Hagan, Danielle Glista

Communication Sciences and Disorders Publications

Purpose: The digital health revolution has brought forward integral technological advancements enabling virtual care as a readily accessible delivery model. Despite this forward momentum, the field of audiology still faces barriers that impede the uptake of virtual services into routine clinical practice. The aim of this study was to gather, synthesize, and summarize the literature around virtual hearing aid intervention studies and the related technology and infrastructure requirements.

Method: A scoping review was conducted using MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, Nursing and Allied Health, and Web of Science databases. Objectives, inclusion criteria, and scoping review methods were specified in advance and documented …

The Effect Of Aac-Modeling Intervention (Aac-Mod) Within Dialogic Reading On Vocabulary Learning In Children With Down Syndrome, Emily A. Mchugh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effect of aided Alternative and Augmentative Communication-Modeling (AAC-MOD) intervention on the communication skills of preschool-age children with Down syndrome (DS) during dialogic book reading. The study investigated to what extent AAC-MOD is effective in increasing the acquisition of target vocabulary and expressive communication acts by children with DS who use few words functionally. Two children aged 3;10 and 5;4, with repertoires of less than 75 intelligible words were selected. A repeated acquisition experimental design was used to examine the effects of instruction on target vocabulary word learning and symbolic communication. …

Intercampus Health Care Simulation Model For Development Of Students’ Interprofessional Socialization And Competency, Cody Marie Busch, Lynn Gilbertson, Colleen Gullickson, Elizabeth Laessig

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Clinical education standards for speech-language pathology and nursing programs indicate the need for students to gain experience with interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP). However, colleges not affiliated with hospitals struggle to offer experiences between healthcare disciplines. The purpose of this paper is to present a case study as a model for interprofessional healthcare simulation that can be applied to schools that have limited access to a variety of professional programs and few complimentary medical specialties at their home institution. The partnership of a masters in speech-language pathology (MS-SLP) program at a public state sponsored institution and a bachelors of science in …

Perceptions And Effects Of Online Clinical Preparation Modules For First-Semester Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Students, Elizabeth M. Leatherman, Kris Pedersen

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Students begin graduate school with varying backgrounds and experiences from their undergraduate program, which can result in different degrees of competence as they begin clinical work. This study investigated the effects of a series of seven online modules designed to review foundational clinical skills and enhance students’ clinical success. A cohort of 39 incoming graduate students at a midwestern university participated in the study and completed the modules during program orientation. Mixed methods were used to evaluate the effects and perceptions of the modules, including surveying students and the clinical faculty, comparing students’ clinical evaluations to those of previous students …

The Blended And Online Learning Design Fellows Program: Developing Teacher-Researchers In Communication Sciences And Disorders, Laurel Teller, Jena Mcdaniel, C. Melanie Schuele, Cynthia J. Brame

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Developing skills in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) represents an important gap in doctoral training in Communication Sciences and Disorders. This study describes the Blended and Online Learning Design Fellows Program (BOLD) as a model for infusing SoTL into doctoral studies and for teaching graduate students how to develop online instructional modules. We first describe the structure of the yearlong BOLD Program. We then provide a case example of the development and SoTL evaluation of an online instructional module on the topic of intentional communication. We conclude with a discussion regarding how our study results inform future instructional …