Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

Characterizing Subtypes And Neural Correlates Of Receptive Aprosodia In Acute Right Hemisphere Stroke, Shannon M. Sheppard, Erin L. Meier, Alexandra Zezinka Durfee, Alex Walker, Jennifer Shea, Argye E. Hillis

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction: Speakers naturally produce prosodic variations depending on their emotional state. Receptive prosody has several processing stages. We aimed to conduct lesion-symptom mapping to determine whether damage (core infarct or hypoperfusion) to specific brain areas was associated with receptive aprosodia or with impairment at different processing stages in individuals with acute right hemisphere stroke. We also aimed to determine whether different subtypes of receptive aprosodia exist that are characterized by distinctive behavioral performance patterns.

Methods: Twenty patients with receptive aprosodia following right hemisphere ischemic stroke were enrolled within five days of stroke; clinical imaging was acquired. Participants completed …

The Effect Of Animated Resources For Learning American Sign Language, Bailey Towns

Honors Projects

American Sign Language (ASL) is a visual language expressed through movements of the hands as well as facial expressions and body language. While Deaf individuals are the primary users of the language, many hearing people learn ASL in order to communicate with Deaf people and promote inclusivity for the Deaf community. When learning ASL, one area of difficulty that they initially encounter is producing signs correctly. The present study addressed this concern by examining two methods for introducing ASL signs to novel learners. Animated ASL programs have been proposed to combat the problems created by static 2D presentations of signs. …

Non-Nutritive Suck Burst Pattern Stability In Extremely Premature Infants, Alejandra Marquez

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The development of non-nutritive suck (NNS) burst dynamics in preterm infants reflects the integrity of the brain and is used clinically to assess feeding readiness and orofacial motor development (Mizuno and Ueda, 2005). The application of NNS analytics in the present report represents one outcome measurement set that is part of an ongoing clinical trial involving extremely preterm infants (EPI’s,[GA]) randomized to receive either pulsed orocutaneous stimulation therapeutics or a sham (blind pacifier), in conjunction with salivary sampling twice weekly to map gene expression of key proteins involved in neural development and molecular sensing of feeding related pathways in the …

Coupling Articulatory Placement Strategies With Phonemic Awareness Instruction To Support Emergent Literacy Skills In Preschool Children: A Collaborative Approach, Robyn Becker, Lesley Sylvan

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Purpose: The merits of collaboration between teachers and speech-language pathologists have been extensively highlighted in literature on multitiered educational frameworks. Studies also illustrate the link between articulation, phonemic awareness, and, ultimately, reading skills. This article describes the impact of an intervention targeting articulation and phonemic awareness provided collaboratively to preschool children to enhance emergent literacy skills with the long-term goal of preventing later reading difficulties.

Method: This pilot study involved a bidirectional collaboration between a speech-language pathologist and a teacher by providing articulatory placement strategies to link accurate speech production with early phonemic awareness activities in the context of a …

The Acoustic Effect Of Masks On Speech And Singing, Anna Birkemeier

Honors Projects

Objectives / Introduction:

Mask-wearing has become commonplace for the public during the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. This has caused communication difficulties such as muffled speech, causing a lowered speech intelligibility and worse audibility. The purpose of this study was to determine the acoustic filtering effects of various masks.

Methods / Study Design:

The acoustic effects of a surgical mask, a Singer’s Mask, and an N95 mask were obtained. A single subject spoke (and repeated) the vowels /a,i,u/ and the consonants /s, ∫/, and sang the vowels on G4 and C5 with and without the masks, respectively. Spectra of the vowels and …

Ua94/6/1 Covid-19 Diary, Kaleb Workman

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

Reflections of COVID-19 by Gatton Academy of Mathematics & Science student Kaleb Workman.

Clinical Case Study: The Effects Of Real-Time Iemg Biofeedback On Facial Muscle Activation Patterns In A Child With Congenital Facial Palsy, Alyssa Molina

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Experimental findings are limited concerning efficacious procedures for facial reanimation following persistent idiopathic facial paralysis or paresis. Additional research examining the use of real-time integrated electromyography (iEMG) biofeedback for young children with persistent idiopathic facial paralysis is one approach to further understand the efficacy of electrophysiology biofeedback techniques in facial reanimation for this age group and etiology. iEMG research has applications in interventions for pathology of nerves and muscles affecting animation of the face. The proposed clinical case study will adopt real time iEMG visual biofeedback to facilitate facial reanimation in a preadolescent child. Quantitative measurements will determine orofacial muscle …

Assessment Of Modified Patient Education Materials For People With Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Jennifer Fortuna, Anne Riddering, Linda Shuster, Cassie Lopez-Jeng

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Existing research on health literacy identifies a disconnect between the readability of patient education materials (PEMs) and the reading abilities of American adults. For people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), central vision loss creates an additional barrier to health literacy. This study explored how evidence-based guidelines for creating easy-to-understand written materials influenced the usability of PEMs in people with AMD.

Methods: Evidence-based guidelines were applied to modify one PEM. Standardized tools quantified differences in readability and suitability between the original and modified PEM. Twelve people with AMD rated the comprehensibility (design quality) and shared personal preferences during semi-structured interviews. …

Directing Attention In Second Language Phonological Contrast Learning, Laura Conover

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Why are some people better at learning new languages than others? There is a rich body of research examining this issue from multiple perspectives and at all levels of language. This study attempts to add to that knowledge at the most fundamental level of language by examining potential influences on the learning of novel phoneme contrasts. The purpose of this study was to explore whether individual differences in attentional capabilities would help adults learn a non-native phonological contrast, and whether providing explicit directions that would guide the learners’ attention could help boost their performance. VCV recordings of the Thai /p/ …

Viewpoints Of Church Leadership On Signed Language Interpreters, Cameron Strowbridge, Nicole Denu Thorn

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Theoretical Proposal

Can I Say Something Now? Family-And-Child-Centered Care In Cleft Lip And Palate, Brenda Louw

ETSU Faculty Works

Participants will be able to:

• Explain the concept and advantages of the Family- and- Child-Centered Care (FCCC) approach.
• Describe the components of the FCCC as applied to individuals with CLP and their families.
• Explain the EB strategies of FCCC be applied by the SLP and its positive effects.

Psychosocial Experiences Of Parents Of Young Children Who Use Hearing Devices: A Scoping Review, Karen F. Munoz, Natalie Nichols, Sydnee Hill

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Objective: The purpose of this scoping review was to provide information about the research base related to psychosocial experiences of parents of young children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) and use hearing devices. A scoping review identifies trends and gaps in available evidence and this information can be used to inform practice and identify areas in need of further research.

Design: A scoping review was conducted in June 2020 to identify English-language peer-reviewed journal articles published through May 31, 2020.

Study sample: Nine articles were found that investigated psychosocial factors of parents of children birth through five …

Visual Reinforcers Designed For Children With Developmental Disabilities, Angela Yarnell Bonino, Amanda Hemann, Deborah Mood, Emily Kay, Elizabeth S. Pancoast, Kristin K. Sommerfeldt

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

A library of visual reinforcers has been created to facilitate visual reinforcement audiometry (VRA) testing in children with developmental disabilities. The library includes 45 reinforcer sets – photos or videos grouped by a common theme – that were created based on commonly reported interests of children with developmental disabilities. Each reinforcer set contains a minimum of 20 unique photo or video files that can be download in two formats: one for commercially available VRA reinforcement systems and another for a custom setup. The library is freely available for download online under a Creative Commons License (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International …

Diagnostic Infant Abr Testing Via Telehealth: A Survey Of Professional Opinions And Current Barriers, Haley B. Prins, Kimberly A. Peters, Douglas P. Sladen

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose: To examine the barriers to Washington State audiologists adopting telehealth as a means of improving accessibility to diagnostic audiology for infants.

Methods: A Qualtrics survey was distributed via e-mail and social media. Survey participants were required to be audiologists practicing in Washington State. The sixteen-question survey consisted of topics related to participant demographics, previous telehealth experience, and barriers to the use of telehealth for diagnostic infant auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing. A total of 17 participants completed the survey.

Results: Survey responses indicated that Washington State audiologists are largely neutral or disagree with telehealth being an effective means of …

The Role Of Early Intervention In Parental Self-Efficacy For Parents Of Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing Children, Carrie Davenport, Derek Houston, Kristina Bowdrie, Rachael Frush Holt

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose: To investigate the effects of age at enrollment in early intervention (EI) and dosage of EI services (frequency and intensity) on parental self-efficacy (PSE) and to determine whether parents with better PSE demonstrate more involvement in deciding Individualized Family Service Plan goals (IFSP), services, and amount of services.

Method: Sixty-five parent-child dyads were included in this retrospective between-subjects study. PSE was measured using the Scale of Parental Involvement and Self-Efficacy (DesJardin, 2003). Dosage of EI services and parent/professional involvement in IFSP decision-making were measured using a Child Demographic Questionnaire.

Results: Statistically significant correlations were not found between age at …

Developing A Spoken Language Outcome Monitoring Procedure For A Canadian Early Hearing Detection And Intervention Program: Process And Recommendations, Olivia Daub, Janis Cardy

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Abstract:

Purpose: Routine spoken language outcome monitoring is one component of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs for children who are hard-of-hearing and learning a spoken language. However, there is no peer-reviewed research that documents how spoken language outcome monitoring may be achieved, or what processes EHDI programs can use to develop these procedures. The present paper describes the process used by a Canadian EHDI program, and the final recommendations that were developed from this process.

Methodology: Through consultation with the program’s stakeholders, consideration of the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing’s recommendations, and drawing on our own expertise in …

The Effects Of Early Intervention On Language Growth After Age 3 For Children With Permanent Hearing Loss, Lisa Davidson, Andrea Osman, Ann E. Geers

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose: The overall goal of this study was to examine language performance in children with permanent hearing loss who were enrolled in a Listening and Spoken Language program. The influence of time spent in Early Intervention (EI) on language trajectories and ability to attain age-appropriate language skills was examined.

Methods: Retrospective data were obtained from children (N=48) who attended Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) for various lengths of time between 2004 and 2017. Children were grouped into those who had received EI prior to age 3 years versus those who did not. Standardized tests of receptive and …

The Impact Of Technology On The Developing Visual And/Or Auditory Memory In School-Aged Children, Cameron Mayer

Honors Theses

This study aimed to determine whether time spent on technology impacts the developing auditory or visual memory in school-aged children. A survey was completed with the child participants to acquire a catalog of time spent on both technological devices and non-technological activities. Tests included a visual and auditory memory assessment adapted from the Preschool Language Scales Fifth Edition (PLS-5). The results indicated that there was no significance between the time spent on technology and the visual and auditory memory scores. However, the researchers did find that the auditory mean scores were significantly different from the visual mean scores across the …

Exploring The Impact Of Animal-Assisted Therapy On Children’S Literacy Skills In Speech-Language Interventions, Samantha Wingate

Honors College Theses

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a therapeutic approach that uses therapy dogs to improve the clinical goals of individuals who need rehabilitative support. While AAT research within the health professions is developing, there is support showing that this type of milieu therapy has potential benefits when working with children with literacy concerns. Within the field of communication sciences and disorders (CSD), AAT can be used by speech-language pathologists to establish goal-directed therapy sessions to improve children’s literacy skills. This paper will highlight current literature that explores the use of AAT within literacy interventions, the use of evidence-based measures, and the feasibility …

Maternal Pragmatic Language Difficulties In The Fmr1 Premutation And The Broad Autism Phenotype: Associations With Individual And Family Outcomes, Jessica Klusek, Angela John Thurman, Leonard Abbeduto

Faculty Publications

Broader phenotypes associated with genetic liability, including mild difficulties with pragmatic language skills, have been documented in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and mothers of children with fragile X syndrome (FXS). This study investigated the relationship between pragmatic difficulties and indicators of maternal well-being and family functioning. Pragmatic difficulty was associated with loneliness in mothers of children with ASD or FXS, and with depression, decreased life satisfaction, and poorer family relationship quality but only in mothers of children with FXS. Results suggest that subtle maternal pragmatic language difficulties are a risk factor that that may contribute to …