Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

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

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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 …

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Predictors And Characteristics Of Aac Service Delivery Among Post-Professional Speech-Language Pathologists, Meredith Gohsman, Rachel Johnson

College of Health Sciences Posters

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In the United States, approximately four million individuals are unable to use verbal speech to meet communication needs (Beukelman & Mirenda, 2013). Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) modalities support the needs of these individuals, offering temporary or permanent solutions to meet an individual’s communication needs across environments (Beukelman & Mirenda, 2013). Tasked with the use of AAC to support individuals with communication impairments, speech-language pathologists are directly involved in AAC service provision (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2016). Past research has identified barriers to AAC service provision and use of AAC modalities, including lack of perceived competence, time, financial support, and availability …

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Social Engagement Of Nursing Home Residents: A Comparison Of Two Observation Methods, Annika Gabbard

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

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In Kentucky, low levels of physical activity and social engagement negatively impact health. This problem led to the creation of Bingocize®, an exercise program that combines the game of Bingo with intermittent exercises in a group setting to increase levels of positive affect, physical health, and, the focus of this study, social engagement. Since clear benefits of social engagement have been established, measurement and documentation of this behavior can assist in determining the level of potential benefit from Bingocize®. The purpose of this study was to compare the opinions of healthcare workers who have experience with Bingocize® on two measures …

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A Survey Of Slp Graduate Students Pre- And Post-Telepractice Training During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kelly Allison Frost

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

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Many university programs in speech-language pathology who offer clinical training as part of their graduate program, transitioned to a telepractice service delivery model in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the current research project was to survey graduate student opinions and perspectives on the telepractice service delivery model before and after training. Graduate students enrolled in a SLP distance program at WKU participated in a summer clinical internship and were asked to complete pre- and post-surveys about their remote clinical experience. Pre- and postsurveys were completed by 27 graduate students who were enrolled in the summer clinical internship …

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Phonological Variation Among Young Spanish-English Dual Language Learners On An English Sentence Repetition Task, Sarah Kate Coleman

Senior Theses

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Purpose - There is a need for research informing best practices for assessing the language abilities of bilingual children, as well as research regarding typical phonological development of bilingual children. The purpose of the present paper is to contribute broadly to informing bilingual phonological assessment practice by examining phonological variation in Spanish-English speaking children’s English sentence repetition responses and the relation between these phonological variations and performance on the English sentence repetition task.

Method - 20 Spanish-English speaking kindergarteners completed the English sentence repetition task of the Bilingual English-Spanish Assessment (BESA; Peña et al., 2014). The phonological variations present in …

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Systematic Review Of Factors Impacting Reading Impairment Rates In Studies Of Children With Developmental Language Disorder (Dld), Kayla Dewey

Senior Theses

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This systematic review examined studies of individuals with developmental language disorder (DLD) to examine the rate of co-occurring reading impairment. We hypothesized that recruitment method, age, and the type of diagnostic reading assessment would be associated with different rates of reading impairment in individuals with DLD. We searched the database PsycINFO for peer-reviewed academic articles containing specific keywords related to DLD/SLI and Dyslexia, resulting in a total of 286 studies. These articles were then filtered to ensure that all articles analyzed in the present study only examined children below the age of 18, were a study of children with DLD/SLI, …

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An Assessment Of Communication Between Speech-Language Pathologists And Intervention Specialists In Schools, Sarah Painter

Honors Projects

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The American Speech-Language Hearing Association states that Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) should collaborate with other professionals, including Intervention Specialists (ISs). In recent decades, there has been a shift from pull-out therapy, where students are removed from the classroom for services, to push-in therapy, which takes place within the classroom. This shift has resulted in greater overlap in SLP-IS caseloads. However, there is little known about the collaborative practices of these professionals. This study aimed to close the gap by using surveys to address two main research questions.

1) What is the focus, modality, and frequency of collaboration between SLPs and ISs? …

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Best Practice In Dementia Communication: Determining The Effectiveness Of Pre-Recorded, Presentation-Based Learning For Cnas Working In Residential Care Facilities, Mary Kate Hoeve

Masters Theses

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The dramatic increase in the aging population and predicted rise in individuals diagnosed with a dementia-related disorder in the next 30 years has sparked an increase in the exploration of gerontology and best practice in dementia care (Curyto & Vriesman, 2016). Additionally, each person living with dementia spends less than two percent of their day engaging in social communication with a care worker (Ward et al, 2005). With a significant increase in the development of dementia-related disorders and minimal social interaction, understanding the manifestations of dementia and methods of effective communication between individuals with dementia-related disorders and direct care workers …

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Nonword Repetition In Spanish-English Bilingual Children, Katherine Beyer

Honors Capstones

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No abstract provided.

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Listeners' Perception Of Children And Adult’S Word-Final /L/, Julia Sanders

Honors Capstones

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No abstract provided.

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Effects Of Personal Fm System Use During Phonological Awareness Instruction For Children At Risk For Dyslexia, Gabriella Rose Reynolds

Theses and Dissertations

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Students with reading impairments, including dyslexia, account for the largest proportion of students receiving special education services in the United States (NCES, 2016). Developmental dyslexia is characterized by slow and inaccurate word decoding (Lyon et al., 2003). This word decoding difficulty results from deficits in phonological awareness, a sound-based skill (Swan & Goswami, 1997). Classrooms are known to have high levels of background noise and are inconsistent with recommendations for optimal listening (Picard & Bradley, 2001) or accepted standards (ASHA, n.d.). Furthermore, degraded acoustic conditions have been related to poorer performance on speech-recognition tasks even for children with normal hearing …

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Development And Implementation Of Computer-Based Learning Modules On Alternative Communication For Pediatric Nurses And Nursing Students, Amanda Kaye Simmons

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

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Purpose and Rationale. To develop, implement, and assess computer-based learning modules (CBLs) on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) with pediatric nurses and nursing students for knowledge outcomes, self-efficacy, and perceived relevance and effectiveness. Effective communication ensures all parties can understand and express themselves clearly, through any means necessary, often including AAC tools, supports, and strategies. Communication is essential in healthcare but there is limited research with pediatric nurses. Previous research with a single hospital indicated a need for nurse education on AAC. This research used focus groups and interviews to understand pediatric nurse and nursing student knowledge about AAC. The …

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Voice Therapy: Racial Disparities In Adherence And Clinically Significant Outcomes, Amber D. Burks

LSU Master's Theses

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Voice therapy is evidence-based, behavioral intervention that can reduce functional and organic voice disorders. Despite its proven effectiveness, non-adherence to voice therapy is still an issue. Research shows that an estimated 65% of patients who initiate voice therapy drop out before reaching therapeutic goals. Voice therapy outcomes are largely dependent on patients’ adherence to treatment regimens, but there is limited information concerning factors that may be associated with voice therapy adherence and therapeutic outcomes for patients who successfully complete voice therapy.

The purpose of this study was to investigate which demographic factors could be associated with higher adherence rates to …

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Three's Company: Collaborative Instructional Design On A Librarian-Instructor Team, Brittany L. O'Neill, Allen Leblanc, Deirdre Larsen

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

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This session will describe a unique collaboration that resulted in development of a strategic research assignment design supported by relevant information literacy sessions. This effort stems from an existing relationship between research librarians and an instructor who was previously a graduate assistant in Research & Instruction Services and became an instructor of a general education course in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Through this collective, a synergistic arrangement developed where librarians contribute to research assignment design and the instructor contributes to developing the information literacy sessions to prepare students for finding, evaluating, and understanding relevant scholarly articles early in their college …

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

Honors Scholars & Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium Programs

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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 technology devices and non-technological activities. Tests included a visual and auditory memory assessment adapted from the Preschool Language Scales Fifth Edition (PLS-5). The subtests were expanded upon in order to incorporate an auditory element. The results indicated that there was no significance between time spent on technology and visual and auditory memory scores. This was likely caused by the small sample size. However, …

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Reliability Of Speech-Language Pathologists’ Categorizations Of Preschoolers’ Communication Impairments In Practice, Bj Cunningham, Janis Oram Cardy

PRECISe Preschool Speech and Language Publications

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Abstract

Purpose An efficient and reliable way to categorize children's communication impairments based on routine clinical assessments is needed to inform research and clinical decisions. This preliminary study assessed interrater reliability of speech-language pathologists' categorization of preschoolers' speech, language, and communication impairments using a clinical consensus document.

Method

Six speech-language pathologists at three community sites worked in pairs to assess 38 children aged 1–5 years, then used the clinical consensus document to categorize children's communication impairments broadly. Identified language and speech sound impairments were further subcategorized.

Results

Speech-language pathologists had substantial to almost perfect agreement for three broadly focused impairment …

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Increasing Access To Augmentative And Alternative Communication Services For People With Complex Communication Needs During Covid-19 And Beyond, Cristina L. Pujol, Anamaria Nevares, Michelle Schladant

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

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The COVID-19 global pandemic has affected the disability network across the world. In the United States, there are millions of people who cannot use their natural speech to communicate. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), a form of assistive technology (AT), helps people with complex communication needs (CCNs) to communicate with others. Examples of AAC include printed pictures and speech-generating devices. A team of professionals work together with the person with CCNs and their caregivers to choose the right type of AAC. Often, people with CCNs need face-to-face and ongoing AAC support. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, this population already faced …

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Speech-Language Pathologist Confidence In Dysphagia Management, Fiona May Fuller

Student Theses and Dissertations

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This study served to investigate the dysphagia-specific education and training that practicing speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have received within their graduate programs, within their workplaces, and independently. In addition, SLPs’ perceptions of their preparedness for dysphagia management responsibilities after completion of a graduate-level Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) program and the confidence they have in their own abilities to contribute to different aspects of dysphagia management were also investigated. An electronic survey was distributed to licensed SLPs via an email list provided by the Arkansas Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (ABESPA). Results revealed that although SLPs felt generally …

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Therapy Approaches For Broca’S Aphasia: Consultative Vs. Clinician Directed, Stacey Nichole Mott

Student Theses and Dissertations

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This investigation sought to explore the outcomes from two common therapy approaches, consultative and clinician directed, to language and communication rehabilitation for individuals with Broca’s aphasia. Both approaches are recognized as evidence-based and are used across many clinical settings. This single case study was performed using standardized assessment, informal measures, and a survey. The data collection reveals that there are positive outcomes to both methods of therapy. However, this study revealed a need to continue investigating the prevalence of use for both types of therapy approaches used by speech-language pathologists in various rehabilitative settings.

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Speech-Language Pathologists’ Knowledge And Implementation Of Thyroid Hormone Diseases And Allergies On Voice, Kirsten Combs

Student Theses and Dissertations

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There is little research that shows speech-language pathologists’ (SLP’s) knowledge of the impact of allergies or thyroid diseases related to voice disorders, or if they use this information during assessment and treatment. A survey was distributed to every licensed SLPs in the state of Arkansas, and 284 SLPs completed it. Only 20 participants asked clients if they have thyroid hormone diseases, whereas 256 asked about allergies. While treating, 236 participants reported that they consider allergies, but only 94 considered thyroid hormone diseases. On knowledge-based questions, the participants had an overall average of 84% for thyroid hormone diseases and 78% for …

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