Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

Preserved Artificial Grammar Learning In Individuals With Parkinson’S Disease: A Systematic Review, Sarah I. Cranna

Honors Theses and Capstones

Abstract

            Implicit statistical learning is a crucial cognitive function that is highly involved in the learning and processing of language. Since both language and implicit statistical learning are supported by the basal ganglia through cortico-striatal networks, disruptions to this network could result in their impairment. Parkinson’s Disease (PD) can therefore be used to model disruptions to this system as it is primarily characterized by dysfunction in the basal ganglia. Thus, this review aims to examine the current literature studying the performance of individuals with PD on artificial grammar tasks in order to investigate the impact of impaired basal ganglia function …

Beyond Mean Length Of Utterance: Novel Measures For Characterizing The Spoken Language Of Autistic Children, Janine Mathee-Scott, Courtney E. Venker

Speech Pathology and Audiology Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose:

Mean length of utterance (MLU) is a common measure of expressive language complexity in young children, including autistic children. However, means, by nature, obscure some information about spread and variability in data. Thus, we aimed to examine a new approach to characterizing linguistic complexity in autistic children by investigating the validity of two novel measures—range of length of utterance (RLU), standard deviation of length of utterance (SDLU)—alongside established measures: MLU and total utterances (TU).

Method:

Participants were 40 autistic children (12 girls, 28 boys; M_age = 41.78 months). Children participated in 10-min, play-based language samples with their caregivers. …

Exploring Tonal Focus: Qualitative Perspectives And Acoustic Correlates In Slps And Singers, Lily C. Carpenter

Theses and Dissertations--Communication Sciences and Disorders

Tonal focus is a complex construct that has variable definitions and interpretations across professions and within existing literature. Although tonal focus is widely described both clinically and pedagogically, both fields differ in their perspectives and goals related to the concept. This study aims to understand singers’ and speech language pathologists’ (SLP) conceptual perception and acoustic demonstration of tonal focus. Eleven SLPs and six singers were recruited to participate in the study. Participants completed an interview with the primary investigator and were recorded producing forward, neutral, and backward tonal focus in various contexts. Acoustic and qualitative analysis indicated that tonal focus …

Integrating Perspectives Of People With Aphasia: A Holistic Approach To Community Aphasia Groups Within An Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Program, Mckinlee A. Mihelish

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Introduction: People with aphasia (PWA) experience chronic communication deficits that impact daily life. Community Aphasia Groups (CAGs) are commonly used to address these challenges and have demonstrated psychosocial and communicative benefits; however, they lack standardized structure and are implemented with variability across settings. Additionally, much of the existing research focuses on group-level outcomes rather than participant-driven priorities, limiting clinicians’ ability to tailor interventions. This study examined what PWA want from CAG participation and how these priorities may change over time.

Methods: This quantitative study investigated priority changes among PWA participating in a CAG within a summer 2025 Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia …

Initial Qualitative Inquiry Into Social Proverb Use And Acceptability, Emma K. Hinds

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Currently,  1 in 36 individuals are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is characterized by social communication differences and restricted and/or repetitive behaviors. Many children with ASD also present with sensory, behavioral, and emotional differences, underscoring the need for specialized, evidence-based interventions. Social proverb is a novel intervention approach developed by Dr. Schoffer Closson that provides in-the-moment guidance by explicitly stating expected social behaviors and the rationale behind them (e.g., “We cover our coughs, so we don’t spread germs”). To date, no research has examined the use of social proverbs as an intervention strategy. The purpose of this qualitative …

Exploring The Impact Of Age On Traumatic Brain Injury Cause And Recovery In Arkansas: A Retrospective Review, Abby Jones, Steven Wheeler, Jessica Danley

2026 Honors Symposium

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) remain a major public health concern, and increasing evidence goes to show the significance of the effect of age in quality of care, diagnosis, and recovery outcomes. In rural states, such as Arkansas, where research has shown a lack of resources and higher fatality rates among TBI patients, healthcare professionals can become better informed and equipped as a result of research efforts to uncover the effects of age on cause and recovery for inpatient TBI individuals in the early stages (Daugherty et al., 2022). Current research and prior evidence suggests that older individuals are more likely …

Communication Sciences And Disorders Faculty Perspectives On Collaborating With Students As Instructional Partners, Bryanna Cosman

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Student-faculty partnerships, such as instructional partnerships, have been shown to benefit both students and faculty members who engage in them. This form of collaboration does not commonly occur at public, comprehensive universities, especially in the field of communication sciences and disorders (CSD). The purpose of this study was to understand the perspectives of CSD faculty on collaborating with students as instructional partners (IP), as there is limited research on it. IPs are students who have successfully taken a class in the recent past, attend the course in a subsequent semester, and meet after each class with the professor to discuss …

Aac In Schools: How District Infrastructure And At Specialists Shape Implementation Practices, Grace T. Clark, Lesley Rytel, Endever* Corbin, Madison Skibicki, Gabriella Pesantes

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Purpose

Research on barriers to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) implementation in schools has focused primarily on individual clinician factors rather than district infrastructure. This clinical focus article examined how the presence or absence of a dedicated assistive technology (AT) specialist was associated with differences in AAC implementation and the use of AAC as a Tier 1 support.

Method

Eighteen educators, including AT specialists, SLPs, and a special educator, from 17 U.S. school districts participated in a 75-minute structured Zoom focus group. They rated 11 statements about district AAC practices using a 4-point Likert scale and discussed their responses in …

Effect Of Clinical Expertise On Efficacy Of Vocal Function Exercises In Individuals With Typical Voice, Maria H. Bane, Vrushali Angadi, Richard D. Andreatta, Joseph C. Stemple

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Publications

Objectives/Hypothesis: To determine the effect of clinical expertise on efficacy of Vocal Function Exercises (VFEs) as measured by change in percent of maximum phonation time goal attained. The hypothesis was that clinical expertise would result in greater increases in percent of maximum phonation time goal attained.

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Methods: A convenience sample of 19 individuals with typical voice was recruited in a university academic clinic setting. All participants completed baseline assessment and 17 completed all study procedures. Participants were randomized to receive VFEs from an expert voice clinician with more than 40 years’ experience (expert group (EG)) …

When Speech Speaks Louder Than Truth: Language Variation And Credibility In The Courtroom, Melanie E. Spinnie

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study aims to investigate how linguistic variation affects perceptions of credibility in courtroom settings. It focuses on how jurors, judges, and other individuals in the legal system may exhibit bias (consciously or unconsciously) based on how a defendant or witness speaks-- this could include speech disorders as well as differences in dialect, accent, and speech style. Through review of relevant literature, review of a relevant historical case, conducting a survey, and conducting a semi-structured interview, this study explores whether certain speech patterns or characteristics are disproportionately associated with negative judgments during legal proceedings, such as reduced credibility and trustworthiness. …

Brainstem Encoding Of Speech In The Extended High Frequencies And Its Behavioral Correlates, Sajana Aryal, Fan-Yin Cheng, Srikanta K. Mishra, Spencer Smith

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Whether the auditory nervous system can extract and use speech information carried in the extended high-frequency (EHF; >8 kHz) range is an unresolved question in auditory neuroscience. Although EHF sensitivity is increasingly recognized as important for speech perception, it is unclear whether EHF hearing is directly or indirectly involved in real-world listening. This study examined brainstem neural encoding of EHF speech components and the relationship between EHF hearing sensitivity and both neural and perceptual speech processing. Envelope following responses (EFRs) to broadband and high-pass filtered (>4 kHz and >8 kHz) speech stimuli, along with digits-in-noise speech recognition thresholds under …

Belting In Musical Theatre: Vocal Pathologies, Injuries, And Pedagogical Implications, Kaylee Piatt

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Belting has become one of the most defining and contested vocal styles in contemporary musical theatre. Valued for its dramatic immediacy, speech-like intensity, and ability to cut through amplified orchestration, belting is frequently associated with heightened injury risk and pedagogical controversy. This thesis examines the relationship between belting, vocal pathology, and pedagogy through an interdisciplinary lens that integrates voice science, clinical literature, and professional performance practice. Rather than framing belting as an inherently harmful or stylistically aberrant technique, this study conceptualizes belting as a functional vocal coordination shaped by physiological mechanisms, cumulative vocal load, and occupational demands.

Drawing on existing …

Navigating Academic Demands In Higher Education After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Abigail Mosteller, Chitrali R. Mamlekar

SURF Posters 2026

Although, mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) are classified as mild; their consequences can be substantial. These injuries can result in significant cognitive, physical, and emotional symptoms. While many individuals recover within a few weeks, others experience persisting symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, fatigue, brain fog, difficulties with attention and memory. For college students, these ongoing symptoms can significantly interfere with academic participation and success, impairments in communication, executive functioning, processing speed, memory, or attention may make it difficult to follow lectures, complete assignments, meet deadlines and study effectively. Universities may offer accommodations and academic support services; however, the availability of …

Investigating Speech-Language Pathologists’ Perception On Bilingual/Multilingual Aac Intervention And Quality Of Care., Lillian Griffith

2026 Research Poster Competition

In recent decades, the caseloads worldwide of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have become increasingly linguistically diverse (Soto & Yu 2014). However, current research in the field of communication sciences and disorders is primarily focused on monolingual populations, with a similar lack of research in the field regarding bilingual/multilingual Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) (Tönsing & Dada 2022). AAC refers to methods of communication other than spoken language and can augment existing speech or serve as an alternative to speech (ASHA n.d.). Although advancements in the field regarding AAC use for monolingual/English-speaking clients have been made, there is a lack of research …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists Following Implementation Of H.R.1 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act), Jenna Burns

2026 Research Poster Competition

Communication is a human right. As such, ASHA’s official Code of Ethics (2023) states that all speech-language pathologists working under the organization’s credentials have a responsibility to provide equitable and accessible care, regardless of socioeconomic status, citizenship status, or place of origin; however, there can be many barriers to the provision of this service, one of the most prominent being policy. Beginning in 2025, federal policy reforms enacted under H.R.1, colloquially known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” have impacted health care access, immigration policy, and educational funding, leading to eventual effects on the services of paraprofessionals in publicly-funded …

Exploring The Impact Of Age On Traumatic Brain Injury Cause And Recovery In Arkansas: A Retrospective Review, Abby Jones

2026 Research Poster Competition

Traumatic brain injury remains a major public health concern, and increasing evidence demonstrates the significance of the effect of age in quality of care, diagnosis, and recovery outcomes. In rural states, such as Arkansas, where research has shown a lack of resources and higher fatality rates among persons with TBI, healthcare professionals can become better informed and equipped to optimize recovery and rehabilitation as a result of research efforts to explore the effects of age from the standpoint of cause and recovery (Daugherty et al., 2022). This study was a retrospective analysis involving data covering a two-year period extracted from …

Double Burden: Exploring The Impact Of Epilepsy On Caregivers Of Children With Medical Complexities, Maria Eduarda Baldanzi Silva

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Children with medical complexities (MC) often have epilepsy as a comorbidity. The demanding management of conditions in children with complex needs requires specialized medical care. This care usually prioritizes the child’s health but often disregards caregivers' physical and mental health. This study examined the relationship between epilepsy in children with medical complexities (MC) and their caregivers' quality of life (QoL), with a focus on mental health, physical well-being, and financial stability. A national survey was conducted to compare the experiences of two groups of caregivers: 1) those who have children with MC and epilepsy, and 2) those who have children …

Spanish-Speaking Parents' Health Literacy And Comprehension Of Idea Terminology, Daria Hernandez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study aims to examine how personal health literacy can affect Spanish-speaking parents’ comprehension of special education documentation, specifically within the scope of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) terminology; in order to gain insight into the readability of commonly used terms within special education documents. Across the United States, limited health literacy across organizations and individuals is an extremely pressing issue as it can limit the ability for individuals to make the proper decisions involving their healthcare and education. This issue is exacerbated when considering Hispanic populations, with their personal health literacy levels …

How Autistic Children Define Novel And Real Words, Henry James Tomiser

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Word knowledge is highly valuable to Autistic individuals, and although much research has characterized Autistic children’s vocabulary breadth (i.e., the number of lexical entries), less attention has been paid to vocabulary depth (i.e., the richness with which one understands a given word). In this exploratory post-hoc study, 11 Autistic children (one assigned female at birth) participated in novel and real word learning paradigms in which child-friendly referents were paired with CVCV word forms. Participants were then asked to provide open-ended definitions of the words. Definitions were parsed into meaningful subunits, or semantic features. Semantic features were coded by type of …

Integrating Hippotherapy Into Interprofessional Aphasia Rehabilitation: A Feasibility Pilot Study, Bethany H. Wenger

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Background and Significance: Stroke remains a leading cause of disability in the United States, affecting over 2.5 million individuals annually. Stroke-related motor and communication deficits often co-occur, increasing challenges for recovery, increasing social isolation, depression, and dependency. Hippotherapy has emerged as a novel treatment approach for neurorehabilitation; however, its application within interprofessional models for individuals with stroke-related motor and communication impairments remains underexplored. This study examines the feasibility, fidelity, and acceptability of an interprofessional intervention using hippotherapy for adults with chronic post-stroke aphasia, the purpose of which is to generate methodological guidance for future controlled trials.

Methods: A non-randomized, single-group …