2024-03-29T11:32:53Zhttps://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/oai/requestoai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/279252020-10-12T14:04:25Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Augmentative and Alternative Communication Continuing Education in the Schools: A National Survey
Kumberg, Katelyn Maria
Wegner, Jane R
Gillispie, Matthew
Meehan, Stephanie
Speech therapy
Special education
Continuing education
AAC
augmentative and alternative communication
continuing education
professional development
speech-language pathologist
speech-language pathology
This study examined the continuing education obtained by speech-language pathologists working in a school setting in the area of AAC, including the factors that influenced decisions regarding continuing education. A survey entitled “AAC Continuing Education in the Schools: A National Survey” was hosted online. Speech-language pathologists’ participation was solicited through school districts selected at random, state speech-language pathology organizations, online community boards, and various speech-language pathology Facebook groups and pages. A total of 232 individuals participated in this study and provided demographic information, information about their school setting, information about their caseloads, their knowledge and experience with augmentative and alternative communication, as well as information about the continuing education they had obtained in the last five years. The results from this study revealed that 66% of participants obtained augmentative and alternative communication continuing education within the last five years. Participants cited the needs of students on their caseloads and the need to update or maintain knowledge as reasons for obtaining continuing education. In addition, participants reported price and location as factors influencing where they obtain continuing education. Implications for speech-language pathologists who work in a school setting include the need to effectively examine their knowledge and skills in the area of AAC, the needs of students on their caseload, and anticipate future needs to identify and obtain AAC continuing education. In addition, speech-language pathologists should advocate for the continuing needs within their school district. Implications for continuing education providers include examining the needs of speech-language pathologists in the field to guide creation of continuing education opportunities. Identified needs include AAC assessment and clarifying erroneous belief.
2019-05-12T19:16:19Z
2019-05-12T19:16:19Z
2019-05-12T19:16:19Z
2018-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15809
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/27925
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0909-1565
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/300752021-03-05T16:54:48Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
The test-retest reliability of the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised
Bond, Brandall
Jackson, Susan T
Mumy, Ana Paula
Jackson, Susan T
Heidrick, Lindsey
Gatts, Julie
Mumy, Ana Paula
Speech therapy
Language
aphasia
assessment
score stability
test-retest reliability
Western Aphasia Battery-Revised
The purpose of the study was to examine the test-retest reliability of the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised (WAB-R). Ten people with stroke-induced aphasia were administered the entire WAB-R twice. Correlation coefficients were .80 for 11/13 WAB-R sections/subtests. Paired t-tests revealed no significant difference between the means at Time 1 and Time 2 for any of the 13 WAB-R sections/subtests. Effect size was less than small for 11/13 WAB-R sections/subtests and small for two subtests. For 8/13 sections/subtests, one WAB-R standard error of measurement (SEM) represented less than 5% of the total number of points possible; thus, 68% of the time, persons with aphasia would be expected to score within 5% of the total number of points possible on repeated testing. For 5/13 sections/subtests, one WAB-R SEM represented more than 5% but less than 10% of the total number of points possible.
2020-03-16T20:40:04Z
2020-03-16T20:40:04Z
2020-03-16T20:40:04Z
2019-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:16541
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/30075
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/270132020-10-08T15:26:18Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Identifying the Cellular Sources of the Low-Frequency Cochlear Response
Kamerer, Aryn M
Chertoff, Mark E
Ferraro, John
Johnson, Tiffany
Brumberg, Jon
Diaz, Francisco J
Audiology
Audiology
Auditory Nerve
Cochlea
Cochlear Microphonic
Hair Cells
Physiology
Medical and technologic treatments for hearing loss are quickly outpacing current clinical diagnostic techniques. In order to knowledgeably treat patients and accurately predict treatment outcomes, we need diagnostic tools that can identify the anatomic damage or dysfunction underlying the loss of hearing. The cochlear microphonic –a reflection of current flow through outer hair cells –in conjunction with high-pass noise or suppressing tones, shows promise as a method of assessing the health of outer hair cells at specific locations along the cochlear partition in rodent models. In this study, we propose that the electrical potential recorded from the round window in gerbils to low-frequency tones contains responses from a number of cellular sources in addition to and, in some high-pass noise conditions, more substantial than the outer hair cell response. A model is created from data found in existing literature and our previous studies, which provides evidence for identifying each cellular source contributing to this low-frequency round window potential, termed the cochlear response (CR). The CR was recorded via an electrode placed in the round window niche of 16 Mongolian gerbils and elicited with a 45 Hz tone burst embedded in 18 high-pass filtered noise conditions, in order to target responses from increasing apical-to-basal regions along the cochlear partition. Independent component analysis and filtering of the response recovered several contributing sources whose spectral and temporal content provided clues to their identification. These suspected sources were modeled using previously-published hair cell and auditory nerve response data, and then weighted and combined using linear regression to produce a model response that fits closely to the mean CR waveform. We conclude that the low-frequency CR contains contributions from several cellular sources, for which the model provides evidence of the most significant contributors being outer hair cells, inner hair cells, and apical auditory nerve fibers. Therefore, the CR shows the capacity to be developed into a diagnostic tool that can assess the health of multiple structures in the cochlea objectively, simultaneously, and independently.
2018-10-24T22:27:42Z
2018-10-24T22:27:42Z
2018-10-24T22:27:42Z
2017-12-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15575
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/27013
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6230-4032
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/102822020-09-18T14:44:15Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Children's Responses to Grammatically Complete and Incomplete Prompts to Imitate
Bredin-Oja, Shelley Laine
Fey, Marc E.
Brady, Nancy C.
Bunce, Betty
Loeb, Diane F.
Nielsen, Diane
Speech therapy
Children
Expressive language delay
Grammatical input
Imitation
Language intervention
Telegraphic input
Purpose: Various language intervention programs instruct clinicians and parents of children with language learning difficulty to expand their child's utterance by adding one or two words. This often results in a telegraphic utterance, one that is devoid of function words and inflectional endings. Other programs not only advocate the use of telegraphic models but explicitly prompt the child to produce a grammatically incomplete, and therefore, incorrect utterance. These programs make the assumption that prompts to imitate telegraphic models aid in production by making a targeted language goal easier for the child to imitate. The purpose of this investigation is to determine if children in the early stage of combining words are more likely to respond to elicited imitation prompts that are telegraphic than to elicited imitation prompts that are grammatically complete. Method: Five children between the ages of 30-51 months with expressive language delay participated in a single-case alternating treatment design with fourteen sessions evenly split between a grammatical and a telegraphic condition. Children were given 15 elicitive prompts to imitate a semantic relation that was either grammatically complete (e.g., Say the frog is jumping) or telegraphic (e.g., Say duck walking). Children's responses to the elicitive prompts that contained a semantic relation or a semantic relation with a function word were analyzed separately using a randomization test. Results: No differences between conditions were found for the number of responses that contained a semantic relation. Children responded to prompts that were grammatically complete as frequently as to prompts that were telegraphic. In contrast, there was a statistically significant difference for the inclusion of a function word. Three of the five children were more likely to include a function word in their response when the elicitive prompt was grammatical. Two children did not include a function word in either condition. Conclusion: Reducing an elicitive prompt to imitate to the point that it is no longer grammatical does not offer any advantage as a language intervention technique. Children are just as likely to respond to a grammatically complete elicitive prompt. Further, including function words encourages children, who are developmentally ready, to imitate them.
2012-10-28T16:08:47Z
2012-10-28T16:08:47Z
2012-10-28T16:08:47Z
2012-08-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:12327
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/10282
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/56542020-07-28T12:19:50Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Language Ability and Social Withdrawal: Ratings of English Language Learning Children's Withdrawn Behavior in Native and Nonnative Language Contexts
Ash, Andrea Christine
Rice, Mabel L.
Catts, Hugh W.
Colombo, John
Kemper, Susan
Patterson, Meagan
Language
Bilingual and multicultural education
Developmental psychology
Behavioral ratings
English language learning
Language acquisition
Shyness
Social withdrawal
Unsociability
This study is one of the first investigations of withdrawn behavior in English language learning (ELL) children. Children with communication difficulties are known to have increased levels of withdrawn behavior. Withdrawn behavior, particularly shyness, has been associated with negative developmental outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine if ELL children's withdrawn behaviors, principally shyness and unsociability, increased as a result of communication barriers in an English speaking context. Thirty-four ELL children, thirty-seven native English (NE) speaking children, and seventy-one parents participated in the study. Children were administered the PPVT-4, the EVT-2, a hypothetical peer judgment task, and a questionnaire regarding their own social behavior. Parents were administered two questionnaires, one addressing their child's social behavior and another addressing their child's language abilities. Results indicated that overall, children in the ELL and NE had similar ratings for shy and unsociable behavior of hypothetical peers. This finding supported the use of shy and unsociable subtypes of withdrawn behavior as recognizable constructs between the two groups of children. In the ELL group, child and parent ratings of the child's shy and unsociable behaviors were elicited across native language and English speaking contexts. Results from the ELL children and their parents indicated that ratings of shyness increased in English speaking contexts compared to their native language context. Ratings of unsociability in the ELL children did not change across language context. An investigation of the similarity of child and parent ratings found that ELL children and their parents had similar ratings of the child's withdrawn behavior. Child ratings of withdrawal in the NE group were significantly different than the parent ratings. A comparison of child ratings of withdrawn behavior in the native language of the ELL and NE groups found significant differences in ratings of shyness and unsociability. The results from this study demonstrated the value of investigating shyness and unsociability as differing constructs of withdrawn behavior. Additionally the results indicated that ratings of shyness for ELL children increase when the child is participating in English speaking contexts. Future research is needed to address the impact of this finding.
2010-01-07T18:13:56Z
2010-01-07T18:13:56Z
2010-01-07T18:13:56Z
2009-07-30
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:10515
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/5654
EN
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/257982018-01-31T23:29:56Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Augmentative and Alternative Communication Assessment Process in the Schools: A National Survey
Broom, Rachel Anne
Wegner, Jane R
Brady, Nancy
Gatts, Julie
Speech therapy
Special education
assessment
augmentative alternative
communciation
methods
school
speech language pathology
This study assessed the procedures and methods of AAC assessments in the school setting and roles of speech-language pathologists in this process. A survey entitled “AAC Assessment Procedures in the Schools: A National Survey” was hosted online. Speech-language pathologists’ participation was solicited with assistance from state speech-language pathology organizations, various speech-language pathology Facebook groups, online community boards, and personal contacts of the researcher. A total of 109 individuals participated in this survey and provided demographic information, information about their involvement in the AAC assessment process in the school, information about the AAC assessment, their proficiency and experience with AAC, as well as the results of AAC assessments in their schools. The data from the survey revealed that less than half of speech-language pathologists working in the schools conduct AAC assessments. Participants reported that most assessments involve a team of individuals assessing the student for AAC. In addition, many participants reported that use of various systematic frameworks and tools to guide the AAC assessment process. Clinical implications for speech-language pathologists working in an educational setting include the need for speech-language pathologists to have the appropriate knowledge and skills required to provide AAC services. These speech-language pathologists especially need to be current in their knowledge of AAC systems as well as research pertaining to AAC.
2018-01-30T02:58:42Z
2018-01-30T02:58:42Z
2018-01-30T02:58:42Z
2017-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15207
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/25798
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/313612021-03-05T16:53:01Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Effects of Aided Language Input Intensity on AAC Use
Johnston, Russell Scott
Wegner, Jane
Wegner, Jane
Brady, Nancy
Smith, Sean
Warren, Steve
Kurth, Jennifer
Speech therapy
Aided language input
Assistive technology
Augmentative and alternative communication
Communication
Complex communication needs
Aided forms of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) enable individuals with significant disabilities to interact with people in their environment and be active participants in their lives. However, the provision of an AAC system is not enough and requires both general and focused systematic instruction to build language and communication skills in those who rely on aided forms of AAC. While interventions are often comprised of multiple strategies, aided language input is known to be of paramount importance. Prior research related to aided language input has varied considerably in how frequently it has been provided to participants. Three school-aged boys participated in the study (Mage = 8.5; age range = 6.8-10.8 years). One participant had a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, one had a diagnosis of Down syndrome, and one participant had diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, and an intellectual disability. Two of the three participants came from monolingual households, and one participant came from a bilingual household where English and Spanish were spoken. Information was collected during pre-intervention using parent questionnaires, Rowland’s Communication Matrix (Rowland & Fried, 2010), and modified standardized testing using the Test of Auditory Comprehension of Language 4th edition (Carrow-Woolfolk, 2014). Information was collected during intervention sessions through direct observation of AAC device use, number of different words used, as well as overall changes to communication. To determine effect sizes and statistical significance, Actual and Linear Interpolated values and a randomization test were calculated for (a) AAC use by participants, (b) number of different words used by participants, and (c) overall use of AAC/speech/sign. Post-intervention information was collected via parent questionnaire using Rowland’s Communication Matrix and re-administration of Test of Auditory Comprehension of Language 4th edition. Utilizing an alternating treatments design consisting of low-intensity and high-intensity conditions, this study investigated the effects that aided language input had on (a) the number of device activations produced by the participants, (b) the number of different words/pre-stored messages used by the participants, and (c) concurrent changes in communication and language. There were no statistically significant differences between the low and high intensity conditions on the number of device activations, the number of different words used, or on communication through all modalities. However, progress was made for each participant. This progress was different for each participant. One participant had improved scores on the receptive language test the Test of Auditory Comprehension of Language 4th edition. Another participant had an increasing trend in how much they used their device as well as an increasing trend in how many different words they utilized, while another participant demonstrated an increased number of words produced verbally, increased mean length of utterance in words, and by improved scores on parent report measures. These findings provide further evidence of the overall benefits that aided language input provides to children who use AAC and the different effects of aided language input on participants with different communication skills and profiles. Clinical implications and future research directions are provided.
2021-02-07T20:03:25Z
2021-02-07T20:03:25Z
2021-02-07T20:03:25Z
2019-08-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:16755
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/31361
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/64062020-08-03T12:58:24Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Improving the Social Communication Competence of Augmentative and Alternative Communication Users
Wright, Sandra
Wegner, Jane
Catts, Hugh
Auer, Ed
Wehmeyer, Michael
Daniels, Debora B.
Health sciences
Speech pathology
Special education
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
Communication
Competence
Social
A repeated measures design was used to investigate the effect of group intervention on the teaching of partner-focused questions to people who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and the perceived communicative competence before and after intervention of the AAC users. Six participants who had severe speech impairments participated in the study. They ranged in age from 18 to 49 years, had a developmental disability with the absence of a social disability, and used a range of AAC systems. The intervention sessions were conducted in a dyad format with two AAC users, and were conducted in one-hour sessions over four consecutive weeks. Four out of the six participants increased the number of partner-focused questions used from pre-intervention to post-intervention. Members of the general public, blind to the goal of this study, judged the majority of the participants to be more communicatively competent after intervention.
2010-07-25T21:50:29Z
2010-07-25T21:50:29Z
2010-07-25T21:50:29Z
2010-04-21
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:10768
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/6406
EN
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/300742021-03-05T16:54:48Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Does the Timing of Feedback Given to New Coders of the Communication Complexity Scale Affect Coding Reliability Scores?
Belzer, Dani
Brady, Nancy
Daniels, Debora
Bridges, Mindy
Speech therapy
The Communication Complexity Scale (CCS) helps quantify communicative behaviors demonstrated by children and adults with disabilities (Brady et al., 2012 & Brady et al., 2018a). When individuals are asked to learn the CCS coding system, they are led through the CCS online training system comprised of instructional modules and independent coding of gold standard videos. Upon completion of scoring, coders receive their scores in comparison to the gold standard scores as well as feedback depicting the reasoning for the score choice. Achieving high reliability is essential for new coders; thus, the feedback provided should be adequate to assist with refining scoring errors. The current study recruited participants to complete the instructional modules and code three gold standard videos according to the CCS protocol. Eight participants were randomly assigned to either the control group or experimental group. The control group completed all tasks as currently arranged by the CCS online training system. In contrast, the experimental group received more frequent feedback on the treatment condition tasks (i.e., two gold standard videos). Then, the experimental group received the same feedback timing as the control group on the follow-up task (i.e., one gold standard video). After the study was completed, the results were calculated via the Mann Whitney U test to determine if any statistically significant changes were appreciated. No statistically significant changes between the two groups were noted; although, descriptively, members of the experimental group showed higher reliability on some of the treatment conditions and follow-up tasks. Participants in the experimental group indicated a preference for receiving feedback more frequently to assist with scoring accuracy.
2020-03-16T20:36:34Z
2020-03-16T20:36:34Z
2020-03-16T20:36:34Z
2019-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:16460
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/30074
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/258072018-01-31T23:29:56Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Early Predictors of Later Language Ability in Children with Fragile X Syndrome
Fielding, Heather Virginia Lan
Warren, Steven F
Rice, Mabel
Fiorentino, Robert
Developmental psychology
Autism
Fragile X Syndrome
Language Development
The predictive ability of early language skills on later expressive language was examined in children with Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) and children with FXS with co-morbid autism. Children were visited in their homes and mother-child interactions were videotaped, coded and transcribed behavior-by-behavior. Females with FXS were higher performing than males with FXS, and both were higher performing than males and females with FXS and autism. Early language ability and autism symptomatology were predictive of later productive vocabulary size. These findings provide further evidence for differences in language ability based on sex and autism status in children with FXS.
2018-01-30T03:12:11Z
2018-01-30T03:12:11Z
2018-01-30T03:12:11Z
2017-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15266
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/25807
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/145882018-01-31T20:08:06Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
A Look at Employment for Adults Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Muller, Kristen Elizabeth
Brady, Nancy C
Wegner, Jane R
Daniels, Debby B
Speech therapy
Special education
Assistive technology
Augmentative and alternative communication
Complex communication needs
Employment
This research study examined employment for adults who use augmentative and alternate communication (AAC). A self-compiled, 54-question survey was created using SurveyMonkey and disseminated via listservs and social media. Participants included twelve adults, between the ages of 23 and 65, who used AAC to communicate and were employed. All participants lived in the United States and had been diagnosed with neurological and/or developmental disabilities. Information was gathered in the following areas: (a) demographics, (b) AAC systems used in the workplace, (c) the job-search process, (d) on-the-job training, (e) barriers to employment, and (f) supports required for employment. Based on the findings of this study, the most common barriers to employment for these individuals include educational barriers, AAC system barriers, job-finding barriers, job-training barriers, negative societal attitudes, funding and benefits barriers, and transportation barriers. Supports used in the workplace include AAC, transportation, personal care assistants for activities of daily living, computer modifications, desk/location modifications, flex time, telecommuting, personal assistant/job coach who helps complete work-related tasks, and frequent breaks in work tasks.
2014-07-05T17:57:22Z
2014-07-05T17:57:22Z
2014-07-05T17:57:22Z
2014-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:13290
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/14588
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/183982018-01-31T20:07:49Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Effects of Neighborhood Density and Noise on Children's Word Learning
Han, Min Kyung
Storkel, Holly L
Brady, Nancy C
Johnson, Tiffany A
Loeb, Diane F
Vitevitch, Michael
Speech therapy
Neighborhood Density
Noise
Word Learning
Studies show that words are organized with similarity neighborhoods based on similar sound structure. Some words have many similar sounding words, while others have few. The number of neighbors a word has is called neighborhood density, which is known to influence word learning. Specifically, words with few neighbors are learned more accurately early in training perhaps because these words play a role in triggering the learning of a novel word. In contrast, words with many neighbors are learned more accurately later in training and post training perhaps because these words play a role in the construction of a new lexical representation in long-term memory and in the connection of the newly constructed lexical representation with existing representations (Storkel, Armbrüster, & Hogan, 2006; Storkel, Bontempor, Aschenbrenner, Maekawa, & Lee, 2013; Storkel & Lee, 2011). However, these findings were obtained in a quiet listening condition, providing little information about the effect of the environment where word learning typically takes place. The goal of this study was to examine whether noise alters the effect of neighborhood density on word learning. Seventy-seven typically developing 4- and 5-year-old preschool children were randomly assigned to one of three listening conditions: 0dB, +6dB, and +15dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Sixteen consonant-vowel-consonant nonword-novel object referent pairs were embedded in two stories for training; neighborhood density for the nonwords varied from low to high. Nonword stimuli and audio narrative scripts for stories were digitally mixed with broadband white noise at 0dB, +6dB, and +15dB SNR. Learning was measured using a picture naming task and a referent identification task. Six cycles of story training-measures of learning were completed with two no training points each after the third and sixth measures of learning. Logistic multi-level modeling (MLM) revealed different patterns of word learning depending on the tasks. Only in the naming task, a significant effect of noise and an interaction between noise and neighborhood density were found at +6dB SNR compared to 0dB SNR. Specifically, results showed that (1) word learning was better at 6dB SNR than 0dB SNR; (2) no significant effect of density was found and this non-significance persisted over time. However, the high density advantage started to emerge at +6dB SNR and +15dB SNR; and (3) the difference between +6dB SNR and 0dB SNR was greater as density increased. In addition, in both naming and referent identification tasks, word learning increased over time with significant forgetting of words in the naming task and a trend of memory consolidation in the referent identification when no training was occurred. These results provide the evidence that word learning declines as listening environment worsen. The results indicate that noise hinders children's ability to use lexical representations, which adversely influences the whole process of word learning (i.e., triggering, configuration, and engagement). The results also imply that high density words are more sensitive to listening condition than low density words. In addition, the naming task that requires more detailed lexical representation is more sensitive to noise than the referent identification task.
2015-09-07T21:35:02Z
2015-09-07T21:35:02Z
2015-09-07T21:35:02Z
2014-12-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:13797
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/18398
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/270172018-10-25T20:40:01Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Impact of Alternative & Augmentative Communication on the Utterance Length of Children with Limited Oral Language
DeBarthe, Gina Marie
Brady, Nancy C
Wegner, Jane
Brumberg, Jonathon
Fey, Marc
Wehymeyer, Michael
Speech therapy
Educational technology
AAC
Alternative
Augmentative
Communication
Language
Children with limited oral language due to developmental and language delays have difficulty with communication in their everyday lives. Their trouble with speech and/or language impacts their ability to socialize with peers and learn in the school setting. Most of the research on alternative and augmentative communication systems and oral language has focused on the language development of children with less than 20 spoken words. The focus of this study is on the use of Alternative and Augmentative Communication Systems to increase oral language for children with limited oral language. Limited oral language is defined as being able to speak more than 20 words and an MLU of 2 or less. These alternative systems aid in expression and comprehension of language through visual and auditory means. Three boys age three to six were enrolled in the study lasting three months per child in an overlapping timeframe. Using a multiple baseline design during a shared book reading experience, the participants were given access to an AAC system. During the first baseline, books were shared with the participants, but only expectant pauses were used. The second baseline condition was the same as the first, except the AAC system was present. Finally, during the intervention phase, this system was modeled and expectant pauses were used. All participants demonstrated an increase in oral language as measured by mean length of utterances. However, since two of the children had high incidences of echolalia, it is difficult to ascertain if this increase was due to imitation or increased spontaneous oral language.
2018-10-24T22:33:55Z
2018-10-24T22:33:55Z
2018-10-24T22:33:55Z
2017-12-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15610
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/27017
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/129302020-10-20T13:05:02Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
The Effect of Electrode Placement on Cochlear Implant Function and Outcomes
Prentiss, Sandra
Ferraro, John A.
Staecker, Hinrich
Ferraro, John
Staecker, Hinrich
Chertoff, Mark E.
Durham, Diane
Kokkinakis, Kostas
Audiology
Cochlear implants
Hearing preservation
Cochlear implants have been an effective treatment for restoring profound sensorineural hearing loss to those who do not benefit from traditional hearing aids. Advances in surgical technique and electrode design allow for preservation of residual hearing. This allows cochlear implant candidacy criteria to expand to those with good low frequency hearing and severe high frequency hearing loss above 1000 Hz with poor speech discrimination. With a less traumatic surgical approach, low frequency hearing can be preserved resulting in combined low frequency auditory perception and mid- to high-frequency electric perception resulting in electro-acoustic stimulation (EAS). Despite the improvements in cochlear implantation, outcomes continue to vary significantly from one user to another. The variance in performance may potentially be due to the placement of the electrode within in the cochlea. This study focused on performance of patients compared to insertion depth, age, pitch perception and electrophysiologic measures. Patients with residual hearing were included and outcome measures were measured via speech perception tests. Radiographic imaging confirmed insertion depth, and the change in pure tone average was compared to this depth. Hearing preservation was further accomplished with two patients who presented with residual mid and high frequency hearing. Custom atraumatic electrodes were inserted, and hearing was preserved across all frequencies. These cases allowed for electric and acoustic pitch matching experiments to be conducted in the same ear providing information on where in the cochlear the implant is actually stimulating. Several pairs along the cochlea were run between electric and acoustic pitches at varying rates of stimulation. Place to pitch mismatch varied depending on the area within the cochlea. Lastly, objective measures were used in attempt to determine the variance in outcomes. Two main contributing factors govern implant performance, 1) the ability of the processor to effectively deliver the electrical signal to the ear, and 2) the patient's ability to process the information. Peripheral mechanisms were analyzed with the electric compound action potential and its amplitude growth function. The slope of the amplitude growth function was measured at the corresponding electrodes and compared to speech discrimination scores. Steeper slopes correlated with increased word understanding abilities. For further insight into the health of the cochlea, age effects were compared to hearing preservation. The pure tone averages were calculated before and after surgery. Pure tone averages following surgery elevated with increased age suggesting that the elderly may be at more risk for loss of residual hearing as compared to the general population.
2014-02-05T15:11:51Z
2014-02-05T15:11:51Z
2014-02-05T15:11:51Z
2013-12-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:13098
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/12930
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/81692020-08-17T13:47:36Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Story Presentation Effects on the Narratives of Preschool Children From Low and Middle Socioeconomic Homes
McConnell, Grace Eileen
Loeb, Diane F
Catts, Hugh W
Daniels, Debora B.
Sereno, Joan A
Gabriele, Alison
Speech therapy
Early childhood education
Narrative
Preschool children
Presentation effects
Socioeconomic status
The purpose of this study was to examine whether preschool children from low and middle socioeconomic (SES) homes differ in their production of fictional story retells under two different presentation conditions. Story retells were elicited from 56 children, 28 from low-SES homes and 28 from mid-SES homes, in northeast Kansas preschools, once with an oral-only story model and once with a picture-supported oral story model. Analyses with mixed design ANOVAs indicated that the groups performed differently on both tasks in terms of inclusion of story grammar units and evaluative information, as well as in terms of lexical complexity. The reduced narrative and lexical complexity was evident in the group of children from low socioeconomic homes. In addition, both groups told more complete stories under the picture-supported presentation of the story model than with the oral-only model in terms of inclusion of story grammar units and evaluative information, as well as lexical complexity. These findings suggest that preschool children are just beginning to acquire knowledge of the essential elements needed for inclusion when telling complete fictional stories and that visual supports are beneficial in making story elements more salient for preschoolers. Implications for curriculum development and future research are discussed.
2011-10-09T04:16:42Z
2011-10-09T04:16:42Z
2011-10-09T04:16:42Z
2011-08-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:11594
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/8169
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/278852019-08-27T18:09:08Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
The Effect of Activating the Medial Olivocochlear Fibers on Cochlear Distortions in Humans
Jamos, Abdulah Mohammad
Ferraro, John A
Chertoff, Mark E
Kaf, Wafaa
Johnson, Tiffany A
Fiorentino, Robert
Audiology
auditory efferent system
cochlear amplifier
cochlear distortions
cochlear microphonic
medial Olivocochlear fibers
Outer hair cells
The function of the medial olivocochlear (MOC) fibers has been investigated extensively in animals, and far less in humans. A possible function of the MOC efferents is protection against loud sounds. The aim of this study is to investigate a potential tool for evaluating the MOC reflex clinically in humans. Cochlear microphonic (CM) and the associated distortions were measured while activating the MOC fibers for an extended period of time. CM was recorded in 16 normal hearing young adults using 500 Hz toneburst at 80 dB nHL. Recording of CM was conducted every three minutes for a time-block of 18-minutes. Four total 18-minute time-blocks were recorded, two without contralateral broadband noise (CBBN) [condition (1)] and two with 50 dB SPL CBBN [condition (2)]. The CM responses were subjected to fast-Fourier transform to obtain the amplitude of the primary frequency (F1=500Hz), and the second (2F1=1000Hz) and the third (3F1=1500Hz) harmonics. A repeated-measures ANOVA was completed on the amplitude of F1, 2F1, and 3F1, and post-hoc analysis was utilized using LSD. There is approximately 21% increase in the F1 amplitude as a result of presenting CBBN, which is significant (p<0.01). There is a significant change in 2F1 (p<0.01) and 3F1 (p<0.01) amplitudes as a result of presenting the CBBN. The current study shows that the activation of the MOC fibers results in enhancement of the CM response. Furthermore, the results show that activation of the MOC fibers causes modulation of 2F1 and 3F1 of the CM response. The resulting changes of the CM distortions are in agreement with the proposed model of adjusting the operating point of the cochlear amplifier as a result of activating the MOC fibers. These results support the use of CM measurement as an objective measure for evaluating the MOC reflex clinically.
2019-05-12T17:56:06Z
2019-05-12T17:56:06Z
2019-05-12T17:56:06Z
2018-05-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:16005
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/27885
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/130012020-10-20T13:58:13Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Executive Function Predicts Artificial Language Learning in Children and Adults
Kapa, Leah Lynn
Colombo, John
Kemper, Susan J
Gabriele, Alison
Greenhoot, Andrea F
Patterson, Meagan M
Developmental psychology
Linguistics
Adults
Artificial language
Executive function
Language learning
Preschool children
Prior research has established an executive function advantage among bilinguals as compared to monolingual peers. These non-linguistic cognitive advantages are largely assumed to result from the experience of managing two linguistic systems. However, the possibility remains that the relationship between bilingualism and executive function is bidirectional such that experience with two languages improves executive functioning, but also, individuals with better executive function skills are improved language learners. The goal of the current studies was to test whether executive function abilities predict novel artificial language learning outcomes among children and adults. An artificial language was used to simulate the processes involved in natural language learning within a controlled laboratory setting. In Study 1, monolingual preschool children's executive function was assessed using the Dimensional Change Card Sort task, a visual Simon task, and the Attention Network Test (ANT). Their performance on these tasks was used to predict their success in acquiring expressive and receptive knowledge of a small artificial language system. Study 2 examined how college-age adults' executive function performance (Wisconsin Card Sort, Simon task, ANT) predicted artificial language learning outcomes. After controlling for working memory and English receptive vocabulary, executive function scores positively predicted children's receptive vocabulary performance and adults' ability to produce labels and sentences in the artificial language system. These findings provide initial evidence suggesting that executive function processes may be employed during the early stages of language learning and support the possibility of a bidirectional relationship between executive function and language acquisition.
2014-02-05T17:02:39Z
2014-02-05T17:02:39Z
2014-02-05T17:02:39Z
2013-12-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:13026
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/13001
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/117222020-10-05T13:33:38Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Sibling Communication and AAC
Jansen, Brittany
Wegner, Jane
Bunce, Betty
Gillispie, Matthew
Speech therapy
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
Communication partner instruction
Siblings
For individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), success of communicative interactions depends in part on the communication skills and interaction styles of their communication partners. In order to enhance the interactions between AAC users and their communication partners, research involving the instruction of communication partners to use interaction strategies that support the communication of AAC users has been completed. To date, there are no studies that include siblings of AAC users as participants in these communication partner instruction programs. In the current study, 2 siblings developing typically participated in a communication partner instruction program where they were taught how to use three communication strategies, aided AAC modeling, pause time, and prompting, with their sibling who uses AAC. Data was collected on the frequency of their strategy use in a game context with their sibling who uses AAC. Results showed that for one sibling the treatment was very effective. For the other sibling, however, the treatment effectiveness was questionable. There are several variables that may have affected these findings and these will be discussed in this paper. Clinical implications of the findings are also discussed.
2013-08-24T22:31:17Z
2013-08-24T22:31:17Z
2013-08-24T22:31:17Z
2013-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:12730
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/11722
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/129962020-10-20T14:14:07Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Assessing two-year-olds' knowledge of number agreement morphology
Blossom, Megan Stratton
Colombo, John
Brady, Nancy
Fiorentino, Robert
Kemper, Susan
Torrence, Harold
Linguistics
Developmental psychology
Grammatical knowledge
Language acquisition
Number agreement
Previous research in the area of children's knowledge of number agreement morphology has yielded mixed results. Some researchers have found evidence for sensitivity to agreement morphology at as early as 16 months, while others report that children do not comprehend number agreement morphology until as late as five or six years old. Studies of children's production of these forms suggest that while children go through a period of optionally using agreement morphemes as part of the Optional Infinitive stage of development, they show productive use of these morphemes at age two. Therefore, some researchers have concluded that this is an area of the grammar where production precedes comprehension. This general pattern of findings has several possible explanations, three of which will be described here. The general goal of the current study was to provide new information to this area of inquiry, with a particular focus on children's comprehension of "is" and "are" as well as plural -s marking on nouns. To address possible methodological issues with picture selection and looking-time studies, a manual search task was used to tap receptive knowledge of these forms. Forty-eight 30- to 36-month-old children were tested on their receptive knowledge if "is," "are," and singular/plural distinctions on nous. Additionally, these children were given multiple assessments of their language production abilities and their non-verbal mental abilities. Results indicated that two-year-olds can comprehend noun morphology indicating number, but failed to show comprehension of "is" and "are." Additionally, when provided with both noun and verb information, the presence of the verb provided no added benefit to the children in terms strengthening their interpretation of the verbal prompts, suggesting that noun information regarding number is sufficient for sentence interpretation in two-year-olds. Analyses of relationships between production abilities and receptive knowledge of verb morphology found no correlations between these sets of variables. These findings contribute new information regarding the development of receptive knowledge of noun agreement morphology, and contribute new data to the ongoing debate regarding the development of sensitivity to and comprehension of verb agreement morphology. Methodological issues are addressed and potential theoretical implications of this work are discussed.
2014-02-05T16:57:26Z
2014-02-05T16:57:26Z
2014-02-05T16:57:26Z
2013-12-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:13045
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/12996
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/219092018-01-31T20:07:51Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Intensive Eye Gaze Training for AAC Access: A Case Study
Walker, Corinne Nicole
Wegner, Jane
Brady, Nancy
Brumberg, Jonathan
Gillispie, Matthew
Speech therapy
Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Cortical Visual Impairment
Eye gaze access
Multiple disabilities
This was a case study investigating intensive eye gaze intervention for accessing an augmentative and alternative communication device. The participant was an individual with cortical visual impairment and other comorbid disorders who had no formal means of communication. The intervention consisted of two phases, the first phase focused on eye gaze intervention programs/training and the second focused on the use of communication software. The participant developed sufficient eye gaze skills to access an eye gaze device for communication.
2016-11-10T23:42:35Zhttps://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/admin/item?administrative-continue=7f28166b5e5b5812177e2c68203d205e5e283329&view_item
2016-11-10T23:42:35Zhttps://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/admin/item?administrative-continue=7f28166b5e5b5812177e2c68203d205e5e283329&view_item
2016-11-10T23:42:35Zhttps://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/admin/item?administrative-continue=7f28166b5e5b5812177e2c68203d205e5e283329&view_item
2016-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:14592
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/21909
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/168412018-01-31T20:08:03Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Evaluating the Feasibility and Effects of the Complexity Account of Treatment Efficacy (CATE) for Joint Attention Intervention with Children with ASD
Becker, Stephanie D.
Fey, Marc E
Daniels, Debora B
Warren, Steven F
Jamison, Rene T
Horn, Eva M
Speech therapy
Early childhood education
autism
intervention
joint attention
Much discussion in recent years has focused on the topic of Joint attention (JA) in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The literature demonstrates the crucial role of JA in developing social-communicative competence in typically developing (TD) children (Meindel & Cannella-Malone, 2011; White et al., 2011). One specific JA skill that has been highlighted in the research is the use of gestural pointing for social purposes (Colonnesi et al., 2010). Children with ASD use few, if any, points to share interest with others about objects and events (Baron-Cohen, 1989; Carpenter et al., 2002). Consequently, deficit in JA pointing is a key early indicator of autism, even for infants as young as 12- months (Werner & Dawson, 2005). JA pointing can be considered a pivotal skill in development given that it predicts long-term language development (Colonnesi et al., 2010). Treatment of JA pointing for children with ASD has been promising (Jones, Carr, & Feeley, 2006; Kasari, Freeman, & Paparella, 2006), although often time intensive (Whalen & Schreibman, 2003). The efficient use of therapy time, especially during the early years, is of vital importance. The focus of this study is to investigate a novel, and hypothetically beneficial, approach to improving the efficiency of treatment focused on JA pointing for children with ASD. This novel approach to JA treatment, referred to as the Complexity Approach to Treatment Efficacy (CATE), is based on treatment efficiency demonstrated in other areas of intervention research (Gierut, Morrisette, Hughes, & Rowland, 1996; Thompson, Shapiro, Kiran, & Sobecks, 2003). In the present study, a hierarchy of non-verbal JA skills is constructed from least to most complex skills. Treatment of the most complex skill is then targeted in therapy to evaluate the feasibility and effects of this approach for children with ASD.
2015-02-25T16:13:30Z
2015-02-25T16:13:30Z
2015-02-25T16:13:30Z
2014-08-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:13508
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/16841
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/263382018-10-29T15:34:06Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Age as a Factor in the Treatment of Late-Acquired Sounds
Krueger, Breanna Irene
Storkel, Holly L
Minai, Utako
Brumberg, Jonathan
Brady, Nancy
Viswanathan, Navin
Speech therapy
age
children
late eight
/r/
speech sound disorders
treatment
The current practice for treating speech sound disorders includes initiating treatment only after the expected age of acquisition has passed, according to developmental normative data. Unfortunately, for children who experience late-acquired sound errors, this practice misses a period of accelerated learning that occurs between the ages of 4-6 (Shriberg, Gruber, & Kwiatkowski, 1994). Instead, this practice causes therapists to initiate treatment for late-acquired sounds during a plateau of learning that occurs between the ages of 6-7 to over 8.5 years (Shriberg et al., 1994). Generally speaking, early intervention is thought to be the most effective in the treatment of developmental communication disorders. Therefore, the present study investigated whether the age of treatment contributed to the efficacy and efficiency of articulation therapy for late-acquired sounds, such as /ɹ/ or / θ /. A repeated, multiple baselines, single-subjects study investigated two age groups who misarticulated late-acquired sounds: a younger group (4-5) and an older group (7-8). These age groups capture each side of the developmental trajectory of speech sound development identified by Shriberg et al. (1994). Each child received a criterion-based, standardized two-phase articulation therapy protocol, and pre- and posttest measurements were taken using speech probes, standardized articulation tests, and acoustic analysis. These measurements allowed for an examination of treatment efficacy through the measurement of both subjective accuracy and objective accuracy as compared with the ages of the children. In addition, treatment efficiency was measured by calculating the number and duration of sessions for each phase, and overall. The results of this study indicated that younger children achieved a level of accuracy similar to that of older children as a result of treatment for late-acquired sounds, and younger children’s slope of treatment accuracy over time was steeper than that of older children, suggesting that younger children were more accurate sooner than older children. For young children, a higher degree of naturalness was observed than for old children, as measured by acoustic analysis. These findings serve as an initial probe to challenge the current method of speech therapy practice for late-acquired sounds.
2018-04-20T22:20:01Z
2018-04-20T22:20:01Z
2018-04-20T22:20:01Z
2017-05-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15317
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/26338
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1349-5992
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/241552018-01-31T20:07:47Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Methionine sulfoxide reductase A provides age-dependent protection from early-onset hearing loss in the mouse cochlea: anatomical study.
Alqudah, Safa Alqudah
Ferraro, John
Peppi, Marcello
Johnsn, Tiffany
Kokkinakis, Kostas
Zhu, Hao
Genetics
Audiology
Microbiology
Aging
Fibrocytes
MsrA
MsrB
Noise exposure
Spiral ganglion neurons
Background: Methionine sulfoxide reductase A (MsrA) protects the biological activity of proteins from oxidative stress damage and fights onset of age-related hearing loss (Alqudah, ARO 2015 and 2016). In the current study we attempted to determine the defect in the protein expression of Msrs in adults MsrA knockout mice and the role of MsrA in preventing loss of the cellular structures from aging. Method: Mid-modiolar sections from cochlea were incubated overnight at room temperature with the primary antibody for MsrA (Abcam, cat# ab16803, diluted 1:100). Next day, the slices were incubated with a biotinylated goat anti-rabbit IgG secondary antibody (Vector, cat # BA-1100 diluted1:400) for 3 h at room temperature, then with a streptavidin Alexa 488 (Thermo Fisher, cat# A20000 diluted1:1000) for 1 h. The stained sections were examined under a fluorescence microscope. For histology analysis, 6-month-old wild-type and MsrA knockout mice were perfused intracardially with a fixative solution containing 2.5% glutaraldehyde and 1.5% paraformaldehyde. Both inner ears were dissected, postfixed in osmium, embedded in Araldite, and sectioned at 20 µm on a microtome. Sections were then mounted on microscope slides and spiral ganglion neurons counted. Results: Although both mutants and controls showed the same staining intensity of the cochlear tissues, there was a clear difference in the immunolabeling of the stained brain sections. This observation suggests a relatively low abundance of MsrA protein within the cochlea. Semiquantitative analysis of plastic sections of cochlea from 6-month old MsrA knockout mice showed loss of cochlear spiral ganglion neurons by 15% in the 16-26 kHz frequencies region, and 60-70% loss of fibrocyte type IV cells when compared to age-matched control mice. Conclusion: In this study, we raise the possibility that MsrA represents one component of the protective mechanism that may be responsible for cochlear protection from aging.
2017-05-15T01:13:30Z
2017-05-15T01:13:30Z
2017-05-15T01:13:30Z
2016-08-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:14845
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/24155
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/219082018-01-31T20:07:51Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Exploring learning potentials of late talking children through a structured dynamic assessment
Voelmle, Krista A.
Storkel, Holly
Fey, Marc
Pedersen, Kris
Colombo, John
Warren, Steve
Speech therapy
Assessment
Early intervention
Late talkers
Learning potentials
Speech
Late talking children have variable language trajectories. Some spontaneously “catch up” with their peers before early school age and some late talking children are later diagnosed with specific language impairments. Currently, there is no way to conclusively predict later language development. Since all of these children score low on static measures of expressive language, it is likely that a dynamic assessment can expose these children’s learning potential, modifiability and readiness to learn. The goal of this research is to construct a preliminary dynamic assessment to identify cues that aid in word learning for late talking children and younger vocabulary-matched typically developing children. Ten 12-18-month-old typically developing children and three 20-30-month-old late talking children who were receiving speech-language pathology services were included in this dynamic assessment. Children were taught four words that varied in phonotactic probability (i.e., the likelihood of occurrence of a sound sequence), neighborhood density (i.e., the number of similar sounding words), and receptive knowledge. Four levels of support were presented to the children (e.g., no support, auditory semantic and phonological cues, visual semantic and phonological cues, and naming/imitation). The children were tested and scored at the end of all the exposures to see if they could name the target object. It was found that both groups produced the same patterns of word learning when given the scaffold of supports. Furthermore, both groups needed more support for words they had no receptive knowledge of than words of which they had previous knowledge, especially for words with low phonotactic probability/neighborhood density. Lastly, auditory phonological and visual semantic cues were more effective than auditory semantic and visual phonological cues for both groups. Taken together, this dynamic assessment shows promise in assessing word learning abilities of toddlers but requires further investigation to determine its effectiveness in differentiating toddlers who will continue to have language learning difficulties from those that will not.
2016-11-10T23:41:26Z
2016-11-10T23:41:26Z
2016-11-10T23:41:26Z
2016-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:14589
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/21908
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/66312020-07-27T13:57:27Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
The Use of a Dynamic Screening of Phonological Awareness to Predict Reading Risk for Kindergarten Students
Bridges, Melinda Sittner
Catts, Hugh
Loeb, Diane F.
Nielsen, Diane
Rice, Mabel L
Storkel, Holly L
Education
Reading
Elementary education
Dynamic assessment
Phonological awareness
Universal screening
Response to intervention has been proposed as a framework for early identification and intervention. In such a framework, all students receive periodic screening (i.e., universal screening) for risk for reading disabilities; those identified as at risk are provided with supplemental intervention. In order for such an approach to be successful, universal screening measures must correctly identify students truly at risk. The purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness and predictive validity of a dynamic screening of phonological awareness. In Study I, the dynamic screening measure was administered to students at the beginning of kindergarten. The results demonstrated that the dynamic screening measure can be administered by school personnel with high reliability. Additionally, the distributional characteristics of the dynamic screening of phonological awareness were compared to those of other phonological awareness measures. Although the dynamic screening measure had a low skewness statistic, many students scored a zero on this measure. However, the other phonological awareness measures showed more of a floor effect. In Study II, a revised dynamic screening measure was administered to two samples of kindergarten students. Results showed the distribution of the dynamic screening measure did not have a floor effect. The predictive validity of the dynamic screening measure was compared to a static measure containing the same test items. The results indicated that the dynamic screening measure significantly improved the prediction of reading outcomes over and above the static measure, suggesting that the dynamic nature of the former contributed to the prediction accuracy. The predictive validity of the dynamic screening measure was also compared to a commonly used phonological awareness screening measure. Results showed that the dynamic screening measure added significantly to the prediction of reading outcomes. Additional analyses examined the use of the dynamic screening measure as a supplemental measure. The findings demonstrated that the dynamic measure reduced the number of false positives, and in some cases, predicted reading outcomes as well as a combination of the two measures. The results of this study provide preliminary support for the usefulness of a dynamic screening of phonological awareness within an RTI framework for kindergarten students.
2010-09-03T03:07:38Z
2010-09-03T03:07:38Z
2010-09-03T03:07:38Z
2009-07-30
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:10494
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/6631
EN
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/313532021-03-05T16:53:56Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Alternative Receptive Language Assessment Modalities and Stimuli for Children with ASD who are Minimally Verbal
Muller, Kristen Elizabeth
Brady, Nancy C
Daniels, Debora
Wegner, Jane
Dozier, Claudia
Fleming, Kandace
Speech therapy
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Children
Minimal Verbal Skills
Receptive Language
There are very few receptive language measures that are appropriate for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who have minimal verbal skills. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate and compare alternative modalities and stimuli used to measure receptive language skills in children with ASD who are minimally verbal. This study systematically compared participants' outcomes on three different receptive language assessment conditions: a picture-based standardized assessment, a touchscreen assessment, and an assessment that used real-object stimuli. A secondary aim of this study was to examine how individual characteristics such as cognition, maladaptive behavior, autism symptomology, and gesture use impact performance on assessment conditions. A tertiary aim involved the use of an intermodal preferential looking paradigm (IPLP) to determine whether eye gaze data may provide additional, implicit information about word comprehension for children with ASD. Twenty-seven students between the ages of 3 and 12 who had minimal verbal skills and a diagnosis of ASD participated in this study. Results from a crossed-random effects model showed that participants’ scores in the real-object assessment condition were significantly higher than in the standardized condition, and marginally higher than scores in the touchscreen assessment. Together, cognition and fine motor skills accounted for 44% of the variance in participants’ scores. IPLP data revealed that participants spent more time looking at target stimuli rather than foil stimuli in 36% of no-response trials. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
2021-02-07T19:35:34Z
2021-02-07T19:35:34Z
2021-02-07T19:35:34Z
2019-08-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:16679
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/31353
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/263332018-04-24T18:31:31Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Bilingual Children’s Performance on Three Nonword Repetition Tasks: The Role of Language Experience and Ability
Huls, Simone Kerstin
Fey, Marc E.
Storkel, Holly L.
Bunce, Betty
Mumy, Ana Paula G.
Gabriele, Alison
Speech therapy
English as a second language
Special education
assessment
bilingual
language impairment
multilingual
nonword repetition
Nonword repetition (NWR) tasks represent one assessment tool for Specific Language Impairment (SLI). The use of such tasks has been established and verified for monolingual children. However, the diagnostic accuracy of NWR tasks for bilingual children has had variable results and must address several unique characteristics of this population. Gaps in research relate to which task characteristics influence task performance. The purpose of the current study was to explore children’s performance on three NWR tasks that differ in design: a norm-referenced task based in English (Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing, Second Edition; CTOPP-2), a “quasi-universal” task based in the sounds most commonly found in the world’s languages (QU), and a “language neutral” (LN) task tailored to Spanish and English speech sounds. The children’s performance on the three tasks was examined in light of their time spent listening to and speaking English and language ability in Spanish and English, as measured by the Bilingual English Spanish Assessment (BESA). Finally, the different versions of the NWR task were compared in terms of which task is most predictive of a performance on the BESA that is indicative of language impairment. Results indicated that the LN task and the CTOPP-2 task performance may have been influenced by a child’s language experience in English. All three tasks were significantly related to the participants’ language ability, as measured on the BESA. Finally, analyzing the data using quantile regression indicated that for all three tasks, the lower quantiles of the BESA Index score (i.e., participants’ language ability) was more strongly related to the performance on the NWR tasks than the BESA performance at higher quantiles. All three tasks hold promise for diagnosing Spanish-English bilingual children with SLI, with the QU task performance showing more independence in terms of language experience. In conclusion, while LN and the CTOPP tasks revealed participants’ performance based on language experience, the QU task is the most promising task for an assessment tool for bilingual children.
2018-04-20T22:12:03Z
2018-04-20T22:12:03Z
2018-04-20T22:12:03Z
2017-05-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15325
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/26333
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/102852020-09-18T13:20:01Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Electrocochleographic Recordings from the Eardrum: Variations and Effects of Electrode Location in Normal Subjects
Alhanada, Mohammad Rfifan
Ferraro, John A.
Chertoff, Mark E.
Ator, Gregory
Diaz, Francisco
Kokkinakis, Kostas
Health sciences
Action potential
Electrocochleography
Sp/ap amplitude ratio
Sp/ap area ratio
Summating potential
Tymptrode
Objectives: The primary goals of this study are to observe the degree of variation of the tymptrode position on the TM and the marker's area size among a population of adult subjects with normal hearing, and to investigate the effects of these variations on the ECochG outcomes. Methods: Normative values were established for ECochG parameters. Tymptrode locations on the TM were detected by observing the gel marker in 50 TM images. 47 ECochGms were recorded for 18 normal hearing subjects. 14 subjects were tested three times and 4 subjects were tested two times. Two parameters were used to measure the location of the tymptrode on the TM: the angle and the length. First, a mixed model was used to investigate if the tymptrode location on the TM and the marker's area size were significantly different every time the same subject was re- tested. Secondly, a mixed regression model was used to investigate if the variations of the tymptrode location on the TM affect the ECochG outcomes when all other parameters were held constant. Results: Results revealed that the angle of the tymptrode location on the TM was significantly different across all the measurements every time the same subject was tested. A mixed regression model results revealed no significant effect of the electrode location or the marker's area size on the SP/AP amplitude ratio. However, there was a significant effect of the angle of the marker on the SP/AP area ratio. Most important, clinically there were no important effects of the tymptrode location variations on the ECochG outcomes. Conclusion: Variations of the tymptrode location on the TM had no clinically significant effects on the outcome of an ECochG exam in normally hearing subjects.
2012-10-28T16:13:34Z
2012-10-28T16:13:34Z
2012-10-28T16:13:34Z
2012-08-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:12384
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/10285
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/143302019-07-26T16:59:12Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_7158col_1808_14138
The Theory of Recapitulation in Child Development
Guise, Carl Conrad
2014-06-24T21:55:08Z
2014-06-24T21:55:08Z
2014-06-24T21:55:08Z
1914
Thesis
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/14330
en
openAccess
This work is in the public domain according to U.S. copyright law and is available for users to copy, use, and redistribute in part or in whole. No known restrictions apply to the work.
The University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/41602020-07-22T12:36:18Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Oral Air Pressure, Nasal Air Flow, and Velopharyngeal Area in the Speech of Young Children
Rauls, Stephanie Marcia
Searl, Jeffrey P.
Carpenter, Mary A
Daniels, Debora B.
Health sciences
Speech pathology
Oral pressure
Nasal flow
Velopharyngeal area
Speech in young children
Velopharyngeal aerodynamics
There are limited data regarding velopharyngeal (VP) aerodynamics for children younger than six years of age. Aerodynamic data can serve as evidence in the decision-making process regarding adequacy of VP function. Data available for older populations support the conclusion that VP aerodynamics do differ across the age ranges. Velopharyngeal aerodynamics from 32 children with typically developing speech were assessed. The purposes of the study were to describe VP aerodynamic measures in preschool-aged children, evaluate variables other than age as influential factors on these measures, describe stability over two recordings sessions, and compare preschool-aged to school-aged children. Findings were that preschool-aged children had VP aerodynamic measures similar to those from school-aged children. Body size measurements of height, weight, head circumference, chest circumference and cross-sectional VP area were not strong correlates to the VP measures. Nasal flow measures were stable over two recordings, but oral pressure was higher at the second recording.
2008-09-15T03:01:28Z
2008-09-15T03:01:28Z
2008-09-15T03:01:28Z
2008-09-02
Thesis
http://dissertations2.umi.com/ku:2532
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/4160
EN
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/280042019-08-27T18:09:09Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Contributions of Phonology and Orthography to Spelling in Children with Dyslexia
KOMESIDOU, ROUZANA
Storkel, Holly L
Brady, Nancy
Viswanathan, Navin
Hoffman, Lesa
Hogan, Tiffany
Education
Dyslexia
Orthography
Phonology
Spelling
Learning to spell is dependent on a child’s ability to simultaneously process phonological (i.e., related to sounds) and orthographic (i.e., related to letters) information. The contributions of phonological and orthographic processes in children with dyslexia have been explored more in reading than in spelling. Evidence from reading research indicates that children with dyslexia tend to rely on relatively preserved orthographic knowledge to compensate for their phonological weaknesses. More studies are needed in spelling, as existing evidence is not clear as to whether phonological and orthographic processes make joint or separate contributions. The present study used phonological and orthographic neighbors (i.e., words differing by a single sound or letter) to examine processing abilities in children with dyslexia and children with typical reading skills. A total of 57 children with dyslexia (grade 4), age-matched typically developing children (grade 4), and reading-level-matched typically developing children (grades 1 and 2) were recruited from elementary schools in Kansas. Participants were asked to spell and read nonwords that varied in the number of phonological and orthographic neighbors (i.e., dense/large neighborhoods vs. sparse/small neighborhoods). Our results revealed that nonwords with many phonological neighbors facilitated spelling and reading performances, whereas nonwords with many orthographic neighbors did not. Performances were similar between children with dyslexia and typical readers. Our findings do not support the idea of orthographic compensation in children with dyslexia and instead, they suggest that children rely more on their phonological knowledge than their orthographic knowledge. We discuss how our findings inform theoretical models of spelling and reading, and how methodological characteristics may explain discrepancies between our study and previous studies.
2019-05-18T19:35:35Z
2019-05-18T19:35:35Z
2019-05-18T19:35:35Z
2018-08-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:16151
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/28004
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/41232020-07-20T14:49:29Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Group Speech Therapy in Individuals With Parkinson Disease: Face-to-Face Versus Telemedicine
Wilson, Kristel Renee
Searl, Jeffrey P.
Jackson, Susan T.
Haring, Karen H
Health sciences
Speech pathology
Group speech therapy
Parkinson's disease
Pd
Telemedicine
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of group speech therapy for individuals with Parkinson Disease (IWPD) in general and to compare outcomes of group treatment delivered face-to-face (FtF) versus delivery via telemedicine (TM). Twenty-seven IWPD received group treatment based on a modified version of LSVT® in either an FtF or TM format. Outcome measures were collected pre- and post-treatment, which included vocal intensity (dB), Voice Handicap Index (VHI) scores, and self-ratings. Results indicated that vocal intensity and self-ratings of loudness significantly increased for both the FtF and TM groups. VHI scores and the five remaining self-ratings were not significantly improved for either group following treatment, although the data on all measures from the FtF group did show improvement. The findings of this study support the short-term effectiveness of FtF and TM group therapy for improving vocal intensity and participant self-ratings of loudness in IWPD.
2008-09-08
2008-09-08
2008-09-08
2008-07-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:2531
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/4123
EN
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/129762020-10-20T14:22:12Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Directive Language Input to Children Born Preterm and Full Term
Imgrund, Caitlin McCormick
Loeb, Diane F
Daniels, Debora B.
Brady, Nancy C.
Speech therapy
Early childhood education
Directive
Interactions
Language
Maternal
Preterm
Responsiveness
The mothers of children born preterm face many challenges in the formation of high-quality dyadic interactions with their children. Because children born preterm are at risk for many neurodevelopmental delays, it is important to study the language input directed to these children and its contribution to their language development. One type of language input commonly used by mothers of young children is directive language input. The purpose of this study was to examine different types of directives, supportive and intrusive, in the language input of mothers of preterm children compared to mothers of full term children. The relationship between the maternal use of intrusive and supportive directives and language outcomes in their children also was examined. Ten mother-child dyads (five preterm and five full term) participated in this study. The children ranged in age between 9-15 months. Mothers of full term children were matched to the preterm sample controlling for child's gender, child's age, and maternal education. Each mother and child dyad participated in a play session using a standard set of toys. The play session was audio- and videotaped. The difference between production of intrusive and supportive directives by mothers of preterm children and mothers of full term children was not statistically significant. However, practical significance, as determined by moderate effect sizes, were evident, with mothers of children born preterm using more intrusive directives than mothers of children born full term. Additionally, it was found that the maternal use of intrusive directives had a strong negative relationship with child language outcomes for the children in the preterm group. The maternal use of intrusive directives may be detrimental to the language acquisition process because they require the child to devote cognitive resources away from the task of language learning and result in less engagement of the child. The clinical implications of the findings are discussed.
2014-02-05T16:30:33Z
2014-02-05T16:30:33Z
2014-02-05T16:30:33Z
2013-12-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:13145
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/12976
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3995-4712
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/224712018-12-13T19:00:19Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
THE USE OF SENTENCE STRUCTURE AND PRAGMATIC CUES IN NOVEL VERB LEARNING: A CROSS-LINGUISTIC STUDY OF MANDARIN CHINESE AND ENGLISH
Liu, Yi Syuan
Storkel, Holly
Rice, Mabel L.
Brady, Nancy C.
Minai, Utako
Li, Yan
Linguistics
Argument omission
Argument structure
Pragmatics
Syntax
Verb learning
As children hear a novel verb in a NOUN-VERB-NOUN (i.e., NVN) structure, they generally infer that the verb is transitive, like the verb “hit” (Naigles, 1990; Yuan, Fisher, & Snedeker, 2012). However, the relationship between sentence structure and a verb’s transitivity status is not straightforward. Particularly, in typologically pro-drop languages, such as Mandarin Chinese, the object in a sentence is often dropped, so that transitive verbs commonly appear in the NOUN-VERB (i.e., NV) structure. Transitive verbs thus appear in variable sentence structures in Mandarin. On the other hand, though English also allows object dropping, object dropping does not occur as frequently and freely as in Mandarin. Discourse studies show that speakers’ uses of object-dropping are closely related to the discourse-pragmatic principle of NEWNESS/OLDNESS, which is linguistically universal. Therefore, this study compared Mandarin-speaking and English-speaking children’s interpretation of a novel verb in an object-dropping context, specifically testing whether children in both language groups could utilize the NEWNESS/OLDNESS cue in the context of object omission, then interpret a verb as still being transitive in the NV structure. Children from both language groups participated in a verb-learning experiment, in which novel verbs were presented in the object-dropping context, an NV-only, and an NVN-only context. After learning the novel verbs, children decided whether the novel verbs were transitive or intransitive. Results suggest that for both language groups, when novel verbs were presented in the object-dropping context (i.e., NVN sentence followed by a NV sentence), children gave more transitive/causative interpretations than when these verbs were presented in the NV-only context. This suggests that children from both language groups used the pragmatic cue of NEWNESS/OLDNESS in the object-omission context. The results also show that across languages, children interpreted a verb as transitive very frequently when it was presented in the NVN-only context, suggesting the universality of the use of the NVN structure cue. In the NV-only context, Mandarin-speaking children were more likely to give a causative interpretation than English-speaking children did. This discrepancy reflects the fact that object dropping is much more common in daily conversations in Mandarin than in English. In sum, this study found that children across languages used the NVN syntactic cue in novel verb learning. English-speaking children used the pragmatic cue of NEWNESS/OLDNESS to learn novel verbs. Mandarin-speaking children most likely did the same.
2017-01-06T03:23:50Z
2017-01-06T03:23:50Z
2017-01-06T03:23:50Z
2016-08-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:14907
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/22471
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/278062020-10-13T13:48:35Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Mapping Chromosomal Loci in Specific Language Impairment: A Pedigree-Focused Approach
Andres, Erin M
Rice, Mabel L
Raza, Muhammad H
Lundquist, Erik A
Genetics
Language
genetic linkage
language phenotypes
linkage analysis
pedigree
reading phenotypes
specific language impairment
Specific language impairment (SLI) is characterized by a delay in the mastery of language despite average or above average nonverbal intelligence (IQ). There are multiple assessments used in practice to measure the language abilities of individuals with SLI. Standardized language assessments in conjunction with a measure of nonverbal IQ are the most crucial for distinguishing individuals with and without SLI in research practice. Studies have found that the incidence of SLI in extended relatives of probands is significantly higher than population matched relatives of controls. The heritability estimates of SLI are higher in MZ twins than DZ twins. Both family and twin studies indicate genetic involvement in the transmission of SLI. Previous genetic studies in SLI have found candidate chromosomal loci on 2q24, 6p21, 10q26, 12p13, 21q, and several candidate genes including TM4SF20, NFXL1, CNTNAP2, KIAA0319, CMIP, and ATP2C2 have been implicated in SLI. However, the causes of SLI are not well understood and investigation may benefit from family-based approaches. The current study approached genetic investigation of SLI one pedigree at a time. We report SLI loci on chromosomes 4q, 3p, 6q, 9q, 10q, 12p, 14q and 15q linked with the omnibus standard score categorical phenotype, indicating genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity of SLI. These findings support the discussion of previous hypotheses that SLI is a polygenic disorder, with multiple loci reported in a few of the families included in this report.
2019-05-07T16:26:27Z
2019-05-07T16:26:27Z
2019-05-07T16:26:27Z
2018-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15883
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/27806
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3331-6728
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/59572020-07-29T15:31:27Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Age-Related Changes in Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials and Dynamic Visual Acuity at Near and Far Distances
Tourtillott, Brandon Michael
Ferraro, John A.
Chertoff, Mark E.
Widen, Judith E.
Kennalley, Teresa
Imig, Thomas J.
Health sciences
Audiology
Rehabilitation and therapy
Age
Blood pressure manometer
Dynamic visual acuity (dva)
Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (vemp)
Vestibulo-ocular reflex
Vestibulocollic reflex
Morphological changes in the vestibular system associated with aging are well documented, but the ability to measure these changes clinically has been limited. Two such tests that have been useful for this purpose are Dynamic Visual Acuity (DVA) and Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (VEMP). DVA is reportedly sub served by the angular vestibulo-ocular reflex (aVOR) for "far" distances (>2 m) and the linear VOR (lVOR) at "near" distances (2 m) and the linear VOR (lVOR) at "near" distances (<1 m). The VEMP also has been shown to be sub served by the linear otolith system. The current study characterized age-related changes in DVA (distance, speed & neck condition) and VEMP in three groups of adults (20-30 yrs, 65-74 yrs, & 75-85 yrs) and analyzed the relationship between the VEMP and DVA. Strength of muscle contraction was monitored by having patients press their heads against a stabilized blood pressure cuff. A significant age-related decline was seen in VEMP amplitude and threshold in the older groups when compared to the younger group, while latency and interamplitude ratios of VEMP components remained consistent across age groups. No gender or ear-related differences were detected in the VEMP responses. There was a significant decline in DVA with speed (0.75 m/s & 1.5 m/s) during "near" (0.5 m) and "far" (3 m) DVA while an interaction between speed and age was seen only in the "near" conditions. There was also a significant decline in DVA with fixed neck condition in the "near" DVA trials. A significant negative correlation between DVA and VEMP was seen in the "near" condition which is consistent with postulated underlying effectors for the VEMP and "near" DVA. Results of this study provide preliminary normative data across age ranges for DVA and VEMP along with evidence that both of these measures can be used to assess age-related changes in vestibular function.
2010-03-18T04:07:01Z
2010-03-18T04:07:01Z
2010-03-18T04:07:01Z
2009-09-03
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:10567
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/5957
EN
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/280072019-08-27T18:09:08Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Intervention Planning for Children who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Exploring the Expert-Novice Gap in Speech-Language Pathologists’ Clinical Reasoning
Meder, Allison Marie
Wegner, Jane
Gillispie, W. Matthew
Brady, Nancy
Storkel, Holly
Patterson, Meagan
Speech therapy
augmentative and alternative communication
clinical reasoning
expert-novice gap
intervention planning
scholarship of teaching and learning
speech-language pathology
Although supporting people who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is included in the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s certification standards, many speech-language pathologists are not competent supporting AAC (Costigan & Light, 2010; Ratcliff & Beukelman, 1995; Ratcliff, Koul, & Lloyd, 2008). The purposes of the study were to (a) inform a working definition of competency in AAC service provision, and (b) describe the bottlenecks to student learning in this area. The expert-novice gap in intervention planning was explored. Eight experts, practicing speech-language pathologists with work activities primarily related to AAC participated, as well as eight novices, speech-language pathology students who had completed their first semester of graduate study, including an AAC course or clinical practicum. Participants completed two think-aloud tasks. They read two case studies of children who used AAC and thought aloud as they developed intervention plans for therapy. Data were qualitatively analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Member checks and peer debriefing validated the accuracy of the findings. Four themes emerged, representing groups of clinical reasoning skills used by both groups: (1) developing intervention plans, (2) measuring and evaluating progress, (3) decision-making, and (4) teaming. Experts and novices used the following clinical reasoning skills similarly: planning activities, selecting or developing materials, planning teaching strategies, selecting targets, collecting data, goal setting, summarizing, interpreting, hypothesizing, and rationalizing. Clinical reasoning differed across groups in selecting treatment style, feature matching, comparing, deferring, seeking outside input, collaborating, and educating others. Novice speech-language pathologists in the study were developing competency in developing intervention plans, measuring and evaluating progress, decision-making, and teaming. Data analysis provided preliminary evidence that novices were developing skills in generating intervention plans, goal setting, collecting data, seeking outside input, and collaborating, but additional implementation data would be useful in triangulating these findings. Novices needed additional knowledge and skills related to feature matching and educating others. It is recommended that educators help novices build a database of prototypes during their graduate programs, so that they can more effectively compare clients and populations of clients and also defer less frequently during practice. Limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.
2019-05-18T19:39:32Z
2019-05-18T19:39:32Z
2019-05-18T19:39:32Z
2018-08-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:16052
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/28007
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/81572020-08-17T13:42:31Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Parallel Activation in Bilingual Phonological Processing
Lee, Su-Yeon
Storkel, Holly L.
Bunce, Betty
Loeb, Diane F.
Fey, Marc
Zhang, Jie
Bilingual education
English as a second language
Bilingual
Parallel activation
Phonological processing
Phonotactic probability
In bilingual language processing, the parallel activation hypothesis suggests that bilinguals activate their two languages simultaneously during language processing. Support for the parallel activation mainly comes from studies of lexical (word-form) processing, with relatively less attention to phonological (sound) processing. According to studies of monolingual phonological processing, phonotactic probability, the likelihood of occurrence of a sound sequence, influences both word recognition and production. Specifically, common sound sequences are recognized and/or produced more quickly and more accurately than rare sound sequences (Edwards, Beckman & Munson, 2004; Vitevitch, Luce, Charles-Luce, & Kemmerer, 1997; Vitevitch & Luce, 1998; 1999). The goal of this research was to examine the influence of phonotactic probability on phonological processing when phonotactic probability was matched (Experiment 1) versus mismatched (Experiment 2) across the bilingual speakers' two languages. In Experiment 1, three groups of children participated: English monolinguals, Korean monolinguals, and Korean-English bilinguals. A same-different task with nonword stimuli was used. The nonwords were matched in phonotactic probability across the two languages (i.e., English-low/Korean-low versus English-high/Korean-high). Results showed that all three groups responded more accurately and quickly to English-high/Korean-high than English-low/Korean-low nonwords. This replicates past findings of the facilitative effects of phonotactic probability for English monolinguals and extends it to Korean monolinguals and Korean-English bilinguals. In Experiment 2, only bilingual children participated in a same-different task with nonword stimuli mismatched in phonotactic probability. Specifically, phonological processing of English-low/Korean-high versus English-high/Korean-low nonwords was examined across two phonetic contexts (i.e., English-phonetic and Korean-phonetic). Phonetic context was based on the speaker who recorded the stimuli (i.e., native English versus native Korean speaker). Results showed a significant interaction between phonotactic probability and phonetic context. In the English-phonetic context, English-low/Korean-high nonwords were responded to more accurately and quickly than English-high/Korean-low nonwords. In contrast, in the Korean-phonetic context, English-high/Korean-low nonwords tended to be responded to more accurately and quickly than English-low/Korean-high nonwords. The results are interpreted as bilinguals encounter competition effects of phonotactic probability on phonological processing when the probability was mismatched across the two languages. This competition effect from mismatched probability suggests the presence of parallel activation of both languages in phonological processing. Combined with the results of Experiment 1, the magnitude of parallel activation was found to vary across the native and non-native languages. Specifically, both facilitation and competition effects were significant in non-native (English) language processing, while the effects were not significant in native (Korean) language processing. Such an asymmetry in the magnitude of parallel activation between the native and non-native languages is consistent with previous findings of parallel activation in bilingual lexical processing. Taken together, the findings of the current study suggest that phonological representations of the two languages are activated simultaneously and language status may be a factor that mediates the magnitude of parallel activation.
2011-10-09T03:51:05Z
2011-10-09T03:51:05Z
2011-10-09T03:51:05Z
2011-08-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:11626
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/8157
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/60082020-07-29T14:52:34Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Phonological Awareness Development of Preschool Children with Cochlear Implants
Ambrose, Sophie Eva
Fey, Marc E.
Catts, Hugh W
Loeb, Diane F.
Thompson, Barbara J
Eisenberg, Laurie S
Roberts, Sally I
Health sciences
Speech pathology
Special education
Developmental psychology
Cochlear implants
Deaf
Early literacy
Emergent literacy
Phonological awareness
Preschool language
Purpose: 1) To assess whether very early access to speech sounds provided by the cochlear implant (CI) enabled children with severe to profound hearing loss to develop age-appropriate phonological awareness abilities during their preschool years. 2) To examine whether preschool-age children with CIs develop age-appropriate skills in speech perception, speech production, general language, receptive vocabulary, and print knowledge; skills that are assumed to provide the foundation for or, minimally, to covary with phonological awareness. 3) To examine which of these factors contribute uniquely to the variance in the phonological awareness abilities of these preschoolers. Method: 24 children ages 36 to 60 months who had been utilizing their CI(s) for a minimum of 18 months (CI group) and 26 normal hearing peers (NH group) were enrolled in this study. Children's phonological awareness, speech perception, speech production, general language, receptive vocabulary, and print knowledge abilities were assessed. Results: Despite mean scores within the typical range, the CI group was outperformed by their NH peers in phonological awareness, speech production, general language, and receptive vocabulary, but not print knowledge. For speech perception, the CI group included significantly more children who demonstrated limited ability on the speech perception measure than did the NH group. These "non-perceiving" children evidenced significantly delayed skills in each area except print knowledge as compared to the perceiving subgroup. In contrast, some of the "perceivers" in the CI group demonstrated skills above the mean of the NH group in each of the skill areas assessed. Regression analyses indicated that for the CI group, speech production did not uniquely predict any significant variance in phonological awareness scores after accounting for general language abilities. The opposite was also true; general language abilities did not uniquely account for any significant variance in phonological awareness scores after consideration of speech production abilities. That is, the variance was shared. For the NH group, speech production abilities did not account for any significant variance in phonological awareness scores. However, general language scores accounted for significant variance in phonological awareness abilities for the NH group.
2010-03-18T13:35:08Z
2010-03-18T13:35:08Z
2010-03-18T13:35:08Z
2009-12-04
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:10589
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/6008
EN
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/122442020-10-09T13:38:11Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
THE EFFECT OF CONTRALATERAL PURE TONES ON THE COMPOUND ACTION POTENTIAL IN HUMANS
Najem, Fadi Jamil
Ferraro, John A.
Chertoff, Mark E.
Johnson, Tiffany A
Kokkinakis, Kostas
Kaf, Wafaa
Wick, Jo
Audiology
Compound action potential
Efferent system
Electrocochleography
Medial olivocochlear bundle
Outer hair cells
Suppression
The compound action potential (CAP) has been suggested in the literature as an alternative to otoacoustic emissions (OAE) for evaluating the efferent auditory system, and is thought to overcome some of the drawbacks associated with OAE. However, very few studies have examined efferent influence on auditory nerve potentials in humans. To help address this need, the present study examines the effects of contralateral pure tones on the CAP onset and offset amplitudes. The general goal of this research is to assess the value of using the CAP as a potential clinical tool for the assessment of efferent auditory function. The CAP was recorded from the tympanic membranes (TM) of 18 normally-hearing young adults (10 males and 8 females) using three different stimuli: broadband clicks, 1 kHz, and 4 kHz tone pips. The signal level was either midway between CAP threshold and saturation, or at the minimum signal level that revealed a reliable CAP. Contralateral tones were presented at levels ranging from 20 to 70 dB HL in 10 dB steps. The frequencies of the contralateral tones were .5, 1, 2, 4, 8 kHz for the click CAP; .5, 1, 2 kHz for the 1 kHz CAP; and 2, 4, 8 kHz for the 4 kHz CAP. Results showed that maximum suppression of 1 kHz CAP onset amplitude was obtained in 7 out of 9 participants by the 1 kHz contralateral pure tone at 40 dB HL (.07 ìV ± .02). The 4 kHz CAP onset amplitude was maximally suppressed in 8 out of 9 participants by the 8 kHz contralateral pure tone at 30 dB HL (.07ìV ± .02). The click CAP offset amplitude was maximally suppressed in 4 out of 8 participants by the 8 kHz contralateral tone presented at 40 dB HL (.17 ìV ± .05). These results along with previous studies suggest that the efferent system is maximally stimulated by moderate signal level tones (i.e. 30 - 40 dB HL), and that the efferent activity is dependent on frequency cues of both the stimulus and suppressor tones. Other factors that might be affecting the efferent influence on CAP such as sound duration, phase, bandwidth, and periodicity need to be further investigated in humans using noninvasive techniques. The long term goal of this research is to lead to the development of more effective clinical tools for investigating the efferent auditory system.
2013-09-29T16:30:19Z
2013-09-29T16:30:19Z
2013-09-29T16:30:19Z
2013-08-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:12926
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/12244
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/279092019-08-27T18:09:09Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Preservice Education in Augmentative and Alternative Communication: An Update
DeJarnette, Kate
Wegner, Jane R
Meehan, Stephanie L
Brady, Nancy
Speech therapy
Communication
AAC
Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Preservice Education
Speech-Language Pathology
This study assessed the characteristics of preservice education in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) graduate programs in speech-language pathology. A survey entitled “Preservice Education in AAC: An Update” was hosted online via Qualtrics software. Participation was solicited via email using contact information from graduate program websites. A total of 85 program directors, department chairs, clinical directors, and faculty members responded to the survey and provided information describing the characteristics of the graduate programs with which they are affiliated. Data from this survey revealed that there has been a general trend towards an increase in the number of graduate programs that offer coursework in AAC, the number of graduate students who are receiving knowledge and skills in AAC, and the number of students who obtain clinical clock hours in AAC. However, results indicate that some graduate programs in speech-language pathology continue to face barriers in providing comprehensive preservice education in AAC. Specifically, some of these barriers include: limited funding, lack of faculty members with expertise in AAC, access to AAC systems and technologies, and time constraints.. Implications for graduate programs in speech-language pathology include a need to utilize creative problem-solving to overcome barriers in providing preservice education in AAC to its students. Suggestions of possible solutions to overcome these barriers include: a) building relationships with local AAC vendor representatives to create opportunities for long-term AAC system loans, opportunities for community-based student observations, and demonstrations of AAC competencies, b) utilizing technology and virtual meetings to collaborate with other graduate programs in speech-language pathology with a strong foundation in AAC, and c) using telepractice to provide intervention services to individuals with complex communication needs who would not otherwise have access to AAC services.
2019-05-12T18:57:55Z
2019-05-12T18:57:55Z
2019-05-12T18:57:55Z
2018-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15866
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/27909
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/117232020-09-30T13:43:40Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
The effects of a facilitated online blog on the quality of communication life of adolescents and young adults with autism specrum disorders
Holyfield, Christine
Wegner, Jane
Wegner, Jane
Bunce, Betty
Gillispie, Matthew
Speech therapy
Special education
Autism
Blogs
Intervention
Quality of life
Social communication
Technology
The quality of life, specifically the quality of communication life, of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is lower than those with no disability or with physical disabilities. This disparity stems from barriers including social isolation and reduced social communication skills for individuals with ASD. Speech-language pathologists should work to eliminate this discrepancy because of the interest individuals with ASD have in communicating as well as the scope of practice and code of ethics outlined for the profession. In the current study, the effect of an online blog facilitated by graduate student speech-language pathologists on the quality of communication life of 6 adolescents (ages14 -22 years) was examined. No increase in quality of communication life was found when comparing scores on the Quality of Communication Life scale pre- and post-intervention. Some more descriptive data suggests that participants enjoyed the blog and the blog allowed for an increase in participants' social interaction.
2013-08-24T22:33:05Z
2013-08-24T22:33:05Z
2013-08-24T22:33:05Z
2013-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:12685
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/11723
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/98542020-07-13T13:00:07Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
The Effects of Vestibular Stimulation Rate and Magnitude of Acceleration on Central Pattern Generation for Chest-Wall Kinematics in Preterm Infants.
Zimmerman, Emily
Barlow, Steven M.
Auer, Edward T.
Brady, Nancy C.
Chertoff, Mark E.
Cheney, Paul D.
Speech therapy
Neurosciences
Feeding skills
Length of stay
Preterm infants
Respiration
Respiratory central pattern generator
Vestibular
The vestibular system of the fetus is responsive to accelerations in utero by 25 weeks gestational age (Hooker, 1969). However, the restrictive environment of the crib/isolette in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and decreased positional changes limits vestibular experience and associated neural activity among preterm infants. This project was developed to test a set of hypotheses concerning the role of vestibular inputs on respiratory and oromotor systems during suck and early feeding development in preterm infants. Linear acceleration of the vestibular otoliths was achieved using a customized glider chair, the VestibuGlide System, developed in the Communication Neuroscience Laboratories at the University of Kansas. The VestibuGlide system features an integrated position-servo motor and a digital controller to generate physiologically appropriate sinusoidal displacements of the glider chair in the horizontal plane at specified rates (.5, .65, .8, .95 Hz) and accelerations (.21, .36, and .51 m/s2). It was hypothesized that providing this type of input to the vestibular apparatus will modify the central patterning of chest wall motion, and secondarily may alter suck and feed development during a critical period of brain development. Twelve preterm infants (7F/5M, birth GA 32; 6, BW 1927g) were recruited from the NICU at Stormont-Vail Regional Hospital in Topeka. Each infant received the 15 minute gliding protocol starting at 32 wks PMA, 3x/day before a scheduled feed for 10 days. Infants were fitted with two soft cloth Respitrace¢â inductance bands around the rib cage and abdomen to measure respiratory rate. The gliding protocol alternates between baseline and stimulus conditions every minute. During baseline conditions, the glider chair was stationary. Respiration, suck dynamics, and pulse-oximetry were recorded and monitored throughout the study. On average, infants received 24 VestibuGlide sessions. Stimulus condition had a significant effect for the in rib cage [F (7, 77) = 25.53, p < 0.01] and abdominal [F (7, 77) = 23.60, p < 0.01] breaths per minute (BPM). In general, infants increased their respiratory rate in response to the VestibuGlide stimulus. Stimulus number 7 provided the highest acceleration to the infant and induced significantly higher BPM than stimuli 1, 4, and 5 for the rib cage and stimuli 1 and 4 for the abdomen. It is clear that acceleration has the largest influence over the respiratory central pattern generator (rCPG) and is capable of inducing significant changes in chest wall kinematics. In spite of the increases in BPM during vestibular stimulation, infants maintained stable oxygen saturation (SpO2) and pulse rate throughout the VestibuGlide study. In fact, stimulus condition had a significant effect on SpO2, F (7, 77) = 2.57, p <.05. Infants had higher SpO2 during stimulus conditions 3, 4, and 6 compared to baseline conditions; however, after a Bonferroni-correction these differences could not reach statistical significance. Infants are able to modify their respiratory rate in response to vestibular stimulus while maintaining their SpO2and pulse. All infants were offered a Soothie¢â pacifier during each VestibuGlide session. Vestibular stimulation had no effect on NNS development. Oral feeds were measured in days to achieve ¡Ã90% oral feed for two consecutive days. A daily oral feed percentage was calculated across the eight daily feeds for all infants in the study and was compared to a cohort of 12 untreated preterm infants matched for birth GA (n=12, 7F/5M, GA 33; 2, BW 1950g) from an ongoing NIH trial underway in the mentor¡¯s laboratory (NIH R01 DC003311, Barlow-PI) recruited from Stormont-Vail Healthcare NICU in Topeka, KS and Overland Park Regional Medical Center NICU in Overland Park, KS. ANOVA revealed no difference in the oral feed growth slopes between the VestibuGlide treated infants and the control infants: F (1, 22) = .25, p =.625. On average, VestibuGlide infants advanced their oral feeds at 8.17% per day; whereas, control infants advanced their oral feeds at 9.47% per day. The length of stay in the NICU was measured from the admission date (birth date) to the discharge date for all infants in the VestibuGlide study and 15 untreated preterm control infants matched for birth GA (n=15 8F/7M, GA 32; 5, BW 1888g). ANOVA revealed a significant difference between the two groups F (1, 26) = 4.82, p=.03. The VestibuGlide group discharged from the hospital 9 days sooner than the control infants resulting in a substantial reduction in hospitalization costs (~$31,500/infant). Overall, vestibular stimulation delivered to the preterm infant between 32 and 34 weeks PMA effectively modulates respiratory rate and resets the rCPG.
2012-06-03T20:51:39Z
2012-06-03T20:51:39Z
2012-06-03T20:51:39Z
2011-08-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:11370
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/9854
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/44342018-01-31T20:08:02Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Semantic Processing in Children with Reading Comprehension Deficits
Gillispie, William Matthew
Catts, Hugh
Bunce, Betty
Fey, Marc
Simpson, Greg
Vitevitch, Michael S
Health sciences
Speech pathology
Cognitive psychology
Education
Reading
Contextual enhancement
Reaction time
Semantic processing
Single word shadowing
Specific reading comprehension deficit
Suppression
This investigation compared the semantic processing abilities of fourth-grade children with specific reading comprehension deficit (SRCD) to a chronological-age matched control group (4NR) and a younger, reading comprehension matched control group (2NR) on a single word shadowing task. During this experimental task, the children were expected to listen to a sentence and repeat the final word (cued by a change in speaker voice) of the sentence as fast and as accurately as possible. There were two experimental conditions: 1) a high cloze probability sentence condition in which the final word of the sentence or target word was semantically related to the sentence prime and 2) a low cloze probability sentence condition in which the target word was semantically anomalous to the sentence prime. All three groups of children displayed higher contextual effects in the high cloze probability condition compared to the low cloze probability condition. However, children with SRCD did not perform significantly different than controls in either experimental condition. These findings provide evidence of contextual enhancement within the single-word shadowing task, even for children with SRCD, and are discussed within the context of a semantic processing deficit theory in children with SRCD.
2009-03-23T03:40:03Z
2009-03-23T03:40:03Z
2009-03-23T03:40:03Z
2008-01-01
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:10117
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/4434
EN
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/278682019-08-27T18:10:28Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Communication Disorders Among Persons Experiencing Homelessness
Alexander, Erin
Wegner, Jane
Mumy, Ana Paula
Gatts, Julie
Speech therapy
communication
disorders
homeless
homelessness
The purpose of this exploratory research study was to describe communication disorders among the population of persons experiencing homelessness (PEH). PEH are at increased risk for a variety of health impairments that can result in communication disorders., There has been minimal research on the prevalence and impact of communication disorders among this population. This research study involved a survey completed by staff members at organizations serving individuals experiencing homelessness. The survey included questions about the characteristics of communication disorders among PEH and the impact of communication disorders on the social and occupational functioning of PEH. The results of the survey indicate that the vast majority of respondents worked with PEH with communication disorders and that respondents viewed communication disorders as a major barrier to the social and occupational functioning of PEH. Results of this research study indicate a need and an opportunity for collaboration between speech language pathologists and organizations that serve PEH.
2019-05-12T17:30:37Z
2019-05-12T17:30:37Z
2019-05-12T17:30:37Z
2018-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15803
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/27868
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/59952020-07-29T13:36:14Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
The Interface between the Lexicon and Finiteness Marking in Specific Language Impairment
Hoover, Jill R.
Storkel, Holly L
Rice, Mabel
Warren, Steven
Horn, Eva
Fiorentino, Robert
Health sciences
Speech pathology
Language
Linguistics
Finiteness marking
Grammatical development
Language impairment
Morphosyntax
Neighborhood density
Specific language impairment
Inconsistent omission of finiteness markers is a clinical marker for Specific Language Impairment (SLI). A similar pattern of omission is observed during normal development. Potential limiting factors during this stage of variability are not well understood. This research considered lexical representations, indexed by neighborhood density, as one limiting factor. Study 1 examined the effect of density on variable production of a finiteness marker by 4- and 5-year olds with SLI and by typically developing 3-year olds. The results showed that density was a limiting factor for typically developing children, but not for children with SLI. Study 2 examined the effect of density on finiteness growth in a learning task by children with SLI. Results showed differences in growth for children exposed to dense and sparse verbs. The combined results suggest that lexical representations interact with finiteness to differentially impact production and growth. Differences in density effects across groups are discussed.
2010-03-18T05:01:10Z
2010-03-18T05:01:10Z
2010-03-18T05:01:10Z
2009-12-14
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:10654
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/5995
EN
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/129502020-10-21T13:28:49Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Influence of Misarticulation on Preschoolers' Word Recognition
Krueger, Breanna Irene
Storkel, Holly L.
Daniels, Debora B.
Brumberg, Jonathan S.
Language
Linguistics
Developmental psychology
Child phonology
Development
Speech error
Speech perception
Substitution
Word recognition
Previous research has shown that children are sensitive to speech variability in dialect and accent, and can extract information about the speaker. Misarticulated speech is a form of variability that children encounter in social situations with peers. Children are sensitive to the changes found in accented speech, but their perception of misarticulated speech has not been studied. If children do not understand misarticulated speech from their peers, they may experience a decrease in incidental word learning from peers and a reduced quality of social interactions. The purpose of the present study is to investigate if children are sensitive to misarticulations in speech, and if their ability to identify words containing misarticulated speech is affected by the speech sound substitutions being common or uncommon in children's developmental phonology. Twenty preschoolers heard minimal triplets of words that were canonical productions (e.g., leaf), productions with common substitutes (e.g weaf), and productions with uncommon substitutes (e.g. yeaf). A forced-choice paradigm required children to click on either a real picture or a novel, anomalous picture after hearing each token. Children's mouse movements, selections and reaction times were recorded and analyzed to determine if there is a difference in response between canonical productions and those containing substitutions. Children selected more real objects pictures when they heard a canonical production than a misarticulated production. Reaction time and area under the curve were negatively impacted in substitution conditions. Among the misarticulated productions, children selected more real objects when they heard a production containing a common substitute than when they heard an uncommon substitute, but reaction time and area under the curve were not significantly different. These findings suggest that children's word recognition is facilitated by their experience with words, which supports an exemplar model of the lexicon. Children are sensitive to substitution types that they have experience with, but this recognition comes at a cost to processing which may affect their overall understanding of rapid speech.
2014-02-05T15:56:31Z
2014-02-05T15:56:31Z
2014-02-05T15:56:31Z
2013-12-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:13172
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/12950
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/64102020-08-03T15:04:55Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Relationship between Bilirubin and Auditory Function in Premature Neonates
Bargen, Gabriel Anne
Ferraro, John A.
Widen, Judith E.
Johnson, Tiffany A
Mayo, Matthew S
Parimi, Prabhu
Health sciences
Audiology
Auditory brainstem response
Auditory function
Distortion product otoacoustic emissions
Hyperbilirubin
Infants
Premature
Research has shown hyperbilirubinemia is more prevalent in preterm infants than in term infants. Hyperbilirubin is toxic to the central nervous system and may cause neurological impairments in newborns with the most consistent impairment being auditory dysfunction. However, national guidelines are needed which address bilirubin levels in premature infants. The study objective was to determine the relationship between bilirubin levels and auditory function in preterm infants. The auditory brainstem response (ABR) and distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) were prospectively investigated in premature infants while monitoring total serum bilirubin (TSB) levels. Ten subjects with mean gestational age of 31.5 weeks and mean peak-TSB of 7.91 mg/dL were enrolled. The posthoc peak-TSB to birth weight ratio placed all subjects in the control group. Spearman's correlation coefficient indicated no significant correlation between peak-TSB levels and auditory function. Further research with hyperbilirubinemia subjects is needed to determine when preterm infants' auditory function is affected.
2010-07-25T21:57:19Z
2010-07-25T21:57:19Z
2010-07-25T21:57:19Z
2010-01-01
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:10775
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/6410
EN
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/300972021-03-05T16:54:48Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
The Feasibility of Language-Literacy Instruction Facilitated by Preschool Classroom Volunteers
Schmitt, Jacqueline Grace
Gillispie, Matthew
Bridges, Melinda
Storkel, Holly
Speech therapy
Reading instruction
Teacher education
language
literacy
preschool
storybook reading
volunteer
This pretest-posttest study examined the effects of a professional development training on five volunteer instructors’ (VI) utilization of language and literacy facilitation strategies within interactive storybook readings with low-income preschool children. The training specifically targeted the VIs' use of WH-questions, expansions, and references to story grammar elements (SGEs) with use of a corresponding visual aid. VIs participated in a three-hour training comprised of lecture, video models, role-playing, four opportunities to explicitly practice the target strategies, and four opportunities to receive immediate feedback from the investigator. The VIs led storybook readings that were video recorded for comparison prior to and after the training sessions (two pre-training, two post-training). The investigator analyzed the VIs’ language and literacy strategy usage in the readings. The investigator compared the raw number of WH-questions asked, expansions of child responses or comments, the number of references (out of 20) to SGEs and use of the visual aid pre- and post-training. Analysis revealed after the training, four of the five VIs increased the number of WH-questions asked during the reading and one VI maintained a large amount of questions asked when compared to pre-training readings. All VIs provided an increased number of references to story grammar elements (character, setting, problem, fixing problem, solution) in a variety of capacities (name, definition, book specific element, visual aid use) to reinforce the narrative concepts. VIs had less consistent increases in expansions of child responses or comments post-training. Results revealed the VIs generally increased their facilitation of language and literacy strategies after participating in a professional development training, suggesting utilization of volunteers as instructors may be a valuable area to explore, especially in low-income environments where children are at-risk for language and literacy delays in later schooling.
2020-03-21T18:38:04Z
2020-03-21T18:38:04Z
2020-03-21T18:38:04Z
2019-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:16487
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/30097
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/77242020-08-06T14:10:11Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
PERIORAL BIOMECHANICS, KINEMATICS, AND ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE
Chu, Shin Ying
Barlow, Steven M.
Auer, Edward T.
Brady, Nancy C.
Searl, Jeffrey P
Vitevitch, Michael S
Speech therapy
Biomechanics
Electrophysiology
Labial kinematics
Parkinson's disease
Perioral biomechanics
Speech
This investigation quantitatively characterized the orofacial biomechanics, labial kinematics, and associated electromyography (EMG) patterns in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) as a function of anti-PD medication state. Passive perioral stiffness, a clinical correlate of rigidity, was sampled using a face-referenced OroSTIFF system in 10 mildly diagnosed PD and 10 age/sex-matched control elderly. Labial movement amplitudes and velocities were evaluated using a 4-dimensional computerized motion capture system. Associated perioral EMG patterns were sampled to examine the characteristics of perioral muscles and compensatory muscular activation patterns during repetitive syllable productions. This study identified several trends that reflect various characteristics of perioral system differences between PD and control subjects: 1. The presence of high tonic EMG patterns after administration of dopaminergic treatment indicated an up-regulation of the central mechanism, which may serve to regulate orofacial postural control. 2. Multilevel regression modeling showed greater perioral stiffness in PD subjects, confirming the clinical correlate of rigidity in these patients. 3. Similar to the clinical symptoms in the upper and lower limb, a reduction of range of motion (hypokinesia) and velocity (bradykinesia) was evident in the PD orofacial system. Administration of dopaminergic treatment improved hypokinesia and bradykinesia. 4. A significant correlation was found between perioral stiffness and the range of labial movement, indicating these two symptoms may result in part from a common neural substrate. 5. As speech rate increased, PD speakers down-scaled movement amplitude and velocity compared to the control subjects, reflecting a compensatory mechanism to maintain target speech rates. 6. EMG from orbicularis oris inferior (OOIm) and depressor labii inferioris (DLIm) muscles revealed a limited range of muscle activation level in PD speakers, reflecting the underlying changes in motor unit firing behavior due to basal ganglia dysfunction. The results of this investigation provided a quantitative description of the perioral stiffness, labial kinematics, and EMG patterns in PD speakers. These findings indicate that perioral stiffness may provide clinicians a quantitative biomechanical correlate to medication response, movement aberrations, and EMG compensatory patterns in PD. The utilization of these objective assessments will be helpful in diagnosing, assessing, and monitoring the progression of PD to examine the efficacy of pharmacological, neurosurgical, and behavioral interventions.
2011-07-04T17:43:50Z
2011-07-04T17:43:50Z
2011-07-04T17:43:50Z
2010-11-21
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:11211
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/7724
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3558-0477
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/258262018-01-31T23:29:56Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Extension of School Augmentative and Alternative Communication Services to Home: A National Survey
Sanders, Hannah Kay
Wegner, Jane R
Pedersen, Kristin L. G.
Gillispie, Matthew
Speech therapy
AAC
Home
Parents
School
This study examined support parents were given by school personnel after their school-aged child received a speech-generating device (SGD) to communicate. The study investigated whether parents received support and if so, the nature of the support. The study also explored the type of support parents would like to have received. An online survey was created. This survey was distributed through a variety of organizations that focus on supporting families with children with disabilities. A total of 19 parents responded to the survey in its entirety and provided information on support. A majority of parents were offered support after their child received an SGD. This support most frequently came from a speech-language pathologist who most often had also completed the assessment. Support was most often provided during an in-person meeting, which the parents reported as having worked well. The most common area of support provided was help with navigating the SGD; however, the areas parents desired more information about included customization of the language software, technical support, and support in terms of increasing the child’s use of the SGD. Clinical implications for speech-language pathologists include the importance of seeking information from families about the support they would like in terms of the SGD. This includes providing the support in the mode of the communication that is most beneficial for the family. Each family may have different needs, which should be considered in order for the SGD to successfully transition from school to home.
2018-01-30T03:42:24Z
2018-01-30T03:42:24Z
2018-01-30T03:42:24Z
2017-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15238
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/25826
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/263362018-04-24T18:38:19Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Compliance, Pain Experience, and Outcomes from Dysphagia Exercises in Individuals with Oropharyngeal Cancer with Latent Dysphagia
Knollhoff, Stephanie Marcia
Searl, Jeff
Daniels, Debra B
Jackson, Susan T
Lominska, Christopher
Moqbel, Murad
Speech therapy
Oncology
dysphagia
dysphagia exercises
head and neck cancer
latent dysphagia
oropharyngeal cancer
swallowing
Background: Several studies in the past ten years support the use of dysphagia exercises before and during RT as a means of reducing swallowing difficulty in people with head and neck cancer (HNC) prompting widespread change in the standard of clinical care that now emphasizes such intervention. However, latent dysphagia (i.e., dysphagia that occurs three months or more after completion of oncologic treatment) is still common. Three studies have focused on exercises to treat latent dysphagia, each with mixed results but sharing two common problems: poor compliance and heterogeneous participant groups. The purpose of this study was to address both of these issues while describing the outcomes and individual experience of completing a four-week exercise program targeted at improving latent dysphagia. Methods: Twelve individuals who received radiation therapy (RT) for base of tongue (BOT) tumors and who were experiencing latent dysphagia completed an exercise protocol, consisting of four oral and swallowing exercises completed five times per day, seven days per week, for four weeks. Lingual strength, lingual endurance, swallowing related quality of life (QOL) via the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI), oral pain, and sense of effort pre- and post-exercise completion were analyzed. Compliance to the exercise protocol was also described and quantified. Results: Participants completed 78.9% of prescribed exercise sessions, on average, with moderate-strong compliance reported by 75% of participants. Lingual strength and lingual endurance were not statistically significantly different from pre- to post-exercise completion, but lingual endurance did have a medium effect size. A statistically significant change and a large effect size were demonstrated between pre- and post- MDADI emotional subscale scores. Three of the remaining MDADI scores (composite, global subscale, physical subscale) did not have a statistically significant change but the composite score had a large effect size and the global and physical scores had medium effect sizes. The functional subscale of the MDADI did not have statistically significant change and had a small effect size. Participants reported essentially no pain or change in sense of effort associated with completing the exercises at any of the data collection intervals before, during or after the exercise protocol. Conclusions: Four weeks of oral and swallowing exercises by adults with BOT cancer who had latent dysphagia after RT did not significantly improve tongue strength or endurance but did improve dysphagia related QOL in the emotional domain. Medium to large effect sizes despite non-statistically significant differences for three of the other dysphagia QOL scores and lingual endurance suggest that further investigation of the exercise regimen is prudent.
2018-04-20T22:17:03Z
2018-04-20T22:17:03Z
2018-04-20T22:17:03Z
2017-05-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15104
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/26336
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/277892019-08-27T18:09:08Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
A national survey: Teacher identification of specific language impairment
Girolamo, Teresa M.
Rice, Mabel L
Warren, Steven
Minai, Utako
Language
Speech therapy
Teacher education
language impairment
special education
specific language impairment
speech language pathology
speech therapy
teacher identification
This survey investigated the identification of specific language impairment by public school teachers nationwide. It examined to what extent teachers are able to identify and provide treatment for children with specific language impairment. Previous research suggests that special education teachers may differ from general education teachers in their ability to identify and provide treatment for student needs. Participants were public school teachers, both general education and special education, who taught from pre-K through age 21 nationwide. Their demographics were consistent with public school teachers nationwide. Participants completed an anonymous survey with questions on demographics, educational role, and educational practice. Crucially, participants responded to six case studies of students, each with a unique profile of specific language impairment. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Results showed that while teachers were attuned to the students’ differences in the case studies, they struggled to identify the children’s language needs. There were no differences between general education and special education teachers. Implications of these findings and future directions for research are offered.
2019-05-07T15:22:02Z
2019-05-07T15:22:02Z
2019-05-07T15:22:02Z
2017-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15077
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/27789
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/129942020-10-21T13:47:36Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Auditory Responses in Normal-Hearing, Noise-Exposed Ears
Stamper, Greta
Johnson, Tiffany A
Chertoff, Mark E.
Ferraro, John
Peppi, Marcello
Wick, Jo
Audiology
Auditory brainstem response
Distortion-product otoacoustic emissions
Hearing loss
Noise exposure
Recent investigations in animal ears have described temporary noise-induced hearing loss with permanent deafferentation for up to 50% of auditory nerve fibers in the high-frequency region of the cochlea (Kujawa and Liberman, 2009; Lin et al., 2011, Furman et al., 2013). Although thresholds remained normal, evidence of the deafferentation was apparent in reduced wave I auditory brainstem response (ABR) amplitudes for high-level stimuli. It is unknown if the same phenomenon exists in the human ear. The goal of this research project was to characterize cochlear and auditory nerve function in human ears with normal behavioral thresholds that are regularly and voluntarily exposed to high levels of noise. Data were collected from 30 normal-hearing subjects with different voluntary noise-exposure backgrounds. Auditory function was assessed across a range of stimulus levels via the ABR and distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). ABRs were collected in response to 1 and 4 kHz tone bursts and a click stimulus. DPOAEs were assessed at 1, 2 and 4 kHz. Significantly smaller amplitudes were seen in wave I of the ABR in response to high-level (e.g., 70 to 90 dB nHL) click and 4 kHz tone bursts in ears with greater noise-exposure backgrounds. There were no statistically significant differences in supra-threshold DPOAE level across ears with different noise-exposure histories. These findings are consistent with data from previous work completed in animals where the reduction in high-level wave I ABR responses was a result of deafferentation of high-threshold/low-spontaneous rate auditory nerve fibers. These data suggest a similar mechanism may be operating in human ears following exposure to high sound levels. Furthermore, data from the present study suggest noise-induced auditory damage in normal-hearing ears is only apparent when examining supra-threshold ABR responses.
2014-02-05T16:54:54Z
2014-02-05T16:54:54Z
2014-02-05T16:54:54Z
2013-12-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:13121
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/12994
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/279262019-08-27T18:10:28Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Perspectives of Families and School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists on the Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) Experience
Leatherman, Elizabeth
Wegner, Jane R
Gatts, Julie
Gillispie, Matthew
Speech therapy
Special education
Communication
augmentative and alternative communication
family
family-centered services
perspectives
speech generating devices
speech-language pathologist
This study compared the perspectives of pair-matched school-based speech language pathologists (SLPs) and families of students who use speech-generating devices (SGDs). Data was collected via an online survey that gathered information related to six domains: the assessment process, the support provided by the SLP, the student’s goals, the family and SLP’s knowledge and perceptions of the SGD, the student’s use of the SGD, and family-centered services. Thirteen pairs of SLPs and parents responded to the survey. Their responses were compared to calculate percent agreement within each pair. An additional 31 SLPs and 9 parents, who did not create pairs, also completed the survey. Their responses were analyzed separately. Results revealed that there was an overall high level of agreement within pairs, indicating parents and SLPs had similar views on the AAC experience. However, responses from unpaired SLPs and family members were variable. In particular, parents who responded whose SLP did not, reported having very different views from their child’s SLP and indicated overall dissatisfaction with the services their child received from the SLP. Clinical implications for SLPs include seeking continuing education opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills in the areas of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and family-centered services. There is a need for professionals to provide family-centered services, particularly by understanding family’s preferences for support, as well as the family’s priorities for their child’s communication. Furthermore, the need for SLPs to train other professionals in the school setting to support students who use AAC is also discussed.
2019-05-12T19:17:28Z
2019-05-12T19:17:28Z
2019-05-12T19:17:28Z
2018-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15939
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/27926
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/258232018-01-31T23:29:56Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Word Learning in Children with Specific Language Impairment: Influence of Child and Word Characteristics
Pezold, Mollee
Storkel, Holly L
Brady, Nancy C
Pedersen, Kristin
Rice, Mabel L
Speech therapy
developmental language disorder
interactive book reading
specific language impairment
vocabulary
word learning
Children with specific language impairment (SLI) have significantly poorer word learning ability than their same-age peers. It is not clear exactly where in the process of learning a new word these children struggle, but literature from experimental studies suggests that children’s abilities in other areas and characteristics of the words themselves play a role. This study examined the influence of child characteristics (fast-mapping ability, phonological working memory, semantics, and language ability) and word characteristics (phonotactic probability, neighborhood density, and part of speech) on word learning outcomes in a clinical trial. Thirteen kindergarten children with SLI were taught vocabulary words through an interactive book reading treatment. Results showed that children who performed better on tasks of fast mapping and answering questions after listening to a short story generally learned more words following the treatment. Words from sparser phonological neighborhoods were generally learned by more children. Possible modifications to the treatment based on these findings are discussed.
2018-01-30T03:37:20Z
2018-01-30T03:37:20Z
2018-01-30T03:37:20Z
2017-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15206
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/25823
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/223922018-01-31T20:07:48Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
The Impact of Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises on Vocal Function in Singers: Straw Phonation vs. Lip Trill
Dargin, Troy Clifford
Searl, Jeffrey P
Kokkinakis, Kostas
Viswanathan, Navin
DeLaunay, Anne
Stephens, John
Speech therapy
Music
Music education
lip trill
Semi occluded vocal tract
singing
straw phonation
vocology
voice
Singing and acting teachers have used semi-occluded vocal tract exercises (SOVTs) for many years to help elicit easier and more efficient vocal production. There is limited research on SOVTs and the application to singers. Straw phonation and lip trills are two of the more common SOVTs utilized. The purpose of this study was to assess the outcomes from lip trill versus straw phonation exercises with adult singers. The study is designed to assess whether lip trill produces as much change as that induced by straw phonation. The primary outcome measures were singing voice-related quality of life as measured by the Singing Voice Handicap Index (SVHI), singer’s perceived physical functioning of their voice as indexed by the Evaluation of the Ability to Sing Easily (EASE), and auditory-perceptual ratings of overall voice quality on the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V). There were fourteen professionally trained singers in two groups, straw phonation and lip trill. They completed 21 days of exercise with either straw phonation or lip trill completed four times a day in five minute increments spread across the day. They had one meeting a week for a total of three meetings with study personnel who reviewed their completion of the exercises. A 2 x 2 (Time: Pre- vs. Post-exercise; Group: straw phonation vs. lip trill) analysis of variance revealed a statistically significant main effect of Time but not Group for ratings of the physical functioning of the voice (EASE). The interaction effect was not significant. The direction of the change on the EASE indicated a perceived improvement in physical functioning of the voice after completing SOVT exercises. The main and interaction effects for the SVHI were not significant. Ratings from the CAPE-V had unacceptable listener reliability so analysis was not performed on these data. The results suggested that EASE scores improved after three weeks of an SOVT, and there was no difference between the two SOVT groups. Additional study is required to determine optimal dosing and to further explore the acoustic and physiological changes that coincide with the self-rated changes in physical functioning of the voice.
2017-01-03T04:26:12Z
2017-01-03T04:26:12Z
2017-01-03T04:26:12Z
2016-08-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:14827
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/22392
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/106642018-01-31T20:08:10Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
SECONDARY CLASSROOM VOCABULARY: DATA FROM TYPICALLY DEVELOPING STUDENTS
McKim Thomas, Sarah Summer
Wegner, Jane
Bunce, Betty
Gillispie, Matthew
Speech therapy
Special education
Secondary education
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
Education
Inclusion
Secondary
Vocabulary
Students who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) need access to specific vocabulary to participate fully in general education classrooms. To date, there is no research on the vocabulary used in secondary level classrooms. In this study, the vocabulary used by 39 naturally speaking students in 5 secondary level general education classrooms was recorded and analyzed. Teacher vocabulary predictions for each class were collected and compared to recorded vocabulary use. Number of different words used, use of core vs. fringe vocabulary, and teacher prediction abilities varied widely according to several variables including instructional format, subject area, and grade level. Findings suggest higher lexical diversity in non-lecture-based classes and a higher proportion of fringe vocabulary use in social studies courses. More effective teacher prediction appears to be correlated with inclusion of non-curricular fringe terms and use of non-lecture-based instructional formats. These findings illustrate the fact AAC vocabulary use in secondary classrooms is complex and influenced by numerous factors, and the exact nature of these relationships may be clarified by further research. Teacher prediction appears to be a more effective vocabulary selection method for non-lecture-based classes, though further research is needed to confirm this finding.
2013-01-20T16:46:58Z
2013-01-20T16:46:58Z
2013-01-20T16:46:58Z
2012-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:12156
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/10664
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/260132018-07-27T16:13:45Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Expressive Language in Preschoolers Born Preterm: Results of Language Sample Analysis and Standardized Assessment
Imgrund, Caitlin McCormick
Loeb, Diane
Storkel, Holly
Daniels, Debora
Brady, Nancy
Cheatham, Gregory
Speech therapy
Special education
Language
Language
Language disorder
Language Sample Analysis
Preschool
Preterm
Standardized Assessment
Children born preterm constitute one of the largest populations of children at risk for the development of language impairments. A little over one in ten pregnancies result in a preterm birth and approximately 25% of these children go on to experience subsequent difficulties with language (CDC, 2015; Foster-Cohen, Friesen, Champion, & Woodward, 2010). Despite the high risk for language deficits in this population, few studies have investigated the conversational language skills of these children. In particular, the objective of this study was to investigate the grammatical and semantic skills of children born preterm via language sample analysis. A second aim of the study was to determine the relationship between conversational language skills and the results of standardized assessment of language in this population and investigate the role that non-linguistic factors such as attention and non-verbal intelligence play in standardized assessment results. Twenty-nine preschoolers born preterm and a comparison group of 29 full term peers participated in this study. The children in the preterm group performed more poorly than the full term group on measures of conversational semantic and grammatical skills obtained from language sample analysis. In contrast, the two groups performed similarly on all but one of the measures obtained from standardized assessments. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
2018-02-19T03:16:07Z
2018-02-19T03:16:07Z
2018-02-19T03:16:07Z
2017-08-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15514
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/26013
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3995-4712
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/129682020-10-20T13:54:01Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Learning to Read Chinese: The Relative Roles of Phonological Awareness and Morphological Awareness
Chan, Yi-Chih
Catts, Hugh W.
Kemper, Susan J.
Catts, Hugh W.
Kemper, Susan J.
Pye, Clifton L.
Storkel, Holly L.
Zhang, Jie
Linguistics
Experimental psychology
Reading instruction
Chinese reading
Morphological awareness
Phonetic racial
Phonological awareness
Semantic radical
Phonological awareness and morphological awareness have been shown to affect Chinese children's reading development. Previous studies conducted in Hong Kong, which required children to read two-character words only or a mixture of single-character and two-character words in a Chinese reading test, exclusively found that morphological awareness was more important than phonological awareness in Chinese reading. The studies conducted in China and Taiwan, which measured Chinese reading only at the single-character level, revealed that morphological awareness and phonological awareness both had their unique contributions to Chinese reading. One possible reason for these somewhat inconsistent results may lie in the fact that reading two-character words presumably involves the analysis of morphological structures, which is rarely engaged in single-character reading. To address the inconsistency in previous findings, the present study aims to separately examine single-character reading and two-character reading among Chinese children in Taiwan, and how phonological awareness and morphological awareness affect the two aspects of Chinese reading. In addition, phonetic radical awareness and semantic radical awareness are also important in learning to read Chinese and theoretically can be fostered by phonological awareness and morphological awareness, respectively. Given this, radical awareness could possibly mediate the relationship between phonological awareness/morphological awareness and Chinese reading. This mediation issue is also investigated in the present study. In this study, a total of 109 monolingual Chinese third graders in Taiwan were administered a battery of tests measuring phonological awareness (onset-rime awareness), morphological awareness (homophone awareness and morphological construction), phonetic radical awareness, semantic radical awareness, vocabulary knowledge, and abilities of single-character and two-character reading. A series of multiple regression analyses and path analyses were conducted to analyze the data. It was found that morphological awareness played a greater role than phonological awareness in both single-character and two-character reading. In addition, phonetic radical awareness completely mediated the relationship between phonological awareness and single-character reading, whereas semantic radical awareness only partially mediated the relationship between morphological awareness and two-character reading. The results are explained from the linguistic, orthographic and developmental perspectives.
2014-02-05T16:21:23Z
2014-02-05T16:21:23Z
2014-02-05T16:21:23Z
2013-12-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:13162
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/12968
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/106762018-01-31T20:08:10Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Mobile Media Devices and Communication Applications as a Form of Augmentative and Alternative Communication: An Assessment of Family Wants, Needs, and Preferences
Meder, Allison
Wegner, Jane
Gillispie, Matthew
Pedersen, Kristin LG
Speech therapy
Educational technology
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
Communication applications
Families
Idevice
Mobile media technology
Speech-language pathology
This study assessed the wants, needs, and preferences of families at various stages of the decision-making process relative to mobile media technology as a form of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). A survey entitled "iDevices, AAC, and Families: A Survey of Needs" was hosted online. Families' participation was solicited with help from organizations that support individuals with communication disabilities at national, state, and local levels. A total of 64 parents and caregivers responded to the survey and provided information about supporting their child using an iDevice and communication application(s) as an AAC system. The data revealed that the majority of families want information and support from professionals throughout the decision-making process. In particular, families wanted information about how to use the AAC device and the support of professionals knowledgeable about AAC. The families reported ease of use and affordability as the two most influential characteristics in the purchase of both iDevices and communication applications, and they wanted support to help the AAC device meet their child's individual needs. Families cited speech-language pathologists as the professional preferred to support both their child and themselves. Clinical implications for speech-language pathologists who support children who use AAC and their families include the need to embrace and recognize their role as speech-language pathologists in the consumer access model for mobile media AAC technology. This includes providing knowledge and support during and before and after the families' purchase. There is a need for professionals to keep family priorities in mind, which often include ease of use and affordability, while also focusing on device feature matching to meet the child's communication needs. Speech-language pathologists are encouraged to actively participate in mobile media AAC technology assessment and intervention.
2013-01-20T17:21:11Z
2013-01-20T17:21:11Z
2013-01-20T17:21:11Z
2012-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:11989
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/10676
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/45442018-01-31T20:08:02Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Phonological development in toddlers with Down syndrome and mixed-etiology developmental delays
Sokol, Shari Baron
Fey, Marc E.
Warren, Steven F
Brady, Nancy C.
Storkel, Holly L
Jongman, Allard
Health sciences
Speech pathology
Child development
Down syndrome
Phonology
Speech development
Consonant inventory and syllable complexity measures were taken at two points from 50 children with developmental delays. Twenty-six children had Down syndrome (DS). Canonical and noncanonical words and utterances, and the initial- and final-consonant inventory were coded during two 15-minute videotaped conversational samples with a parent at two points in time, 18 months apart. For all measures at Time 1 (age ~25 months), the children with DS performed equally well or better than their peers without DS. The reverse was true for all measures at Time 2 (~ 43 months). Phonological skills in young children with DS are delayed beyond the level predictable by mental age during early lexical development. A clear relationship between slow phonological growth and slow lexical growth at the period of "first word" acquisition was established for children with DS.
2009-05-08T22:37:28Z
2009-05-08T22:37:28Z
2009-05-08T22:37:28Z
2008-01-01
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:10070
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/4544
EN
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/295552021-03-05T19:09:48Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Noise Exposure, Self-Reported Speech-in-Noise Percpetion, and the Auditory Brainstem Response in Normal-Hearing Human Ears
Go, Nikki
Johnson, Tiffany A
Ferraro, John
Chertoff, Mark
Viswanathan, Navin
Wick, Jo
Audiology
Noise Exposure
Normal Hearing
Speech-in-Noise Perception
Difficulty understanding speech-in-noise (SIN) is a common complaint among many listeners. There is emerging evidence that noise exposure is associated with difficulties in speech discrimination and temporal processing despite normal audiometric thresholds. At present, evidence linking temporary noise-induced hearing loss and selective loss of low spontaneous rate fibers in human ears is limited and inconsistent. Likewise, results of SIN measures in relation to noise-induced cochlear synaptopathy varied across studies. The goals of this study are to further our understanding of the effects of noise exposure on the auditory system and to investigate novel approaches for detecting early noise-induced auditory damage. Data were collected from 30 normal-hearing subjects (18-35 years old) with varying amounts of noise exposure. Auditory brainstem responses (ABR) were recorded to both a click (measure of auditory nerve function) and speech stimulus (/da/; measure of temporal processing). The speech hearing subscale of the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) was also administered to quantify individual self-reported SIN abilities. The data resulted in mixed findings. Overall click-ABR wave I results provided no evidence for noise-induced synaptopathy in this cohort. However, differences in the wave I amplitude between males and females were observed suggesting noise effects may vary between sexes. Transient components of the speech-ABR showed no evidence of neural slowing but revealed enhanced neural responses in individuals with greater amounts of noise exposure. This later finding may be a manifestation of either musical training or increased central neural gain as a result of pathology. Lastly, individuals with greater amounts of noise exposure reported experiencing more difficulties hearing SIN (as per the SSQ) but ABR data did not show the predicted physiologic evidence to explain the self-perceived SIN deficit.
2019-09-06T19:58:29Z
2019-09-06T19:58:29Z
2019-09-06T19:58:29Z
2018-08-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:16112
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/29555
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5041-535X
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/269382018-10-25T20:01:48Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
ANOW RESPONSE RECORDED VIA ELECTROCOCHLEOGRAPHY IN NORMAL HEARING ADULTS
Almohammad, Hana Ahmad Ibrahim
Ferraro, John
Chertoff, Mark
Diaz, Francisco
Brumberg, Jonathan
Kokkinakis, Kostas
Health sciences
Audiology
ANOW
cochlear microphonics
electrocochleography
low frequency hearing
phase locking
Currently, there is no objective hearing measure used clinically that reliably assesses low frequency hearing thresholds (below a 1000 Hz or so). A new measure, the auditory nerve overlapped waveform response (ANOW), holds promise for providing more accurate assessment of low frequency hearing thresholds than currently used objective measures. However, ANOW recordings reported in the literature have been limited primarily to animal studies. This project aims to understand the nature of the ANOW response that is recorded non-invasively from humans. Three within session repeated recordings of the ANOW response using two low frequency TB stimuli (250 Hz and 500 Hz TBs) presented at 7 stimulus intensity levels were obtained from the tympanic membranes of normal hearing adult participants. ANOW’s absolute amplitude, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and phase locking value (PLV) measures were used in the analysis. Results revealed significantly stronger phase locking to the stimulus for 250 Hz TB stimulus compared to 500 Hz TB stimulus. Statistically significant effect of the stimulus intensity on all three measures of the ANOW response was revealed for both TB stimuli. Test retest reliability of the ANOW’s amplitude was the highest amongst the three measures, but was dependent on the stimulus intensity level. Unlike SNR measure, PLV measure is not dependent on the amplitude. The deviation from the standard approach of the PLV computation and manipulating the frequency of the TB stimulus may have biased PLV measures and affected test retest repeatability of PLV measures. Hence, developing a technique that would more accurately estimate phase synchronization between ANOW response and stimulus may reveal a new ANOW measure that is reliable across wide range of stimulus intensity levels.
2018-10-22T22:22:27Z
2018-10-22T22:22:27Z
2018-10-22T22:22:27Z
2016-12-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15018
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/26938
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/279612019-08-27T18:10:28Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
A Feasibility Study of Shared Storybook Reading in a Sibling Dyad
Doyne, EIizabeth
Gillispie, William M
Daniels, Debby
Storkel, Holly
Language
Speech therapy
Reading instruction
Dialogic Reading
Interactive Storybook Reading
Shared Storybook Reading
Sibling
Siblings
Training
This study investigates a) the whether an older sibling can learn and use interactive story book reading strategies (ISBR) with their younger sibling and b) the benefits and challenges of an older sibling engaged in ISBR with a younger sibling. A single sibling dyad was observed during 8 storybook readings to assess usage of interventions. After a 4-week intervention period, the older sibling increased usage of ISBR strategies. Additionally, book readings were longer in all post-intervention sessions than pre-intervention sessions. Researcher’s observations indicated that the older sibling learned information about the book and passed this information to the younger sibling. However, the older sibling struggled to attend to several reading sessions. Results confirm that ISBR training programs can elicit implementation of ISBR strategies in sibling-led interactions.
2019-05-18T18:25:31Z
2019-05-18T18:25:31Z
2019-05-18T18:25:31Z
2018-08-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:16148
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/27961
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/218812018-01-31T20:07:51Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Early Home Literacy Practices of the Prairie Band Potawatomi People
Nelson-Strouts, Kelley Elizabeth
Gillispie, William M
Bunce, Betty
Brady, Nancy
Speech therapy
Native American studies
Reading instruction
Book reading
Culturally Responsive Teaching
Early Literacy
Native American
Storytelling
Home experiential differences theory suggest Native American (NA) students face unfamiliar customs when attempting to navigate U.S. public schools, which places them at a disadvantage for academic success compared to their peers. Such disadvantages are evident through their overrepresentation in special education programs, their low performance on grade-level achievement tests, and their considerable high school drop out rates. The theory further suggest if the mismatch between school and home cultures could be alleviated, NA students might then be able to demonstrate their true academic abilities at school. To accomplish this, though, significantly more information needs to be collected on the specific home practices of NA students. As experiences with early literacy have been found to have positive effects on later academic outcomes, it was believed that a look into such practices would be most informative. The purpose of this study, then, was to investigate potential home environmental differences in the area of early literacy for a single tribe of NA students, the Prairie Band Potawatomi. A survey was developed and distributed to primary caretakers of the children that attend Prairie Band Potawatomi’s early childhood center inquiring about the frequency they engage in certain early literacy practices and the cultural relevance of such practices for their families. As mainstream emphasis in early literacy often involves dialogic shared book reading and NA culture historically supports oral storytelling traditions, questions about the significance of these practices were especially emphasized. The results of the study suggest that not only did most respondents report participating in shared book reading and oral storytelling frequently with their children but also supported that characteristics of mainstream book reading were viewed as culturally appropriate. Clinical implications for educators working with this specific tribe are discussed, as well as general directions for future research in this area.
2016-11-10T23:04:26Z
2016-11-10T23:04:26Z
2016-11-10T23:04:26Z
2016-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:14565
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/21881
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/53962020-07-23T13:48:38Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
An Evaluation of the Factors that Influence the Amount of Time and Place of Service Provision in the Schools
Brandel, Jayne Michelle
Frome Loeb, Diane
Daniels, Debora B.
Nielsen, Diane
Storkel, Holly L
Bunce, Betty
Special education
Health sciences
Speech pathology
Cognitive psychology
Communication
Disorders
Dosage
Intensity
Service
Speech
The purpose of this study was to examine factors impacting the amount of time and place school-based Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) provided speech and language intervention. A national survey completed by 1,897 school SLPs indicated that students with severe and moderate disabilities participated in intervention 2-3 times a week for 20-30 minutes in groups outside the classroom. Students with the least severe disability were provided therapy once a week for 20-30 minutes in groups outside the classroom. Analysis using multinomial logistic regression indicated the amount of time was impacted by the SLP's caseload size, their year of graduation and the number of years worked in the schools. For place, the SLP's caseload size and clinical training experiences influenced their selection. These findings suggest that workplace and SLP characteristics impact SLP decisions; whereas, child characteristics did not differentiate time and place of services. Implications for training programs and future research are discussed.
2009-08-07T22:33:16Z
2009-08-07T22:33:16Z
2009-08-07T22:33:16Z
2009-04-29
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:10306
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/5396
EN
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/56532020-07-28T12:54:45Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
LARYNGEAL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION IN MALE-TO-FEMALE TRANSSEXUAL PERSONS: ENDOSCOPIC AND STROBOSCOPIC PRESENTATION
Palmer, Derek
Searl, Jeffrey P.
Daniels, Debora B.
Haring, Karen H
Health sciences
Speech pathology
Laryngoscopy
Male-to-female
Stroboscopy
Transgender
Transsexual
Voice
Data are lacking regarding the physical correlates that accompany the methods used by male-to-female transsexual (MFT) persons to feminize their voices. Visual study of these alterations is needed to better understand the methods used by MFT individuals to feminize their voices and to observe any potentially harmful vocal behaviors in which they may be engaging. Nine MFT individuals who reported having a "passing" female voice were observed endo-/stroboscopically performing several vocal tasks. These examinations were rated for several physical parameters. Audio recordings were simultaneously captured and used in a listening experiment. The results indicated that MFT speakers attempting a more feminine voice often utilized incomplete glottal closure and a more open phase closure ratio. Signs of vocal hyperfunction were observed in all participants. The results of this study provide preliminary evidence of the physical adjustments seen in MFT speakers. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.
2010-01-07T18:12:10Z
2010-01-07T18:12:10Z
2010-01-07T18:12:10Z
2009-07-22
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:10487
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/5653
EN
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/129712020-10-20T14:36:53Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Early Feeding Skills Assessment in Preterm Infants
Williamson, Lindsey R.
Barlow, Steven M.
Loeb, Diane F.
Brady, Nancy C.
Nursing
Speech therapy
Assessment
Oral feeding
Oral stimulation
Preterm infants
Treatment
The objective of this study was to examine oral feeding skill attainment among four different preterm infant groups within the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) using the Early Feeding Skills (EFS) assessment checklist. The newborn groups included preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) or chronic lung disease (CLD), preterm infants of diabetic mothers (IDM), and healthy preterm controls (HI), randomized to a pacifier (SHAM) or pulsatile orocutaneous (PULSED) condition during gavage feeds. Differences in suck-swallow-breathe patterns revealed by the EFS assessment tool were analyzed using mixed modeling and linear regression techniques as a function of orosensory condition. Significant changes in EFS score, adjusted for gestational age and birthweight, were found for EFS days and preterm group. No treatment effect was observed in the EFS score. In general, sicker preterm infants (e.g., RDS, CLD) manifest lower EFS scores as a function of post-menstrual age.
2014-02-05T16:24:39Z
2014-02-05T16:24:39Z
2014-02-05T16:24:39Z
2013-12-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:13147
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/12971
en
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/313462024-01-16T16:42:58Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Evaluating Person-Centered Factors Associated with Brain-Computer Interface Access to a Commercial Augmentative and Alternative Communication Device
Pitt, Kevin Michael
Brumberg, Jonathan
Brumberg, Jonathan
Storkel, Holly
Brady, Nancy
Heidrick, Lindsey
Fiorentino, Robert
Speech therapy
Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Brain Computer Interface
Motor Imagery
P300
Steady State Visual Evoked Potential
Translation
Purpose: Brain-computer interface (BCI) techniques may provide a link between an individual’s neurological activity and communication device control, which circumvents the requirement for individuals to possess a reliable form of physical movement for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device access. However, while BCI technology is rapidly progressing in the laboratory setting, BCI developments are advancing largely without consideration of established AAC best practices, which are crucial for effective clinical implementation of BCI technology. For instance, BCI research largely utilize custom made software and display paradigms and view BCI as a ‘one size fits all’ solution. That BCI is a one size fits all solution contrasts with AAC best practice, which seek to pair an individual to an AAC device that matches their current and future profile, communication needs, and preferences. Therefore, to bring BCI research further in line with existing AAC best practices this dissertation work aims to evaluate initial and recurring person-centered factors associated with learning of motor execution-based BCI switch for accessing a commercial AAC row-column scanning paradigm. Method: Four individuals with a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) completed 12 BCI training sessions in which they made letter selections during an automatic row-column scanning pattern from a 7x5 grid. Neural signals utilized for BCI selection control were generated by motor execution during target letter highlighting. For comparison, three individuals without neurological impairment completed three BCI training sessions. During each session, participants completed approximately 20 minutes of online BCI. To assess person-centered factors associated with BCI performance and longitudinal device learning, participants completed both initial and recurring assessment measures. Initial assessment measures of an individual’s unique profile prior to BCI training included evaluation of neural signals utilized for BCI control (i.e., maximum event related synchronization amplitude (ERS), maximum event related synchronization amplitude minus predicted noise floor, and event related synchronization minus desynchronization difference; ERS-ERD), along with screening of cognitive factors, physical motor abilities, and motor imagery skills via the ALS-Cognitive Behavioral Screen, BCI screener (Pitt & Brumberg, 2018b), ALS-Functional Rating Scale, Bimanual Fine Motor Function, and Manual Ability Classification System. Recurring measures were taken during each BCI training session to evaluate changes associated with longitudinal BCI performance, and included measures of fatigue, motivation, time since last meal, device satisfaction, level of frustration with device control, mental and physical effort, and overall ease of device control. Results: Three out of four participants demonstrated either BCI performance in the range of neurotypical peers, or an improving BCI learning trajectory across sessions. However, while BCI learning trajectories for row-column scanning BCI device were variable both between and within participants for those with ALS, findings indicate that approximately five sessions were needed to generally characterize an individual’s learning trajectory during motor execution-based BCI trials. Regarding participant profiles, cognitive screening revealed that the two participants presenting with a suspicion for cognitive impairment achieved the highest levels of BCI accuracy, with their increased levels of performance being possibly supported by largely unimpaired motor skills. In addition, while scores for the cognitive section of the BCI screener were high, the two participants who did not demonstrate a consistent learning trajectory each missed one point in the area of attention and working memory, and one point in the area of cognitive motor learning and abstract problem solving. As expected, prior to BCI use, the greatest amplitude for each neurophysiological measure was generally associated with the highest levels of BCI accuracy. However, this finding was not consistent across sessions as the participant demonstrating the lowest amplitudes prior to BCI performance presented with the highest amplitudes during BCI control. Furthermore, when evaluating neurophysiological measures across sessions, a significant correlation between left hand peak ERS and BCI performance was identified for one participant. Finally, ERS-ERD measure remained highest for the participant achieving the highest level of BCI accuracy and was significantly correlated to BCI performance for the participant achieving the second highest BCI performance levels. For recurring number scale-based recurring measures: 1) ratings of motivation were high for all participants with ALS. However, motivation ratings significantly decreased across sessions for two participants, 2) while satisfaction ratings were positively correlated to BCI performance for two participants, satisfaction ratings for the other two participants were primarily driven by perceived levels of frustration, and 3) mental effort ratings significantly decreased across sessions for one participant along with improved BCI performance, and overall mental effort ratings showed a moderate negative trend with BCI performance for two participants. Conclusion: Overall findings support that (motor) imagery-based BCI switch access to a commercial AAC row-column scanning paradigm may be feasible for individuals with ALS, and that clinical decisions regarding BCI suitability may be informed through approximately 5 BCI training sessions, when using motor execution as a BCI control strategy. Furthermore, while generalization of findings is limited due to the small sample size, results provide multiple directions to help facilitate BCI’s clinical transition by informing BCI assessment and intervention procedures. Regarding BCI assessment, findings provide early guidelines governing the length of device trials for BCI paradigms based on motor execution, and support 1) ideally beginning BCI intervention before severe deterioration of physical motor abilities to facilitate BCI access across the disease course, facilitate BCI success, and support those with cognitive impairments, 2) further research into the development of BCI specific assessment tools, including neurophysiological measures of ERS and ERS-ERD difference to help standardize procedures for identifying factors related to BCI control. Findings relevant to BCI intervention include 1) incorporation of communication tasks beyond copy spelling to support sustained levels of BCI motivation, 2) incorporating a range of recurring person-centered measures in evaluating BCI trial outcomes including performance accuracy, levels of satisfaction, multiple measures of fatigue, and levels of frustration due to potentially differing definitions of fatigue, and differences in factors driving levels of BCI satisfaction 3) supporting more natural levels of mental effort during the establishment of BCI control.
2021-02-04T20:36:57Z
2021-02-04T20:36:57Z
2021-02-04T20:36:57Z
2019-08-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:16746
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/31346
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3165-4093
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/55892020-07-27T14:37:41Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Morphosyntactic Skills of Poor Comprehenders
Adlof, Suzanne Marie
Catts, Hugh
Storkel, Holly L
Rice, Mabel L
Loeb, Diane F.
Rosen, Sara T
Health sciences
Speech pathology
Language, linguistics
Education
Reading
Language disorder
Language impairment
Morphosyntax
Reading comprehension
Reading disability
Simple view of reading
Purpose: This study investigated the morpho-syntactic abilities of children who show deficits in reading comprehension in spite of adequate word reading abilities. These children are often referred to in the literature as "poor comprehenders" (PCs), and their reading comprehension problems are believed to stem from oral language deficits. In fact, many studies have documented PCs' deficits in semantics, syntax, and higher level language skills. Because most PCs also display normal nonverbal cognitive skills, they share much in common with children with specific language impairment (SLI), and studies have documented substantial overlap between the two classifications. This study sought to determine whether PCs display the same morpho-syntactic deficits that are characteristic of children with SLI. Method: Sixteen PCs and 24 controls participated in this study. All participants were in fourth grade and demonstrated good word reading and nonverbal cognitive abilities. They completed a battery of standardized language assessments and three experimental morpho-syntax tasks that examined knowledge of finiteness marking rules. The first two sets of analyses were conducted to determine if PCs showed morpho-syntactic weakness relative to controls and if their pattern of performance was characteristic of expectations for children with SLI. Then the PC group was subdivided into those who met criteria for SLI (PC-SLI) and those who did not (PC-Only). The third set of analyses looked for differences in morpho-syntactic performance between PCs with SLI and poor comprehenders without SLI. Results: The PC group achieved significantly lower scores than the control group on all non-phonological standardized language assessments, but the two groups performed equivalently on the phonological processing measure. The PC group also showed significantly weaker performance than controls across the three morpho-syntax tasks, and their pattern of performance indicated weakness with obligatory finiteness marking, regularization of irregular past tense, and subject-verb agreement. The first two weaknesses are characteristic of children with SLI. Although subject-verb agreement is not believed to be an issue for children with SLI, a small number of studies of older children with SLI have reported difficulty with this area. There was no distinguishable pattern of differences in morpho-syntactic performance between the PC-SLI and PC-Only groups. These results have implications for the early identification of later reading comprehension difficulties in children with good phonological skills.
2009-11-02T23:45:57Z
2009-11-02T23:45:57Z
2009-11-02T23:45:57Z
2009-07-23
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:10518
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/5589
EN
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/45342020-07-23T13:04:05Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Prelinguistic Communication and the Acquisition of Verbal Communication in Young Children with Fragile X Syndrome
Flenthrope, Jennifer Lyn
Brady, Nancy C
Daniels, Debora B.
Thiemann, Kathy S
Health sciences
Speech pathology
This retrospective study investigated potential predictors of the acquisition of verbal communication skills in young children with fragile x syndrome (FXS). In addition, descriptive information concerning this population's early communication development was gathered. The present study was part of a larger FXS research project conducted by researchers from the University of Kansas and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Potential predictors examined included different types of gestures, different communicative functions, characteristics of autism, and overall rates of communication. Predictor data were derived from standardized test scores and video sample analysis. Outcomes examined included standardized test scores, mean length of utterance, and number of different words used during a second observation period. No significant correlations were found between predictor and outcome variables for the whole sample; however, some noteworthy correlations between predictors and outcomes were found for females and participants with high autism symptomatology. Valuable descriptive information was also obtained.
2009-05-08T22:26:16Z
2009-05-08T22:26:16Z
2009-05-08T22:26:16Z
2008-01-01
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:10052
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/4534
EN
openAccess
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/191882018-01-31T20:07:54Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Spontaneous Gestural Communication as a Predictor of Autism Spectrum Diagnosis in Children with Fragile X Syndrome
Esplund, Amy
Brady, Nancy
Warren, Steven
Daniels, Debora
Fleming, Kandace
Developmental psychology
Speech therapy
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Fragile X Syndrome
Gestures
This study aimed to determine if early spontaneous gestural communication is a predictor of later Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis in children who have already been diagnosed with Fragile X Syndrome (FXS). The communication samples of 49 children were obtained across multiple contexts as part of a larger longitudinal study examining maternal responsivity. Videos were coded for communication form and function, and initiations of gestural communication were analyzed. There were significant differences between the two groups. The children in the FXS only group used distal points, proximal points, and representational gestures more often than children with FXS and ASD; however, children in the latter group were more likely to use give gestures. Overall, children with a single FXS diagnosis initiated more joint attention than the FXS + ASD group.
2015-12-11T23:38:35Z
2015-12-11T23:38:35Z
2015-12-11T23:38:35Z
2015-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:13997
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/19188
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/279422020-10-08T15:40:22Zcom_1808_774com_1808_1260col_1808_14138col_1808_1951
Childhood Apraxia of Speech and Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Family Perspectives
Walters, Karleen
Wegner, Jane R
Waggoner, Peggy
Pederson, Kris
Speech therapy
AAC
Augmentative and Alternative Communication
CAS
Childhood Apraxia of Speech
Family
Perspectives
The purpose of this study was to examine the perspectives of families of children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The study sought information regarding a) the frequency of AAC (specifically SGDs) being offered as an intervention tool for CAS to families, b) the information and support provided to families in regard to AAC, and c) families’ perspectives of AAC as an intervention tool for CAS. A survey entitled “CAS and AAC: Family perspectives” was hosted online via Qualtrics. Family participation was solicited with help from organizations that support individuals with CAS at national, state and local levels. A total of 303 participants responded to the survey and 196 completed the survey. The data revealed that the majority of families do not have a child who used AAC, stating that a lack of information regarding the benefits and implementation of AAC in their child’s speech therapy and the lack of information regarding funding were reasons for not wanting to obtain a device for their child. Those that did have AAC primarily reported wanting and needing further information and support from professionals on how to implement their child’s device at home. The families that had been provided with support and training and reported that their child’s device was being incorporated in their speech services were more likely to note improvements in their child’s communication than those that had not received training or support. Speech-language pathologists and other related service professionals could use the data obtained in this study to improve their service delivery models for children with CAS and their families by increasing their knowledge related to AAC technology and the benefits of a multi-modal approach to therapy. Speech-language pathologists who provide services to children with CAS iv should have knowledge and experience with AAC in order to discern which child would benefit from a multi-modal approach in their intervention plan.
2019-05-12T19:36:11Z
2019-05-12T19:36:11Z
2019-05-12T19:36:11Z
2018-05-31
Thesis
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15845
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/27942
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6400-1123
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas
oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/260072018-05-02T19:38:04Zcom_1808_1260com_1808_774col_1808_1952col_1808_14138
Interactive Book Reading to Accelerate Word Learning in Bilingual Children with Specific Language Impairment
Fierro, Veronica
Storkel, Holly L
Storkel, Holly L
Bunce, Betty H
Brady, Nancy C
Daniels, Debora B
Peter, Lizette A
Speech therapy
bilingual
Book Reading
children
Spanish
Specific Language Impairment
treatment
The current project sought to add to the limited body of research on treatment for native Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) with language impairments. In particular, the current study explored the effectiveness of three bilingual treatment methods aimed at increasing the vocabulary knowledge of ELLs in English and Spanish. The goal was to find an appropriate treatment method that advances English and Spanish vocabulary while supporting an ELL’s bilingual abilities. Typically, ELLs with language impairment receive intervention only in the majority language (English) due to the limited availability of bilingual speech-language pathologists (SLPs). As a result, although gains may be made in English, the attrition of the first language (L1) may occur due to the lack of support of the L1 during treatment. In the current study, different combinations of English and Spanish were utilized in order to get closer to determining the most appropriate amount or intensity of the L1 to use as a means to increase an ELL’s English and Spanish vocabulary knowledge. Native Spanish-speaking preschool-aged ELLs with language impairments participated in a storybook-reading intervention study aimed at increasing vocabulary knowledge. The children were randomized into one of three bilingual treatment groups, which included two blocking conditions and a bridging condition. Treatment took place three to four days per week for a total of 26 sessions. In both blocking conditions, the language of intervention (Spanish/English) alternated on each day. In one blocking condition (Blocking: English First), English was used on the first day, followed by Spanish in day two, English on day three, and Spanish on day four. The other blocking condition (Blocking: Spanish First) was the opposite of the first one and, therefore, began with Spanish on day one. The Bridging condition consisted of treatment provided in English and Spanish during each session, with the percentage of each language use alternating on each day, such that on days one and three, approximately 75% Spanish and 25% English were used, and on days two and four, approximately 75% English and 25% Spanish were used. Measurements of the children’s vocabulary knowledge were taken in English and Spanish immediately after each session to determine how much vocabulary learning took place in both languages. The results of the current study suggest that the Blocking: Spanish First condition was ineffective at increasing vocabulary knowledge in English and Spanish, the Blocking: English First condition was effective at increasing vocabulary knowledge in English only, and the Bridging condition was the most effective at promoting vocabulary growth in both English and Spanish in ELL preschoolers with SLI.
2018-02-18T20:30:00Z
2018-02-18T20:30:00Z
2018-02-18T20:30:00Z
2017-08-31
Dissertation
http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15522
http://hdl.handle.net/1808/26007
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8255-4004
en
openAccess
Copyright held by the author.
University of Kansas