Research
Graduate Student Research
Research - Graduate Student Research
AuD Capstone Projects
| Faculty Advisor | Title |
| Robert Keith | Comparison of SCAN-3 and SCAN-A outcomes in 50-60 year old subjects; a normative study |
| Robert Keith | Test-retest reliability of the SCAN 3 on children between the ages of 6-12 |
| David Brown | CMV in a Guinea Pig Model |
| John Clark | Survey of Audiologists' Counseling Skills |
| John Clark | Hearing Protection Comfort |
| Keith, Zhang | Determining Safety and Efficacy of CO2 Laser in Stapedectomy Surgeries |
| John Clark | Hearing Protection Comfort |
| Robert Keith | Comparison of IEP Services of HI children versus children with other impairments in the Cincinnati Public School System |
| Robert Keith | LISN-S Test: an adolescent normative study |
| David Brown | LISN-S Test: an adult normative study |
| Robert Keith | Electrophysiological measures of APD |
| John Clark | Survey for audiologists and physicians |
| John Clark | Increasing HA Info Retention thru DVD |
| John Clark | Noise Levels in the Kennels |
| John Clark | Effectiveness of Group AR Program |
| Peter Scheifele | Survey for audiologists and physicians |
| John Clark | Canine assistive hearing devices |
| John Clark | Noise Level in the Kennels |
| David Brown | Wideband Reflectance in 6-9 yr olds |
| Robert Keith | Validation of the SCAN3/ BioMAP |
| Peter Scheifele | Morphology of Canine ABR |
| Peter Scheifele | Morphology of Equine ABR |
| Fawen Zhang | the LAEP in cochlear implant users |
Summer Research Grants
Congratulations are in order for the following graduate students who recieved Summer Research Grants. Below you will find abstracts for these studies.
Dave Andrew Harris
An Epidemiological Assessment of Ohio Farmers’ Hearing Sensitivity
Noise-induced hearing loss is the most common, and therefore one of the most investigated and well-documented occupational hazards. A recent trend of investigating occupational hearing loss has been concentrated in the area of combined exposure. Studies have revealed that the interaction of noise and chemical exposure increases the risk and/or severity of hearing impairment. This suggests that exposure to chemicals either causes the auditory system to be more susceptible to the effects of noise or that it has an ototoxic affect that impacts the auditory system separately from noise. Studies have shown that independently from noise, the peripheral and central auditory systems are vulnerable to a variety of chemicals, solvents and possibly pesticides. Therefore, the purpose of this hypothesis-generating study was to examine if a sample of Ohio farmers exhibited hearing loss, determine the risk factors contributing to their hearing sensitivity, investigate the co-occurrence of pesticide exposure in this sample, and report key findings from the questionnaire data.
To assess the hearing sensitivity of Ohio farmers several statistical models were employed to analyze the data, specifically the General Linear Model (GLM) and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The principal findings were that: 1) this sample of Ohio farmers exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of hearing loss when compared to the general adult population; 2) recreational use of firearms, military service and age were found to be significant risk factors; 3) pesticide users did not show an increase in hearing level threshold when compared to non-pesticide users; 4) although 76% felt that personal protective devices were needed during the conduct of farm operations, 81% had no training in the prevention of occupational injuries or illnesses.
Findings from this study suggest that some Ohio farmers may be at greater risk of hearing impairment. The reasons for this include firearms use, military service, lack of preventative occupational hazard training, as well as aging. They compare adversely with farmers who are significantly younger, have not been exposed to firearms, have not served in the military and were trained in occupational hazard prevention. Finally, the pesticide-user group did not exhibit increased audiometric thresholds.
Lesley Raisor
A Comparison Of Phonological Awareness Intervention Approaches
The predictive power of phonological awareness for later literacy outcomes has prompted educators to develop interventions targeting these skills in children at-risk for qualifying for special education services. These programs have proven successful in positively affecting later literacy achievement. However, studies comparing different intervention strategies are relatively lacking. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of two phonological awareness intervention strategies (drill-based and naturalistic). Forty-four at-risk preschool children were assigned to one of three groups (drill-based, naturalistic, or control group). The intervention groups received twenty minutes of intervention, twice a week for four weeks. Results indicate that both intervention methods were successful in increasing preschooler’s phonological awareness skills compared to a non-treatment control group.
Claire Kane Miller
Incidence and Characterization of Oral Motor, Pharyngeal, and Cervical Esophageal Swallowing Dysfunction in Pediatric Patients with Chiari 1 Malformation
Chiari I malformation is as an abnormality of the brain at the cervicomedullary junction. The cerebellar tonsils extend through the foramen magnum and into the upper cervical spinal canal. Compression of the brainstem and lower cranial nerves may occur. Disruption in cerebrospinal fluid flow dynamics and the formation of syrinxes in thespinal cord may also be present. Consequently, a variety of clinical manifestations may occur including problems with oropharyngeal and cervical esophageal swallowing function.
The present study was a retrospective review of 251 pediatric patients with a new diagnosis of Chiari I. Clinical signs and symptoms as reported during clinic visits to the Cincinnati Children’s Neurosurgery Department were documented and compared to age. Logistic regression was utilized to estimate clinical signs and symptoms likely to be present in conjunction with characteristics of the Chiari (degree of cerebellar tonsillar descent, tonsillar pointing, tonsillar pistoning, and disruption of cerebrospinal fluid flow). Signs and symptoms of oropharyngeal and cervical esophageal swallowing dysfunction were correlated with objective findings during instrumental assessments of swallowing to determine associations.
Results indicated that clinical manifestations of oropharyngeal and cervical esophageal swallowing dysfunction varied according to age category.
Swallowing problems, oral motor dysfunction, gagging, and coughing/choking with feeding were shown to have a statistically significant linear relationship with age, and tended to be reported most often in the youngest age category of 10 months to 3 years: p < .0001. Oral dysfunction, swallowing problems, and gagging were predicted to occur with tonsillar descent greater than 9 millimeters, and in the presence of tonsillar pointing, tonsillar pistoning, and abnormal cerebrospinal fluid flow dynamics. Videofluoroscopic assessment of swallowing function (VSS) and Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) revealed associations between coughing/choking and globus sensation with objective findings of premature spillage prior to swallowing, residue after swallowing, and abnormal cricopharyngeal function. FEES with sensory testing provided information about sensory threshold responses.
This study provides evidence that signs and symptoms of oropharyngeal and cervical esophageal swallowing dysfunction are likely to accompany Chiari I malformation in pediatric patients and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of feeding and swallowing problems.
Allison Dawn Breit Smith
Effects of a Clinic-Based Conversation Skills Group Training Program on Children with High Functioning Autism/Asperger Syndrome
One of the most powerful human abilities is the use of language in conversation as a means of relating to other humans. Children diagnosed with High Functioning Autism/Asperger Syndrome (HFA/AS), however, often have difficulty conversing. As a result, speech-language pathologists have developed and implemented clinic-based social skills group training programs to improve the conversation skills of children with HFA/AS. Although clinicians intuitively perceive the benefits of social skills group training programs, there is inconclusive evidence to support clinical practice. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the effects of teaching conversation skills, namely appropriate initiations and responses, to children diagnosed with HFA/AS in an outpatient clinic-based group setting.
Seven boys between the ages of 8 and 10 years old participated in this study. The boys attended a 6 week conversation skills group intervention program that met one time per week for 90 minutes. This study utilized an observational design. Prior to, immediately after and 6 weeks following the intervention, data regarding the children’s initiations, responses, appropriateness and partner (peer/adult) during conversation was collected in-clinic, as well as at participants’ schools. Descriptive measures for this study included frequency counts, ratios, means and difference scores.
Results from this study suggest an increase in the frequency of responses used in-clinic, as well as an increase in participants’ use of initiations at school at post observation. Little to no maintenance of the increase in initiations, noted at post observation, was observed at the 6 week follow-up observation. No major trends, only slight increases and decreases, were noted both in-clinic and at school regarding appropriateness and to whom participants directed their initiations and responses to (peer/adult) during conversation.
Catherine (Kate) Krival
Effects of Carbonated vs. Thin and Thickened Liquids on Swallowing in Adults with Neurogenic Oropharyngeal Dysphagia
This study examined the hypothesis that adults with stroke and oropharyngeal dysphagia (swallowing dysfunction) would exhibit immediate improvements in selected parameters of swallowing in response to a carbonated stimulus vs. thin, nectar-like, and honey-like thickened liquids. The experiment was designed to replicate previous work with methodological improvements. Fourteen adults with stroke were enrolled in this prospective study. Participants were observed swallowing various stimuli under videofluoroscopy. Measures and ratings of stage transition duration (STD), pharyngeal transit time (PTT), pharyngeal residue (PR), penetration and aspiration (PENASP) and bolus position at the onset of the swallow (BPOS) were recorded.
The results of this study partially supported previous findings. Participants had significantly shorter STD and pharyngeal transit times PTT when drinking carbonated thin liquids than when drinking nectar-thick and honey-thick liquids. However, there were no significant differences between STD and PTT between carbonated and thin liquids. In another contrast to previous research, there was no reduction in penetration, aspiration, or pharyngeal residue with carbonated vs. other liquids. On the contrary, there was an increase in penetration/aspiration on swallows of carbonated vs. honey-thick liquids. Possible explanations for the differences between the present results and those of earlier studies are discussed.
Jennifer Walz Garrett
Children, Parents and Teachers’ Beliefs about Reading
This research documented children, parents and teachers’ beliefs about reading. Specifically, this study described children, parents and teachers’: 1) definitions about reading, 2) beliefs about how they learned to read, 3) purposes for reading and 4) relationships between participants’ reading perspective in comparison with current/historical reading instructional methods. Participants included 47 children in grades 1, 3 and 5 from an urban Catholic school, their parents and classroom teachers.
The 93 participants were interviewed about their reading experiences using the questions, “What is reading?,” “How do you think you (your child) learned to read?” and “Why do you read?” In addition, the teachers’ classrooms were observed during reading or language arts instruction and artifacts were collected. Transcripts from interviews were coded and analyzed for categories of responses.
Data from interviews, observations and artifacts were triangulated revealing several themes. First, results indicated that children, parents and teachers predominately agree on defining reading as an action/skill. Second, participants indicated learning to read through formal and informal experiences with children reporting a high frequency of formal reading experiences. Third, purposes for reading were numerous but the majority of participants described at least one recreational/pleasure purpose including reading for fun. Additional themes, implications and future research directions are discussed.
Erin Elizabeth Redle
The Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Disorders Family Impact Scale: Scale Development and Initial Psychometric Properties
The study of pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders has evolved over the past twenty years. Despite these advances in understanding the physiology and mechanics of feeding and swallowing disorders, there has been very little research exploring the functional impact of these problems on the family and on the child’s daily life. Such information is important to assist in understanding a family’s concerns and facilitating the formulation of solutions to help the family and the child in the context of the family. The present study explored the impact of feeding and swallowing disorders on families by developing a scale to quantify the impact of such disorders, and determining the basic psychometric properties of the scale.
The primary issues impacting the families of children with feeding and swallowing disorders were explored through qualitative interviewing of 20 primary caregivers. Content analysis of these interviews identified the themes used for the development of the 50 item Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Disorders Family Impact Scale (PFSDFIS) presented in a Likert scale format. Content validity of the scale was assessed via expert and caregiver review. A small pilot (n=8) confirmed the content and ease of administration of the scale. The scale was field tested by 90 caregivers who had children with feeding and swallowing disorders as well as 46 caregivers whose children were typically developing to assess the basic psychometric properties of the scale.
Results of these analyses indicated good internal consistency (α=.93) and a significant difference in total scores between the comparison group with a large effect size (t(134)=-9.991, p=.000, d=1.8). Scores for item distribution indicated a large number of items with floor and ceiling effects which may impact the scale’s sensitivity to measuring change. Exploratory factor analysis identified a five factor model. However, the results of the subsequent factor analysis reveal a strong first factor while the remaining four factors were considerably weaker.
The scale’s demonstrated content validity, internal consistency, and ability to discriminate between caregivers whose children did and did not have feeding and swallowing disorders provide evidence for the scale’s potential for use in clinical practice and research.
Lara Wakefield
Case Study of a Speech-Language Pathologist's Roles, Routines, and Perceptions as a Collaborative Partner in Inclusive Service Delivery
This case study documented the roles and routines of a speech-language pathologist (SLP) as a collaborative partner in an inclusive model. This study implemented a cultural-historical-activity theory framework. Specific aims were to describe: 1) The therapy lesson routine; 2) The instructional discourse used by the SLP, special educator, and regular educator; 3) The SLP’s role. Transcripts from participant-observation and interviews were coded using Lofland’s and Lofland’s (1984) macro-categories. The therapy lesson routine consisted of four steps: 1) planning; 2) implementation; 3) assessment; and 4) debriefing. Results from the instructional discourse coding revealed five collaboration sequences that: 1) changed the focus and flow of the therapy lesson; 2) were addressed solely to adults; and 3) transpired in front of the students. The SLP had a total of 18 roles across the areas of planning, implementation, assessment, debriefing, and collaboration. Practical implications and future research related to collaboration skills are discussed.
Linda Sue Sickman
Changes in Teacher Literacy Enrichment Behaviors Following Modeling by a Speech-Language Pathologist During Book Reading
The goal of the Head Start program is to prepare at-risk children to take maximal advantage of their elementary school education. The better children’s academic skills when they emerge from preschool, the more likely they are to do well in school. Thus, the role of the Head Start teacher is crucial in students’ lives. The quality of teacher-child language and pre-literacy interactions is vital to Head Start children because an effective preschool teacher can significantly raise students’ chances of academic success. The teachers’ educational backgrounds may influence how they use language during classroom activities. One avenue to support teachers in creating language and literacy rich classrooms is to take advantage of the knowledge and skills of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) by establishing collaborative relationships between Head Start teachers and SLPs.
This study was a quasi-experimental, mixed methods study of an SLP book reading intervention involving teachers and teacher assistants in two Head Start centers. This study examined the changes in teachers’ literacy enhancement behaviors following ongoing, in-class modeling by an SLP during book reading. The specific aims were to determine: 1) if teachers’ literacy enrichment behaviors during book reading changed immediately following ongoing, in-class modeling by an SLP 2) if teachers continued to use these behaviors longitudinally 3) if there was a difference between number of literacy enrichment behaviors used by the intervention group and the control group and 4) how teachers perceived their change in use of literacy strategies during book reading.
The results of this study indicated that teachers significantly increased the number of all of the literacy enrichment behaviors immediately following modeling by the speech-language pathologist. The teachers demonstrated long term use of open ended questions, expansions, predictions and conclusions. The teachers reported that they learned to use the strategies during book reading, continued to use these strategies over time, and observed the benefits of the implementation of these strategies. One of the implications for this study is that SLPs should consider collaborative modeling of specific strategies in the classroom as one way to support teachers in providing a rich language and literacy environment for children.
Julie Honaker
A Team Approach Risk of Falling Assessment & Remediation Program for Community Dwelling Older Adults with a Fear of Falling
Common balance disorders causing symptoms of vertigo and unsteadiness can place an individual at risk of falling. Falls are a serious health concern that can greatly impact quality of life. Older individuals who have experienced a fall or near fall often develop a fear of falling. Appropriate intervention programs designed to reduce fear of falling are lacking. The present study determined the effectiveness of a team approach risk of falling program that included fall prevention and counseling, home hazard assessment, and physical therapy at reducing fear of falling for older independent living adults with a diagnosed balance disorder. Participants included twenty-eight subjects, fourteen older patients (X = 69.1 years of age) with a history of falls, fear of falling and a balance disorder and fourteen family members or spouses of each patient. Comprehensive risk of falling assessment from an audiologist, physical therapist and neurotologist were administered and responses to the Activities Specific Balance Confidence Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale, and Beck Anxiety Inventory were ascertained pre and post intervention for each patient. A statistically significant reduction in fear of falling, depression and anxiety as identified by the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test were reported for participants after involvement in the program. Family members and spouses also demonstrated statistically significant decrease in fear of falling concerns for their family member post intervention.
The research explored through open-ended questions the impact of fear of falling on the individual and the selected family member or spouse of the individual. Content analysis of the participant interviews revealed themes summarizing the process of developing a fear of falling, the emotional reaction to fear of falling, lifestyle changes for the participants and the selected caregiver due to fear of falling, and the benefits and limitations of the risk of falling program. The qualitative interview themes in combination with the quantitative data analysis recommend solutions to the fear of falling problems experienced by older balance disorder patients. Furthermore, the team-approach risk of falling program appears to be effective in reducing falling concerns and improving quality of life in a small sample of older persons with balance disorders.
Stacy Harnish
The Relationship between Visual Perception and Confrontation Naming Abilities of Elderly and Individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease
Confrontation naming abilities decline with normal aging and in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The focus of this research was to investigate at which stage the breakdown in processing occurs for typically aging elderly and individuals with AD. This research investigated the hypothesis that naming impairment in AD is a result of visual perceptual deficits occurring prior to accessing semantic memory. Sixty subjects participated in this study; 30 young control subject, 30 elderly control subjects and 30 individuals with early to mid-stage AD. Subjects were given a neuropsychological battery of tests related to visual perception (BVFDT, BFRT), semantic abilities (P&PT) and confrontation naming abilities (BNT). In addition, subjects participated in a visual discrimination task and a visual naming task created for this research. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed significant group differences between the performance of elderly control subjects and individuals with AD on each of the standardized tests, indicating visual perceptual, semantic and confrontation naming impairment in subjects with AD. Regression analysis confirmed that semantic abilities (as measured by performance on the P&PT) were a better predictor of AD participants’ performance on a visual discrimination task and a visual naming task than were visual perceptual abilities (as measured by the BVFDT and the BFRT). There were visual perceptual deficits in AD, but no significant correlation between confrontation naming abilities and visual perceptual abilities (as measured by the BVFDT and BFRT).
Post hoc analyses confirmed a positive relationship between AD participants’ performance on the P&PT and measures of confrontation naming (BNT and visual naming task), which support the theory that naming impairment in AD stems from degradation of semantic knowledge. Although no causal relationship was found between visual perception and naming impairment in AD, there were subjects who presented with evidence of visual distortions or visual confusion.
Dawn Marie Betts
Exploring the Relationship between Language and Reading Skills and Ohio Graduation Test Performance
The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the relationship between high school students’ language and literacy skills and their performance on state mandated assessments, specifically the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT). An additional goal of the research was to identify language/literacy skills that are predictive of OGT performance.
A total of 96 Ohio public high school students were enrolled in the study and were placed in one of two groups based on their OGT results: Group 1- pass group (N= 56)or Group 2- fail group (N=40). The pass group passed all five sections of the OGT on their first attempt. The fail group failed one or more sections of the OGT on their first attempt.
All participants were administered two language (CELF-4, TLC-E) and one reading assessment (GSRT-1) during a 180 minute time period. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze scores for group differences. As well, discriminant analysis and binary logistic regression were used to classify groups and to identify language/literacy predictors, respectively.
Results of the analyses indicate that significant differences existed between the two groups on the measures of receptive, expressive and higher level language skills and reading ability. Furthermore, the discriminant analysis revealed that participants could be classified into their respective groups with 77.2% accuracy. Likewise, using the logistic regression function, it was determined that the measure of reading comprehension was the chief predictor of OGT success and could be used with 81.5% accuracy. School designation/rating appeared to have little bearing on how participants were prepared to take the OGT and subsequently, little to do with whether students were more likely to pass or fail.
Firas Alfwaress
The Lombard Effect on Speech Clarity in Patients with Parkinson Disease
Vocal loudness tends to increase when healthy speakers are speaking in the presence of background noise. Acoustic studies of Lombard speech have shown that other articulatory changes associated with increased intelligibility occur along with the increase in loudness. Lombard speech in healthy speakers is characterized by decreased speaking rate, increased fundamental frequency range and mean, as well as increased vowel space. These results suggest a more complex interaction between auditory monitoring of speech and motor speech planning in this uncommon speaking environment. Recently, there has been increased interest in the effect of background noise on speakers with Parkinson Disease (PD). In this study, nineteen patients with Mild-to-Moderate Idiopathic PD (10 males and 9 females) and 19 age-and-sex matched healthy speakers were recruited to investigate these acoustic-phonetic measures in quiet and in Lombard conditions. A 90 dB SPL noise was given binaurally via a closed headset to induce the LE. Subjects were engaged in repeating the syllable chain /pataka/ and reading a set of phonetically balanced sentences.
Speaking rate was measured by the diadochokinetic (DDK) task and speech rate (SR). Vocal loudness measures included intensity (INT) and intensity standard deviation (INTSD). Fundamental frequency range (F0Rge), mean (F0M), and standard deviation (F0SD) were the acoustic measures of fundamental frequency. The vowel space (VS) was obtained by measuring the vowel quadrilateral of the corner vowels /i, æ, a, u/ in the vocal tract.
Repeated measures ANOVA results showed a statistically significant increase in vocal loudness measures, increase in F0 measures, and a decrease in speaking rate measures in both groups as a function of noise. The VS was not statistically different for both groups of participants in the Lombard condition. The male speakers in both groups showed increased VS compared to their female counterparts. The Parkinsonian group showed a smaller VS area in both conditions. In particular, the PD patients with moderate severity showed centralized VS compared to the healthy participants. These findings suggest that speakers with PD utilize neuromotor planning for speech production with the same capacity as non-impaired speakers; however, this capacity tends to deteriorate as PD becomes advanced.
Anne McGrail
Investigation of Oral Fluid Intake Patterns in Hospitalized Stroke Patients
This study examined the prevalence of substandard oral fluid intake in hospitalized stroke patients and investigated group differences in amount of fluids offered and intake between two viscosity groups (i.e., participants receiving thin or thickened liquids). This study also investigated how well level of functional status for cognition, communication, self-feeding and dysphagia severity predicts oral fluid intake for participants receiving thin liquids and participants receiving thickened liquids. Thirty-nine adults (mean 69.7 years +/- 17.5 years) admitted to a large urban hospital with a diagnosis of cerebrovascular accident were enrolled in this prospective study. The amount of fluids offered and amount of oral fluid intake were monitored for 72 consecutive hours. A conservative fluid intake standard of 1500 milliliters was used to determine if intake was substandard.
The results supported previous findings that participants receiving thickened liquids consumed substandard amounts of fluids and drank significantly less than participants receiving thin liquids. However, participants receiving thin liquids also exhibited high prevalence of substandard fluid intake despite being offered significantly more fluids than participants receiving thickened liquids. No one functional domain (e.g., cognition, communication, self-feeding and level of dysphagia severity) significantly predicted oral fluid intake for either viscosity groups. The clinical implications of the positive findings and possible explanations for non-significant findings are discussed.
Gina Maria Hounam
Strengthening Relationship-Centered Care Through a Focused Workshop for Audiologists
Current students in today’s audiology programs must demonstrate knowledge and skills acquisition that their preceptors may not have had access to when they were in academia themselves. The purpose of this study was to develop the framework for a short-term workshop for experienced audiologists focused on strengthening relationship-centered care (RCC). The workshop was developed to raise awareness of RCC and improve clinical skills related to RCC. The study was conducted in 3 phases using a mixed methodology: Phase I-Subjects participated in a pre-workshop on-line survey (Supervisee Levels Questionnaire-SLQ) and on-line focus group regarding comfort with relationship-building skills. Phase II-Subjects attended a full day workshop focused on relationship-building skills. Phase III-Subjects participated in a post-workshop on-line survey (SLQ) and on-line focus group. The SLQ was used to quantitatively measure change in subjects’ confidence with counseling skills as expressed by an increase in scores across three developmental divisions. The focus group questions were used to collect qualitative data in the subjects’ own words to add value and support to the quantitative findings. There were 13 subjects (licensed audiologists) who participated in all three phases of the study.
The workshop proved to be a manageable way for experienced, licensed audiologists to gain access to information on RCC skills. There was a statistically significant change in subjects’ scores expressed by one developmental division of the SLQ (Dependency-Autonomy) after attending the workshop focused on strengthening relationship-centered care. Subjects reported “counseling” as an area of strength, but recognized these skills as more informational vs. personal adjustment counseling.
The subjects did report the RCC skills (whether learned for the first time or renewed awareness) proved beneficial in clinical practice. Subjects acknowledged the benefits of collaborating more with other allied health professionals, especially those that incorporate counseling as part of their everyday clinical work (i.e. genetic counselors). They also reported a desire for an increase in counseling curriculum, skills and acquisitions as well as peer coaching/mentoring opportunities.
It is important to gather more information about how to introduce these issues into the mainstream of continuing education for experienced, licensed audiologists who have not otherwise received this information via graduate education or via retooling for the AuD.
Kathy Jean Groves
Diagnosis, Education, and Support for Young Individuals with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: An Investigation of the Need for Clinical Change
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often results in a constellation of impairments that may have a tremendous negative impact on individuals’ functional abilities, vocational outcomes, and quality of life, and for this reason is an important modern health issue. Most TBI is mild in severity and disproportionately affects children and young adults. Evidence confirms that many individuals with mild TBI (MTBI) experience lengthy or permanent cognitive deficits, affective symptoms, and significant disability and morbidity up to 1 year post-injury and beyond. Despite evidence for significant, longer-term impairment associated with MTBI, resultant change in clinical practices for diagnosis and management of MTBI has not consistently occurred. One reason is that no uniformly recognized definition of MTBI is currently employed by diagnosticians. As a result, many individuals with more mild degrees of MTBI may not be identified. When individuals with MTBI fail to receive a diagnosis, they are often not provided with needed education about the injury and access to additional support services, and poorer overall outcomes are likely to result. The goal of the proposed project is to determine if post- injury impairment and disability exhibited by young individuals who meet more inclusive criteria for MTBI indicate a need for improved identification, patient education, and provision of information about support services for these individuals. The project will investigate whether young individuals identified at a local acute care hospital according to more inclusive MTBI criteria experience cognitive impairment, affective symptoms, and functional outcomes similar to those reported in the literature for individuals with more severe/ numerous post-injury sequelae. It will also determine whether these individuals routinely receive formal diagnoses, patient education, and information about support services.
Michael Fraas
Intelligibility Testing of Dysarthria in Native Spanish Speaking Adults
Methods for intelligibility testing in dysarthria have attempted to assess, not only the severity of the motor speech deficit but also, indicate the nature of the disorder. Kent, Weismer, Kent, & Rosenbek (1989) developed a single word test of intelligibility, which consisted of words incorporating acoustic/phonetic contrasts that are both sensitive to dysarthric impairment and contribute to speech intelligibility. Although this test seems to be an effective means for assessing dysarthria in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) subjects, it was constructed to serve an English speaking population. A recent study attempted to use the Kent et al. (1989) study as a model for developing a test of intelligibility for Cantonese speakers (Whitehill & Ciocca, 2000). The current study will also use the Kent et al. (1989) study as a model to develop a single word test of intelligibility in native Spanish speakers.
Thirty subjects, 10 with a diagnosis of PD, 10 with ALS, and 10 normal controls will be used. Subjects will read a list of Spanish minimal pair phonetic contrasts randomly presented. Recordings of the responses will be examined to determine the effectiveness of the Spanish paired word test of intelligibility, modeled on the tests developed by Kent et al. (1989) and Whitehill & Ciocca (2000), and its sensitivity to the error patterns of Spanish speaking dysarthrics. The study will also attempt to describe the speech characteristics associated with dysarthria in Spanish speakers using acoustic-instrumental analysis and comparatively evaluate these characteristics against those of native Spanish speaking normals.