<p> This dissertation focused on the impact of stuttering within the university setting. Data were gathered and examined using a qualitative research methodology. This research design used several data collection procedures including participant observation, ethnographic interviews, and artifact analysis. These procedures captured the use of communicative strategies and barriers as they unfolded in authentic interactions within the university. They also served to illustrate how other social partners perceived PWS (persons who stutter) in the classroom and other relevant university contexts. </p><p> The results of these data were examined using categorization of the context and culture of each environment, conversational strategies employed during social interactions, and the coping and supportive devices used during authentic interactions. The views, reactions, and affective reactions of PWS were also explored and discussed. Patterns emerged from the data that uncovered the types of strategies that PWS employed to overcome communicative barriers within the university setting. This study provides further evidence in support of strategies that consider the context within the university when examining PWS and the value in exploring the real-time behaviors that are implemented by PWS as they negotiate social action within these contexts. This study has important implications regarding the value of qualitative research paradigms in investigating social access and inclusion in PWS in the university setting and exploring the usefulness of partner and advocacy training in universities and other educational institutions.</p><p>

<p> Children with autism often have limited functional communication repertoires. One way to teach functional communication is through the use of an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device. Individuals who use an AAC device can be taught utterances (i.e., single words or phrases) through prompting and providing a consequence specific to the utterance in a mand, or a generalized conditioned reinforcer in a tact (Skinner, 1957). In the present study, five children diagnosed with autism were taught to emit utterances consisting of 26 &ldquo;core&rdquo; words that comprised 96% of words uttered by toddlers (as noted in a study by Banajee, Dicarlo, &amp; Stricklin, 2003). The children emitted the utterances by touching symbol sequences on the screen of the AAC device. Various utterances that included the 26 core words were taught using discrete-trial teaching methods, and the item specified in the utterance was presented following it (i.e., mand). A Language Activity Monitor (LAM), a software program that continuously recorded utterances, recorded target utterances emitted before, during, and after training. Two participants completed the training package, and three others experienced some training. Discrete-trial training was effective for all participants, and increased frequencies of some targeted words were evident outside of teaching sessions with the two participants who completed the study. The study showed that teaching a &ldquo;core vocabulary&rdquo; to children with autism using an augmentative communication device can lead to some generalization without further instruction. The study may lead to further research on how vocabulary is taught, as well as how it is taught to children with language delays. A major contribution of this study is the tracking of the verbal behavior generalization automatically and continuously across all phases.</p><p>

<p> Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have challenges with communication, social interactions, and behavior, which can limit their functioning in school settings. They need to have functional communication skills to access the curriculum and have their needs met across all social environments. Special education teachers often experience barriers to successful implementation of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions appropriate for these students. The purpose of this case study was to understand how special education teachers experience AAC intervention processes, and illuminate the conditions for effective AAC implementation. A qualitative case study was conducted using interviews from 6 credentialed special education teachers who worked with ASD students for a minimum of 2 years in a school district in a western state. Coding and thematic analysis of data from interviews and work journals was conducted using Ely&rsquo;s condition of change theory as a framework. Findings for teachers&rsquo; perspectives of conditions needed to successfully implement an AAC intervention reflected the need for more time, resources, knowledge and skills, and investment from stakeholders. Recommendations included provision of resources to special education teachers for autism specific materials, on-going autism specific training and assistance, additional time for preparation and related duties necessary for working with these students. Future research on overall strengthening of AAC interventions and overcoming challenges for change is needed. Results of this study might assist schools in empowering ASD students by facilitating their functional communication skills, involvement, learning and academic opportunities across social environments. </p><p>

Parkinson's disease is an incurable, progressive neurodegenerative brain disorder. Individuals living with Parkinson's disease often face considerable challenges in managing the progressive decline of their symptoms and maintaining their quality of life (Broadfoot et al., 2019). During the progression of PD, 75-90% of individuals will have a speech and voice disorder (National Center for Voice and Speech, 2019). The communication disorder most commonly associated with PD is hypokinetic dysarthria (HKD). Many individuals with PD may have significant difficulty communicating and participating effectively in a variety of speaking situations due to their communication deficits (Dykstra et al., 2015). Addressing an individuals perceived quality of communication and their perceived communication effectiveness should be an essential target during intervention due to the implications it has on the psychological well-being and prognosis for people with PD. Participants in this study were recruited from individuals previously diagnosed with Parkinson's disease attending the SPEAK OUT! & LOUD Crowd® program. The research questions included (1) Does the implementation of the SPEAK OUT! ® and the LOUD Crowd® program have a positive effect on participants’ perceived quality of communication (PQOC), and (2) Do these programs have a significant positive effect on participants perceived communicative effectiveness (PCE)? The Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and the Communicative Effectiveness Survey- Revised (CESR®) were utilized in this research study. The surveys were administered prior to the SPEAK OUT!® training and following the completion of this portion of the program. They were administered every 16 weeks while the participant was in the LOUD Crowd® training during the duration of this project. It was hypothesized that participants' PQOC related to their voice and their PCE will improve following the implementation of this program. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, results from this study only considered baseline scores and post-test 1 scores following the completion of the SPEAK OUT!® program. The results from this study support the hypothesis that the SPEAK OUT!® program has a positive effect on the participants’ PQOC. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Impairment caused by non-fluent aphasia often results in the omission and substitution of inflectional markers. Cross-linguistic work has revealed differential patterns of aphasic impairment across languages. This study aims to determine how non-fluent aphasia is manifested in English-based Caribbean creole languages, namely Jamaican Creole English (JCE) and Guyanese Creole (GC). The use of inflectional morphology is variable in English-based Caribbean creole languages. Therefore, in aphasic creole speech, it is difficult to ascertain the status of a grammatical omission as a valid creole feature or as a sign of impairment. I argue that Seymour’s et al. (1998) contrastive-noncontrastive schema can be useful for differentiating between normal and disordered creole features. The data in this study was obtained from a creole speaker with aphasic impairments. The data was later transcribed and analyzed. The results of this study appear to suggest that grammatical markers may form a hierarchy of susceptibility to aphasic impairment. Tense, agreement and aspectual markers along with auxiliaries and copulas appear to be more susceptible to impairment in disordered creole speech than plural markers, personal and demonstrative pronouns and articles. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Non-fluent aphasia is a language disorder caused by stroke and other types of severe brain trauma. This disorder can affect an individual's ability to produce grammatical words and suffixes in different ways depending on the language that they speak. This study seeks to determine how non-fluent aphasia affects English-based Caribbean creole languages, namely Jamaican Creole English (JCE) and Guyanese Creole (GC). Grammatical suffixes are optional in English-based Caribbean creole languages; therefore, it is difficult to determine whether or not an omitted grammatical suffix is a valid creole feature or a sign of impairment. I argue that Seymour’s et al. (1998) contrastive-noncontrastive schema can be useful for differentiating between normal and disordered creole features. The data in this study was obtained from a creole speaker with aphasic impairments. The data was later transcribed and analyzed. The results of this study appear to suggest that certain grammatical markers are more prone error than others in aphasic creole speech. Markers that carry tense, agreement and aspectual information along with auxiliaries and copulas appear to be more susceptible to impairment than plural markers, personal and demonstrative pronouns and articles.

The thesis is an account of a lecture series to help parents alleviate and prevent speech problems through a mental hygiene approach to normal speech development.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.