Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 171-179).

This constructivist grounded theory explored the perspectives of twelve families of children who were using Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems (AAC). There is a growing body of research literature concerning AAC but very little is focused on the perspectives of the ‘whole’ family and the use of AAC in the home environment. Twenty-five parents and children were interviewed using a variety of flexible qualitative methods including a ‘draw and tell’ approach for younger children and ‘Talking Mats’, a framework to support children with complex communication needs to express their views. The core category, ‘Finding a Voice’, emerged from the analysis of the data as families expressed the desire for their child with complex communication needs to gain a voice through the use of AAC. A trajectory was identified which provides a framework underpinning the families’ continuous progress towards ‘Finding a Voice’ for their child. The four phases in the trajectory: Loss of Voice, Prioritising a Voice, Gaining a Voice and Sustaining a Voice encapsulate the strategies parents used in implementing AAC in the home. Dynamic conditions associated with daily family life and routines resulted in parents redefining family roles and shifting priorities to allow the implementation of AAC. The findings show that although the use of AAC systems in the home can be challenging, parents in the study viewed successful communication as a high priority for their children. These findings give a greater insight into the perspectives of families using AAC systems with implications for professional practice.

Contemporary young people are engaged in a variety of information behaviors, such as information seeking, using, sharing, and creating. The ways youth interact with information have transformed in the shifting digital information environment; however, relatively little empirical research exists and no theoretical framework adequately explains digital age youth information behaviors from a holistic perspective. In order to bridge the empirical and theoretical gaps in the field of Information Behavior, this study seeks to create a theoretical framework of digital age youth information behavior by applying and further developing the theory of Radical Change. Adopting the Theory to Research to Theory strategy, Radical Change Theory guided development of the research questions and the research design incorporated the theory to provide structure to the systematic data collection and analysis; finally, the theory was informed and modified by the study results. The two-phase qualitative research design included Phase I: content analysis of research literature and Phase II: Sense-Making Methodology (SMM) group and individual interviews with youth. In Phase I, the researcher conducted Directed Qualitative Content Analysis using Radical Change Theory, a technique that attempts to minimize potential bias by the pre-selected theoretical framework. Phase I results identified key patterns of contemporary youth information behavior reported in 40 cross-disciplinary research literature that covers a range of contexts. Phase II was implemented to test the findings from Phase I and to add new insights from the perspectives of youth. In Phase II, 12 young adults who engage in active digital media practices using Scratch, a graphical programming language, participated in either group or individual interviews. The SMM interview technique elicited innovative information behaviors embedded in the participants' collaborative information creation practices in the digital environment, such as interactive magazine production and youth initiated development of both an online media library and a Wiki website. The study findings deepen current knowledge on the ways contemporary youth who have grown up immersed in digital media culture interact with information. The primary result of the study is the development of a typology of digital age youth information behavior that refines and further develops the original Radical Change Theory. The typology suggests a holistic perspective for observing youth information behavior as an interplay between various factors, including young people's (1) intrapersonal processes, (2) identity formation and value negotiation, and (3) social interactions. It also presents 14 specific characteristics related to these factors that operationalize key concepts of Radical Change Theory. The exploratory study provides theoretical, empirical, and practical contributions to the field. It suggests that the enhanced Radical Change Theory with the newly added typology serves as a holistic framework that explains dynamic digital age information behaviors that are embedded in young people's activities at home, schools, public places, and online. The typology created in this study will become an instrument that can be utilized in future research further investigating digital age youth information behavior. Also, by expanding knowledge about the changing nature of youth information behavior, the potential impacts of the study include developments of relevant library and information services, information policies, and other educational approaches that better match digital age young people's unique patterns and approaches to information. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Library and Information Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2011. / June 16, 2011. / Youth Information Behavior, Sense-Making Methodology, Scratch, Content Analysis, Information Seeking, Information Use, Radical Change Theory, Digital Media, Qualitative Research / Includes bibliographical references. / Eliza T. Dresang, Professor Directing Dissertation; Valerie Shute, University Representative; Kathleen Burnett, Committee Member; Don Latham, Committee Member; Lisa Tripp, Committee Member.

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Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 41-45).

Children with a recent history of TBI often demonstrate impaired memory, which can be affected by impaired attention, processing speed or impaired verbal information processing. The purpose of this study was to determine if qualitative differences exist among the narrative recall of TBI patients that is not adequately accounted for by standard scoring methods. Sixty-six TBI subjects ranging in age from 6 to 16 were given the Wide Range and Memory and Learning (WRAML) Story Memory subtest and selected subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Third Edition (WISC-III). Mean elapsed time since injury was 53 days. Recall of the story on the WRAML subtest was hand-recorded by the examiner. A supplemental scoring method accounted for differences in length, errors, and disorganization. Comparisons were made to a randomly selected control group consisting of 16 hospitalized subjects between 7 and 15 years with no history of head injury, neurological condition or event. Findings suggest the WRAML Story Memory subtest is relatively robust in providing information regarding the quality of recall, with the exception of not accounting for the addition of erroneous details. Subjects with both cortical and subcortical injuries were more likely to add superfluous details to their stories. Results also demonstrated significant differences between the TBI subjects and control group in how well the stories were recalled, primarily in the order of details recalled and in retention after a 30 minute delay. Location was not a significant predictor of narrative organization. Although using this comprehensive supplemental scoring system a regular basis has practical limitations, hand-recording the narrative takes relatively little time and does appear to provide useful additional information concerning the nature of the child's verbal memory difficulties. Furthermore, the more knowledgeable the child, parents and teacher are about these difficulties and about remediation strategies, the more likely the child will have a successful learning experience upon return to the classroom.

The single subject alternating treatment design experiment reported here compared the effectiveness of pencil-and-paper versus computerized communication treatment for neurologically impaired adults. Five stroke patients receiving outpatient speech/language treatment (ages 51-72) served as subjects. One subject completed the experiment as designed and clearly supported the hypothesis that a higher number of correct responses would be produced using the computer generated exercises than the pencil-and-paper version. Two subjects were unable to demonstrate improvement using the experimental treatment program and the other two subjects were unable to master keyboarding skills necessary to use the computer effectively. However, four out of five subjects preferred using the computer even though it did not result in improved performance. Details of specific subjects' performance, and benefits and cautions regarding computer use are discussed. Results suggest that adequate receptive language skills favor effective computer use while impulsivity and visual spatial deficits may be expected to interfere. Careful matching of treatment task to the individual is important; if the task is too easy or too difficult potential benefit of computer use may be masked. The study also supports the finding that computer use is a highly motivating treatment technique for some patients and may be of benefit even if improved task performance does not result. Suggestions for further research include comparison of computerized versus non-computerized treatment for a greater variety of tasks, careful task analysis of currently available software, examination of techniques for training the mechanics of computer use, examination of specific subject characteristics which correlate with successful use of the computer, and determination of which aspect of computer use, specific feedback or improved motivation, is responsible for improved performance. / Graduation date: 1992