Call number: LD2668 .T4 1984 S323 / Master of Arts

No description available.

Introduction: Differentiating between normal language variation and abnormal language development can be difficult for clinicians working with young children who present with slow language development, so-called “late talkers”. Although the language difficulties of many late talkers resolve spontaneously, there is clearly a group of children whose problems persist, either for a long period or possibly permanently (after the age of five, often referred to as children with specific language impairment: SLI). There is a lack of research examining potential markers of language difficulties in young children which may enable the early detection of children at risk of SLI. The aim of this thesis was to determine the most suitable measure, or combination of measures, that can predict which late talkers at age 3;0 to 4;0 will be likely to have SLI at age 4;0 to 5;0. Methods Forty seven late talkers and 47 children with typical language development (TLD) aged from 3;0 to 4;0 were assessed on a number of language, IQ and marker tasks (baseline assessment). The children were recruited from 13 nurseries and one family centre in Aberdeen city. The children were reassessed one year later on a number of language, IQ and marker tasks (follow-up assessment). Results: Characteristics of the child or family examined were not associated with membership of the expressive language delay group at follow-up. Within the late talker group only, the Preschool Language Scale-3 Expressive Communication (PLS-3 EC) and Recalling Sentences scores at baseline were the best predictors of persistent expressive language delay at follow-up. Late talkers performance on the PLS-3 EC and Recalling Sentences tasks at age 3;0 to 4;0 has potential as predictors of persistent expressive language delay (children likely to have SLI) at age 4;0 to 5;0. Conclusions: A sizeable proportion of children identified as late talkers at age 3;0 to 4;0 have persistent language problems a year later at follow-up. The language measure PLS-3 EC has the potential to differentiate between late talkers who are going to have more persistent problems from those who recover. The marker task Recalling Sentences also has the potential to differentiate between late talkers who are going to have more persistent problems from those who recover. Given the simplicity of Recalling Sentences, this task has the potential to be a useful screening test in clinical practice although this needs to be evaluated in further research.

Linguistic diversification within our public schools has demanded professional responsibility from speech-language pathologists (SLPs) serving nonstandard English speaking students. Understanding and recognizing normal cultural linguistic differences is the responsibility of the SLP. This study focused on the relationship of three speech features to intelligibility ratings of 10 preschool aged Black English speakers as assigned by 4 licensed standard English speaking SLPs with varying experience. The SLPs also rated the perceived effect of these speech features (i.e., articulation, speaking rate, and resonance) on intelligibility. Using the Pearson product-moment correlation, ratings were correlated and found to demonstrate an association between intelligibility ratings and all three speech features assessed. To determine which speech feature affected intelligibility the most, a linear association using a stepwise regression was applied to all listeners' ratings. For 3 of the 4 listeners, the strongest association between intelligibility and articulation. Ratings of the 4th listener, the listener with the most experience(> 3 years) demonstrated the strong association between intelligibility and resonance. The listener with _the least amount of experience tended to assign higher severity ratings to ratings for intelligibility, rate, and resonance than did the other listeners. Findings from this study demonstrate a need for more studies within the area of Black English as well as further investigative studies to assess listeners' perception of dialectical differences based on the experience within linguistically different or similar communities. Various measures of intelligibility of Black English speakers should also be explored for more accurate assessment tools for this population. Clinical implications focus on the SLP's responsibility to be experienced and knowledgeable of the linguistic community they are serving.

This project sought to determine the utility in using either, or both, of two instruments to diagnose autism, the CARS (Childhood Autism Rating Scale) and the ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule), Modules 1 or 2. Children (n=320) who were seen in the autism diagnostic clinics at the Developmental Disabilities Center of the Kansas University Medical Center, who were under the age of 72 months (6 years), and who had been evaluated with both instruments were chosen as participants in this study. Those children who received the diagnosis of autism after being evaluated numbered 220; 100 received another or no diagnosis. Three levels of data analysis were conducted in this study. The first level included developing item-item correlation matrices for each instrument that was then compared to those in the original, normed study for internal consistency. Results indicated good internal consistency. At the second level, a factor analysis was conducted on each instrument that resulted in weighted factor scores and a correlation matrix of factors for each instrument. Factor analyses resulted in three factors identified for the CARS, two factors for ADOS, Module 1, and three factors for ADOS, Module 2. These factors are consistent with the criteria currently used for the diagnosis of autism. The third level of analysis utilized chi square and stepwise discriminant analysis to predict group membership (autism or no autism) with each instrument. From these results, it was concluded that both instruments are similar in their ability to diagnose autism, although they may be measuring somewhat different factors. Closer examination revealed that communication difficulty is the factor that most closely distinguished autism for this group of children. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Psychology. / "July 2005."

Thesis (M.S.L.T.)--University of Canterbury, 2009. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (p. 75-84). Also available via the World Wide Web.

published_or_final_version / Psychology / Master / Master of Philosophy

Not available / text

Thesis (M.S.)--Duquesne University, 2007. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 99-106) and index.

Thesis (M. (Augmentative and Alternative Communication))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Summary in English and Afrikaans. Includes bibliographical references.