The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Tips About Talk parent-training classes for increasing adolescent mothers knowledge about their childrens speech and language development and the quality of mothers interactions with their children. Seven mother-child dyads served as participants. All of the participating mothers were single, African American, and enrolled in a GED program. The mean age of the mothers was 20.57 years, and their mean educational level was 9.29 years. Their children were between the ages of 24 and 67 months. The experimental treatment involved four Tips About Talk parent-training workshops. The control treatment was four nutrition parent-training workshops. Both treatments were administered in a group setting. The dependent measures, a questionnaire and a mother-child language sample, were collected prior to the first workshop and following the final workshop. The 30-item questionnaire asked the mothers to rank their knowledge of child speech and language and their use of positive talking strategies on a six-point Likert scale. At post-test but not at pre, the mothers in the experimental group provided significantly higher ratings for the speech and language questions than those in the control group. At post-test, the experimental group also produced fewer word tokens and a reduced rate of prohibitions than did the control group. In addition, a trend of decreased MLU was noted at post-testing for the experimental group. No significant differences were found at post-test between the experimental and control groups for the use of behaviors that are known to facilitate childrens preliteracy skills. The results of the current study suggest that group-based parent-training can influence the knowledge and behaviors of teen mothers in a positive way.

The purpose of this study was to describe the home environment and nature of mother-child interactions of low-income African-American mothers. The subjects included eight mother-child dyads. All of the mothers were single, African-American and working toward a G.E.D. Their age ranged from 17-30 years of age. Their children ranged in age from 24-67 months. A home visit and a mother-child play session that was collected at the childrens child care center were utilized to collect the data. The findings from the current study were consistent with the literature reviewed in that most of the mothers produced a decreased speech rate, decreased number of word types, decreased percentage of affirmatives, and an increased percentage of controlling behaviors compared to data from middle socioeconomic status mothers. It is important to note, however, that the mothers did vary in their language behaviors. Although previous studies have found significant differences between the language behaviors of lower socioeconomic status mothers when compared to upper-middle class and professional mothers, the results of this study indicate that a range of variability does exist among the former group of mothers.

Due to increased interest in the area of voice problems and treatment among transgender individuals in recent years, a study about vocal experiences, vocal handicap, and participation in treatment methods among this population is needed. This study examined vocal handicap among transgender women, transgender men, and individuals identifying as a non-binary gender through an online questionnaire. The goals of the study were to compare vocal handicap between transgender men and women as well as those who had participated in voice therapy and those who had not. Another goal was to identify reasons among transgender individuals for not participating in voice therapy. Analysis of the answers from 233 participants of the survey revealed a wide range of attitudes and opinions about voice and voice therapy. Among transgender women, there was no significant difference in voice handicap among participants who had participated in voice therapy and those who had not. In transgender men, on the other hand, there was a significant difference between vocal handicap in participants who had experienced voice changes secondary to hormone therapy and those who had not; however, a surprising 39% of transgender men still had a Transgender Self-Evaluation Questionnaire score indicating a severe vocal handicap. No significant difference between Transgender Self-Evaluation Questionnaire scores was noted between transgender women and transgender men. A third group, those who identified outside the gender binary, emerged, and appeared to also have a range of experiences and attitudes about voice, both positive and negative.

High-speed digital imaging (HSDI) has recently become clinically available for the direct observation of vocal fold movement in the last 20 years. However, before it can become routinely used in the clinical setting, a universal means of objectively analyzing and interpreting the HSDI data must be established. In this study, preliminary data was gathered for five parameters used to objectively analyze vocal fold vibratory patterns observed with HSDI. The parameters investigated were established by Ikuma, Kunduk, and McWhorter (2012a) and were previously studied with a small sample (N=8) comparing pre and post-phonosurgical removal of benign lesions. The five parameters included fundamental frequency standard deviation (F0SD), harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR) mean, open quotient (OQ) mean, speed index (SI) mean, and relative glottal gap (RGG) mean. The current study aimed to statistically and visually analyze measurements of the five objective parameters for differences between pathology groups with different etiologies. High-speed videos (N=50) were divided into five groups based on one of the following medical diagnoses: normal voice, vocal fold nodules, polyps, true vocal fold motion impairment (TVFMI), and adductor spasmodic dysphonia (ADSD). Statistical analysis showed that HNR mean differentiated normal voices from ADSD voices and that F0 mean differentiated ADSD voices from all groups except vocal fold nodules (p < 0.005). Visual analysis revealed a strong trend for RGG mean to differentiate vocal fold nodules from all other groups. Less prominent visual trends for OQ mean and SI mean were also noted.

Purpose: In this pilot study, the author investigated the association of proxy report of communicative participation for persons with aphasia (PWA) to determine if proxy report can be used to assess communicative participation status. Method: The current study included 7 PWA- proxy pairs. All participants were administered the Communicative Participation Item Bank General Short Form (CPIB). PWA and proxy responses and various participant characteristics (e.g., age, severity of aphasia, time post onset, relationship and time spent together) were compared using graphic representations and statistical analyses. Results: Inferential statistical analysis was unreliable due to small sample size; consequently, visual inspection was the primary means for interpretation. Overall, proxies rated communicative participation lower than PWA and rated higher communicative participation for PWA with less severe aphasia. Male proxies rated communicative participation lower than females. Male PWA rated their communicative participation greater than did females. PWA report of communicative participation and severity of aphasia did not appear to be associated. Differences of time spent together and relationship between PWA and proxy were unable to be determined due to the homogeneity of sample in regards to these characteristics. Conclusions: This study suggests that there is modest association between PWA and proxy report on the CPIB. Although the PWA reported with a negative bias, proxy report paralleled PWA report. Low proxy report of communication is associated with increased PWA and proxy age, time post onset, and severity of aphasia. Limitations of the current study included small sample size, difficulty controlling participant attributes, discrepancies in administration techniques, and using unrepresentative language scores. The CPIB may be used with PWA with intact receptive language to assess communicative participation but may not be appropriate for individuals with impaired receptive language. Preliminary results indicate that further evaluation of proxy reliability and any influencing factors is warranted.

This essay is a qualitative research analysis that aims to increase knowledge and understanding of how people with mental disorder be treated in Sweden. It also includes a short comparison with China when it comes to treating people with mental disorders. According to the Mental Health Global Action Program of WHO number of people suffering from the mental disorders is expected to reach 450 million people worldwide. Statistics released by the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in 2009 showed that mental disorder in China affects a population of over 100 million people, of which 16 million are severely ill. People with mental disorders cannot be described as one single group; there is a wide range of different state of illness, including the depression, and patients with schizophrenia. One could even add other mental handicapped groups. These patients inflict severe burden upon their families and as well as the society. They have diseased emotional expressions what ‘normal’ people are not endowed with, so that they are somehow misunderstood, to be more exact, they are not accepted. They can neither integrate in society nor break away from it; they are put in a great quandary, and have no choice but to live marginalized and secluded from society.

Eating disorders are known for their chronic and relapse-ridden course. The cyclical nature of these disorders poses not only grave physical and mental health risks for the sufferer; it also presents serious challenges for the treating professionals and places a high demand and cost on the health care system. In spite of extensive research, no reliable predictors of long-term EDs have been identified in either adult or adolescent populations, nor have treatments emerged that are specifically targeted towards treating those with a long-term ED. It is fundamental to understand who is at risk and what factors are involved in long-term EDs, as the clinical and treatment implications gleaned from this evidence could be quite impactful. The current project will include three studies that will explore long-term EDs in a large transdiagnostic sample of adolescents with an ED. It will also attempt to overcome methodological limitations associated with past studies of this type, and apply an operational definition of this course of illness that may provide a more reliable and valid method with which to identify these cases. As such, the use of the term refractory ED, defined as a return to same-type treatment, will be applied to best identify this group. The three studies proposed in this research project will provide long overdue information on predictors, profiles and growth trajectories of those adolescents who suffer from a refractory course of an ED. This research project attempts to answer the question of: who will be affected, and how will the individual be affected by a refractory ED. With the ability to identify these cases and how the course of illness is being affected, treatment approaches can better aim to provide the appropriate treatment to those individuals most at risk of suffering from a refractory course of illness.

This study aimed to provide selected acoustic data for vowels of one portion of the southern region (Southern LA) in recognition that a variety of Southern dialects have not been recognized on the American English dialect map. To examine dialectical variations in vowel acoustics, this study included a relatively greater number of acoustic parameters including: vowel duration, F1 and F2 from the temporal midpoint of the vowel, trajectory length, and F2 slope. Ten participants between the ages of 18 to 24 were selected from the Southern Louisiana dialect region. Speech stimuli, which have been used in prior research regarding dialect, included words containing 16 American English vowels in /hVd/ context (Hillenbrand, 1995). Each stimulus was produced five times in a row, which results in analysis of a total of 800 vowels (10 speakers, 16 vowels, and 5 repetitions). Based on a general comparison between data from Southern Louisiana dialect speakers and previously reported data from Upper Mid-Western dialect speakers, it can be inferred that there are differences in temporal and spectral measures between these two dialects. This provides a basis for direct comparison of Southern Louisiana dialects to other dialects to determine which parameters are most sensitive to dialect and how these might impact vowel production and perception.

Background: The Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 (SAQOL-39) is a valid, reliable quality of life (QoL) assessment for PWA (Hilari, 2003; Hilari, Byng, Lamping, & Smith, 2003). However, individuals with severe aphasia are unable to use it because their ability to comprehend the text is too severely impaired for accurate self-report (Hilari & Byng, 2009; Hilari et al., 2003; Hilari, Owen, & Farrelly, 2007). Proxy respondents often report on QoL measures for these individuals; however, studies suggest differences between proxy-reported and self-reported scores in less severe populations (e.g., Cruice, Worrall, Hickson, & Murison, 2005; Engell, Hütter, Willmes, & Huber, 2003; Hilari et al., 2007). Therefore, proxy-reported scores may not be reliable substitutes (Cruice et al., 2005). Incorporating images may increase accessibility of text to individuals with severe aphasia by drawing upon intact visuo-spatial abilities (Dietz, Hux, McKelvey, Beukelman, & Weissling, 2009; Dietz, McKelvey, & Beukelman, 2006; Elmore-Nicholas & Brookshire, 1981; Engell et al., 2003; Rautakoski, Korpijaakko-Huuhka, & Klippi, 2008). Objective: This study assessed similarities between high-context, colored photographs and SAQOL-39 questions. Methods: This study employed a non-experimental, within-group design. Twenty individuals between 65-85 with no history of aphasia completed a 7-point Likert scale rating task wherein they rated the degree of similarity between photographs and SAQOL-39 questions. Three expert reviewers evaluated the photographs before being used as stimuli. Results: Results of the 7-point Likert scale rating task revealed a mean rating of 6.06 (range 5.05 6.70) for all 42 photograph-question pairings (i.e., three training items plus 39 items). Thirty-nine of the total 42 photographs (93%) were rated > 6 at least 60% of the time. Thirty-seven of the 39 actual scored SAQOL-39 questions (95%) were rated > 6 at least 60% of the time. The mean standard error of the mean (SEM) for all 42 photographs was 1.44. The average mode was 7.00, and the average median was 6.74. Conclusion: Results indicated that photographs were rated as being similar to SAQOL-39 questions. Further research is warranted to evaluate if the photographs enhance accessibility of the SAQOL-39 to individuals with severe aphasia allowing for self-report.

For years, eating disorders, particularly anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, have been studied extensively among adolescent girls and young women. However, despite recent research revealing a significant percentage of men display behaviours related to eating disorders, their individual experiences remain relatively unstudied. Additionally, given the reality that many males usually conceal or deny having the disorder, few studies yielding in-depth accounts of their lived experiences have also not been completed. This study, however, examined, through narrative inquiry, the experiences of two young adult males who were medically diagnosed with and treated, or were presently being treated, for disordered eating. Though each was not impervious to societal and familial pressures to look and be perfect, such pressures, tragically, were exacerbated by the pronounced fear, and actual experience, of being stigmatized by helping professionals. These findings provide a preliminary understanding of the threat that disordered eating poses for males, irrespective of background and lifestyle. Aside from having implications for theory, these findings are also expected to contribute in ways that will help to inform the practices of counsellors and therapists in the field of psychology.