This study was an investigation of the impact of home language and maternal education on adult-infant interactions involving children with hearing loss (CWHL). Participants were 51 monolingual English and bilingual Spanish/English families from the Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children parent-infant program in San Antonio, Texas. Independent and combined effects of home language and maternal education on adult-infant interaction were investigated. Data collection was done with Language ENvironmental Analysis (LENA) Digital Language Processors (DLP). LENA measures of Adult Word Counts (AWC) and Conversational Turns Counts (CTC) were analyzed based on 12-hour recordings and served as dependent variables. Statistical testing obtained no significant differences between home languages on AWC and CTC. Significant difference was found between levels of maternal education on adult-infant interaction measures. This paper will discuss findings of the study, address results in context to parent-infant intervention for monolingual and bilingual families of CWHL, and limitations of the investigation.

The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in comprehension and expression of the Spanish personal `a' for Spanish-speakers with aphasia following a processing instruction (PI) protocol. Three Spanish/English bilingual adults with aphasia participated in a PI treatment that focused on teaching the personal `a' within subject-verb-object, object-verb-subject, and verb-object-subject sentences. All three participants demonstrated gains in comprehension during referential treatment tasks. Gains in expression of the personal `a' were not observed in any of the participants. In conclusion, PI shows promise for increasing syntactic comprehension in people with aphasia, and more research is needed into successful modifications of PI for use with populations with aphasia.

The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical assessment and treatment practices of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in Mexico to identify and assess children with possible speech and/or language impairments. Three female Spanish-speaking SLPs educated and working in private practice in Mexico were interviewed by phone. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, coded following SALT conventions and analyzed following Attride-Sterling's theme identification and organization of salient themes. Six salient themes were obtained: educational training, employment, professional issues, identification, assessment, and treatment. Findings reveal that educational training is very similar to the training of SLPs in Mexico; work settings may include hospitals, schools, and private practice; continuing education is voluntary and governed by a council of SLPs. Identification of children with suspected speech and/or language disorders may be referred by parents, teachers, physicians and/or psychologists. Assessment in the schools may be performed by a service team, i.e. USAER, by the SLP in private practice, or by teachers and/or physicians when no other professionals are available. Treatment in private practice is based on play-based interactions and SLPs rely heavily on parent or family involvement. Although a limited small sample was used, this study represents an initial representation on SLP practices in Mexico.

The purpose of this project was to examine the impact of dialect on the confrontation naming of Chilean and Mexican-American pre-schoolers. Experiment 1examined responses of Chilean dialect speakers to stimuli from the Expressive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test-Bilingual Edition (EOWPVT-BE) and the Assessment of Phonological Patterns Spanish 2nd Edition (APPS-2). Experiment 2 examined responses of Mexican-American dialect speakers to stimuli from the EOWPVT-BE. Both groups demonstrated an increase in raw and standard scores when dialectally appropriate responses were counted as correct. Mean increase in raw score was 8.2% for the Chilean participants. Mean increase in the standard score was 5.6% for the Mexican-American participants. The difference in scores, for some participants, was sufficient to alter the interpretation of test results. Tests which do not recognize a dialect in the standardization sample may overestimate impairment and/or underestimate ability.

Changing Motor Patterns: Focus of Attention and Control Parameter By JD House, M.S., 2008 Department of Kinesiology Texas Christian University Thesis Advisor: Dr. Dan Southard, Ph.D. The purpose of this study is to determine if scaling up on a control parameter serves to change motor patterns more effectively than providing the performer with an External Focus or Internal Focus of Attention. Forty-one college-age students voluntarily participated in this study. The participants were randomly divided into four conditions. Participants in the Internal Focus condition received instruction relative to an Internal Focus of Attention. Participants in the External Focus condition received instruction relative to an External Focus of Attention. Participants in the Control Parameter condition were encouraged to scale up on throwing velocity, which is a known control parameter for throwing. Participants in the Control condition were used as control and received no instruction. The participants practiced throwing with the non-dominant arm twice per week for three weeks, performing fifteen throws each session. Focus instructions and control parameter emphasis were given after every five throws. A Peak Motus 9.2 Motion Analysis System recorded the movement of limb segments. Time to Peak Velocity (TTPV) and Peak Velocity (PV) were digitized for pattern change analysis. A 4x7 (Condition x Session) MANOVA was performed on the dependent measures of segmental lag for the humerus, forearm, and hand. Follow-up Discriminant Analysis and one-way ANOVA were performed on the variable identified as most important in defining differences in data (Humeral Lag). It was concluded that scaling up on a control parameter served to better promote mature motor patterns than focus instructions. However, neither strategy resulted in significant retention of pattern change.

Background: Exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH) is a rare, but serious life-threatening condition that has been identified in marathoners, ultra-endurance athletes, and others engaging in prolonged, physical activity conducted in a hot environment. Hyponatremia is diagnosed when serum sodium concentrations fall below 135 mmol/L. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of hydration status and glycogen level on venous IL-6, ADH, and sodium concentrations during and after prolonged exercise in the heat. Method: Ten male participants completed four trials: a glycogen depleted, euhydrated condition (DE); a glycogen depleted, dehydrated condition (DD); a glycogen loaded, euhydrated condition (LE); and a glycogen loaded, dehydrated condition (LD). Each condition consisting of cycling at 60% VO2 max in a 35˚C environment for 90 minutes followed by a 3 hour rehydration period. Body mass was measured before and after exercise and after rehydration. Blood and sweat samples were collected during exercise. Blood and urine samples were collected during the rehydration period. Blood was analyzed for glucose, IL-6, ADH, and Na+. Sweat and urine samples were analyzed for [Na+]. Results: The LD and LE conditions had significantly higher plasma glucose concentrations than the DD and DE conditions for all time points except for pre-exercise. There was a significant glycogen by hydration by time interaction for plasma [Na+] (p=0.022). The LD and DD conditions showed the greatest overall [Na+] changes from post exercise to post rehydration (-6.85 and -6.7 mmol/L, respectively) compared to the DE and LE conditions (-1.45 and 0.10 mM, respectively). [Na+] in the dehydrated conditions was significantly higher than the euhydrated conditions at the mid, post, 30, 60, and 90 time points. There was a main effect for time (p=0.00) for IL-6 with the highest concentrations occurring immediately post-ex. There was a significant hydration by time interaction (p=0.000) for ADH with the post exercise time point being significantly different from all other time points. The dehydrated conditions showed the largest post-exercise increase in ADH concentrations with the DD conditions having an average ADH concentration of 50.16  40.552 pg/mL and the LD conditions having an average of 55.46  68.124 pg/mL. Significant correlations were detected between post-exercise [IL-6] and 30 minutes post-exercise [Na+] (r=-0.077 p=0.008) in the DE condition and between change in body mass and total urine volume in the DD and LE conditions (r=-0.907 p= 0.000 and r=-0.88 p=0.001, respectively). Summary: Despite our glycogen, hydration, and exercise manipulations we did not observe a relationship between these variables. Glycogen status had no significant impact on IL-6 and ADH concentrations. We only observed a significant time effect for IL-6 concentrations and a significant hydration status and time effect for plasma sodium and ADH concentrations. A volume of 100% fluid replacement during exercise and a rehydration volume of 150% of fluid lost during exercise were enough to cause a tendency toward decreased plasma sodium concentrations.

Background: Recent research has suggested supramaximal training can be an effective means of improving endurance performance; however ultra high intensity training (UHIT) has not been examined as a replacement of training volume in a well-trained endurance population. Overuse-related injuries, recurring illness, feelings of staleness, and overtraining that are often associated with high volume training may be avoided with low volume, UHIT training. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two weeks of low volume UHIT with two weeks of traditional HV endurance training on lactate threshold (LT), VO2max, steady state efficiency, substrate utilization rates, and 25K time trial performance in well-trained endurance athletes. Method: Twenty (VO2max ≥ 55 ml/kg/min or 4.5 L/min and minimum training volume of 150 km/week) male cyclists were match-paired into two groups. Four two-day testing sessions were performed at 0, 2, 4, and 6 wks. Day one of testing measured VO2max and lactate threshold. Day two involved a 10-min steady state ride followed by a 25K time trial. All participants were tested, then continued two weeks of their endurance training. Following a retest, the controls (CON) continued with their endurance training while the other half (INT) replaced their endurance training with UHIT, consisting of a 10-min warm-up followed by 8-10 x 30 sec sprints at a workload of 0.075 kg/kg body weight and 4.5 min recovery. Participants completed 6 training sessions over two weeks with two optional low intensity endurance days. Following the second phase all participants re-tested then either continued with (CON) or returned to (INT) their individual endurance-training regimen. A final testing session was conducted two wks later. Total training hours reported for each group are in the table below. Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups in VO2max or LT (% of VO2max). In addition, cycling efficiency, steady state VO2, steady state heart rate, steady state fat and carbohydrate oxidation, and 25K time trial performance were not different between groups or time points. Discussion: A short-term reduction in training volume replaced by relatively short sessions of supramaximal training can affectively maintain endurance cycling performance for well-trained cyclists. This type of training may be useful as a means of decreasing the occurrence of negative consequences of long-term, high volume training.

Kicking is a popular skill that has been the topic of multiple studies. However, little research has been done to identify control parameters that could potentially alter the pattern of kicking. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not anticipation-coincidence timing is a constraint that affects kicking pattern through the examination of kinematic variables. Twenty participants (7 males, 13 females, age 19-24 years) performed 12 kicks at maximum velocity for 5 conditions. Conditions were categorized by required anticipatory response. Condition 1 (C1), Stationary Ball (no anticipation), Condition 2 (C2), Anticipation/Slow ball velocity, Condition 3, (C3), Anticipation/Fast ball velocity, Condition 4 (C4), No Anticipation/Slow ball velocity, Condition 5 (C5), No Anticipation/Fast ball velocity. Dependent measures for pattern change were thigh lag, shank lag, and foot lag. Dependent measures for anticipation were the time values of contact relative to the required location. Constant Error, Variable Error, Absolute Error, time from Initial Movement to Contact, and time from Ball Release to Initial Movement were dependent measures for anticipation. Three-dimensional data were collected with a Peak Motus Motion Analysis System. Segmental lag data were analyzed using a 2-way (Condition x Level) MANOVA. Significant MANOVA was followed by a two-way (Condition x Level) ANOVA to determine dependent measures responsible for significance. Scheffe´ post hoc procedure determined means responsible for significant differences. Dependent measures for anticipation were analyzed using a 2-way (Condition x Level) ANOVA. Analyses for pattern change indicated significant main effects for thigh, shank and foot lag. Foot lag was the only variable responsible for significant pattern change (indicated by differences in positive and negative values). Variability in foot lag throughout conditions indicated different strategies of coordination. Anticipation data indicated that both levels of experience consistently made contact before the designated point in the fast velocity conditions and after the designated contact point in the slow velocity conditions. Initial Movement was initiated faster in the slow velocity conditions and was interpreted as a hardwiring coordination strategy. Decreased error scores for C5 indicated that the point of interception was not preferred for either level of experience. Results indicate that anticipation-coincidence timing is not a control parameter for kicking. In addition, it was concluded that different coordination strategies may be used to elicit a kick based on individual conditions.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the phonological productions of Spanish-speaking Chilean and Mexican-American preschoolers. Twenty-one typically developing children of Chilean descent participated in the study and were age-matched with twenty-one children of Mexican-American. Chilean children's ages ranged from 3;8 (years;months) to 5;9, with a total of five boys and 16 girls. Mexican-American children's ages ranged from 3;9 to 5;8, with a total of 10 boys and 11 girls. The children were administered the Assessment of Phonological Processes-Spanish (APPS-2). Based on the results, children from Chile showed the highest percentage of phonological deviations in the following categories: final consonant deletion, consonant cluster reduction, and stridency deletion. Mexican-American children evidenced the highest percentage of phonological deviations in the following categories: liquids, consonant clusters, glides and stridents. The results from the APPS-2 illustrated that the TOMPD scores of the Chilean children and Mexican-American children were not significantly different when age was considered. However, when comparing the TOMPD scores of Chilean vs. Mexican-American children (combined ages), a significant difference was found, showing a dialectal difference between the two groups. However, the TOMPD scores of Chilean children were not significant enough to place them in a higher severity range than the Mexican-American children. Both groups evidenced dialectal differences unique to the dialect but within normal limits for their age. Therefore, there are specific dialectal differences of phonological patterns that need to be considered in assessment, such as /s/ clusters and consonant sequences. These differences should not be considered a disorder, because the children from both groups are following common phonological patterns of their dialect. Information on phonological patterns frequently produced by children of different dialectal backgrounds will help clinicians assess more reliably and will help provide more effective treatment.

This study aimed to pilot a tool to examine a mothers behaviors during interactions with her child with hearing loss in home and clinic environments, and to examine what extent these behaviors may be contingent upon the activity, length of sample, childs behavior, and parental perceptions. One dyad participated in four, hour-long interactions in both environments. The proportion to which each maternal behavior contributed to the total utterances showed this mothers behavior was comparable across all settings and conditions. Maternal perception of her skills was related to her behaviors. Further research is needed to determine the extent to which these findings can be generalized.