Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Communication Disorders, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-78).

There are few, yet contradictory, reports in the literature regarding whether persons with Alzheimer's disease demonstrate a disturbance of nonverbal communication or pantomime. While some researchers ascribe all disturbances of gestural behavior to apraxic phenomena, others have viewed a disturbance of pantomime as the consequence of language disorder or general intellectual deterioration. This investigation was conducted (1) to determine whether persons with Alzheimer's disease demonstrate a disturbance of pantomime recognition, pantomime expression, or both, compared to healthy, aged controls; (2) to determine the relation of performance on measures of pantomime recognition and pantomime expression to performance on measures of cognition/intelligence, language, and praxis in Alzheimer subjects; (3) to determine whether Alzheimer subjects improve pantomimic expressive performance on imitation of the examiner; and (4) to determine whether a statistically significant difference in pantomimic expressive performance between Alzheimer and control subjects is also a clinically obvious difference. Forty-five subjects (30 subjects with Alzheimer's disease and 15 healthy, aged controls) were administered measures of pantomime recognition, pantomime expression, cognition/intelligence, language, and praxis. In addition, 13 graduate students in speech-language pathology viewed and judged as being "normal" or "abnormal" 15 expressive pantomimes performed by 10 Alzheimer and 5 control subjects. Results indicated that there was a significant difference between groups in performance on both pantomime measures; the Alzheimer subjects performed less well than controls. The performance of Alzheimer subjects on both pantomime measures was also more closely related to performance on measures of language and cognition/intelligence than to praxis. Alzheimer subjects improved pantomimic expressive performance on imitation of the examiner, to the extent that between groups performance no longer differed significantly. Finally, graduate student judges rated the pantomimic expressive performance of Alzheimer subjects as being "abnormal" significantly more often than the pantomimic expressive performance of controls. Because the pantomime variables were related to both the language and cognition/intelligence variables, and the language and cognition/intelligence variables were related to one another, it was concluded that these variables were functionally interdependent, and therefore, these results for this sample conformed with central mechanism explanations for a disturbance of pantomime.

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of the comorbidity of emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) and speech/language disorders among those students identified as under The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act criteria as emotionally disturbed and speech impaired. The literature reviewed included clinical and school settings that examined a cooccurrence of language disorders in the EBD population. Other research reported a lack of routine involvement of speech/language therapists in the assessment of the EBD population. Implications from clinical studies suggested a need for greater attention to language disorders in a multi- and interdisciplinary assessment. This study investigated the prevalence of the dual occurrence of EBD and speech/language disorders in Grades 2 through 6 in Texas schools in light of the known research. Relationships in ethnicity and socioeconomic status were examined using chi-square test of independence. Aggregate data were obtained from the database of the Texas Pupil Information Management System and from survey questionnaire responses provided by speech therapists in selected districts. The literature review focused on the impact of language in the development of appropriate personal interactions and communication skills, especially those relevant to pragmatic language factors and the implications of language competency in successful personal living and career roles and supported the importance of language as an important contributor to a person's life success and the correlation of EBD disabilities and speech/language disorders. Social skills instruction, the relationship of language, especially pragmatics, and social competencies for this population are included. The results revealed a relationship between ethnicity and speech/language disorders among the students identified with EBD. In considering the population of students identified as EBD and language disordered, a significant relationship was found between ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Recommendations include suggestions for future research, assessment procedures, classroom interventions, and data collection methods.

A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF SPEECH PATHOLOGY AND AUDIOLOGY, FACULTY OF ARTS, UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND, JOHANNESBURG IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN SPEECH PATHOLOGY / Aspects of communicative competence encompassing syntactic, pragmatic and social skill dimensions were examined in preschool children. Subjects comprised five language-impaired children who had been declared remediated after a period of language therapy (Age 5.0-6.5) and five children of the same age considered to be linguistically normal. unstructured mother/child interactions yielded language samples which were analysed according to the Language Assessment Remediation and Screening procedure. Structured child/unfamiliar interlocutor dyadic interactions were analysed in terms of the Behavioural Inventory of Speech Act Performances and according to a devised pragmatic addendum. Social skill profiles were obtained by means of the Devereaux Elementary school Behaviour Rating Scale. No statistical differences occurred between groups on linguistic, pragmatic and social skill dimensions. Individual profiles of certain presumably remediated subjects revealed ineffective communicative modes in a structured dyadic context as well as communicative deficits and behavioural problems in the classroom situation. Significant correlations emerged among various linguistic pragmatic and social skill parameters. Theoretical and clinical implications of these correlations and of deficits uncovered by particular measures in different contexts, are discussed. / Andrew Chakane 2018

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities; University of the Witwatersrand. June 2016 / This study explored the experiences of and interactions between speech-language therapists and interpreters in cross-linguistic mediated consultations with caregivers of children with severe disabilities within a health care setting. The objectives of the study included: to analyse the interactional characteristics and features of speech-language therapists and interpreters; and to identify speech therapists’ and interpreters’ perceptions of their competence and experiences in multicultural settings. Patients who do not speak the same language as the health care professionals receive limited health services when compared with people who speak the same language as the professionals who serve them, which may result in poor health outcomes. The research was conducted from an interpretive approach, which includes a respect for intra- personal values, beliefs and interests in the topic. The design included multiple data collection methods and analysis. The data was collected from consultation experience of thirteen caregivers of children with communication disabilities, five SLTs and one interpreter in two urban hospitals in Gauteng. The participants were recruited using purposive sampling procedures from two urban tertiary hospitals in Gauteng. And group Research instruments used were video recordings, individual interviews. The objectives were investigated through a qualitative study using ethnographic observations; video recordings of the interactions between speech therapists and an interpreter during interviews with caregivers of children with disabilities; audio recordings; and individual interviews with speech-language therapists and interpreters post-consultation. The data collected were analysed using thematic content analysis and conversational analysis. The findings highlighted the diversity challenges faced by SLTs working in multilingual and multicultural hospital settings. Language and translation issues had a marked impact on information received by caregivers. Despite the challenges that clinicians experienced in multilingual settings, they seemed to find that their working experience was an important leveller when they had an interpreter present during their consultations. The findings inform academic curricula and the clinical practice of speech-language and audiology students and professionals and will help improve application to transform the way in which they apply theoretical knowledge when treating speech and hearing disorders in a multilingual and multicultural context; thus enhancing the efficacy of management of communication disorders within this context. / MT 2018

Inferências são representações mentais, formadas mediante a interação entre informações linguísticas explícitas e o conhecimento de mundo que um indivíduo tem. É sabido que indivíduos com lesões cerebrais em hemisfério direito (HD) frequentemente falham nesse tipo de tarefa e que esta falha pode interferir na elaboração do discurso oral destes indivíduos. A literatura sobre esse tema é escassa e não são conhecidos os efeitos do local da lesão cerebral no processamento inferencial desses indivíduos. Esta pesquisa teve como objetivos comparar o desempenho de indivíduos normais e indivíduos com lesão de HD em uma tarefa de realização de inferências a partir de estímulos visuais, comparar a elaboração do discurso oral desses sujeitos neste mesmo teste, e verificar o impacto da escolaridade e do local da lesão cerebral nestas tarefas. Para isso, foram avaliados 75 indivíduos normais, com média de idade de 60,3 anos (± 8,5) e escolaridade média de 9,6 anos (± 4,2) e 50 indivíduos com lesão de HD, com média de idade de 58,1 anos (± 12) e escolaridade média de 8,9 anos (± 3,2). Os sujeitos foram avaliados individualmente, através do instrumento 300 exercices de compréhension dinferences logique et pragmatique et de chaînes causales, que requer a realização de inferências lógicas e pragmáticas. Os indivíduos foram orientados a descrever o que estava acontecendo em uma figura determinada (estímulo-alvo) e, em seguida, escolher uma única alternativa (também em forma de figura) que completava a cena anterior. A análise deste teste foi realizada através de pontuações atribuídas (estipuladas pelas pesquisadoras) de acordo com as respostas dos sujeitos. Para a análise do discurso, foram computados o número total de palavras, a quantidade de componentes principais e de proposições incorretas emitidas pelos sujeitos. O desempenho dos grupos foi comparado de acordo com a escolaridade (de quatro a oito anos e acima de nove anos). O desempenho dos pacientes também foi comparado de acordo com o local da lesão (anterior, posterior e ântero-posterior). Verificou-se que: sujeitos com lesão de HD apresentaram pior desempenho nas tarefas de geração de inferência visual, comparados ao grupo controle; na elaboração do discurso, os sujeitos com lesão de HD obtiveram pior desempenho do que o grupo controle, gerando um número elevado de proposições incorretas e um número rebaixado de componentes principais; a escolaridade afetou a habilidade inferencial de pacientes e controles; pacientes com lesões posteriores apresentaram piores resultados nos testes inferenciais e na elaboração do discurso, comparados aos outros locais de lesão / Inferences are mental representations, formed through the interaction between explicit linguistic information and the subjects world knowledge. It is well known that individuals with brain damage in the right hemisphere (RH) often fail in this task and, that this failure can interfere in the elaboration of discourse in these subjects. The literature on this issue is scarce and the effects of the brain injury site in the inferential processing in these individuals are not fully known. This study aimed to compare the performance of normal individuals and individuals with RH lesion in a task of visual inferences, to compare the discourse elaboration of these subjects in this test and to verify the impact of schooling level and the cerebral injury site in the same tasks. We evaluated 75 normal individuals, with an average age of 60.3 years (± 8.5) and schooling average of 9.6 years (± 4.2) and 50 individuals with RH lesion, with an average age of 58.1 years (± 12) and schooling average of 8.9 years (± 3.2). The subjects were individually assessed through the instrument 300 exercices de compréhension dinferences logique et pragmatique et de chaînes causales, which requires the realization of logical and pragmatic inferences. The individuals have been instructed to describe what was happening in a determined picture (target-stimulus) and, then, to choose only one alternative (also a picture) which completes the previous stage. The analysis of this test was carried out through scores (attributed by the researchers) according to the subjects answers. For the discourse analysis, the total numbers of words, the quantity of principal components and of incorrect assertions emitted by the subjects were computed. The performance of the groups was compared according to the schooling level (four to eight years and above nine years). The performance of patients also was compared according to the lesion site. We concluded that: subjects with RH lesion performed poorer in the tasks of visual inference generation when compared to the control group; in the discourse elaboration, subjects with RH lesion also performance worse than the control group, generating an elevated number of incorrect propositions and a low number of principal components; the level of schooling had influence on the inference skills for both groups; patients with posterior lesions had the worst performance in the inferential tests and discourse elaboration, when compared to other lesion sites

Researchers are seeking more information . on how and why language disorders tend to run in families, particularly siblings of language disordered children. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of language and related disorders in the siblings of two groups of children: those with slow expressive language development (SELD) and those with a normal language history. This study sought to answer the following questions: 1) Is there a significant difference in prevalence of language problems in two groups of children: those with SELD and those with a normal language history?, and 2) Is there a greater probability of language problems in the siblings of children in the SELD group who have receptive/expressive language disorders when compared to those SELD children with pure expressive language deficits or to those with a normal language history? Subjects were 45 7-and 8-year old children participating in a longitudinal study at Portland State University. The children were divided into two groups, normal and SELD, based on test scores administered at intake to the original study. In order to look at the effect of a receptive component on heritability of language disorders, the SELD group was subgrouped into pure expressive language disorders and receptive/expressive language disorders based on tests administered at intake. A family history questionnaire was the method of data collection, asking parents to report on ten areas of language and related disorders in the siblings of subjects. Results of one-sided z-tests and a chi-square test were computed and consistently found a highly significant difference between groups, with families of SELD subjects more likely to report a history of language problems over the normal group. These results are consistent with previous research in showing the heritability of language disorders. Results may also indicate that a receptive language component is associated with heritability of specific language disorders among children.

The effectiveness of any language training program is determined by generalization of the clinically trained behaviors to spontaneous speech (Hedge, Noll and Pecora, 1979). Traditional language programs which employ operant procedures to establish the behavior in the clinic and reinforcement from family, teachers and peers in a variety of settings to obtain generalization, have been successful in establishing the use of grammatical rules in the clinic setting, but reportedly have failed to promote generalization (Rees, 1978). Recent literature in the areas of semantics and pragmatics has produced a trend toward teaching language in natural contexts. The purpose of this study was to investigate: 1) whether a group taught with a traditional syntax program would generalize the trained structure to spontaneous speech, 2) whether a group trained with a traditional syntax program in combination with nontraditional methods (natural context) would evidence generalization, 3) whether one of the above methods would evidence greater, lesser or the same generalization and 4) which method would take fewer, the same or greater number of sessions.

The purpose of this study was to describe written narratives of language disordered adolescents by comparing their written narratives via story grammar analysis with those of normal adolescents. The written narratives were obtained by administering two tasks as required assignments within the English or communications classes of the two groups. Task A was to write about a personal experience and Task B was about an imaginary experience. This study used Merritt and Liles' adaptations (1987) of Stein and Glenn's procedures (1979) for story grammar analysis to describe the content of the narratives.

Classroom teachers frequently refer adolescents to speech language pathologists for language skills evaluations. Many of the traditional evaluation tools of the speech-language pathologist focus on the student's oral language skills. The first indication to the classroom teacher that there may be a language problem, however, is usually from the student's written classwork. Very few written language assessment tools are available which give speech language pathologists information regarding linguistic units which can be viewed as communication acts. This paper focuses on one particular discourse unit - the written narrative. Narratives are a natural form of thought and demonstrate how a person organizes and views the world around them. Narratives can be analyzed from the perspective of their "texts," how the writer links individual sentences together to create a cohesive discourse. The purpose of this study was to compare the written narratives of language impaired and normal adolescents. Two questions were addressed in this study. First, are there differences in texts between language impaired and normal adolescents? And second, do the written narratives of a personal experience and imaginary event produce different texts in language impaired and normal adolescents?