The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of semantic associational strength (SAS) upon adult aphasics' auditory comprehension abilities. Twenty-eight adult aphasics (25 males and 3 females) and 12 normal control subjects were presented three experimental tasks, each containing 45 items. Experimental task 1 contained single word picture sets of high SAS, moderate SAS, and low SAS words. Experimental task 2 contained two word picture sets of high, moderate, and low SAS words, and experimental task 3 contained three word picture sets of high, moderate, and low SAS words. Subjects heard one, two, and three word verbal sequences for experimental tasks 1, 2, and 3, respectively, and pointed to the appropriate picture sequence. Level of SAS was determined on the basis of the two most frequently occurring word associations of 50 normal individuals to 195 words selected from the most frequently occurring 3,000 English words. The findings in this study revealed that aphasics had substantially more difficulty auditorily selecting picture sequences of high SAS words than sequences of moderate and low SAS words, and more difficulty auditorily selecting picture sequences of moderate SAS words than sequences of low SAS words. Results further indicated that, irrespective of degree of SAS between words, aphasics' retentional ability was adversely influenced by an increase in verbal sequence length. The presence of a significant interaction between the SAS and length factors negated the support for an interaction hypothesis that degree of SAS would differentially affect aphasics' comprehension as message length increased. Aphasics' performance on the experimental task was highly related to their overall communicative ability as assessed by the Porch Index of Communicative Ability.

Concern regarding variables which influence the performance of aphasic adults has been demonstrated in the literature. Marshall et al. (1978) found that one such variable, scheduling of intervention, influenced significantly the test performance of their subjects. They determined that the aphasic subjects performed better in the morning than in the afternoon. The purpose of the present study was to determine if performance of severe aphasic adults on easy and difficult, single-word picture-identification tasks, presented in a clinically reinforcing manner, is differentially affected by morning and afternoon scheduling. The questions posed in this investigation were: 1) Does morning versus afternoon scheduling significantly affect the number of correct responses of severe aphasic adults on clinically presented tasks? and 2) Does morning versus afternoon scheduling have significantly more effect on the number of correct responses made by severe aphasic adults on easy or difficult clinically presented tasks?

Speech-language pathologists and educators face unique challenges in assessing the language skills of children with complex communication needs due to the wide array of impairments with which these individuals present. For example, most receptive language assessment tools require that children either point to or label line drawings to determine whether or not they comprehend the depicted concepts; task demands such as these preclude administering such assessment tools with children who are unable to physically point to or verbally label presented stimuli. In light of these challenges, the use of eye tracking technologies has become particularly appealing since this alternate response mode reduces the behavioral demands associated with standardized assessment procedures. Another challenge clinicians and educators face as they strive to ensure accurate receptive language assessment results with children who have complex communication needs is the type of stimuli utilized in such assessments. When individuals with cognitive delays are presented with stimuli that may not be comprehensible to them, there is a risk of under-estimating language comprehension abilities (Emerson, 2003). Given the documented challenges that individuals with disabilities often have in identifying constructs depicted by the types of line drawings typically included in receptive language assessment tools (e.g., Mirenda & Locke, 1989; Mizuko, 1987), there is a critical need to include recognizable stimuli in assessment tools in order to determine this population's true receptive language capabilities. Beyond this potential to improve the validity of receptive language assessments, improvement in assessment practices such as these also have potential positive implications for effective AAC technology selection and AAC treatment planning. The current investigation examined the effect of symbol type (color photograph symbols1 vs. SymbolStix©2 color line drawing symbols) on identification and naming of graphic symbols for nouns, verbs and adjectives in typically developing three, four, five and six-year old children. A quasi-experimental design was employed, with counterbalance for experimental stimuli (color photograph symbols1 vs. SymbolStix©2 symbols) and task (identification task vs. naming task). Eighty-nine participants completed the identification and naming tasks with both examined symbol types (color photograph symbols1 vs. SymbolStix©2 symbols) on two different days. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to examine the effects of symbol type on both accuracy and rate of identification, and on accuracy of naming. Bivariate correlation was completed to determine the relationship between participants' touch and eye identification rates, and to determine the relationship between identification accuracy and eye rate. Mean scores revealed that all participants achieved higher accuracy for the identification and naming tasks with color photograph symbols1, and that participants evidenced faster touch and eye identification rates for the color photograph symbol1 condition. These findings suggest that color photograph symbols1 are more transparent and thus more easily identifiable. Therefore, potential future assessment modifications include the incorporation of color photograph symbols1 as stimuli and eye gaze as a selection option within AAC assessment tools. Overall, results of this study have the potential to change the way speech-language pathologists and educators assess the receptive language skills of children with complex communication needs to yield more accurate assessment results.

22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q) is the most common genetic cause for velopharyngeal dysfunction. Several velopharyngeal muscles in children with 22q have been shown to be hypoplastic, but no studies to date have examined the musculus uvulae in children with 22q. This study aimed to investigate the presence and characteristics of the musculus uvulae in children with 22q using3D modeling software MRI scans of 13 children (8 with 22q and 5 control participants) were used to measure the musculus uvulae using Amira 6 visualization modeling software. The muscle was segmented by selecting voxels displaying the musculus uvulae on successive oblique coronal slices and combining those voxels into a surface model. The muscle volume, length, diameter, vertical length, and horizontal width were measured from the surface model of the musculus uvulae. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare differences between the two groups. Results revealed the musculus uvulae to be significantly hypoplastic, shorter, and thinner in the group with 22q.The velum was also found to be thinner in the 22q group. Further investigations should be conducted using larger sample sizes to confirm these preliminary results.

This research examined the use of visual feedback provided by electronic instrumentation to reduce air intake times of esophageal speakers during speech management. The subjects were six esophageal speakers from the Portland Metropolitan area. Three subjects made up the experimental group and three were placed in the control group. Prototype instrumentation was used to measure air intake times and give visual feedback to the experimental group during twelve sessions of speech management. The control group participated in traditional speech management procedures to reduce air intake times without benefit of instrumentation. Rate of improvement was measured using the prototype instrumentation without visual feedback for both groups at the end of each session.

The purpose of this study was to determine the judgments by naive listeners of the acceptability of esophageal air intake noise and compare those ratings to their judgments of overall esophageal speech proficiency. The primary question this study sought to answer was: Are naive listener judgments of overall esophageal speech proficiency significantly correlated with naive listener judgments of esophageal air intake noise acceptability? The secondary question asked was: Are naive listener acceptability judgments of air intake noise significantly correlated with sophisticated listener acceptability judgments of air intake noise?

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the perceived severity of chronic tinnitus in a geriatric population increased, decreased, or remained constant with the passage of time. A questionnaire was designed to ascertain the subjects' perceived severity at time of onset and the perceived severity of their current tinnitus. The subjects were asked to rate their past and present tinnitus severity according to how much it bothered them. They were also asked questions pertaining to noise exposure history, hearing aid use, and tinnitus sound parameters for purposes of comparison with other groups previously studied.

The literature on esophageal speech has identified the problem of extraneous air intake noise, suggested its possible etiology, and provided practical advice for clinical management. Documentation on the efficacy of specific methodology is lacking in the literature. Such documentation would be simplified if objective criteria were used to rate the severity of intake noise. The present study was prompted by the lack of basic data regarding listener evaluation of intake noise. The purpose of this study was to identify physical and perceptual correlates of acceptability of esophageal air intake noise. A primary and a secondary question were asked: Are selected objective measures of esophageal speech significantly correlated with sophisticated listener judgments of air intake noise acceptability? The measures used were: 1. The mean intensity of air intake noise 2. The mean intensity of speech 3. The ratio of mean speech intensity to mean intake noise intensity 4. The number of syllables uttered per intake 5. The rate of speech (in syllables per second) Secondarily, are sophisticated listener judgments of overall esophageal speech proficiency significantly correlated with sophisticated listener judgments of air intake noise acceptability?

This study examined the frequency response characteristics of three behind-the-ear hearing aids alone and in combination with three FM auditory trainers. The hearing aids and FM auditory trainers were coupled using two different methods: direct audio input and personal mini-loop. Also, two different gain control settings were used. Frequency responses were evaluated using a template method specified in ANSI S3.22 1982 standards. A larger percentage of the personal mini-loop combinations failed to meet this ANSI standard as compared to the direct audio input combinations (72.3% vs. 50%). The frequency response curves for various combinations of hearing aids and FM auditory trainers were also separated into high and low frequency bands. Significant changes in output were found for the low frequency region, and these changes were dependent upon the coupling method. Specifically, the personal mini-loop tended to produce a significant reduction in output in the low frequency band as compared to that of the hearing aid alone. The use of direct audio input resulted in a significant increase in output in the low frequency band as compared to that of the hearing aid alone. This latter method produced the best overall agreement with the hearing aid frequency response, especially when the FM auditory trainer was set at full on gain and the hearing aid at a low gain setting.

This study examined the influence of three presentation modes (live voice, tape recorded, and videotape recorded) on aphasic subjects' comprehension of concrete and abstract commands.