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<p> This dissertation focused on the impact of aphasia on social inclusion in LTC facilities. Data were gathered and examined using a qualitative research methodology. This research design used several data collection procedures including participant observation, ethnographic interviews, videotaped conversations, and artifact analysis. These procedures preserved the authenticity of the data and allowed for thick description of social interaction as it unfolded in real-time. The results of these data were examined using categorization of the context and culture of each environment, community-based strategies used during social interactions, and the linguistic and interactive devices used during conversational interactions. The views, reactions, and affective reactions of IWA were also explored and discussed. Patterns emerged from the data that revealed the types of strategies that IWA employed to overcome contextual barriers within the nursing home environment. This study uncovered the importance of considering the contextual makeup of nursing homes when examining IWA and the value in exploring the on-line behaviors and strategies that are implemented by IWA as they negotiate social action within these contexts. This study has important implications regarding the value of qualitative research paradigms in investigating social access and inclusion in IWA in LTC settings and exploring the complex interdependent and synergistic relationship of language and its situated context.</p>

<p> The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect environment has upon the conversational ability of an individual with traumatic brain injury. Cognitive and linguistic aspects of language were explored. Administration was conducted through engagement in two conversational samples, one of which took place in a controlled, clinical environment and the other in a naturalistic setting (i.e., dual indoor/outdoor environment). The conversational samples were compared to each other and held in reference to the administrator&rsquo;s sample for baseline data. Data were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results found that unsupported environmental conditions presenting with distractions served to exacerbate the participant&rsquo;s cognitive-communicative impairments. Results and clinical implications are discussed.</p>

<p> The purpose of the study was to determine whether the completion of a parent education, training and coaching program would increase expressive language in toddlers diagnosed with developmental delay. A secondary purpose was to determine whether parents would demonstrate increased knowledge in and ability to execute language facilitation strategies following the completion of the training program. The parent attended three education sessions, and the parent-child dyad participated in weekly training and coaching sessions. Results indicated an increase in expressive language (i.e., both gesture use and verbal expression) for the child-participant, following the completion of the parent training programs. The results indicated an increase in the parent-participant's use of language facilitation strategies; however, this did not carry-over to the generalization phase. Further research is necessary to help create a systematic program to effectively train parents as co-interventionists for toddlers.</p>

<p> Current speech therapy methods and theories are based on generalized motor program (GMP) theory (Schmidt, 1975). GMP theory states a single GMP, or motor program, directs multiple movements of speech (Maas et al., 2008). Additionally, GMP theory asserts these similar muscle movements are part of the same motor class, which allows a GMP to direct performance on novel, untrained patterns of movements (i.e., what is termed &ldquo;transfer performance&rdquo;; Chamberlin &amp; Magill, 1992; Schmidt, 1975). Alternatively, movements outside of a learned motor class will be more difficult to perform because a different GMP is controlling these movements. Currently, syllable stress patterns are theorized as the GMP when planning motor speech tasks. This study aims to help clarify the method through which motor speech movements are learned. </p><p> Meigh et al. (in press) conducted a study to learn more about speech motor planning. This study found that syllable stress, which was the expected GMP for speech production, did not direct transfer performance on untrained stimuli following training on a speech-like task. Instead, participants encoded speech sound (i.e., phoneme) information during training that influenced transfer results. In Meigh&rsquo;s study, participants were trained using a speech production task but the testing procedure was not speech-based. Meigh&rsquo;s results and interpretation may have been impacted by the study design because of the &ldquo;mismatch&rdquo; between modes of training and testing in this study. Therefore, the current study replicated and extended Meigh&rsquo;s experiment using a speech-based training and transfer task. </p><p> Twenty-four participants (16 females and 3 males) produced nonsense words (i.e., nonwords) using a motor learning design, which included mass amounts of training followed by an evaluation of performance on untrained stimuli. During training, participants produced different syllable stress patterns while repeating a training list of nonwords. Following training, participants repeated a list of both trained and untrained nonwords that varied in similarity to the trained stimuli. All untrained stimuli varied by motor class (i.e., syllable stress pattern), as well as the phonemes (or sounds). Accuracy of nonword productions were evaluated across transfer stimuli sets, and results revealed participants had learned syllable stress <i>and</i> phoneme information during training. These results align with a GMP theory and Meigh (in press) suggesting that more than one GMP memory representation may be encoded during motor learning.</p>

<p> Due to the limited research of speech language pathologists&rsquo; (SLP) working with patients with psychotic disorders, the purpose of this study was twofold. The first purpose was to investigate currently practicing SLPs&rsquo; confidence, competence, and knowledge when assessing and treating communication and swallowing disorders in these patients. The second purpose of this study was to highlight the importance and need to further research, provide more resources, and educate SLPs in this scope of practice. The present study utilized a 26 item survey, completed by 29 certified and licensed SLPs. This paper sought to identify correlations between an SLP&rsquo;s number of years of experience he or she has and their confidence levels when assessing and treating patients with psychotic disorders. Results of a correlational analyses showed that there was a weak correlation between the number of years of experience an SLP has and his or her confidence levels in identifying symptoms related to communication. There was also no statistical significance between the number of years of experience of an SLP and assessing and diagnosing communication impairments in patients with psychotic disorders. This study also investigated correlations between an SLP&rsquo;s number of training courses taken specific to patients with psychotic disorders and their confidence levels when assessing and treating these patients. Results revealed a strong positive correlation regarding the number of formal training courses specific to patients with psychotic disorders and the participant&rsquo;s level of confidence in accurately identifying symptoms related to speech and communication impairments. Given the paucity of research available for practicing SLPs in the assessment and treatment of patients with psychotic disorders, this study&rsquo;s results support the need for more research and education of SLPs serving this population. </p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to investigate if socioeconomic status has a direct impact upon the accessibility of speech-language resources. A secondary purpose was to identify the possible barriers experienced by parents when accessing speech-language pathology resources. Online questionnaires were completed by 31 parents who had at least one child between the ages of 0-18 with or without a speech-language or hearing disorder, and were currently or previously received services at either Tichenor Orthopedic Clinic for Children in Long Beach, CA or Sounds Smart Speech Therapy in Placentia, CA. Results indicated that inverse relationship between the income level and the number of barriers experienced when accessing resources exists (i.e., income level increases = number of barriers experienced decreases). The results further indicated that the higher level of parental education, the sooner the child will be diagnosed. Further research is necessary to assist speech-language pathologists in facilitating parent education and identification of children with speech-language deficits (i.e., delays and/or disorders) across socioeconomic levels.</p>

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine voice and vocal motor control in school-age children (5 – 12 years of age) with vocal fold nodules (CwVN) and children with typical voices (CwTV). This work is divided into three chapters, the first two examining CwTV and CwVN and the third providing a comprehensive examination of vocal motor control in adults and children without voice disorder. Study one analyzed relative fundamental frequency (RFF), an acoustic measure of fo change during vowels before and after a voiceless consonant. Average RFF values for offset cycle 10 and onset cycle 1 did not differ between CwVN and CwTV; however, variability of offset cycle 10 was decreased in CwVN. Across both groups, male children had lower offset cycle 10 RFF values as compared to female children. Additionally, onset cycle 1 values were decreased in younger children as compared to older children. Study two examined auditory discrimination to changes in vocal fo in CwVN and CwTV. There were no differences in pitch discrimination abilities between CwVN and CwTV. Younger CwTV had significantly poorer discrimination than older CwTV and adults. However, some CwTV across all ages examined were able to achieve adult-like discrimination abilities, suggesting that these abilities are mitigated by more than solely age in children. Study three evaluated the relationships among vocal pitch discrimination, feedback control, and sensorimotor adaptation in vocally healthy children and adults. Prior to analysis, children were subdivided into two groups based on their auditory discrimination abilities, defined as either being adult-like or immature. Children with immature auditory pitch discrimination had significantly larger vocal responses to unexpected pitch-shifts and significantly smaller responses to sustained pitch-shifts over time. / 2020-06-18T00:00:00Z

<p> Using a semi-structured qualitative methodology, this study examines the symbolic and interactional abilities of preschool children with moderate to severe language impairment and of typically developing preschoolers and how they compare within the context of joint-reminiscing with a parent. Patterns of interaction were identified across three frames of analysis including, children&rsquo;s contributions to reminiscing, breakdowns in orientation to shared past events, and breakdowns in conversation format. The analysis describes how participants in both group are negotiating event-related meanings, conversational expectations, and stances in time throughout reminiscing conversations. The results point to the same underlying mechanisms giving rise to these negotiations for both groups and provide demonstrations of how parents can facilitate and support such negotiations.</p><p>