In the present study, voice onset time (VOT) measurements were compared between a group of individuals with moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) and a group of healthy age- and gender-matched peers. Participants read a list of consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words, which included the six stop consonants. Recordings were gathered and digitized. The VOT measurements were made from oscillographic displays obtained from the Brown Laboratory Interactive Speech System (BLISS) implemented on an IBM-compatible computer. VOT measures for the participants' six stop consonant productions were subjected to statistical analysis. The results of the study indicated that differences in VOT values were not statistically significant in the speakers with Alzheimer's disease from the normal control speakers.

A persistent literacy crisis continues to be reflected in international (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2013), national (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2015), and local literacy outcome data. Educators, including speech-language pathologists (SLPs), are called upon to collaborate to support students who struggle with academic language/literacy. However, few studies have operationally defined collaboration and investigated the effects of collaboration on student achievement. As a result, there is insufficient guidance for educators about ways to design, implement, and assess the effectiveness of collaboration models, defined in terms of their effects on student outcomes. There were two main objectives of this research. The first objective was to investigate whether literacy partnerships between SLPs and third-grade general education teachers, who used a systematic collaboration protocol, yielded better vocabulary outcomes for students than teachers instructing without collaborating with SLPs. The second objective of the study was to examine collaborators' progress toward adopting the collaboration protocol. The quasi-experimental design involved a collaboration treatment condition (n = 2 collaborative pairs; n = 34 students) and a comparison condition (n = 2 non-collaboration teachers; n = 34 students). In both conditions, similar versions of a specific vocabulary technique were implemented over seven weeks. Students' vocabulary knowledge was measured at pretest and posttest using three researcher-created vocabulary assessments adapted from previous measures in vocabulary research. A two-factor split-plot analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a statistically significant interaction effect on the Words-in-Context measure. The significant effect from pretest to posttest within the entire matched group changed as a result of condition; the group mean increase in the students' scores from pretest to posttest was higher in the collaboration condition than the comparison condition. Additional key findings were: (a) a statistically significant increase in group mean scores from pretest to posttest on all three measures within the entire matched group (n = 68) and (b) non-significant interactions between the collaboration and comparison groups on two of the vocabulary measures (Synonyms and Non-Examples). When Cohen's d effect sizes were calculated within each condition, there were large effects for all three tasks in the collaboration condition. In the comparison condition, there were large effects for the Synonyms task, and medium effects for the Words-in-Context and Non-Example tasks. The findings of this study also revealed that collaborators achieved high fidelity of the collaboration protocol within a seven-week collaboration segment. Collaborators demonstrated Routine use of a specific collaboration protocol according to the tools of the Concerns Based Adoption Model (Hall & Hord, 2015); however, they expressed concerns around managing the task demands of the collaboration protocol. Taken as a whole, these findings are promising. Collaboration between SLPs and third-grade general education teachers using a systematic collaboration protocol with a specific vocabulary technique resulted in student vocabulary gains; on one measure, the gains were significantly larger than those made by students in classrooms where teachers did not collaborate with SLPs. The findings have potential to inform a research and practice agenda for SLPs and other educators in schools. Clinical implications and specific research directions are discussed.

Adults who stutter (AWS) are vulnerable to the development of various psychopathological symptoms, although prevalence data are mixed, and even less clarity exists as it relates to the factors that potentially influence their occurrence. The current study sought to shed light on the prevalence of self-reported psychopathology in AWS and aimed to identify relationships between affective, behavioral and cognitive (ABC) experiences of stuttering and psychological distress. This was based on AWS' reports of speech situation-specific anxiety and speech disruption, the use of behaviors to avoid or escape stuttering, and one's communication attitude. The self-reports administered to 40 AWS via Qualtrics, an online survey software, were subtests of the Behavior Assessment Battery for Adults who Stutter (BAB; Vanryckeghem & Brutten, 2018) and the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (Deragotis, 2001). Participants' BAB scores approximated the normative data suggesting that the current sample corresponded to the psychosocial profile of AWS. Participants' indications of psychological distress were not found to differ from that of a non-clinical normative sample. Ten percent of participants met clinical thresholds for what is considered clinically significant distress. Overall, the current data provide evidence that, as a group, levels of psychopathology in this population approximate community samples, highlighting the existence of psychologically distressed subgroups of AWS. Regression analyses uncovered that the ABC factors of stuttering positively predicted participants' reports of levels of psychopathology. Among these factors, speech situation-specific anxiety had the strongest relationship to psychological distress, followed closely by one's report of situation-specific speech disruption. To a lesser, but still significant extent, a PWS' communication attitude predicted psychopathology. Finally, a weaker and less clear positive relationship between PWS' use of coping behaviors to avoid and/or escape stuttering and their levels of psychological distress was found.

Shared interactive reading is an evidence-based practice where professionals can collaborate to promote literacy and language skills in young children. Providing children with developmental disabilities (DD) the opportunity to gain language and preliteracy skills in early intervention is critical for their development as they are at a higher risk for falling behind in academics compared to their age-matched peers. This study evaluated the effectiveness of dialogic reading (DR) for children with DD. DR has been shown to be an effective strategy to teach typically developing preschool-aged children vocabulary, language, and literacy skills, however research in children with DD is limited. Results related to the different types of questions asked by paraprofessionals before and during a DR intervention showed one singular training of DR positively impacted paraprofessional's implementation of DR strategies and children's responses to prompts. A positive impact was found on children's language use during book readings.

No description available.

This study investigated the potential of using weStories, a type of digital storytelling, and the use of iPads with second and third grade students who have autism. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological disorder that affects a person's ability to communicate, comprehend language, and their ability to socially interact with peers. Digital storytelling combines the art of telling stories with photos, videos, audio, and other digital media. This study employed the use of weStories, a collaborative storytelling process that requires students to work in a team while using an iPad. weStories were created by Dr. Glenda Gunter specifically for individuals to learn the fundamental of narrative and story skills to increase their literacy and communication skills. This study was conducted over a series of teachings and observations at the United Cerebral Palsy of Central Florida (UCP). The UCP is a school that serves children with a variety of learning disabilities, including autism. The purpose of this ethnographic thesis was to explore the impact of teaching the story invention process and weStories through iPads with students who have autism. Ethnographic research design was utilized to observe and assess individual changes in student behaviors and investigate the phenomena of story. This study utilized qualitative research methods. The potential of the intervention was measured through interviews and observations. This research on using technologies with students who have autism, such as iPads and weStories, has shown potential in terms of working collaboratively; enhancing problem solving in social situations, and providing exposure to iPads as a learning tool.

No description available.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether pediatricians and family practice physicians were using standard criteria referring pre-school children to otolaryngologists and/or audiologists. Data was collected regarding the types of instruments and procedures used in the referral, in addition to the etiologies most frequently referred. Comparisons of referral criteria were made between pediatricians and family practice physicians. A 17-item questionnaire regarding audiological tests, procedures and pathologies was sent to 108 pediatricians and 112 familiar practice physicians in the Central Florida area. Similarities in tests and procedures used by the two groups of physicians were limited to the use of the otoscope and pneumatic otoscope. Chronic otitis media and speech/language delays were revealed as the most often referred etiologies. Significant differences were noted between the two groups of physicians in the use of tuning forks and tympanometers. Results suggested a need for a more consistent set of procedures and tests in the comprehensive assessment of hearing status in the pre-school child.

No description available.