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The ability to communicate is essential for the development of children's literacy skills, and raises a significant issue for children having complex communication needs who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems (e.g., communication boards, computerized voice-output systems) in order to substitute or supplement their natural speech. Current research indicates that early literacy experiences, such as interactive storybook reading with literate adults, are critical to children's development of functional language and literacy skills. However, research contends that children with complex communication needs are not naturally provided with supportive storybook reading experiences by their parents. In particular, one group of children who have been identified in the literature as being vulnerable to poor literacy outcomes is children of African American descent. To address this issue, the effects of an evidence-based instructional program on the communicative patterns of African American children using AAC during interactive book-reading activities were investigated. The study involved two parent-child dyads from African American backgrounds. The parents were taught to implement an interaction strategy that involved the use of (a) expectant delay, (b) modeling of AAC system use, (c) open-ended question asking, and (d) increased responsivity to the children's communicative attempts. Results demonstrated that the parents in both dyads reached criterion for implementation of the targeted interaction strategy, and they evidenced generalized and long-term use of this strategy. In addition, the children demonstrated increases in communicative turns taken and novel semantic concepts expressed. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

In the ongoing discussion of treatment efficacy, some researchers have argued for the use of evidence from randomized controlled trials while others have argued the case for the use of non-randomized designs (Ingham 2003) in the study of the treatment of stuttering. Few attempts have been made to integrate findings from the research on stuttering intervention {Andrews, et al.1980; Howard, Nye, & Vanryckegbem, 2005; Herder, Howard, Nye & Vanryckeghem 2006; Thomas and Howell, 2001). Since the usual approach to the study of treatment efficacy uses experimental and quasi-experimental sources, a summary of the data available from single subject design {SSD) studies would seem warranted. The purpose of this project was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of stuttering treatment for children and adults by summarizing studies and determining an overall effect by calculating the percentage of non-overlapping data points (PND). The resulting review provides a summary of the effects of stuttering treatment, the nature of the treatment program characteristics and their associated effectiveness, and a general mapping of the research landscape in stuttering treatment terms of its' strengths and weaknesses and areas of need for future research.

Many different kinds of process are used to develop software intensive products, but there is little agreement as to which processes give the best results under which circumstances. Practitioners and researchers believe that project outcomes would be improved if the development process was constructed according to project-specific factors. In order to achieve this goal, greater understanding of the factors that most affect outcomes is needed. To improve understanding, researchers build models of the process and carry out studies based on these models. However, current models contain many ambiguities and assumptions, and so it is not clear what the results of the studies mean. The statement of this thesis is that it is possible to create an abstraction of the software development process that will provide a mechanism for comparing software processes and software process models. The long term goal of the research is to provide planners with a means of tailoring the development process on a project by project basis, with the aim of reducing risk and improving outcomes.

Many different kinds of process are used to develop software intensive products, but there is little agreement as to which processes give the best results under which circumstances. Practitioners and researchers believe that project outcomes would be improved if the development process was constructed according to project-specific factors. In order to achieve this goal, greater understanding of the factors that most affect outcomes is needed. To improve understanding, researchers build models of the process and carry out studies based on these models. However, current models contain many ambiguities and assumptions, and so it is not clear what the results of the studies mean. The statement of this thesis is that it is possible to create an abstraction of the software development process that will provide a mechanism for comparing software processes and software process models. The long term goal of the research is to provide planners with a means of tailoring the development process on a project by project basis, with the aim of reducing risk and improving outcomes.

Many different kinds of process are used to develop software intensive products, but there is little agreement as to which processes give the best results under which circumstances. Practitioners and researchers believe that project outcomes would be improved if the development process was constructed according to project-specific factors. In order to achieve this goal, greater understanding of the factors that most affect outcomes is needed. To improve understanding, researchers build models of the process and carry out studies based on these models. However, current models contain many ambiguities and assumptions, and so it is not clear what the results of the studies mean. The statement of this thesis is that it is possible to create an abstraction of the software development process that will provide a mechanism for comparing software processes and software process models. The long term goal of the research is to provide planners with a means of tailoring the development process on a project by project basis, with the aim of reducing risk and improving outcomes.

Many different kinds of process are used to develop software intensive products, but there is little agreement as to which processes give the best results under which circumstances. Practitioners and researchers believe that project outcomes would be improved if the development process was constructed according to project-specific factors. In order to achieve this goal, greater understanding of the factors that most affect outcomes is needed. To improve understanding, researchers build models of the process and carry out studies based on these models. However, current models contain many ambiguities and assumptions, and so it is not clear what the results of the studies mean. The statement of this thesis is that it is possible to create an abstraction of the software development process that will provide a mechanism for comparing software processes and software process models. The long term goal of the research is to provide planners with a means of tailoring the development process on a project by project basis, with the aim of reducing risk and improving outcomes.

Persons with aphasia (PWAs) often demonstrate challenges in the areas of expressive language, comprehension, reading, and writing. Due to these deficits, PWAs have limited opportunity to express their opinions and contribute to treatment planning. This project focused on the development of a self-report needs assessment tool for PWAs that facilitates PWAs participation in treatment planning. The needs assessment tool was designed using aphasia-friendly features including pictographic/visual analog scale, key words in bold, simple wording, large font, consistent question formatting, flexible administration, and the use of a communication partner/interview. The needs assessment tool was administered to seven PWAs in the Bowling Green, Kentucky area. Participants were recruited from short-term rehabilitation facilities, long-term care facilities, and personal homes. The needs assessment tool is comprised of 12 items targeting interest in therapeutic offerings for inclusion in a new intensive comprehensive aphasia program (ICAP). Results revealed the importance of flexible administration in response to participants’ communication abilities and limitations. With use of communicative support, the needs assessment tool provided an opportunity for PWAs to effectively express treatment preferences. Participants indicated moderate interest in an ICAP at Western Kentucky University and treatment options including individual speech and language therapy, physical therapy, and community outings.

We classify animals into a few distinct groups: companion animals (pets and strays like dogs and cats), utility animals (animals that serve a purpose like cows farmed for dairy or meat or foxes farmed for fur), and wild animals (nondomestic animals in their natural habitat). This study will investigate empathic relationships between people and animals of these four types in two abuse scenarios (active abuse and neglect). These factors were manipulated in a 2x4 experimental design. I expect a closer relationship with humans will correlate with a higher degree of empathy for the victim such that homed companion animals will generate the most empathy, followed by stray, utility, and finally wild. Results supported this hypothesis to an extent. This research is intended to bridge gaps between empathy towards humans and empathy towards other animals. If we can manipulate the degree to which people tend to relate to animals by varying our descriptions of these animals, we can also manipulate people’s desire to protect them.