The purpose of the present study is to test the feasibility of implementing a video-game based intervention protocol as a means to improve therapy compliance in school age children with hyperfunctional voice disorders. Three levels of modification were made to an existing entertainment software program in order to implement the therapeutic protocol and test compatibility. The third level of modification included a two-phase quasi-experimental single subject design with a school age participant receiving the video game therapy protocol and traditional therapy for equal time. The independent variables for this study included the mode of voice therapy delivery (traditional vs. video game). The dependent variables included therapy compliance, perceptual evaluations and acoustic measures. This study found that a purely entertainment video game can be implemented as a therapeutic protocol for a school age child diagnosed with a vocal pathology. Results illustrated no change in compliance with non-traditional therapy versus traditional therapy. However, perceptual measures improved post treatment for breathiness, strain and overall severity, as well as significant differences for mean amplitude. Discussion will focus on implications of employing video game based therapy and design of future studies.

It was the purpose of this experimental investigation: (1) to find some type of amplifying unit (a) that would be small enough to allow the parents of young children, and the child himsel, as he grew older, to carry from the home to the class room and back home again, (b) that had extremely high fidelity to insure the hard-of-hearing child the opportunity to learn tonal qualities, (c) that lacked static and high-frequency squeal which so often is found in the small portable hearing aids, (d) that had the volume capacity great enough to allow these hard-of-hearing children to use the small remnant of hearing sense that was left to them; (2) to ascertain whether or not pre-kindergarten children would use these instruments in a school situation; (3) if in this school situation the child would learn to speak; (4) whether the parents could be taught to use these instruments in the home situation; and (5) whether the combined stimulation at school and at home would develop speech and normal personality in the hard-of-hearing child. to flnd aom.e type of am!'ll.i ty:t.ng unit (a) the. t would ·be emn:tl enough to tJtllow the parents of young children, and the eh11d · h1:m• self 1 . as he grew older, to eeU'~ from tl'Ja home t-;o th-e olell!ls :room and hack home agai.n.1 (b) tbn.t ht1td extr~melJt high t"~.deltty to insure the hard..-of.,.henr:tng child tba oppo r~tuni ty to 1 em l"n t(m~_:J.__Q.i~!!-~-~~ 1 ~fJ~ j_~)_ __ ~r~~~ _1St o1red statS c and h1.gb .... fa~equen0mnant or hearing sense that was left ·to then'!) ( 2) to aacGrta:ln whethe:P or- not prt:h••kinde:r:•garten ch:tlclren would. uaa thtH'Ha 1nstru ... rnants :tn n school. s1. tuat1.on; ( 3) if il1 this school situation the child would l(~nrn to sp~tHr; (4) wl'H)ther the pnt'Em'b~$ cou;td be tl:lught to us& thet:~e 5.natruments :tn the home s:ttuationJ and ( l'5) whether th,e coml1i.tH:J!d st:tmulati<,)n r.t school and st bo:mo would develop f!:t)GE}ch and no:r~tal pe:t"sont'll:tty 1n the hard ... of..,.hanr•1.ng ch1.1d.

It was the purpose of this study to determine by means of standardized tests and questionnaires which of the following thirteen factors, if any, may have affected the speech attitudes, as evaluated by Knower's Speech Attitude Scale, Form F,3 of students enrolled in Lodi Academy at the time of the testing: Physical--age, articulation, sex; Educational--grade level, oral reading, scholarship, silent reading; Psychological--emotional adjustment, intelligence, residence with parents, size of family, social adjustment, and unity of religious beliefs.

Masking Level Difference (MLD) tests are an established component of auditory processing test batteries; however, normative data for these tests vary according to procedure. In this study, forty normal, native-English speaking adults between the ages of 18 and 26 were tested for MLD via a newly developed computer software program using both an adaptive procedure (MLDA) and a Bekesy procedure (MLDB). The results from the two procedures were analyzed for sex differences and compared with each other. For both the MLDA and MLDB, the results showed statistically significant sex differences in the masked thresholds used to obtain the MLD (NoSo and NoSπ), but no significant difference in the calculated MLD value (NoSo - NoSπ). These results suggest that since the MLD was similar for both sexes, the normative data need not be reported separately by sex. The results also showed statistically significant differences between procedures, with the MLDA procedure producing higher MLDs than the MLDB procedure. The MLDA procedure lent itself to a d´ analysis, which could not be determined using MLDB due to the nature of a Bekesy assessment. For MLDA, d´ = 1.4, test sensitivity = 96.4%, and test specificity = 60.3%. The results of this study indicate that MLDA is a better testing procedure due to MLDA’s higher MLD average and the statistical data available (d´, and measures of sensitivity and specificity) when using the MLDA procedure.

Children with communication disorders are often at risk of literacy difficulties, especially students that present with autism and/or speech sound disorders. This quasi-experimental study was designed to examine the effects of a 10-week "hybrid" intervention for preschool students with and without communication disorders in an integrated classroom. The classroom intervention targets both vocabulary and phonological awareness, two critical components of literacy that are strongly correlated with one another. The objectives of this study were (1) to provide empirical evidence that classroom-based pre-literacy intervention can be effective for students with communication disabilities, allowing for more time with their peers in a potentially least-restrictive environment and (2) to demonstrate that typically-developing preschool children also benefit from classroom-based pre-literacy training.

Service delivery and the access to specialized instructions to consumers, encounters many barriers within the profession of speech-language pathology. This state of affairs is largely due to the disparate distribution of speech language services (ASHA, 2005). This restricted access, or an inability to access services, is a result of a number of factors, which include lack of clinicians, insufficient number of facilities in geographic area, and transportation issues (ASHA, 2004e). As a result, students who require specialized reading instruction are not afforded the opportunity to access the necessary treatment. It is essential that the literacy needs of all children be addressed, including those who require specialized instruction (Foorman & Torgesen, 2001; Allington, 1994). Technology, specifically telepractice, is a potential solution to address this dilemma. The purpose of this study is to investigate the reliability and validity of systematic multisensory reading treatment for students who have been identified with a delay in foundational reading skills, addressing foundational reading skills via an internet-based video conferencing system. The results will establish the groundwork for the efficacy, reliability, and validity of internet-based video conferencing as a means of service delivery for foundational reading skills. The foundational reading skills targeted in this study are letter naming knowledge (LNK), letter sound knowledge (LSN) and decoding.

There is a national shortage of school-based Speech Language Pathologists (SLP). Schools located in rural and geographically remote areas are often impacted by the shortage, and as a result students with an autism spectrum disorder may not receive services that are mandated by their Individual Education Plan. This study examined the use of telepractice as a method of delivery of speech and language services to individuals with autism spectrum disorders in rural areas. A quasi-experimental, single-subject, time-series design was employed. The treatment conditions were manipulated. A counter-balancing methodology was used to control for order effects in this study. Inter-observer agreement on student progress and outcomes were determined by two other master-level clinicians. Progress was measured using pre/post intervention assessments and intervention data. A statistical analysis and comparison of the two service delivery methods (telepractice and traditional on-site) was conducted using the Improved Rate Difference and a Tau-U method. Group comparison was conducted using the Pearson's Correlation . A non-directional critical value for all parametric and non-parametric analysis was set at á = .05. If the null hypothesis was rejected, then there was a statistical difference between the progress students made when receiving telepractice as compared to on-site services. If the null hypothesis was not rejected, there was not a statistical difference between the progress students made when receiving telepractice as compared to on-site services Comparison at the group level resulted in a finding of non-significance between the two conditions. Findings at the individual level resulted in three out of the six participants demonstrating a finding of non-statistical difference between the on-site and telepractice conditions. For the remaining three participants a statistical difference was noted. When comparing the means of the outcome data between the two conditions, two participants responded more favorably to telepractice intervention, while the other responded better to on-site intervention. Overall, these findings suggest that a telepractice service delivery method is an effective and valid way to provide interventions to students with ASD

There is a growing population of individuals using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) in need of evidence-based intervention from highly qualified personnel. However, not all speech pathology programs offer AAC coursework and/or practicum opportunities, and practicing speech-language pathologists (SLPs) report low levels of confidence and expertise in working with individuals using AAC. Therefore, there is a need to develop more innovative pre-professional training programs to better equip the next generation of SLPs with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide high-quality, evidence-based AAC interventions. Telepractice is emerging as an inventive way to provide both direct and indirect intervention services, and could theoretically be used to support pre-professional training by providing clinicians the opportunity to engage in direct services with individuals using AAC concurrently while receiving supervision from a skilled mentor. A thorough review of the literature revealed limited information and data regarding tele-AAC for direct and indirect service delivery. This investigation examined the feasibility and effectiveness of utilizing telepractice to train pre-professional clinicians regarding AAC interventions while in the context of service delivery both on-site and via telepractice. A single-subject, multiple baseline design was employed to examine the impact of real-time supervisory guidance offered via telepractice to pre-professional clinicians (Active Consultation) on the performance of the clinicians and the clients in each service delivery condition. Data was gathered on the number of target language acts modeled by the clinicians and generated by the clients when Active Consultation was provided. The results supported the use of telepractice for supervision, and as a service delivery method for AAC users.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic required the use of remote technologies for society and the workforce to function under quarantine conditions. The literature on telepractice services for individuals with ASD has proliferated during the past decade, especially during the past two years. Still, many publications on the topic lack scientific merit. This study utilized a quasi-experimental, single-subject, multiple-group, time-series design to investigate whether telepractice SLP services are at least as effective as the traditional, face-to-face delivery model. Twenty-one students with autism spectrum disorder were included in this study. Additionally, 22 speech-language pathology graduate students and four SLP school professionals assisted in conducting this research. This investigation was organized into a two-phase research design (AB and BA) whereas phase A corresponded to intervention services being delivered using telepractice and phase B corresponded to the same intervention services being delivered on- site. Students were assigned to either Group 1 (AB) or Group 2 (BA). The participants in this study were treated individually and outcome data were aggregated into a final summary of treatment outcomes. Outcome data for each student included percent accuracy achieved on IEP goals as well as percent assistance required in working on respective IEP goals. For all 21 participants, change over time was examined through single-subject graphs which display composite percent accuracy and assistance throughout both intervention phases. Visual analysis of the data reveals that many participants showed no notable difference in percent accuracy achieved between telepractice and on-site services, but that most students appeared to require less assistance when participating in telepractice services. For a subset of 15 participants, summary statistics and paired samples t-tests were calculated to determine mean differences in student performance for percent accuracy and percent assistance for each mode of service delivery. Paired samples t-tests revealed that there was no difference in students’ response accuracy to treatment stimuli between the intervention conditions. However, paired samples t-tests supported the finding that telepractice services do not require the clinician to provide students with as much assistance as needed on-site. Additionally, results from satisfaction surveys completed by participants suggested that telepractice is a socially valid treatment delivery for students with ASD. Overall, results from this study suggest that telepractice services are an effective alternative to in-person SLP services. This finding has positive implications for clinical decision making and treatment planning for individuals with ASD.

An excised animal larynx model has been used in many studies to better understand the physiological and anatomical properties of the human larynx. One difference between an ex vivo model and an in vivo model is that ion loss occurs postmortem. To compensate for this in the excised model, researchers most commonly use a preservation method that includes completely submerging the specimen in isotonic saline (0.9% Na+Cl-) and then flash freezing it in liquid nitrogen. The flash freezing method allows researchers to maintain the integrity of the structures while also being able to gather specimens as they become available. Not enough research has been done to understand the effects of a preservation method on the outcomes of the study. Additionally, no common method has been established for preservation across studies to ensure that results are not being influenced by this variable. This prospective, mixed experimental design study includes three groups, a control group and two experimental groups. The control group consisted of 10 bench-mounted porcine larynges that were soaked in isotonic saline and flash frozen with liquid nitrogen. Prior to the experiment, the frozen larynges were thawed overnight before trials. The other two groups consisted of 10 bench-mounted porcine larynges each; these larynges were soaked in either isotonic saline or Ringers solution, a balanced fluid used in vivo to counteract dehydration. Larynges from these two groups were kept fresh and stored in a refrigerator overnight before trials. On the day of experimentation, each larynx was mounted on a bench top setup including three micropositioners to stabilize, adduct, and elongate the vocal folds. All the larynges were connected to a pseudolung via the trachea and humidified air was passed through to the vocal folds until phonation was achieved. Phonatory trials consisted of brief phonation followed by 5-minute desiccation intervals until phonation was no longer achieved. Phonation threshold flow (PTF), defined as the flow observed at the onset of phonation, was observed during each phonation trial; and flow values were compared within and between groups. Statistically significant differences were found between the Ringers group and the fresh saline group as well as between the Ringers group and the frozen saline group, indicating that PTF is influenced by the larynx preservation method.