Late language emergence (LLE) may result from genetic and environmental factors. Little is known about environmental factors in LLE in South Africa. The study describes the nature of differences in language functioning between toddlers with LLE and without LLE, and which factors were associated with LLE in a middle-income area in South Africa. Toddlers, aged 24- to 36 months with LLE (n=20) were matched with a control group (n=21) for household income, age, gender, maternal education and parental employment. The research group showed moderate delays in expressive and receptive language, and play skills, while the controls exhibited no delay. Significant differences in early feeding history and multilingual exposure were found between the groups. As far as known it is the first study utilising a South African middle-income sample indicating that multilingual exposure may play a role in LLE. The study focusses the attention on environmental factors which are potentially modifiable in LLE. / Dissertation (MA (Speech-Language therapy))--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / MA (Speech-Language therapy) / Unrestricted

Graduate Student Scholarship and Student Research Grant recipients, along with National Student Speech Language Hearing Association representatives, enjoy the 2019 ASHFoundation Founders Breakfast in Orlando.

No description available.

A non-speech response mode similar to the one used by Prepack (1971) to teach language to a chimpanzee was utilized to teach two simple language functions to three autistic children. The response mode consisted of picking up a geometric symbol and placing it on a response tray. The geometric symbol was the basic unit in this language system. The symbols were used to represent objects in the environment and relationships between the objects.

Central auditory processing performance of male and female stutterers and nonstutterers was compared on a battery of central auditory tests. Thirty stutterers (15 male and 15 female) with a mean age of 23.10 years (17.2-31 years) comprised the experimental group, and 30 nonstutterers (15 male and 15 female) with a mean age of 22.2 years(17-32 years) comprised the control group. The test battery included dichotic (DCV test, ssw test, eST) and monotic (SSI-ICM test, ARLT) tests. Stutterers performed significantly poorer than nonstutterers on various parameters of individual tests. The stutterers' performance on the test battery was varied : 8(26.6%) stutterers passed all tests in the battery; 7(23.3%) failed dichotic tests only; 15(50%) failed dichotic and monotic tests of which 2(6.6%) failed monotic tests. Pass/fail rates indicated that although 15 (50%) nonstutterers failed the battery 22(73.2%) stutterers failed. This result confirmed that stutterers performed significantly differently from nonstutterers on the test battery( X?= 19.87 , df=l; p<0.05). Male/famale comparisons for nonstutterers indicated no significant differences (p>0.05) on individual tests except on the ARLT where males obtained longer latencies than females. Pass /fail rates on the test battery confirmed no statistically significant (X~= 0.133 , df=l; p> 0.05) performance differences between male and female nonstutterers. For stutterers, although male performance was poorer than female performance on various parameters of individual tests ,the performance differences were not significant (p>0.05). However, pass/fail performance on the test battery indicated that significantly more males (13) than females (9) failed the test battery ( X2 = 8.66 df=l, p<0.05). The results are discussed in terms of the literature and theoretical and clinical implications are presented and discussed. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1992.

Thesis (M. (Communication Pathology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if patient characteristics or clinical variables could predict who benefits from individual auditory training. Method: A retrospective series of analyses were performed using a data set from a large, multisite, randomized controlled clinical trial that compared the treatment effects of at-home auditory training programs in bilateral hearing aid users. The treatment arms were (a) use of the 20-day computerized Listening and Communication Enhancement program, (b) use of the 10-day digital versatile disc Listening and Communication Enhancement program, (c) use of a placebo “books-on-tape” training, and (d) educational counseling (active control). Multiple linear regression models using data from 263 participants were conducted to determine if patient and clinical variables predicted short-term improvement on word-recognition-in-noise abilities, self-reported hearing handicap, and self-reported hearing problems. Results: Baseline performance significantly predicted performance on each variable, explaining 11%–17% of the variance in improvement. The treatment arm failed to emerge as a significant predictor with other clinical variables explaining less than 9% of the variance. Conclusion: These results suggest that hearing aid users who have poorer aided word-recognition-in-noise scores and greater residual activity limitations and participation restrictions will show the largest improvement in these areas.

Clinical Supervision is an important practice in speech language therapy and related health disciplines. Research in student clinician populations has found that supervisees value interpersonal, personal and teaching characteristics in a clinical supervisor. Research has also shown that perceptions of supervisor characteristics change as student clinicians gain clinical skills. However, there is a significant lack of research examining practising clinicians' perceptions of clinical supervisor characteristics. The current study aimed to 1) survey practising Speech Language Therapists (SLTs) and examine the knowledge, skills and attitudes valued in a clinical supervisor, and 2) determine if the characteristics valued by more experienced SLTs (greater than 5 years) differed from those valued by less experienced SLTs (less than 5 years). A cross-sectional survey design methodology was employed. A five-part survey was developed, and distributed nationally by email. Participants were 72 SLTs practising in New Zealand. Results indicated that practising SLTs valued interpersonal knowledge and skills, and personal values and attitudes most highly in a clinical supervisor. In addition, it was found that characteristics relating to professional knowledge and identity were least valued. Overall, almost no difference was found between characteristics valued by less and more experienced clinicians. Findings suggest that practicing clinicians' basic human-relationship needs must be met for safe and effective CS to occur. Findings also suggest that regardless of experience level all clinicians are learners. This means clinicians across all different levels of work experience require support from clinical supervisors, to learn reflectively from experiences in the workplace.

No description available.

This study explored the feasibility of using test translation to adapt a standard English vocabulary test for Zulu speakers. It was motivated by the difficulties associated with assessing speakers of the African languages, in the absence of Zulu speech-language therapists and Zulu assessment tools. The adaptation process in the present study began with a direct translation of the PPVT-R into Zulu by twenty Zulu university students. Based on the degree of consensus on translations and judgements of cultural appropriacy (using the committee approach), items were selected for the purposes of pilot testing of the translations on 107 Zulu pupils from six to eleven years, in the study area. The results of the first pilot study revealed that it was not feasible to standardise the first translated version of the test, as only seventeen percent of the items were found suitable for inclusion in a normative study. Further test development using translations from twenty educators, their judgements of cultural appropriacy of stimuli as well as application of the back translation test to determine semantic equivalence of translations resulted in the development of a revised translated version of the PPVT-R, consisting of mUltiple translations for some items. This was administered to 544, six to eleven year old Zulu children. The results of the second pilot study revealed that only 31.2% of the translations administered were appropriate for the purposes of developing norms, across all the age groups tested, with 80% of these translations applicable for six and seven year old Zulu children only. Therefore, the translated version of the PPVT-R, despite modifications, showed significantly reduced applicability for Zulu speakers. Using the information derived from the present study a test comprising thirty six Zulu words has been compiled for the purposes of screening the receptive vocabulary skills of six and seven year old Zulu children in the study area. The findings of the study confirmed the difficulties in using test translation as a procedural option in adapting a test for Zulu children; implications, further modifications and investigations are suggested in this regard. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1994.