bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Authentic Assessment as an Approach to Preschool Speech-Language Screening
Authors: Schraeder Trici , Quinn Michelle , Stockman Ida J. , Miller Jon
Published: July 2014

Authentic assessment procedures have been advocated to evaluate speech and language skills of preschool children from multicultural, low-socioeconomic backgrounds. In this article we discuss our use of minimal core competency methodology as an authentic assessment protocol for preschool screening. Despite the significant investment of time required, this protocol has proven to be useful and can actually save time in screening compared to quicker, standardized measures that lack sufficient specificity.
A Qualitative Study of Feedback in Aphasia Treatment
Authors: Simmons-Mackie Nina , Damico Jack S. , Damico Holly L.
Published: July 2014

A qualitative research study was completed using ethnographic and conversation analysis methodologies to explore characteristics and functions of feedback in traditional aphasia treatment sessions. The investigators identified and described multiple functions of clinician feedback based on analysis of 15 aphasia treatment sessions. Feedback not only provided general motivation and shaped targeted language behavior, but also assisted in establishing the discourse structure of treatment and in managing important interactional aspects of the exchange. Understanding the multiple roles of feedback in treatment interactions might help clinicians improve the efficiency and effectiveness of aphasia treatment and assist in training student clinicians.
The Relationship Between Maternal Language Measures and Language Development in Toddlers With Expressive Vocabulary Delays
Authors: Girolametto Luigi , Weitzman Elaine , Wiigs Megan , Pearce Patsy Steig
Published: July 2014

This study examined the relationship between variation in maternal language and variation in language development in a group of 12 children with expressive vocabulary delays. Mothers and their children participated in a parent-mediated intervention that adhered to the interactive model of language intervention. This intervention model arises out of social interactionist accounts of language acquisition and maintains that maternal language input has facilitatory effects on child development. The purpose of this study was to examine two compatible explanations for the facilitatory effects of maternal linguistic input in this intervention model: the responsivity hypothesis and the structural hypothesis. The responsivity hypothesis maintains that linguistic input that is semantically contingent on the child’s vocal or verbal utterances, or responsive to the child’s focus, facilitates language learning. The structural hypothesis posits that structural features of maternal language input that are just one step above the child’s abilities promote language learning. The results of this study indicated robust relationships between maternal use of imitation and expansion at Time 1 and measures of child language at Time 2. These results provided support for the effects of responsive language input on the language abilities of this sample of late talkers. These results have implications for social interaction theory and confirm the import of responsive input as viable intervention techniques for young children with expressive vocabulary delays.
Comprehension Monitoring: A Developmental Effect?
Authors: (Schultz) Walters Danielle B. , Chapman Robin S.
Published: July 2014

This study investigated whether children’s comprehension monitoring skills follow a developmental effect as postulated by Dollaghan and Kaston (1986) in their treatment sequence for developing comprehension monitoring skills. Participants were 36 children grouped by age into 3-, 6-, and 9-year-olds who were developing normally. Each child was administered the Test of Auditory Comprehension of Language–Revised (TACL-R; Carrow-Woolfolk, 1985). Participants were then required to follow audio-recorded instructions to manipulate objects in front of them. The instructions were either adequate, distorted in acoustic signal, had inadequate content, or were excessively lengthy and complex. Verbal reactions to the three types of inadequate messages, and the proportion of reactions requesting clarification, were each analyzed in two-way ANOVAs, age group by message type. Children verbally reacted to inadequate content of directions more frequently than distorted or lengthy/complex messages, both in verbal comment and in the proportion of clarification requests. Age interacted with item type, but no evidence for a developmental effect was found. Nor did sentence comprehension (TACL-R) correlate with verbally expressed comprehension monitoring. These results suggest that children may be monitoring possible actions in the world rather than monitoring their own understanding of messages.
Basic Concepts of Surface Electromyographic Biofeedback in the Treatment of Dysphagia: A Tutorial
Authors: Crary Michael A. , Groher Michael E.
Published: July 2014

Surface electromyographic (sEMG) biofeedback has been used to enhance behavioral treatment interventions in a variety of movement disorders involving the head and neck musculature. These include, but are not limited to, voice disorders (Andrews, Warner, & Stewart, 1986), dysarthria (Gentil, Aucouturier, Delong, & Sambuis, 1994), hemifacial spasm (Rubow, Rosenbek, Collins, & Celesia, 1984), mandibular closure (Nemec & Cohen, 1984), and dysphagia (Bryant, 1991; Crary, 1995). Despite the potential for widespread application of sEMG biofeedback-assisted treatments in motor disorders of the head and neck musculature, speech-language pathologists generally are not aware of these techniques or of their potential application to speech, voice, or swallowing disorders. The intent of this tutorial is to provide a general introduction to surface electromyographic biofeedback techniques as they may apply to the rehabilitation of dysphagia in adults. Specific examples are provided based on clinical management of patients with dysphagia following brainstem stroke.
Compression in the Time Domain
Authors: Teder Harry
Published: July 2014

High input levels can cause saturation and "fast pumping" effects in hearing aids. The resulting distortion products and changes in speech amplitude envelope are examined in the time domain. Spectrograms reveal changes in speech elements not apparent with time domain methods.
Effects of Maternal Cocaine Abuse on Neonatal Auditory Brainstem Responses
Authors: Cone-Wesson Barbara , Spingarn Aaron
Published: July 2014

Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) were recorded from 18 neonates born to mothers who used cocaine during pregnancy, and from 18 control infants matched to the cocaine group on the basis of birthweight and conceptional age. ABRs were elicited using click signals presented at 40, 60, and 80 dB nHL at a rate of 33 clicks/sec and also at 11 and 89 clicks/sec at 80 dB nHL. The absolute latencies for ABR components I, III, and V and wave I–V interpeak latencies (IPLs) were measured for each signal condition.

ABR absolute and IPLs for the infants who had been exposed to cocaine were prolonged relative to their age- and weight-matched controls. Neurodevelopmental compromise of the auditory system appears to result from gestational exposure to cocaine.
Preferred Hearing Aid Response Characteristics Under Acoustic and Telecoil Coupling Conditions
Authors: Rodriguez Gary P. , Holmes Alice E. , DiSarno Neil J. , Kaplan Holly
Published: July 2014

Telephone communication remains a major obstacle for hearing-impaired listeners. Even with the use of amplification, many hearing aid (HA) users report significant difficulty understanding telephone conversations. Although much effort has recently been focused on determining ideal HA performance for typical communication settings, less has been directed toward preferred HA responses during telephone coupling conditions. If one assumes that telecoil coupling strategies may require different HA performance characteristics because of line noise, filtering effects, coupling method, and output limitations imposed by the telephone system and receiver, then further study of listeners' preferred HA response characteristics under telecoil coupling conditions appears warranted.

This study evaluated the preferred real ear aided response (REAR) for a group of hearing-impaired listeners under acoustic and telecoil conditions when coupled to a standard telephone receiver. Findings revealed that subjects preferred substantially more low-frequency gain than would be predicted using three popular prescriptive formulae. In general, a gradually rising to flat response was preferred by most of the hearing-impaired listeners. Implications for HA fitting and management will be discussed.
Mismatch Negativity in the Assessment of Central Auditory Function
Authors: Kraus Nina , McGee Therese J.
Published: July 2014

The mismatch negativity (MMN) is an auditory evoked potential that is undergoing research both on its basic characteristics and its potential clinical applications. Current work indicates that the MMN is a passively elicited measure of the brain's response to stimulus change and is therefore a measure of auditory discrimination. If the MMN can be evoked by acoustic stimulus differences that are important in everyday communication, it may serve as a tool for evaluating central auditory processing in individuals whose hearing sensitivity is normal but whose history and behavior indicate difficulties in auditory perception.

In this Short Course, we provide an overview of the MMN, how it is recorded and current thinking on what it reflects. We describe its characteristics in normal school-age children, particularly in response to speech stimuli. We also describe our early experience with populations for whom the assessment of central auditory processing is important for clinical management.
Compression Amplification in Hearing Aids
Authors: Hickson Louise M. H.
Published: July 2014

In this tutorial, the characteristics of compression amplification in analog hearing aids and the experimental results obtained with single- and multichannel compression amplification systems are reviewed. Single-channel compression systems are classified into four broad groups on the basis of their static and dynamic characteristics: compression limiters, syllabic compressors, automatic volume control (AVC) systems, and "others," those with adaptive recovery time (aRT) and dual frontend automatic gain control (AGC) (Moore, 1990; Moore & Glasberg, 1988). Multichannel compression devices have, to date, used a variety of different types of compression, with syllabic compression in each frequency channel being the most popular. Experimental evidence suggests that compression limiting is generally superior to peak clipping as a means of controlling output, except for some individuals with severe to profound hearing loss. There is some evidence that syllabic compression and AVC systems enhance speech perception in quiet compared to conventional linear amplification; however, this improvement is not consistently maintained in the presence of background noise. The majority of recent research has focused on multichannel compression, and favorable results have been obtained with some systems. Research findings about the efficacy of using compression amplification for people with hearing loss have been extremely variable, and possible reasons for this are discussed.
Four-Channel ABR Recordings
Authors: Pratt Terri L. , Olsen Wayne O. , Bauch Christopher D.
Published: July 2014

Simultaneous four-channel (ipsilateral, contralateral, horizontal, and noncephalic) ABR recordings were reviewed by three audiologists for 187 ears of nontumor patients, and 13 ears of patients having eighth nerve tumors. Waveforms from a subgroup of 63 ears were reexamined by the same audiologists to assess inter- and intra-judge consistency. For nontumor ears, the ipsilateral tracings provided the best identification of Waves I and III; the ipsilateral and noncephalic recordings allowed equal identification of Wave V. Waves I, III, and V generally were more robust from the ipsilateral electrode array than from any of the other electrode montages for the tumor ears. Three-way inter-judge agreement ranged from 82% to 87% for ipsilateral Waves I, III, and V and for noncephalic Wave V. Agreement between pairs of judges ranged from 86% to 100%. Intra-judge agreement ranged from 87% to 94% for ipsilateral Waves I, III, and V, and from 92% to 95% for noncephalic Wave V.
The Staggered Spondaic Word Test
Authors: Riccio Cynthia A. , Hynd George W. , Cohen Morris J. , Molt Lawrence
Published: July 2014

Various auditory and language tasks are considered to reflect children's auditory processing abilities. It has been suggested that these measures may be assessing language, rather than auditory, processing. In addition, recent studies have suggested that tasks used in the assessment of auditory processing may, in fact, be assessing attention. Of the auditory paradigms, the most frequently used measure is the Staggered Spondaic Word test (SSW; Katz, 1962). This study investigated the correlation of impaired SSW performance with other auditory measures, cognitive ability, language functioning, and behavioral ratings specific to inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity in a group of 38 children who demonstrated impairment on the SSW. Results indicate that the SSW correlates most with measures of cognitive ability, expressive language, and those relating to auditory memory. As children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been found to demonstrate impaired performance on the SSW, the likelihood that children with ADHD would demonstrate impairment bilaterally as opposed to a single-ear effect was also investigated. Results did not support a consistent pattern of impaired SSW performance for children with ADHD, suggesting that CAPD and ADHD are, in fact, not the same entity.
Assessing Release-Time Options in a Two-Channel AGC Hearing Aid
Authors: Bentler Ruth A. , Nelson John A.
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this study was to determine whether different release times, as implemented in a commercial two-channel AGC hearing aid, would result in differing speech intelligibility performance, user preference, or use time. In experiment one, 14 subjects were fitted with a two-channel multi-memory AGC hearing aid. Four memories were programmed to have identical frequency responses and output limitation characteristics. Only the release times were varied, with the low channel/high channel set as follows (in ms): 20/35, 20/150, 100/35, 500/7. Results obtained from the NST (+5 S/N), magnitude estimations of intelligibility, and data-logging of use time did not show any release-time pair to be superior to any other. In experiment two, 10 subjects participated in a forced-choice, paired-comparison procedure using the same release-time pairs from experiment one. Auditory stimuli consisted of three input levels, consisting of speech, speech in noise, and music. Results indicated no release-time pair to be superior in any listening condition. Results may be explained, in part, by the use of a curvilinear compression circuit and the milder hearing loss exhibited by the subjects. Future investigation of the effect of release-time variation should be carried out on circuits with adjustable compression parameters (and fixed compression ratios) with listeners exhibiting different degrees of hearing loss.
Real Ear Compression Ratios
Authors: Fortune Todd W.
Published: July 2014

An investigation was conducted to determine the effects of vent diameter, stimulus characteristics, and adaptive release time on the real ear compression ratio (CR). Real ear input/output (I/O) functions generated in response to syllables and speech-shaped noise revealed that the real ear CR is often less than the nominal value measured in the coupler, but only for CRs greater than 2:1. Results were similar across all vents except IROS, a condition that resulted in much larger errors than smaller vents. Pooled across vents, CRs of individual phonemes were found to be associated with phoneme duration, crest factor, and the interval of time between phonemes. Results were also influenced by an adaptive release time, which may have affected the compression of vowels and consonants differently.
Electromyographic Study of Motor Learning for a Voice Production Task
Authors: Yiu Edwin M-L , Verdolini Katherine , Chow Linda P. Y.
Published: July 2014

Purpose:
This study's broad objective was to examine the effectiveness of surface electromyographic (EMG) biofeedback for motor learning in the voice production domain. The specific objective was to examine whether concurrent or terminal biofeedback would facilitate learning for a relaxed laryngeal musculature task during spoken reading.

Method:
Twenty-two healthy adult speakers were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups. One group received real-time EMG waveform displays of muscle activation from bilateral thyrohyoid sites during reading trials (concurrent feedback group). The other group received static terminal EMG waveform displays about activation levels for the same sites on completion of successive trials (terminal feedback group). All participants were instructed to minimize EMG amplitudes from the thyrohyoid sites during phonation in an oral reading task. Signals were also collected from control, orofacial sites, but participants received neither instructions nor feedback for those sites.

Results:
The pooled data (2 feedback groups x 2 electrode sites) showed that, overall, muscle activation levels did decrease across baseline, training, and no-feedback test phases. However, no clear evidence was seen of reliable changes in the targeted laryngeal muscle activation levels across the phases, for either the concurrent or the terminal feedback groups. Paradoxically, and entirely unanticipated, reliable decreases were seen in muscle activation for the orofacial, no-feedback control sites. Those decreases were equivalent across concurrent and terminal feedback groups.

Conclusions:
The unanticipated findings indicate that the provision of biofeedback for a target muscle group facilitated incidental learning in another, untargeted muscle group. Discussion focuses on the possible role of locus of attention in motor learning. Building on literature from other domains, the hypothesis is advanced that attention to muscular contractile force during training trials may suppress intentional learning for attended target sites but may benefit incidental learning for nearby, unattended sites.
Palatal Morphology Can Influence Speaker-Specific Realizations of Phonemic Contrasts
Authors: Weirich Melanie , Fuchs Susanne
Published: July 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to further explore the understanding of speaker-specific realizations of the /s/–/ʃ/ contrast in German in relation to individual differences in palate shape.

Method

Two articulatory experiments were carried out with German native speakers. In the first experiment, 4 monozygotic and 2 dizygotic twin pairs were recorded by means of electromagnetic articulography. In the second experiment, 12 unrelated speakers were recorded by means of electropalatography. Interspeaker variability in the articulatory distance between the sibilants was measured and was correlated with several parameters of the palate shape.

Results

The results were twofold: (a) Similar palatal morphologies as found in monozygotic twins yield similar articulatory realizations of the /s/–/ʃ/ contrast regarding vertical and horizontal distance of the target tongue tip positions, and (b) the realization of the contrast was influenced by palatal steepness, especially the inclination angle of the alveolo–palatal region. Speakers with flat inclination angles mainly retracted their tongue to realize the contrast, whereas speakers with steep inclination angles also elevated their tongue.

Conclusion

The articulatory realization of the sibilant contrast is influenced not only by speaker-specific auditory acuity, as previously observed, but also by palatal shape morphology, which affects the somatosensory feedback speakers receive.
Using Statistical Process Control Charts to Study Stuttering Frequency Variability During a Single Day
Authors: Karimi Hamid , O’Brian Sue , Onslow Mark , Jones Mark , Menzies Ross , Packman Ann
Published: July 2014

Purpose

Stuttering varies between and within speaking situations. In this study, the authors used statistical process control charts with 10 case studies to investigate variability of stuttering frequency.

Method

Participants were 10 adults who stutter. The authors counted the percentage of syllables stuttered (%SS) for segments of their speech during different speaking activities over a 12-hr day. Results for each participant were plotted on control charts.

Results

All participants showed marked variation around mean stuttering frequency. However, there was no pattern of that variation consistent across the 10 participants. According to control charts, the %SS scores of half the participants were indicative of unpredictable, out-of-control systems, and the %SS scores of the other half of the participants were not. Self-rated stuttering severity and communication satisfaction correlated significantly and intuitively with the number of times participants exceeded their upper control chart limits.

Conclusions

Control charts are a useful method to study how %SS scores might be applied to the study of stuttering variability during research and clinical practice. However, the method presents some practical problems, and the authors discuss how those problems can be solved. Solving those problems would enable researchers and clinicians to better plan, conduct, and evaluate stuttering treatments.
Students’ Self-Perceptions of Knowledge and Skills Pre and Post Externship
Authors: Oswalt Jill
Published: July 2014

Student self-rating and self-reflection are often used as part of a formative assessment in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) graduate programs. This article focuses on the use of a rating scale assessing speech-language pathology graduate students’ self-perception of their readiness for school and medical externships utilizing a survey format. Students completed a pre and post survey during their culminating externship experiences reflecting their perceived level of required assistance and independence with disorder groups and processes. The results of this project will be discussed with the information benefiting graduate programs in planning curriculum, assessing externship experiences, and providing a tool for student focus on perceived areas of need during the externship and at the initiation of the Clinical Fellowship (CF).
Effective Supervisory Practices in an Interdisciplinary Clinical Setting
Authors: Brouwer Kyle , Messersmith Jessica J.
Published: July 2014

Clinical experiences involving an interdisciplinary approach to service provision and supervision have been shown to contribute to supervisee knowledge and skill. These interdisciplinary experiences may hold additional benefits for the supervisor and to the process of supervision. The current article discusses the benefits to both supervisors and supervisees experienced through an interdisciplinary clinical approach involving the professions of audiology and speech language pathology and the contributions of an interdisciplinary clinical approach to effective supervision.
SIG 7 Perspectives Vol. 20, No. 1, January 2013
Authors: Vasil-Dilaj Kristin , Brackett Diane
Published: July 2014

Sorry, this activity is no longer available for CEUs. Visit the SIG 7 page on the
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to see available CE activities.

Use the CE questions PDF here as study questions to guide your Perspectives reading.
The Diagnostic Significance of Sentence Repetition for Language-Impaired Children
Authors: Berry-Luterman Lillian , Bar Asher
Published: July 2014

The procedure of sentence repetition, described in this study, would seem to provide a valuable, simple tool to assess the linguistic performance of a language-impaired subject. It enables the performance of each individual subject to be compared with his own previous production. It provides a means for observing and analyzing any shift in production under the other two conditions which the subject may make. As such, the procedure enables the interviewer to examine and assess the grammatical performance and to infer or hypothesize about each subject’s linguistic competence. Further recommendations might involve the comparison of children who are culturally disadvantaged with those diagnosed as language-impaired. A possible difference might be the former’s ability to shift production when a correct model is presented for repetition. Another implication might involve the possible correlation of a subject’s ability to produce structures in the sentence repetition task with test scores on various standardized language tests.
Dialectal Differences: Professional and Clinical Implications
Authors: Adler Sol
Published: July 2014

The relevancy of standard vs nonstandard speech and language patterns is examined relative to its impact upon our academic training as speech clinicians and upon our clinical competences. Suggestions are made regarding new directions our profession should consider; some of the manifold implications to the clinician are presented and discussed.
A Distinctive Feature Analysis of Children’s Misarticulations
Authors: McReynolds Leija V. , Huston Kay
Published: July 2014

The articulation of 10 children with severe misarticulations was subjected to a feature analysis. The 13 distinctive features of English phonology as proposed by Jakobson, Fant, and Halle (1952) and Chomsky and Halle (1968) were used for the study. Phonetic transcriptions of responses on the McDonald Deep Test of Articulation formed the basis for the analysis. Two sets of data were compiled: the children’s feature systems in comparison to the English system and a traditional articulation evaluation of phoneme articulation. Results indicated that children’s feature errors were consistent across phonemes which contained the feature. It was further determined that misarticulations can be only partially described as a function of absence of features. Many of the errors occurred in the way features were used in particular combinations or contexts by the children. Errors resulted when children applied rules for feature usage which were different from the phonological rules in English. It is suggested that a distinctive feature analysis may offer a more efficient approach to articulation training.
Application of a High-Frequency Consonant Discrimination Word List in Hearing-Aid Evaluation
Authors: Gardner Harvey J.
Published: July 2014

A word list containing high-frequency consonants exclusively has been assembled for use in discrimination testing in cases of high-frequency hearing loss. Although it was specifically designed for application in hearing-aid selection procedures, it can be used for auditory training as well.
Transfer of Training in Articulation Therapy
Authors: Mowrer D. E.
Published: July 2014

A substantial amount of research and effort has sought effective means of obtaining carry-over or transfer of training of articulation skills. The pertinent research findings relating to the transfer of training in articulation therapy are reviewed. These are discussed as they relate to five stages of articulation therapy: (1) discrimination training, (2) sounds in isolation, (3) transfer among words, (4) sentences, and (5) spontaneous conversational speech. Two instructional procedures are being used to maximize transfer of training: (1) management of speaking situations outside the clinical setting and (2) use of carefully sequenced instructional programs which are self-contained, requiring little or no outside management. The author concludes that if more effective research strategies are employed, it may be possible to pinpoint those variables speech clinicians can manipulate to further enhance transfer of training.
Relevance of Vascular Disorders to Audiological Findings
Authors: Hopkinson Norma T. , Lindberg Robert F.
Published: July 2014

Audiologic studies are reported on a group of patients who had diagnoses of vascular disorders. Practical hearing dysfunction did not appear to be of major consideration among these patients unless a dramatic accident occurred in the local area of the end-organ. The results of testing for site of lesion among those patients who showed little practical hearing loss were characteristic of cochlear lesions, with a few exceptions. Tests for site of lesion on the patients who showed sensitivity losses resulted in responses that were more consistent with the degree of loss. Some evidence is presented to support the thought that damage to the basilar-vertebral system may not significantly impair collateral blood flow in the nearby cochlea, while damage to the carotid, subclavian, and cardiac systems may limit compensatory flow severely. For a separate group of patients, also diagnosed as vascular cases, who reported sudden onset of hearing loss, results of repeated tests of site of lesion showed combinations of responses that were characteristic of both cochlear and retrocochlear lesions.
Observations on Relations Between Thresholds for Pure Tones and for Speech
Authors: Carhart Raymond
Published: July 2014

The prediction of SRT for spondees from pure-tone thresholds is considered in two ways. First, review of statistical studies on the relationship between sensitivity for pure tones and SRT for spondees shows their results to be inconclusive and confusing for the clinician except to demonstrate that frequencies outside the 500–2000 Hz range are of minimal importance in estimating SRT. Second, regression equations derived from two new, audiometrically heterogeneous groups reveal that 500 and 1000 Hz carry primary and nearly equal importance as predictors of SRT when audiometric contour is not taken into account. The clinician must bear in mind that any prediction he makes must incorporate a correction constant, which will vary with the calibration of his audiometers and other variables. A reasonable general formula for predicting clinical SRTs for spondees from pure-tone thresholds when audiometric contour is not taken into account and when the testing equipment is calibrated to the new ANSI threshold reference levels is:
Parent-Clinicians in the Language Training of an Autistic Child
Authors: Goldstein Sondra B. , Lanyon Richard I.
Published: July 2014

The parents of a 10-year-old autistic boy were trained in using modeling-reinforcement procedures to improve the language skills of their child. They conducted therapy for 125 45-minute sessions and were supervised after every five sessions. Initially the child used about 100 words, but most of them were intelligible only to his parents. After training, he was able to articulate 83 words acceptably; in addition, he could label pictures of objects and use short phrases. Definite improvements were also noted in his initiative and ability in communicating outside the home. However, his speech does not begin to approximate that of a normal 10-year-old.
Structuring Speech Therapy Contingencies with an Oral Apraxic Child
Authors: Daly David A. , Cantrell Robert P. , Cantrell Mary Lynn , Aman L. Alice
Published: July 2014

This study suggests the therapeutic efficacy of combining learning principles and speech therapy procedures in the treatment of an oral apraxic child. The paradigm emphasizes the careful specification and consequation of the desired verbal responses. The WGTA, an apparatus previously employed in psychological research, was used to structure the treatment environment for maximally effective learning. The results of treatment over a six-month period and of a subsequent follow-up evaluation are discussed. Hypotheses are offered to account for the success of the treatment program.
Why Operant Audiometry—A Consideration of Some Shortcomings Fundamental to the Audiological Testing of Children
Authors: St. James-Roberts I.
Published: July 2014

Any attempt to assess the auditory pathway via the measurement of response ability must include in its conception of “auditory pathway” some measure or control of behavioral state and response experience. Over time the feedback deficit an inefficient pathway produces will reduce the functional importance of sound to the individual with the deficit. Any measure of the individual’s auditory response will include a consequent reluctance to use sound as an important component, where this reluctance is a complex variable affected by the experience and behavioral state of the child as well as by the test environment and the audiologist. The paper attempts to indicate the importance of this variability in the audiometric test situation and to outline methods to make possible its measurement and eventual control.
The Use of Written Language as a Communication System for an Autistic Child
Authors: Marshall Nancy R. , Hegrenes Jack
Published: July 2014

Recent clinical practice has resulted in the development of a procedure to facilitate nonverbal language acquisition in an autistic child. Failure of therapeutic procedures to elicit verbal expressive skills led the clinicians to pursue an alternative communication system, written functional communication. A patterned language program was initiated to (1) develop a beginning functional vocabulary with word cards; (2) determine the correct semantic and syntactical sequencing of the word cards; and (3) transfer the concepts learned with the word cards to written communication. Patterned written language seems to be an effective means of developing a secondary communication system for certain types of nonverbal children.
A Stuttering Severity Instrument for Children and Adults
Authors: Riley Glyndon D.
Published: July 2014

A new instrument for measuring stuttering severity has been standardized on 109 children and 28 adults. The instrument attempted to meet the criteria of simplicity, objectivity, sensitivity to fluency changes of clinical significance, reliability, validity, and usability with children and adults. The frequency, duration, and associated physical concomitants of prolongations or repetitions of short speech segments are described. Procedures have been devised for scoring so that a range of 0 to 45 is possible. The statistical reliability and validity appear to qualify the instrument for clinical and research uses.
Replacement of Stuttering with Normal Speech: I. Rationale
Authors: Perkins William H.
Published: July 2014

The replacement of stuttering with normal speech requires more than achievement of fluency. Additional components that appear necessary and sufficient to shape normal speech flow include rate, breathstream management, prosody, and self-confidence. These components are described and the rationale for their clinical management is discussed. The merits and limits of this behavioral approach are considered. Recognition is accorded the probability that different facets of stuttering can be treated effectively within different conceptual frameworks, but that no single framework can cope adequately with all aspects of the problem. The ideal program for adult stutterers is not likely to fit exclusively within operant concepts, motor-linguistic concepts, or psychotherapeutic concepts. More likely it involves all three if normal speech is to be shaped, generalized to everyday situations, and made permanent.
Replacement of Stuttering with Normal Speech: II. Clinical Procedures
Authors: Perkins William H.
Published: July 2014

Clinical procedures for replacing stuttering in adults and adolescents with normal speech are described. Goals to be achieved in the management of fluency, rate, breathstream, prosody, and self-confidence are presented, along with the sequential steps necessary to achieve these goals. Techniques for generalizing normal speech from the clinic to everyday situations are detailed, and suggestions are offered for making speech improvements permanent.
On Certain Practical Inadequacies of Distinctive Feature Systems
Authors: Walsh Harry
Published: July 2014

Existing distinctive feature systems have several practical shortcomings. Although the deficiencies do not necessarily have important consequences for theoretical linguistics, they constitute a considerable obstacle to diagnosing and treating speech disorders. Nevertheless, distinctive features are being used and advocated increasingly in speech research and have even been suggested as a metric for measuring intelligibility distortion. A tentative set of language-specific features based on articulation is suggested as a replacement for universalist features, which are based partially on marginal or contrived acoustic properties and are motivated by a concern for optimum notational economy.
Newborn Hearing Screening in a County Hospital
Authors: Shapiro Irving
Published: July 2014

This report describes the problems encountered in maintaining a newborn hearing screening program in a county hospital. The failure of parents to bring infants in for follow-up and the problems of keeping trained volunteer testers resulted in termination of the program.
Temporary Threshold Shift from a Toy Cap Gun
Authors: Marshall Lynne , Brandt John F.
Published: July 2014

Temporary threshold shift resulting from exposure to one and five toy cap gun pistol shots was investigated using 11 normal-hearing adult subjects and one subject with a noise-induced hearing loss. The subjects fired the cap gun at arm’s length, and absolute thresholds at 4000 Hz were obtained before and after noise exposure by a fixed-frequency Bekesy technique. After exposure to one gunshot, five subjects showed a small TTS, five demonstrated no TTS, and two (including the subject with the hearing loss) exhibited negative TTS. No TTS occurred in any of the subjects after exposure to five shots. It was postulated that the small amount of TTS was due to the unexpectedly low sound pressure level produced by the cap gun and to the contraction of the middle ear muscles in some subjects prior to firing.
Environmental Language Intervention: The Rationale for a Diagnostic and Training Strategy through Rules, Context, and Generalization
Authors: MacDonald James D. , Blott Judith Presser
Published: July 2014

The Environmental Language Intervention Strategy is proposed as a singular approach to the diagnosis and training of individuals with severely delayed expressive language. The strategy places in a clinical framework the semantically based approach to grammar of Bloom, Schlesinger, and Brown by selecting as the content for diagnosis and for training those eight rules governing the semantic functions of early two-word utterances in a variety of languages. The rules are elicited with linguistic and nonlinguistic cues that represent the full environmental context of the utterance. The strategy also samples and trains the early language rules in imitation, conversation, and play in order to include, from the beginning of intervention, procedures for training generalization of new language classes to spontaneous use. The theoretical rationale for the strategy is discussed, and operational definitions of the rules are presented. The procedures for using the strategy in diagnosis and training are introduced.
Spectrographic Analysis of Fundamental Frequency and Hoarseness before and after Vocal Rehabilitation
Authors: Cooper Morton
Published: July 2014

Spectrographic analysis was used as a clinical tool to describe and compare fundamental frequencies and hoarseness in dysphonic patients before and after vocal rehabilitation and to evaluate a technique for locating the natural or optimal pitch level. The results indicated that 150 out of 155 patients were using too low a pitch before therapy. Before therapy, varying degrees of hoarseness were found in all 27 patients. After therapy, the patients were basically free of hoarseness. Three months to seven years after the completion of vocal rehabilitation, 98% of the 128 patients who were reexamined had remained excellent or good.
Oral Motor Nerve Block: Some Implications for Research in Speech
Authors: Champoux Ronald , Upton L. George
Published: July 2014

The effects of a bilateral hypoglossal nerve block on speech, and possible implications of the technique for research in speech pathology, are discussed. The risks involved are essentially the same as those associated with sensory nerve blocks when performed by someone well-trained in the administration of regional anesthesia.
An Experimental Parent-Assisted Treatment Program for Preschool Language-Delayed Children
Authors: MacDonald James D. , Blott Judith P. , Gordon Kathleen , Spiegel Bernard , Hartmann Marianna
Published: July 2014

Six preschool children with Down’s syndrome were subjects in an experimental program using parents as the primary language trainers. Three children served as experimental subjects and three as controls. The program applied the Environmental Language Intervention Strategy to effect a generalized functional language in children who primarily were capable of only single-word utterances. The major objective was to increase utterance length and grammatical complexity. The two essential procedures were to train immediate generalization of language changes from imitation to parallel conversation and play activities and to educate parents as language trainers to effect immediate transfer of training. The five-month program ran in two stages, two months with professionals and mothers as language trainers and three months in the home with parents as the sole language trainers. Results from the two-month stage indicated marked increases in utterance length and grammatical complexity in imitation and conversation for all experimental subjects but negligible changes for the controls. Follow-up assessment indicated continued language increments for the experimental subjects over three months of home programming with parents as the sole language trainers. The experimental language growth in the mean length of utterance over three months of home programming for the retarded children was comparable to growth for normally developing children. An epilogue reports successful replication of the program with the original control subjects.
A Preliminary View of Generalization in Language Training
Authors: Leonard Laurence B.
Published: July 2014

Through modeling, eight language-handicapped children were trained in the use of two syntactic structures in an effort to examine the nature and extent of generalization in language training. Comparisons of pre- and posttraining tests revealed that the children had also acquired the use of syntactic structures containing the same morphemes as those structures trained. No use was seen, however, of syntactically identical structures containing dissimilar morphemes. The children’s ability to apply the trained morphemes appropriately and immediately to new structures suggests that the child’s development from simple to complex constructions is not dependent on his use of basic constructions on which mastery of more complex constructions is predicated. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed, in addition to a hypothesis of the nature of certain children’s language handicaps.
A Test Using Elicited Imitations in Assessing Grammatical Structure in Children
Authors: Carrow Elizabeth
Published: July 2014

Elicited imitation was used to obtain performance data on the grammatical system of 475 children, ages 3-0 to 7–11. The procedure attempts to provide an instrument which is valid and reliable while at the same time easy to administer and score without extensive training or knowledge of linguistics. Grammatical categories included are articles, adjectives, nouns, pronouns, demonstratives, conjunctions, verbs, negatives, contractions, prepositions, and adverbs. Results demonstrate reliability and validity as well as test usefulness in specific analysis of grammatical constructions.
Internal Consistency of the Northwestern Syntax Screening Test
Authors: Ratusnik David L. , Koenigsknecht Roy A.
Published: July 2014

This study was designed to evaluate the usefulness of the 40 receptive and 40 expressive items of the Northwestern Syntax Screening Test. Twenty preschoolers with normal language development, 20 preschoolers functioning within the range of normal intelligence diagnosed as language impaired, and 20 mentally retarded children comprised the three subject groups. The subjects were equated for mental age. Stable Hoyt’s reliability coefficients indicated that the Northwestern Syntax Screening Test assessed consistently the syntax and morphology used by children with atypical language development. Detailed item analysis revealed the strengths and weaknesses of both receptive and expressive items.
Children in Educational Programs for the Hearing Impaired Whose Impairment was Caused by Mumps
Authors: Jensema Carl
Published: July 2014

Mumps was reported to be a cause of hearing loss in 259 persons from a sample of 43,946 students enrolled in special educational programs for the hearing impaired. Males and young children appear to be more prone to deafening by mumps, and there may be a relationship between age of onset and degree of hearing loss. Overall, those deafened by mumps appear to have characteristics quite different from those of children deafened by other causes.
Acceleration and Weakness in Parkinsonian Dysarthria
Authors: Netsell Ronald , Daniel Billie , Celesia Gastone G.
Published: July 2014

This report presents some of the underlying neuromuscular mechanisms of dysarthric speech production as they are manifested in selected individuals with parkinsonism. Earlier explanations of parkinsonian dysarthria emphasized that the balanced hypertonus of rigidity formed the basis of reduced range of movements in speech. The present data reveal two problems in the neuromuscular control signals that can result in a reduced range of speech movements in the absence of rigidity. These neuromuscular problems are described as acceleration and weakness. The implication of these findings for the evaluation and treatment of parkinsonian dysarthria is discussed.
Language in Childhood Psychosis: A Review
Authors: Baltaxe Christiane A. M. , Simmons James Q.
Published: July 2014

Childhood psychosis is a group of disorders characterized by numerous behavioral abnormalities, the most significant of which may well be in the area of language. Absence, delay, or deficit in linguistic development are frequently contributing factors to the retardation often associated with childhood psychosis. The literature on language in childhood psychosis covering the general characteristics of the linguistic deficits, the importance of language in diagnosis and prognosis, mother-child linguistic interaction, and intervention programs is reviewed. Recent psycholinguistic studies in normal development point up the present inadequacies or lack of structural linguistic studies in childhood psychosis. Some assumptions about innate linguistic capacities prerequisite to normal development are discussed and a hypothesis relating to a dysfunction in these capacities in childhood psychosis as well as directions for further research are proposed.
Language Therapy for Children: Some Thoughts on Context and Content
Authors: Holland Audrey L.
Published: July 2014

A presentation of ideas on the ideal context for language therapy for children, this paper explores in detail the importance of teaching child language, centering language therapy in the present, teaching words with empirical significance to the child, attempting to provide a language context which is generative to unassisted later language learning, and, finally, teaching communication, not merely language skills. In addition a sample core lexicon is presented which was designed to relate the above contextual aspects of therapy to psycholinguistic strategies of language therapy.
The Phonological Systems of Deaf Children
Authors: Dodd Barbara
Published: July 2014

Samples of a group of deaf children’s spontaneous speech were used to derive phonological rules. The predictive value of some of the rules was assessed by asking another group of deaf children to lip-read and read nonsense words. The results indicated that the phonological systems of profoundly deaf children are partially rule-governed. There was also some evidence which suggested that lipreading was a major input to the deaf children’s phonological systems.