bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sign Language Acquisition in a Mute Autistic Boy
Authors: Bonvillian John D. , Nelson Keith E.
Published: July 2014

A mute autistic boy learned to communicate extensively through American Sign Language. Over a six-month period he produced many spontaneous signs and sign combinations, and analyses of the child’s sign combinations indicated the presence of a full range of semantic relations. Further evidence of conceptual progress was provided by the child’s increased score on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. In addition, parents' and teacher’s reports indicated that the child’s social behavior improved. The extent of the boy’s linguistic progress and associated improvement in social behavior markedly exceeds that usually reported for mute autistic children.
Auditory Dysfunction Accompanying Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
Authors: Findlay Robert C.
Published: July 2014

Two groups of 16 young male subjects with normal low- and midfrequency hearing were compared on a series of audiometric measures. One group was composed of subjects with 12- to 24-month histories of noise exposure and hearing loss at 4000 Hz greater than 40 dB; the other group was composed of normal-hearing subjects with no history of unusual noise exposure. On fixed-frequency Bekesy audiometry at 2000 Hz, 12 of the noise-exposed subjects demonstrated separation of 5 dB or more between pulsed- and continuous-tone tracings; similar separation occurred for only one of the non-noise-exposed subjects. Significant between-group differences also occurred on three tests of speech discrimination: PB-50 word lists and CID W-22 lists presented with two forms of competing noise.
Assessment of Velar and Lateral Wall Movement by Oral Telescope and Radiographic Examination in Patients with Velopharyngeal Inadequacy and in Normal Subjects
Authors: Zwitman Daniel H. , Gyepes Michael T. , Ward Paul H.
Published: July 2014

Thirty-one patients referred to the Craniofacial Anomalies Clinic for speech evaluation were evaluated by endoscopy and cineradiographic examination (lateral and submentovertical projection). Movement of the velar and lateral walls was examined by both procedures in order to determine the accuracy of the endoscopy in assessing velopharyngeal movement. Cineradiography confirmed endoscopic observation in a large percentage of patients. In a second study, lateral wall motion was assessed in 20 cleft palate patients with repaired hard and soft palate but with velopharyngeal inadequacy. Four categories of closure defined in a previous study on normal subjects were used to classify lateral wall movement in the cleft palate patients. Mesial lateral motion past the sides of the velum during phonation occurred less frequently in patients with velopharyngeal inadequacy than in persons with normal structures. The absence of lateral wall motion was observed more often in the cleft palate patients, although in over half of these patients the lateral walls moved mesially and filled Rosenmuller’s fossa (lateral recesses). Degree of lateral wall movement, which varies among cleft palate patients, should be estimated before construction of a prosthesis or pharyngeal flap in order to determine whether occlusion of the lateral gutters will occur during phonation.
Shaping Behavior in Voice Therapy
Authors: Drudge Mary K. Mitchell , Philips Betty Jane
Published: July 2014

This study demonstrates the process of learning and shaping of behavior which occurs during a program of therapy for individuals with hyperfunctional hoarse voice quality. First a therapy program delineating the techniques and criteria to be used was written. The program was presented during 16 individual half-hour sessions over an eight-week period to three clients known to have vocal nodules. The clients' responses were charted at various points from audiotape recordings of each therapy session using a modification of the Boone-Prescott analysis system, to obtain data to demonstrate the learning processes. It was concluded that: (1) the client’s behaviors in this vocal rehabilitation program reflected a learning process; (2) facilitating techniques were used to modify or shape behavior through successive approximations to the terminal goal; (3) self-evaluation is an important factor needed to bring about successful changes in behavior; (4) analysis of client’s behaviors in relation to the learning process can aid in evaluating the effectiveness of the facilitating techniques; and (5) from such evaluation intraclient and interclient program changes are derived hopefully resulting in a greater success rate and maximum benefits from time spent in therapy.
Extended Comprehension Practice Applied to an Aphasic Patient
Authors: Kushner Deanie , Winitz Harris
Published: July 2014

A 47-year-old aphasic patient was given extensive practice in the comprehension of single lexical items. Training was begun one month postonset and was discontinued four months postonset. Production practice was not administered during the treatment period. Comprehension and production improved as measured by a number of language assessment tests. The findings of this case study suggest that comprehension practice results in the improvement of verbal production. Discussion of the comprehension approach as a method of language training is included.
Split-Half Reliability of Two Word Discrimination Tests as a Function of Primary-To-Secondary Ratio
Authors: Schwartz Daniel M. , Bess Fred H. , Larson Vernon D.
Published: July 2014

Two clinical word discrimination tests, the Northwestern University Auditory Test No. 6 (NU-6) and the Modified Rhyme Test (MRT), were examined for internal consistency and for split-half reliability under varying primary-to-secondary ratios (P:S) in normal hearers. Although the statistical analysis indicated that half-lists could be used reliably for both discrimination tests at most P:S conditions, the wide variability found among individual listeners does not support the clinical practice of half-list testing in noise-at least not for normal-hearing listeners.
Aphasia Testing: A Second Look at the Porch Index of Communicative Ability
Authors: Martin A. Damien
Published: July 2014

It has been claimed that the Porch Index of Communicative Ability (PICA), through its multidimensional scoring system, corrects for lacks in other tests for aphasia. Specifically, the PICA is said to specify the details of the response and indicate the nature of the response; detect and describe small changes in the patient’s responses; indicate the patient’s level of communicative ability; and eliminate the subjectivity and bias present in descriptive methods of scoring. It is argued here that the PICA does none of these things and that the multidimensional scoring system as applied in the PICA is invalid.
A Study of Clients' Perceptions of Therapeutic Effectiveness
Authors: Haynes William O. , Oratio Albert R.
Published: July 2014

A factor-analytic investigation was conducted to determine how adult communication-disordered clients perceive variables that speech-language pathologists feel are important to effective management. One hundred sixty-two subjects representing a relatively balanced distribution of sex, age, and disorder group responded to the study from private, hospital, and university speech clinics. The results indicated that clinician demographic characteristics contribute least to clients' perceptions of therapeutic effectiveness while technical and interpersonal skills are the more essential ingredients of clinical management. Similarities between clients', clinicians', and supervisors' perceptions are considered and implications are discussed.
Aerodynamic Studies of Cleft-Palate Speech
Authors: Dickson Stanley , Barron Saul , McGlone Robert E.
Published: July 2014

The aerodynamic oral-nasal factors related to the speech of two groups of cleft-palate children were evaluated. One group presented hypernasality and the other group presented normal nasal resonance. The aerodynamic parameters evaluated were oral pressure, nasal flow, and flow-pressure ratio (nasal flow/oral pressure). Oral temperature readings were also obtained. These parameters were evaluated under three conditions (1) blowing, (2) vocalizing the vowel /i/, and (3) reading eight sentences representing two different rhythm patterns, two types of consonant loadings, and two conditions of syllable stress. The findings revealed significant differences between the hypernasal and normal resonance groups in flow-pressure ratio, oral pressure, and nasal flow while subjects were reading sentences. However, only a small proportion of the variability in these aerodynamic measurements could be accounted for based on the classification of hypernasality or normal nasal resonance. Oral-nasal aerodynamic studies done during speaking activity are more useful clinically than blowing activity or saying vowel sounds. No aerodynamic differences were noted between the two groups for the different rhythm and stress patterns and phonemic loadings within the sentences used.
Pragmatics and Early Childhood Language Disorders: Communicative Interactions in a Half-Hour Sample
Authors: Miller Lynda
Published: July 2014

An early childhood language analysis and intervention program, based on two models of pragmatics, is described. The theoretical constructs of each pragmatics model are described first, followed by a discussion of how the clinicians in the program translate these constructs into procedures for the analysis of and intervention with language disorders in preschool-aged children. Mention is made in conclusion of the limitations within which the program operates.
The Clinical Interaction Analysis System: A System for Observational Recording of Aphasia Treatment
Authors: Brookshire Robert H. , Nicholos Undo S. , Krueger Kathleen M. , Redmond Kathleen J.
Published: July 2014

This paper describes the Clinical Interaction Analysis System (CIAS), a system for recording events that occur in treatment sessions for aphasic individuals. The development of the CIAS is summarized, the event categories contained in the CIAS are described, and the uses of the CIAS are discussed. Information about the reliability of the CIAS is also presented.
Acoustic Neurinoma in a Child: A Case Study
Authors: Frank Tom , May Mark , Jannetta Peter J.
Published: July 2014

This case study reports the audiological and surgical findings for a nine-year-old boy with an acoustic neurinoma. He was suspected of having a right ear retrocochlear lesion following three audiological evaluations in four years. The initial evaluation indicated normal hearing ability. The second and third evaluations indicated a progressive right ear hearing loss, characterized by reduced word discrimination ability and absent acoustic reflexes. The patient had a 5 cm acoustic neurinoma compressing and adherent to the brain stem. The tumor was successfully removed following three operations employing an otoneurological and neurosurgical team approach through a retromastoid exposure. Postoperative recovery was uneventful. Facial nerve function was not disturbed, however attempts to preserve hearing on the involved side were not successful.
Suggested Threshold Sound Pressure Levels For Frequency Modulated (Warble) Tones in the Sound Field
Authors: Morgan Donald E. , Dirks Donald D. , Bower Deborah R.
Published: July 2014

The problems inherent in using frequency-specific stimuli in the sound field to determine threshold sensitivity are reviewed, including a discussion of some of the specific problems encountered when introducing pure tones, narrow bands of noise, and frequency-modulated (FM) tones. The results of two experiments are reported. In Experiment I, the relationship between pure tones and frequency-modulated tones is developed under earphones in an anechoic chamber, and in two sound-isolated auditory test rooms (not anechoic). Experiment I resulted in the development of a reference threshold sound pressure level for frequency-modulated signals in the sound field. In Experiment II the reference level was applied to a clinical test facility and evaluated with a group of hearing-impaired individuals. The results suggest that the sound-field reference levels accurately reflect monaural threshold under earphones, when the earphone is calibrated to the ANSI, 1969 standard, and the sound field is calibrated to the suggested standard.
Progressive Hearing Impairment in Children with Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection
Authors: Dahle Arthur J. , McCollister Faye P. , Stagno Sergio , Reynolds David W. , Hoffman Holly E.
Published: July 2014

Audiological assessment of 86 children with congenital cytomegalovirus infection revealed progressive hearing loss in four of 12 subjects with sensorineural hearing impairments. Case descriptions are presented documenting the progression of the hearing loss. In view of the findings, children with congenital cytomegalovirus should be monitored closely to insure detection of possible delayed or progressive hearing impairment and delivery of appropriate habilitative services.
Speech Perception by Profoundly Hearing-Impaired Children
Authors: Erber Norman P.
Published: July 2014

This article reviews the limitations of defining profound hearing impairment solely by reference to pure-tone audiograms. Instead, profoundly hearing-impaired children may be described as those whose ability to distinguish spectral features in speech is extremely poor, and for whom the gross intensity variations in the waveform envelope are the principal acoustic cues. Examples of pattern cues that are available to profoundly hearing-impaired children are presented through an optical analog, and the usefulness of these cues is shown with regard to vowel and consonant identification, word stress-pattern perception, and distinction among sentences that differ in number of syllables, pattern, intensity, or rate. Perception of speech material through vision (lipreading) and also through combined auditory and visual modes are described, with a discussion of articulatory and language factors that influence intelligibility. Instructional strategies are briefly reviewed as they relate to educational improvement of speech-perception abilities of profoundly hearing-impaired children and to the development of special sensory aids.
Speech, Language and Hearing Disorders in an Adult Penal Institution
Authors: Bountress Nicholas , Richards Jacqueline
Published: July 2014

It has been speculated that the prevalence of communicative disorders among prison inmates is considerably higher than that found in the general population, but research regarding inmate speech and hearing disorders is limited. This study investigated the nature and extent of communicative disorders in an inmate population of a medium-security penal institution in southeastern Virginia. The results of the screening indicated a slightly lower prevalence of stuttering, higher prevalences of articulation, voice, and hearing disorders, and more deficient receptive vocabulary skills than found in the general population. Some dialectal variations among black inmates are noted and the possible influence of linguistic-cultural interference on the results is discussed.
Comparison of Regulated-Breathing Versus Abbreviated Desensitization on Reported Stuttering Episodes
Authors: Azrin Nathan H. , Nunn Robert G. , Frantz Sharmon E.
Published: July 2014

This study was an investigation of the regulated-breathing method for controlling stuttering as compared to a placebo-control method consisting of abbreviated de-sensitization training. The regulated-breathing procedure, given to 21 stutterers, taught the speaker to breathe smoothly and deeply, to pause at natural juncturing points, to plan ahead for the content of the speech, and to relax chest and neck muscles. Several general behavioral procedures were also used including relaxation training, self-correction for errors, social support, daily home practice, and response awareness, which are components of the general habit reversal procedure for diverse habits. Training was given in one or two sessions plus regular follow-up telephone calls. Daily self-recordings were obtained of the number of stuttering episodes during everyday speech, to determine the generalized effect of the treatment. The regulated-breathing method reduced the reported stuttering episodes by 94% on the first day after training and by 97% during the fourth week and the three-month follow-up. The control procedure reduced reported stuttering only slightly (about 10%). The results indicate substantial effectiveness of the regulated-breathing method for reducing reported stuttering episodes in everyday speech as compared with an alternative treatment of equal duration.
An Analysis of Connected Speech Samples of Aphasic and Normal Speakers
Authors: Yorkston Kathryn M. , Beukelman David R.
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this study was to develop a technique for quantifying connected speech samples of aphasic individuals as they recover from the moderate to the mild range of severity. Verbal picture descriptions elicited from mild and moderate aphasic speakers were audio-recorded and compared to those elicited from normal adult and geriatric speakers. These samples were compared on the basis of a measure of amount of information conveyed (content units) and two measures of efficiency including speaking rate (syllables per minute) and rate at which information was conveyed (content units per minute). Results indicated an inverse relationship between severity of aphasia and amount of information conveyed. However, mild and high-moderate aphasic speakers tended to communicate as much information as normal speakers. Both measures of efficiency differentiated groups of mild and high-moderate aphasics from normal speakers as well as differentiating low-moderate from mild aphasic speakers. Use of this quantification system which takes into account both amount of information and efficiency of communication is illustrated with data obtained from a recovering aphasic speaker.
Voice Therapy
Authors: Reed Charles G.
Published: July 2014

Studies concerning the effectiveness of voice therapy are lacking. There is little experimental verification that therapy techniques actually achieve specific change in abusive vocal function. Guidelines are presented regarding conceptual and methodological consideration for future investigations. Divergent terminology, philosophy, and issues of voice therapy are presented to serve as an overview and as a basis for research direction. Suggestions are offered for selecting experimental designs.
Planning an Initial Expressive Sign Lexicon for Persons with Severe Communication Impairment
Authors: Fristoe Macalyne , Lloyd Lyle L.
Published: July 2014

Selecting an initial sign lexicon for an individual requires far more than simply making a list of useful words or translating a spoken lexicon into signs through use of a sign dictionary. It requires knowledge of child language acquisition, knowledge of manual signs and linguistic constraints on their use, and knowledge of the needs and desires of the individual for whom the lexicon is intended. Suggestions of writers such as Holland (1975) and Lahey and Bloom (1977) are studied in terms of their appropriateness for visual-manual communication and are applied to approximately 50 signs most frequently taught to retarded and autistic persons (Fristoe and Lloyd, 1979a) to aid in lexicon planning. Additional signs are proposed for extending this basic list. The resulting sample lexicon is evaluated against the suggestions of Holland and of Lahey and Bloom. Rationales given for determining these selections, deletions, and additions can be applied to modify this initial lexicon to make it better suited for a specific individual.
Adenoid Involution and Developing Hypernasality in Cleft Palate
Authors: Mason Robert M. , Warren Donald W.
Published: July 2014

Information about the adenoid mass is reviewed, and the phenomenon of gradual development of hypernasality as a result of adenoidal involution is described in two patients selected from a sample of 122 with repaired cleft palate. Three types of radiographically determined closure patterns of the velum against the adenoid pad are presented. Our clinical experience suggests that the results of aerodynamic studies, completed on a longitudinal basis, may identify patients who are at risk in maintaining normal resonance balance one year or more in advance of perceptual or radiographic evidence of velopharyngeal incompetency.
An Automated Hearing Screening Technique for Newborns
Authors: McFarland William H. , Simmons F. Blair , Jones Frederica R.
Published: July 2014

A newborn hearing screening technique (the Crib-o-gram) originally proposed by Simmons and Russ (1974) is described. The number of babies tested has now grown to over 12,000. This report presents follow-up data on the Crib-o-gram hearing screening program at Stanford University Medical Center. Improvements in test procedure and scoring have resulted in a current detection rate of 93%.
An Investigation of the Efficacy of Oral Myofunctional Therapy as a Precursor to Articulation Therapy for Pre-First Grade Children
Authors: Christensen Margaret S. , Hanson Marvin L.
Published: July 2014

This study investigated the assumption that oral myofunctional services might facilitate remediation of articulation disorders. Subjects were ten 6-year-old elementary school children who exhibited both tongue-thrust behavior and articulation errors. All subjects had equal service time for a 14-week period, half receiving articulation services only and the other half receiving oral myofunctional services prior to and in conjunction with articulation services. Results showed that children in both programs made essentially equal progress in correcting placement of tongue-tip-sounds, remediating /s/ and /z/ misarticulation, and remediating general articulation errors. Only children who received oral myofunctional services remediated tongue-thrust behaviors.
Black English and Standard American English Constrasts in Consonantal Development of Four and Five-Year Old Children
Authors: Seymour Harry N. , Seymour Charlena M.
Published: July 2014

Four- and five-year old black and white children of black English and standard American English backgrounds, respectively, were administered a standard articulation test. A contrastive analysis revealed phonological differences in consonantal development between the two dialectal groups. However, contrasts were reflected more in number of developmental errors than in form of errors. Thus, the extent of differences noted between adult phonologies of black English and standard American English were less evident in emerging phonologies since unique error types were not exclusively characteristic of either group. These findings have implications for articulation testing of black English speaking children who have not acquired their adult phonology.
The Effects of Early Middle Ear Pathology on Auditory Perception and Academic Achievement
Authors: Brandes Pauline J. , Karsh Diane Ehinger
Published: July 2014

Two groups of children were compared to determine the effects of early middle ear pathology on the development of auditory perceptual skills and academic achievement. The conductive loss (CL) group consisted of 15 children, aged seven to nine years, with histories of middle ear pathology. The normal control (NC) group was matched for age, sex, and socioeconomic status and had negative histories of middle ear pathology. Both groups were from a suburban community of primarily middle socioeconomic status. A test battery consisting of 12 auditory perceptual tests as well as measures of academic achievement, non-verbal intelligence and visual perception was administered. Results showed that the overall performance of the CL group on the test battery was significantly lower than that of the NC group. Performance of the CL group was also significantly lower in specific auditory perceptual areas. No significant differences were found on tests of non-verbal intelligence or visual perception. Although scores were not significantly different on academic achievement tests, school records indicated that the CL loss group had received more special support services than the controls. This investigation suggests that early middle ear pathology may produce secondary effects that can persist well beyond the episodes of temporary conductive hearing loss.
The Speech Spectrographic Display
Authors: Maki Jean E. , Conklin John M. , Gustafson Marianne Streff , Humphrey-Whitehead Brenda K.
Published: July 2014

If visual speech training aids are to be used effectively, it is important to assess whether hearing-impaired speakers can accurately interpret visual patterns and arrive at correct conclusions concerning the accuracy of speech production. In this investigation with the Speech Spectrographic Display (SSD), a pattern interpretation task was given to 10 hearing-impaired adults. Subjects viewed selected SSD patterns from hearing-impaired speakers, evaluated the accuracy of speech production, and identified the SSD visual features that were used in the evaluation. In general, results showed that subjects could use SSD patterns to evaluate speech production. For those pattern interpretation errors that occurred most were related either to phonetic/orthographic confusions or to misconceptions concerning production of speech.
Perception of Iconicity in American Sign Language by Hearing and Deaf Subjects
Authors: Griffith Penny L. , Robinson Jacques H. , Panagos John M.
Published: July 2014

Three groups of subjects differing in age, language experience, and familiarity with American Sign Language were compared on three tasks regarding the perception of iconicity in signs from American Sign Language. Subjects were asked to guess the meaning of signs, to rate signs for iconicity, and to state connections between signs and their meaning in English. Results showed that hearing college students, deaf adults, and hearing first-grade children perform similarly on tasks regarding iconicity. Results suggest a psycholinguistic definition of iconicity based on association values, rather than physical resemblances between signs and real-world referents.
Clinical Investigations of Intermittent Breathy Dysphonia
Authors: Hartman David E. , Aronson Arnold E.
Published: July 2014

Case history and voice data for 17 patients who presented with intermittent moments of breathy dysphonia (IBD) in contextual speech were analyzed. From recorded samples of vowel prolongation four variants of phonation were identified. Of 13 patients examined neurologically, 10 (77%) had positive neurologic signs. Psychiatric and physical illnesses were often associated with onset of the voice disorder. Sex ratio of the patients in this study was nearly the same as that for adductor spastic dysphonia. Age at onset was similar to that which has been described for "functional" voice disorders. Different therapies were generally ineffective in alleviating the disorder. Although not conclusive, patients presenting with IBD in connected speech may have an underlying neurologic or psychologic disorders.
Pragmatic Analysis of the Communicative Behavior of an Autistic Child
Authors: Bernard-Opitz Vera
Published: July 2014

Differential responsiveness to social stimuli was demonstrated in the communicative performance of an 8-year-old autistic boy. The pragmatic behavior of the subject varied with different communicative settings (waiting vs. interaction conditions) as well as with different communicative partners (mother, stranger, clinician). Communicative intentions, relational communication, topic strategies and differential responding of adults communicative and non-communicative utterances were analyzed.

Results indicated that the adults' communicative performance was a function of their relationship with the subject (mother, stranger, clinician) as well as the different experimental conditions (waiting, interacting). The child's communicative behavior showed greater consistency in conditions with the same interlocutor than over comparable experimental settings.

Conclusions were drawn on how to facilitate communicative behavior and how to enhance generalization of remedial effects to the subject's natural environment.
A Procedure for Quantifying the Effects of Noise on Speech Recognition
Authors: Dirks Donald D. , Morgan Donald E. , Dubno Judy R.
Published: July 2014

This paper describes the results of two experiments in which speech recognition performance was determined for listeners with sensorineural hearing loss, while listening in babble. Adaptive strategies were used in both experiments to measure the signal-to-babble ratio required to achieve a preselected level of performance at several speech presentation levels encountered in normal conversation or when listening through an amplifier system. The results suggest that the proposed adaptive strategy may provide a practical method by which the relative effects of competition on speech recognition may be quantified in an individual listener.
Compensatory Articulation Patterns of a Surgically Treated Oral Cancer Patient
Authors: Georgian Deborah A. , Logemann Jeri A. , Fisher Hilda B.
Published: July 2014

Acoustic, physiologic, and perceptual data on the articulation of bilabial and alveolar stop consonants in CVC words spoken by a subject with a 20% glossectomy, 2/3-mandibulectomy and radical neck dissection, whose surgical closure was accomplished by suturing the tongue to the floor of the mouth and buccal mucosa are provided. Compensatory articulation patterns were identified from tracings of vocal tract shapes obtained by videofluoroscopy, Acoustic analysis was accomplished by means of computer-aided examination of the speech waveform. Compensatory for articulation of the stop consonants were characterized by varying degrees of labial protrusion and retraction, dependent on the vowel context. Distinction between the bilabial and tip-alveolar consonants was evidenced in lingual-velar closure vs. lingual-velar-palatal closure. These compensatory patterns are discussed in relation to the acoustic properties of the corresponding speech sounds obtained from synthetic speech samples and in relation to perceptual data obtained from trained listeners.
Effects of Hearing Aid Use on Speech Discrimination and Listening Effort
Authors: Downs David W.
Published: July 2014

Effects of hearing-aid use on measures of speech discrimination and listening effort were investigated in 23 hearing-impaired adults. Speech discrimination testing was conducted with and without hearing aid use. A probe reaction time task was performed simultaneously to assess the amount of listening effort devoted to the speech discrimination task. The results indicated that hearing aid use improved speech discrimination and reduced listening effort. The probe reaction time task may have potential as an objective measure of listening effort in hearing-impaired individuals.
The Interruption of Young Children's Responses by Older Siblings
Authors: Wellen Constance , Broen Patricia
Published: July 2014

A group of language-delayed children, a group of older children with normal language development, and a group of younger children with normal language development served as subjects in this study. Questions were asked after a story was read to a younger child in the presence of an older sibling. The older sibling's interruptions of the question-answer dialogue was scored by frequency, type of interruption, and difficulty level of the questions being interrupted.

Older siblings interrupted the question-answer interactions of the language-delayed children with a frequency that was similar to that observed in siblings of younger normal children but the interruptions of the language-delayed children were qualitatively different. Older siblings tended to directly answer questions addressed to language-delayed children rather than to provide prompts or rephrasings of the question as they did for young normal children. Siblings of both the flanguage-delayed and the young normal children interrupted more frequently as the questions increased in difficulty.
Phonological Disorders I
Authors: Shriberg Lawrence D. , Kwiatkowski Joan
Published: July 2014

Data are presented to support the validity and utility of a diagnostic classification system for persons with phonological disorders. Rationale for the classification system is developed from current reviews of issues and concepts in phonology and classification systems. The system proceeds from a worksheet for reduction of phonological and other assessment data, through five hierarchical levels of classification entries. The system will accommodate lower-level elaboration of etiological subgrouping, pending appropriate research. A retrospective classification study of 43 children with delayed speech is described. Procedural details relating classification procedures to two companion papers (Shriberg & Kwiatkowski, 1982a, 1982b) are provided.
Phonological Disorders II
Authors: Shriberg Lawrence D. , Kwiatkowski Joan
Published: July 2014

A conceptual framework for management of phonological disorders is proposed. The framework includes a 10-element system for describing the structure of management programs and invokes a diagnostic classification system for determining appropriate management content. Data from three serial studies of management structure describe the effectiveness, efficiency, and clinician acceptance of four modes of management: Drill, Drill Play, Structure Play and Play. Review of past, present, and future content of management programs emphasizes the central role of individual differences among persons with phonological disorders.
Sudden Onset of Stuttering
Authors: Deal Jon L.
Published: July 2014

This report describes a 28-year-old male who suddenly began to stutter after an attempted suicide. The patient had a history of one prior stuttering episode lasting approximately one week, also following a suicide attempt. The speech evaluation documented that the patient stuttered on automatic overlearned social responses, during choral reading, during singing, while under the influence of white noise, and during an initial trial of delayed auditory feedback (DAF). In addition, the patient produced stuttering-like repetitions while merely miming speech. He did not demonstrate secondary stuttering symptoms and his nonfluencies were almost exclusively repetitions of initial or stressed syllables. An intervention program using DAF was initiated and in approximately one month the frequency of stuttering had markedly decreased. The behaviors exhibited by this patient are considered to characterize stuttering of sudden onset in adults due to significant psychological distress.
An around-the-House Device for the Clinical Determination of Respiratory Driving Pressure
Authors: Hixon Thomas J. , Hawley Janet L. , Wilson Kent J.
Published: July 2014

A noninvasive method for determining a client's ability to generate respiratory driving pressure is described. This method is off-spring, of simpler form, from a method previously offered in this journal. The key to its simplification is the use of a pressure-indication device that can be constructed from a small collection of items found around the house. The usefulness of this off-spring method is discussed with regard to evaluation and management concerns and its advantages over it parent method are considered.
Auditory Processing and Language Impairment in Children
Authors: Thal Donna J. , Barone Patricia
Published: July 2014

Two experiments were undertaken to examine the performance of language-impaired children on auditory identification and sequencing tasks which employed different stimuli. The purpose of Experiment I was to determine if introduction of linguistic stimuli (words) into tasks using nonlinguistic stimuli (complex tones) would change subjects' performance. Experiment II was designed to measure differences in response when words and tones were presented separately. Responses to utterances of increasing length (up to four words) were also measured. Results indicated that some children performed significantly better when words were used as stimuli. No child responded better when tones were used as stimuli and there were no significant differences between utterances of different length. Based on these results and on the related literature, considerations for choice of stimuli for intervention with language-impaired children are discussed.
Focal Cranial Dystonia
Authors: Golper Lee Ann C. , Nutt John G. , Rau Marie T. , Coleman Ralph O.
Published: July 2014

In the neurologic literature there has been a growing recognition of a syndrome of focal cranial dystonias referred to variously as blepharospasm-oromandibular dystonia, Brueghel's syndrome, or Meige's syndrome. Typically, this syndrome presents as an isolated and idiopathic dystonia of facial or oromandibular muscles occasionally prompting a referral to a speech pathologist. Our findings in a group of 10 patients with this diagnosis are presented, and the negligible effect of an intensive program of speech management for one subject is described.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Communication Board Training Program
Authors: Calculator Stephen , Luchko Christine D'Altilio
Published: July 2014

This study introduces a technique for systematically observing the consequences of various aspects of treatment on the communicative effectiveness of nonspeaking persons using communication boards in natural settings. The case study of Kay, a 24-year-old nonspeaking woman residing in a nursing home, is presented. Three major factors were found to operate cumulatively in increasing Kay's overall communicative effectiveness: 1) revising the design of her original communication board; 2) training her to functionally use her new board to meet her daily communicative needs; and then 3) introducing interaction strategies to her listeners through an inservice training program. Highlights of Kay's and her staff's programs are discussed.
The Effects of Stimulus Variation on Lexical Learning
Authors: Olswang Lesley , Bain Barbara , Dunn Carla , Cooper Judith
Published: July 2014

At some early stage in a child's development of the comprehension and production of language, he/she must recognize that single words correspond to referents in the environment. How to best present the critical aspects of the environment to which a verbal label is attached is not entirely known. For language-impaired children it is important to know how to highlight this relationship between linguistic and nonlinguistic cues so that therapy will be most effective. To examine how language-impaired children best learn single word lexical items, nouns and verbs were taught expressively through two modes of stimulus presentation thought to highlight the nonlinguistic environment: object manipulation and picture identification. The efficacy of these two treatment conditions was assessed with four children functioning at Piaget's sensorimotor period of development by using a single subject, alternating treatments design. The results indicated individual variation in learning strategies. Two of the children learned more single words (nouns and verbs) in the object manipulation condition. One child learned equally well in both conditions and the fourth child learned best in the picture identification condition. Variables accounting for the individual variation are discussed.
Stuttering
Authors: Andrews Gavin , Hoddinott Susan , Craig Ashley , Howie Pauline , Feyer Anne-Marie , Neilson Megan
Published: July 2014

The research literature on stuttering is extensive, spanning etiology, natural history, phenomenology, and treatment. In this review, existing empirical knowledge is distilled by attending only to replicated findings. These are designated as "facts." Facts concerning the natural history of idiopathic stuttering highlight early childhood onset, probability of recovery, and importance of a positive family history of stuttering. Corroborated evidence on stutterer-nonstutterer differences concerns intelligence distribution, speech development, central auditory function, and sensory-motor response. Predictable changes in stuttering frequency, and even total elimination of stuttering, occur under a remarkable variety of conditions. Review of therapies revealed two that satisfied the most stringent criteria for good treatment. Various theoretical positions are examined for their fit with the established facts. A model of stuttering as a genetically determined reduction in central capacity for efficient sensory-motor integration is preferred, provided acquisition of secondary symptoms is attributed to instrumental learning.
Mothers' Discourse Adjustments to Language-Impaired and Non-Language-Impaired Children
Authors: Conti-Ramsden Gina , Friel-Patti Sandy
Published: July 2014

Mothers' discourse adjustments addressed to language-impaired children and non-language-impaired children were studied. Mother-child dyads with 14 language-impaired children and 14 MLU-matched non-language-impaired children served as subjects. The mothers' discourse was compared on the following measures: meaning illocutions, cohesion illocutions, and dialogue participation. The children's participation in dialogue was also analyzed. Results indicated that the mothers' speech addressed to the two groups of children was highly similar, but the discourse performance of the language-impaired children was not like that of the non-language-impaired children. The clinical implications of these findings for the language-impaired children population are discussed.
Response Time and Percentage Correct as Measures of Hearing Aid Performance
Authors: Seavertson John M. , McLennan Roderick O.
Published: July 2014

A paradigm yielding response time and percentage correct data was implemented to assess the relative efficacy in differentiating subjects' performance between two disparate hearing aids. These aids represented high-frequency response (HFR) and conventional-frequency response (CFR) categories. Ten men with flat, moderate, sensorineural hearing losses were employed as subjects. The results revealed that (a) percentage correct measures did not differentiate between the two experimental aids, (b) response time measures did discriminate between the aids, and (c) response time data revealed superior performance with the CFR compared to the HFR instrument. Implementation of this method is advocated to increase the discriminating power of word recognition testing.
Reduction of Hemifacial Spasm and Dysarthria Following EMG Biofeedback
Authors: Rubow Rick T. , Rosenbek John C. , Collins Michael J. , Celesia Gastone G.
Published: July 2014

In this case study, a geriatric patient who had an 18-year history of hemifacial spasm was given EMG-biofeedback-assisted relaxation training. No formal speech therapy was provided. Our results confirmed two hypotheses: (a) The patient would learn to reduce frontalis EMG and facial spasm with and then without biofeedback, and (b) as a result, speech would be markedly improved. At both the 1-month and 15-month follow-up the patient retained the ability to relax his facial muscles with similar carry-over to speech. Possible neurophysiologic mechanisms of action mediating the feedback training are discussed.
Signal-to-Noise Ratio Advantage of Binaural Hearing Aids and Directional Microphones under Different Levels of Reverberation
Authors: Hawkins David B. , Yacullo William S.
Published: July 2014

The signal-to-noise ratio necessary for a constant performance level was determined for normally hearing and hearing-impaired subjects under three levels of reverberation (0.3, 0.6, and 1.2 s) with monaural and binaural hearing aids having directional and omnidirectional microphones. Results indicated (a) a significant binaural advantage (2–3 dB) which was independent of microphone type and reverberation time, (b) a significant directional microphone advantage (3–4 dB) which was independent of hearing aid arrangement (monaural or binaural) but dependent on level of reverberation, (c) a significant reverberation effect which was larger than either the binaural or directional microphone effect, and (d) additive binaural and directional microphone advantages. The results suggest that the signal-to-noise ratio is optimized when binaural hearing aids with directional microphones are used in rooms with short reverberation times.
Use and Misuse of Norm-Referenced Test in Clinical Assessment
Authors: McCauley Rebecca J. , Swisher Linda
Published: July 2014

The purposes of this paper are to discuss concepts that are fundamental to the proper use of norm-referenced tests in clinical assessment, to consider common errors in the use of such tests, and to suggest alternatives to norm-referenced testing for certain assessment purposes. A hypothetical client is used to illustrate the following errors: the use of age-equivalent scores as the sole summary of test results, the use of individual items to formulate therapy objectives, and the failure to consider the possible effects of measurement error when difference scores are used to assess progress or to examine patterns of impairment.
Laterality Differences in Child Stutterers
Authors: Blood Gordon W.
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between stuttering severity and hemispheric dominance, as measured by a dichotic listening task. Subjects were 76 stutterers and 76 nonstutterers who were asked to respond to a series of dichotically presented synthetic syllables. Results revealed (a) a right ear preference for both stuttering and nonstuttering subjects; (b) right ear, no ear, and left ear preference subgroups among the stutterers; (c) differences in dichotic ear preferences for the 7- to 12-year-old stuttering and nonstuttering subjects; and (d) a relationship between stuttering severity and hemispheric dominance depending on the manner in which the data were analyzed. The discussion considers the earlier studies in the literature and reconsiders the idea of subgroups within the stuttering population. Also discussed is the use of certain statistical treatments and the need to determine the relationship between hemispheric dominance in stutterers and other variables.
Correlates of Language Development in Language-Disordered Children
Authors: Schery Teris Kim
Published: July 2014

This study organized a large data archive gathered over 8 years on 718 children with language disorders. Descriptive data categorized by demographic/background, physical/development, social/personality, and language/academic characteristics were analyzed to provide a broad description of this group of children. Sets of descriptor variables in five domains were identified from program records and were used to predict language performance at program entry and relative language improvement over 2–3 years. Age was the strongest predictor for all analyses. In general, the primary research factors in the study (53 variables representing IQ, language history, socioeconomic status, physical/neurological, and social-emotional background) failed to account very well for either language performance at program entry or for relative language gain. In prediction of pretest language performance, IQ and physical factors played the strongest role. The two factors contributing significantly to prediction of relative gain were IQ (although surprisingly weakly) and social-emotional status. Characteristics of those children who progressed most while in the program were identified.