bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Priming as a Method of Coordinating Educational Services for Students With Autism
Authors: Koegel Lynn Kern , Koegel Robert L. , Frea William , Green-Hopkins Israel
Published: April 2006

Purpose:
The importance of coordination of educational services has been well documented in the literature. For students with disabilities, coordinated programs result in more rapid acquisition of targeted behaviors and the increased likelihood of long-term maintenance of gains. The purpose of this study was to assess whether "priming" or exposing students with autism and disruptive behaviors to school assignments before their presentation in class would affect academic performance and problem behaviors.

Method:
Two students diagnosed with autism who attended general education classrooms, both of whom exhibited numerous disruptive behaviors and low academic performance, participated in this study. A repeated reversals design was used to monitor student progress.

Results:
The results demonstrated decreases in problem behavior and increases in academic responding when priming sessions occurred.

Clinical Implications:
Application is discussed in terms of a mechanism for speech-language pathologists to assist classroom teachers with a systematic educational coordination plan that can quickly produce improved school performance.
The Relative Importance of Selected Communication Skills for Adolescents’ Interactions With Their Teachers
Authors: Reed Vicki A. , Spicer Lynette
Published: April 2006

Purpose:
This study investigated the opinions of high school teachers regarding the relative importance of selected communication skills for their students’ communication with them and explored if the content areas in which the teachers taught or the amount of high school teaching experience they had were associated with their opinions.

Method:
Teachers ranked 14 communication skills according to perceived order of importance for Grade 10 adolescents’ communication with them as teachers.

Results:
Teachers tended to perceive skills associated with discourse management strategies as relatively more important than other skills. The two communication skills that were associated with metalinguistic/figurative language aspects of communication were ranked as least important. Inexperienced and experienced high school teachers tended to rank the importance of the communication skills similarly, as did sciences and humanities teachers, except for the communication skill of turn taking, which sciences teachers ranked higher than humanities teachers.

Clinical Implications:
The results provide guidelines for developing intervention approaches that can facilitate successful communicative interactions in high school environments and target goals that teachers of adolescents with language and/or learning disabilities perceive as more important for teacher-adolescent interactions.
Laryngeal Structure and Function in the Pediatric Larynx
Authors: Sapienza Christine M. , Ruddy Bari Hoffman , Baker Susan
Published: April 2006

This article presents an overview of the normal anatomy and physiology of the pediatric larynx, followed by some examples of pediatric voice disorders that were chosen to exemplify the alterations to the laryngeal anatomy and the subsequent modifications to laryngeal function. Vocal fold nodules are primarily reviewed due to their high incidence in the pediatric population. Three other disorders, including laryngeal hyperfunction, unilateral vocal fold paralysis, and bilateral abductor vocal fold paralysis, are discussed because of their more common occurrence and the uniqueness of their etiology and intervention, particularly for the case of bilateral abductor vocal fold paralysis.
Looking Ahead
Authors: Friel-Patti Sandy , Loeb Diane Frome , Gillam Ronald B.
Published: April 2006

In this paper, we provide an introductory overview of a novel approach to language intervention called Fast ForWord (FFW), developed by the Scientific Learning Corporation. More than 20,000 children have received FFW intervention, and many researchers, clinicians, educators, and parents are asking questions about the effectiveness of FFW. To date, there are few evaluations of the treatment other than those that have been published by the developers of the FFW program. This introductory paper will discuss the underlying hypotheses associated with FFW, the components of FFW, and the few studies that have been published regarding the efficacy of FFW. A clinical outcome model based on the work of R. R. Robey and M. C. Schultz (1998) is proposed as a way of understanding the contributions and limitations of previous intervention studies on FFW and as well as those presented in this issue. We end with a look at the questions that need to be asked by researchers and clinicians who are interested in FFW.
Looking Back
Authors: Gillam Ronald B. , Loeb Diane Frome , Friel-Patti Sandy
Published: April 2006

This article summarizes the papers in this issue of
AJSLP
that report the results of Phase I and Phase II clinical trials of Fast ForWord (FFW). Our primary purpose is to integrate the findings of these studies as they relate to the implications for future Phase III clinical trial studies. We discuss the replication of earlier findings by independent researchers, the uniqueness of FFW, new findings from FFW with respect to literacy and intervention settings, and finally, the underlying theoretical framework of FFW.
Expressive Vocabulary of German-English Bilingual Toddlers
Authors: Junker Dörte A. , Stockman Ida J.
Published: April 2006

This study investigated whether young children learning two languages simultaneously are inherently weaker language learners than their monolingual counterparts. Two questions were examined: (a) whether simultaneous language learning at an early age slows down the language learning process for both languages (bilingualism deficit hypothesis) and (b) whether young children use a unitary language system containing features of both languages, preventing them from separating the languages (unitary language system hypothesis). To test these hypotheses, vocabulary skills of 10 German-English bilingual toddlers were compared with those of monolingual German- and English-speaking peers around 24 months of age using Rescorla's (1989) Language Development Survey. This vocabulary checklist, based on parental report, was used in its original English and in a German translated version. Findings revealed that bilingual toddlers were not inferior in conceptual vocabulary size and verb diversity when words in both languages were pooled. Given that nearly half of the bilingual conceptual vocabulary (43%) was associated with lexical forms in both languages, it is inferred that language separation is possible at age 2. Findings from this study contribute to the growing body of evidence that early simultaneous acquisition of more that one language is not an inherent disadvantage for the child. These findings suggest further that some existing instruments may be useful for assessing the early vocabulary of German-English bilingual toddlers.
Accuracy of Online Language Sampling
Authors: Furey Joan E. , Watkins Ruth V.
Published: April 2006

This study investigated the accuracy of online language sample data collection. Language samples were collected from 22 preschoolers (11 with language impairments and 11 typically developing) using a semiscripted, play-based sampling procedure designed to elicit 50 target verbs. During each sampling session, examiners recorded the target verbs a child produced. The online target verb repertoire for each child was then compared with the target verb repertoire extracted from transcription of the audiotape. Results indicated strong positive correlations between target verb repertoires recorded online and those obtained from transcription. Our results indicate that online transcription can be a useful procedure for clinicians who may be restricted in their ability to use language sampling procedures because of the significant time required for transcription and subsequent sample analysis. Although the current study revealed strong accuracy in online recording for one relatively focused aspect of language production, additional investigation will be needed to evaluate real-time recording for a broader range of linguistic abilities.
Phonological Profiles of 2-Year-Olds With Delayed Language Development
Authors: Carson Cecyle Perry , Klee Thomas , Carson David K. , Hime Linda K.
Published: April 2006

Twenty-eight 2-year-olds were screened for language development using the Language Development Survey (LDS; L. Rescorla, 1989) and underwent a clinical evaluation within a month following LDS administration. Six measures of phonological development were derived from 20-min language samples of parent-child play interactions, including number of different consonants, number of different consonants in the initial and final positions, number of different consonant clusters in the initial and final position, and percentage of closed syllables shapes. Comparisons were made among 3 groups: (a) those who screened positive on the LDS (LDS+) who were within normal limits on follow-up, (b) those who were identified as language delayed (LD), and (c) children who were language normal (LN). Results revealed that children who were LDS+ and LD had comparable phonetic profiles. The LD group had significantly lower scores on all phonetic measures tested, as compared to the LN group. Clinical recommendations were available on a subset of 13 children who were reassessed at age 3. Children who received "monitor" or "treatment" recommendations at age 3 had significantly lowerzscores on measures of phonetic development recorded at 2 years of age than toddlers who received a recommendation of "no concerns" at 3 years. Our preliminary findings indicated that the more delayed the 2-year-old child was in phonological development, the more at risk the child was for continuing delays at age 3.
Emergent Literacy Intervention for Vulnerable Preschoolers
Authors: Justice Laura M. , Chow Sy-Miin , Capellini Cara , Flanigan Kevin , Colton Sarah
Published: April 2006

This study determined the relative efficacy of an experimental explicit emergent literacy intervention program for preschoolers experiencing multiple risk factors. Using an alternating treatment research design, children completed two 6-week waves of intervention in small groups; one wave featured the experimental explicit intervention program, whereas the other featured a comparison program. Emergent literacy assessment was conducted at pretest and at the end of each wave. Results indicated significant widespread gains in emergent literacy knowledge over the entire 12-week intervention program; growth was significantly greater during the experimental explicit intervention program compared to the comparison program. An examination of individual differences and intervention outcome showed oral language skills and literacy orientation to predict emergent literacy performance at the end of the program.
Connected Speech Intelligibility of Children With Cochlear Implants and Children With Normal Hearing
Authors: Chin Steven B. , Tsai Patrick L. , Gao Sujuan
Published: April 2006

The objective of this study was to compare the connected speech intelligibility of children who use cochlear implants with that of children who have normal hearing. Previous research has shown that speech intelligibility improves from before cochlear implantation to after implantation and that the speech intelligibility of children who use cochlear implants compares favorably with that of children who use conventional hearing aids. However, no research has yet addressed the question of how the speech intelligibility of children who use cochlear implants compares to that of children with normal hearing. In the current study, archival data on connected speech intelligibility from 51 children with cochlear implants were compared with newly collected data from 47 children with normal hearing. Results showed that for children with cochlear implants, greater intelligibility was associated with both increased chronological age and increased duration of cochlear implant use. Consistent with previous studies, children with normal hearing achieved adult-like or near-adult-like intelligibility around the age of 4 years, but a similar peak in intelligibility was not observed for the children who used cochlear implants. On the whole, children with cochlear implants were significantly less intelligible than children with normal hearing, when controlling both for chronological age and for length of auditory experience. These results have implications for the socialization and education of children with cochlear implants, particularly with respect to on-time placement in mainstream educational environments with age peers.
Speech-Language Pathologists’ Roles in the Delivery of Positive Behavior Support for Individuals With Developmental Disabilities
Authors: Bopp Karen D. , Brown Kenneth E. , Mirenda Pat
Published: April 2006

Positive behavior support interventions such as functional communication training (FCT) and visual schedules are increasingly being used with individuals with autism and other severe developmental disabilities who engage in problem behavior and use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The increasing use of these communication interventions has implications for speech-language pathologists who provide support to these individuals. The purpose of this tutorial is to summarize the research regarding the use of FCT/AAC interventions and visual schedules, and to provide suggestions for the roles that speech-language pathologists can play with regard to assessment, intervention design, and implementation in school and home settings.
Supporting Augmentative and Alternative Communication Use by Beginning Communicators With Severe Disabilities
Authors: Johnston Susan S. , Reichle Joe , Evans Joanna
Published: April 2006

Augmentative and alternative modes of communication (AAC) have assumed an increasingly important role in meeting the communicative needs of individuals with severe disabilities. Despite the potential of AAC to enhance an individual’s communicative effectiveness, practitioners may encounter challenges in implementing AAC interventions with individuals with severe disabilities. This article provides strategies addressing some of the challenges faced by practitioners as they teach beginning communicators with severe disabilities to use AAC. Specifically, this article discusses strategies for dealing with situations when learners (a) have AAC systems but are not using them, (b) have AAC systems but their communication partners are not actively participating, or (c) use alternative, but socially or contextually inappropriate, strategies for communication. This article culminates in a framework for increasing the effectiveness of AAC interventions and presents a discussion of needed research.
Thickened Liquids
Authors: Garcia Jane Mertz , Chambers Edgar , Molander Michelle
Published: April 2006

This study surveyed the practice patterns of speech-language pathologists in their use of thickened liquids for patients with swallowing difficulties. A 25-item Internet survey about thickened liquids was posted via an e-mail list to members of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Division 13, Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (Dysphagia). Responses of 145 professionals who primarily manage adult dysphagia are reported. Although the majority affirmed that thickening thin liquids was an effective intervention strategy, opinions about effectiveness were more favorable for nectar-thick versus honey-like and spoon-thick consistencies. Respondents also acknowledged that their patients had little liking for thickened liquids. Results highlight issues related to products and staff training, as well as perceptions concerning the factors that might affect patients’ acceptance of and compliance with use of the products.
When Conversation Is Not Enough
Authors: Eisenberg Sarita
Published: April 2006

Children with language impairment have been found to show limited usage of infinitival complements, one of the earliest complex sentence types to emerge and a significant form in school-age language. Children’s production of infinitival complements in conversation is not sufficient to tell us what they know about this form. This article describes a story completion procedure for eliciting infinitival complements. The procedure includes 2 situational contexts requiring different infinitive sentence forms and a variety of verbs with which infinitival complements can be produced. The child’s response includes both production of an utterance to complete each story and then an acting out of the meaning of that utterance. This enables the examiner to look not only at the forms produced by the child but also at the relationship between form and meaning.
Average Speech Levels and Spectra in Various Speaking/Listening Conditions
Authors: Olsen Wayne O.
Published: April 2006

The large study undertaken by Pearsons et al. (1977) for the Environmental Protection Agency nicely demonstrates "usual" speech levels in a variety of settings in classrooms, homes, hospitals, department stores, and commercial transportation. In most settings, speech levels were between 55 and 66 dBA at conversation distances in the school, home, hospital, and department store environments. S/N ratios on the order of 5 to 15 dB were maintained.

Communication distance in the trains and airplanes was considerably less than the usual 1 m, and the speech levels were higher, 73 to 77 dBA, but still at a –1 or –2 dB S/N ratio in the train and airplanes, respectively. Their measurements in an anechoic chamber further reflected the levels of conversational speech in a quiet environment, as well as the levels and spectra for different vocal efforts by females, males, and children. Speech spectra were generally similar for the groups of talkers for casual conversation through raised vocal efforts. For loud speech, and particularly for shouted speech, male speech levels were greater than the speech levels of the females and children. The maximum one-third octave bands for loud and shouted speech shifted to higher frequencies for all three groups.
Benefit From, Satisfaction With, and Cost-Effectiveness of Three Different Hearing Aid Technologies
Authors: Newman Craig W. , Sandridge Sharon A.
Published: April 2006

Clinical decision-making has become more complex as newer, more costly, hearing aid (HA) technologies become available. The expanding array of more expensive HAs demands that clinical researchers continue to justify the value of these instruments relative to the substantial increase in cost to both the provider and consumer.

In the present report, 25 current conventional HA users with adult onset of sensorineural hearing loss were fitted with: (a) a one-channel linear HA; (b) a two-channel, nonlinear HA; and (c) a seven-band, two-channel digital signal processing (DSP) HA. All instruments were mini behind-the-ear units with identifying information removed from the cases. Subjects wore each HA for at least a 1-month period.

A set of laboratory (Speech Perception in Noise [SPIN] test; audibility index calculated from real-ear measurements) and self-report (Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit; Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly/Adults; Knowles Hearing Aid Satisfaction Survey; preference ratings) outcome measures were used to evaluate the benefit from, satisfaction with, and cost-effectiveness of each test HA. As expected, there were statistically significant differences between unaided and aided conditions across HAs.

Although the DSP instrument yielded significantly higher word recognition scores on the SPIN test, no differences were observed among the test HAs for the standardized self-report measures. In contrast, however, more than 75% of the subjects preferred the “higher end” instruments. Yet, 33% of the subjects changed their preference for the “higher end” instruments after being informed of costs. A cost-effectiveness model for evaluating the relationship between HA retail purchase price and improvements in performance/benefit is presented.
Speech Audibility for Listeners With High-Frequency Hearing Loss
Authors: Turner Christopher W. , Cummings Karolyn J.
Published: April 2006

This study investigated whether there are limitations on the benefit of providing audible speech information to listeners with high-frequency hearing loss. In a group of 10 listeners with various degrees of high-frequency hearing loss, speech recognition was tested across a wide range of presentation levels. For each of these listeners with hearing loss, recognition performance reached an asymptote of <100%. When the spectrum of the speech for this asymptotic performance level was compared with the listener's pure-tone thresholds, it was seen that providing audible speech to high-frequency regions (≥3000 Hz), where hearing loss exceeds 55 dB HL, tended to produce little or no improvement in recognition scores. In contrast, providing audible speech to lower frequency regions for a listener with a flat, severe-to-profound hearing loss did show improvement with increasing speech audibility, despite this listener's thresholds being greater than 55 dB HL. The present study adds further support to the idea that attempting to provide amplification to regions with severe high-frequency hearing loss (≥3000 Hz) may not necessarily benefit many individuals with hearing loss.
Parental Perceptions of Hearing Loss Classification in Children
Authors: Haggard Rebecca S. , Primus Michael A.
Published: April 2006

Hearing loss classification scales are commonly used to explain audiometric findings to the parents of children with hearing loss. These scales, however, have little or no scientific basis. In this study, filtered auditory recordings were used to simulate three levels of childhood hearing loss, as defined by the commonly used terms—slight, mild, and moderate. Parents, after listening to each simulation, were asked to provide their impressions. Results demonstrated that: parents defined each simulated loss with terminology representing substantially greater magnitude than the commonly used terms; parents anticipated significantly greater difficulty (
p
< .05) for each of nine hearing-related tasks when hearing loss was defined by the simulations rather than the classification terms; and parents selected more aggressive management procedures in response to the simulations than to the classification terms. In an additional task, parents estimated degree of simulated hearing loss with percentage values, indicating about 40% greater hearing loss for the three levels of loss compared to values produced by the conventional American Academy of Otolaryngology-American Council of Otolaryngology (1979) percentage formula. The findings indicate that standard methods of classifying hearing loss in audiologic and medical clinics may undermine parents' understanding of their child's hearing loss, causing them to underestimate substantially the magnitude of the loss.
List Equivalency and Test-Retest Reliability of the Speech in Noise Test
Authors: Bentler Ruth A.
Published: April 2006

The Speech in Noise (SIN) test consists of a series of Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers sentences presented in a background of four-talker babble at two presentation levels (83 and 53 dB SPL) and four signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) (15, 10, 5, and 0 dB). In this study, the nine lists were tested for equivalency and the test-retest reliability was determined. Twenty listeners with normal hearing and 20 listeners with sloping sensorineural hearing losses served as subjects. Five sentences were presented at each SNR at each level, and five key words in each sentence were scored (100 key words per presentation level). Each key word was scored as correct or incorrect, with errors of plurality scored as half-correct words. for percent-correct scores, Lists 1, 2, and 9 and Lists 3, 4, and 5 were found to be equivalent for listeners with normal hearing. For both groups of listeners, the test-retest correlations were high, and the critical differences appropriate for sentence material were 10 to16% at a .95 level of confidence. Because of floor and ceiling effects across the different lists, many subjects with normal hearing did not score as low as the 50% level, and many subjects with hearing loss did not score as high as 50%. Suggestions are offered for alternate scoring in order to obtain a SNR for 50% performance. Future versions of this test should be designed with improved list equivalency and 50% performance capability.
Clinical Genetic Study of 144 Patients With Nonsyndromic Hearing Loss
Authors: Kokitsu-Nakata Nancy Mizue , Guion-Almeida Maria Leine , Richieri-Costa Antonio
Published: April 2006

Hearing loss constitutes an important category of congenital defects that can be isolated or part of the phenotypic spectrum of several syndromes. A clinical genetic study was performed on a sample of 144 patients with nonsyndromic hearing loss, establishing the sex distribution, type, degree, symmetry, laterality, progression, etiology, and, when possible, inheritance pattern.
The AuD Program at the University at Buffalo
Authors: Burkard Robert , Higginbotham D. Jeffery , Lezynski Jeffrey , Stecker Nancy
Published: April 2006

The doctor of audiology (AuD) program at the University at Buffalo is summarized in this article. We begin with a description of the city of Buffalo and the University at Buffalo. This is followed by a brief history of the university and the Department of Communicative Disorders & Sciences. We then summarize the timeline and the process required to develop the AuD program. Admissions policies and prerequisites are then reviewed. We discuss the faculty active in our AuD program and present the requirements (clinical, academic, research) for the degree. The article ends with a delineation of the challenges we face, as well as a description of some of the factors that make the audiology program at the University at Buffalo unique.
Genetics Content in the Graduate Audiology Curriculum
Authors: Arnos Kathleen S. , Rocca Maria G. Della , Karchmer Michael A. , Culpepper Brandt , Cohn Wendy F.
Published: April 2006

Astounding progress has been made in the identification and characterization of genes for hearing loss, which has led to an increasing role of genetics evaluation and testing in the diagnostic process for children with hearing loss. The importance of health professionals such as audiologists gaining core competencies in genetics has been recognized. The current report describes a survey of academic programs in audiology designed to determine the extent to which genetics content is included in the curriculum. Responses from 56% of existing academic programs indicate that 95% include some genetics content in their programs, with the total number of classroom hours ranging from 2 to 65. Most programs included information on basic genetic mechanisms, syndromes, and interpreting family history information, while many fewer reported covering the molecular basis of hearing loss, genetic testing, or ethical or legal issues. The results of this survey demonstrate the need to incorporate more genetics content into audiology curricula and suggest strategies for assisting audiology faculty with this process.
The AuD Program at Towson University
Authors: Emanuel Diana C.
Published: April 2006

Purpose:
This article provides an overview of the Towson University doctor of audiology (AuD) program.

Method:
Faculty and facilities, program highlights and requirements, admission criteria, and funding opportunities are summarized.

Conclusions:
Towson University is a student-focused university with an emphasis on interactive and interdisciplinary hands-on learning. The physical facilities include an active on-campus clinic and newly renovated facilities that are equipped with the latest diagnostic, treatment, research, and teaching equipment. Off-campus clinical rotations occur at state-of-the-art health care facilities in the Baltimore-Washington, DC, corridor and surrounding areas. Fourth-year externships include facilities across the United States. The AuD program includes a 104-credit curriculum combining didactic, clinical, and research courses. A comprehensive assessment system tracks progress throughout the program to ensure graduates are well prepared for entry into the profession as autonomous audiologists.
The "Hearing Aid Effect" 2005
Authors: Johnson Carole E. , Danhauer Jeffrey L. , Gavin Reid B. , Karns Summer Raye , Reith Amber C. , Lopez Ilian Priscilla
Published: April 2006

Purpose:
The visibility of open ear (OE) styles of hearing instruments was rigorously investigated for their potential to reduce the stigma of wearing hearing aids.

Method:
Three groups of 50 young adults (150 total) rated the visibility of 6 hearing aid styles—OE, invisible completely-in-the-canal (CIC), mini in-the-canal (m-ITC), half and full-shell in-the-ear (ITE), and behind-the-ear (BTE)—worn by a peer model with revealing hairstyle, photographed from 2 ft and at 3 different angles (45°, 90°, and 135°).

Results:
CIC was rated significantly most "invisible" at 45° and 90°, OE and m-ITC were next at those angles, and OE and BTE were least invisible at 135°.

Conclusions:
The findings have implications for counseling potential users who are reluctant to try hearing aids for cosmetic reasons.
Effects of Vowel Height and Vocal Intensity on Anticipatory Nasal Airflow in Individuals With Normal Speech
Authors: Young Lisa H. , Zajac David J. , Mayo Robert , Hooper Celia R.
Published: April 2006

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of vowel height and vocal intensity on the magnitude of anticipatory nasal airflow in normal speakers when producing vowel-nasal-vowel (VNV) sequences. Measurements of nasal and oral airflow were obtained from 15 men and 12 women with normal speech during production of the VNV sequences /ini/ and /αnα/ at low, medium, and high intensity levels. Ratios of nasal to oral-plus-nasal airflow were calculated for the initial vowel of both utterances at each of the intensity levels. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedures indicated a significant main effect of intensity level and a significant vowel-by-sex interaction effect (p< .05) on the airflow ratios. Overall, the airflow ratio was reduced at high as compared to low intensity levels, regardless of sex of the speaker or vowel type. Female speakers exhibited greater airflow ratios during production of /ini/ than during productions of /αnα/. Their airflow ratios were also greater during production of /ini/ than were those of male speakers. The results suggest that vocal intensity may affect velopharyngeal (VP) function in an assimilative nasal phonetic context. The results further suggest that anticipatory nasal airflow may be determined by the configuration of the oral cavity to a greater extent in women than in men. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.
Phonatory Effects of Body Fluid Removal
Authors: Fisher Kimberly V. , Ligon Jack , Sobecks Jana L. , Roxe David M.
Published: April 2006

Adequate body and vocal fold hydration are believed to be critical to phonation. We hypothesized that body fluid reduction, without dehydration, would increase phonation threshold pressure (P
th
) and be associated with patient-perceived increases in phonatory effort and worsening voice quality. Using a single-subject, full-reversal design, a controlled volume of body fluid was repeatedly removed via ultrafiltration from adults with end stage renal disease (2 women, 4 men, ages 40–85 yrs). Two additional men (ages 81 and 68 yrs) served as placebo and healthy true controls, respectively. P
th
, vocal effort and quality, blood pressure, and heart rate were assessed longitudinally. P
th
increased significantly with fluid volume reduction (3–4% of body weight from a hypervolemic to a grossly normovolemic body state) and reversed to baseline with fluid replacement in 4 of 6 treated subjects. Effects were observed with net ultrafiltration rates greater than or equal to 1.0 L/h; these effects were not observed in control subjects. Fluid loss accounted for 31.6% of variance in P
th
and 40.0% of variance in perceived vocal effort. Heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and/or diastolic blood pressure were significantly correlated with P
th
or fluid volume reduction in 6 subjects, including the placebo control (–.70 ≤
r
≤–.44). Results indicate that substantial extracellular volume depletion without body dehydration causes voice symptoms, an effect possibly mediated by autonomic nervous control. We propose that mechanisms intrinsic to the vocal fold regulate its water flux and respond to hydration challenges.
Hearing-Aid Outcome Measures Following One Month of Hearing Aid Use by the Elderly
Authors: Humes Larry E. , Garner Carolyn B. , Wilson Dana L. , Barlow Nancy N.
Published: April 2006

This study reports the results of a large number of hearing-aid outcome measures obtained from 173 elderly hearing-aid wearers following one month of hearing-aid use. All participants in this study were fit binaurally with identical full-concha in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids having linear Class-D amplifiers with output-limiting compression. Outcome measures included several measures of speech recognition, as well as several self-report measures of hearing-aid performance, benefit, satisfaction, and use. Comparison of mean data from this sample of hearing-aid wearers to other larger sets of data, obtained previously for several of these measures of hearing-aid outcome evaluated in isolation, indicated that the participants in this study were representative of the participants in other largerscale studies. Subsequent principal-components factor analysis of the data from this study indicated that there were seven distinct dimensions of hearing-aid outcome. Attempts to document the effectiveness and efficacy of hearing aids for elderly persons with impaired hearing will be most complete when assessing performance along all seven dimensions of hearing-aid outcome. Clinically efficient procedures for doing so are discussed.
Perspectives on Stuttering
Authors: Ambrose Nicoline Grinager , Yairi Ehud
Published: April 2006

We did not, and do not, contest Onslow and Packman’s claim that it can be difficult to decide if a young child is stuttering. Our conclusion does indeed leave room for some cases that may not be clear. Nor does their claim, in any way, negate ours and others’ conclusion—based on several sets of data derived from different groups by different investigators using different measures—that there are clear differences in the disfluency patterns of stuttering and normally fluent children, even close to onset. Furthermore, at present, there are not good data that shed light on the extent of the difficulty of positive versus negative diagnoses of stuttering in working clinical settings.

As Dean Williams (1978) said, “The word ‘stuttering’ is an evaluative word, not a descriptive one” (p. 285). We examined children evaluated as stuttering and then described their disfluent behaviors. Onslow and Packman have raised some important issues that require clarification, and we appreciate this input. We respectfully disagree with their conclusions, however, and stand by the findings of our article, with the change in subject criteria as mentioned above. We look forward to future presentation of original data by Onslow and Packman to further explore the issues presented in this series of exchanges.
Syllable Onsets II
Authors: Gierut Judith A. , Champion Annette Hust
Published: April 2006

This study extends the application of the Sonority Sequencing Principle, as reported in J. A. Gierut (1999), to acquisition of word-initial 3-element clusters by children with functional phonological delays (ages in years;months: 3;4 to 6;3). The representational structure of 3-element clusters is complex and unusual because it consists of an s-adjunct plus a branching onset, which respectively violate and conform to the Sonority Sequencing Principle. Given the representational asymmetry, it is unclear how children might learn these clusters in treatment or whether such treatment may even be effective. Results of a single-subject staggered multiple-baseline experiment demonstrated that children learned the treated 3-element cluster in treatment but showed no further generalization to similar types of (asymmetric) onsets. Treatment of 3-element clusters did, however, result in widespread generalization to untreated singletons, including affricates. Moreover, there was differential generalization to untreated 2-element clusters, with individual differences being traced to the composition of children’s singleton inventories. Theoretically, the results suggest a segmental-syllabic interface that holds predictive potential for determining the effectiveness and effects of clinical treatment as based on the notion of linguistic complexity.
Effects of Discourse Context on the Intelligibility of Synthesized Speech for Young Adult and Older Adult Listeners
Authors: Drager Kathryn D. R. , Reichle Joe E.
Published: April 2006

The use of speech synthesis in electronic communication aids allows individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices to communicate with a variety of partners. However, communication will only be effective if the speech signal is readily understood by the listener. The intelligibility of synthesized speech is influenced by a variety of factors, including the provision of context. Although the facilitative effects of context have been demonstrated extensively in studies with young adults, there are few investigations into older adults' ability to decode the synthesized speech signal. The present study investigated whether discourse context affected the intelligibility of synthesized sentences for young adult and older adult listeners. Listeners were asked to repeat 15-word sentences that were either presented in isolation or preceded by a story that set the context for the sentence. Participants correctly repeated significantly more words in the sentences when they were preceded by related sentences than when the sentences were presented in isolation. This research shows a facilitating effect of context in discourse, wherein previous words and sentences are related to later sentences, for both younger and older adult listeners. These results have direct implications for AAC system message transmission.
Evaluation of a Stuttering Treatment Based on Reduction of Short Phonation Intervals
Authors: Ingham Roger J. , Kilgo Martin , Ingham Janis C. , Moglia Richard , Belknap Heather , Sanchez Tracy
Published: April 2006

This paper reports the results of an efficacy study of a stuttering treatment program known as Modifying Phonation Intervals (MPI), which trains stuttering speakers to reduce the frequency of relatively short phonation intervals (PIs) during connected speech across speaking tasks and situations. Five young adult male stuttering speakers were treated in this computer-based program that systematically trains speakers to reduce selected short PIs found to functionally control stuttering. The treatment process was evaluated using multiple-baseline designs. Treatment was largely self-managed and based on a performance-contingent schedule of within-clinic speaking tasks (Establishment), beyond-clinic speaking tasks (Transfer), and systematic decreases in assessment occasions (Maintenance). Assessments were made at regular intervals before, during, and after treatment. All speakers achieved stutter-free and natural-sounding speech during within- and beyond-clinic speaking tasks at the completion of Mainte-nance. All were tested 12 months after completion of Maintenance, and all maintained the results. The findings from this study suggest that this procedure may make a significant contribution to stuttering treatment practice.
Learning New Words
Authors: Storkel Holly L.
Published: April 2006

Though the influences of syntactic and semantic regularity on novel word learning are well documented, considerably less is known about the influence of phono-logical regularities on lexical acquisition. The influence of phonotactic probability, a measure of the likelihood of occurrence of a sound sequence, on novel word learning is investigated in this study. Thirty-four typically developing children (from ages 3 years 2 months to 6 years 3 months) participated in a multitrial word-learning task involving nonwords of varying phonotactic probability (common vs. rare) paired with unfamiliar object referents. Form and referent learning were tested following increasing numbers of exposures (1 vs. 4 vs. 7) and following a 1-week delay. Correct responses were analyzed to determine whether phonotactic probability affected rate of word learning, and incorrect responses were analyzed to examine whether phonotactic probability affected the formation of semantic representations, lexical representations, or the association between semantic and lexical representations. Results indicated that common sound sequences were learned more rapidly than rare sound sequences across form and referent learning. In addition, phonotactic probability appeared to nfluence the formation of semantic representations and the association between semantic and lexical representations. These results are integrated with previous findings and theoretical models of language acquisition.
Is Processing Speed Related to Severity of Language Impairment?
Authors: Lahey Margaret , Edwards Jan , Munson Benjamin
Published: April 2006

Children with specific language impairment 29 typically respond more slowly on many tasks than do their typically developing peers. This paper addresses the question of whether speed of response is linearly related to severity of language impairment as measured by standardized test score. To address this question, we performed post hoc analyses of data from a study on lexical processing involving 66 children with SLI (mean age 6 years 9 months) and 66 typically developing children matched for age and nonverbal IQ. Response times derived from a series of tasks were correlated with language test scores. None of the Pearson correlations reached significance when corrected for number of correlations run, nor did a canonical correlation analysis reach significance. If these results are replicated in other studies, then they suggest that there is no direct linear relation between speed of processing and severity of language impairment as it is estimated from scores on standardized tests of language.
Sensorimotor Adaptation of Speech I
Authors: Houde John F. , Jordan Michael I.
Published: April 2006

When motor actions (e.g., reaching with your hand) adapt to altered sensory feedback (e.g., viewing a shifted image of your hand through a prism), the phenomenon is called sensorimotor adaptation (SA). In the study reported here, SA was observed in speech. In two 2-hour experiments (adaptation and control), participants whispered a variety of CVC words. For those words containing the vowel /ε/, participants heard auditory feedback of their whispering. A DSP-based vocoder processed the participants' auditory feedback in real time, allowing the formant frequencies of participants' auditory speech feedback to be shifted. In the adaptation experiment, formants were shifted along one edge of the vowel triangle. For half the participants, formants were shifted so participants heard /a/ when they produced /ε/; for the other half, the shift made participants hear /i/ when they produced /ε/. During the adaptation experiment, participants altered their production of /ε/ to compensate for the altered feedback, and these production changes were retained when participants whispered with auditory feedback blocked by masking noise. In a control experiment, in which the formants were not shifted, participants' production changes were small and inconsistent. Participants exhibited a range of adaptations in response to the altered feedback, with some participants adapting almost completely, and other participants showing very little or no adaptation.
Oropharyngeal Swallow in Younger and Older Women
Authors: Logemann Jeri A. , Pauloski Barbara Roa , Rademaker Alfred W. , Kahrilas Peter J.
Published: April 2006

Much of the initial research on normal swallowing has been conducted in young men. Recently, there has been increasing interest in determining whether there are differences between the sexes in swallowing function and in the effects of aging on swallowing in both sexes. This investigation examined the swallowing ability of 8 healthy young women between the ages of 21 and 29 and 8 healthy older women between the ages of 80 and 93 during two swallows each of 1 ml and 10 ml liquid boluses. Videofluoroscopic studies of these swallows were reviewed in slow motion and real time to confirm the absence of swallowing disorders. Kinematic analysis of each swallow was completed. Data on range of motion of pharyngeal structures and coordination characteristics of the oropharyngeal swallow were taken from this kinematic analysis. Position of the larynx at rest and length of neck were compared between the two groups. Data from this study were compared with previously published data on younger and older men. Interestingly, the range of motion of the older women was often greater than that of the young women. Only tongue base movement diminished significantly with age in women. Volume effects observed in duration and extent of movement during the 1 ml and 10 ml swallows were similar to those in earlier studies. Older women also exhibited an increased range of motion relative to the old men. This increase may indicate a compensation for aging effects not seen in older men.
Interaction of Speech Coders and Atypical Speech I
Authors: Jamieson Donald G. , Parsa Vijay , Price Moneca C. , Till James
Published: April 2006

We investigated how standard speech coders, currently used in modern communication systems, affect the intelligibility of the speech of persons who have common speech and voice disorders. Three standardized speech coders (viz., GSM 6.10 [RPE-LTP], FS1016 [CELP], FS1015 [LPC]) and two speech coders based on subband processing were evaluated for their performance. Coder effects were assessed by measuring the intelligibility of vowels and consonants both before and after processing by the speech coders. Native English talkers who had normal hearing identified these speech sounds. Results confirmed that (a) all coders reduce the intelligibility of spoken language; (b) these effects occur in a consistent manner, with the GSM and CELP coders providing the least degradation relative to the original unprocessed speech; and (c) coders interact with individual voices so that speech is degraded
differentially
for different talkers.