Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
This SIG 1 activity focuses on best practices, perspectives, and challenges in the
assessment and intervention of developmental language disorders (DLD) in culturally
and linguistically diverse (CLD) populations. The first article provides clinicians and
researchers with resources to interpret and use common standardized language
assessments in English for CLD school-age youth. The second article introduces the
online program, Video- and App-Based Language Instruction (VALI), to increase
caregivers’ use of language-promoting strategies in everyday activities with Spanish
infants and toddlers. The third article discusses how to most effectively treat bilingual
children and plan treatment to promote progression in both languages.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
In this SIG 4 activity, learners will read three peer-reviewed articles centered on cluttering in preadolescent through adult speakers. The first article is a case study of a preadolescent with cluttering. In this paper, the authors highlight brain development
during adolescence, adolescent cognitive and emotional development, and the effects of a therapy approach based on objective speech measures. The second article is a research study concerned with disfluency clusters produced by adults with cluttering in natural conversations. The authors describe how disfluency clusters are affected by the
nature of the relationship between speakers. The last article presents qualitative data
from a focus group of adults with cluttering who have emerged as community leaders. Their reflections include recommendations for listeners and support groups, self management, and their thoughts on labels and acronyms.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
This SIG 5 activity includes three articles from a forum aimed at sharing research
conducted in clinical settings around the world. Two research articles analyzed surgical
and parent-led therapy approaches for improved speech and resonance outcomes. A
third tutorial described characteristics needed in an evaluation to analyze clinically
obtained data for research purposes.
The first research article is based in Brazil. It demonstrates positive long-term
outcomes in children with hypernasality/velopharyngeal dysfunction using the
Sommerlad procedure of palatal re-repair to treat residual velopharyngeal insufficiency.
The reported scores were in the categories of: “hypernasality, global impression of
velopharyngeal function, and/or active speech symptoms.” Overall, this study shows
significant improvement in a large percentage of children, with less effect on older
individuals ages 17–22 years.
The second research article includes parents from a previously published twocenter
study in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The aim was to analyze parents’
experiences with parent-led articulation therapy (PLAT) following in-depth training. After
a detailed outline is provided regarding inclusion and teaching of the participants, four
main themes are identified. These include growth of parents, undertaking PLAT,
changes in children, and the future. Ultimately, the majority of parents are in favor of a
parent-led therapy approach with the caveat that in-depth training and direct supervision
from a speech-language pathologist is needed.
The third article, a tutorial, addresses the research–clinical practice gap. A
description is provided of a perceptual speech assessment protocol for cleft palate
speech, to enable clinical data to be used for research purposes. The article provides
detail related to determining the most appropriate standardized assessment tools as well
as the best ways to collect and analyze this data. Further details related to
implementation within the clinical setting are outlined. The data is easily accessible
through networking between cleft teams and Sweden’s national cleft lip and palate
registry, making retrospective research attainable in a clinical setting.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
This SIG 19 activity bundles four articles providing perspectives on a broad variety of topics in speech-language pathology. First, Bunta and Gósy discuss how speech-language pathologists and audiologists could utilize acoustic analyses in their clinical practice. They provide specific examples ranging from aphasia to speech sound disorders and various linguistic contexts to demonstrate the utility of these tools. The authors suggest acoustic analyses can be a valued supplement in clinical evaluations. Next, Diekhoff and Lulich examine speech-language pathology students’ conceptualization and description of American rhotic Sounds. They discuss the differences in descriptions of rhotic sounds by students who had experience with those sounds compared to those who did not have experience with those sounds. The role of direct instruction regarding rhotic shapes is highlighted. Then, Gurevich and Kim discuss quantifying allophonic coverage in commonly used reading passages. In summary, they suggest a need for new speech materials that could provide allophonic coverage. Finally, Jung, Jing, and Grigos investigate the accuracy and consistency of students’ perceptions/ratings of speech errors in children. They report that student clinicians’ ratings matched with expert speech-language pathologists’ ratings with training. The importance and need for listening training in speech-language pathology programs are also discussed.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
This collection of articles provides valuable information on clinical practice in the elderly, including the relationship between physical frailty and cognitive functioning in older adults, communication challenges in older adults in group care settings and the potential factors that contribute to meaningful interactions and engaged communication in these settings, and the importance of providing graduate students opportunities for skill development for end-of-life situations.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
The three articles in this SIG 18 activity were selected to provide information on the
present and future of telepractice service delivery from the perspectives of current
speech-language pathologists and graduate student clinicians.
The first article by Page, Hughes, and Woody investigates the initial perceptions
of graduate student clinicians following the implementation of telepractice. Findings
reveal themes including comparisons between in-person services and telepractice
regarding learning technology, managing environmental distractions at home, and
caregiver involvement.
The second article by Douglass, Lowman, and Causey-Upton provides a metaanalysis study on clinicians’ perceptions of telehealth across disciplines within
rehabilitation and other allied health fields. Several themes are identified, including
acceptance, lack of telehealth training, and the flexibility of telehealth.
The third article by Edwards-Gaither, Harris, and Perry presents a viewpoint for
the future of telepractice in speech-language pathology. Challenges and opportunities
for the longevity of telepractice service delivery are discussed, including consensus on
telepractice terminology, designating a service delivery model, and exploring telepractice
occupational culture.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
These SIG 13 articles provide helpful information in dysphagia practice. Tasia Gibbons, Sophia Werden Abrams, Nazia Mohsin, Rebekah Guastella, Stefania Oppedisano, and Ashwini Namasivayam-MacDonald endeavor to validate a new device to measure lingual strengthening and swallow function. Kelsey Thompson, Cara McComish, and Suzanne Thoyre’s work aims to introduce dynamic systems theory to pediatric feeding clinicians. Margaret Wright and Justin Sleffel demonstrate the importance of a multidisciplinary team approach and the vital role of speech-language pathologists in the evaluation and treatment of dysphagia of unknown etiology. Hollie-Ann Lee Shortland, Gwendalyn Webb, Anne E. Vertigan, and Sally Hewat aim to explore the use of myofunctional devices and how speech-language pathologists gain better understanding of this modality.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
These three articles center on aspects of audiology and speech-language pathology providers in pediatric hearing loss.
First, “eHealth Coaching: Counseling Characteristics of Coaches Used With Parents” centers on identifying clinician communication behaviors and missed opportunities during an eHealth intervention. Themes were identified within each category. Trends included greater use of close-ended questions over open-ended questions, frequent responses to parent emotions, and engagement in a shared process through providing information and exploring progress on parent goals. Missed opportunities occurred within each category. Coaches' communication behaviors demonstrated support for parent learning that was positively received. Joint planning to address parent challenges was a missed opportunity to support parent behavior changes regarding hearing-aid routines.
The aim of “Listening and Spoken Language Specialist Auditory–Verbal Certification: Self-Perceived Benefits and Barriers to Inform Change” was to explore the professional's viewpoint on the path to the Listening and Spoken Language Specialist (LSLS) certification. There were 295 participants from different parts of the world: certified LSLSs, mentees pursuing certification, and professionals interested in certification. The study addressed motivation, self-perceived gains, challenges, and barriers in an international cohort. The purpose of the study was to guide future changes within the certification system. Several indicators pointed to the need for more awareness of significant gains LSLS certification can bring to professionals. There is also a need to address, minimize, and overcome perceived barriers in the process. Similarly, research is warranted to explore obtaining LSLS certification outside English-speaking countries and with a larger, more population-based sample.
In the closing article, “Comfort Levels of Providers Serving Children Who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing: Discrepancies and Opportunities,” Blaiser and Mahshie discuss that while best practice outlines specific skills and expertise from highly qualified providers, in reality, many lack confidence related to hearing technology and resources related to serving children who are deaf/hard of hearing (DHH). The study surveyed 459 professionals in ASHA serving children who are DHH. The intent was to compare differences in confidence, training, and using resources between providers who have a self-selected interest in working with children who are DHH (membership in SIG 9) and those who serve children who are DHH and are not part of the hearing-related SIG. The results indicate that there is limited provider confidence in working with this population. These conclusions provide graduate training programs opportunities to explore provision of more intensive, comprehensive experience to better serve children who are DHH.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
In this SIG 4 activity, authors describe ways to (a) increase speech-language pathologists’ comfort with treating stuttering by providing a structured grouping of activities centered around using education, ease, and empowerment (Gore & Margulis); (b) continue using empirical evidence and clinical experience to make informed decisions about assessment procedures for young children who stutter (Singer & Kelly); and (c) provide holistic speech-language therapy services for stuttering using telehealth (McGill & Schroth). Each of these articles provides practicing clinicians ways to gain confidence in their abilities to provide evaluations and treatment across delivery
paradigms.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
In this SIG 4 activity, authors detail the myriad of ways that stuttering can influence aspects of life, from parents’ differing perceptions of their child who stutters (Mostafa, St. Louis, El-Adaway, Emam, & Elbarody), to completion of turns by people who do not stutter when the person who stutters experiences stuttering (Kondrashov & Tetnowski). These articles help readers understand the pervasive nature that stuttering exerts on the lives of people who stutter across the lifespan.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
This SIG 19 activity bundles four articles providing perspectives on a broad variety of topics in speech-language pathology. First, Holt provides an overview of current and historical discussions of gender and race, challenging the reader to accept that one’s perspective is indebted to a specific belief system. Readers are to evaluate how gender and race are used to categorize people and examine whether a member of a marginalized or minoritized group affects that person’s access to or use of intervention services. Next, Cox and Koenig define speech privacy and provide a brief history and applications in the health care setting. A general perspective is outlined, including threats to speech privacy, and speakers who use an electrolarynx are used as an example to highlight specific issues clinicians may encounter. Ramanarayanan et al. discuss the use of speech as a biomarker in therapy and research. In summary, robustness of analytics—specificity, diversity, and physiological interpretability—must be further developed. Finally, Weerathunge, Tomassi, and Stepp review a number of populations with voice disorders that have been studied using altered auditory feedback. Many have hyperactive auditory feedback responses and the differing underling reasons are reviewed. Therapy considerations are also described.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
These four SIG 13 articles provide information for dysphagia practice. They address a unique array of special populations and challenges in patient care involving swallowing and feeding difficulties.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
The theme for this SIG 14 activity is self-reported confidence and knowledge between multilingual and monolingual speech-language pathologists in working with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) individuals and assessment considerations when working with individuals who speak a language other than English. Topics include (a) examining differences between self-reported confidence and knowledge in multilingual and monolingual speech language pathologists; (b) nonword repetition in assessment; and (c) sound sequencing characteristics in words of children who speak German.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
The first article in this SIG 18 activity investigates the applications speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and audiologists used most frequently during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also discusses the main obstacles to providing speech, language, and hearing services through telepractice. Through the international distribution of an electronic survey, a total of 1,466 surveys from SLPs and audiologists from 40 countries were used for the analysis.
The second article discusses the Auditory Verbal UK's training program for prospective listening and spoken language specialist certified auditory verbal therapists delivered globally via telepractice. The article explores, from a global perspective, audiology and early intervention services and perspectives regarding telepractice.
The third article explores parents' and therapists' views of the benefits and challenges of telepractice for early intervention for children who are deaf or hard of hearing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through survey and analysis, the article probes the views of parents, Listening and Spoken Language Specialist Certified Auditory Verbal Therapists in using telepractice to deliver auditory verbal sessions.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
This trio of SIG 9 articles provides the reader with three diversely focused topics related to pediatric hearing and hearing disorders. These range from a review of barriers to equity in pediatric hearing health care, to students’ perspectives on preservice education about cued speech, and then how practitioners measure receptive and expressive American Sign Language (ASL).
The review, “Barriers to Equity in Pediatric Hearing Health Care: A Review of the Evidence,” explores data to suggest that hearing health care disparities constitute a major factor in loss to follow-up or documentation for children going through the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention process. Underlying disparities are multifactorial and result in delayed care and suboptimal developmental outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
“ASL Assessment in Practice: Assessing American Sign Language Across Clinical Settings” discusses exploratory research to investigate what assessment tools professionals use in measuring receptive and expressive ASL. Conclusions indicate that there is variable access and knowledge for appropriate assessment measures in ASL.
“The Effect of a Graduate Course in Cued Speech on Students' Perspectives: A Pilot Study” is a pilot study investigating the beliefs and attitudes in Deaf Education related to a course on cued speech. The investigation revealed that a single course in the approach could influence student perspectives on cued speech and other Deaf
Education instructional approaches.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
This SIG 5 activity analyzes the relationship between the opioid crisis and cleft lip and palate care across the life span. Two main themes of prevention and treatment after exposure are explained. The articles outline alternatives to opioid use after cleft-related surgeries, impacts on infants and children who were exposed in utero, and velopharyngeal insufficiency treatment after substance abuse.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
These SIG 12 Perspectives articles provide information on current issues associated with visual processing of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) displays for people with traumatic brain injury, assessment of the expressive language abilities of Spanish-speaking children who rely on AAC, and culturally sensitive approaches to aided language modeling. Readers will be more adept at designing effective AAC displays for adults with traumatic brain injury and at providing AAC services to children from multilingual and multicultural backgrounds.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
These SIG Special Topics articles provide guidance to current and future researchers in communication sciences and disorders about how to maximize the clinical impact of their research. Utianski et al. describe clinical practice research and the current barriers to it, while highlighting initiatives researchers can take advantage of. Douglas et al. define knowledge brokering and outline the roles of organizations and individuals who take on that job. Then, Davidson and colleagues offer researchers concrete steps for using social media to enhance impact. Finally, Nicholson and Smith review both traditional science impact metrics and alternative metrics and offer concrete recommendations for documenting clinical impact for use in one’s CV or career advancement materials.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
This SIG 16 Perspectives activity includes research that focuses on caseload issues and articulation intervention. Articles discuss the relationship between school factors and speech-language therapy enrollment in public schools; the efficacy of using the SATPAC (Systematic Articulation Training Program Accessing Computers) approach with children receiving intervention through response to intervention; and the effectiveness of biofeedback technologies as a form of intervention for speech sound production.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
This collection of SIG 13 articles addresses popular topics in dysphagia care throughout the life span regarding thickening practices, family-centered care, and early intervention. Jane Mertz Garcia, Edgar Chambers IV, and Anna Boyer utilized a survey to re-examine practice patterns for thickened liquids and provided a comparison of past practices with current to provide insight into contemporary themes that have previously not been considered. Doreen Benson and George Barnes explore the utility of a mathematical prediction model (Bayes theorem) in dysphagia management. Samantha E. Shune, Deanna Linville, and Ashwini Namasivayam-MacDonald address maximizing treatment effectiveness by using an approach with family resiliency and adaptation. Drawing from the principles of family systems theory and the biopsychosocial-spiritual framework, they use a case study as a tutorial to explore the application of family-centered care models to dysphagia management. Stephanie C. Cohen and Karen Dilfer focus on the definition of pediatric feeding disorder (PFD) and the multifaceted needs of families and children in early intervention, support for use of responsive feeding in treatment of PFD, alignment of responsive feeding strategies with early intervention principles, and barriers limiting access to consistent, high-quality early intervention services for children with PFD.
Format(s):
Journal (Online)
The articles in this journal self-study explore research related to various aspects of hearing health and care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specific topics include: supporting individuals with tinnitus, teaching students about noise-induced hearing loss, and understanding pandemic-related disruptions to hearing abilities and care. Audiologists will take away information they can apply as the pandemic and audiology practice continue to evolve.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
This SIG 13 collection of astute articles provides information regarding managing and
treating dysphagia in the hospital for both adult and pediatric patients. Nalia GurgelJuarez and colleagues explore the frequency of oral care based on staff adherence to
oral care policies. Rebecca Smith et al. investigate the quality-of-life impacts of
dysphagia and its interventions on mealtimes using the Swallowing Quality of Life
Questionnaire and the Eating Assessment Tool. Jessica L. Rice and Maureen A. LeftonGreif review high-flow nasal cannula mechanisms of action, its use in specific
populations and settings, and what is known about initiation of feeding during this
therapy. Finally, Donna Edwards and colleagues explore the impact of COVID-19 on
modifications in clinical practice related to pediatric feeding disorders and dysphagia via
telehealth.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
The first two articles in this SIG 19 activity provide information to better our assessment and treatment of individuals in the area of voice, while the latter two articles focus on treatment of individuals in the area of speech production. The authors for all four articles present a review of the literature as well as challenges and future directions. First, Van Hook and Duffy conducted a pilot study to trial the Gender Spectrum Voice Inventory. This article provides a review, discussion of validity, and speech-language pathologists’ perceptions of the inventory in an effort to address a gap in available clinical tools for transgender and nonbinary people. Next, Hammer reviews the relationship between air flow with sound pressure level during syllable production while holding fundamental frequency and subglottic air pressure constant. The results have clinical implications that stress the importance of an increase in air flow and focus on vocal fold contact. Then, Gritsyk et al. describe their study to determine which measures of somatosensory acuity best predicted change in production accuracy during vowel learning tasks while controlling auditory acuity. Results indicate only bite block adaptation with auditory masking was significantly associated with performance. Finally, Zajac et al. discuss their preliminary study that indicated cleft type contributes to production errors, specifically backing, in children with repaired cleft palate. Additionally, a history of otitis media affects the spectral contrast of alveolar consonants in children without clefts.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
This SIG 1 activity focuses on ethical challenges that audiologists and SLPs may face in various school-based scenarios. A 5-step ethical decision-making approach is presented. An ethical decision-making model is used to help prepare clinicians for the ethical continuation of telepractice in schools. Some thoughts and tools for connecting ethical practices with the provision of culturally sensitive/responsive services are provided.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
The theme for this Perspectives activity is clinical considerations for working with multicultural populations in schools and the community. Topics include (a) assessment practices for multilingual children in schools, (b) school-based speech language pathologists working with interpreter-translators, and (c) factors associated with clear speech and accentedness in American English.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
These SIG 17 Perspectives articles focus on the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on service provision and student training in four global contexts: Cyprus, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Topics include the rise of telesupervision, telepractice in speech-language pathology (SLP), and distance learning in Cyprus during COVID-19; the effectiveness of SLP and related service treatment of patients with COVID-19 in an inpatient rehabilitation setting in the United States; the impact and transformation of an SLP university program in South Africa due to COVD-19; and the perspectives of parents/caregivers on SLP service provision during the pandemic for children born with cleft palates in the United Kingdom.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
These SIG 12 Perspectives articles provide information on current issues associated with display design and image complexity for individuals with cortical visual impairment and an in-depth overview of telepractice for people who rely on augmentative and alternative communication. Readers will be more adept at assessing and assisting children with cortical visual impairment and will have a better understanding of telepractice methods that can be used to improve virtual service delivery.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
This activity presents a variety of topics related to telepractice service provision. The first article offers a case study on the effects of a hybrid telepractice/onsite treatment program for a child who stutters. The following article discusses common technical issues encountered during telepractice and a process for managing them with English- and Spanish-speaking clients. The final article details the findings of a study on integrating technology through telepractice to support clients with dementia.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
This activity presents a diverse perspective, including four different speech science articles focused on a variety of topics. Kimball and Sayce discuss the pros and cons of research using behavior and functional assessment and treatment in the areas of speech science and voice, specifically their limitation in outlining etiology or explaining treatment resistance. They also provide an overview of genetic research approaches as a possible path forward to develop additional evidence-based treatment approaches. Neel reviews the production and perception of extralinguistic information regarding sex/gender, sexual orientation, age, non-native accent, regional and social dialect, and race and ethnicity. The article explores the literature in the above areas reviewing acoustical features and common misperceptions, concluding with instructional activities to enhance student awareness of indexical characteristics. McAllister et al. studied the effects of biofeedback for residual rhotic errors in a preliminary case series. Participants were five native English speakers who had not yet generalized rhotic production. Treatment consisted of either electropalatographic or visual-acoustic biofeedback using the Challenge Point Program software. Although participant responses to treatment were variable, the median effect size tended to exceed the minimum value considered clinically significant. Gritsyk et al. examined three measures to determine which best predicted change in production accuracy during a vowel learning task. Using 20 female college students, researchers administered three tasks: an oral stereognosis task, a bite block task using auditory making, and a new phonetic awareness task. The bite block task with auditory masking, measuring proprioceptive awareness, was the only task significantly related to performance in speech learning.
Format(s):
SIG Perspectives
The assemblage of articles presents clinicians with information on a variety of topics in dysphagia that can be utilized in practice. Laura L. Madhoun, Laura C. Merrell, Amanda Smith, Emily Snow, and Kristen M. Cherosky stress the importance of individualized and comprehensive feeding management for craniofacial anomalies through interdisciplinary collaboration. Lena G. Caesar and Meretu Kitila study clinicians’ perceptions and confidence with dysphagia service delivery. Aliaa Sabry, Amanda S. Mahoney, Shitong Mao, Yassin Khalifa, Ervin Sejdic, and James L. Coyle point out an objective way to assess laryngeal vestibule closure and opening at beside. Marie Jardine, Anna Miles, Jacqui Allen, and Rebecca Leonard give an interesting take of assessment of the aging swallow. Kelsey L. Thompson and Wanqing Zhang provide description and examples of mixed method research to comprehensively and holistically report of pediatric feeding disorders.
Best Seller
Format(s):
Streaming Video
This course presents a practical framework for cognitive rehabilitation for patients suffering from a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Clinicians can use the framework to identify functional treatments that are evidence-based, matched to individualized patient needs, and feasible given the time and resource constraints of the current health care environment. The course explores specific cognitive rehabilitation interventions that patients with a brain injury may find particularly valuable and motivating. The presenters use case studies to discuss how to write functional goals and identify optimum outcome measures.
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