Master of Arts, Miami University, 2021, Speech Pathology and Audiology

Thousands of technological apps have emerged in the past decade. Little research has been done to examine how apps are used by speech-language pathologists (SLPs), their effectiveness, and feelings regarding their use. SLPs must consider current research as a principle of evidenced-based practice when integrating technology into speech and language service delivery. The current study investigates SLPs pattern of app use and feelings towards their use in a school setting. This study aims to uncover correlations between app use and these feelings, as well as considerations made by SLPs prior to implementing apps in their sessions. A survey was distributed to school-based SLPs in Ohio, yielding 69 valid responses. Results showed 77% of SLPs reported using apps in their treatment sessions. SLPs reported generally positive feelings regarding the use of apps. SLPs considered factors such as age, cognitive ability, and disorder of the students with whom they are using apps. For the SLPs who reported not using apps, the most common reasons were personal preference and price. Results of this study carry clinical implications for evidence-based practice as the age of technology continues to develop. These results warrant future research on the efficacy and effectiveness of apps in school settings.

Committee: Arnold Olszewski Ph.D., CCC-SLP (Advisor); Amber Franklin Ph.D., CCC-SLP (Committee Member); Gerard Poll Ph.D., CCC-SLP (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2007, Allied Health Sciences : Communication Science and Disorders

The goal of the Head Start program is to prepare at-risk children to take maximal advantage of their elementary school education. The better children's academic skills when they emerge from preschool, the more likely they are to do well in school. Thus, the role of the Head Start teacher is crucial in students' lives. The quality of teacher-child language and pre-literacy interactions is vital to Head Start children because an effective preschool teacher can significantly raise students' chances of academic success. The teachers' educational backgrounds may influence how they use language during classroom activities. One avenue to support teachers in creating language and literacy rich classrooms is to take advantage of the knowledge and skills of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) by establishing collaborative relationships between Head Start teachers and SLPs. This study was a quasi-experimental, mixed methods study of an SLP book reading intervention involving teachers and teacher assistants in two Head Start centers. This study examined the changes in teachers' literacy enhancement behaviors following ongoing, in-class modeling by an SLP during book reading. The specific aims were to determine: 1) if teachers' literacy enrichment behaviors during book reading changed immediately following ongoing, in-class modeling by an SLP 2) if teachers continued to use these behaviors longitudinally 3) if there was a difference between number of literacy enrichment behaviors used by the intervention group and the control group and 4) how teachers perceived their change in use of literacy strategies during book reading. The results of this study indicated that teachers significantly increased the number of all of the literacy enrichment behaviors immediately following modeling by the speech-language pathologist. The teachers demonstrated long term use of open ended questions, expansions, predictions and conclusions. The teachers reported that they learned to use the strategi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Nancy Creaghead (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 2023, Communication Disorders

The school-to-confinement pipeline has become a national phenomenon in the United States. Many factors contribute to an individual's entrance to the school-to-confinement pipeline, including their ability to communicate. Students with communication disorders are much more likely to enter the school-to-confinement pipeline. The primary goal of this investigation was to identify and delineate elements of speech-language therapy for adolescents with language disorder and elements of classroom instruction in confinement settings to help inform future clinical and educational recommendations for at-risk youth. This was achieved by conducting two state-of-the-art literature reviews. The first literature review identified elements of speech-language therapy that were used with adolescents with language disorder. Articles were obtained through a systematic search process across PubMed and PsycINFO databases. Ten articles met inclusion criteria. The second literature review aimed to identify elements of classroom instruction in confinement settings. Articles were obtained through a systematic search process across ERIC and Education Research Complete databases. Eight articles met inclusion criteria. For both literature reviews, inclusion of articles was determined using the participant, intervention, control, outcome, and study design (PICOS) criteria. Data from each review were categorized and coded. Salient themes were identified through analysis of coded data from both reviews. Results revealed that educators can easily adopt and embed many elements of speech-language therapy in their classroom instruction to provide support for at-risk youth in specific language domains. The primary application of this project is developing an educator resource based on the clinical and educational recommendations made in this review.

Committee: Colleen Fitzgerald Ph.D., CCC-SLP (Committee Chair); Adam Watkins Ph.D. (Committee Member); Virginia Dubasik Ph.D., CCC-SLP (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Speech and Hearing Science

Scoping Review Purpose: Intervention studies contribute to evidence-based practice in speech-language pathology. With individuals who use speech generating devices (SGDs), it is important to determine what vocabulary to teach during intervention. However, it is unclear whether researchers are reporting the vocabulary selection techniques they used within intervention studies so that they may be replicated in clinical practice. The purpose of this scoping review was to (a) describe the intervention studies focused on vocabulary acquisition in early symbolic communicators who use SGDs and (b) describe the vocabulary selection techniques used in the studies. Method: PsychInfo, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Educational Resources Information Center, Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts, Educational Research Complete, and CINAHL databases were systematically searched for articles that were intervention studies targeting single-word vocabulary acquisition in early symbolic communicators who use SGDs. Data related to methods and results were extracted from each article and charted in Excel. Results: Five thousand four hundred and five unique articles were found. Eighteen articles met the inclusion/exclusion criteria for this review. Of the 18 articles, eight studies targeted requesting or manding, six studies used preference assessments to select vocabulary, and seven articles used adults as informants to select the vocabulary. Conclusions: There are a limited number of studies investigating vocabulary acquisition in early symbolic communicators who use SGDs. Further, the studies did not use a range of methods that align with the literature in vocabulary selection (Morrow et al., 1993). Using techniques that are clearly reported and align with the available literature is imperative to contributing to speech-language pathologists' evidence-based practices. SLP Survey Purpose: Vocabulary selection is a critical aspect of AAC implementation but there is (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Allison Bean (Advisor); Carmen DiGiovine (Committee Member); Janet Vuolo (Committee Member); Amy Miller Sonntag (Committee Member); Jamie Boster (Committee Member) Subjects: Language; Speech Therapy

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2019, Communication Sciences

The purpose of this study was to identify and assess a group of ambiguous language stimuli suitable for use in assessments and therapeutic interventions for students who with Language Disorder (LD). Existing standardized tests allow practitioners to assess whether students can identify when certain kinds of ambiguous language are being used. The current study seeks to create a new test, the Ambiguous Language Test (ALT), which will dive deeper into the study of ambiguous language, to investigate the degree to which students can interpret and understand ambiguity. In order to develop these materials, first a baseline understanding of how students who are typically developing (TD) can perform on the task of defining ambiguous words and phrases must be established. The study was therefore conducted in three phases. Phase One tested a large number of stimuli across the areas of multiple meaning words, metaphors, oxymorons, and paradoxes with students who are TD between the ages of 12 and 14 years. Stimuli were analyzed using the difficulty index, discrimination index, and Cronbach's alpha in order to develop a fuller understanding of words and phrases that would be suitable for more in-depth testing. In Phase Two, a narrower list of words and phrases, selected on the basis of results from Phase One, were presented to a different group of students who are TD, with a wider age range (9-15 years). These stimuli were analyzed using the difficulty index and discrimination index to verify results from Phase One and in order for the ALT to progress to the third and final development phase. Finally, Phase Three draws on the results of both earlier phases to present the test with a full range of difficulty levels, according to the difficulty index, to a group of students with LD, ages 9-15 and a group of students who are TD, ages 9-15. These test results were analyzed again using the difficulty index and discrimination index to verify previous test results. Finally, the Mann W (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Angela Ciccia Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Barbara Lewis Ph.D. (Committee Member); Elizabeth Short Ph.D. (Committee Member); Vera Tobin Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2019, Speech Language Pathology

Language sampling serves as an effective assessment method across many populations, which include but are not limited to individuals with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, severe speech disorders, aphasia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and specific language impairment (e.g., Abbeduto, Kover, & McDuffie, 2012; Binger, Ragsdale & Bustosa, 2016; Dunn, Flax, Sliwinski, & Aram, 1996; Hustad et al., 2014; MacWhinney et al., 2011; Redmond, 2004; Tager-Flusberg, 1995). Language sample collection and analysis (LSCA) is an integral component of language assessment due to its ability to align with the demands of academic language, depict language representational of a naturalistic context, and portray changes across time and location due to its ability to be repeated frequently. Moreover, LSCA lacks stringent behavioral requirements. As a result, LSCA circumvents many of the challenges of standardized assessment. The lack of strict behavioral requirements within LSCA makes it an appealing assessment method for with individuals with complex communication needs, including people who use augmentative and alternative communication (e.g., communication boards, speech generating device, etc. Despite the clinical utility of LSCA, due to a variety of challenges, it has not been fully incorporated into the assessment and research of people who use augmentative and alternative communication (PWUAAC) (e.g., Van Tatenhove, 2014). The purpose of this research is to examine two case studies in which language samples were collected from PWUAAC to determine how best to enable clinicians to overcome these identified challenges. Two PWUAAC participated in this study, one adult and one child. Narrative elicitation was incorporated into this study, due to its ability to elicit long utterances, complex syntax, and high quantities of language in relation to other elicitation strategies (e.g., conversation, free play) (e.g., Channell et al., 2017 (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Allison Bean Ellawadi (Advisor); Amy Sonntag (Advisor) Subjects: Communication; Language; Speech Therapy

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2011, Communication Disorders/Speech-Language Pathology

The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of a novel parent language stimulation program for parents of toddlers living in low-income homes. This study was designed to address a gap in the research literature for interventions that target the unique needs of this population. This pilot study used an abbreviated version of a multiple baseline design with an embedded pretest-posttest design. This method was used to detail outcomes from the intervention that may suggest further research potential with the proposed intervention. Additionally, a qualitative review of the feasibility of the intervention and methods was conducted to determine specific barriers and benefits to the intervention as proposed. Previous research in child language development suggest that parent lexical diversity, parent responsivity to child communication attempts, parent promotion of language development in the home setting, and parent knowledge of child development are all negatively impacted by low-income status. Additionally, parents in low-income homes are more likely to demonstrate lower feelings of parenting self-efficacy and experience greater levels of parenting stress. In turn, these parent behaviors have been found to impact the types of learning experiences and communication that parents provide to young children throughout their day. The intervention program designed for this study, the Caregiver-Child Language Apprenticeship Program (CcLAP), was created to address these concerns. Results indicate that parent knowledge of development and parent promotions of development in the home setting, showed some signs of a positive increase after exposure to the intervention, but no other changes were noted in the other parent behaviors measured. Issues of feasibility with the proposed design were significant, with recruitment and retention of low-income participants emerging as a central barrier to research with this population. Limitations of the study and future directio (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Tim Brackenbury (Advisor); Lynne Hewitt (Committee Member); Lauren Katz (Committee Member); Mary Hare (Committee Member) Subjects: Early Childhood Education; Language; Speech Therapy

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2013, Speech Pathology and Audiology

This paper examined the speech sound errors in the sentences of five adult Japanese English Langue Learners (ELLs) and classified the errors as phonological processes. The processes observed were compared to the established developmental processes exhibited by monolingual English speaking children to provide insight into the similarities between L1 phonological acquisition and L2 phonological learning. The results revealed that a majority of the incorrect phonemes are also phonemes that are mastered late in the development of English speaking children. A great deal of variation in rate of occurrence of different phonological processes existed across speakers. Rounding, tensing, decentralization, vowelization, final devoicing, and cluster reduction were the most frequently occurring vowel and consonant processes. The results of this study are interpreted in relation to markedness and a contrastive analysis between Japanese and English phonetic inventories. Clinical implications with respect to pronunciation instruction for ELLs are also addressed.

Committee: Amber Franklin Ph.D. (Advisor); Barbara Weinrich Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jeannie Ducher Ed.S. (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2024, Communication Disorders

Aphasia groups are a popular and effective rehabilitation approach to improve people with aphasias' (PWA) communication and psychosocial health. While current evidence supports the efficacy of aphasia groups, we have minimal insight on the factors that lead to the measured benefits. Recent research exploring the proceedings of aphasia groups and the features that lead to success have produced useful insights; however, they have reflected the perspectives of researchers rather than those who are directly involved in aphasia groups. In the current project we centered the experiences and perspectives of community members by interviewing 5 people with severe aphasia who have attended an aphasia group and 13 experienced facilitators. For participants with severe aphasia, we focused on their ideas regarding how aphasia groups should function with a specific focus on aspects that relate to meeting their needs given the severity of their aphasia. We also focused on facilitators' insights on the ideal aphasia group environment, ideal resources, and contributions of facilitators and group members to interaction during groups. We analyzed participant's insights using qualitative content analysis. We presented these findings across three papers, each with a set of primary categories, tertiary categories, and subcategories. Facilitators described ways to create a comfortable and supportive space for communication and group participation with tools and materials that address the varied group member needs. Facilitators' ideas regarding the materials and tools were largely tied into their insights on interaction in aphasia groups where they described how they and members with aphasia worked to prevent or address communication challenges in the group that arose as a result of aphasia. Insights from the participants with severe aphasia captured the importance of the group makeup, the materials and tools for supporting communication, as well as collaborative and supportive featu (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Brent Archer Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Megan Rancier Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jason Whitfield Ph.D. (Committee Member); Siva Santhanam Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 2023, Communication Disorders

Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, is a common consequence of head and neck cancer (HNC) and its associated treatments. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) often play an integral role in the rehabilitation of swallowing difficulties for people with HNC. In clinical speech pathology, it is of utmost importance to base treatment decisions on high-quality evidence. One key tenant of evidence-based practice that is often overlooked is the client perspective. To date, limited research has explored the perspectives of individuals with HNC who have received treatment for dysphagia, especially HNC survivors living in the United States (U.S.). To close this gap, the aim of this project is to establish an increased comprehension of the perspectives of individuals with HNC who have been treated for dysphagia. Specifically, the project explores participant perceptions of which elements of dysphagia care led to positive clinical experiences and which elements created barriers to positive experiences. Six individuals participated in individual, semi-structured interviews to share their experiences with HNC and dysphagia treatment. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, the interview data were coded and analyzed. A set of themes emerged from the recurrent and substantiated ideas within the data. The ability to participate in dysphagia therapy was limited by the physical effects of cancer treatments. Swallowing difficulties caused the participants to experience psychological and emotional reactions. Participants revealed that they had no concerns with accessing treatment financially. However, several individuals were not provided with a speech therapy referral until significant swallowing difficulties developed. Generally, the participants found value in their dysphagia treatments and faced no difficulty accessing speech therapy once they were referred. Future research directions and clinical implications were provided to improve patient-centered care for individuals wit (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Brent Archer Ph.D., CCC-SLP (Advisor); Colleen Fitzgerald Ph.D., CCC-SLP (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy

Master of Arts in Speech Pathology and Audiology, Cleveland State University, 2022, College of Sciences and Health Professions

Anomia is a relevant language deficit secondary to aphasia that is treated in the speech-language pathologist profession. Most aphasia diagnoses utilize aspects of confrontational naming tasks during speech therapy or testing. This study investigated the nature of word errors and the response time (RT) in persons with aphasia (PWA). Six individuals, three with nonfluent and three with fluent aphasia were asked to name objects in four common categories (occupational tools, everyday objects, food, and clothing) presented under two conditions (1) picture objects on a computer screen and (2) real physical objects. To measure RT and word error, participants were instructed to name the objects as soon as it was presented. Data were collected by recording the exact responses of the individuals, as well as the time (seconds) it took for them to respond. The RT was analyzed using SPSS statistics and Python3 statistical software. An independent t-test analyzing RT revealed a statistical significance (t (198) =-4.37, p= <0.001) in RT averages between real objects and picture objects, revealing that PWAs do in fact respond faster with real objects than picture objects. Nature of word error results revealed that participants demonstrated variable word error types with real objects and picture objects. Results also showed that half of the participants responded more accurately when naming real objects compared to picture objects. The results from this study may be of significance to clinicians in the treatment of PWAs.

Committee: Violet Cox Dr. (Committee Chair); Emily Jennings (Committee Member); Ann Su Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy

Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis, Youngstown State University, 2022, Department of Psychological Sciences and Counseling

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) and speech language pathology (SLP) are two evidence-based treatments for symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although both treatments are used with children with ASD, the treatments differ on what they target and how they assess intervention goals. In ABA, brief assessments such as the Behavior Language Assessment Form (BLAF) are used to identify targets in a variety of domains. In SLP, the Fluharty Preschool Speech and Language Screening Test is a brief screener assessment often used to identify possible targets for interventions in several speech and language domains. To date, no study has compared to two assessments to investigate for similarities and differences on what they assess. Information on the similarities and differences between the two would be helpful for practitioners. Thus, the purpose of the current project was to compare the two assessments to one another on their content and administration.

Committee: Kristopher Brown PsyD (Advisor); David Chilkotowsky MS (Committee Member); Christina Cole MS (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychological Tests; Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2022, Musicology

Many of today's vocal techniques and ideas about vocality originate at the turn of the previous century. Over the course of the nineteenth century, science and aesthetics, theory and practice, the medical and the musical came together. Arthur Chervin exemplifies the nineteenth-century impulse toward blending theory and practice in his journal La Voix Parlee et Chantee, published from 1890 through the end of 1903 in Paris. From 1848 onward, doctors and medical practitioners in France began to infiltrate many aspects of politics, social life, and art. As an acknowledged expert in stuttering and a state-appointed physician and the Paris Opera, Chervin was well positioned to facilitate a multi-disciplinary publication that merged medical perspectives with those of performers and pedagogues. His journal is unique in its interdisciplinarity and its wide-ranging arguments about vocal health and aesthetics. A close reading of La Voix enables an exploration of the many sociological, cultural, and artistic implications of voice, health, and pathology in 1890s France. In the early chapters of this dissertation, I show how physicians' interventions into the bodies of ailing singers both constricted the timbres available for expressive singing and contributed to the idea that vocal anatomy determines vocal sound. And, moving beyond the physical, I investigate the relationship between mental interiority (sanity, trustworthiness, identity, etc.) and vocality, showing that contributors to La Voix believed they could evaluate an individual's innermost feelings by listening to the sound of their voice. Later chapters examine pedagogies designed to shape children's voices, and finally an exploration of timbral practices in three distinct groups of voice users—amateur choristers, professional orators, and singers/actors. Throughout, I synthesize contents from La Voix and other period sources, as well as from contemporary scholarship on vocality, contemplating how fin-de-siecle vocal (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Francesca Brittan (Advisor); David Rothenberg (Committee Member); Peter Bennett (Committee Member); Andrea Rager (Committee Member) Subjects: Medicine; Music

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Communication Disorders

The purpose of this research was to examine speech-language pathology (SLP) master's students perceived preparedness and confidence to work with AAC users. Research questions addressed types and number of experiences with AAC, and SLP graduate students' perceived preparedness and confidence to work with AAC users, and the relations between these. Graduate students currently enrolled in accredited master's programs were recruited to participate in this study. Of the 731 respondents who completed the survey, 726 met inclusion criteria. The survey solicited information about respondents' demographics, AAC training and coursework descriptions, AAC clinical experience descriptions, and their confidence and preparedness to work with AAC users after graduation. Analyses revealed statistically significant relationships between types and number of types of training experiences with feelings of confidence and preparedness. Results indicated a large number of SLP graduate students did not feel confident or prepared to work with AAC users after graduation and that SLP graduate students with a greater number of different types of training experiences were more confident and prepared to work with AAC users after graduation. These results enhance our understanding of the types and number of types of clinical experiences that result in higher levels of confidence and preparedness to work with AAC users.

Committee: Virginia Dubasik Ph.D. (Advisor); Timothy Brackenbury Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2022, Communication Sciences

Purpose: Cognitive fatigue is one of the most persistent and disabling symptoms after acquired brain injury, but few studies have investigated cognitive fatigue after childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI) using functional tasks or pairing objective and subjective measures. The overall purpose of this study was to compare cognitive fatigue during and across functional tasks in children with TBI and children who were typically developing (TD) using objective and subjective measures. Methods: The primary aim was addressed through the completion of an online set of surveys after daily activities. A subset of participants also completed eye tracking tasks to obtain objective data. Survey participants (N = 30) included 15 children with TBI and 15 TD children who were 8-14 years old. Participants with TBI were an average of 4.69 years old at the time of their injury and 5.37 years post-injury at the time of study participation. A subset of seven of these participants (TBI n =2; TD n =5) participated in the eye tracking portion of the study. Results: Participants in the TBI group were rated to have significantly greater levels of cognitive fatigue, compared to TD participants, on subjective measures. Yet, daily activities evoked similar levels of cognitive fatigue for both groups. Greater levels of cognitive fatigue were significantly associated with lower quality of life for both groups. One significant difference was found in percent change of mean pupil diameter during eye tracking tasks, such that the reading task evoked greater levels of subconscious cognitive fatigue compared to all other tasks. Subjective and objective measures of cognitive fatigue were not significantly associated after eye tracking tasks. Conclusion: The findings of this study support the chronic nature of cognitive fatigue after childhood TBI, its interactions with other areas of functioning, and opportunities to refine survey and experimental design to support the understanding of cognit (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Angela Ciccia (Committee Chair) Subjects: Speech Therapy

Master of Arts in Speech Pathology and Audiology, Cleveland State University, 2021, College of Sciences and Health Professions

This qualitative study analyzed student and instructor responses to survey questions regarding the effect of COVID-19 on clinical and academic instruction. Two hundred sixty-three accredited communication sciences and disorders and audiology programs across the United States received the survey. Overall, there were 931 participants, including both students and instructors. These participants responded to 19 content questions on the survey developed to help answer five research questions: (1) how were participants affected in terms of their emotional state? (2) Were students and instructors prepared for Forced Online Instruction (FOI)? (3) Were students and instructors comfortable with the level of education provided online? (4) Were students and instructors comfortable with the technology required for FOI? (5) Did students and instructors miss the socialization of classroom learning? The study found that instructor and student responses differed along the lines of academic instruction. Only 25% of students agreed that they received comparable education online compared to in-person, whereas 40% of instructors felt they provided equivalent instruction online. Furthermore, students also reported that their clinical education was not comparable online to in-person. On the other hand, instructors believed they provided equivalent instruction. Instructors (31%) felt as though they provided equivalent clinical education online, whereas 20% of students felt as though the clinical education they received was equivalent online to in-person.

Committee: Violet Cox Ph.D., MLS, CCC-SLP (Committee Chair); Monica Gordon Pershey Ed.D., CCC-SLP (Committee Member); Carol Spears M.A., CCC-SLP (Committee Member) Subjects: Education

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2020, Allied Health Sciences: Communication Sciences and Disorders

Without specific knowledge of multilingual language profiles, children speaking more than one language are at-risk for misdiagnosis of developmental language disorders by clinicians who do not share the same linguistic profile as the client. To combat such misdiagnosis, this dissertation presents three related studies. Study 1 was a scoping review completed to establish the current state of the field regarding practices amongst speech-language pathologists (SLPs) providing services to multilingual children. This review revealed the need for alternate scoring methods, appropriate for children who speak more than one language. SLPs should consider use of adult models to understand typical cross-linguistic interactions between languages to inform decisions of difference and disorder. In response to findings from Study 1, Study 2 described the creation and evaluation of an alternate method of scoring a standardized assessment to inform decisions about development of multilingual children's English. One-hundred and seventy-six children (4-to-5 years) and 33 adults (24-to-51 years), from the same linguistic community, speaking Jamaican Creole (JC) and English participated. Content analysis of adult responses was used to identify linguistic patterns and alternate scoring procedures were developed based on these patterns. Results showed JC-English speaking children differed significantly from the standardized sample when original and alternate scoring methods were used. Patterns of over-diagnosis using traditional scoring were demonstrated and adapted scoring procedures using adult models offered an ecologically-valid approach to establishing developmental status of JC-English speaking children. Study 3 examined cross-linguistic interactions of JC-English speaking children in a different context relevant to assessing multilingual children's language skills. In this study, cross-linguistic interactions in the spontaneous productions of JC-English speaking preschoolers were (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Karla Washington Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Nancy Creaghead Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kathryn Crowe Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jennifer Vannest Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy

Doctor of Musical Arts, The Ohio State University, 2020, Music

The Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree has been the terminal degree in music performance, composition, and conducting in North America since the early 1950s. Originally met with criticism, some of which continues to this day, the DMA continues to serve as the gateway for applied music-makers that wish to join the academy. This document investigates and echoes these criticisms surrounding the necessity and design of the DMA in Voice Performance, while submitting new criticisms based in curriculum theory, learning science (pedagogy), and educational psychology. A comparative look at DMA in Voice Performance programs at 57 American universities and conservatories provides context and inspiration for a much-needed consensus on the desired outcomes of this terminal degree in singing. This document responds to this need by proposing a new, revised, and ideal course of study that encourages the singing community to reconsider the limitless possibilities that exist for artist-teachers in the pursuit of a DMA. In so doing, it serves as a mindful guide that institutions may use to tailor their doctoral programs to their strengths, while following best practices that uplift, validate, and ensure the existence of such a degree.

Committee: Scott McCoy DMA (Advisor); Edward Bak MM (Committee Member); Christin Ray PhD (Committee Member); Loretta Robinson MM (Committee Member) Subjects: Curricula; Curriculum Development; Education; Educational Psychology; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Music; Music Education; Pedagogy; Performing Arts; Teacher Education; Teaching

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 2020, Communication Disorders

Communicative accessibility is often sparse, preventing individuals with communication disorders from effectively participating in their lives and in society. Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia (SCA) teaches interlocutors to provide communicative supports to people with aphasia or other communication disorders so that they may rejoin the conversation and continue interacting in their communities. This study aimed to train volunteer docents at the Toledo Museum of Art to effectively provide aphasia-friendly art museum tours and aimed to understand the process involved in developing and executing that training. 13 volunteer docents were trained in SCA strategies during a 60-minute training program presented by a person with aphasia (PWA), a speech-language pathologist, and a speech-language pathology graduate student. A single volunteer docent was then observed across four art gallery tours for SCA strategy use. Triangulation between docent observation, questionnaires with PWA, and interviews with PWA indicate that training was beneficial and may have assisted the docent in providing aphasia-friendly tours. Interviews with project collaborators were additionally conducted, indicating that the project offered a variety of benefits for many potential populations. Feedback was provided to inform future training efforts.

Committee: Brent Archer Ph. D., CCC-SLP (Advisor); Lynne Hewitt Ph. D., CCC-SLP (Committee Member); Ronald Scherer Ph. D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Communication; Language; Linguistics; Museum Studies; Museums; Public Health Education; Recreation; Rehabilitation; Speech Therapy; Teacher Education; Therapy

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 2020, Communication Disorders

There is an increasing recognition within the literature that speech-language pathologists have a role in providing care to palliative care clients. However, few studies have examined the preparedness of speech-language pathologists to provide such care. The purpose of this research was to examine whether speech-language pathologists working in palliative care settings in the United States felt as though they were adequately prepared by their university curricula to work in such a setting. Nine speech-language pathologists who were presently or had previously worked in palliative care settings were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. The interviews were transcribed, and the data were analyzed and coded based on the themes that emerged. Participants revealed that they did not perceive themselves as prepared by their university curricula to work in palliative care settings and subsequently had to fill the gaps of knowledge left by their curricula using additional resources. Participants also discussed the various roles of speech-language pathologists working in palliative care settings such as improving quality of life at the end of life, educating and communicating with clients, families, and other professionals, and considering a variety of factors that can complicate how they provide care to palliative care clients. Additionally, participants revealed that working in palliative care settings has forced them to adopt resigned attitudes toward death and dying. Finally, participants recommended changes that could be made within university curricula to better prepare students to work in palliative care settings.

Committee: Brent Archer Ph.D. (Advisor); Lynne Hewitt Ph.D. (Committee Member); Ronald Scherer Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy