International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology最新文献

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the views of professionals working with children with developmental communication disability (e.g. associated with developmental disability, autism, developmental language disorder) on the features underlying effective augmented reality (AR) applications for language learning and education; and design, build, and evaluate a prototype AR application (InterPlay) to support language learning for children with developmental communication disability.

Method: A three-stage design methodology was used to (a) identify opportunities for AR to support children with developmental communication disability; (b) create a prototype application to provide an identified support; and (c) evaluate the features of AR that may afford the best support, using the InterPlay prototype as a foundation for discussion.

Result: Expert reference focus groups identified support opportunities and key design considerations, informing development of a prototype AR application, InterPlay. Evaluation identified a further four key themes: (a) designing an accessible reality, (b) integrating physical and virtual realities, (c) barriers to access and usability, and (d) contrasting new and existing technology.

Conclusion: Findings highlighted the need for careful consideration in the design and implementation stages of AR development to ensure AR applications are accessible and beneficial for children with developmental communication disability.

Purpose: Counselling is one of the eight pillars of clinical practice for speech-language pathologists, but training varies across programmes and practising speech-language pathologists feel unprepared to deliver counselling in clinical practice. This study examined the perspectives of speech-language pathologists working in rehabilitation contexts within the US.

Method: An online survey was distributed to speech-language pathologists working in rehabilitation contexts, eliciting 93 respondents. Quantitative data were characterised using descriptive statistics.

Result: Only 47% of respondents had taken a counselling course as a graduate student of which 82% were within a speech-language pathology graduate program and 19% were outside of their graduate training program. Forty-two percent who had not taken a course indicated that counselling was embedded in other graduate coursework. Sixty-six percent of respondents had not taken continuing education or additional training in counselling as a practising speech-language pathologists. Across all training, 75% of respondents had no hands-on training or practise in counselling. Most respondents had no training in specific counselling techniques.

Conclusion: Because only half of rehabilitation speech-language pathologists report taking coursework in counselling within their graduate training, their readiness for implementing counselling in practice is suspect. Limited access to professional development training in counselling further limits this capacity. More consistent counselling training within graduate programmes and continuing education is necessary.

Purpose: To examine the effectiveness of communication-oriented group therapy for non-progressive dysarthria regarding functional speech and communicative participation.

Method: Prospective two-arm randomised controlled trial, targeting communication-oriented dysarthria group therapy (DGT). A non-specific social group program served as the control condition/group (CG). Participants' speech was assessed immediately before and after completing the respective three week program, using a standardised diagnostic test (objective outcome measure). Participants rated the extent of their communication participation immediately before and after group therapy, as well as three months after program completion (subjective outcome measure).

Result: Fifty-six persons aged 40-88 years with mild to severe dysarthria (median duration 29 days) from an inpatient facility participated. Prior to the intervention, self-rated communication participation correlated with severity of dysarthria. Immediately after the intervention, DGT participants achieved significantly higher scores than the CG on both outcome measures. After three months, the difference between groups in the subjective outcome measure was no longer significant.

Conclusion: Participation in DGT resulted in improved speech and better communication participation. Results suggest that three weeks may be too short to ensure maintenance of treatment gains. Also, reduced opportunity for social interaction due to COVID-19 restrictions may have influenced the results.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the speech and language outcomes of children with cleft palate with or without cleft lip (CP+/-L) in the USA to children with CP+/-L in Brazil who underwent intervention with enhanced Milieu teaching with phonological emphasis (EMT + PE), as there are few cross-country intervention comparisons for children with CP+/-L.

Method: This is a retrospective analysis of 29 participants from the USA and 24 participants from Brazil who were matched on age. The US participants were between the ages of 13-35 months (M = 23.76), spoke Standard American English in the home, and were recruited from East Tennessee State University and Vanderbilt University. The Brazilian participants were between the ages of 20-34 months (M = 25.04), spoke Brazilian Portuguese in the home, and were recruited from the Hospital de Reabilitação de Anomalias Craniofaciais-Universidade de São Paulo. All treatment participants received EMT + PE from trained speech-language pathologists in hospital-university clinics.

Result: The treatment groups demonstrated greater gains than comparison groups in percent consonants correct, number of different words, and expressive/receptive vocabulary. There was no main effect nor interaction by country.

Conclusion: The application of EMT + PE in a second culture and language is a viable early intervention option for participants with CP+/-L.

Purpose: The current research aimed to determine the prevalence and the relationships between perceived stress, burnout, and job satisfaction among practicing speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in Spain. In addition, their perspectives and experiences related to their job were explored.

Method: A mixed methods research design was used with cross-sectional quantitative and qualitative methodology. Four hundred and thirty-eight SLPs completed the Perceived Stress Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and the Font Roja Job Satisfaction Questionnaire in order to report perceived stress, burnout, and job satisfaction, respectively. Ten SLPs participated in semi-structured interviews.

Result: With respect to stress, 61.6% of SLPs reported a moderate level of stress and 18.7% reported a high level of stress. With respect to burnout, only 7.56% of the participants met the criteria commonly used for its diagnosis. However, 45.2% of SLPs reported a high level of emotional exhaustion, and 52.7% expressed a low degree of personal accomplishment. Job satisfaction was average for 94% of SLPs and high for just 1% of participants. The level of job satisfaction was significantly related to job stress, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalisation. Qualitative content analyses produced themes and subthemes regarding work recognition, relationships with people in the workplace, work conditions, and job control.

Conclusion: A noteworthy percentage of SLPs reported emotional exhaustion and reduced personal achievement. Findings suggest that strengthening job control and social support might become protective factors to avoid the full development of burnout, which should impact positively on an individual's wellbeing and, in turn, the quality of the services provided.

Purpose: This survey-based study explored public awareness of the speech-language pathology profession in Aotearoa New Zealand. The study also aimed to understand participants' knowledge and experiences of individuals with speech, language, and communication impairments.

Method: An online survey was designed and distributed via the Qualtrics survey platform. The survey included three sections, which focused on participant demographics, awareness about speech-language pathology, and knowledge and experiences of communication impairments.

Result: The responses from 800 fully completed surveys were analysed. A majority of participants indicated that they had never heard or read anything about speech-language pathology and had never met a speech-language pathologist. The participants' responses reflected low or moderate levels of understanding about the roles of speech-language pathologists and their scope of practice.

Conclusion: Findings indicated low levels of awareness among the general public about speech-language pathology and individuals with communication impairments. These findings were consistent with similar international research conducted over the past 4 decades. Further research is needed to support the development of initiatives designed to increase awareness of the speech-language pathology profession and the needs of individuals with communication impairments.

Purpose: We explored the development of expressive narrative using Peter and the Cat. We aimed to support clinicians to capture information about functional language use by providing a reference data set to support goal setting and therapy planning.

Method: We tested 129 typically developing English speaking children from ages 5-7 and 91 children with developmental language disorder at each age point. We assessed narrative macrostructure, microstructural elements, and linguistic features.

Result: For both groups, the age-effect for macrostructure total score was statistically significant. For microstructure, the typically developing group showed a significant increase in their inclusion of all microstructure elements. The developmental language disorder group showed significant improvement on only adverbials of manner. Between group analysis showed typically developing children scored higher than the developmental language disorder group on the macrostructure total score and significantly different in adverbials of time, adjectives, and coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.

Conclusion: Clinicians can use the tables to guide interpretation of Peter and the Cat data and planning goals with children, families, and teachers. For children with developmental langauge disorder, macrostructure should be targeted in intervention, along with microstructure and linguistic features. The provision of this reference data set to inform goal planning should support clinicians to implement programmes adapted to individual needs.

Purpose: Echolalia is a developmental phenomenon that has been studied almost exclusively in neurodivergent children. The aim of this study was to investigate echolalia in neurotypical children by analysing parental perceptions of echolalia.

Method: Parents of 106 neurotypical children aged 1 to 2.5 years completed a questionnaire on their views on echolalia, possible function/s, age of onset and frequency of echolalia, and other characteristics of echolalia in their children. The differences in the responses of parents of children of different ages and sexes were also analysed.

Result: A total of 82.3% of the parents considered echolalia to be a typical behaviour. However, 57.1% of the parents did not attribute a specific function to echolalia and considered it a non-functional behaviour. The parental reports differed from the data of studies based on transcript analysis in that the parents reported less frequent echolalia and a later onset of echolalia.

Conclusion: Parents of neurotypical children predominantly perceive echolalia as a typical but largely non-functional behaviour. These findings contrast with those in neurodiverse populations (e.g. autism spectrum disorder) and underscore the need for further research to better understand the role and impact of echolalia in different developmental contexts.

Purpose: The study examined speech gains in three bilectal Cypriot-Greek speaking children with speech sound disorders. The study is based on theoretical frameworks that are on par with word-level characteristics and is motivated by the sparsity of cross-language studies in speech sound disorder intervention.

Method: A multiple-baseline, single-participant design was implemented across three participants with speech sound disorders aged 3;2-4;0 years across baseline (pre-test), intervention, post-test, and follow-up phases. Intervention was administered twice a week for two months. Treatment stimuli were selected based on phonological density and phonological similarity grouped in word clusters. Outcomes were measured using a 49-word pictorial production probe list. Maintenance gains were examined with 20 non-treated stimuli during a follow-up session. Dependent variables included phonetic inventory size, proportion of consonants correct, and percentage of whole word matches. Intelligibility was measured via the Intelligibility in Context Scale.

Result: Phonological gains were observed across all measures with effect sizes ranging from 1.2 to 2.7.

Conclusion: Implementing phonologically dense stimuli may facilitate speech outcomes in children with speech sound disorders cross-linguistically.

Purpose: This study aimed to understand and describe language skills and day-to-day communication in five children with complex Tourette syndrome.

Method: We conducted five scaffolded mixed methods case studies. Psychosocial functioning and language skills were measured using standardised tests. We collected information about day-to-day communication using communication log books and semi-structured qualitative interviews. Communication was considered using the bioecological model with a focus on microstructure' contexts (i.e. school, home, and peer interaction).

Result: All children had accessed school accommodations, extra services, or alternative education options. While some parents highlighted school successes, others described significant challenges in finding a fitting school environment for their child. Managing family interaction in the home required parents to be thoughtful and proactive in their planning. Parents strategised to keep the home environment calm and productive, adopted attitudes of acceptance and understanding, and accessed outside tools and supports. In some cases, parents provided social coaching and created intentional social experiences so their child could be successful; in other cases, children were thriving socially without need for parental intervention.

Conclusion: The communication profiles and parent-reported experiences of children with complex Tourette syndrome are diverse. Interventions and accommodations need to be individualised to optimise language development and day-to-day communication.