Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 27:1-9. Epub 2022 May 27.

Rotman Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Purpose: Our capacity to engage in society and maintain meaningful relationships is dependent on intact communication skills. They are compromised in a neurodegenerative language disorder termed primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Behavioral interventions for PPA are sparse and often limited to impairment-based approaches or communication skills training, although various functional interventions have been also described. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 27:1-18. Epub 2022 May 27.

Center for Aphasia Research and Treatment, Think + Speak Lab, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL.

Purpose: Text messaging is a pervasive form of communication in today's digital society. Our prior research indicates that individuals with aphasia text, but they vary widely in how actively they engage in texting, the types of messages they send, and the number of contacts with whom they text. It is reported that people with aphasia experience difficulties with texting; however, the degree to which they are successful in conveying information via text message is unknown. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 25:1-10. Epub 2022 May 25.

Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Purpose: Much is promised in relation to the use of three-dimensional (3D) food printing to create visually appealing texture-modified foods for people with dysphagia, but little is known of its feasibility. This study aimed to explore the perspective of allied health professionals on the feasibility of using 3D food printing to improve quality of life for people with dysphagia.

Method: Fifteen allied health professionals engaged in one of four 2-hr online focus groups to discuss 3D food printing for people with dysphagia. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 25:1-17. Epub 2022 May 25.

Boston Medical Center, MA.

Objectives: The purposes of this study were to (a) examine children's access to services for their speech and language disorders during their lifetimes; (b) identify any child, disorder, and family characteristics associated with access to services; and (c) describe the speech and language service providers among children who received care.

Study Design: Data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey were used for this retrospective cohort study. Our sample included 491 children (ages 3;0-17;11 [years;months]) with speech disorders and 333 children with language disorders. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 23:1-19. Epub 2022 May 23.

Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.

Purpose: There are few evidence-based treatments for language deficits in primary progressive aphasia (PPA). PPA treatments are often adopted from the poststroke aphasia literature. The poststroke aphasia literature has shown promising results using Verb Network Strengthening Treatment (VNeST), a behavioral therapy that focuses on improving naming by producing verbs and their arguments in phrases and sentences. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 23:1-19. Epub 2022 May 23.

Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Delaware, Newark.

Purpose: As the incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) continues to rise, there is a need for interventions that focus on risk reduction and early disease management. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can contribute to risk reduction efforts and deliver cognitive interventions; however, the nature and frequency of current clinical practice in those areas is unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to conduct an exploratory survey of the cognitive-communication practices and needs of SLPs for adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early-stage dementia from AD, to inform future research and clinical training efforts. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 17:1-14. Epub 2022 May 17.

Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

Purpose: Gender dysphoria is commonly conceptualized as a mental disorder in gender-diverse people who do not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth. Direct support for well-being tends to be delegated to the field of mental health (MH), whereas speech-language pathology (SLP) practice is charged with modifying gender-diverse people's voice and communication in the belief that well-being will improve as a byproduct. However, with the introduction of the minority stress model, gender dysphoria is now understood as the result of sociocultural processes of stigmatization, pathologization, coping, and resilience, and it is to be addressed by all professions providing transgender health services. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 17:1-10. Epub 2022 May 17.

Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA.

Purpose: A systematic review (SR) represents a rigorous process of identifying and summarizing current research to answer specific clinical questions. Not all SRs present high-quality information, because they do not adhere to established standards of conduct or reporting. This tutorial aims to (a) describe two tools developed in epidemiology for reporting (PRISMA 2020; Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) and appraising (AMSTAR 2; A MeaSurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews) SRs and (b) exemplify the use of AMSTAR 2. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 17:1-10. Epub 2022 May 17.

Division of Clinical Therapies, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH.

Purpose: The International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) framework was established to provide standardized terminology and objective measures to assess foods and liquids for persons with swallowing difficulties. This clinical focus article reports the findings and clinical implications of the flow testing of infant formulas thickened with infant cereal completed as part of the transition process to IDDSI for one large pediatric quaternary care hospital.

Method: To determine a common recipe that could be used to thicken formulas with infant cereal to the appropriate IDDSI levels, three clinicians completed flow testing on 94 infant formulas. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 12:1-10. Epub 2022 May 12.

Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Health Sciences, Prof Dr. Cemil Tascioglu City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Sydney Swallow Questionnaire (SSQ-T) and calculate a cutoff value to help clinicians to suspect/predict oropharyngeal dysphagia (OPD).

Method: The original questionnaire was translated into Turkish by two bilingual English Turkish translators. The study included 170 Turkish adult subjects. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 5:1-13. Epub 2022 May 5.

Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.

Purpose: Management of head and neck cancer (HNC) can result in substantial long-term, multifaceted disability, leading to significant deficits in one's functioning and quality of life (QoL). Consequently, treatment selection is a challenging component of care for patients with HNC. Clinical care guided by shared decision making (SDM) can help address these decisional challenges and allow for a more individualized approach to treatment. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 5:1-7. Epub 2022 May 5.

Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Purpose: Chronic cough has been shown to be associated with adverse effects on quality of life. There is a paucity of research characterizing quality-of-life factors associated with chronic refractory cough (CRC), a cough persisting > 8 weeks despite evaluation and treatment of possible etiologies. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the features of CRC from the patient's perspective, including presenting symptoms, past treatment methods, and quality-of-life factors. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 3:1-15. Epub 2022 May 3.

School of Allied Health and Communicative Disorders, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL.

Purpose: The arts (e.g., music and painting) have received considerable theoretical and observational support as a cognitive stimulation technique for persons living with dementia (PLWD). Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 3:1-15. Epub 2022 May 3.

Marshall University, Huntington, WV.

Purpose: This research intended to identify current practices being implemented with children who have a history or suspected history of opioid exposure, as well as challenges faced by speech-language pathologists in the schools.

Method: Focus group data from three groups totaling 20 speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working in schools in West Virginia, also used in a previous study, were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis to better understand SLP service provision to children with a history or suspected history of opioid exposure.

Results: Results revealed two primary themes, reported as (a) service delivery in action (current practice trends and challenges) and (b) affective/cognitive manifestations (uncertainty about their role and various emotions expressed) of the SLPs who participated in the focus groups. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 Apr 22:1-16. Epub 2022 Apr 22.

Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to document the behaviors that adults who stutter (AWS) may engage in to make positive changes to living with stuttering.

Method: We interviewed 23 key stakeholders, including 11 AWS and 12 speech-language pathologists who specialize in stuttering therapy. The semi-structured interviews began with the primary question, "If an adult who stutters was making positive changes to living with stuttering, what would they be doing?" Follow-up probing questions focused the interviews on identifying actionable behaviors that would suggest positive changes. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 Apr 22:1-14. Epub 2022 Apr 22.

Department of Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences, Moody College of Communication, The University of Texas at Austin.

Purpose: The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the impact of including peers with typically developing language (TDL) in language intervention sessions for preschool children with diagnosed developmental language disorder (DLD).

Method: To measure peer effects, participants received 8 weeks of group language intervention in their neighborhood head start. Twenty children with DLD were randomly assigned to one of two conditions. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 21;31(3):1383-1393. Epub 2022 Apr 21.

Department of Experimental Statistics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to explore receptiveness of people with poststroke aphasia to receiving transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), including preferences for the treatment setting and schedule of tDCS delivery.

Method: An online survey was distributed via e-mail, flyers, social media, and online newsletters to reach people with aphasia. Fisher's exact test examined the relationship of self-reported tDCS receptiveness to demographic, clinical, and other factors. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 Apr 21:1-17. Epub 2022 Apr 21.

Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA.

Purpose: The growing interest in framing intervention approaches as either implicit or explicit calls for a discussion of what makes intervention approaches engage each of these learning systems, with the goal of achieving a shared framework. This tutorial presents evidence for the interaction between implicit and explicit learning systems, and it highlights the intervention characteristics that promote implicit or explicit learning as well as outcome measures that tap into implicit or explicit knowledge. This framework is then applied to eight common intervention approaches and notable combinations of approaches to unpack their differential engagement of implicit and explicit learning. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 20;31(3):1394-1411. Epub 2022 Apr 20.

College of Community Innovation and Education, University of Central Florida, Orlando.

Purpose: Although many valid, reliable, and developmentally sensitive measures exist to monitor the language gains of children who rely on spoken language to communicate, the same is not true for graphic symbol communicators. This study is a first step in developing such measures by examining the interobserver agreement (IOA) and within-observer agreement of 13 measures designed to monitor the language progress of children who use aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). These measures are based on the Graphic Symbol Utterance and Sentence Development Framework (Binger et al. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 Apr 20:1-16. Epub 2022 Apr 20.

Computer Science, Fowler School of Engineering, Chapman University, Irvine, CA.

Purpose: Research involving the effects of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention in adults, especially in naturalistic settings, has been identified as a critical public health need. Despite rapid advances in high-tech AAC, many adults with developmental disabilities have experienced reduced access to assistive technology and AAC, which can function as a environmental barrier to participation, for these individuals. As a means of decreasing barriers to participation, this study targeted skill increases in the operational, linguistic, social, and strategic use of AAC systems. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 Apr 20:1-4. Epub 2022 Apr 20.

Centre for Public Health Research (CReSP), Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Purpose: This article aims to raise speech-language pathologists' (SLPs') awareness about the extent of social inequalities in the language development of children, and their social determinants.

Method: This article draws on empirical evidence and theoretical foundations from the field of public health to highlight the roots and distribution of social inequalities in the language development of children. The Total Environment Assessment Model for Early Child Development is presented as a means to understand the social determinants of early child development, and its relevance to the context of early language development is discussed. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 20;31(3):1338-1353. Epub 2022 Apr 20.

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Florida, Tampa.

Purpose: COVID-19 caused a worldwide conversion from in-person therapy to telehealth; however, limited evidence to support the efficacy of remotely delivering standardized tests puts the future of widespread telehealth use at risk. The aim of this study is to investigate the reliability of scoring a speech sound assessment administered in real-world scenarios including two examples of telehealth technology.

Method: A total of thirty-nine 3- to 8-year-olds were administered the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation-Third Edition. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 19;31(3):1555. Epub 2022 Apr 19.

Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle.

The purpose of this letter is to respond to Page's (2022) letter to the editor, "Time to RE-Act: Ellis and Kendall's Discussion of Systemic Racism," published by the Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 19;31(3):1553-1554. Epub 2022 Apr 19.

Director, RehabLab, Columbus, OH.

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 8;31(3):1412-1423. Epub 2022 Apr 8.

MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate if the Daily Phonotrauma Index (DPI) can quantitatively discriminate large differences in overall vocal status in the daily life of patients with phonotraumatic vocal hyperfunction (PVH).

Method: For 1-4 weeks, 23 females with PVH wore an ambulatory voice monitor and answered three vocal status questions (i.e. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 8;31(3):1354-1367. Epub 2022 Apr 8.

Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY.

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of intensive voice treatment on subjective and objective measures of speech production in Mandarin speakers with hypokinetic dysarthria.

Method: Nine Mandarin speakers with hypokinetic dysarthria due to Parkinson's disease received 4 weeks of intensive voice treatment (4 × 60 min per week). The speakers were recorded reading a passage before treatment (PRE), immediately after treatment (POST), and at 6-month follow-up (FU). Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 8;31(3):1368-1382. Epub 2022 Apr 8.

Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, Boston University, MA.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to measure the short-term effects of circumlaryngeal massage and laryngeal reposturing on acoustic and perceptual characteristics of voice in transmasculine individuals.

Method: Fifteen transmasculine individuals underwent one session of sequential circumlaryngeal massage and laryngeal reposturing with a speech-language pathologist. Voice recordings were collected at three time points-baseline, postmassage, and postreposturing. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 4;31(3):1535-1552. Epub 2022 Apr 4.

Graduate School of Health, University of Technology, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Purpose: Dysphagia (swallowing difficulty) impacts physical health, quality of life, and mealtime enjoyment. Staff who provide mealtime assistance to people with dysphagia require adequate training to help ensure that the mealtimes are safe and enjoyable. This systematic review examined literature relating to training in dysphagia (e. Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 1;31(3):1284-1296. Epub 2022 Apr 1.

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to improve our understanding as to which factors determine online, spoken sentence production abilities of adults with latent aphasia in a discourse context.

Method: Discourse samples of the story of Cinderella elicited from AphasiaBank were analyzed with speech analysis software. Participants comprised people with latent and anomic aphasia as well as neurotypical controls (10 per group). Read More

Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022 May 1;31(3):1188-1204. Epub 2022 Apr 1.

Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Purpose: There is mounting evidence that the agrammatism that defines Broca's aphasia can be explained in processing terms. However, the extant approach simply describes agrammatism as disparate deficits in a static, mature system. This tutorial aims to motivate and outline a developmental alternative. Read More