Communication Sciences And Disorders Research Articles

Enhancing Early Identification of Speech-Language-Hearing Delays Through Interprofessional Peer Teaching in a Communication Sciences and Disorders Graduate Training Program.

In the current health care landscape, a paradigm shift toward team-based care is underway. Integrating interprofessional education experiences into graduate communication sciences and disorders (CSD) programs is essential to cultivate collaborative skills and prepare future professionals for the interprofessional demands of the field. Within this context, peer teaching has emerged as a noteworthy strategy to promote learning. This study aims to contribute to this evolving field by reporting the impact of an interprofessional (speech-language pathology and audiology) peer teaching educational intervention on physician assistant (PA) students' knowledge of speech-language-hearing developmental milestones and developmental screening. A quantitative, descriptive methodology with a pretest, posttest interventional design was utilized to assess the impact of a CSD peer-led educational intervention on the knowledge of 35 PA students. The perceived satisfaction of the PA students with the peer-led educational experience was also evaluated. Data analysis revealed a significant increase on knowledge posttest scores compared to pretest scores. PA students also reported an overall positive peer learning experience. The collaboration between speech-language pathology, audiology, and PA students through peer teaching holds significant importance in the context of pediatric primary care, and for CSD graduate trainings programs interested in improving educational experiences that tailor to interprofessional learning and practice.

Diversity of Research Participant Gender, Race, and Ethnicity in Communication Sciences and Disorders: A Systematic Review and Quantitative Synthesis of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Publications in 2020

Purpose: One manifestation of systemic inequities in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) is the chronic underreporting and underrepresentation of sex, gender, race, and ethnicity in research. The present study characterized recent demographic reporting practices and representation of participants across CSD research. Method: We systematically reviewed and extracted key reporting and participant data from empirical studies conducted in the United States with human participants published in the year 2020 in journals by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA; 407 articles comprising a total of 80,058 research participants, search completed in November 2021). Sex, gender, race, and ethnicity were operationalized per National Institutes of Health guidelines. Results: Sex or gender was reported in 85.5% of included studies; race in 33.7%; and ethnicity in 13.8%. Sex and gender were clearly differentiated in 3.4% of relevant studies. Where reported, median proportions for race and ethnicity were significantly different from the U.S. population, with underrepresentation noted for all non-White racial groups and Hispanic participants. Moreover, 64.7% of studies that reported sex or gender and 67.2% of studies that reported race or ethnicity did not consider these respective variables in analyses or discussions. Conclusions: At present, research published in ASHA journals frequently fails to report key demographic data summarizing the characteristics of participants. Moreover, apparent gaps in the representation of minoritized racial and ethnic groups threaten the external validity of CSD research and broader health care equity endeavors in the United States. Although our study is limited to a single year and publisher, our results point to several steps for readers that may bring greater accountability, consistency, and diversity to the discipline. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25718412

Professionalism in Communication Sciences and Disorders: Consideration of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access

Purpose: This tutorial aims to provide an in-depth discussion of professionalism in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) with consideration of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. Students, practitioners, and faculty in CSD are taught and held to expectations of professionalism. However, criteria for professionalism often do not fully consider diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. Method: Relevant literature on professionalism and diversity, equity, and inclusion is reviewed and summarized. Case scenarios are also shared to provide examples of how these aspects are not currently considered in the discipline of CSD. Results: The current definitions of professionalism are vague and oftentimes exclude cultural differences. Because the majority of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association membership and leadership groups are from the mainstream culture, the definitions and attributes of professional norms have been influenced by mainstream culture. Conclusions: Recent publications on professionalism and professional behavior in medicine have discussed the impact of racialized professionalism norms on increasing diversity of medical students and trainees. It is imperative to resonate such issues in the CSD profession, because there is a growing number of students and practitioners from minority groups. This tutorial addresses how the discipline of CSD can reflect cultural responsiveness to the standards for students, practitioners, and faculty. Several solutions are suggested.

Pedagogical Approaches to Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Communication Sciences and Disorders Programs: A Nationwide Survey.

This study investigates how instructors in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) programs teach about cultural and linguistic diversity (CLD) in general-content courses as well as those dedicated to CLD content with the goal of identifying ways of improving training of preservice clinicians to provide culturally responsive service delivery. A survey was sent to 4,192 instructors in CSD programs at 295 institutions in the United States and Puerto Rico, of which 565 responded. The survey contained choice response questions and open-ended questions. Curricular infusion as the sole strategy of CLD training has decreased since a similar survey was published by Stockman et al. (2008), while the number of programs that offer courses dedicated to CLD or use both strategies has increased. Dedicated CLD courses offer broader training in CLD issues and are considered more effective at preparing students to work with CLD populations. A number of challenges were identified, such as a lack of available resources or time to cover CLD issues. A combination of curricular infusion and dedicated CLD coursework is recommended to ensure sufficient training in CLD issues. The development of additional resources is needed to better support instructors in both general-content and CLD-dedicated courses. Finally, CLD training should engage students in challenging unjust systems and harmful ideologies and not just celebrate multiculturalism in order to provide culturally responsive service to all clients. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25587651.

Using ChatGPT to Improve Health Communication and Plain Language Writing for Students in Communication Sciences and Disorders

Purpose: This article explores the potential of using ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence–powered chatbot, as a tool to teach plain language writing to students in communication sciences and disorders (CSD). It addresses the importance of plain language writing in health care communication and identifies the challenges faced by graduate students in adopting plain language writing. Conclusions: Integrating ChatGPT into CSD education can empower students to develop effective plain language writing skills, with the potential of ultimately improving their communication skills and patient outcomes. The article highlights the potential positive impact of ChatGPT on clinical documentation and health communication, emphasizing the potential to enhance accuracy, consistency, productivity, efficiency, and language accessibility. While considering the limitations and ethical considerations of ChatGPT, the article concludes by emphasizing the need for a balanced approach that combines ChatGPT technology with human instruction to ensure responsible utilization and promote student competency in plain language writing.

A Viewpoint on Simulation Debriefing to Optimize Student Learning

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to promote the viewpoint that simulation debriefing is a critical element of the simulation experience, which serves to facilitate students' ability to synthesize information and construct new mental models as they prepare for their future work as speech-language pathologists. The use of simulations in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) has grown significantly over the last decade. This article reviews key concepts in clinical simulation pedagogy and highlights the importance of debriefing as part of the simulation learning experience. Current guidelines and standards for simulations and debriefing in CSD are discussed, and debriefing models commonly used in nursing and medicine are described. Suggestions are provided to enhance current debriefing practices and guide future research in CSD. Conclusions: Clinical simulation, particularly the debriefing component, has the power to close the gaps in students' clinical knowledge and skills and to prepare students for robust and diverse careers. In a review of debriefing models originating from nursing and medicine, several crucial debriefing components are noted. Students need time to (a) react to and defuse emotions related to the simulation experience, (b) gather and describe key simulation details, (c) analyze simulation outcomes, and (d) summarize new knowledge and consider how it applies to future contexts. Additional research is needed to continue developing and refining simulation and debriefing best practices in CSD. Debriefing models from nursing and medicine ought to be explored and replicated in future CSD research.

Perceptions of Freedom of Speech on College Campuses: A Survey of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to survey communication sciences and disorders (CSD) faculty in the United States to determine their perspectives and knowledge about freedom of speech on college campuses. Method: An online, anonymous survey was presented to interested CSD faculty, recruited from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Higher Education Special Interest Group 10, who answered Likert-style questions regarding demographics, perceptions, and university experiences pertaining to free speech. Results: The 91 respondents represented mostly White female faculty and administrators from across the United States. The vast majority valued free speech, felt their free speech was supported at their university, considered that free speech must be balanced with respect for others, and valued ideological diversity. Respondents reported differing opinions regarding how supported they felt about their freedom of speech in all cases. More hostility was reported for conservative over liberal beliefs. Conclusions: This study's findings suggest that although perceptions regarding free speech vary for faculty and administrators, most respondents felt their free speech was supported by their university. However, as some individuals do not feel supported, consideration of ways to welcome open discussions with differing opinions within academic programs is warranted.

A Know-Brainer: The Power of Cadaver-Based Instruction to Teach Clinical Neuroanatomy.

Learning experiences that incorporate cadaver prosection or dissection of the brain have shown to enhance the acquisition and retention of neuroanatomy and improve standardized examination scores when included within medical curriculum. However, the role of cadaver-based instruction within allied health fields, and particularly in the field of communication sciences and disorders (CSD), remains limited and less understood. The effectiveness of a cadaver-based lab compared to lecture to teach neuroanatomy within an undergraduate/postbaccalaureate clinical neuroscience course for CSD majors was explored within a crossover design. Fifty-four participants were stratified by class rank between two initial training sessions: lab-first versus lecture-first. Neuroanatomical knowledge was tested via labeling tasks at baseline, after the first allocated training, and at 1-week follow-up after crossover training had been completed. Both cohorts demonstrated significant gains in neuroanatomical knowledge following training, yet after the initial training session, students that received cadaver-based instruction produced a significantly greater number (p < .001) and more accurate (p < .001) anatomical labels than students that received lecture. After completion of the crossover design, students receiving cadaver-based instruction prior to lecture continued to demonstrate superior labeling accuracy at follow-up testing (p = .022). Cadaver-based instruction was more effective in improving students' ability to identify neuroanatomy compared to lecture for CSD students. Interestingly, cadaver-based demonstrations were also most effective in bolstering students' retention of structural knowledge when conducted before, instead of after, a lecture. Clinical training programs, specifically student learning outcomes, benefit from cadaver-based instruction that provides both three-dimensional orientation and a deep appreciation of the human elements of clinical anatomy. Furthermore, both the acquisition and retention of anatomical concepts may be enhanced through strategic instructional design, particularly in regard to the order of lecture and lab experiences.

Mentoring Experiences of Faculty of Color in Communication Sciences and Disorders

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of faculty of color (FOC) in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) with a specific emphasis on mentoring or being mentored during doctoral training and as faculty. FOC experience a number of unique obstacles to achieve success in higher education, often as a result of engaging in predominantly white spaces at the university or broader professional levels. Mentoring is a commonly recommended strategy for the recruitment and retention of FOC; however, little is known about the mentoring experiences of FOC in CSD. Method: Sixteen FOC, primarily women in tenure-track positions, provided 46- to 60-min semistructured interviews related to their experiences in academia. Interviews were transcribed, and for the purposes of this study, comments related to mentoring were identified and coded. A narrative thematic analysis was used to generate themes and subthemes evident in the interviews. Results: Six themes emerged from the data analysis: types of mentoring, cultural dynamics of mentoring, institutional support, motivation, ineffective mentoring, and effective mentoring. While participants chose to emphasize different aspects of their experiences as FOC, the importance of mentoring was notable and there were marked similarities in their experiences with mentoring. Conclusions: The data in this study indicated that mentoring plays an important role in shaping one's career success and trajectory in the discipline and the academy. A number of conclusions and recommendations were drawn from the experiences shared by the FOC. Recommendations include creating an environment to talk about mentoring, formally developing mentoring programs, and providing support and structure to guide mentoring relationships.

Factors Related to College Major Selection in Communication Sciences and Disorders: Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior

Purpose:The growing number of racial and ethnic minorities in the United States is not reflected in the speech-language pathology profession, with ramifications for the diverse communities it serves. Despite decades of initiatives, the numbers of racial and ethnic minorities entering the profession have been modest. The aim of this pilot study is to explore potential factors that influence decision making for a college major that could inform strategies for underrepresented racial and ethnic minority (URM) recruitment into communication sciences and disorders (CSD) programs.Method:The theory of planned behavior was used as a framework to explore the influences on students' selection of college majors with a particular focus on speech-language pathology. Students enrolled and not enrolled in CSD programs were surveyed about their attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective normative pressure (e.g., perceptions of race and ethnic representation, familiarity with speech-language pathology, and family education).Results:There were significant differences between CSD and non-CSD respondents, and between URM and White respondents in their perception of representation and exposure to the profession. The majority of URM students reported that race and ethnic representation is important in their chosen job. URM students were less likely than White students to know anyone who has received speech-language therapy or who is a speech-language pathologist.Conclusion:Findings suggest that initiatives to increase representation and diverse role models, and early exposure to the profession for URM students should be areas of focus in the efforts to diversify the profession.

The Value of Health Literacy in Communication Sciences and Disorders Programs

Purpose: Achieving self-directed health care with good health outcomes begins with clients having adequate health literacy (HL) skills. Higher education programs, like communication sciences and disorders (CSD), have a role in cultivating HL. This study examines the speech-language pathology leaders' (administrators and faculty) sense-making of HL for their preparation programs and how/why CSD leaders implement/embed health literacy education (HLE). Method: This qualitative, phenomenological study used a screening survey of U.S. CSD leaders to assess their use of HL strategies, based on the Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit–Second Edition. Ten participants who reported at least medium-frequency HL use were identified and interviewed based on the screening survey responses showing at least medium-frequency HL use. Results: CSD leaders' description and value of HL and explanations of how they implement HLE are described under three themes: HL as communicating so clients understand, HL as personal agency toward well-being, and CSD leaders waiting on others to lead HL conversations. The results indicate that most CSD leaders inaccurately perceive HL as providing health resources with clear and simple communication. Participants value HL as a step toward client empowerment. Despite CSD leaders' acknowledgment that HL holds the promise of self-directed health care, without formal conversations making sense of this significance, HLE occurs intuitively and without much depth. Conclusions: CSD leaders must understand that HL is essential for client empowerment and well-being. This unique study demonstrates that CSD leaders need to increase their knowledge of HL to ultimately help their clients achieve empowerment for optimal health outcomes.

Recruiting, retaining, and supporting graduate students of color in PWI education and human services programs

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of alumni of color in two graduate programs at a predominantly white institution (PWI) in rural Virginia. Through an electronic survey, alumni from a communication sciences and disorders (CSD) program and an educational leadership program reflected on their perceptions of their program’s recruitment, retention, and mentorship efforts for graduate students of color. Results showed that while graduate students of color in the educational leadership graduate program indicated a high level of support, some changes may need to be made in the CSD program to address the unique needs of graduate students of color. Future directions and addressing overarching needs for graduate students of color are discussed.

The Effect of Open Access on Scholarly and Societal Metrics of Impact in the ASHA Journals.

This study examined the effect of open access (OA) status on scholarly and societal metrics of impact (citation counts and altmetric scores, respectively) across manuscripts published in the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Journals. Three thousand four hundred nineteen manuscripts published in four active ASHA Journals were grouped across three access statuses based on their availability to the public: Gold OA, Green OA, and Closed Access. Two linear mixed-effects models tested the effects of OA status on citation counts and altmetric scores of the manuscripts. Both Green OA and Gold OA significantly predicted a 2.70 and 5.21 respective increase in citation counts compared with Closed Access manuscripts (p < .001). Gold OA was estimated to predict a 25.7-point significant increase in altmetric scores (p < .001), but Green OA was only marginally significant (p = .68) in predicting a 1.44 increase in altmetric scores relative to Closed Access manuscripts. Communication sciences and disorders (CSD) research that is fully open receives more online attention and, overall, more scientific attention than research that is paywalled or available through Green OA methods. Additional research is needed to understand secondary variables affecting these and other scholarly and societal metrics of impact across studies in CSD. Ongoing support and incentives to reduce the inequities of OA publishing are critical for continued scientific advancement. Open Science Form: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21766919.

Attitudes toward Stuttering of University Instructors: A Nation-wide Survey

Introduction: Stuttering is a communication disorder that may present difficulties such as producing fluent speech, having a fear of speaking, and experiencing limited inclusion, which. greatly impacts the quality of life and education of people who stutter. University instructors may work closely with students who stutter. Specifically, instructors in the major of communication sciences and disorders (CSD) are critical in educating and influencing the attitudes of future professionals who will advocate for the stuttering community. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the attitudes toward stuttering of university instructors in the field of CSD, and other majors as well as to compare. Methods: The POSHA-S survey was spread to collect data from 300 college instructors in CSD and non-CSD majors. This data collection will be used to complete our empirical research. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS and compared to the global data in the IPATHA database. Findings: Data collected from 91 CSD faculty and 77 non-CSD faculty showed statistically significant differences between the Overall Stuttering Scores and the Beliefs scores of the two groups. No statistically significant difference was found between their Self-reaction scores. Compared with the IPATHA global data, both groups showed more positive attitudes toward stuttering. However, findings showed that non-CSD instructors need more education regarding their beliefs and attitude toward stuttering.

Minoritized Graduate Students’ Recommendations to Communication Sciences and Disorders Programs to Improve Inclusion of Minoritized Students

Minoritized students in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) programs have unique insights into inclusion and diversity initiatives based on their lived experiences. In this study, the researcher examined and analyzed recommendations that minorized CSD graduate students provided to programs to increase inclusion. The researcher identified themes within the recommendations using discourse analysis to analyze how students positioned themselves and faculty in relationship to diversity and inclusion. A total of 104 minoritized CSD graduate students across 28 states completed a survey that included demographic information and a writing prompt for recommendations to programs. The study found that students valued broad and targeted recruitment efforts, faculty education on diversity, supportive connections and networks, diversity topics throughout courses and within clinical training, and access to resources. Students positioned themselves as having social goods or assets in the form of diversity knowledge and lived experiences that could inform peers and faculty. Students positioned faculty as simultaneously having social goods through the social and political power of their roles and lacking social goods in the form of limited diversity knowledge. These findings align with existing literature for diversification of graduate programs that prioritize recruitment, foster connections, and offer resources. Minoritized graduate students provided additional recommendations to programs to provide faculty training, actively build community for students, address contemporary diversity issues throughout the curriculum, and advocate for diversity as an asset. Student recommendations on inclusion honored students as experts in their needs and contributed to discussion of how faculty can support inclusion and diversification of the field.

The Integration of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning into the Discipline of Communication Sciences and Disorders

McKinney (2018) has argued that for the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) to advance within a discipline, the integration of SoTL must be closely examined and opportunities for growth in SoTL must be recognized and discussed. To that end, this paper reflects on the degree to which SoTL is integrated into communication sciences and disorders (CSD) by examining a variety of topics: perspectives and theories historically valued by our discipline, existing supports for SoTL at various levels (i.e., individual teacher-scholars, departments, institutions, and the CSD discipline as a whole), the application of SoTL findings in teaching and learning. Four specific recommendations are made because of this examination and reflection.

Use of a Living Document to Facilitate Critical Engagement with Social Justice for Undergraduate Audiology and Speech-Languages Pathology Students

Although pedagogy focused on social justice, power, and privilege have been included in teacher preparatory programs for a number of years, such topics are much newer and relatively unexplored within the context of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) preprofessional programs. This reflection provides information on use of a living document assignment to encourage undergraduate CSD students to grapple with these difficult topics (e.g., privilege, oppression, social justice, allyship) early in their professional careers resulting in benefits for the students, their future clients, and the field of CSD.

Evaluating Research Transparency and Openness in Communication Sciences and Disorders Journals.

To improve the credibility, reproducibility, and clinical utility of research findings, many scientific fields are implementing transparent and open research practices. Such open science practices include researchers making their data publicly available and preregistering their hypotheses and analyses. A way to enhance the adoption of open science practices is for journals to encourage or require submitting authors to participate in such practices. Accordingly, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Journals Program has recently announced their intention to promote open science practices. Here, we quantitatively assess the extent to which several journals in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) encourage or require participation in several open science practices by using the Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) Factor metric. TOP Factors were assessed for 34 CSD journals, as well as several journals in related fields. TOP Factors measure the level of implementation across 10 open science-related practices (e.g., data transparency, analysis plan preregistration, and replication) for a total possible score of 29 points. Collectively, CSD journals had very low TOP Factors (M = 1.4, range: 0-8). The related fields of Psychology (M = 4.0), Rehabilitation (M = 3.2), Linguistics (M = 1.7), and Education (M = 1.6) also had low scores, though Psychology and Rehabilitation had higher scores than CSD. CSD journals currently have low levels of encouraging or requiring participation in open science practices, which may impede adoption. Open Science Form: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21699458.

Systemic Racism in Communication Sciences and Disorders Academic Programs: A Commentary on Trends in Racial Representation.

As a discipline, communication sciences and disorders (CSD) has struggled to address equity and inclusion for students, professionals, and scholars from historically excluded racial groups. Recent publications in this periodical that have begun to confront systemic racism in the discipline have been met with some expected resistance. In this commentary, I attempt to support and expand an argument made by Ellis and Kendall (2021), namely, that systemic racism has been and continues to be a normal and persistent feature of our academic programs. A comparison to U.S. Census data suggests that Asian, Black, Indigenous, Native, Latino/a/e, and multiracial CSD professionals are represented to a drastically lower rate compared with their representation in the population at large. Furthermore, publicly available data summaries indicate that there is a reduction in the level of racial diversity that is associated with an increase in White representation across the entire progression of the professional training and certification process, with the greatest level of diversity at the undergraduate level followed by the graduate and professional levels. A general knowledge of social and legal history in the United States would suggest that the relative reduction in representation across the academic and professional levels of the CSD disciplines results from policy and practice patterns that serve to preserve a White-dominant culture in our profession and exclude People of Color. Continued efforts broadly based in critical race studies may prove as a useful tool to identify, confront, and transform current policy and practice patterns in our national organization, academic programs, and accrediting bodies that have produced and sustained levels of inequality and White dominance in our programs and disciplines.

Open Science Practices in Communication Sciences and Disorders: A Survey.

Open science is a collection of practices that seek to improve the accessibility, transparency, and replicability of science. Although these practices have garnered interest in related fields, it remains unclear whether open science practices have been adopted in the field of communication sciences and disorders (CSD). This study aimed to survey the knowledge, implementation, and perceived benefits and barriers of open science practices in CSD. An online survey was disseminated to researchers in the United States actively engaged in CSD research. Four-core open science practices were examined: preregistration, self-archiving, gold open access, and open data. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression models. Two hundred twenty-two participants met the inclusion criteria. Most participants were doctoral students (38%) or assistant professors (24%) at R1 institutions (58%). Participants reported low knowledge of preregistration and gold open access. There was, however, a high level of desire to learn more for all practices. Implementation of open science practices was also low, most notably for preregistration, gold open access, and open data (< 25%). Predictors of knowledge and participation, as well as perceived barriers to implementation, are discussed. Although participation in open science appears low in the field of CSD, participants expressed a strong desire to learn more in order to engage in these practices in the future. Supplemental Material and Open Science Form: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21569040.