Speech Departments Research Articles

Be Somebody—Be a Volunteer

You have accessThe ASHA LeaderFrom the President1 Dec 2014Be Somebody—Be a VolunteerBeyond benefiting our association, colleagues and professions, volunteering for ASHA enriches us personally. Elizabeth McCreaPhD, CCC-SLP Elizabeth McCrea Google Scholar More articles by this author , PhD, CCC-SLP https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.FTP.19122014.4 SectionsAbout ToolsAdd to favorites ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In Not being able to do everything is no excuse for not doing everything you can. —Ashleigh Brilliant Throughout this year I have noted how each of us belongs to several professional communities that make up ASHA: professions, Special Interest Groups and work settings. All these communities need to be strong and vibrant to reach their potentials and serve members and the professions well. And that means each of us needs to participate. Just as we have professional communities, we also have personal communities such as family, neighborhoods, friends, sports/workout groups and book clubs. The question, then, becomes how to balance and allocate our discretionary time to support all of them. Priorities and intents change—and, along with them, our available time to participate in our communities. The key is to stay engaged with our communities so that we can judge when our participation would be most strategic and productive. How can you do this with the ASHA professional community? Check the ASHA website several times a week; content is always changing. Schedule alerts from your ASHA groups so you can track what colleagues are talking about. Respond to calls for action in support of legislative activity. Respond to current open volunteer opportunities. Vote in elections for SIG Coordinating Committee members, Advisory Council positions in your state and the ASHA Board of Directors. These are only a few examples of ad hoc volunteering: intermittent service activities outside of formal committee and board roles. Ad hoc volunteering is fundamental to the strength of each community and ASHA as a whole. Members can choose from a range of ad hoc service opportunities to suit their various interests and available levels of energy and time. Committee volunteering—appointed or elected service on an ASHA committee, board or council—is also central to ASHA’s mission for its members and those they serve. Each year, the association forms committees to propel strategic initiatives. Members of standing committees, boards and councils volunteer their time to do the association’s important and foundational work. To help equip members for leadership roles in service to ASHA and beyond, ASHA developed the Leadership Development Program, which selects two cohorts of 30 participants each year, typically by work setting. The year-long program involves one face-to-face meeting and eight webinars that focus on, for example, aspects of problem-solving, empowerment of others, team-building and strategies for influencing others. Participants form learning teams that work on webinar activities. Graduates report that the program bolsters their readiness for ASHA and state association service and also enhances their effectiveness in work settings. Indeed, beyond benefiting the association and its work for the professions, direct volunteer service enriches the volunteer. Social and volunteer service research documents how volunteering enhances people’s professional and personal lives, because it: Allows volunteers to acquire new skills and refine old ones. Enables one to give back to the community. Provides great personal satisfaction. Helps build professional (and personal) networks among colleagues. These are just a few examples of how prioritizing your time to include professional volunteer service can be a reward in and of itself. The following anonymous quote offers the perfect challenge for us to think about as we consider whether we have the time, energy or commitment to volunteer in support of ASHA, our colleagues and the professions: “I wondered why somebody didn’t do something. Then I realized I could be that somebody.” Be somebody. Be a volunteer! Author Notes Elizabeth McCrea, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a clinical professor emerita of the Department of Speech and Language Sciences at Indiana University. She continues her work in clinical education with the externship program at Nova Southeastern University. [email protected] Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Additional Resources FiguresSourcesRelatedDetails Volume 19Issue 12December 2014 Get Permissions Add to your Mendeley library History Published in print: Dec 1, 2014 Metrics Current downloads: 158 Topicsasha-topicsleader_do_tagasha-article-typesleader-topicsCopyright & Permissions© 2014 American Speech-Language-Hearing AssociationLoading ...

In Memoriam: Nan Anthony (1933–2014)

Annie (‘Nan’) Anthony died on 1 May 2014 after a short illness. Born Annie Rodger in Dysart in 1933, she gained her MA in Modern Languages in 1955 from the University of Edinburgh, and worked on the Linguistic Survey of Scotland 1956–1958. In 1957 she married James (`Tony') Anthony, who had charge of the Edinburgh phonetics lab. While their children Jo and Chris were young, she worked as a part-time lecturer in the Edinburgh Phonetics Department, and the family spent the academic year 1963–64 in the USA, Tony researching in Peter Ladefoged's new laboratory at UCLA. From 1966 Nan was Research Phonetician in the Department of Child Life and Health at Edinburgh, a period of work which led to The Edinburgh Articulation Test (Anthony et al. 1971), a significant clinical assessment tool. In 1971 she moved to Moray House College of Education, where she remained for the rest of her career, becoming Head of the Department of Speech there in 1982.

Acoustics-related research in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at Indiana University

In the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at Indiana University, there are many highly active laboratories that conduct research on a wide range of areas in acoustics. Four of these laboratories are described below. The Biophysics Lab (PI: Robert Withnell) focuses on the mechanics of hearing. Acoustically based signal processing and data acquisition provide experimental data for model-based analysis of peripheral sound processing. The Comparative Perception Lab (PI: William Shofner) focuses on how the physical features of complex sounds are related to their perceptual attributes, particularly pitch and speech. Understanding behavior and perception in animals, particularly in chinchillas, is an essential component of the research. The Speech Production Laboratory (PI: Steven Lulich) conducts research on imaging of the tongue and oral cavity, speech breathing, and acoustic modeling of the whole vocal/respiratory tract. Laboratory equipment includes 3D/4D ultrasound, digitized palate impressions, whole-body and inductive plethysmography, electroglottography, oral and nasal pressure and flow recordings, and accelerometers. The Speech Perception Lab (PI: Tessa Bent) focuses on the perceptual consequences of phonetic variability in speech, particularly foreign-accented speech. The main topics under investigation are perceptual adaptation, individual differences in word recognition, and developmental speech perception.

Ear Raid

Ear Raid

Apps for the Ears

You have accessThe ASHA LeaderApp-titude1 Jul 2014Apps for the EarsTablet and smartphone users can choose from a growing number of apps that test hearing sensitivity and amplify sound. Amyn M. AmlaniPhD Amyn M. Amlani Google Scholar More articles by this author , PhD https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.APP.19072014.34 SectionsAbout ToolsAdd to favorites ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In As the concept of patient empowerment takes hold in health care, apps are keeping pace, offering blood pressure screeners and spirometers through people’s mobile devices. Supportive apps for hearing loss have also entered the fray: Some provide tests to assess hearing sensitivity. Others provide sound amplification. Research from our laboratory at the University of North Texas suggests that these apps can be effective. But it’s important to note that these apps—which are limited to pure-tone testing—are not meant to replace professional services.Rather, these apps are intended to help listeners self-monitor their sensitivity to sounds, or to serve as starter or back-up amplification devices, similar to reading glasses. Sensitivity tests A major iOS-only offering in hearing sensitivity assessment is EarTrumpet (from Praxis BioSciences, $3.99. This app tests four octave frequencies and is calibrated for use with Apple earbuds. After the user finishes testing, the app explains the findings for each ear and offers rationales for the results. Users can save the findings, compare them over time and send them by e-mail. For Android users, Hearing Test (from e-audiologia.pl) is a free and comparable app to EarTrumpet. Developed in Poland, it requires the user to calibrate headphones based on the test results of a listener with normal hearing sensitivity. The app then stores these calibration results and uses them during comprehensive testing of seven octave frequencies. The app records the thresholds on an audiogram. Users can save and compare audiograms over time, but there is no means to submit results electronically. Sound amplification Do smartphone hearing aid apps really work? Our lab recently demonstrated that the apps have similar electroacoustic characteristics to traditional hearing aids and similar perceived performance. They could be useful as a temporary or starter solution to a hearing deficit, but the amount of amplification they offer is quite minimal. Ear Machine is a free iOS app developed with funding from the National Institutes of Health. In basic mode, Ear Machine allows users to adjust volume and frequency response for both ears simultaneously. In addition, the app is designed with EarShare, an algorithm that automatically adjusts the loudness and frequency response based on research data. The app also allows users to change the frequency response of the left and right channels independently, and to amplify music stored on the device. The application works only with hardwired in-ear headphones. In addition to the hearing test mentioned previously, the EarTrumpet app includes a sound amplifier module that allows the listener to adjust volume and frequency response using either preset or customizable equalizer settings. Users can save these equalizer settings for future use. As with Ear Machine, users can adjust the volume and frequency response independently for the right and left ears. The application works only with hardwired in-ear headphones. Besides allowing the user to modify and store volume and equalizer settings, some hearing aid apps also can record stimuli processed through the device’s microphone or hardwired headphones. Examples of such apps are Hearing Aid with Replay (from Lemberg Solutions, $3.30 on Google Play) and SoundAmp (from Ginger Labs, $4.99 on Apple iTunes). Neither of these apps, however, can process music stored on the device. Again, it’s important to note that these apps are not meant to replace professional services—they are meant to help listeners self-monitor sound sensitivity or to serve as starter or stopgap amplification. Author Notes Amyn M. Amlani, PhD, is an associate professor of audiology in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of North Texas. [email protected] Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Additional Resources FiguresSourcesRelatedDetails Volume 19Issue 7July 2014 Get Permissions Add to your Mendeley library History Published in print: Jul 1, 2014 Metrics Downloaded 472 times Topicsasha-topicsleader_do_tagleader-topicsasha-article-typesCopyright & Permissions© 2014 American Speech-Language-Hearing AssociationLoading ...

Spotlight on Special Interest Division 7, Aural Rehabilitation and Its Instrumentation

You have accessThe ASHA LeaderSIG Spotlight1 Jul 2014Spotlight on Special Interest Division 7, Aural Rehabilitation and Its Instrumentation Kathleen M. CienkowskiPhD, CCC-A Kathleen M. Cienkowski Google Scholar More articles by this author , PhD, CCC-A https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.SIGS.19072014.np SectionsAbout ToolsAdd to favorites ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In How many affiliates does SIG 7 have? As of June 2014, SIG 7 has 313 affiliates. Why did you originally choose to affiliate with SIG 7? I have been an affiliate of SIG 7 for more than five years, and I have found it to be one of the most rewarding benefits of my ASHA membership. I learned about the SIG through its then-coordinator, J. P. Gagne. I was surprised that I knew so little about what the SIG had to offer—educational opportunities, Perspectives, online resources and more. The SIG has been an incredible resource for professional connections and information. What is the most important issue surrounding SIG 7’s subject matter right now? Access to affordable hearing health care is a hotly debated topic among professionals. Hearing aids and personal sound amplification products are available online through big-box stores and wholesale clubs. The question is, how will access to these lower-cost hearing devices affect the numbers of people with hearing loss seeking treatment and the quality of services they receive? SIG 7 notes that a device is only one part of effective hearing health care management. The provision of a range of services—including communication and auditory training, speechreading, assistive devices and counseling—are critical to successful hearing loss management. Audiologic rehabilitation is about understanding the consequences of hearing loss in our patients’ daily lives and working collaboratively to develop a management plan. SIG 7 is an important resource for clinicians seeking to provide this type of comprehensive care. What upcoming events related to or sponsored by SIG 7 should everyone know about? SIG 7 is sponsoring two events at the upcoming ASHA convention in Orlando. Jaclyn Spitzer from Columbia University, along with René Gifford from Vanderbilt University, will present a short course on new developments in implantable hearing devices. In addition, Michelle Hughes from Boys Town National Research Hospital will present a mini-seminar on “telehabilitation.” Both events promise to provide insightful information in these areas of hearing loss management. Which of your recent Perspectives articles is a must-read for CSD professionals, and why? Perspectives on Aural Rehabilitation and Its Instrumentation offers many excellent papers for SIG 7 affiliates. Our December 2013 issue includes a paper by Nerina Scarinci and colleagues, “Using a Family-Centered Care Approach in Audiologic Rehabilitation for Adults with Hearing Impairment,” that is a must-read. In keeping with SIG 7’s emphasis on patient-centered care, the article describes the crucial role of family in audiologic rehabilitation for older adults with hearing loss. The paper thoughtfully provides strategies for increased inclusion of family members in the rehabilitation process to promote the reduction of “third-party disability”—the impact of a person’s hearing loss on his or her family. Author Notes Kathleen M. Cienkowski, PhD, CCC-A, SIG 7 coordinator, is associate professor and audiology program director in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at the University of Connecticut. [email protected] Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Additional Resources FiguresSourcesRelatedDetails Volume 19Issue 7July 2014 Get Permissions Add to your Mendeley library History Published in print: Jul 1, 2014 Metrics Downloaded 76 times Topicsasha-topicsleader_do_tagleader-topicsasha-article-typesCopyright & Permissions© 2014 American Speech-Language-Hearing AssociationLoading ...

From the President: Clinical Supervision: Back to the Future

“Speech-language pathologists and audiologists have been involved in supervision since the beginning of the profession. Indeed, supervision seems to have been the one component that has affected ev...

From the President: The Power of Early Identification

From the President: The Power of Early Identification

Speech deterioration in an English-Shanghainese Speaker with Logopenic Variant Primary Progressive Aphasia

Speech deterioration in an English-Shanghainese Speaker with Logopenic Variant Primary Progressive Aphasia

Prevalence of risk factors for stuttering among boys: analytical cross-sectional study.

There have been few studies on the risk factors for subgroups of stuttering. The aim of this study was to characterize the risk factors for developmental familial stuttering among boys who stutter and who do not stutter, such as disfluency types, associated quality and communication factors, emotional and physical stress, familial attitudes and personal reactions. Analytical cross-sectional study with a control group, performed at the Fluency Studies Laboratory of the Department of Speech and Hearing Disorders of a public university. The parents of 40 age-matched stuttering and non-stuttering boys took part in this study. The participants were divided into two groups: stuttering children (SC) and non-stuttering children (NSC), with ages between 6 years 0 months and 11 years 11 months. Initially, all of the participants underwent a fluency assessment and then data were gathered using the Protocol for the Risk of Developmental Stuttering. There were no differences in the physical stress distribution factors and personal reactions between the groups. Inappropriate familial attitudes were presented by 95% of the SC and 30% of the NSC. Four risk factors analyzed were not shown by the NSC, namely stuttering-like disfluency, quality factors, physical stress and emotional stresses. The findings suggest that the presence of stuttering-like disfluency, associated quality and communication factors, emotional stress and inappropriate family attitudes are important risk factors for familial developmental stuttering among boys.

Patients using antifungals following laryngectomy: a qualitative study of community pharmacists in the North of England

To explore community pharmacists' understanding and opinions in relation to the prevention of fungal colonisation of voice prostheses amongst laryngectomy patients. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on a purposive sample of 12 community pharmacists from the North of England. Interviews were undertaken until data saturation was reached and responses were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic approach. Six themes emerged from the data analysis. These were: terminology confusion about laryngectomy, stoma and voice prostheses; smoking as a risk factor for the development of laryngeal cancer; using nystatin to prevent biofilm formation; counselling information related to nystatin; prescription intervention and additional education in relation to laryngectomy. The theme of counselling information related to nystatin use and additional education was a key finding: our data show that when dispensing nystatin to patients with a voice prosthesis, community pharmacists would either give no advice related to medication use or would give incorrect advice that may lead to premature prosthesis failure amongst this patient group. This study highlights that community pharmacists lack understanding in relation to laryngectomy and are unaware of the off-label doses and administration methods of the drugs (specifically nystatin) used to prevent fungal colonisation on voice prostheses. Additional information sources in the form of an educational leaflet, possibly obtained through the local department of speech and language therapy, would be perceived as a valuable resource to support community pharmacists who are required to manage these patients in the community.

Actor Training in New York City

��� oday there are more than one hundred and fifty universities in the U.S. offer ing either a BFA or an MFA in acting. Nearly all of them are trying to prepare students for work onstage or in film and television. In addition to these programs, there are literally hundreds of undergraduate theatre programs that offer a BA concentration in acting, as well as countless acting studios, academies, and teachers operating privately, all of which add to a growing list of people and institutions that comprise American actor training. In short, the training of U.S. actors is an industry unto itself, a point demonstrated by the ubiquity of advertisements lining the pages of American Theatre any given month. Does this country really need several hundred acting schools? Can the profession even remotely provide employment for the thousands of young men and women who graduate from these programs each year? What is the overarching purpose of training U.S. actors, and who is ultimately being served by it? Because of the sheer scope of the topic, my focus is limited to acting programs at colleges and universities in New York City and its surrounding area. This sampling of the academic structure, curriculum, faculty, and pedagogy of a handful of programs can serve as a general representation of U.S. actor training at the level of higher education. Limitations of space preclude mentioning the numerous acting studios, academies, and private instruction currently offered in New York City. Nonetheless, the reader should be reminded that there are hundreds of businesses and individuals marketing themselves as actor trainers in New York City today, a fact made obvious by a simple Google search of the subject. Prior to the 1960s, acting instruction at the level of higher education was primarily under the auspices of English and speech departments, whereas privately operated academies and acting schools largely prepared people for the profession. Beginning with the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1884, most of these pre-professional schools were located in New York City. In the middle 1950s, there were roughly fifteen to twenty such schools that ranged from the American Academy to offshoots of the Group Theatre’s approach to acting, namely the Stella Adler Conservatory, Neighborhood Playhouse, and Actors Studio. During the 1960s, and in conjunction THE EDUCATION OF THE ARTIST

Partner Instruction in AAC: Strategies for Building Circles of Support

Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM It could be argued that the growing technological focus of today’s global society is raising the collective consciousness for how technology can be used as a communication tool. As technology that allows us to communicate across a variety of modes (e.g., text, video chat, social media outlets) becomes commonplace within our daily interactions, the dynamic and transactional nature of communication becomes more apparent. On the positive side, it is possible for us to successfully enhance our interactions and relationships with others through the use of a variety of mobile and web-based technologies as we share up-to-the-minute thoughts, photos, and videos. On the other hand, the use of such technologies can become overwhelming, and we run the risk of bombarding those with whom we interact with an inordinate amount of information that may ultimately have a negative effect on our interactions and relationships. Perhaps there is a certain skill set that some people have or have developed that allows them to functionally and successfully communicate via technology, whereas others may struggle in this area. Of course this relates to the premise of our clinical work with individuals with complex communication needs. We have evidence to indicate that pairing appropriate technology with relevant interventions can afford our clients opportunities to develop functional communication skills for use in real-world contexts. However, it also has been well documented that direct intervention with our clients is not always sufficient. Our clients face opportunity barriers when it comes to communication (Beukelman & Mirenda, 2012). Whether you prefer to think of the people with whom your clients communicate in the more traditional sense as facilitators (Cumley & Beukelman, 1992) or in a broader sense as communication partners (Kent-Walsh & McNaughton, 2005), there is evidence indicating that many individuals who interact with clients using AAC do not naturally and readily provide supportive opportunities for communication (Light, Collier, & Parnes, 1985). In other words, people do not necessarily intuitively know how to alter their own communicative behaviors to support the communication of someone using AAC. That brings us to the focus of the current issue as well as the next issue of

Clients Who Threaten Suicide—and Our Responsibilities

Clients Who Threaten Suicide—and Our Responsibilities

A ’Hands-On’ Approach

You have accessThe ASHA LeaderFirst Person on the Last Page1 Jul 2012A ’Hands-On’ Approach Kimberly AbtsMS, CF-SLP Kimberly Abts Google Scholar More articles by this author , MS, CF-SLP https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.FPLP.17092012.55 SectionsAbout ToolsAdd to favorites ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In Kimberly Abts, MS, CF-SLP As a speech-language pathology graduate student at Gallaudet University, I am often asked the following questions (accompanied by some variety of hand movements to simulate American Sign Language): “Are you deaf?” “Why do you go to a school for the deaf?” “Do you use sign language?” Throughout my time in graduate school, it has become apparent that many people are interested in learning about people who are deaf and hard of hearing, but don’t have many opportunities. My first-hand edification with deafness and deaf awareness has been an essential part of the personal growth that accompanies the grueling clinical and course work associated with graduate school. I am challenged daily by the use and incorporation of American Sign Language in my coursework and the immersion into the deaf community on campus. The presence of the Department of Hearing, Speech, and Language Sciences has been and will continue to be a point of controversy on campus. I have come to understand there will always be individuals who view the on-campus clinic as a threat to the deaf community. My hope is that the gaps in these differences will be bridged through mutual understanding and collaboration. I have seen progress toward this goal during my time at Gallaudet. I am grateful to those who have helped me learn about the SLP’s role in the deaf community and I am inspired by those willing to give me the opportunity to better my future profession by sharing their experiences, both negative and positive. As a student at Gallaudet University, I feel a responsibility to educate the general public on what deafness entails, provide information on the different means of communication for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, and remove many of the common misconceptions about the deaf population. The graduate speech-language pathology class of 2012 has made it a priority to provide opportunities for public education while raising money to establish a scholarship to Camp SHARP (Speech, Hearing, and Aural Rehabilitation Program). Camp SHARP is a summer communication program at Gallaudet for children who are deaf and hard of hearing. The program provides an intensive, language-rich, communication-accessible, and enjoyable environment for children to improve their spoken language skills and reinforce their sign language skills. For a speech-language pathology graduate student at Gallaudet, it is the best of both worlds: the hearing world and the deaf world. Camp SHARP is a step toward collaboration and communication between these two worlds that are, in fact, not all that different. The last two years have not been easy. Even though I often refer to my time in graduate school as my “study abroad” experience, I would not trade it for the world...either of them. Author Notes Kimberly Abts, MS, CF-SLP, recently graduated from Gallaudet and is a clinician at St. John’s Health System in Anderson, Indiana. Contact her at [email protected]. Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Additional Resources FiguresSourcesRelatedDetails Volume 17Issue 9July 2012 Get Permissions Add to your Mendeley library History Published in print: Jul 1, 2012 Metrics Downloaded 117 times Topicsasha-topicsleader_do_tagleader-topicsasha-article-typesCopyright & Permissions© 2012 American Speech-Language-Hearing AssociationLoading ...

Removal of Biofilms from Tracheoesophageal Speech Valves Using a Novel Marine Microbial Deoxyribonuclease

The growth of biofilms on tracheoesophageal speech valves shortens their life span and produces a reservoir of pathogens that may infect the respiratory tract. The authors have discovered a novel nontoxic deoxyribonuclease, NucB, from a marine isolate of Bacillus licheniformis that is effective at dispersing a variety of mono and mixed-species bacterial biofilms. The aim of this preliminary study was to determine whether NucB could also disrupt and remove mixed-species biofilms from tracheoesophageal speech valves. Laboratory-based treatment and analysis of discarded tracheoesophageal speech valves. University human biology laboratory and the Department of Speech and Language Therapy at a tertiary referral hospital. Seventeen ex vivo tracheoesophageal speech valves fouled with natural human biofilms were collected and divided into 2 equal parts. One half was treated with NucB and the other half with a control buffer solution. Biofilm removal was measured by microscopy and by culture of dispersed biofilm organisms on agar plates. Significantly more organisms were released from biofilms using NucB than with buffer solution alone. On nonselective medium, more organisms were cultured in 11 samples (65%, n = 17, P < .05). Using growth media favoring fungi, more organisms were cultured in 14 samples (82%, n = 17, P < .05). The nontoxic deoxyribonuclease NucB was effective in releasing more microorganisms from biofilms on tracheoesophageal speech valves. This reflects its potential ability to break up and disperse these biofilms. Future studies will aim to develop NucB as a novel agent to prolong the life span of tracheoesophageal speech valves, thus reducing health care costs.

Dysphagia Assessment at a Distance

W hen a patient is in danger of developing oropharyngeal dysphagia, that patient's life may hang in the balance. Immediate assessment is necessary, but difficult In remote or underserved communities that lack speech-language pathologists with the appropriate swallowing expertise. A similar level of expertise is necessary to complete a clinical bedside exam or to interpret instrumental swallowing studies. Many communities lack SLPs with this expertise—or simply do not have access to videofluoroscopy or videoendoscopy services. SLPs may travel to a client's location to perform an evaluation; extended travel for a patient, however, is expensive, inconvenient, and tiring—which may affect an evaluation's outcome. Because visual imaging is necessary to assess the competency of safe pharyngeal clearing, we sought a way to hridge the expertise gap in remote locations. New telepractice technology permitting real-time, interactive evaluation of swallowing shows promise in allowing remote clinicians to perform dysphagia assessments as accurately as those performed face-toface, according to our recent NIH-funded study.

Auditory Processing Disorder and Cortical Malformation

Researchers at Departments of Neurology and Speech, University of Campinas, Brazil assessed the auditory processing function in children with language-learning impairment in relation to malformation of cortical development.

Mentorship: The Price of Membership

Mentorship: The Price of Membership

Schools as Complex Host Environments: Understanding Aspects of Schools that May Influence Clinical Practice and Research

Schools as Complex Host Environments: Understanding Aspects of Schools that May Influence Clinical Practice and Research