A Study on the Current Status and Needs of Counseling Curriculum in Communication Disorders in Korea

Objectives: Counseling is an essential component of the treatment of communication disorders. Clinicians and students in the field have reported a necessity for the incorporation of counseling courses into speech-language pathology practice. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the current status of a counseling curriculum in the field of communication sciences and disorders, and to present the professors’ and speech-language pathologists’(SLP) perceptions of the counseling curriculum.Methods: A web-based questionnaire regarding the current status and need for the counseling curriculum was developed and distributed to professors in undergraduate and graduate programs and to SLPs in clinical settings. Responses from a total of 66 professors and 121 SLPs were collected and were used for the analysis.Results: Overall, 66.7% of undergraduate programs and 26.9% of graduate programs offer a counseling course within the department. Also, 100% and 85.1% of professors in undergraduate and graduate programs reported the need for counseling education and training in the field of communication disorders respectively. A strong majority of SLPs (95.7%) also felt counseling courses are needed. By clinical areas, SLPs working in language development disorders reported the highest need (25.4%) for counseling courses, followed by neurological disorders and fluency disorders.Conclusion: The results show that the need for counseling programs was high among professors and clinicians. Thus, the implementation of a systematic and adequate counseling curriculum in the field of communication disorders is suggested.

ATENCIÓN DE CALIDAD A PACIENTES CON DEFICIENCIA AUDITIVA Y VERBAL, POR PARTE DEL PERSONAL DE ENFERMERÍA DEL HOSPITAL GENERAL SANTO DOMINGO

Introducción: La atención que se brinda a los pacientes sordomudos depende de la relación y comunicación entre el personal de enfermería y los usuarios, pero a pesar de que se trata de una población en ascenso progresivo, existe un déficit de formación, por lo que la atención lo convierte en un desafío para estos. profesionales. Objetivo: Analizar la calidad de atención brindada a las personas sordomudas, en base al desempeño de los profesionales de Enfermería. Métodos: Se utilizó un enfoque cualitativo y diseño fenomenológico. La población escogida fue de 12 enfermeros/as, 9 que laboraban en el área de emergencias y 3 en consulta externa del Hospital General Santo Domingo, utilizando el tipo de muestreo por conveniencia se seleccionó a una muestra de 8 profesionales, se utilizó entrevistas semiestructuradas, las cuales permitieron ahondar en la percepción de los enfermeros/as ante el tema. El análisis de datos se realizó mediante la aplicación Atlas ti Versión 9. Resultados: Se evidenció que, en la atención a personas sordomudas, la comunicación enfermero-paciente tiene muchas falencias, las cuales complican el acceso a la salud de esta población debido a que no se logra comprender completamente las necesidades que mantienen estos usuarios, o a su vez se necesita de terceros para llegar al individuo. Además, existe desinterés de los enfermeros/as, universidades e instituciones de salud en cuanto a la formación integral profesional. Conclusiones: La atención de calidad se ve influenciada negativamente debido a la complejidad de la comunicación entre el enfermero y el paciente sordomudo. Palabras claves: personal de enfermería; pérdida auditiva; trastornos del desarrollo del lenguaje; comunicación; calidad de la atención de salud. ABSTRACT Introduction: The care provided to deaf-mute patients depends on the relationship and communication between the nursing staff and the users, but despite the fact that it is a population in progressive ascent, there is a training deficit, so the care is makes it a challenge for them. professionals. Objective: To analyze the quality of attention given to deaf-mutes, based on the performance of the professionals in Nursing. Methods: A qualitative focus and phenomenological design were used. The population chosen was of 12 male/female nurses, nine of which worked in the emergency area and three in the outpatient area of the General Hospital of Santo Domingo, using a type of convenience sampling, a sampling of eight professionals was selected, semi-structured interviews were used, of which allowed for a deepening of the perception of male/female nurses on this subject. The data analysis was done with the support of the application Atlas ti Version 9. Results: It was evidenced that, in the attention given to deaf-mute people, the communication nurse-patient has many flaws, those of which complicate access to health on the part of this population due to the fact that the needs of these service users cannot be fully understood. At the same time, third parties are needed in order to reach the individual. Besides, there exists a lack of interest on the part of the male/female nurses, universities, and health institutions regarding the integral professional performance. Conclusions: Quality attention is seen to be negatively influenced due to the complexity of the communication between the nurse and the deaf-mute patient. Keywords: nursing personnel; auditory loss; language development disorders; communication; quality in the attention to health.

„Dziecko w skorupie”. Ograniczenia w nabywaniu mowy i języka przez jednostki z zaburzeniami ze spektrum autyzmu

“Child in a shell”. Limitations in the speech and language acquisition of children with autism spectrum disorders. Speech as audible communication is achieved due to the knowledge of a language. Speech acquisition does not always proceed smoothly and without any problems. Deviation from the proper development of speech is seen in the case of children with disorders of the development of speech and language, among whom children with characteristic autism spectrum disorders constitute a considerable group. The inability of using speech for communication is characteristic of this group of children. The article presents limitations in acquiring speech and language by children with autism as well as ways of opening them up to the world through the development of communication. Keywords: language, autism, speech and language development disorders

Dyslexia as the most prevalent form of specific learning disabilities

Dyslexia is the most common form of specific learning disabilities. Dyslexia is observed in 5-17.5 % of schoolchildren, and among children with specific learning disabilities, it accounts for about 70-80 %. Usually, dyslexia manifests itself as the inability to achieve an appropriate level of reading skills development that would be proportional to their intellectual abilities and writing and spelling skills. Secondary consequences of dyslexia may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background skills. The review discusses neurological management of reading and writing as complex higher mental functions, including many components that are provided by various brain areas. The principles of dyslexia classification, the main characteristics of its traditionally defined forms are given: phonemic, optical, mnestic, semantic, agrammatic. The article analyzes the cerebral mechanisms of dyslexia development, the results of studies using neuropsychological methods, functional neuroimaging, and the study of the brain connectome. The contribution to dyslexia development of disturbances in phonological awareness, rapid automated naming (RAN), the volume of visual attention (VAS), components of the brain executive functions is discussed. The origin of emotional disorders in children with dyslexia, risk factors for dyslexia development (including genetic predisposition) are considered. Dyslexia manifestations in children are listed, about which their parents seek the advice of a specialist for the first time. In the process of diagnosing dyslexia, attention should be paid to the delay in the child’s speech development, cases of speech and language development disorders and specific learning disabilities among family members. It is necessary to consider possible comorbidity of dyslexia in a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyscalculia, developmental dyspraxia, disorders of emotional control and brain executive functions. Timely diagnosis determines the effectiveness of early intervention programs based on an integrated multimodal approach.

The role of the district pediatrician in the early diagnosis of speech developmental disorders in preschool children

Speech and language are the most important means of communication between a child and the outer world. Currently in the Russian Federation there is no reliable data on the prevalence of speech and language disorders in children. According to foreign authors, speech disorders are diagnosed in 3,4–6,4% in the population of preschool children, and language disorders are diagnosed in 8–10% of cases. Early identification of the causes of speech and language development disorders in children is a complex interdisciplinary problem. The authors have developed an algorithm for diagnosing speech and language developmental disorders in preschool children, where the district pediatrician plays the leading role. It is district pediatrician who can assess the speed of the child’s speech skills development, based on age norms, analyze the history data, risk factors, carry out a physical examination of the child, develop an individual program for conducting basic laboratory and instrumental studies and consult specialists. Dynamic observation of this category of children is important.

Late Language Emergence

Infants usually say their first word at the age of 12 months; subsequently, within the next 6–12 months, they develop a vocabulary of approximately 50 words, along with the ability to make two-word combinations. However, late talkers (LTs) demonstrate delayed speech in the absence of hearing impairments, cognitive developmental issues or relevant birth history. The prevalence of late language emergence (LLE) in toddlers is reported to be 10–15%. Studies of LTs are both theoretically and clinically significant. Early diagnosis and clinical intervention may result in relatively stable speech capabilities by the early school years. The present article aimed to review both theoretical and empirical studies regarding LLE within the process of first language acquisition, as well as methods for the early diagnosis of delayed speech in children and the authors’ own clinical and theoretical recommendations. Keywords: Infants; Speech; Language Development; Speech-Language Pathology; Language Development Disorders; Rehabilitation of Speech and Language Disorders.

Real-Time EEG Neurofeedback as a Tool to Improve Neural Entrainment to Speech

Neurofeedback represents a particular type of biofeedback whose aim is to teach self-control of brain function by measuring brain activity and presenting a feedback signal in real-time. Traditionally, neurofeedback has been used to complement interventions for various neuropsychological disorders through techniques like frequency training, which attempts to change the power ratio of certain EEG frequency bands. However, to date, there are no neurofeedback approaches that look directly into modulating the neural entrainment to speech. Speech-brain entrainment, which stands for the alignment of the neural activity to the envelope of the speech input, has been shown to be key to speech comprehension. In fact, atypical neural entrainment to speech seems to be consistently found in language development disorders such as dyslexia. Thus, making speech entrainment neurofeedback a promising technique to obtain behavioral improvements. In this work, we present the first open-source brain-computer interface system that can be reliably used to provide speech entrainment neurofeedback while still being flexible enough to deliver more traditional coherence-based neurofeedback. In addition, it has the potential of being an open-source alternative to deliver other types of neurofeedback if configured to do so.

Pengaruh Metode Pembelajaran Musikal bagi Kemampuan Kognitif Anak Autis di SLB Negeri Manekat Niki-Niki

Cognitive ability is one of the important aspects for individuals who need to be equipped and developed since childhood, including children with autism. Children with autism have difficulty receiving and understanding learning material and information received in class because they have problems with cognitive abilities. Therefore, we need a new learning method that is expected to help children with autism in developing their cognitive abilities to support learning activities in the classroom. This research aimed to determine the effect of musical learning methods on the cognitive abilities of autistic students. The subjects were 3 autistic students who experience obstacles in composing language in communication, difficulty of concentrating, and behaving repetitively in SLB Negeri Manekat Niki-Niki. The research method used was pre-experimental design quantitative with one group pretest-posttest design. The data analysis technique used was descriptive statistical analysis. The results showed that musical learning methods were effective and had an effect on the cognitive abilities of autistic students who had limitations in concentrating and repetitive behavior, but were not yet effective enough for autistic students who had language development disorders in communication.

Validation of a booklet on language developmental milestones in childhood

ABSTRACT Purpose: to develop and validate the content of printed educative material (booklet) on the typical oral language development. Methods: methodological development research with content validation. The material was produced following a literature review, in which the available publications approaching this theme were analyzed. The descriptors used were “child language”, “child development”, “language development”, and “language development disorders”. A total of 37 judges (specialists in the field and target audience) participated, divided into groups: speech-language-hearing therapists (LJG), educators (EJG), and relatives (RJG). They answered a 5-point Likert-scale instrument. The absolute percentage agreement (APA) and content validity index (CVI) were applied, whose respective minimum values of 75% and 0.78 were adopted. Results: the booklet encompassed the aspects of phonology, semantics, syntax, narrative and hearing, citing what is expected for each age. At the end of each topic, suggestions on how to stimulate the child’s language were made. The mean VCI scores were: LJG=81.3%, EJG=93.51%, and RJG=89.4%. Conclusion: the booklet reached a high content and design validity index and will aid health education initiatives, allowing its content to be spread among families and professionals involved in child development.