Speech-Language Pathology Practices for Adults With Right Hemisphere Stroke: What Are We Missing?

Purpose Limited evidence exists to guide the assessment and treatment of cognitive-communication disorders associated with right hemisphere stroke. The purpose of this study was to obtain information about speech-language pathologists' (SLPs') clinical practices and decision making for this population to understand what practices are being used and identify gaps in clinical practice. Method A survey was distributed via online ASHA Communities for the Special Interest Groups and other social media platforms. Respondents included 143 SLPs from across the United States representing 3–50 years of experience and a wide range of practice settings. Survey questions probed assessment practices including how tests are selected, what tests are used to diagnose specific deficits, and how confident SLPs were in their diagnoses. Treatment decisions were queried for a small set of disorders. Results SLPs routinely assess cognitive disorders using standardized tests. Communication disorders are less likely to be formally assessed. Three core right cerebral hemisphere deficits—anosognosia, aprosodia, and pragmatic deficits—are either not assessed or assessed only through observation by 80% of SLPs. Evidence-based treatments are commonly used for disorders of attention, awareness, and aprosodia. Conclusion Communication disorders are less likely to be formally assessed than cognitive disorders, creating a critical gap in care that cannot be filled by other allied health professionals. Suggestions for free or low-cost resources for evaluating pragmatics, prosody, and awareness are provided to aid SLPs in filling this gap. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12159597

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Evaluation of optical particulate matter sensors under realistic conditions of strong and mild urban pollution

Atmospheric Measurement Techniques ◽

10.5194/amt-13-6427-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 6427-6443

Author(s):

Adnan Masic ◽

Dzevad Bibic ◽

Boran Pikula ◽

Almir Blazevic ◽

Jasna Huremovic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Particulate Matter ◽

Low Cost ◽

Urban Pollution ◽

The United States ◽

Average Concentration ◽

Good Opportunity ◽

Daily Average ◽

Reference Instrument ◽

Period 2 ◽

Wide Range

Abstract. In this paper we evaluate characteristics of three optical particulate matter sensors/sizers (OPS): high-end spectrometer 11-D (Grimm, Germany), low-cost sensor OPC-N2 (Alphasense, United Kingdom) and in-house developed MAQS (Mobile Air Quality System), which is based on another low-cost sensor – PMS5003 (Plantower, China), under realistic conditions of strong and mild urban pollution. Results were compared against a reference gravimetric system, based on a Gemini (Dadolab, Italy), 2.3 m3 h−1 air sampler, with two channels (simultaneously measuring PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations). The measurements were performed in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, from December 2019 until May 2020. This interval is divided into period 1 – strong pollution – and period 2 – mild pollution. The city of Sarajevo is one of the most polluted cities in Europe in terms of particulate matter: the average concentration of PM2.5 during the period 1 was 83 µg m−3, with daily average values exceeding 500 µg m−3. During period 2, the average concentration of PM2.5 was 20 µg m−3. These conditions represent a good opportunity to test optical devices against the reference instrument in a wide range of ambient particulate matter (PM) concentrations. The effect of an in-house developed diffusion dryer for 11-D is discussed as well. In order to analyse the mass distribution of particles, a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS), which together with the 11-D spectrometer gives the full spectrum from nanoparticles of diameter 10 nm to coarse particles of diameter 35 µm, was used. All tested devices showed excellent correlation with the reference instrument in period 1, with R2 values between 0.90 and 0.99 for daily average PM concentrations. However, in period 2, where the range of concentrations was much narrower, R2 values decreased significantly, to values from 0.28 to 0.92. We have also included results of a 13.5-month long-term comparison of our MAQS sensor with a nearby beta attenuation monitor (BAM) 1020 (Met One Instruments, USA) operated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), which showed similar correlation and no observable change in performance over time.

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Adolescent Language Programs

Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools ◽

10.1044/0161-1461.2401.43 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 43-53 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rhonda S. Work ◽

JoAn A. Cline ◽

Barbara J. Ehren ◽

Diane L. Keiser ◽

Christine Wujek

Keyword(s):

High School Students ◽

Learning Styles ◽

Communication Disorders ◽

The United States ◽

Individual Education Plans ◽

School Students ◽

Language Programs ◽

Wide Range ◽

School Programs ◽

Single Standard

In recent years, many states have mandated that all students have access to diploma options rather than a single standard diploma. As a result, school districts have restructured programs and curricula to meet the needs of a wide range of students with varying learning styles. Services to middle and high school students with communication disorders have been evaluated, and new or modified programs have been designed to meet the needs of adolescent learners. Programs for students with language disorders have been developed, based on secondary-school organization and on the philosophy that earning credit for classes in speech-language is appropriate for these students. Four school programs from across the United States are described in this article, which presents sample segments of individual education plans (IEPs) from these programs.

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Dementia and Language

Linguistics ◽

10.1093/obo/9780199772810-0275 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Joël Macoir

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Motor Planning ◽

Lewy Bodies ◽

Processing System ◽

Cognitive Disorders ◽

Corticobasal Degeneration ◽

Communication Disorders ◽

Primary Progressive ◽

Wide Range

Neurodegenerative diseases progress over three distinct stages: (1) the preclinical stage, at which individuals can be placed on a continuum ranging from completely asymptomatic to a very subtle decline; (2) mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which is the symptomatic predementia stage of dementia, characterized by impairment in memory or other domains of cognition; and (3) dementia itself. Dementia is a common condition that mainly occurs in older people. It is characterized by a significant decline of cognitive functioning severe enough to impact activities of daily living and social functioning. The loss of cognitive functioning in dementia may affect long-term and short-term memory, attention, visual perception, executive functions, motor planning and execution, problem-solving, and language. Dementia can be caused by a wide range of pathological entities, among which Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common. Other dementia types include vascular dementia (VaD), dementia in atypical parkinsonian syndromes such as dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). While these are commonly associated with an impairment of episodic memory, the major forms of dementia are also characterized by deficits of language affecting comprehension and production abilities of words and sentences. Clinical linguistic profiles usually associated with common forms of dementia have been described, some more detailed than others. Neurolinguistic studies also went further than the mere description of symptoms and identified the functional localization of impaired and preserved processing components of the linguistic processing system in dementias. The initial evaluation is the first significant step toward the clinical management of dementia and is based on consensual diagnostic criteria. In some dementia syndromes, such as primary progressive aphasia (PPA), the characterization of language deficits is of major importance for the differential diagnosis of dementia. This article focuses on bibliographic resources related to language and communication disorders in mild cognitive disorders as well as in the most frequent primary progressive syndromes of dementia.

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Challenges and Strategies for Conducting Survey and Focus Group Research With Culturally Diverse Groups

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.1044/1058-0360(2003/067) ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 209-220 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Mary Blake Huer ◽

Terry Irvine Saenz

Keyword(s):

Culturally Diverse ◽

Communication Disorders ◽

The United States ◽

Culturally Sensitive ◽

Global Perspective ◽

Research Issues ◽

Focus Group Research ◽

Wide Range ◽

Conducting Research ◽

Diverse Groups

The professions represented by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association are serving a wide range of populations as diversity in the United States continues to grow rapidly. This article offers tentative guidance for and invites an open dialogue with other researchers interested in culturally sensitive research issues. Specifically, as the professions adopt an increasingly global perspective, it is likely that researchers will need to acquire skills in conducting research within culturally diverse populations. Within this article, research scenarios are discussed, in particular, methods for survey, interview, and focus groups. Topics such as preparing a research instrument, gaining access to clients, and effectively utilizing interpreters are presented. In brief, this article is designed as a beginning conversation about an increasingly important topic: conducting culturally sensitive research in communication disorders.

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Evaluation of optical particulate matter sensors under realistic conditions of strong and mild urban pollution

10.5194/amt-2020-237 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Adnan Masic ◽

Dzevad Bibic ◽

Boran Pikula ◽

Almir Blazevic ◽

Jasna Huremovic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Particulate Matter ◽

Environmental Protection Agency ◽

Low Cost ◽

Urban Pollution ◽

The United States ◽

Average Concentration ◽

Good Opportunity ◽

Reference Instrument ◽

Period 2 ◽

Wide Range

Abstract. In this paper we evaluate characteristics of three optical particulate matter sensors/sizers (OPS): high-end spectrometer 11-D (Grimm, Germany), low-cost sensor OPC-N2 (Alphasense, United Kingdom) and in-house developed MAQS which is based on another low-cost sensor – PMS5003 (Plantower, China), under realistic conditions of strong and mild urban pollution. Results were compared against a reference gravimetric system, based on Gemini (Dadolab, Italy), 2.3 m3/h air sampler, with two channels (simultaneously measuring PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations). The measurements were performed in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, from December 2019 until May 2020. This interval is divided into period 1 – strong pollution (December 2019–March 2020) and period 2 – mild pollution (March 2020–May 2020). The city of Sarajevo is one of the most polluted cities in Europe in terms of aerosols: the average concentration of PM2.5 during the period 1 was 83 μg/m3, with daily aveverage values exceeding 500 μg/m3. During period 2, the average concentration of PM2.5 was 20 μg/m3. These conditions represent a good opportunity to test optical devices against reference instrument in a wide range of ambient particulate matter (PM) concentrations. The effect of an in-house developed diffusion dryer for 11-D is discussed as well. In order to analyze the mass distribution of aerosols, a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) spectrometer, which together with the 11-D spectrometer gives the full spectrum from nanoparticles of diameter 10 nm to coarse particles of diameter 35 μm, was used. All tested devices showed excellent correlation with the reference instrument in period 1, with R2 values between 0.90 and 0.99 for daily average PM concentrations. However, in period 2, where the range of concentrations was much narrower, R2 values decreased significantly, to values from 0.28 to 0.92. We have also included results of a 13.5 month long-term comparison of our MAQS sensor with a nearby beta attenuation monitor (BAM) 1020 (Met One Instruments, USA) operated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), which showed similar correlation and no observable change of performance over time.

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Legal basis for the use of e-commerce when entering international markets

Economics. Finances. Law ◽

10.37634/efp.2020.5(3).4 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 17-19

Author(s):

Nadiia DULHEROVA ◽

Vlasta SHVAHIREVA

Keyword(s):

International Trade ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Low Cost ◽

The United States ◽

Legal Framework ◽

The Internet ◽

Goods And Services ◽

Wide Range ◽

Commerce Law ◽

International Transactions

The paper is devoted to the study of e-commerce as an innovative way to implement a wide range of commercial relations remotely, and the readiness of the legal framework of the international community and Ukraine in particular to abandon traditional forms of doing business in favor of its digitalization. The paper examines US e-commerce law as a reference example of the progressive legal field of relationships emerging on the Internet. The paper reveals the key stages of development of e-commerce and the implementation of commercial relations in general. The paper also considers the regulations of governing the main aspects of e-commerce. The paper pays special attention to the analysis of the identification of obstacles and readiness of the international and Ukrainian legal framework for the formation of a safe environment for the free implementation of e-commerce. Аs the role of e-commerce in international trade is significant. In some countries, it reaches more than 50% of all purchases (for example, the United States and the United Kingdom). The future of international trade is closely linked to the development of e-commerce, as its advantages are obvious over traditional forms of trade. Evidence of this can be the forecasts of analysts. E-commerce in international trade today plays an important role, as the Internet has become an effective intermediary between merchants around the world. International transactions in goods and services have been transformed throughout the supply chain. E-commerce is a major driver of economic growth in both developed and developing countries. The low cost of concluding contracts on the Internet allows companies of all sizes to expand their sales abroad and look for suppliers through Internet commerce. But the integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) into international business operations provides new opportunities and new challenges for businesses, governments, consumers and international organizations.

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Lost in time: temporal monitoring elicits clinical decrements in sustained attention post-stroke

10.1101/2020.11.30.20239921 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

MB Brosnan ◽

PM Dockree ◽

S Harty ◽

DJ Pearce ◽

JM Levenstein ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Target Detection ◽

Sustained Attention ◽

Right Hemisphere ◽

Sudden Onset ◽

Detection Accuracy ◽

Stroke Survivors ◽

Temporal Duration ◽

Wide Range ◽

Over Time ◽

Right Hemisphere Stroke

AbstractMental fatigue, ‘brain fog’ and difficulties maintaining engagement are commonly reported issues in a wide range of neurological and psychiatric conditions. These compromise the ability to effectively engage with rehabilitative intervention and limit plasticity processes necessary for optimal recovery.Traditional sustained attention tasks commonly measure this capacity as the ability to detect target stimuli based on sensory features in the auditory and visual domains. However, with this approach, discrete sudden onset target stimuli may exogenously capture attention and/or result in automatic stimulus-response mappings to aid target detection, thereby masking deficits in the ability to endogenously sustain attention over time. We have developed a sustained attention test (the continuous temporal expectancy test; CTET) which requires individuals to continuously monitor a stream of patterned stimuli alternating at a fixed temporal interval (690ms) and detect an infrequently occurring target stimulus defined by a prolonged temporal duration (1020ms or longer). Because sensory properties of target and non-target stimuli are perceptually identical and differ only in temporal duration, the CTET taxes continuous monitoring processes which are critical for sustaining attention.Here, using the CTET we assessed stroke survivors with unilateral right hemisphere damage (N=14), a cohort in which sustained attention deficits have been extensively reported. The right hemisphere stroke survivors had overall lower target detection accuracy on the CTET compared to neurologically-healthy age-matched older controls (N=18). In addition, performance of the stroke survivors was characterised by significantly steeper within-block performance decrements in target detection accuracy compared with controls. These decrements occurred within short temporal windows (∼3 ½ minutes) and were restored by the break periods between blocks.These findings outline a precise measure of the endogenous processes hypothesized to underpin deficits of sustained attention following right hemisphere stroke and suggest that continuous temporal monitoring may be a particularly sensitive way to capture clinical deficits in the capacity to sustain attention over time.

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Speech-Language Pathology in the Peace Corps: Necessity and Sustainability

Perspectives on Global Issues in Communication Sciences and Related Disorders ◽

10.1044/gics2.1.11 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 11-18

Author(s):

Melissa A. Pierce

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Special Education ◽

Peace Corps ◽

People With Disabilities ◽

Communication Disorders ◽

The United States ◽

Speech Language Pathology ◽

Speech Language Pathologists ◽

Language Pathology

In countries other than the United States, the study and practice of speech-language pathology is little known or nonexistent. Recognition of professionals in the field is minimal. Speech-language pathologists in countries where speech-language pathology is a widely recognized and respected profession often seek to share their expertise in places where little support is available for individuals with communication disorders. The Peace Corps offers a unique, long-term volunteer opportunity to people with a variety of backgrounds, including speech-language pathologists. Though Peace Corps programs do not specifically focus on speech-language pathology, many are easily adapted to the profession because they support populations of people with disabilities. This article describes how the needs of local children with communication disorders are readily addressed by a Special Education Peace Corps volunteer.

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