scholarly journals TOWARD DEVELOPMENT OF GUIDELINES FOR VIRTUAL ADMINISTRATION OF STANDARDIZED LANGUAGE AND LITERACY ASSESSMENTS: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CLINICIANS AND RESEARCHERS

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Wood ◽  
Insiya Bhalloo ◽  
Brittany McCaig ◽  
Cristina Feraru ◽  
Monika Molnar
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
Standardized Assessments ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Virtual Care ◽  
Literacy Assessments ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Virtual Setting

Previous virtual care literature within the field of speech-language pathology has primarily focused on the implementation of specific intervention programs, but recommendations for best practices in virtual assessment, particularly standardized assessment of oral language and literacy abilities are scarce. Given the recent rapid rise in virtual care and research, clinicians and researchers require guidance on best practices for virtual administration of these tools. We informally reviewed the extant literature, and conducted semi-structured interviews with a group of 12 clinicians, students and researchers who had administered standardized language and literacy assessments with typically developing children between the ages of four and eight, in a virtual setting. Six themes: candidacy for virtual assessment, communication and collaboration with caregivers, technology and equipment, virtual administration, ethics, consent and confidentiality, and special considerations for bilingual populations were discussed, to develop a set of recommendations to guide the use of standardized assessments in a virtual setting. In line with the Guidelines International Network, these recommendations were rated by group members, and reviewed by external stakeholders. This paper is one of the first to share recommended practices for virtual assessment in the domain of oral language assessment. As research on the reliability of virtual assessment in this realm is still scarce, we hope the current recommendations will facilitate future clinical research in this area, and in turn will lead to the development of formal Clinical Practice Guidelines.

scholarly journals Towards development of guidelines for virtual administration of paediatric standardized language and literacy assessments: Considerations for clinicians and researchers

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 205031212110505
Author(s):  
Emily Wood ◽  
Insiya Bhalloo ◽  
Brittany McCaig ◽  
Cristina Feraru ◽  
Monika Molnar
Keyword(s):  
Oral Language ◽  
The Body ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Literacy Assessment ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Delphi Consensus ◽  
Virtual Care ◽  
Literacy Assessments ◽  
Consensus Procedure ◽  
Language Pathology

Objectives: Previous virtual care literature within the field of speech-language pathology has primarily focused on validating the virtual use of intervention programmes. There are fewer articles addressing the validity of conducting virtual assessments, particularly standardized assessment of oral language and literacy abilities in children. In addition, there is a lack of practical, useful recommendations available to support clinicians and researchers on how to conduct these assessment measures virtually. Given the recent rapid rise in virtual care and research as a result of the Coronavirus-19 pandemic, clinicians and researchers require guidance on best practices for virtual administration of these tools imminently. This article seeks to fill this gap in the literature by providing such recommendations. Methods: We (a) completed a narrative review of the extant literature, and (b) conducted semi-structured interviews with a group of 12 clinicians, students and researchers who had administered standardized language and literacy assessments with a variety of monolingual and multilingual school-aged children, with and without speech and language difficulties, in clinical and research settings. Six themes: candidacy for virtual assessment, communication and collaboration with caregivers, technology and equipment, virtual administration, ethics, consent and confidentiality, and considerations for bilingual populations were identified as a result of these two processes and were used to develop a set of recommendations to guide the use of standardized assessments in a virtual setting. In line with the Guidelines International Network, these recommendations were rated by group members, and reviewed by external stakeholders. A quasi-Delphi consensus procedure was used to reach agreement on ratings for recommendations. Results: We have developed and outlined several recommendations for clinicians and researchers to guide their use of standardized language and literacy assessments in virtual care, across six key themes. Conclusions: This article is one of the first to share practical recommendations for virtual assessment in the domain of oral language and literacy assessment for clinicians and researchers. We hope the current recommendations will facilitate future clinical research in this area, and as the body of research in this field grows, this article will act as a basis for the development of formal Clinical Practice Guidelines.

An Approach to Mainstreaming Language-Disabled Children in the Elementary School

1978 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-23
Author(s):  
Karen Navratil ◽  
Margie Petrasek
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Montgomery County ◽  
Elementary School Age ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
General Goal ◽  
Resource Program

In 1972 a program was developed in Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland, to provide daily resource remediation to elementary school-age children with language handicaps. In accord with the Maryland’s guidelines for language and speech disabilities, the general goal of the program was to provide remediation that enabled children with language problems to increase their abilities in the comprehension or production of oral language. Although self-contained language classrooms and itinerant speech-language pathology programs existed, the resource program was designed to fill a gap in the continuum of services provided by the speech and language department.

scholarly journals 3031 Facilitators and Barriers in Screening Sexually Active Female Adolescents for Chlamydia Infection in the Suburban Practice Setting

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (s1) ◽  
pp. 144-144
Author(s):  
Ashaunta Tumblin Anderson ◽  
Barbara Frankowski ◽  
Paul J. Chung ◽  
Judith Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Female Adolescents ◽  
Chlamydia Infection ◽  
Pediatric Care ◽  
Chlamydia Screening ◽  
Practice Setting ◽  
Sexually Active ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Pediatric Providers

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: 1) Describe strategies pediatric providers perceive improve chlamydia screening of sexually active female adolescents (SA), and 2) describe barriers to regular screening of SA for chlamydia METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Using qualitative methods, 14 general pediatric providers across 7 clinical sites in Vermont were interviewed to ascertain best practices and remaining challenges. Semi-structured interviews lasting 30-45 minutes were audiotaped and transcribed. Chlamydia screening rates provided by BCBS-VT were used to categorize participant responses across three performance tiers, data were coded, and themes identified within these tiers. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Facilitators: When asked to describe facilitators of chlamydia screening, providers in the top tier of chlamydia screening emphasized the importance of adequate insurance to cover the cost of testing. Providers in the middle performance tier cited use of pre-visit questionnaires, and those in the bottom performance tier identified no best practices. Other strategies included improving physician confidence and awareness, establishing practice- and individual-level routines, and providing strong leadership and communication of local screening rates. Barriers: Across the 3 performance tiers, the most common challenges to consistent chlamydia screening were threats to patient confidentiality, cost of the screening test, and requirement for patient disclosure of sexual activity. Less commonly, providers were concerned that adolescent patients were not reliable to obtain screens off-site, or fill treatment prescriptions without the help of a parent. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The need for systematic, confidential, and inexpensive means for screening SA for chlamydia was highlighted in both the best practices and challenges described by providers of pediatric care in the suburban practice setting. Policy and practice interventions may target these needs to improve the reproductive health of female adolescents.

scholarly journals Ultra Groups as Social Space for Leisure

2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-11
Author(s):  
Daniel Seabra
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Autobiographical Narratives ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Direct Participation ◽  
Social Leisure ◽  
Group Members ◽  
The Media ◽  
Regular Practice

AbstractThe paper aims to demonstrate that violence is far from a regular practice in Ultra groups, despite its notorious visibility as transmitted by the media. The paper attempts to demonstrate that Ultra groups are a social space of leisure for young people, rather than a space for violence. Actually, having used observation through direct participation and having registered the discourses of Ultra group members, it is possible to demonstrate that life in these groups represents, for many, not only a break from difficult everyday life, but also the only and/or the most important moment of social leisure in their lives.The object of this research was four Ultra groups who support the teams of Oporto City: Super Dragõe, Colectivo Ultras 95 (both support Futebol Clube do Porto), Panteras Ngeras (supporting Boavista Futebol Clube), and Alma Salgueirista (supporting Sport Comércio e Salgueiros). The research was based on observation through direct participation made among the groups over six years. Also conducted were 90 semi-structured interviews, 20 autobiographical narratives, and surveys (sample 206 for estimated n=1766).

Les facteurs d’aide : Pour une meilleure compréhension des éléments-clés de l’intervention en contexte de nature et d’aventure

Groupwork ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-107
Author(s):  
Virginie Gargano
Keyword(s):  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Past ◽  
Travail Social ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Key Features ◽  
Multiple Challenges ◽  
Interpersonal Learning ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Connaissance De Soi ◽  
Primary Family

Les programmes d’intervention en contexte de nature et d’aventure (INA) font l’objet d’études depuis plus d’une cinquantaine d’années. Malgré la reconnaissance des effets qui leur sont attribués, peu de travaux portent sur les processus s’opérant dans ces interventions. L’objectif de cet article est d’identifier ces processus et de mieux comprendre leur influence sur l’expérience de groupe. Pour ce faire, le modèle des facteurs d’aide (FA) a été retenu. Des entrevues semi-dirigées ont été réalisées auprès de 23 sujets âgés de 17 à 21 ans ayant participé à une expédition de 18 jours. Les éléments-clés de l’INA sont les suivants : la multitude de défis, la déstabilisation, la relation entre les enseignants et les participants et le milieu naturel. Ensuite, leur relation avec les FA est mise en relief. Il est question de : l’altruisme, les comportements d’imitation, la cohésion, la connaissance de soi, le partage d’information, l’universalité et les techniques de socialisation. Les apprentissages interpersonnels, la catharsis, l’espoir, les facteurs existentiels et la récapitulation corrective de la famille sont absents. Ces résultats mettent en lumière l’interaction entre les éléments-clés de l’INA et les FA, et la pertinence de s’y intéresser en travail social de groupe.A number of studies have addressed outdoor and adventure programs over the past fifty years. Despite empirical evidence that demonstrates the personal benefits of these programs, research investigating the key features responsible for these effects is scarce. The purpose of this article is to identify them and understand their influence. In order to achieve this goal, the data were examined from the perspective of helping factors (HFs). Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 23 subjects aged between 17 and 21 who had participated in an 18 day expedition. The results show that participation in the program promoted key features: multiple challenges, the experience of destabilization, the relationship between the facilitators and group members and finally, the experience of being in wilderness. Then, relationships between key features and HFs are highlighted. Many of them are found: altruism, imitative behavior, cohesiveness, self-understanding, imparting information, development of socializing techniques, and universality. Interpersonal learning, catharsis, hope, existential factors, and corrective recapitulation of the primary family group are absent. These results give a better understanding of how key features interact with HFs in nature and adventure settings and its relevance in social work with groups.

scholarly journals Maximising health literacy and client recall of clinical information: An exploratory study of clients and speech-language pathologists

2010 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Friderike Schmidt Von Wûhlisch ◽  
Michelle Pascoe
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Cleft Lip ◽  
Treatment Effectiveness ◽  
Clinical Information ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Need To Evaluate ◽  
Language Pathology

Limited research has been carried out in the field of speech-language pathology with regard to ways of maximising health literacy and client recall. However, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) frequently provide vast amounts of information that clients need to understand, apply and review in order to manage their (or their child’s) health. This exploratory study aimed to contribute information about ways in which SLPs can overcome low health literacy and poor client recall so that treatment effectiveness is improved. A case-study design was used with specific focus on four clients receiving treatment for dysphagia, voice disorders (including laryngectomies) and cleft lip and/or palate management in Cape Town. Strategies which may be able to maximise health literacy and client recall of clinical information were trialled and evaluated by clients and their SLPs, using semi-structured interviews. The researchers proposed a combination of high-tech strategies which assisted in all the cases. No single solution or universal tool was found that would be appropriate for all. There is a need to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of the combined strategies across a wider population, at different stages of rehabilitation and in diverse contexts. Implications and suggestions for future related research are presented.

The relevance of oral language skills to early literacy: A multivariate analysis

1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
DEBORAH L. SPEECE ◽  
FROMA P. ROTH ◽  
DAVID H. COOPER ◽  
SUSAN DE LA PAZ
Keyword(s):  
Early Literacy ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Direct Role ◽  
Oral Language Skills ◽  
Subtype Differences

This study examined relationships between oral language and literacy in a two-year, multivariate design. Through empirical cluster analysis of a sample of 88 kindergarten children, four oral language subtypes were identified based on measures of semantics, syntax, metalinguistics, and oral narration. Validation efforts included (a) concurrent and predictive analyses of subtype differences on reading, spelling, and listening comprehension measures based on a priori hypotheses and (b) a comparison of the teacher classification of the children with the empirical classification. The subtypes represented high average, low average, high narrative, and low overall patterns of oral language skill. The high average subtype received the most consistent evidence for validation. The pattern of validation results indicates that the relationship between oral language and literacy is not uniform and suggests a modification of the assumption that oral language skills have a direct role in reading acquisition.

scholarly journals Obesity, stigma and reflexive embodiment: Feeling the ‘weight’ of expectation

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 421-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oli Williams ◽  
Ellen Annandale
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Lifestyle Modification ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Social Significance ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Obesity Stigma ◽  
Group Members

The dominant obesity discourse which emphasises individual moral responsibility and lifestyle modification encourages weight-based stigma. Existing research overwhelmingly demonstrates that obesity stigma is an ineffective means by which to reduce the incidence of obesity and that it promotes weight-gain. However, the sensate experiences associated with the subjective experience of obesity stigma as a reflexively embodied phenomenon have been largely unexamined. This article addresses this knowledge gap by providing a phenomenological account. Data are derived from 11 months of ethnographic participant observation and semi-structured interviews with three single-sex weight-loss groups in England. Group members were predominantly overweight/obese and of low-socio-economic status. The analysis triangulates these two data sources to investigate what/how obesity stigma made group members feel. We find that obesity stigma confused participant’s objective and subjective experiences of their bodies. This was primarily evident on occasions when group members felt heavier after engaging in behaviours associated with weight-gain but this ‘weight’ did not register on the weighing scales. We conceptualise this as the weight of expectation which is taken as illustrative of the perpetual uncertainty and morality that characterises weight-management. In addition, we show that respondents ascribed their sensate experiences of physiological responses to exercise with moral and social significance. These carnal cues provided a sense of certainty and played an important role in attempts to negotiate obesity stigma. These findings deepen the understanding of how and why obesity stigma is an inappropriate and ineffective means of promoting weight-loss.

Telepractice in Speech-Language Pathology: The Evidence, the Challenges, and the Future

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Theodoros
Keyword(s):  
Mode Of Delivery ◽  
Communication Disorders ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
The Future ◽  
Language Pathology

This article provides a review of the evidence base for telepractice in speech-language pathology, the challenges that exist, and the future directions for this field. It describes the benefits of telepractice for clients and their families and outlines the evidence currently available to support the validity and reliability of this mode of delivery in the management of adult neurogenic communication disorders (aphasia, dysarthria, apraxia of speech); voice disorders; stuttering; dysphagia; laryngectomy; and articulation, language, and literacy disorders in children. The challenges facing telepractice in speech-language pathology and the future directions for this field are discussed. Telepractice is an emerging area of service delivery in speech-language pathology that is likely to become an integral part of mainstream practice in the future. In order to achieve this, it is imperative that the profession accelerates its program of research and clinical endeavor in this area.

Procedures for Obtaining and Analyzing Writing Samples of School-Age Children and Adolescents

2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 277-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna R. Price ◽  
Sandra C. Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Common Core ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
Common Core State Standards ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
State Standards ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
State School ◽  
Core State ◽  
The Common

Purpose Many students' writing skills are below grade-level expectations, and students with oral language difficulties are at particular risk for writing difficulties. Speech-language pathologists' (SLPs') expertise in language applies to both the oral and written modalities, yet evidence suggests that SLPs' confidence regarding writing assessment is low. Writing samples are a clinically useful, criterion-referenced assessment technique that is relevant to helping students satisfy writing-related requirements of the Common Core State Standards (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010a). This article provides recommendations for obtaining and analyzing students' writing samples. Method In this tutorial, the authors provide a comprehensive literature review of methods regarding (a) collection of writing samples from narrative, expository (informational/explanatory), and persuasive (argument) genres; (b) variables of writing performance that are useful to assess; and (c) manual and computer-aided techniques for analyzing writing samples. The authors relate their findings to expectations for writing skills expressed in the Common Core State Standards (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010a). Conclusion SLPs can readily implement many techniques for obtaining and analyzing writing samples. The information in this article provides SLPs with recommendations for the use of writing samples and may help increase SLPs' confidence regarding written language assessment.

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