The “Manic Pixie Dream Girl of the Synth-Pop World” and Her “Baby Doll Lisp”

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-156
Author(s):  
Jessica A. Holmes

Audible in speech and song, electro-pop singer Grimes’s so-called “baby doll” lisp generates endless buzz online, ranging from light-hearted adoration, to infantilization, to sexual fetish and even to ableist, misogynist anti-fandom. This article uses the reception of her lisp to build an intersectional theory of lisping across its medical and socio-cultural constructions, bridging work in disability studies, dysfluency studies, voice studies, and popular music studies in the process. I situate the slippage between adoring, infantilizing, fetishistic, and violent characterizations of Grimes’s lisp as reflective of the infantilization of “communicative disorders” in speech language pathology, and the dysfunction associated with feminine coded-speech patterns (e.g. vocal fry and up talk) in the popular imaginary. Lisping is profitably understood as an audible form of “liminal” difference relative to visible physical disabilities (St. Pierre), and to certain ableist, gendered, and racialized conceptions of normative vocality. Ultimately, in the English-speaking world, the lisp is symbolically-coded feminine while exceeding the norms of female vocality, thereby giving rise to a polarizing set of associations that work against female authority and, by extension in Grimes’s case, female musical authorship. Grimes’s reception thus offers a valuable case study for interrogating how misogynist fantasies regarding femininity are thought localized in the female voice, and the symbolic ties between disability and femininity.

1996 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Halpin ◽  
Barbara Herrmann ◽  
Margaret Whearty

The family described in this article provides an unusual opportunity to relate findings from genetic, histological, electrophysiological, psychophysical, and rehabilitative investigation. Although the total number evaluated is large (49), the known, living affected population is smaller (14), and these are spread from age 20 to age 59. As a result, the findings described above are those of a large-scale case study. Clearly, more data will be available through longitudinal study of the individuals documented in the course of this investigation but, given the slow nature of the progression in this disease, such studies will be undertaken after an interval of several years. The general picture presented to the audiologist who must rehabilitate these cases is that of a progressive cochlear degeneration that affects only thresholds at first, and then rapidly diminishes speech intelligibility. The expected result is that, after normal language development, the patient may accept hearing aids well, encouraged by the support of the family. Performance and satisfaction with the hearing aids is good, until the onset of the speech intelligibility loss, at which time the patient will encounter serious difficulties and may reject hearing aids as unhelpful. As the histological and electrophysiological results indicate, however, the eighth nerve remains viable, especially in the younger affected members, and success with cochlear implantation may be expected. Audiologic counseling efforts are aided by the presence of role models and support from the other affected members of the family. Speech-language pathology services were not considered important by the members of this family since their speech production developed normally and has remained very good. Self-correction of speech was supported by hearing aids and cochlear implants (Case 5’s speech production was documented in Perkell, Lane, Svirsky, & Webster, 1992). These patients received genetic counseling and, due to the high penetrance of the disease, exhibited serious concerns regarding future generations and the hope of a cure.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 1267-1282
Author(s):  
Jessica Salley ◽  
Sarah Krusen ◽  
Margaret Lockovich ◽  
Bethany Wilson ◽  
Brenda Eagan-Johnson ◽  
...  

Purpose Through a hypothetical case study, this article aimed to describe an evidence-based approach for speech-language pathologists in managing students with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), particularly within a formal statewide-supported school-based brain injury team model, such as the BrainSTEPS Brain Injury School Consulting Program operating in Pennsylvania and Colorado. Conclusion Upon transitioning from the medical setting back to school, children with TBI present with unique educational needs. Children with moderate-to-severe TBIs can demonstrate a range of strengths and deficits in speech, language, cognition, and feeding and swallowing, impacting their participation in various school activities. The specialized education, training, and insight of speech-language pathologists, in collaboration with multidisciplinary medical and educational team members, can enable the success of students with TBI when transitioning back to school postinjury ( DePompei & Blosser, 2019 ; DePompei & Tyler, 2018 ). This transition should focus on educational planning, implementation of strategies and supports, and postsecondary planning for vocations or higher education.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 57-62
Author(s):  
Anna Maria Siciliano

This paper presents a successful behavioral case study in treatment of chronic refractory cough in a 60-year-old adult female. The efficacy for speech-language pathology treating chronic cough is discussed along with description of treatment regime. Discussion focuses on therapy approaches used and the patient's report of changes in quality of life and frequency, duration, and severity reduction of her cough after treatment.


Author(s):  
RaMonda Horton

This chapter will provide readers with an overview of how a systems-based approach can be used to understand the relationship between culture, environment, language, and disability. It will identify a useful model of ecology, culture, and development that can and should be considered in conjunction with the WHO-ICF framework to guide service delivery in school-based settings. This chapter will also provide an overview of systems-based approaches that can be used when working with children from traditionally marginalized backgrounds. Finally, a case study example will be used to provide guidance on the application of systems-based approaches to service delivery for children in school-based settings.


2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 728-739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael Unicomb ◽  
Kim Colyvas ◽  
Elisabeth Harrison ◽  
Sally Hewat

Purpose Case-study methodology studying change is often used in the field of speech-language pathology, but it can be criticized for not being statistically robust. Yet with the heterogeneous nature of many communication disorders, case studies allow clinicians and researchers to closely observe and report on change. Such information is valuable and can further inform large-scale experimental designs. In this research note, a statistical analysis for case-study data is outlined that employs a modification to the Reliable Change Index (Jacobson & Truax, 1991). The relationship between reliable change and clinical significance is discussed. Example data are used to guide the reader through the use and application of this analysis. Method A method of analysis is detailed that is suitable for assessing change in measures with binary categorical outcomes. The analysis is illustrated using data from one individual, measured before and after treatment for stuttering. Conclusions The application of this approach to assess change in categorical, binary data has potential application in speech-language pathology. It enables clinicians and researchers to analyze results from case studies for their statistical and clinical significance. This new method addresses a gap in the research design literature, that is, the lack of analysis methods for noncontinuous data (such as counts, rates, proportions of events) that may be used in case-study designs.


Author(s):  
Krystal Werfel ◽  
Gabriella Reynolds

Flipped classrooms are increasingly recommended by scholars of teaching and learning, and some have argued that active learning is the key ingredient in this model’s success. This paper describes the creation and implementation of online guided case study scenarios using the test function of a learning management system, as well as evaluation of their effectiveness based on (a) performance of students on separate graded case study assignments and (b) student self-reflection of learning and feedback elicited in an end-of-course survey. The case studies were developed for use in a master’s level speech-language pathology course on aural rehabilitation that occurs during the summer semester.


2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Betty Yu ◽  
Laura Epstein

Disability scholars argue that it is crucial for clinical professionals to critically examine the dominant and alternative discourses about disability, reflect on their own assumptions about disability, and contemplate the different roles they might take in relation to their patients. To date there are few studies examining how disability is conceptualized by speech-language pathologists (SLPs), or how those ideas affect their approach to working with persons with disabilities. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether shifts in the teaching approaches along medical, social, and experiential continua had an impact on how students in a Communicative Disorders course conceptualized the nature of developmental communicative disorders and the roles of the SLP in working with children with developmental communicative disorders. Reflective essays were collected and analyzed for 22 graduate and 38 undergraduate students in an introductory course on developmental communication disorders where different ways of thinking about disability were introduced over the course of a semester. The findings showed that most students at the start of the class held beliefs that were strongly aligned with the medical model of disability. It also showed that being introduced to different disability frameworks led them to reconceptualize both the notion of developmental communication disorders and SLP roles vis-à-vis children with communication disorders. Finally, the findings highlighted complexities and tensions involved in issues of disability in the clinical context. These results support the need for a systematic infusion and critical examination of disability perspectives in Communicative Disorders curricula.


2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Kay

Clinicians in the fields of occupational therapy and speech-language pathology have been involved with assessing children with physical disabilities for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for decades. Still, assessment for these particular children, with their varying levels of complexity, continues to offer significant challenges to clinical evaluation teams. Even when the speech-language pathology intervention seems clear, complications arise and assessments can become stalled as to the child's physical access to the technology. This paper seeks to identify the need for clinicians skilled in the areas of AAC and assistive technology, and review the inherent challenges faced in the assessment of a child with a physical disability for AAC. An introduction to a holistic approach to the physical access assessment portion of the overall AAC assessment is then provided, along with examples where the application of a holistic approach may affect the physical access decisions made by the team.


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