Outcomes Research to Generate the Art Therapy Evidence Base for Practice

Purpose This exploratory study examined the language skills and the type and frequency of disfluencies in the spoken narrative production of Spanish–English bilingual children who do not stutter. Method A cross-sectional sample of 29 bilingual students (16 boys and 13 girls) enrolled in grades prekindergarten through Grade 4 produced a total of 58 narrative retell language samples in English and Spanish. Key outcome measures in each language included the percentage of normal (%ND) and stuttering-like (%SLD) disfluencies, percentage of words in mazes (%MzWds), number of total words, number of different words, and mean length of utterance in words. Results Cross-linguistic, pairwise comparisons revealed significant differences with medium effect sizes for %ND and %MzWds (both lower for English) as well as for number of different words (lower for Spanish). On average, the total percentage of mazed words was higher than 10% in both languages, a pattern driven primarily by %ND; %SLDs were below 1% in both languages. Multiple linear regression models for %ND and %SLD in each language indicated that %MzWds was the primary predictor across languages beyond other language measures and demographic variables. Conclusions The findings extend the evidence base with regard to the frequency and type of disfluencies that can be expected in bilingual children who do not stutter in grades prekindergarten to Grade 4. The data indicate that %MzWds and %ND can similarly index the normal disfluencies of bilingual children during narrative production. The potential clinical implications of the findings from this study are discussed.

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Bang for Your Buck: A Single-Case Experimental Design Study of Practice Amount and Distribution in Treatment for Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2019_jslhr-s-18-0212 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 62 (9) ◽

pp. 3160-3182 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Edwin Maas ◽

Christina Gildersleeve-Neumann ◽

Kathy Jakielski ◽

Nicolette Kovacs ◽

Ruth Stoeckel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Single Case ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Distributed Practice ◽

Single Subject ◽

Single Subject Design ◽

Apraxia Of Speech ◽

Childhood Apraxia Of Speech ◽

Opposite Pattern ◽

Massed Practice ◽

Treatment Conditions

Purpose The aim of this study was to examine 2 aspects of treatment intensity in treatment for childhood apraxia of speech (CAS): practice amount and practice distribution. Method Using an alternating-treatments single-subject design with multiple baselines, we compared high versus low amount of practice, and massed versus distributed practice, in 6 children with CAS. Conditions were manipulated in the context of integral stimulation treatment. Changes in perceptual accuracy, scored by blinded analysts, were quantified with effect sizes. Results Four children showed an advantage for high amount of practice, 1 showed an opposite effect, and 1 showed no condition difference. For distribution, 4 children showed a clear advantage for massed over distributed practice post treatment; 1 showed an opposite pattern, and 1 showed no clear difference. Follow-up revealed a similar pattern. All children demonstrated treatment effects (larger gains for treated than untreated items). Conclusions High practice amount and massed practice were associated with more robust speech motor learning in most children with CAS, compared to low amount and distributed practice, respectively. Variation in effects across children warrants further research to determine factors that predict optimal treatment conditions. Finally, this study adds to the evidence base supporting the efficacy of integral stimulation treatment for CAS. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.9630599

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Inclusion of Transgender Voice and Communication Training in a University Clinic

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/persp2.sig10.109 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (10) ◽

pp. 109-115 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jennifer Oates ◽

Georgia Dacakis

Keyword(s):

Training Program ◽

Clinical Education ◽

Well Being ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Communication Training ◽

Speech Language Pathology ◽

Transgender People ◽

Language Pathology ◽

Effectiveness Of Training ◽

Negative Impacts

Because of the increasing number of transgender people requesting speech-language pathology services, because having gender-incongruent voice and communication has major negative impacts on an individual's social participation and well-being, and because voice and communication training is supported by an improving evidence-base, it is becoming more common for universities to include transgender-specific theoretical and clinical components in their speech-language pathology programs. This paper describes the theoretical and clinical education provided to speech-language pathology students at La Trobe University in Australia, with a particular focus on the voice and communication training program offered by the La Trobe Communication Clinic. Further research is required to determine the outcomes of the clinic's training program in terms of student confidence and competence as well as the effectiveness of training for transgender clients.

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