Cluttering framed: An historical overview

BACKGROUND: Cluttering has been described in the literature on speech disorders for over 300 years. Despite this, it remains a poorly understood condition whose history has not been analyzed as a whole to identify common themes and underlying frameworks. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this review is to identify thematic questions and frameworks contained within the literature on cluttering since the earliest found reference in 1717. METHODS: Information from influential historical and contemporary documents were analyzed. Particular attention was paid to the types of questions, both implicit and explicit, that were posed in these materials. This information was ultimately organized into five thematic strands, presented here in the form of key questions. RESULTS: Five questions were derived from our historical analysis: (1) What should the problem be called? (2) What kind of problem is it? (3) What are its defining features? (4) What are its causes? and (5) How should it be treated? The first four questions are discussed in this review. The fifth question will be addressed in a forthcoming paper. CONCLUSIONS: Consensus has been achieved on what to call the disorder (cluttering) and in what domain it should be placed (fluency). Less agreement exists regarding its defining features, causes, and treatment. We propose that alternative conceptual frameworks may be useful in breaking new ground in our understanding and management of this complex condition.

Barriers to Accessing Healthcare Services for People with Parkinson’s Disease: A Scoping Review

Parkinson’s disease is a complex condition that affects many different aspects of a person’s health. Because of its complexity, people with Parkinson’s disease require access to a variety of healthcare services. The aim of the present study was to identify the barriers to access healthcare services for people with Parkinson’s disease. We conducted a scoping review according to guidelines posed by Arksey & O’Malley (2005). A search of MEDLINE, Embase, EINHAL, and PsycINFO databases was conducted, and 38 articles were selected based on the inclusion criteria. The review findings identified person-level and system-level barriers. The person-level barriers included skills required to seek healthcare services, ability to engage in healthcare and cost for services. The system-level barriers included the availability of appropriate healthcare resources. Based on the existing barriers elucidated in the scope review, we have discussed potential areas in healthcare that require improvement for people with Parkinson’s disease to manage their healthcare needs more equitably.

Dyslexia and the Speech Pathologist

Dyslexia is a complex condition. Timely identification of this disorder is imperative to its optimal management. Students benefit most when the skill sets of specialists trained to recognize markers and characteristics of dyslexia are effectively utilized. This chapter provides a real-life case study describing the process by which a student with a language literacy disorder such as dyslexia was assessed by a speech-language pathologist (SLP). Supporting literature is embedded throughout the case study to enhance learning and support the decisions made by the SLP. The role that the SLP can take in working with students with language literacy disorders such as dyslexia is also discussed. Therefore, the aims of this chapter are threefold: to (a) provide guidance for SLPs who may work with students with language literacy disorders such as dyslexia; (b) educate parents of children, with language literacy disorders such as dyslexia, about SLPs; and (c) support teachers and educational professionals by providing information about professionals who can serve as a resource for students.

Current Perspective: Vertigo in the Elderly

Vertigo is a relatively complex condition demanding a skilfully collected and analyzed history. When an elderly patient presents with vertigo, some conditions are most commonly considered highly possible and likely whereas others (prevalent more in young) tend to be excluded from the mental algorithm of the clinician. It also matters to whom the patient presents first-internist, neurologist or the otolaryngologist. An important feature in vertigo in the elderly is the probability of it being multifactorial because of co-morbid conditions that could contribute to the complexity of manifestations. Conducting and appropriately interpreting the bedside tests/maneuvers and thereafter selecting battery of tests/investigations in a sequential manner can clinch the issue of a fair diagnosis in most cases. The Covid Dimension: Any discussion on vertigo would be incomplete without noting the findings on vertigo reported abundantly over the last one year. The compounding COVID angle merits being duly and appropriately considered.

Research on the Geostatic Stress Field Procedure under Complex Conditions

Geostatic stress field procedure is the first and the most important step for the numerical simulation of geotechnical engineering, which greatly influences the simulation results. Traditional methods often fail when the model is complex. In this paper, based on finite element method (FEM) software ABAQUS, failure reasons of four commonly used methods for the geostatic stress field are studied. According to the analysis results, a new set of methods, which can provide reasonable displacement and stress field results under complex conditions, is proposed. The proposed methods follow the principle that the stress of different materials should be obtained separately to avoid stress distortion. Then, the accuracy and applicability of the proposed method are verified through a comparison study and a specific application. This study provides a theoretical basis for the method of geostatic stress field procedure under complex condition and can serve as a reference for relevant studies.