Delaware Speech-Language-Hearing Association
PhD candidate, Ellen Cooper at the University of South Carolina is seeking SLPs who would be willing to complete a dissertation survey. The purpose of this study is to learn about training and experiences of speech-language pathologists. To participate, visit https://redcap.link/SLPsurvey
If you have questions about the survey, please contact Ellen Cooper at eccooper@email.sc.edu.
Purpose
The goal of this study was to examine language development and factors related to language impairments in children with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss (MMHL). The goal of this study was to examine language development and factors related to language impairments in children with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss (MMHL).
Method
Ninety children, aged 8–16 years (46 children with MMHL; 44 aged-matched controls), were administered a battery of standardized language assessments, including measures of phonological processing, receptive and expressive vocabulary and grammar, word and nonword reading, and parental report of communication skills. Group differences were examined after controlling for nonverbal ability.
Results
Children with MMHL performed as well as controls on receptive vocabulary and word and nonword reading. They also performed within normal limits, albeit significantly worse than controls, on expressive vocabulary, and on receptive and expressive grammar, and worse than both controls and standardized norms on phonological processing and parental report of communication skills. However, there was considerable variation in performance, with 26% showing evidence of clinically significant oral or written language impairments. Poor performance was not linked to severity of hearing loss nor age of diagnosis. Rather, outcomes were related to nonverbal ability, maternal education, and presence/absence of family history of language problems.
Conclusions
Clinically significant language impairments are not an inevitable consequence of MMHL. Risk factors appear to include lower maternal education and family history of language problems, whereas nonverbal ability may constitute a protective factor.
Check out this article of interest…Chemical Exposure in Utero May Impact Child’s Language Acquisition
To access the article, follow this link: https://hearingreview.com/inside-hearing/research/acquisition
Our interdisciplinary research team from the University of Iowa, Boystown National Research Hospital, University of North Carolina, and Idaho State University are inviting TODHH and SLPs to participate in a short survey about how they use audiology info in their work with families. We want to develop customized resources that make audiological information easy to understand and share!
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/…
Please feel free to forward the link on to colleagues in your wider networks.
With thanks,
Caitlin Sapp, Kristina Blaiser, Meredith Spratford, & Elizabeth Walker
The University of Delaware is currently conducting two research studies, one is a study on voice therapy in children with vocal fold nodules and the other is a study on speech breathing, which involves remote group sessions for older speakers experiencing dyspnea when speaking.
Hoarse or Scratchy Voice? Voice Therapy Research Study for Boys and Girls
Are any of your patients currently experiencing a scratchy voice or hoarseness that is getting worse for at least three months or more? Your patient may be eligible to participate in a research study if they are between 4 and 11 years old, both boys and girls are welcome!
Are you having a hard time with your breathing when you speak or sing?
The VOICE LAB @ University of Delaware is looking for people for a study on speech breathing. The study involves 3 individual sessions and 6 group sessions —all conducted remotely from the comfort of your home!
Speech-language pathologists and Audiologists in Delaware are classified as 1a for access to vaccine for COVID-19. If you are an Audiologist or SLP licensed in Delaware and have not yet had access to the vaccine, you may wish to contact Delaware’s Division of Public Health (DPH) for further information. They can be reached by email at vaccineplanning@delaware.gov or by phone at 1-833-643-1715.
The Delaware Speech-Language-Hearing Association is seeking a graduate student who will serve as a non-voting student member of the DSHA executive council.
For additional information, graduate students are invited to click here.
Sierrah Harris, Class of 2020, did her capstone project on how often SLPs use books featuring Black, Asian, Hispanic, and Indigenous protagonists – and unfortunately what she found matched her lived experiences…. these books are rarely used by SLPs during clinical practice.
Books serve as a way for children to develop self-identity and understand their role in the world. Books are also frequently used in Speech/Language Therapy to support children with Communication Disorders. Unfortunately, the books available to most Speech Language Pathologists do not feature Black, Asian, Hispanic, and Indigenous children because the books published over the last 20 years are not very diverse.
Sierrah has worked to develop Turn the Page SLPs, a program that will allow SLPs in Delaware to request new books featuring diverse protagonists from a curated list of books (https://www.jotform.com/form/201605808120141). She has a vision that includes professional development and book swaps to maximize the use of these resources. Unfortunately, high quality children’s books are expensive, ranging from $15-$30 each, meaning that it’s expensive to get books in the hands of SLPs. If funded, Turn the Page SLPs has the potential to transform the materials used by SLPs to reflect the caseloads that they serve. UD Henfunder recently picked up Turn the Page SLPs as a project that was crowdfunded as part of #GivingTuesday. Books were to be purchased from a local (Delaware based) Black-owned bookstore, keeping the dollars local to our state.
DSHA empowers speech-language pathologists, audiologists, speech and hearing scientists, and future professionals by providing resources, information, programs, services, advocacy, and networking to promote the highest level of care to the individuals and communities we serve.
This is a great opportunity for educational audiologists, SLPs, and TODHHs to advocate for the listening and communication needs of all students by providing guidance to schools in the use of these funds.