6,727 research outputs found

    Advancing Evidence-Based Practice for Children with Autism: Study and Application of Video Modeling through the Use and Synthesis of Single-Case Design Research

    Get PDF
    This dissertation document is composed of three separate, but interconnected articles that represent efforts across the research cycle: the first is a review of existing literature on the synthesis of single-case design research in communication sciences and disorders; the second reports results of a novel single-case design study that adds to the existing research literature on behavior modeling interventions for children with autism; and the third is an attempt to translate existing research on video-based behavior modeling into a format accessible to school-based speech-language pathologists serving students with autism. These three articles are tied together by their focus on single-case design research and communication-focused interventions for young children with autism. Through each article, conclusions and recommendations are provided to guide service delivery and future research, with the aim of adding rigor to both the study of autism interventions and the utilization of its findings.Doctor of Philosoph

    Implementing Gameplay Skills to Increase Eye Contact and Communication for Students with Emotional Behavioral Disorder and Comorbid Disabilities

    Get PDF
    This study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of gameplay activities using a structured social skills program to increase both eye contact responses and the number of verbal responses during peer relationships for students with comorbid disabilities in a clinical setting. This SEL intervention was modified for children with comorbid autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and emotional and behavioral disorder (EBD). A single-subject, multiple-baseline, across-participants design was used. Participants included adolescents (n = 6) with comorbid disabilities, predominantly ASD and EBD, their board-certified behavior analysts (BCBA), and six behavior technicians. The researcher established and maintained face-to-face reciprocal peer social engagements (communication) and direct eye gaze (contact) with participants in dyad groups. Each session included a 60-minute video of peer social interactions. Direct observations, differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO), and pre- and post-Social Skills Improvement System-Rating Scales (SSIS-RS) were examined. Evidence of SEL intervention effectiveness was measured by percentage of nonoverlapping data points (PND). Social validity was measured using the multiple-rater SSIS-RS and intervention fidelity checklists evaluating the Sanford Harmony intervention. Results from data and visual analysis revealed all participants significantly increased their direct eye contact, verbal reciprocity, and social engagements after implementing the Harmony program. In addition, a PND value of 100% was calculated for each dependent variable indicating the Harmony program was a highly effective intervention increasing eye contact, verbal reciprocity, and social engagements for students with EBD and comorbid disabilities

    Quasi-experimental design and outcomes of a graduate clinician and caregiver-infant coaching intervention in a university speech-language pathology program

    Get PDF
    Infants are born ready to learn language as one of their most critical developmental tasks, yet infants subject to environmental risk factors related to poverty and low maternal education have been shown to lag behind their peers in language development as early as 8 months of age. Research also indicates the quality of an infant’s language environment can significantly diminish the effects of these risk factors. This quasi-experimental clinical research study explored the effects of a preventive caregiver-infant coaching intervention delivered by graduate student clinicians in a university speech-language pathology program. Developed based on a systematic review of preventive programs for caregivers-infants, the Facilitating Infant Responsiveness to Stimulate Talking (FIRST) Program provided 36 caregiver-infant dyads with education and experience in evidence-based practices known to support prelinguistic development and provided clinical experience for 70 graduate clinicians in preventive education, infant interaction, and caregiver coaching. Offered to parents of any socioeconomic status with infants ages 6- to 12- months-old, the intervention was hypothesized to be of particular benefit to the 14 participating caregiver-infant dyads from low-socioeconomic (low-SES) backgrounds. The intervention, which combined the individual attention of home visit coaching with peer-group instructive modeling, was offered as an 8-session program (2019), a 1-session program (2020), and a 4-session program (2021). A control group participated in all outcome measurements timepoints (pre-test, post-test, and a 3-month follow-up) prior to receiving a delayed session of intervention. Scores on measures of caregiver knowledge and beliefs about early language development significantly increased for the 8- and 4-session participants. Time spent in responsive, turn-taking communication patterns significantly increased for 8-session caregivers and infants. Infant standardized expressive communication scores increased significantly in all intervention conditions. Low-SES participant scores on multiple measures of language learning showed boosts not observed in mid-high SES scores. Graduate clinician confidence in both caregiver coaching and infant assessment showed higher gains for higher numbers of intervention sessions. Overall outcomes reveal a promising preventive model for clinical education in speech-language pathology that benefits caregivers, infants, and students and should be replicable in other university settings and communities

    Report on the Information Retrieval Festival (IRFest2017)

    Get PDF
    The Information Retrieval Festival took place in April 2017 in Glasgow. The focus of the workshop was to bring together IR researchers from the various Scottish universities and beyond in order to facilitate more awareness, increased interaction and reflection on the status of the field and its future. The program included an industry session, research talks, demos and posters as well as two keynotes. The first keynote was delivered by Prof. Jaana Kekalenien, who provided a historical, critical reflection of realism in Interactive Information Retrieval Experimentation, while the second keynote was delivered by Prof. Maarten de Rijke, who argued for more Artificial Intelligence usage in IR solutions and deployments. The workshop was followed by a "Tour de Scotland" where delegates were taken from Glasgow to Aberdeen for the European Conference in Information Retrieval (ECIR 2017

    Early Effects of the Tomatis Listening Method in Children with Attention Deficit

    Get PDF
    This study investigated the early effects of the Tomatis Method, hypothesizing improvement in processing speed, phonological awareness, reading efficiency, attention, behavior and brain physiology by the end of Phase 1 of the Tomatis Method. This study documented the effects of the first phase of the Tomatis Method on children with ADD ages 7-13. Of the 25 participants, 15 received solely the Tomatis treatment while 10 served as controls and were stabilized on ADD medication three months prior to and throughout the study. Therefore, this research study compared Tomatis versus non-Tomatis intervention, not ADD medication treatment with Tomatis intervention. The Tomatis group received 15 consecutive 2 hour sessions; participants received no additional vestibular or visual-motor exercises throughout the research. Results revealed statistically significant improvements for the Tomatis when compared to the non-Tomatis group: the experimental group showed significant improvement in processing speed, phonological awareness, phonemic decoding efficiency when reading, behavior, and auditory attention. A statistically significant increase in slow brain activity at central and parietal midline recording sites in the Tomatis group was observed when comparing pre- and posttreatment theta/beta ratios within each group. Taken in isolation, these are paradoxical findings as they do not concur with the gains documented. The peak alpha frequency values and the z-scored theta/beta ratios of the pre- and post- qEEGs for each participant in the Tomatis group were further explored. The paradoxical increase in theta/betha ratios obtained from individual raw values were not observed to the same extent when using z-scores. The z-scores suggested that the theta/beta ratio, although higher for the Tomatis group after training, remains within the average range for all participants. The individual analysis showed that the changes observed still fell within normal values, which may serve to explain the behavioral gains. To conclude, the significant improvements noted in cognition, attention and behavior, strongly suggest that the Tomatis Method has positive effects in children with ADD. These early changes in brain physiology require further research. This dissertation is accompanied by a supplemental qEEG reports file in PDF format. The electronic version of this dissertation is available through the OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/et

    Quantifying Quality of Life

    Get PDF
    Describes technological methods and tools for objective and quantitative assessment of QoL Appraises technology-enabled methods for incorporating QoL measurements in medicine Highlights the success factors for adoption and scaling of technology-enabled methods This open access book presents the rise of technology-enabled methods and tools for objective, quantitative assessment of Quality of Life (QoL), while following the WHOQOL model. It is an in-depth resource describing and examining state-of-the-art, minimally obtrusive, ubiquitous technologies. Highlighting the required factors for adoption and scaling of technology-enabled methods and tools for QoL assessment, it also describes how these technologies can be leveraged for behavior change, disease prevention, health management and long-term QoL enhancement in populations at large. Quantifying Quality of Life: Incorporating Daily Life into Medicine fills a gap in the field of QoL by providing assessment methods, techniques and tools. These assessments differ from the current methods that are now mostly infrequent, subjective, qualitative, memory-based, context-poor and sparse. Therefore, it is an ideal resource for physicians, physicians in training, software and hardware developers, computer scientists, data scientists, behavioural scientists, entrepreneurs, healthcare leaders and administrators who are seeking an up-to-date resource on this subject
    • …
    corecore