Pitch and Rhythm Processing in Aphasia

In individuals with aphasia, it has long been observed that though the ability to produce fluent strings of speech may be impaired, the ability to sing is sometimes preserved (Gerstman, 1964). In response to such observations, Albert, Sparks and Helm (1973) developed what is known as Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT) with the suggestion that right hemisphere mechanisms believed to be involved in music processing may be able to compensate for damage to the language zone in the left hemisphere. Because music and speech share similar compositions (e.g., rhythm, pitch, duration and often linguistic content) and are thought to reign dominant in opposite hemispheres, it is understandable that such claims be made. However, collective findings in the areas of melodic and prosodic processing and the neural substrates that are involved in these processes suggest that the basis for the effectiveness of MIT must be more complicated than originally described. Although MIT has been shown to be a successful remediation tool for the partial restoration of language function in some individuals with aphasia (Sparks, Helm & Albert, 1974; Goldfarb & Bader, 1979; Schlaug, Marchina, & Norton, 2008, 2009) little evidence has been gathered as to what exactly makes this therapy effective. Consequently, a lack of evidence has been provided as to how MIT can be individualized to maximize the efficiency and efficacy of the treatment it provides

Mutual Exclusivity in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Testing the Pragmatic Hypothesis

While there is ample evidence that children treat words as mutually exclusive, the cognitive basis of this bias is widely debated. We focus on the distinction between pragmatic and lexical constraints accounts. High-functioning children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) offer a unique perspective on this debate, as they acquire substantial vocabularies despite impoverished social-pragmatic skills. We tested children and adolescents with ASD in a paradigm examining mutual exclusivity for words and facts. Words were interpreted contrastively more often than facts. Word performance was associated with vocabulary size; fact performance was associated with social-communication skills. Thus mutual exclusivity does not appear to be driven by pragmatics, suggesting that it is either a lexical constraint or a reflection of domain-general learning processes

Students Tele-All: Self-Efficacy and Self-Reflection as Measures of Student Success in Telepractice Training

With an increasing demand for telepractice services, the need for telepractice education is more important than ever. In addition to learning how to deliver these services, certain clinical and technological skills learned through telepractice apply more broadly to in-person care. Evaluating students’ abilities to master these skills is necessary to ensure clinical skill competence. We utilized self-efficacy ratings and self-reflections to determine student growth after hands-on telepractice training among nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology students. Students across disciplines demonstrated growth in all measured skill areas and reported overall increased confidence. Students with less prior telepractice experience reported greater increased confidence in seven measured competency areas than students with more prior telepractice experience. The number of completed sessions at the end of student placements was correlated with increased confidence for one measured skill area. Regardless of whether or not students had prior experience when starting their placement, as the number of telepractice sessions completed increased, thus did students’ confidence levels. The results of this study support telepractice as a viable clinical education tool for student growth and the use of self-efficacy and self-reflection as valuable tools for monitoring the effectiveness of telepractice clinical learning activities

Students Tele-All: Self-Efficacy and Self-Reflection as Measures of Student Success in Telepractice Training

With an increasing demand for telepractice services, the need for telepractice education is more important than ever. In addition to learning how to deliver these services, certain clinical and technological skills learned through telepractice apply more broadly to in-person care. Evaluating students’ abilities to master these skills is necessary to ensure clinical skill competence. We utilized self-efficacy ratings and self-reflections to determine student growth after hands-on telepractice training among nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology students. Students across disciplines demonstrated growth in all measured skill areas and reported overall increased confidence. Students with less prior telepractice experience reported greater increased confidence in seven measured competency areas than students with more prior telepractice experience. The number of completed sessions at the end of student placements was correlated with increased confidence for one measured skill area. Regardless of whether or not students had prior experience when starting their placement, as the number of telepractice sessions completed increased, thus did students’ confidence levels. The results of this study support telepractice as a viable clinical education tool for student growth and the use of self-efficacy and self-reflection as valuable tools for monitoring the effectiveness of telepractice clinical learning activities