Standardized Patients in Communication Sciences and DIsorders: Past, Present and Future Directions

Standardized patients (SPs) are increasingly being used with students in the field of communication sciences and disorders (CSD). The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of SPs with CSD students. Challenges to the clinical education of students are described, and a call is made to expand the use of SPs to facilitate student learning of clinical skills and to assess students’ clinical competency

Readability, User-Friendliness, and Key Content Analysis of Newborn Hearing Screening Brochures

Readability, user-friendliness, and key content are important components of newborn screening brochure design. Health information at a sixth grade or below reading level, designed for ease of navigation, with easily identifiable “action steps” can help adults with limited literacy skills find, understand, and use health information. The purpose of this study was to quantify the readability, user-friendliness, and key content components of newborn hearing screening brochures. Five readability formulae (FRE, F–K GL, FOG, FORCAST, and SMOG) were used to estimate reading levels of English language EHDI brochures (N = 48). Twenty-three participants assessed brochures for user-friendliness. Three participants assessed brochures to determine if key content elements were included and if so, the ease of locating them. Readers are provided with simple steps to follow during brochure design to maximize the message in parent education materials. This study forms the framework for quality improvement efforts and research-to-practice initiatives in the field

Impact of Virtual Simulation and Coaching on the Interpersonal Collaborative Communication Skills of Speech-Language Pathology Students: A Pilot Study

Communication between clinicians, teachers, and family members is a critical skill when addressing and providing for the individual needs of patients. However, graduate students in speech-language pathology (SLP) programs often have limited opportunities to practice these skills prior to or during externship placements. The purpose of this study was to explore the use of virtual-reality based rehearsal with coaching on the interpersonal collaborative communication skills of SLP graduate students when delivering information regarding a singular patient to different stakeholders. Three graduate students completing their third semester in a SLP program participated in the study. Each participant was provided a clinical case scenario and asked to deliver recommendations related to the client’s communication abilities to a single adult avatar portraying either a parent, teacher, or pediatrician. This task was repeated twice to allow assessment of performance across multiple trials. A brief reflection and coaching period was provided between trials with the same avatar. All interactions were scored using the Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation, and Communication (SBAR-C) tool. All participants demonstrated improved communication skills between their first and second trial with each avatar as measured by the SBAR-C. Social validity surveys with participants revealed that they found the intervention to be valid and acceptable

Telepractice Versus In-Person Delivery Of Voice Therapy For Primary Muscle Tension Dysphonia

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of telepractice for delivering flow phonation exercises to persons with primary muscle tension dysphonia (MTD). Method: Fourteen participants with a diagnosis of primary MTD participated, 7 on site and 7 at remote locations. Each participant received 12 treatment sessions across 6 weeks. Treatment consisted of flow phonation voice therapy exercises. Auditory–perceptual, acoustic, aerodynamic, and quality-of-life measures were taken before and after treatment. Results: Perceptual and quality-of-life measures were significantly better posttreatment and were statistically equivalent across groups. Acoustic and aerodynamic measures improved in both groups, but changes did not reach statistical significance. Results for the 2 service delivery groups were comparable, with no significant differences observed for perceptual and quality-of-life measures. Conclusions: Although the American Speech-LanguageHearing Association supports the use of telepractice for speech-language pathology services, evidence for the use of telepractice for providing behavioral treatment to patients with MTD has been lacking. The results of this study indicate that flow phonation exercises can be successfully used for patients with MTD using telepractice

Telepractice Versus In-Person Delivery of Voice Therapy for Primary Muscle Tension Dysphonia

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of telepractice for delivering flow phonation exercises to persons with primary muscle tension dysphonia (MTD). Method: Fourteen participants with a diagnosis of primary MTD participated, 7 on site and 7 at remote locations. Each participant received 12 treatment sessions across 6 weeks. Treatment consisted of flow phonation voice therapy exercises. Auditory–perceptual, acoustic, aerodynamic, and quality-of-life measures were taken before and after treatment. Results: Perceptual and quality-of-life measures were significantly better posttreatment and were statistically equivalent across groups. Acoustic and aerodynamic measures improved in both groups, but changes did not reach statistical significance. Results for the 2 service delivery groups were comparable, with no significant differences observed for perceptual and quality-of-life measures. Conclusions: Although the American Speech-LanguageHearing Association supports the use of telepractice for speech-language pathology services, evidence for the use of telepractice for providing behavioral treatment to patients with MTD has been lacking. The results of this study indicate that flow phonation exercises can be successfully used for patients with MTD using telepractice