Cross-cultural peer-mentoring: Mentor outcomes and perspectives

Limited relationships with peers and faculty create barriers for retaining racial or ethnic minority students through the academic path to SPHS professions. As such, university programs must pay particular attention to formalized avenues of social support to decrease attrition and increase retention (Cokley, 2000). Mentoring is one such avenue (Wright-Harp & Cole, 2008). The purpose of this paper is to describe mentor outcomes and perspectives of a cross-cultural peer-mentoring program entitled LEAD: Leadership, Education, Advocacy, and Diversity. Graduate students from SLP and AUD graduate programs were recruited to serve as peer mentors to potential undergraduate candidates representing diverse ethnicities who might be interested in a career in SLP or AUD. Using a qualitative-dominant concurrent mixed method design, goals, values, and barriers as well as differences in cultural constructs perceived by graduate students as a result of participating in LEAD are examined. Outcomes and future direction of the peer-mentoring program are discussed

Portrayal of hearing loss in YouTube videos: An exploratory cross-sectional analysis

Objective: The objective of the current study was to examine the source, content, understandability and actionability of hearing loss information on YouTube videos. Method: The study used a cross-sectional design. One hundred of the most frequently viewed YouTube videos were identified and various data were manually coded (i.e., video source, video content, popularity measures such as number of views, likes, and dislikes). In addition, the understandability and actionability of each video were evaluated using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audiovisual Martials (PEMAT-AV) rating scale. Results: Of the 100 most viewed videos, 16 were created by consumers, 62 were professional-created, and 22 were media-based. Symptoms, causes and treatment or management of hearing loss were the most frequently discussed content categories with over 60% of all videos commenting on these areas. The overall understandability and actionability scores for the 100 videos included were 77% and 31% respectively indicating adequate understandability and poor actionability. Conclusions: The YouTube videos on hearing loss focus on a range of issues. The poor actionability of these videos was a concern as these videos may not lead to appropriate consumer actions in addressing their hearing loss. Efforts are needed to improve the quality and content of these videos to promote appropriate behavior change

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss:What can we learn from examining Reddit posts?

Background Many patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss may seek hearing health information and social support online, although little is known about the online information seeking behaviour. Objective The present study aimed to examine the discussions around sudden sensorineural hearing loss in Reddit posts. Method A total of 526 Reddit posts about sudden sensorineural hearing loss were extracted and analysed using qualitative and quantitative methods. Results The content analysis identified eight main categories. Most of the posts were on topics of: sharing personal experiences (34 per cent), describing symptoms (31 per cent), discussing treatment options (36 per cent) and discussing possible causes (19 per cent) of sudden sensorineural hearing loss. The sudden sensorineural hearing loss Reddit posts varied significantly in terms of linguistic variables when compared to baseline Reddit posts. Reddit posts by individuals with sudden sensorineural hearing loss had significantly higher engagement, higher authenticity and made more references to their body when compared to other users. Conclusion The study results provide insights that can be helpful for professionals during clinical interactions

Media use by older adults with hearing loss: An exploratory survey

Objectives: There has been a substantial increase in people with health conditions seeking health-related information online. The aim of this study was to examine the media usage by older adults with hearing loss. Method: The study used a cross-sectional survey design. A total of 556 older adults with hearing loss (Hearing Tracker website users) completed the survey that was focused on (a) demographic information, (b) general electronic media usage, (c) sources of hearing health information, and (d) social media use for hearing health information. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Results: When seeking hearing health care information, the majority of the participants turned to the Internet (54%) followed by health professionals (34%) as the first response to their symptoms. Both sources were also rated as the easiest means of obtaining hearing health information. The information from health care providers was rated as more reliable and important for decision making than that from the Internet. Facebook and YouTube were the most frequently used social media platforms with over 40% of the respondents using them “most of the time” or “sometimes.” All the social media platforms were rated less favorably than other sources for ease of finding information, reliability, and importance in decision making. Conclusion: Older adults with hearing loss use various forms of electronic media for seeking hearing health information. They place the most trust on the information obtained from hearing health care professionals. These professionals need to be aware of the quality of information available on the Internet and social media sources in order to direct patients to credible sources

Profiles of Social Communicative Competence In Middle School Children With Asperger Syndrome: Two Case Studies

Among characteristics of children diagnosed with Asperger syndrome (AS) are difficulties in social communication. This study describes the social communicative competence of two middle school children with AS participating in conversations in three different situational contexts. The conversations were transcribed and submitted to three kinds of analysis: 1) analysis of the distribution of the conversational load, 2) Damico\u27s (1985) Clinical Discourse Analysis (CDA), and 3) analysis of interchange types and illocutionary force. Whereas some similarities were observed, the children presented with distinct profiles of social communicative competence. Clinical implications are presented for each child. © 2006 Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd

The Power of Faculty: Transformative Agents of Change for the Profession

The lack of racial diversity in the profession is problematic for the families we aim to serve. The goal of this paper is to address some of the ways in which CSD departments can contribute to increasing the number of speech-language pathologists and audiologists of color. This manuscript proposes that faculty are a source of fundamental change and progress toward anti-racism in CSD profession. We will (a) describe strategies for creating equity within the course syllabi, content and classroom interactions (b) offer suggestions on next steps beyond the classroom and (c) highlight ways to maximize success through departmental initiatives

Applied Behavior Analysis as Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorders:Topic Modeling and Linguistic Analysis of Reddit Posts

Background: It is critical for professionals to understand the discourse landscape within various online and social media outlets in order to support families of children with autism in treatment decision-making. This need is heightened when considering treatments that have garnered excitement and controversy, such as applied behavioral analysis (ABA) therapy. Method: The specific aims of this study were to identify the main themes in Reddit posts about ABA-based interventions for autism using topic modeling, to examine the linguistic aspects of Reddit conversations using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) analysis, and to examine the relationship between linguistic aspects and user category (i.e., pro- vs. anti-ABA vs. undecided, parent vs. professional vs. an individual with autism). Results: The topic modeling resulted in 11 themes that ranged across various elements, such as autism as a condition and its management, stakeholders, and consequences of autism and the support needed. The posts of individuals were focused on personal experiences and opinions as opposed to clinical and research information sharing. Linguistic analysis indicated that the posts reveal an intimate stance rather than an empirical stance. Conclusions: Results provide insight into perspectives of ABA. This type of research may help in developing and distributing appropriate and evidence-based information

Educational Assistants’ Use of ImPAACT for Increasing Message Selection and Turn-Taking with Children with Complex Communication Needs

Context: Educational assistants (EAs) provide extensive and individualized support for many students who require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in school systems. An important factor related to student’s success is EA training and skill development for effective communication with children who use AAC.Case Report: This case series examined ImPAACT: Improving Partner Applications of Augmentative Communication Techniques with three EA and student dyads. The study investigated whether a comparable treatment effect as found in Binger et al. (2010) could be demonstrated. Three phases of intervention (i.e., baseline, instruction, and generalization) were investigated. All phases were completed in the public school setting in which the students were enrolled and the EAs were employed. EA’s correct application of instructional strategies, student’s multi-symbol selections, and student’s turns were calculated. Type and form of student’s turn were calculated as well.Conclusions: All EAs increased correct application of strategies and all students increased use of multi-symbol selections and overall number of turns taken. Students’ type of turn (i.e., response, comment, initiation) and form of turn (i.e., vocalization, gesture, symbol selection) increased and diversified. Variable rates of behavior were noted across EAs and students. Potential explanations for these findings are discussed

Effects of an Accent Management Program on Intelligibility of Non- Native Speakers of American English

While a foreign or regional accent may preserve ties to cultural and ethnic identities, some individuals choose to seek accent management services to improve employment prospects or because of a personal desire to sound more like native speakers. English is a dominant language within the global economy and speech intelligibility plays a role in successful professional communications. Although an accent is a language difference and not a disorder, speech-language pathologists are uniquely suited to provide such services due to their training in segmental and prosodic aspects of speech. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a 14-session program targeting segmental and prosodic aspects of American English resulted in increased intelligibility on both scripted and spontaneous speech tasks. A pre-post-test small group design as well as individual performance of seven speakers of various native languages was used to examine outcomes.Statistically significant pre-post differences were noted on intelligibility measures of spontaneous and scripted speech tasks. Large effect sizes were observed. These preliminary findings suggest that accent management instruction designed to target both segmental and prosodic aspects of American English has promise