Online video assessment of clinical phonetic transcription skills in Speech and Language Pathology

An online clinical phonetic transcription exam was designed as part of a redeveloped second year exam of clinical skills within a Speech and Language Pathology degree. This paper describes the design, implementation and evaluation of this pilot phonetic assessment. Results show that students responded well to this method of assessment, indicating high levels of preference for the individually viewed video, and also high levels of enjoyment. These findings suggest that institutional Moodle-supported VLEs are appropriate for hosting and providing appropriate assessments to replicate clinical settings

Using Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) in speech and language therapy pre-registration clinical education

Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are planned and structured assessments of clinical competence and established practice in medicine and nursing (Alinier, 2003). As performance assessments, they focus on what students can do rather than on theoretical knowledge (Harden, 1988). Students are expected to practice relevant clinical skills throughout placement, and are subsequently assessed on these in designated ‘stations’ demonstrating clinical competence in a specified time. This paper describes our approach to OSCEs in the assessment of clinical skills in pre-registration speech and language therapy (SLT) education

Spatial & temporal variability of sibilants in children with down’s syndrome

This paper presents findings from EPG analysis of word initial /s/ and /ʃ/ in twenty five children with Down’s syndrome (DS) and ten cognitively age-matched typically developing children (TD). Spatial and temporal variability measures show evidence of increased variability in all attempts of target /s/ and /ʃ/ for the speakers with DS. The findings also show evidence of high levels of spatial variability in children with DS and typically developing children in perceptually acceptable productions of the target sounds. These findings support previous research that links speech production difficulties in children with DS to impaired speech motor ability

The effectiveness of traditional methods and altered auditory feedback in improving speech rate and intelligibility in speakers with Parkinson's disease

Communication problems are a frequent symptom for people with Parkinson's disease (PD) which can have a significant impact on their quality-of-life. Deciding on the right management approach can be problematic though, as, with the exception of LSVT (R), very few studies have been published demonstrating the effectiveness of treatment techniques. The aim of this study was to compare traditional rate reduction methods with altered auditory feedback (AAF) with respect to their effectiveness to reduce speech rate and improve intelligibility in speakers with PD. Ten participants underwent both types of treatments in once weekly sessions for 6 weeks. Outcomes measures were speech rate for passage reading as well as intelligibility on both a passage reading and a monologue task. The results showed that, as a group, there was no significant change in either speech rate or intelligibility resulting from either treatment type. However, individual speakers showed improvements in speech performance as a result of each therapy technique. In most cases, these benefits persisted for at least 6 months post-treatment. Possible reasons for the variable response to treatment, as well as issues to consider when planning to use AAF devices in treatment are discussed

Moving hands-on anatomy teaching online : a reflection on creative solutions

As part of any UK-based pre-registration Speech and Language Therapy programme, all students are expected to gain knowledge and understanding of general anatomy and physiology, along with specifics related to speech and language production and processing (RCSLT, 2021). Although immensely important, it is often a challenging subject due to both the amount of information to learn and the methods of teaching (Singh et al., 2019). While traditionally the teaching of anatomy is presented as a set of lectures and rote learning by students, there have been increased attempts to innovate within this area, particularly in Allied Health subjects such as Occupational Health and Speech and Language Therapy teaching where there is less access to laboratories and cadavers. This has included the use of creative, active, and flipped learning techniques designed to engage and increase positive learning responses from students (Skinder-Meredith, 2010; Martin, Bessell and Scholten, 2014; Zimanyi, Emtage and Megaw, 2019)

Articulatory characteristics of sibilant production in young people with Down's syndrome

Speech production in children with Down’s syndrome (DS) has been found to be variable and inconsistent. Errors are concentrated in consonants that are typically late developing, such as fricatives. It has been suggested that inconsistency in speech production in DS is a result of a motor speech deficit but there is little detailed articulatory evidence to support this claim. This study (with data from MRC grant ‘Assessment and Treatment of Impaired Speech Motor Control in Children with Down's syndrome’ (G0401388)) provides a detailed phonetic analysis of the voiceless sibilants /s/ and /ʃ/, in a group of young people with DS, by means of auditory and articulatory analysis. The aim of the study is to assess fine motor ability and articulation variability at word level production in a group of speakers with well-established difficulties in speech articulation. The study analysed data from 25 children with DS, 10 typically developing children and 8 adult speakers, recorded using EPG. Perceptual measures were compared with quantitative analyses of EPG data, along with visual analysis of articulation patterns based on a new set of articulation taxonomies. The data is presented by group and in the form of 5 case studies. The case studies provide a means to analyse the relationship between articulation and auditory information in detail and to compare these with supplementary motor control measures. The results show presence of atypical articulation patterns for speakers with DS for both perceptually acceptable tokens, and those in error. Higher levels of within-speaker articulation variability are presented in comparison to the TD control group. Further findings suggest presence of articulation patterns in the TD speakers previously unidentified in EPG studies. Similar to previous studies, the results find that speakers with DS are a highly variable group and that speakers display a combination of typical and atypical speech patterns, influenced by speech motor control difficulties.sub_shsunpub2190_ethesesunpu

Adapting word games for teaching phonetics

This document provides an overview of how to adapt popular word game (e.g. word searches, Countdown, Srabble etc) for the teaching of introductory phonetics (IPA symbols)

Every student counts: promoting numeracy and enhancing employability

This three-year project investigated factors that influence the development of undergraduates’ numeracy skills, with a view to identifying ways to improve them and thereby enhance student employability. Its aims and objectives were to ascertain: the generic numeracy skills in which employers expect their graduate recruits to be competent and the extent to which employers are using numeracy tests as part of graduate recruitment processes; the numeracy skills developed within a diversity of academic disciplines; the prevalence of factors that influence undergraduates’ development of their numeracy skills; how the development of numeracy skills might be better supported within undergraduate curricula; and the extra-curricular support necessary to enhance undergraduates’ numeracy skills

Improving the Speech and Communication Abilities of Children with Down's Syndrome: A New Model of Service Delivery using Electropalatography

Down's syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic cause of mild to moderate learning difficulties (LD), affecting 1 in every 1000 live births in the UK (Down's Syndrome Association, 2015). The speech skills of individuals with DS are poorer than would be anticipated in relation to both their general cognitive ability and their skills in expressive language (Roberts et al., 2007). These specific difficulties in speech production can lead to significantly reduced intelligibility (Kumin, 2006) which in turn affects the ability to communicate effectively. This often places considerable constraints on educational progress, affects friendship formation and impedes integration into the wider community. The specific speech production difficulties encountered by individuals with DS are often considered to be intractable as they have proved to be resistant to conventional methods of intervention delivered by speech and language therapists (Kumin, 2006). These difficulties persist into adulthood which can negatively impact life outcomes, affect employability and contribute to social exclusion (Shriberg & Widder, 1990). Our previous research funded by the Medical Research Council investigated the speech difficulties experienced by 27 children and young people, aged 9 to 18 years, with DS. As well as increasing our understanding of the types of speech errors made by this population, it experimented with the use of an intervention technique called electropalatography (EPG), not currently routinely available within the NHS, as a method of correcting speech errors in children with DS with a view to improving their intelligibility. The results from this previous research led to the grant funded by the Nuffield Foundation.caslpub4279pu

The monetary value of diets consumed by British adults: an exploration into sociodemographic differences in individual-level diet costs

OBJECTIVE: To describe the diet costs of adults in the National Diet and Nutrition Study (NDNS) and explore patterns in costs according to sociodemographic indicators. DESIGN: Cross-sectional diet diary information was matched to a database of food prices to assign a cost to each food or non-alcoholic beverage consumed. Daily diet costs were calculated, as well as costs per 10 MJ to improve comparability across differing energy requirements. Costs were compared between categories of sociodemographic variables and health behaviours. Multivariable regression assessed the effects of each variable on diet costs after adjustment. SETTING: The NDNS is a rolling dietary survey, recruiting a representative UK sample each year. The study features data from 2008-2010. SUBJECTS: Adults aged 19 years or over were included. The sample consisted of 1014 participants. RESULTS: The geometric mean daily diet cost was £2·89 (95 % CI £2·81, £2·96). Energy intake and daily diet cost were strongly associated. The mean energy-adjusted cost was £4·09 (95 % CI £4·01, £4·18) per 10 MJ. Energy-adjusted costs differed significantly between many subgroups, including by sex and household income. Multivariable regression found significant effects of sex, qualifications and occupation (costs per 10 MJ only), as well as equivalized household income, BMI and fruit and vegetable consumption on diet costs. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first time that monetary costs have been applied to the diets of NDNS adults. The findings suggest that certain subgroups in the UK - for example those on lower incomes - consume diets of lower monetary value. Observed differences were mostly in the directions anticipated