This is our third issue of the CSD Research Briefs, which summarizes our academic and clinical faculty members’ latest projects, publications, and presentations related to audiology and speech-language pathology.
In this issue, Dr. Jennine Harvey, Dr. Taeok Park, Dr. Ciera Lorio, and Dr. Heidi Verticchio share their publications and presentations from September-December 2023. Two of these presentations were led by master’s students from our speech-language pathology program. Relevant links are provided when available, so our readers can learn more. We welcome you to reach out to our faculty members if you would like further information or a copy of their published article.
In late October/early November, Dr. Jennine Harvey presented at the Annual Conference of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine in Atlanta. Her presentation focused on the use of virtual reality environments for interventions. conference.acrm.org/acrm2023/program/welcome-letter
Oral Presentation: Impact of Delivering Semantic Feature Analysis in Traditional vs. Virtual Reality Environments (Harvey-Northrop, Cuellar, & Chang, 2023)
This presentation discussed a pilot study examining the effects of delivering semantic feature analysis (SFA) in traditional vs. virtual reality (VR) environments for younger (18-30-year-olds) and older (55-90-year-olds) adults with typical cognitive aging. Results included performance data from traditional vs. VR SFA, as well as survey data, and experiential and technical considerations for VR mediated interventions. For more about the next phase of this project, visit: News.IllinoisState.edu/2023/10/virtual-reality-technology-and-individuals-with-communication-disorders/
Dr. Taeok Park presented her research at the International Conference of Asian Dysphagia Society in Suwon, South Korea, this past November. She had an oral presentation and a poster presentation at this conference, and her poster presentation earned the Poster Presentation Award. Congratulations, Dr. Park! See below for summaries of her research presentations.
Oral Presentation: Effects of Combined Tongue Strength and Effortful Swallow Exercise in Older Individuals (Park & Kim, 2023)
This study examined the effects of combined tongue strength and effortful swallow exercises using the home-based and self-administered procedure in older individuals. Park and her colleague found that combined tongue strength and effortful swallow exercise had a positive impact on tongue strength and swallowing quality of life for older individuals, which apprised the value of a preventative approach by developing the swallowing exercise for older individuals.
Poster Presentation: Stimulation-Based Learning About Biofeedback of Swallowing Rehabilitation (Park & Kim, 2023)
This study aimed to explore teaching and learning methods to facilitate speech-language pathology students’ learning about biofeedback of swallowing rehabilitation. Park and her colleague found an improvement in students’ perception of knowledge, clinical competence, and preparedness for working with dysphagic patients after participating in the hands-on practice through a biofeedback lab.
Dr. Ciera Lorio had four poster presentations at the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention in Boston this past November. Two of these presentations were led by second-year speech-language pathology master’s students, Caroline Giuffre and Caitlin Kelly. Convention.asha.org
Poster Presentation: Social Communication and Parent Verbal Responsiveness Across Interaction Contexts in Toddlers with and Without Autism (Delehanty, Lorio, Romano, & Brown, 2023)
This presentation described a study that examined child communication and parent verbal responsiveness across interaction contexts in 211 toddlers with autism, developmental delays, or typical development in video-recorded home observations. Children communicated at significantly higher rates during book sharing and play with people compared to other contexts. Parents used more comments during book sharing and play and more directives during activities like chores and caregiving. These results may aid clinicians in identifying activities that align with family priorities and serve as important contexts for intervention.
Poster Presentation: Narratives to Measure Language in Children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing: A Scoping Review (Puhlman & Lorio, 2023)
This presentation focused on a scoping review of the literature related to the collection and analysis of narratives in children who are deaf/hard of hearing (D/HOH). There is limited research on narrative development and assessment for children who are D/HOH, and this scoping review aimed to identify specific areas for future research. A total of 34 articles were included in the review, and results revealed inconsistencies in how narratives were collected and analyzed within the D/HOH population. The narrative skills of children who are D/HOH also varied across studies, with some children having comparative narrative skills to their typically developing hearing peers and others having areas of delay.
Poster Presentation: Foster Care, ACEs, and Social Communication Development: A Survey Study (Giuffre & Lorio, 2023)
This presentation was led by Caroline Giuffre, a master’s student in our speech-language pathology program. Her presentation focused on the results of her master’s thesis research, which sought to explore the social communication skills of children who were previously in the foster care system. Parents who adopted children from foster care completed an online survey regarding their adopted child’s social communication abilities. Survey results revealed that adoptive parents reported their children having the greatest difficulty with skills related to emotional recognition, self-regulation, conversations, and behaviors and interactions with others.
Poster Presentation: An Analysis of Fathers’ and Children’s Behaviors During Shared Book Reading (Kelly & Lorio, 2023)
This presentation was also led by a master’s student in our speech-language pathology program, Caitlin Kelly, and focused on data from her master’s thesis research. This study analyzed six father-child dyads during video-recorded shared book reading interactions when the child who was 18 months and 24 months of age. All videos were coded, and results revealed fathers and toddlers displayed a wide range of communicative behaviors. Fathers’ most common behaviors were modeling language and making comments about the text while reading to their children. The main behaviors toddlers engaged in were commenting, responding, and behaviors showing understanding of print concepts (e.g., turning pages). Children responded vocally, verbally, and through gestures, with older children using more verbal comments and responses.
Dr. Heidi Verticchio also gave a presentation at the ASHA convention in Boston. Her one-hour oral seminar focused on mental health and well-being in CSD students.
Oral Presentation: Supporting Student Mental Health and Well-Being: Ten Incremental, Sustainable Innovations to Foster Resilience (Chapman & Verticchio, 2023)
The prevalence of challenges related to mental health and well-being among college students is rising in the United States. This presentation focused on increasing college educators’ knowledge of various factors related to mental health and well-being in students, with opportunities to reflect on their own students’ needs, engage in practices that cultivate wellness, and create an action plan for implementation in their own university classrooms and clinics.
Congratulations to all our CSD faculty and student presenters! Thank you for representing our department well at national and international conferences. #RedbirdProud
