Welcome to the first issue of CSD Research Briefs! Every 3-4 months, we will share summaries of our academic and clinical faculty members’ latest projects, publications, and presentations related to audiology and speech-language pathology. The CSD Research Briefs can serve as a valuable resource for students, clinicians, caregivers, researchers, and other professionals.
In this issue, Dr. Antony Joseph, Dr. Taeok Park, Dr. Ciera Lorio, Dr. Jamie Mahurin-Smith, Dr. Shraddha Shende, Dr. Heidi Verticchio, Dr. Candice Osenga, and Mrs. Cara Boester share their publications and presentations from January-April. Links to each publication are provided so our readers can learn more, and we welcome you to reach out to our faculty members with any questions.
Dr. Antony Joseph, Au.D., Ph.D., CCC-A
Dr. Joseph is an associate professor of audiology. He recently published two articles, both of which focused on hearing issues in United States military personnel. Joseph’s first publication, Pre-Existing Audiometric Hearing Loss is a Predictor of Significant Threshold Shift Following Injury During Combat Deployment, was a retrospective cohort study that included 1,573 male military personnel (Joseph et al., 2023). All participants in the study had been physically injured while in combat between 2004 and 2012. Participants’ audiograms before and after injury were examined to calculate the presence of a significant threshold shift post-injury. Joseph and his research team found that 25% of the participant sample had a pre-injury hearing loss, and the presence of a hearing loss prior to combat injury increased the risk for a significant threshold shift of 30 decibels or greater in the sum of hearing thresholds at 2,000, 3,000, and 4,000 hertz (Hz). Joseph and his colleagues suggest that “clinicians closely attend to the pure-tone response at 6,000 Hz and use this test frequency to identify service members at-risk for significant threshold shift prior to combat deployment.” Joseph’s second publication is titled Relationship Between Tinnitus and Hearing Outcomes Among US Military Personnel After Blast Injury (Myers et al., 2023). This study examined the presence of hearing loss and tinnitus in 1,693 military personnel who had experienced a blast-related injury while in combat. Tinnitus is the consistent perception of sound without an external source; many refer to this as “ringing in the ears,” but others report sounds such as buzzing or roaring. Joseph and his colleagues found that approximately 14% of participants reported experiencing tinnitus within two years of their blast-related injury. Hearing issues were higher among participants with tinnitus compared to those without, suggesting that military personnel with blast-related injuries and tinnitus should receive routine hearing conservation services to evaluate and support effective hearing abilities.
Joseph also recently presented two invited presentations and one poster presentation at the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) Conference in Seattle. In his first presentation, In Dialogue: Academy Leaders and Members Discuss the Benefits of Diversity and Inclusion in Audiology, Joseph and his colleagues discussed the benefits of collaborative diverse teams and the need for such teams in the field of audiology (Davies-Venn et al., 2023). His second presentation, A Case-Based Demonstration of Interprofessional Collaboration Between Geriatric Medicine, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, and Audiology, focused on strategies for increasing and/or improving interprofessional collaborative-care teams when treating individuals and families with complex conditions (Joseph et al., 2023). Joseph’s poster presentation shared research related to the prevalence and correlates of self-reported hearing aid requirements in active-duty United States military personnel (MacGregor et al., 2023).
Davies-Venn, E., Joseph, A., & Shoup, A. (2023). In dialogue: Academy leaders and members discuss the benefits of diversity and inclusion in audiology. Oral Presentation. American Academy of Audiology Conference. Seattle, WA.
Joseph, A., Berenbrok, L., Grove, J., & Rubenstein, C. (2023). A case-based demonstration of interprofessional collaboration between geriatric medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and audiology. Oral Presentation. American Academy of Audiology Conference. Seattle, WA.
MacGregor, A. J., Joseph, A., & Dougherty, A. (2023). Prevalence and correlates of self-reported hearing aid requirements among U.S. military personnel. Poster Presentation. American Academy of Audiology Conference. Seattle, WA.
Dr. Taeok Park, Ph.D.
Dr. Park is an associate professor of speech-language pathology, and she recently published an article titled Airway Protection in Children with Dysphagia: A Preliminary Study (Kim et al., 2023). The study included 12 children (eight who were 0.5-4.2 years old; four 8-9.11 years old) who were referred for a dysphagia evaluation. Dysphagia is the medical term for swallowing difficulties or a swallowing disorder. During the dysphagia evaluation, measurements of initiation of laryngeal closure (ILC) and laryngeal closure duration (LCD) were collected using thin liquids and puree boluses. Results of the study revealed that younger children had longer LCD than the older children, which may indicate that younger children have anatomy that is better equipped at protecting the airway during a swallow. A longer ILC and shorter LCD were observed in all children who were observed to have penetration or aspiration during their swallow. There was no difference between the younger and older children for ILC, and the puree bolus had a longer ILC and a shorter LCD than the thin liquid. Park and her colleagues suggest that the “pathophysiological phenomena [from this study] should be observed closely as indicators of the higher risk of dysphagia” (Page 85). They also include that “bolus modification, such as thickened liquid, may help children to keep from aspiration” (Page 85).
Dr. Ciera Lorio, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Dr. Lorio is an assistant professor of speech-language pathology, and she published an article in the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology called Exploring Language Development Support for Foster Children: A Scoping Review of Interventions for Foster Care Families (Lorio et al., 2023). Research on children in foster care has identified an increased risk for language delays and disorders, especially for those with significant adverse experiences and trauma. Because of this, Lorio and her colleagues reviewed empirical studies of foster parent training programs for families with foster children under the age of 5 years. A total of 24 studies were reviewed, and all foster parent training programs were noted to include an emphasis on increasing parent-child relationships and decreasing child challenging behavior. None of the 24 studies included training for foster parents in strategies to support language development. Two studies included child language measures as intervention outcomes, but language was not explicitly targeted by the foster parents during the intervention with the foster child. Lorio’s review further supports the need for more research on language development in young foster children and interventions to decrease the risk for later language disorders. With continued research, Lorio and her colleagues believe there is potential for speech-language pathologists to play an important role in supporting foster parents and decreasing the negative impact of trauma on the language development of young foster children.
Lorio also recently gave an invited presentation called Expanding Your ‘Clinical Toolbox’ with Caregiver Coaching at the Iowa Conference on Communicative Disorders in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The four-hour presentation began by introducing speech-language pathologists to definitions of caregiver coaching and specific coaching strategies. Lorio then focused on teaching strategies for continuously improving the use of caregiver coaching while also aligning coaching practices with individual caregiver priorities and intervention settings (Lorio, 2023).
Lorio, C. M. (2023). Expanding your clinical toolbox with caregiver coaching. Oral Presentation. Iowa Conference on Communicative Disorders. Cedar Falls, IA.
Dr. Jamie Mahurin Smith, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Dr. Jamie Mahurin Smith is an associate professor of speech-language pathology, and she recently gave an invited presentation at the American Speech-Language Hearing Association’s online conference on Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing. The title of the presentation was Skilled Breastfeeding Support: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Assessment and Treatment of Breastfeeding Challenges (Genna & Mahurin Smith, 2023). During this presentation, Smith and her colleague taught speech-language pathologists strategies to effectively support parents who have a desire to feed their infants through direct breastfeeding. Speech-language pathologists were equipped with tools to assess breastfeeding and modify flow-rate to support successful infant feeding.
Genna, C. W. & Smith, J. M. (2023). Skilled breastfeeding support: An interdisciplinary approach to assessment and treatment of breastfeeding challenges. Online Presentation. ASHA Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Conference.
Dr. Shraddha Shende, Ph.D.
Dr. Shende is an assistant professor of audiology, and she recently presented her research, Neural Changes Underlying Inhibitory Control in Older Adults with Age-Related Hearing Loss, at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference in San Francisco (Shende & Mudar, 2023). The research was part of Shende’s doctoral work, which examined cognitive control changes in older adults with age-related hearing loss. A full story on Shende’s presentation is available online.
Shende, S. & Mudar, R. A. (2023). Neural changes underlying inhibitory control in older adults with age-related hearing loss. Poster Presentation. Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference. San Francisco.
Three of our clinical faculty members represented Illinois State at the annual conference for the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD). The CAPCSD conference was held April 12-15 in Orlando, Florida. A full list of the sessions offered at the 2023 CAPCSD Conference is available online.
Dr. Heidi Verticchio, Ed.D., CCC-SLP
Dr. Verticchio is the clinic director and director of advisement. Verticchio and her colleague presented Pursuing a Terminal Degree: Non-CSD Options, which focused on potential educational options for faculty members interested in pursing a terminal degree outside their area of clinical training (Verticchio & Anthony, 2023).
Verticchio, H., & Anthony, T. (2023). Pursing a terminal degree: Non-CSD options. Oral Presentation. Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD) Conference. Orlando, FL.
Dr. Candice Osenga, Au.D., CCC-A
Dr. Osenga is the director of clinical education for audiology, and she also presented at the CAPCSD conference. Her presentation was called Problem-Solving and Information Exchange (PSIE) for AuD Clinic Directors, which provided audiology clinic directors from across the country an opportunity to discuss a variety of topics, including responding to generational gaps in clinical education and how to diversify payors in a university clinic (Osenga & Pritchett, 2023).
Osenga, C., & Pritchett, K. (2023). Problem-solving and information exchange (PSIE) for AuD clinic directors. Oral Presentation. Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD) Conference. Orlando, FL.
Cara Boester, M.A., CCC-SLP
Boester is the director of clinical education for speech-language pathology, and she presented twice at the CAPCSD conference. Her first presentation, Documentation for the Struggling Student, included strategies faculty members can use to develop support plans and maintain documentation for students struggling academically or clinically (Boester & Lawrence, 2023). Boester’s second presentation, Problem-Solving and Information Exchange (PSIE) for SLP Clinic Directors, provided an opportunity for SLP clinic directors across multiple universities to discuss a variety of topics, including securing medical placements, clinical service delivery models in on-campus clinics, and strategies for updating clinical inventory and protocols.
Boester, C., & Lawrence, L. (2023). Documentation for the struggling student. Oral Presentation. Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD) Conference. Orlando, FL.
Boester, C., & Lundblom, E. (2023). Problem-solving and information exchange (PSIE) for SLP clinic directors. Oral Presentation. Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD) Conference. Orlando, FL.
Thank you to all of our faculty members for their contributions to the field and for expanding our understanding of best practices in audiology and speech-language pathology! We are #RedbirdProud!
