Click on the session title to view the presenters, abstract, learner outcomes and level of learning.

Session 40                             School Age
English Language Variation in Virginia: Insights for SLPs and Audiologists and Their Schools and Communities

Session 41                              Professional Issue
Professional Supervision in Speech Pathology

SESSION DETAIL

Session 27                                                             Track: AAC
8:30 am - 9:30 am
Taking the First Step Into the World of Assistive Technology/Augmentative Communication: A Road Map for the Journey
Traci Berry-Owens, MS, CCC-SLP; Michelle Stewart-Tooson, MS, CCC-SLP,
Instructional Level: Introductory

This session will focus on introducing the process of implementing an AT/AAC home program during daily living activities. We will review examples of communication goals and activities which will include static and low-medium technology and discuss possible obstacles and practicality.

Learner Outcomes: The participant will learn how to establish appropriate intervention goals based upon the augmented communicator’s functional needs and language abilities, implement simple communication strategies during daily routine activities, how to maintain and make appropriate changes to the home program as indicated.

Session 28                                                             Track:  School Age
8:30 am - 10:30 am
Using Therapeutic Music to Improve Listening in Children With Auditory Processing Deficits
Jay Lucker, EdD, CCC-A/SLP, Dept. of Comm. Science & Disorders, Howard University
Instructional Level: Intermediate                      

A number of companies have promoted the use of therapeutic music to improve auditory processing, learning, language and behavior factors in children.  Many professionals question the utility of such programs and our professional association has even question their efficacy, primarily focusing on one program called Auditory Integration Training or AIT. The session will focus on the presenter’s underlying theory as to why therapeutic music may help calm and open children and adolescents who have auditory sensitivity problems, mostly hypersensitivities to sound.  The session will discuss research to support this theory including neurophysiological evidence and behavioral research.  The neurophysiological evidence will present a non-classic central auditory pathway that links the auditory system with the limbic system that houses emotional processing and reactions.  The behavioral evidence will present research completed by the presenter on auditory hypersensitivity in children with auditory processing disorders (APD) and children in the autistic spectrum.  Additionally, preliminary research evidence on the use of a therapeutic music listening program will be presented in which students diagnosed with emotional disorders and learning disabilities (ED/LD) underwent The Listening Program training.

Learner Outcomes:  The participant will be able to describe what are therapeutic music sound interventions, explain for students with what types of problems are such therapeutic music sound interventions appropriate, describe how to implement a therapeutic music sound intervention program in their clinic settings, in schools and at home.

Session 29                                             Track:  Adult
8:30 am - 12:45 pm
Speech Intelligibility: Clinical Approaches Based on Current Research
Connie Keintz, PhD, CCC-SLP, Florida Atlantic University
Instructional Level: Introductory

Speech intelligibility is often the focus of treatment for individuals with dysarthria.  This session will translate current areas of speech intelligibility research into clinical approaches that can be used effectively with individuals with dysarthria. This session will also review what strategies listeners identify and use to help them understand dysarthric speech.

Learner Outcomes: The participant will be able to identify speaker and listener roles in situations where intelligibility is compromise, list variables that can affect intelligibility, including speaker, medium and listener related variables, discuss how to apply treatment methods based on research variables to clients with dysarthria.

Session 30                                             Track: AAC
8:45 am -  9:45 am
The Development of a new AAC Assessment Tool
Brittany Davis, BA, University of Virginia; Claudia Serrano, BA, University of Virginia; Samantha Hutchinson, BA, University of Virginia; Filip Loncke, PhD, University of Virginia
Instructional Level: Introductory

In the past 5 years, we have worked with clinicians in Virginia and throughout the US (and abroad) to develop an assessment tool that captures component skills that facilitate the use of graphic symbols. The skills that are identified are: symbol recognition, symbol preference, symbol memory, hierarchical classification, combinatorial symbol use, and symbol matching and functional recognition.
The methodology to develop this instrument is a multiple-step approach in which clinicians (and others) are invited to provide us with feedback concerning choice of symbols, conceptualization of the instrument (i.e., which are the relevant components) and assessment procedures

Learner Outcomes: The participant will understand the need for proper AAC evaluation/assessment tools, will recognize that AAC effectivity is a multifactorial phenomenon, will be able to define their own role in predicting the likelihood of AAC success in particular users.

Session 31                                            
8:45 am - 11:45 am                                            Track:  Audiology
Central Auditory Processing Disorders: From A (Assessment) to T (Treatment)
Annette Hurley, PhD, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
Instructional Level: Introductory

(Central) auditory processing disorder ([C]APD) can sometimes be a challenging diagnosis because it can co-exist and have similar characteristics as other learning disorders.  Effective management of (C)APD depends upon an accurate diagnosis.  The first half of the session will review the definitions and nature of (C)APD, types of tests used in assessment, the behavioral and lectrophysiological (C)APD test battery and interpretation of test results. Case examples will be used throughout the session to illustrate ‘real world’ scenarios.  The second half of the session will focus on management and remediation of specific auditory deficits and weaknesses.  Intervention for (C)APD has become an increasingly important area for clinicians.  We will briefly review environmental modifications and central resources training.  Our primary focus will be on auditory training programs, both formal and informal activities. These activities should target the areas of auditory weakness and re-train the brain.  An overview of several commercially available programs will be given. Informal auditory training activities may also be utilized. 

Learner Outcomes: The participant will be able to discuss methods of assessing and diagnosis of (C)APD, discuss available auditory training programs for remediation of (C)APD, discuss the differences between formal and informal auditory training programs.

Short Course 1.1                                                 Track:  School Age
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Treating Resistant to Treatment Articulation Errors, Part 1
Julie Hoffmann, MA, CCC-SLP, Saint Louis University
Instructional Level: Introductory

As practicing SLP’s working with children with speech disorders we want to know and use the most effective and efficient treatment procedures to help our clients, whether they are three years old or 16 years old. We want to have a full repertoire of techniques and methods to pull from, as some children require more than the typical stimulation for producing new sounds. Management of our articulation cases is a priority, especially for children with persistent speech errors.  Sometimes no matter what we do as SLP’s, we cannot seem to make headway with some children with frontal or lateral lisps or children with vocalic ‘R’ problems unless we “pull out all the stops” with therapy strategies. Depending on the individual client, producing certain sounds may be very difficult.  For instance, sometimes one client can achieve /k/ with very little stimulation and another client may require numerous sessions and tongue manipulations to even imitate the /k/ in isolation. How do we take on new perspectives in our attempts to help children change speech? How do we help children become intelligible in spontaneous speech when they have certain issues, such as persistent sound errors, rate, timing, phonation, resonation and/or prosody issues that interfere with clear speech intelligibility? We want our clients to be able to self-monitor and transfer skills learned in therapy to all situations.  This short course will address cuing in-depth, including cognitive, tactile, visual and auditory cuing. The use of compensatory strategies, close approximations of sounds and varied placements can be helpful stepping stones to correct sound usage.  A variety of therapy methods to facilitate consonants and vowels will be presented. Valuable materials, games, pictures and websites will be reviewed. Videotape of clients progressing through work on difficult target sounds will be shown as examples to the treatments discussed.
Attendees must pay a special short course fee to attend.

Learner Outcomes:  The participants will describe several articulation treatment techniques that can be used with many sound errors, especially /s/ and /r/, will identify compensatory strategies to help clients shape correct sound productions, participants will describe ways to help children improve speech intelligibility and self-monitoring for transfer of learned articulation skills.

9:30 am - 11:30 am                                 Track:  School Age
Session 32
SLP Probes: Dynamic Assessment
LaVae Hoffman, PhD, University of Virginia
Instructional Level: Introductory

Differentiating limited experience or language differences from bona fide language-learning disorders can perplex even the most experienced and talented SLP’s. These important and complex distinctions are not well informed by the administration of standardized, norm-referenced tests. Fortunately, SLP probes that evaluate children’s language-learning processes yield important insights that can inform this determination. This VDOE sponsored session describes the value of learning process assessment by examining “Dynamic Assessment of Narratives: Assessment and Intervention” (2001, Miller, Gillam and Peña).  By systematically comparing narrative skills before and after abbreviated teaching sessions, clinicians gather invaluable information about children’s ability to benefit from instruction.  In addition to describing the dynamic assessment process, this session will discuss the components of Mediated Learning Experiences (MLE) and tracking student responsiveness and clinician effort to inform clinical decisions and make instructional recommendations. 

Learner Outcomes: The participant will be able to list components of a Mediated Learning Experience, will contrast student modifiability and clinician effort to inform recommendations for instructional support, and will be able to describe how Test-Teach-Retest performance differs for children with language difficulties due to dual language acquisition and children with language learning disorders

Session 33                                             Track:  School Age
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Communication on the Go
Paula Kubovchik, MS; Dodi Allen, MS
Instructional Level: Introductory

Communication in the community is an essential component that is often missing for individuals with speech and language disorders.
Does your child/client demonstrate communication difficulties?  Are they successful in the community?  What level of communication does your child/client use? The presenters will discuss 3 levels of communication skills and a hierarchy of symbolic thinking.  Some of these ideas include objects, photos and pictures.  Strategies and material demonstrations will be provided on how to create successful communication opportunities in the community.  Visual strategies, social stories and visual scene displays are just a few of the concepts that will be discussed.  Collaboration will be emphasized to ensure the best possible outcomes for our clients and children.  The therapist centered environment to the home component is a key element for generalization of skills.  A variety of concepts, adaptations, modifications and creations will be displayed.

Learner Outcomes: The participant will be able to identify and assess 3 basic communication skill levels in order to provide therapy activities both in structured and non-structured settings, understand and apply a hierarchy of symbolic thinking to improve communication skills of the child/client. The participant will apply strategies learned to create successful communication opportunities in the community for their client/child.

Session 34                                                             Track:  School Age
10:30 am - 11:30 am
Apps and the SLP: Assessment and Intervention
Beth Holland, MA, CCC-SLP, Super Duper® Publications
Instructional Level: Introductory

This session reviews the effective use of Apps in the assessment and treatment of communication deficits. The instructor discusses how to use smartphones, tablets and e-readers. Apps that are currently available on the market are demonstrated and ways to adapt commercially available apps will be discussed.

Learner Outcomes: The participant will be able to state five ways to use apps effectively to assess and treat communication deficits, discuss how to use smartphones, tablets and e-readers for assessment and intervention, list apps that are currently available on the market and ways to adapt them.

Session 35                                         Track: Multi-Interest
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Love to Play:  Making Sense of Therapy
Laura Phillips, CCC-SLP, LV2PLA, PLLC
Instructional Level: Intermediate                      

This session will provide an overview of LV2PLA, a program designed to manage the complications which interfere in communication by our nonverbal clients.  This program focuses on functional play skills over a lifetime.  A life worth living is one with focus and quality playing time regardless of age or ability.  A triad approach combines assessment then treatment of nonverbal language skills, augmentative communication skills and motor speech production.  LV2PLA includes a practical plan to implement your findings using the individual’s strengths to improve their weaknesses.

Learner Outcomes:  The participant will determine strengths/weaknesses by completing a play assessment, use technology to communicate now, Assess oral motor skills to facilitate speech production.

Session 36                                             Track:  Adult
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Dysphagia Management in the Long Term Acute Care Patient
Lora Baver, CCC-SLP, University of Virginia
Instructional Level: Intermediate                      

Dysphagia management in the LTAC hospital requires an understanding of the management of medically complex patients, skill in defining specific dysphagia disorders, developing treatment plans and discharge goals for this population of patients, who present with a wide variety of complicated conditions. This session seeks to define the patient population, criteria for admission/discharge and knowledge and skills needed to evaluate and treat dysphagia in this medically fragile group of patients. Case studies will be used to illustrate the wide variety of medically complex patients seen at our LTAC hospital at the University of Virginia Health System, their criteria for admission and discharge, and their dysphagia disorders, treatment and outcomes. Specific assessment and goal setting strategies will be addressed. Discussion will be encouraged.

Learner Outcomes: The participants will be able to define admission criteria for LTAC patients, to determine an LTAC patient's readiness for dysphagia assessment and intervention, to set appropriate goals and expected outcomes for this patient population.

Session 37                                      Track: Early Intervention
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Early Intervention From A-Z: Developing and Implementing Individualized, Family-Centered Outcomes in Natural Environments
Corey Herd, PhD, CCC-SLP, Radford University; Cori Hill, MEd, Partnership for People with Disabilities at VCU; Deana Buck, MEd, Partnership for People with Disabilities at VCU
Instructional Level: Intermediate                      

Speech-language pathologists who practice in the arena of early intervention know how important it is to develop and implement IFSP outcomes that are individualized and family-centered.  Learning how to develop and implement these outcomes, is a process that takes time,  practice, consideration of the specific needs and desires of each family’s life and collaboration among team members. This session will focus on several key factors involved in the process of developing family-centered IFSP outcomes and providing services that are family-centered and focused on everyday routines and within natural environments.  Participants will be provided with information and will have the opportunity to practice the use of active listening and targeted questioning to help families identify their priorities for their child. Participants will also learn how to determine appropriate contexts for intervention and how to incorporate outcomes within everyday routines and daily activities. 

Learner Outcomes: Participant will be able to discuss strategies for gathering information about the child’s and family’s everyday routines and activities during the first visit and throughout the early intervention process, integrate the information gathered about the child’s and family’s routines, activities, priorities, resources and concerns with information from the eligibility determination and assessment for service planning to develop and write meaningful outcomes,    apply family-centered practices in natural environments throughout the early intervention process.

Session 38                                             Track:  School Age
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Integrating Culturally Enriching Resources Within the Therapy Session
Catherine L. Cotton, MA, SECEP, EBS Healthcare
Instructional Level: Introductory

Speech and language disorders occur in children from all cultures and socioeconomic levels.  There is a growing need to not only consider the impact of culture but also to develop specific considerations in the treatment of children from multicultural populations.  This session will focus on the challenges schools are facing from a demographic and cultural point of view, as a result of changes, which are reflected in the 2010 Census results.  Participants will receive an overview of changes from the 2000 – 2010 Census period.  The course will also discuss how the results have (or may) impact the school setting (e.g. ethnic changes, age clusters, household population, socioeconomic, etc.); as well as provide suggestions on why and how to incorporate culturally enriched materials within therapy sessions.   The participant will be able to list three of the 2010 Census data categories which impact schools.  The participant will be able to list three elements of deep culture.  The participant will be able to describe five culturally enriched resources, which can be incorporated within their therapy sessions to benefit all students.

Learner Outcomes:  The participant will be able to list three of the 2010 Census data categories which impact schools, list three elements of deep culture, describe five culturally enriched resources, which can be incorporated within their therapy sessions, to benefit all students.

Session 39                                             Track:  Audiology
1:15 pm - 4:15 pm
The Effect of Minimal/Mild Hearing Loss on Children’s Performance in Complex Listening Environments
Dawna Lewis PhD, Boys Town National Research Hospital
Instructional Level: Intermediate                      

Numerous studies have shown that school-age children with minimal/mild hearing loss (MMHL) may experience difficulties in a variety of areas including speech perception in noise and reverberation, speech/language development, educational performance and social/emotional development. However, some studies also have shown performance similar to that of peers with normal hearing (NH) on some measures and others have suggested that children with MMHL may “catch-up” in specific areas. Apparen this session, we will examine the research on the impact of MMHL and address apparent contradictions. In addition, recent work from my laboratory that systematically examines the impact of MMHL on a range of functional auditory skills will be discussed. Studies that include: examination of the performance of children with MMHL and NH on listening tasks in a controlled simulated classroom; and examination of listening effort in adverse environments for children with MMHL and children with NH using two alternative measurement paradigms: verbal processing time and performance on a simulated collaborative learning task.

Learner Outcomes: The participant will be able to identify potential difficulties experienced by children with minimal hearing loss; will have knowledge of the effects of adverse acoustics during complex listening tasks for children with minimal hearing loss, will be able to develop a process to select measures to verify and validate benefits of intervention for children with minimal hearing loss. 

Short Course 1.2                                 Track:  School Age
1:15 pm - 4:15 pm
Treating Resistant to Treatment Articulation Errors, Part 2
Julie Hoffmann, MA, CCC-SLP, Saint Louis University
Instructional Level: Introductory

As practicing SLP’s working with children with speech disorders we want to know and use the most effective and efficient treatment procedures to help our clients, whether they are three years old or 16 years old. We want to have a full repertoire of techniques and methods to pull from, as some children require more than the typical stimulation for producing new sounds. Management of our articulation cases is a priority, especially for children with persistent speech errors.  Sometimes no matter what we do as SLP’s, we cannot seem to make headway with some children with frontal or lateral lisps or children with vocalic ‘R’ problems unless we “pull out all the stops” with therapy strategies. Depending on the individual client, producing certain sounds may be very difficult.  For instance, sometimes one client can achieve /k/ with very little stimulation and another client may require numerous sessions and tongue manipulations to even imitate the /k/ in isolation. How do we take on new perspectives in our attempts to help children change speech? How do we help children become intelligible in spontaneous speech when they have certain issues, such as persistent sound errors, rate, timing, phonation, resonation and/or prosody issues that interfere with clear speech intelligibility? We want our clients to be able to self-monitor and transfer skills learned in therapy to all situations.  This short course will address cuing in-depth, including cognitive, tactile, visual and auditory cuing. The use of compensatory strategies, close approximations of sounds and varied placements can be helpful stepping stones to correct sound usage.  A variety of therapy methods to facilitate consonants and vowels will be presented. Valuable materials, games, pictures and websites will be reviewed. Videotape of clients progressing through work on difficult target sounds will be shown as examples to the treatments discussed.
Attendees must pay a special short course fee to attend.

Learner Outcomes: Participants will be able to describe several articulation treatment techniques that can be used with many sound errors, especially /s/ and /r/, identify compensatory strategies to help clients shape correct sound productions, describe ways to help children improve speech intelligibility and self-monitoring for transfer of learned articulation skills.

Session 40                                             Track:  School Age
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
English Language Variation in Virginia: Insights for SLPs and Audiologists and Their Schools and Communities
Anne Charity Hudley, PhD, College of William and Mary; Christine Mallinson, PhD, UMBC, Mackenzie Fama, CCC-SLP , National
Rehabilitation Hospital, Kenay Sudler, BA , College of William and Mary
Instructional Level: Introductory

This session will address how SLPs & Audiologists can apply knowledge about language variation within English to help their clients successfully communicate in their schools and communities. Charity Hudley will provide specific linguistic information about variation in English in Virginia and examine the role of SLPs in the culturally sensitive assessment and treatment of clients who speak non-standardized varieties of English (Charity Hudley & Mallinson, 2011). We will discuss challenges that SLPs face when distinguishing between language difference and delay (Charity, 2008) and will share practical advice and strategies for how educators can address language variations with their clients in school and community settings.

Learner Outcomes: The participant will be able to list common phonological and morphosyntactic features of variations of English in Virginia that are at risk to be identified as errors on standardized assessments, identify the characteristics and merits of culturally- and linguistically-sensitive assessment procedures, identify ways to help empower their clients through their knowledge of the burden of communication and specific features of Southern

Session 41                                             Track: Professional Issue
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Professional Supervision in Speech Pathology
Connie Keintz, PhD, CCC-SLP, Florida Atlantic University
Instructional Level: Introductory

Many professionals in our field are asked to supervise students or clinical fellows.  While good clinicians may be selected to supervise, these individuals may not have training or feel comfortable providing supervision.  This session will allow you to determine your current supervisory style and how to customize it to meet the needs of your supervisees.  Participants will learn about transitioning with different types and levels of supervisees as more independence is gained.  Cases will be provided to generate discussion regarding how to handle different levels of supervisory competency.

Learner Outcomes: The participants will be able to describe Jean Anderson's model of the supervisory process, differentiate between direct, active and inactive types of supervisory communication styles, and apply the Situational Leadership model to the supervisory process

Session 42                                             Track:  School Age
2:30 pm - 4:30 pm
An Individualized Approach to Teaching Sequencing Skills
Beth Holland, MA, CCC-SLP, Super Duper® Publications
Instructional Level: Intermediate                      

Cognitive and linguistic deficits impact students’ abilities to sequence events in chronological or causal order. Specific disorders for this include auditory processing disorders, autism spectrum disorders, hearing impairment, learning disabilities and specific language impairment.  A software-based approach for sequencing pictures, text and audio, from two- to six-step sequences, is demonstrated.

Learner Outcomes: The participant will be able to discuss cognitive and linguistic deficits that impact sequencing, name the sequencing deficits seen in five disorders (i.e., auditory processing disorders, autism spectrum disorders, hearing impairment, learning disabilities and specific language impairment), and explain an individualized software-based approach for addressing weaknesses in sequencing skills.

Session 43                                             Track: Multi-Interest
3:15 pm - 5:15 pm
Packing Your Toolbox for Good Vocal Health
Patti Peters, MEd, MPS, CCC-SLP, Private Practice; Debbie A. Williams, MS, CCC-SLP, Roanoke City Schools, REACH Program
Instructional Level: Introductory

As an SLP, how well do you understand the basic mechanics of voice production, good vocal hygiene, factors impacting vocal health and systematic removal of factors or “bricks”?  How comfortable are you in explaining this information to your patients with voice disorders who come to you from varied backgrounds with differing cognitive and educational levels?  Your ability to facilitate your patients’ understanding and application of information presented is a crucial part of your treatment outcomes.  The purpose of this session is to show SLPs how to explain the structures and function of the vocal mechanism for singing and speech, to identify factors and behaviors that negatively impact the health and performance of one’s voice and to demonstrate how to minimize and eliminate abusive behaviors in order to maintain effective voicing for daily conversations and communication, as well as performance quality and range for singing. 

Learner Outcomes: Participant will increase the ability to effectively communicate the structure and function of the vocal mechanism involved in speaking and singing to clients as well as choirs of varying professional levels, will learn how to identify factors and behaviors which negatively impact the health and performance of one’s voice to clients as well as to choirs of varying professional levels, will identify how to minimize and eliminate vocally abusive behaviors in order to maintain effective voicing for daily conversations and communication as well as performance quality and range for singing for clients as well as choirs of varying professional levels.

Session 44                                       Track: Professional Issue
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Political Action Committees - Past, Present, Future
Cornelia Long, MS, CCC-SLP; Scott Rankins, MS, CCC-SLP, David Bailey SHAV Lobbyist
Instructional Level: Introductory

This session will highlight the political activity of the Speech-Language Hearing Association's past, present and future.  Presenters will lead the audience on a dynamic exploration of the political process, accomplishments of the association and the direction of the future.  The most important aspect is to empower members to become involved in the political process from writing their delegates to going to Capitol Hill.  Every voice counts.

Learner Outcomes:  The participant will be able to detail what SHAV's political plans are for the future; name at least one law that was supported and passed by the VA General Assembly, identify ways they can become involved in the political process.

Poster Sessions
4:15 pm - 5:15 pm

A Survey of Speech-Language Pathologists Who Serve Adolescents With Speech-Language Impairments
Shannon Salley, CCC-SLP, SLPD
Instructional Level: Introductory

Related literature regarding the ways that SLPs serve the adolescent population will be presented.  Current practices used by SLPs who treat the adolescent population will be explored.  The manner in which SLPs were prepared by their graduate level program to work with the adolescent population will also be presented.

Learner Outcomes: Participants will be able to identify current practices used by SLPs to address the adolescent population, identify effective service delivery models associated with the adolescent population, and identify areas of strengths and weaknesses of graduate programs in the area of adolescent speech/language disorders.

An Auditory Processing Screening Test for Children Who are Bilingual English/Arabic Speaking
Reem Abulhamayel, MS; Nada Faquih, MS; Jay Lucker,EdD, CCC-A/SLP
Children who are bilingual may have more problems processing verbal information than children who are monolingual.  The ASHA
Instructional Level: Intermediate                      

Technical Report on auditory processing disorders in children speaks to the issue of testing children who are special cases such as children who are bilingual.  One method for assessing the auditory processing abilities in these children is to test them in both their native language (L1) and in English, their second language (L2). This poster session presents a description of using the Token Test for Children (TTFC) in the Standard English language version along with a translated Arabic version. Both the English and Arabic language versions of the first four parts of the TTFC were administered to a group of young children who are bilingual in both English and Arabic with Arabic being their first language. 

Learner Outcomes:  The participant will be able to describe the Token Test for Children (TTFC) as administered in both English and Arabic Languages, explain the differences between performance of bilingual children who speak English (L2) and Arabic (L1), make more informed decisions regarding the use of the TTFC English and Arabic language versions for children who are bilingual in these languages.

Auditory Processing Testing: Is There a Need to Use a Sound Treated Test Booth?
Nicole Franklin, BA; Britani Hightower, BA; Martin Nyanzu, BA; Kierra Villines, BA; Jay Lucker, EdD, CCC-A/SLP
Instructional Level: Intermediate                      

Audiologists often state that tests of auditory processing must be administered in sound treated test suites typically used for threshold and other audiological measures.  The ASHA papers on auditory processing in children do not indicate that testing auditory processing must be completed in such sound treated rooms.  Many times, schools may be willing to have students’ auditory processing assessed, but the best they can supply is a quiet test environment. The present poster session looks at the results for a group of young adults who were administered auditory processing tests both in the sound treated audiological test suite as well as in a quiet test environment.  The same equipment was used to assess auditory processing in both situations so that only the test environment varied. A control group of subtests was used for comparison having their testing completed twice in the same environment (half only in the test suite and half only in the quiet room).

Learner Outcomes: The participant will be able to describe the two different test environments and the ambient sound factors found in each, identify any differences in auditory processing test performance between the two test environments, and make more informed decisions regarding what should be an appropriate test environment for administering tests of auditory processing.

Cleft Palate and/or Velopharyngeal Dysfunction: Assessment and Treatment
Elizabeth Higgins, MA
Instructional Level: Introductory

This poster will review assessment and therapeutic approaches for working with children who demonstrate articulation errors related to cleft palate and /or velopharyngeal dysfunction.  Collaboration with the treating team and differential diagnosis of resonance versus articulation disorders will be included.

Learner Outcomes:  Participants will be able to describe normal velopharyngeal function and be able to list causes of velopharyngeal dysfunction, identify behaviors that the SLP can change and those they cannot change in the child with velopharyngeal dysfunction. Participants will be able to list features that should be evaluated and described in the assessment of a child with velopharyngeal dysfunction.

Dysphagia in Cerebral Palsy
Dannielle deFreitas, BA; Stacy Simone, BA
Instructional Level: Introductory

The purpose of this project was to review the impact of cerebral palsy on swallowing. Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a general term describing several distinct types of motor impairments that range in severity as a result of injury to various portions of the nervous system injury. These can include ataxic, dyskinetic, athetoid, and spastic, each implicating different portions of the central nervous system. Studies in children and adults with CP indicate difficulties in both saliva management and feeding. Further, a common complication of the motor system dysfunction is dysphagia, associated with difficulties in multiple stages of the swallowing process.  We describe findings in the literature pertaining to the specific swallowing issues experienced by those with CP. We then review several treatment options that have been described for children and adults with CP to address the complications of drooling and dysphagia. These include Botox injections, hard palate devices, surgical intervention, and range of motion exercises.

Learner Outcomes: The participant will be able to describe four distinct features involved in CP, describe three major swallowing issues in children with CP, and describe three different interventions for swallowing management in children with CP.

Impact of Background Noise and Visual Information on Listening Abilities in Aphasia
Hilary Sandberg, BA; Stacie Ringleb, PhD; Ginger Watson, PhD; Anastasia Raymer, PhD; Jennifer Morrison; Melissa Deutsch
Instructional Level: Intermediate                      

The ability to process an auditory signal is impacted by both internal and external listening conditions. A left hemisphere stroke can disrupt the internal system for auditory processing leading to aphasia. External conditions, such as background noise, can disrupt auditory processing. In contrast, visual information can enhance auditory processing.  What has not been examined in individuals with aphasia is whether presentation of speech in noise is facilitated by visual cues, which some argue may be detrimental to auditory processing (Youse et al., 2004).  We examined the influence of background noise and visual information on the auditory processing abilities of individuals with aphasia following stroke as compared to matched controls. We used a sentence repetition task (QuickSin,
Killion et al., 2004) in the presence of background speech noise (6 talker babble), presented in an auditory (AUD) and an auditory+visual (AV)(face) condition as signal to noise ratio (SNR) declined from  20 to 0. Some advantage was evident when visual information was provided to support auditory processing in noise, although at the most difficult listening condition, little advantage was evident for the visual over the auditory modality alone.

Learner Outcomes: The participants will be able to describe the effects of listening in noise for aphasia, describe the effect of visual information for listening in aphasia and explain the results of a study examining the interaction of listening conditions for aphasia.

Performance of Bilingual Spanish/English-Speaking Children on a Modified Version of the Token Test
Valencia Perry, MS; Jay Lucker, EdD, CCC-A/SLP
Instructional Level: Introductory

The identification process of bilingual, Spanish-English, students with suspected auditory processing disorder can be troublesome to clinicians because many of the appropriate screeners are not available in Spanish. As a result, this study intended to develop a screening tool that will assist in the identification bilingual students at risk for a possible auditory processing disorder.  The first part of the Token Test for Children-Revised was used in English and translated into Spanish to screen typically developing bilingual children. Results of the study are forthcoming and will be discussed during the poster presentation, as this study is currently in progress.

Learner Outcomes: The participant will be able to list at least two challenges faced by school-based SLPs when screening/assessing bilingual students, explain why assessment in the native language of the student is critical to language evaluation, identify similarities and differences between Spanish-speaking and English-speaking children’s results on the receptive language measure.

Vocabulary Performance of Arabic-English Speaking Bilinguals on the Jordanian Expressive Vocabulary Test (JEVT): A Pilot Study
Nada Faquih, MS; Linda Bland-Stewart PhD, CCC-SLP
Instructional Level: Introductory

The aim of this pilot study is to compare the vocabulary level in English and Arabic in typically developing Arabic-English speaking bilinguals. Arabic language is spoken by 206 million people worldwide and by 786,000 people from a total of 304,060 millions in the United States (U.S census, 2008). Given the limited data on Arabic language and Arabic-English bilinguals, it is challenging to make an accurate judgment about bilingual speech and language skills. Using the Jordanian Expressive Vocabulary Test (JEVT), this study will compare whether bilinguals possess similar or different expressive vocabulary skills in Arabic and English. This will assist speech-language pathologists to know what to expect when assessing Arabic-English speaking bilinguals using the JEVT.

Learner Outcomes: The participants will be able to identify factors that affect vocabulary acquisition in bilinguals, list at least two differences between Arabic and English language, and describe the procedures for administering and scoring the Jordanian Expressive Vocabulary Test (JEVT).