Elaine M. Frank

Recognition of Nonverbal Communication of Affect Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Recognition of facial expressions and vocal prosody was examined using the Diagnostic Assessment of Nonverbal Accuracy 2 (DANVA-2) and the Carolina Older Adult Test of Nonverbal Communication (COAT-NC) for 24 individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and 24 matched controls. Results demonstrated that participants without TBI scored significantly higher than participants with TBI when presented with adult photo and voice stimuli. No significant group difference was noted with child photo and voice stimuli. Both groups scored significantly higher on photo subtests than on voice subtests for child and younger adult stimuli. For older adult stimuli, both groups scored significantly higher on the voice subtest than on the photo subtest. For the subjects with TBI, a significant relationship was found between scores on the voice subtests and a functional measure of cognition and communication.

Sleep Patterns in Patients With Huntington's Disease and Their Unaffected First-Degree Relatives: A Brief Report

Polysomnographic sleep patterns in Huntingtons disease (HD) have been studied sporadically in small groups of patients, providing variable results. In this study, by comparing the polysomnographic sleep patterns of HD patients and their unaffected relatives, identifying sleep traits more specifically related to the HD gene was attempted. The results corroborated previously reported findings of prolonged sleep latency and the virtual absence of nocturnal respiratory disturbances in early HD. Sleep latency in the HD patients positively correlated with the results of a screening test for frontal lobe dysfunction. Larger, more standardized studies will be needed to correlate genetic markers and sleep patterns in HD.

Dysphagia and dementia in subjects with Parkinson's disease.

This study reviewed the medical records of 19 patients with a diagnosis of Parkinsons disease listed on the death certificate who died between June 1985 and July 1990. The presence or absence of dementia separated the patients into two groups. The study examined the age at time of death, number and type of secondary diagnoses, frequency of dysphagia diagnosis, and therapeutic dietary differences. The presence of dementia did not influence the age at time of death. Dysphagia was a common diagnosis for each group. Differences in treatment of dysphagia were found to be dependent on the presence or absence of dementia.

Race, gender, and educational level effects on Boston Naming Test scores

Abstract The Boston Naming Test is designed to identify word retrieval problems; however, normative data for this test are limited. One hundred subjects participated in this study to examine race, gender, and educational level effects on test scores. Subjects included 25 African American males, 25 African American females, 25 Caucasian males, and 25 Caucasian females with no neurologic impairment from a wide age range. Race and gender did not have a significant effect on test scores; however, educational level had an effect on the number of correct responses. Subjects with more years of education were determined to have exposure to a wider vocabulary base which was credited with the higher test scores.

Pharmacological approaches to the treatment and prevention of aphasia

Strokes cause a variety of cognitive impairments that may include aphasia. Speech-language pathologists and aphasiologists encounter an increasing number of patients treated with pharmacological agents. This review describes research regarding four main approaches to neuropharmacological intervention: pharmacotherapy or drugs used to facilitate language improvements following stroke, neuroreplacement to restore compromised levels of neurotransmitters, neuroprotective agents that minimise the extent of cell loss in the brain, and thrombolytic agents to restore blood flow to regions of the brain that have become ischaemic following stroke. Studies in each major approach are reviewed.

Preparation of Speech-Language Pathologists to Provide Services to Patients With a Tracheostomy Tube: A Survey

Speech-language pathologists often are consulted to facilitate communication and swallowing for patients with a tracheostomy tube. The purpose of this study was to survey the clinical knowledge bas...

Preparedness of Educational Speech-Language Pathologists to Provide Services to Students with Traumatic Brain Injury.

This study used a questionnaire to survey South Carolinas educational speech-language pathologists (SLPs)to determine their perceived knowledge about TBI and their preparedness to provide services to students with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Of the 768 questionnaires distributed, 220 (29%)were returned from 43 of 46 counties. Respondents had received degrees from 72 university and college training programs in 27 states. Results indicated that the majority of respondents did not express a high level of comfort regarding preparation for pediatric TBI rehabilitation, but SLPs with graduate training or national certification were more likely to feel prepared than other SLPs. The need for a stronger knowledge base in pediatric TBI was reflected in the mean number of correct responses (15.19)on a 20 item true-false test of general TBI knowledge. The survey found that interaction among respondents, referring rehabilitation teams, and school multidisciplinary teams was not high. The respondents indicated a desire for more education about TBI through direct inservice training. A list of references useful for preparing SLPs to provide services for students with TBI is included.

Evaluation of a Training Manual for the Early Detection of Intraoral Pathologies Secondary to Smokeless Tobacco Use

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a training manual developed for speech-language pathologists for providing education and early detection of oral health problems secondary to smokeless tob...