Jess Dancer

Deaf Adolescents' Knowledge of AIDS: Grade and Gender Effects

Adolescents attending 5 state schools for the deaf responded to a 35-item questionnaire designed to probe their knowledge of AIDS. The 129 students in grades 9-12 had extremely limited core knowledge of AIDS, with the correct answers to only 8 of the 35 questions known by most students in all 4 grades. A minority of males and females knew the answers to most questions, indicating that AIDS education programs for deaf adolescents are urgently needed.

Stuttering adaptation under distributed and massed conditions

Abstract An identical-subject-repeated-measures design, involving two counterbalanced conditions, was employed to investigate adaptation when the presentation of a 100-word list is distributed and when it is massed. In Condition I, the entire list was read aloud during each of five successive trials. Since a specific word reoccurred only after all of the others were displayed, the presentation may be said to be distributed. In contrast, the Condition II presentation was massed. Only after a word was read five times was the next one presented. The results indicate that significant adaptation occurred in both conditions. However, adaptation plateaued in the distributed condition. This was not the case when massing was employed. The among-condition analyses revealed that significantly more adaptation occurred in the massed than in the distributed condition.

AMBIENT NOISE LEVELS IN UNIVERSITY CLASSROOMS : DETRIMENTAL TO TEACHING AND LEARNING ?

Ambient noise levels in 28 of 30 university classrooms exceeded the level of 35 dBA as recommended by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Such noise levels may interfere with both teaching and learning.

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILDREN WITH STROKES DUE TO SICKLE CELL DISEASE

The receptive and expressive language skills of 10 children with strokes due to sickle cell disease were significantly poorer than those of their matched controls. The children with strokes had greatest difficulty in following oral directions and formulating sentences.

READING, WRITING, AND VOCABULARY SKILLS OF CHILDREN WITH STROKES DUE TO SICKLE CELL DISEASE

The reading, writing, and vocabulary skills of 8 children with strokes due to sickle cell disease were compared with 8 control children. The former were delayed in reading and writing skills but not in vocabulary development or use.

LISTENER PERCEPTIONS OF OLDER VERSUS YOUNGER ADULT SPEECH: IMPLICATIONS FOR PROFESSIONALS AND FAMILIES

This investigation compared college students watching slides of either an older or a younger adult reading a prerecorded reminiscence passage. Although both the younger and the older speaker read the identical passage in the same amount of time, students listening to the older adult significantly underestimated the number of words used, rated their interest levels significantly lower, and correctly answered fewer questions about the content of the passage. Implications of the findings for professionals who work with older adults and their families are discussed.

Distortion-product otoacoustic emissions in ears with normal hearing sensitivity: test-retest variability.

4 women and 4 men with normal hearing sensitivity were tested for variability in distortion-product otoacoustic emissions, with two measurement sessions per day for 4 days spread over a 2-wk. period. Most test-retest variations were small, on the order of 2 dB. Extreme variations of 6 dB or greater occurred most often at the highest test frequency and should not be considered clinically positive unless such differences are found at lower frequencies also.

ALTERNATIVES IN AURAL REHABILITATION: PROVIDER TRAINING OF NONAUDIOLOGISTS IN THE DELIVERY OF HEARING‐AID SUPPORTIVE SERVICES TO OLDER PERSONS WITH HEARING LOSS

Recently, Patterson and Dancer (1987) suggested a model wherein persons who normally come in contact with older hearing‐impaired persons can be trained to assist the older hearing‐aid user in adjustment to amplification. Their four‐phase educational model offers an alternative to traditional aural rehabilitation programs by using personnel from senior centers, nursing homes, and state and local agencies as program providers. The present article elaborates more fully on the training that protocol providers will receive from audiologists certified by the American Speech‐Language‐Hearing Association. Providers will be carried through five stages: empathy, effective communication skills, knowledge of the interaction of aging and hearing loss, the phases outlined in the Patterson and Dancer model, and guidelines for referrals. Objective‐based provider and client response criteria are outlined for moving the client from the initial receipt of the hearing aid to its ultimate acceptance and use on a doily basis.

RELATION OF READING RATE AND RAPID AUTOMATIC NAMING AMONG THIRD GRADERS

The relation of reading rate and rapid automatic naming (RAN) for pictures was investigated for 31 third graders. Reading rate was measured as the number of seconds required for reading aloud a third-grade passage. Rapid automatic naming was assessed with the RAN portion of the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities. A moderate correlation of −.61 between the sets of scores suggests RAN assessment may be useful in screening for reading deficits in third-grade children.

Should Identification Audiometry Include a Screening for Depression among Residents of Upper Socioeconomic Retirement Centers

40 older residents living in three upper socioeconomic retirement centers were screened for hearing loss, hearing handicap, and depression. Those participants who showed loss on the hearing screening or the hearing handicap screening were no more likely to score as depressive on the Geriatric Depression Scale than were those who showed no loss on screening. Results suggest that hearing loss and depression should be routinely but independently monitored in settings with affluent older adult residents.