Nancy A. Creaghead

The Comprehension of Humorous Materials by Adolescents with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's Syndrome.

This study investigated the ability of adolescents with Aspergers syndrome or high-functioning autism and an age-matched group of typical adolescents to comprehend humorous materials. The analysis of humor focused on picking funny endings for cartoons and jokes. As expected, the adolescents with autism had significantly poorer comprehension of cartoons and jokes. Both groups had more difficulty with the joke than the cartoon task, but when compared with the typical group, the adolescents with autism performed significantly poorer. Examination of the error patterns revealed that subjects with autism had difficulty handling surprise and coherence within humorous narratives.

The Relationship Between Joint Attention and Language in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

The relationship between initiation of and response to joint attention and components of receptive and expressive language in 20 children with autism between the ages of 3 and 5 years were examined. Receptive language skills were assessed using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL). Expressive language skills were evaluated by examining Mean Length of Utterance and Type Token Ratio. These variables, along with data on responses to joint attention bids and initiation of joint attention were analyzed using Spearman calculations. The ability to respond to the joint attention bids of others was positively correlated with receptive language scores on the MSEL and mean length of utterance in children with autism. There was no relationship between the ability to initiate joint attention and the selected components of language examined.

A pilot study comparing the effectiveness of speech language therapy provided by telemedicine with conventional on-site therapy:

We compared the progress made by school children in speech language therapy provided through videoconferencing and conventional face-to-face speech language therapy. The children were treated in two groups. In the first group, 17 children received telemedicine treatment for 4 months, and then subsequently conventional therapy for 4 months. In the second group, 17 children received conventional treatment for 4 months and then subsequently telemedicine treatment for 4 months. The outcome measures were student progress, participant satisfaction and any interruptions to service delivery. Student progress reports indicated that the children made similar progress during the study whichever treatment method was used. There was no significant difference in GFTA-2 scores (Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation) between students in the two treatment groups. Satisfaction surveys indicated that the students and parents overwhelmingly supported the telemedicine service delivery model. During the study, a total of 148 of the 704 possible therapy sessions was not completed (21%); the pattern of cancellations was similar to cancellations in US public schools generally. Videoconferencing appears to be a promising method of delivering speech language therapy services to school children.

An Examination of Language Samples Obtained under Three Experimental Conditions

Language samples were obtained from 12 Head Start preschool children under the following three experimental conditions: Condition I, Retelling a Story with Toys; Condition II, Playing with Toys; Co...

Parent and professional agreement on cognitive level of children with autism.

The aim of the study was to compare the extent of agreement between parents and professional evaluators regarding the cognitive level of children with autism. We sought to determine the degree of parent and standardized test agreement about the childs cognitive level for children at different levels of cognitive functioning. Information regarding parental view of cognitive levels was collected from the questionnaires used during the initial evaluation. These levels were compared with age equivalencies obtained by professionals from standardized intellectual measures. Significant difference between parental perception and professional assessment of the childs cognitive level was found. In addition, there was significant correlation between the level of agreement and cognitive functioning; agreement increased as the level of cognitive functioning increased.

Metapragmatic Awareness of Explanation AdequacyDeveloping Skills for Academic Success From a Collaborative Communication Skills Unit

A third-grade classroom participated in a communication skills unit (CSU) that was designed and implemented collaboratively by a teacher, speech-language pathologist, and student speech-language pa...

Stutterer's scaled attitudes and their prognostic significance in therapy

Abstract Thirty individuals who manifested stuttering behavior participated in an intensive therapy program. Measures of pretherapy attitudes on the Attitude and Behavioral Observation Scale, which consists of self-evaluations of attitudes on a scale of five equal-appearing intervals and also two questionnaires, the Iowa Scale of Attitude Toward Stuttering and the Stutterers Self-Ratings of Reactions to Speech Situations were utilized. These three scales were found to be significantly correlated. A difference score from the Motor Performance Scale, a speech proficiency scale of one to five was completed at pre- and posttherapy, as a measure of the clients success from therapy. Generally, pretherapy attitudes did not correlate significantly with success from therapy.

Fricatives at 18 months as a measure for predicting vocabulary and grammar at 24 and 30 months.

PURPOSE Language develops at variable rates in young children, yet markers for different developmental trajectories, have not been identified. Production of fricatives in words may be one marker because they are later developing sounds and contribute to syntactic production. We examined whether children who produced fricatives in words by 18 months had better vocabulary and grammar scores at 18, 24, and 30 months than children who did not. METHOD The expressive language skills of 37 toddlers who did and did not produce fricatives in words by 18 months of age were compared at 18, 24 and 30 months of age. RESULTS Expressive vocabulary scores and the use of grammatical markers were significantly better for children who produced fricatives by 18 months than for those who did not. This effect was consistent across scores at 18, 24, and 30 months. The total number of consonants and total number of fricatives produced at 18 months did not significantly predict expressive vocabulary scores. CONCLUSIONS Because the children who produced fricatives by 18 months demonstrated better expressive language skills than their peers who did not produce fricatives by 18 months, the early production of fricatives by toddlers may be a marker of a faster expressive language developmental trajectory. LEARNING OUTCOMES Readers will: (1) describe the relationship between early phonological development and early expressive lexical development, (2) describe the role of perceptual and motor development in speech sound the acquisition, and (3) describe the potential relationship between the production of fricatives and expressive language development.

Perspectives on Preparing Graduate Students To Provide Educationally Relevant Services in Schools

Abstract Working in the schools today requires more than the skills and knowledge for addressing the communication and swallowing disorders that children exhibit. With changes in the way speech-lan...

Language, Reading, and Executive Function Measures as Predictors of Comprehension Using Text-to-Speech

Abstract This study investigated the relationship between student performance on behavioral measures (reading, language, and executive function) and reading comprehension while reading with and without text-to-speech (TTS) accommodations. Twenty-nine children with reading difficulties ages 8 to 12 years completed a battery of reading, language, and executive function measures. They read 5 passages and answered comprehension questions under the following conditions: (a) silent reading, (b) reading aloud, (c) listening with digitized speech only, (d) reading with the use of TTS with no highlighting, and (e) reading with the use of TTS with highlighting. We used a principal component analysis and a mixed-effects logistic regression model. Language/Reading was a significant predictor of comprehension in both TTS conditions, whereas Executive Function was a strong predictor of comprehension in the listen only and silent reading conditions. Implications of language proficiency and executive function for successful use of TTS to support reading comprehension warrant further investigation.