DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIVE DISORDERS
Mission
The Department of Communicative Disorders at The University of Alabama exists to create and disseminate evidence-based information for the provision of the highest quality 1) education for undergraduate and graduate students, 2) clinical services for individuals in need, and 3) research for the advancement of the fields of audiology and speech-language pathology.
Vision
Our vision is to be the Southeast’s premier educational program for training in the fields of audiology and speech-language pathology; to build a world-class learning environment that promotes the discovery, dissemination, and adoption of evidence-based practices to advance the practice of audiology and speech-language pathology.
SPRING 2023 NEWSLETTER
A Note from the Department Chair
Welcome to the spring 2023 semester. The new semester brings with it the promise of warmer weather, Honors Day events, and celebrating the class of 2023 at graduation (#UACDc/o23)! Spring (the season and the semester) is a time of renewal and celebration. January often inspires lofty goals for self-improvement—but I long ago gave up the myth of New Year’s Resolutions. I do, however, subscribe to spring cleaning rituals. The spring semester is the perfect time to take stock of habits and routines—ask ourselves, “What’s working and what’s not?.” It’s the perfect time to remind ourselves of our academic, professional, and personal goals and use those goals to evaluate the usefulness of current habits and routines. The process of self-evaluation and program evaluation is challenging. It often leads us to make difficult choices-- pruning away things that aren’t helping us reach our goals and attempting to pick up and learn new habits that will advance us closer to our ultimate goals.
Landscape architects and arborists regularly prune lawns and trees. Pruning has multiple benefits for plant life—it helps maintain health, it controls growth, it rejuvenates plant life, and helps protect the owner’s investment. Self & program evaluation- like pruning- has benefits too. It is only by removing outdated practices and habits that we can make room for growth towards our future goals. Our department has a lot of goals—we are committed to our vision of being “…the Southeast’s premier educational program for training in the fields of audiology and speech-language pathology by building a world-class learning environment that promotes the discovery, dissemination, and adoption of evidence-based practices to advance the practice of audiology and speech-language pathology.” Our department is actively engaged in innovative research across our labs and in our clinic.
Many of our faculty, instructors, and clinical educators presented about research and clinical programs taking place in our department at The American Speech-Language and Hearing Association’s Annual Convention in November 2022. We kick this semester off with two of our faculty presenting at The Speech and Hearing Association of Alabama’s annual conference in February 2023.
https://www.alabamashaa.com/Convention
Our vision compels us to grow into our goals, but it also requires us to evaluate what is needed now and what is needed in the future. Through this discernment process, we maintain our department’s health and balance between growth and maintenance. Self/program evaluation facilitates personal and department growth and helps to prevent burn out by tackling too much too soon. This process rejuvenates our efforts, fuels progressive classroom/clinical experiences, inspires new discoveries, and ensures outstanding clinical care for the West Alabama community-- all of which helps us fulfill our mission of creating and disseminating evidence-based information for the provision of the highest quality 1) education for undergraduate and graduate students, 2) clinical services for individuals in need, and 3) research for the advancement of the fields of audiology and speech-language pathology.
As we launch into a new year and a new semester, I encourage you to be intentional with your time and talents and spend some time in self-evaluation/early spring cleaning. What are your goals? Give yourself credit for all the work you’ve done and progress you’ve made towards your goals. Celebrate all your victories—UACDc/o24 just successfully completed their first semester of graduate school. They now have the confidence and experience to crush their second semester. UACDc/o23 has successfully completed their academic program. They have four semesters of clinical experiences to build upon as they head into their full-time 5th semester clinical placement. The department survived extensive cosmetic updates to our building during the fall 2022 semester and we are now welcoming students, clients, and visitors into our updated space. What are you celebrating?! Now, what do you need to do to advance towards your next goals? Spring is the perfect time for self-evaluation and pruning/cleaning out the habits/routines that no longer serve to help us reach our goals. While the process of pruning/cleaning out unproductive habits/routines can be challenging, the good news is we have a department full of supportive colleagues that will help wherever and whenever it is needed. Additional good news, this department is also good at celebrating all the milestones we reach along the way to achieving the BIG GOALS. I look forward to celebrating all the growth and progress that we’ll achieve this semester with all of you.
"Spring is the time of plans and projects." — Leo Tolstoy
Welcome from the Clinic Director
It is hard to believe that the fall 2022 semester is over and spring 2023 is here! As always, a lot is happening here at our newly renovated Speech and Hearing Center.
I would like to congratulate all of our clinical students on a successful fall semester. This spring, we are excited to welcome a new group of undergraduate clinicians to the clinic, and we look forward to continuing to work with our first-year graduate students as they take on their second semester of graduate clinical work. We are proud of how far our second-year students have come and we know they will take full advantage of the opportunities ahead in their final internships! We continue to be able to offer our students a wonderful variety of clinical experiences across our scope of practice at the Speech and Hearing Center and in off-campus clinical rotations across the country. We are consistently grateful to our off-campus partners for all that they do to make this possible!
Several of our graduate students will be participating in the Speech and Hearing Association of Alabama (SHAA) annual Quest for the Cup knowledge bowl at this year’s SHAA Convention. Our team has worked hard and prepared well! We know they will do a great job representing us!
The spring semester is often a time to acknowledge and commemorate achievements from the concluding academic year, and I am looking forward to celebrating the many accomplishments of our students and clinic this spring!
Roll Tide!!
Fall 2022 Events
Alabama Dysphagia Collective Conference
The inaugural 2022 ADC Dysphagia Conference was held in October at our second location - The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa at the beautiful Bryant Conference Center. Our speakers included Co-Founders and Co-Directors of the ADC, Dr. Memorie Gosa, Dr. Kendrea Garand, Dr. Debra Suiter, and Mrs. Grayson Hill. For the optional 3rd day, we had Gina Armstrong from Eastern Shore Swallowing Diagnostics lead an introductory FEES course at the Speech and Hearing Center. Hands-on training was integrated into the conference program all 3 days, as well as the use of live audience response during presentations. We were so fortunate to have sponsorships, with on-site sponsors represented, including TIMS Medical, Ampcare, LLC, Bracco Diagnostics, and KayPENTAX. We were fortunate to have other sponsorships, including Encore, Northern Speech Services, MedSLP Collective, SpeechPathology.com, and National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders, as well as support from The University of Alabama and The University of South Alabama. Thank you sponsors and thank you attendees for making this first conference event a wild success!!! We already have our advanced topic theme for next year, so stay tuned for more details!
ASHA Conference 2022
The Department of Communicative Disorders was well represented at the annual ASHA conference in New Orleans. Dr. Memorie Gosa presented research on pediatric dysphagia and DeLaine Stricklin and Kayce Hinton presented a research poster related to training and confidence levels of students across disciplines working with traumatic brain injury survivors. Many of our graduate students were also in attendance. It was a wonderful opportunity to teach, learn and network!
The 2023 cohort attended their last class in November and are ready for their final semester at their off-campus placements!
Autism Updates: Identity, Collaboration and Conversations!
On and Off-Campus Clinical Educators came together on January 21 to learn and grow!
Thank you to Mrs. Jennifer Baggett and Dr. Laci Watkins for sharing evidence-based strategies to help us engage in important work.
We would like to extend a very special thank you to our Off-Campus Clinical Educators for mentoring our students and encouraging them to become informed and empathetic professionals.
Student Spotlight
Grace Dooley is a 2nd year graduate student from Portsmouth, Rhode Island. She grew up on an island and hopes to make a difference in the world by working in an area that focuses on rural healthcare.
Grace's favorite graduate school class has been Pediatric Dysphagia. She says, "We have had a lot of various disciplines come to speak about how their profession collaborates as a team with SLPs, which was super interesting!"
If she could invent something related to our career field, she would want to "create some type of training program that would equip physicians, specifically family practitioners, to feel more confident and educated on autism. Therefore, be able to better identify characteristics and feel more comfortable being able to diagnose autism at a young age." She says, "I would want to make sure that it would be accessible to those in rural areas that may have less opportunities to go to trainings in more urban areas."
Grace says her grandmother has always inspired her to be her best by reminding her not to take any experience for granted. "She always tells me that every job or opportunity I get, no matter how unrelated it may seem to my future career, will teach me skills that will benefit me later on."
Alumni Spotlight
Noelle Nicholson graduated from The University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communicative Disorders in 2011 and a Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology in 2013. She has been employed at The Bell Center for Early Intervention Programs since 2014. The Bell Center is a center-based early intervention program in Birmingham, Alabama that provides services to children age birth- 3 years who are at risk for developmental delay. Noelle works as part of a transdisciplinary team made up of a physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech-language pathologist, and early childhood special education teacher to provide services to children with a wide variety of needs and diagnoses ranging from cerebral palsy and Down syndrome to autism and rare genetic disorders. Noelle is especially interested in early identification and treatment of children with autism. She enjoys serving in The Bell Center’s ‘My Friends’ program that provides services to children with sensory, social, and communication challenges. Noelle also has special interests in AAC as well as parent coaching through Project ImPACT. As a speech-language pathologist in early intervention, Noelle most enjoys seeing her clients learn and grow over a three-year span, watching tiny babies grow into thriving toddlers and seeing first hand how early therapy positively impacts a child’s development and a parent’s confidence. Her advice to students and new clinicians is to use your special interests to find your niche and turn it into a specialty for the field of speech-language pathology. Noelle is married to her husband, Colby, and has two children, Brooks (5) and Jay (2).
#Dreambigshinebright
Research Faculty Spotlight
- Brain state classification using machine learning methods (with applications to language and health diagnostics). This project is a collaboration with engineering faculty at Purdue and University of Alabama, and has been funded by the National Science Foundation.
- Radar-based recognition of sign language for smart environments (also referred to as "Alexa for American Sign Language"), a collaboration between University of Alabama and Gallaudet University (the only higher education institution for the Deaf in the US).
- Co-development of motor and linguistic skills in sign language learners. This project is conducted in collaboration with the University of Salzburg departments of Linguistics and Kinesiology, and has received multiple grants from the Austrian Science Foundation (Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung, FWF).
Clinical Faculty Spotlight
Student Organization Highlights
National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA)
The UA National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) chapter had a busy fall semester. Members attended various lectures, exhibits, and poster presentations representing NSSLHA at the American Speech and Hearing Association Convention (ASHA Convention) in New Orleans, Louisiana. Social activities were held encouraging students to connect with one another, including a “Sweet September” event, “Virtual Pumpkin Painting” event, and a “Holiday Celebration”. NSSLHA raised money for the organization through t-shirt sales and percentage nights. NSSLHA gave back to the community and Department of Communicative Disorders through philanthropy events including donating coffee for Bama Perks, decorating local SLP classroom doors for fall, purchasing new outdoor seating for the Speech and Hearing Center courtyard, and showing appreciation for the UA clinical educators. This fall, NSSLHA welcomed multiple guest speakers from around the nation to share their knowledge about their area of interest in speech-language pathology to its members. Finally, we welcomed our 2023-2024 UA NSSLHA Executive Board at our final meeting of the semester. NSSLHA advisors include Dr. Christy Albea, Mrs. Sara Shirley, and Mrs. Mary Ray-Allen. NSSLHA is looking forward to another wonderful year with their new officers leading the way!
2022-2023 NSSLHA Officers:
President – Ray Boyd
VP – Ashley Hanks
Graduate Secretary – Hailey Hudson
Undergraduate Secretary – Morgan Rollins
Graduate Treasurer – Gracie Wright
Undergraduate Treasurer – Perry Courtney
Graduate Social Chair – Anna Jane Brown
Undergraduate Social Chair – Breanna Braxton
Graduate Philanthropy – Mackenzie Kramer
Undergraduate Philanthropy – Maggie Tubbs
Graduate T-Shirt/Fundraising – Faith Crocker
Undergraduate T Shirt/Fundraising – Alyssa O’Rear
Summer Symposium Chair – Hayley Griesser
New NSSLHA Officers 2023-2024
President: Jordan Jahosky
Vice President: Macy Helton
Graduate Treasurer: Julia Ratynski
Undergraduate Treasurer: Abby Orr
Graduate Secretary: Hayes Graf
Undergraduate Secretary: Morgan Rollins
Graduate Social Chair: Grace Singley
Undergraduate Social Chair: Mary Caroline Stephens
Graduate Philanthropy: Emma Engelage
Undergraduate Philanthropy: AJ Oliff
Graduate T Shirt/Fundraising: Anna Claire Gresham
Undergraduate T Shirt/Fundraising: Lauryn Stahl
Graduate Diversity Chair: Baylor Belich
Undergraduate Ambassadors
Our undergraduate ambassadors represent our department at events across campus. They are led by Mrs. Candace Cook.
2022-2023 Ambassadors:
Breanna Braxton
Kennedy Fladger
Emma Fletcher
Tori Francis
Rachel Frick
Anna Hill
Layla Jones
Alexander Lee
Grace Leverett
Isabella Ostrowski
Kaylee Patterson
Michaela Stambaugh
Sarah Teague
Keely Thayer
Jordan Wooten
Operation Smile Club of Alabama
Operation Smile has been fast growing and very successful over the last year. At the close of the spring 2022 semester, we were able to raise over $3000 and fund 12 cleft lip and palate surgeries for children in need world-wide. The fall semester came and went so quickly but we are already on track for an even more successful year than last! Our members have participated in social media fundraisers, percentage nights at local establishments, and at our last meeting we made ‘Get Well Soon’ cards for children who receive surgeries through Operation Smile! The spring semester will be a big push to meet our 15-smile goal and we are so excited to make that happen! We can’t wait to showcase our amazing members and student leaders as we continue to support such an amazing organization!
Alabama Autism Advocates
Alabama Autism Advocates aims to advocate for ASD and raise funds and resources for rural communities in Alabama. This year all our proceeds will go to DeKalb County’s Fyffe Special Services Center. We have already raised over $1,500.00 and they plan to use this money to buy important supplies for their classrooms and students with ASD.
Peyton Brown/Julia Sturges – President
Emily Thrower/Luci Brittain – Vice President
Jaden Allen – Social Media/ T-shirt Chair
Delaney Miller – Treasurer
Elliot Kaye – Secretary
Follow us on Instagram @AlabamaAutismAdvocates
Research News
Current Research Grants
Dr. Memorie Gosa
- Usefulness of the Adapted Pre-Feeding Skills Checklist for Identification of Oral Phase Dysphagia in Non-Medically Complex Children with Feeding Problems
- Efficacy of non-invasive imaging for the identification of laryngeal pathology
Dr. Marcia Hay-McCutcheon
- Hear Here Alabama Project (NIH grant)
Dr. Evie Malaia
- National Science Foundation grant, Co-PIs Sevgi Gurbuz, Chris Crawford, Darrin Griffin, RF Sensing in Sign Language-Driven Smart Environments (2019-2022)
- National Science Foundation grant, Co-PIs Ronnie B. Wilbur, Jeff Siskind, NCS-FO: Neuroimaging to Advance Computer Vision, NLP, and AI (2017-2022)
- Austrian Science Foundation grant for motion capture/EMG/EEG recording in sign language users and learners
Faculty Presentations
Summer/Fall 2022
- Buhr, A., Irani, F., Rodriguez, J. (2022). Antifragility and developmental stuttering: what makes treatment work?. American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) Conference; New Orleans, LA.
- Moya-Galé, G., Spielman, J., Campanelli, L., Maryn, Y., & Ramig, L. A. (2022). Effects of intensive voice therapy on vocal quality in individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Motor Speech Conference, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
- Wolfman, M. A., Campanelli, L., & Hale, J. T. (2022). The modulatory effect of predictability on processing difficulty due to syntactic complexity. Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences Student Research Day, New York, USA.
- Cheimariou, S., Andreou, G. (September, 2022). Rapid automatized naming (RAN) and reading fluency in developmental dyslexia: An eye-tracking study. Language Disorders in Greek (LDG8) Conference, Thessaloniki, Greece.
- Cheimariou, S., Kapnoula, E. (November, 2022). Age effects on lexical competition are external to the mental lexicon: Evidence from eye-movements. Psychonomics Conference, Boston, USA.
- Marshall, J., Gosa, M. M., & Dodrill, P. (2022). Patient Reported Outcome Measures for Pediatric Feeding Disorder (Feeding Skills Domain): A Clinimetric Review. American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) Conference; New Orleans, LA. (*received a meritorious poster award).
- Gosa, M.M. & Suiter, D.S. (June 3, 2022). Foundational Concepts of Instrumental Evaluation (FEES & VFSS); Clinical Presentation to Speech-Language Pathologists at the Inaugural Alabama Dysphagia Collective Conference, The University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL.
- Gosa, M.M. & Garand, K.F. (June 3, 2022). Variability in Normal Swallowing Across the Lifespan; Clinical Presentation to Speech-Language Pathologists at the Inaugural Alabama Dysphagia Collective Conference, The University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL.
- Gosa, M.M. (June 4, 2022). Dysphagia Treatment Across the Lifespan: Habilitation, Compensation, & Rehabilitation; Hands-on Breakout Session to Speech-Language Pathologists at the Inaugural Alabama Dysphagia Collective Conference, The University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL.
- Gosa, M.M. (June 5, 2022). Clinical Skills Practice: Passing the Scope; Hands-on Session Leader for Speech-Language Pathologists at the Inaugural Alabama Dysphagia Collective Conference, The University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL.
- Martin-Harris, B., Steele, C., Gosa, M.M., Allen, S. (Presenters) & Coyle, J. (Moderator) (June 21, 2022). Diagnosis and Management of Swallowing Physiology: Standardized contrast, the MBS-ImP, and the IDDSI framework; Clinical and Research Presentation to Speech-Language Pathologists- sponsored by the American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders; Virtual.
- Gosa, M.M. (September 23, 2022). Pediatric Dysphagia: Clinical Assessment Tools for Diagnosis and Management (presented virtually); Clinical Presentation to Speech-Language Pathologists at the Rocky Mountain University Hard to Swallow: A Catalyst for Change (Dysphagia Assessment Across the Lifespan) Conference 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Gosa, M.M. (September 30, 2022). Foundational Concepts of Instrumental Evaluation (FEES & VFSS); Clinical Presentation to Speech-Language Pathologists at the Inaugural Alabama Dysphagia Collective Conference, Bryant Conference Center, Tuscaloosa, AL.
- Gosa, M.M. & Garand, K.F. (September 30, 2022). Variability in Normal Swallowing Across the Lifespan; Clinical Presentation to Speech-Language Pathologists at the Inaugural Alabama Dysphagia Collective Conference, Bryant Conference Center, Tuscaloosa, AL.
- Gosa, M.M. & Garand, K.F. (September 30, 2022). Anatomy & Physiology of Functional Swallowing Across the Lifespan; Clinical Presentation to Speech-Language Pathologists at the Inaugural Alabama Dysphagia Collective Conference, Bryant Conference Center, Tuscaloosa, AL
- Gosa, M.M. (October 1, 2022). Review of Behavioral Strategies in the Treatment of Dysphagia Across the Lifespan; Hands-on Breakout Session to Speech-Language Pathologists at the Inaugural Alabama Dysphagia Collective Conference, Bryant Conference Center, Tuscaloosa, AL.
- Gosa, M.M. (October 1, 2022). Dysphagia Treatment Across the Lifespan: Habilitation, Compensation, & Rehabilitation; Hands-on Breakout Session to Speech-Language Pathologists at the Inaugural Alabama Dysphagia Collective Conference, Bryant Conference Center, Tuscaloosa, AL.
- Gosa, M.M. (October 2, 2022). Clinical Skills Practice: Passing the Scope; Hands-on Session Leader for Speech-Language Pathologists at the Inaugural Alabama Dysphagia Collective Conference, Bryant Conference Center, Tuscaloosa, AL.
- Gosa, M.M. (October 27, 2022). Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES)- Reviewing the Literature; Clinical Presentation to the Speech-Language Pathologists of Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare System and Children’s Hospital of Alabama; Virtual.
- Bashir, A., Antos, N., Miller, T., Pan, A., Silverman, A., Siegel, K., Kahlke, A., Gosa, M.M., & Goday, P.S. (2022, October). Assessing Pediatric Feeding Disorder in Children with Cystic Fibrosis: A Cross-Sectional Prospective Study. Poster Research Presentation at the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Heptalogy, and Nutrition Annual Meeting. Orlando, FL.
- Flahive, L., Chow, N., Gosa, M.M., Nelson, N., & Kirch, T. (November, 2022). CAA Candidacy: A Pathway to Quality Academic Programs. Administrative Poster Presentation at the Annual American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) Conference; New Orleans, LA.
- Gosa, M.M., Miller, R., Crowe-White, K., & Bolland, A. (November, 2022). Differences in Variety of Dietary Intake Between Children with and without PFD: A Pilot Study. Technical Research Presentation at the Annual American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) Conference; New Orleans, LA.
- Gosa, M.M. (November 12, 2022). Pediatric VFSS: Administration & Interpretation. Clinical Workshop presentation to the Association of Scientists of Speech Pathology – Speech Therapy of Greece in Athens, Greece.
- Gosa, M.M. (November 12, 2022). Addressing Pediatric Dysphagia with Evidence Based Practice: Compensation, Habilitation, and Rehabilitation. Keynote address to the Association of Scientists of Speech Pathology – Speech Therapy of Greece in Athens, Greece.
- Holliday, N. R., Reed., P. E. (July, 2022) Watch your tone: Race, gender, and voice quality in automated ’tone of voice’ evaluation. Paper presented at Sociolinguistic Symposium 24 in Ghent, Belgium.
- Yoo, H., Long, H., Bene, E., Ramsay, G., & Oller, D. K. (November, 2022). Relationships between infant speech-like vocalizations and infant-directed speech in typically developing infants vs. infants at risk for autism. Seminar presentation at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention, New Orleans, LA.
- Yoo, H. (Novemeber, 2022). Infant vocalizations and caregiver-infant interaction. Invited talk at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL.
Student Presentations
Summer/Fall 2022
- Borneman, S.C., Malaia, E.A., Krebs, J., Wilbur, R.B. (June 19-23, 2022) Language comprehension: explainable AI identifies predictive processing in EEG. Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) conference 2022, Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
- Krebs, J., Malaia, E.A., Wilbur, R.B., Roehm, D. (July 27th-30th, 2022) Neural mechanisms of Event Visibility in sign languages. 44th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, Toronto, Canada.
- Keating, B., Gurbuz, S., Malaia, E. (October 12-15, 2022) Analyzing Kinematics of ASL signs vs. transitional articulator movements based on Video and Kinect Data. Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, USA.
- Sellen, S., Gosa, M. M., Sazonov, E. (October, 2022) Algorithmic Detection of Pediatric Chewing Sequences, Poster Research Presentation (Student Project) at the 2022 Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX.
- Trutt, E., Freeborn, T. J., Gosa, M. M. (October, 2022) Simulated performance analysis of a low-cost circuit for electroglottography measurements, Poster Research Presentation (Student Project) at the 2022 Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX.
- Summitt, M., Freeborn, T. J., Gosa, M. M. (October, 2022) Comparison of metrics for activity differentiation within oral-facial sEMG datasets, Poster Research Presentation (Student Project) at the 2022 Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX.
- Milianta, E., Freeborn, T. J., Gosa, M. M. (October, 2022) Thyroid cartilage effects on the simulated bioimpedance of localized neck tissues, Poster Research Presentation (Student Project) at the 2022 Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX.
- Greene, C., Freeborn, T. J., Gosa, M. M. (October, 2022) Frequency analysis of sEMG data to compare swallow and non-swallow muscle activity, Poster Research Presentation (Student Project) at the 2022 Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX. o
- Chertok, A., Freeborn, T. J., Gosa, M. M. (October, 2022) Effect of frequency of phonation on laryngeal ultrasound vocal fold visualization, Poster Research Presentation (Student Project) at the 2022 Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX.
Media
- Gosa, M.M. & Suiter, D.M. (2022) Videofluoroscopy Swallow Study: Procedural Considerations- Part 1. Dysphagia Café; https://dysphagiacafe.com/2022/01/06/videofluorscopy-swallow-study-procedural-considerations-part-1/
- Gosa, M.M. & Suiter, D.M. (2022) Videofluoroscopy Swallow Study: Procedural Considerations- Part 2. Dysphagia Café; https://dysphagiacafe.com/2022/03/31/videofluroscopy-swallow-study-procedural-considerations-part-2/
- Dawson, M. (Host). (2022, August 10). PFD: Public Schools, Resources and Baby-Led Weaning- Memorie M. Gosa, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S (No. 195) [Audio podcast Episode]. In First Bite: Fed, Fun, Functional. https://firstbite.fireside.fm/195
- Richard, T. (Host). (2022, September 15). All things pediatric feeding- Memorie M. Gosa, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S (No. 249) [Audio podcast episode]. In Swallow your pride. https://podcast.theresarichard.com/249-all-things-pediatric-feeding/
- The Hear Here Alabama project was recently the topic of an ASHA Voices podcast. See below for the full link: https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/2022-1117-podcast-mobile-audiology-otc/full/ In this podcast Marcia Hay-McCutcheon was interviewed about the work she is doing with the NIH-funded over-the-counter hearing aid clinical trial in rural areas of Alabama.
Clinic Happenings
LSVT LOUD
The University of Alabama Speech and Hearing Center offers individual and group treatment services to individuals who have experienced changes in their vocal quality with the use of Lee Silverman Voice Therapy (LSVT LOUD).
LSVT LOUD follows a standardized exercise treatment protocol to promote healthy vocal loudness for effective communication at home, work, or in the community. LSVT LOUD improves communication by helping the individual speak with a voice and volume that is easy for others to hear and understand. The program was originally designed for clients with Parkinson’s disease; however, ongoing research shows promise for adults with speech issues arising from stroke or multiple sclerosis and children with cerebral palsy and Down syndrome. Research also shows secondary improvements of articulation, swallowing, and facial expressions for individuals with Parkinson’s disease. As clients progress through the program, they increase their awareness of their vocal volume and improve their confidence as a speaker.
LSVT LOUD services begin with a thorough evaluation. Once this evaluation is completed, the clinical team works with the client and caregiver to develop meaningful treatment targets. LSVT LOUD participants attend one-hour individual treatment sessions four days a week for four weeks. In these sessions, they complete a hierarchy of tasks ranging from sustained “ahs” to conversational exchanges.
Once the client completes the one-on-one portion of LSVT LOUD, they join LOUD for LIFE. This is a group-based therapy for people who have graduated from LSVT LOUD that allows them to continue practicing exercises and loud voices in a group setting with individuals with similar experiences. This group combines vocal exercises with social engagement, and participants in our clinic’s group really enjoy this time together. One client stated “There’s a lot of dark times with this disease. Without this group, I would be worse off than I am now.” Another client reported, “It’s a great experience to meet with other folks and have a sense of community.” LSVT for LIFE meets Tuesday mornings at The University of Alabama Speech and Hearing Center.
If you know an individual that would benefit from participating in LSVT LOUD therapy, please contact The University of Alabama Speech and Hearing Center at 205-348-7131 for additional information.
