UWG Comprehensive Community Clinic

Happy Fact Friday! Did you know that a conductive hearing loss indicates that there is a problem with the mechanism that conducts sound from the environment to the inner ear? Problems in the external auditory canal (outer ear), ear drum or the bones of hearing (the middle ear) may cause a conductive loss. This type of loss can often be corrected by medication or surgery. If it cannot be corrected, the individual can usually do very well with a hearing aid. Fact found at chchearing.org #hearingloss #uwg #slp #futureslp #slp2b #speech #therapy #hearing #asha #audiology

Fact Friday! Did you know that in 2014, falls were the leading cause of TBI? (Traumatic Brain Injury). Falls accounted for almost half (48%) of all TBI-related emergency department visits. Almost half (49%) of TBI-related ED visits among children 0 to 17 years were caused by falls while four in five (81%) TBI-related ED visits in older adults aged 65 years and older were caused by falls. Fact found at cdc.gov #falls #tbi #slp #uwgslp #uwg #slp2b #futureslp

Research Tuesday! Latest Context Blog Post From the ASHA Journals Offers Support and Education for National Cleft and Craniofacial Prevention & Awareness Month During the month of July, the #ASHAJournals are offering free access to select articles on the topic of cleft and craniofacial prevention, awareness, and treatment. Start with this blog post on the ASHA Journals Academy, which highlights a series of articles on this topic, with links to each article. As the blog post... explains, "Cleft and craniofacial conditions affect thousands of people in the United States every year. These conditions are frequently associated with speech and hearing disordersand can even be life-threatening. In recognition of National Cleft and Craniofacial Prevention & Awareness Month, we’d like to showcase some resources and articles focusing on the broad spectrum of cleft and craniofacial conditions." The articles highlighted in this post include two articles from Perspectives and several from AJSLP and JSLHR.

Happy Fact Friday! Did you know that autism affects all ethnic and socioeconomic groups? Fact found at autismspeaks.org Check out their website for more facts about autism! #uwg #uwgslp #slp #slp2b #slplife

Happy Research Tuesday! In honor of National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Month, we'll be selecting articles related to these topics for all Research Tuesday posts in July 2020. This one's from AJSLP: Addressing the Gap in Education for Cleft Palate: A Module Training Series for Craniofacial Assessment and Treatment A shortage of SLPs with expertise in cleft lip and palate (CLP) care exists in the U.S. and worldwide. Limited educational and clinical prep can result in ...ineffective intervention for individuals with CLP. Yet, comprehensive cleft care is a requisite for patients who require such services from SLPs. Practitioners must possess the necessary knowledge and skills. The authors developed an online cleft palate self-study course. This clinical focus article discusses the development process and provides a description of the video tutorials. A preliminary examination of the effectiveness of the tutorials via a quasi-experimental study was conducted with a group of 25 grad students who had not taken a course that either exclusively or partially covered the topic of CLP. Initial investigation of the tutorials (via quasi-experimental assessment and feedback from consumers) suggests that this resource may serve as an alternative and/or supplemental tool for the education of SLPs, parents, and allied professionals. See more

Happy Fact Friday! Did you know that an IEP is highly specific? IEPs include specific goals (such as "understanding and using longer sentences" or "using speech sounds correctly so that others can understand the child"). They also detail the number of sessions a child will have each week, month, quarter, or semester; how long these sessions are; and where they will occur. Have a great 4th of July! Fact found at asha.org #asha #slp #slpuwg #uwg #slpeeps #uwgslpeeps #futureslp #slp2b

Happy Research Tuesday! Adherence to Dysphagia Treatment Recommendations: A Conceptual Model. The purpose of this article is to integrate relevant factors from the literature into a comprehensive framework that describes adherence to dysphagia treatment. Using peer-reviewed, published guidelines regarding conceptual model construction, the authors created a list of potential factors that influence patient adherence to dysphagia-related treatment recommendations. During mode...l construction, following extensive review of the literature and existing theories that have been applied in other areas of health care, factors were identified and grouped into conceptually similar domains (clusters). Clusters were arranged into larger categories that emerged during model optimization. Ultimately, two models were created: one that illustrates the interrelated factors of patient adherence and another that illustrates a subset of modifiable risk factors that a clinical speech-language pathologist may influence when developing a dysphagia treatment plan. Three general categories from 14 factors emerged based on relationships between factors and aspects of patient care: health factors, individual patient factors, and contextual factors. A second model consisting of modifiable risk factors included access, treatment type, patient perceptions, self-efficacy, health literacy, support factors, and provider bias. This conceptual model allows clinicians and researchers to identify and explore the mechanisms driving adherence. The models presented here are ready for clinical application. #asha #research #tuesday #dysphasia

Research Tuesday! Designing Occupational Therapy Home Programs for People With Aphasia: Aphasia-Friendly Modifications This article describes aphasia-friendly ...modification for OT assessments and home programs aimed at addressing upper extremity impairments for people post stroke. A case study example is presented from a larger study that implemented aphasia-friendly material modifications into an OT home program. The participant was a 74-year-old man who survived a left hemisphere cerebrovascular attack 6 years prior to the study. The participant experienced upper extremity hemiparesis and aphasia post stroke and was appropriate for an OT home exercise program with aphasia-friendly modifications to facilitate comprehension of the home program. Modifications (e.g., gestures and visual aids) supported comprehension and participation. To support reading comprehension deficits during completion of the home program, the program materials had aphasia-friendly modifications, such as modified text, supportive images, and reduced cognitive load of exercises. Finally, research team members used supported conversational techniques during all study procedures. At the end of the home program, an interview with the participant revealed several outcomes. He reported pictures and reduced text to be beneficial in understanding instructions. And he enjoyed completing the exercises independently (i.e., outside of a therapy office). The participant's motor function demonstrated changes in a positive direction, although not greater than the minimally detectable change for performance-based measures. In conclusion, the authors found that aphasia-friendly modifications (e.g., modifying text, adding supportive images, and using gestures) were supportive of participation in assessments for and creation of an upper extremity home program. SLPs can support the participation of people with aphasia through interprofessional collaboration and consideration of environmental adaptations. https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2019_PERSP-19-00001

Happy Fact Friday! Did you know a stroke, sometimes called a brain attack, happens in one of two ways: 1. Ischemic strokewhen the blood supply to the brain is blocked 2. Hemorrhagic strokewhen a blood vessel in the brain bursts You can greatly reduce your risk for stroke by making lifestyle changes to help control your blood pressure and cholesterol levels and, in some cases, by taking medication.... Information found at cdc.gov #uwg #stroke #brain #uwgslp #slpeeps #uwgslpeeps #slp2b #futureslp #uwgccc

Happy Research Tuesday!

Happy Fact Friday! Did you know that Speech Language Pathologists can assessment, diagnose, and provide treatment of voice disorders? You may have a voice disorder if you have a problem with pitch, volume, tone, and other qualities of your voice. These problems occur when your vocal cords don't vibrate normally.For normal speech, your vocal cords need to touch together smoothly inside your larynx. Anything that interferes with vocal cord movement or contact can cause a voice... disorder. Many voice disorders can be cured with treatment when diagnosed early. #asha #fact #friday #uwg #uwgslp #slp2b #futureslp #slp #voice #vocalcords Information can be found at : https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org//condition/voice-disorders

Research Tuesday! Media Use by Older Adults With Hearing Loss: An Exploratory Survey. There has been a substantial increase in people with health conditions see...king health-related information online. In this study, the authors examined media usage by older adults with hearing loss. The study used a cross-sectional survey design. 556 older adults with hearing loss (Hearing Tracker website users) completed the survey that was focused on (a) demographic information, (b) general electronic media usage, (c) sources of hearing health information, and (d) social media use for hearing health information. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. RESULTS When seeking hearing health care information, the majority of the participants turned to the Internet (54 percent) followed by health professionals (34 percent), as their first response to experiencing symptoms. Both sources were also rated as the easiest means of obtaining hearing health information. The information from health care providers was rated as more reliable and important for decision making than that from the Internet. Facebook and YouTube were the most frequently used social media platforms with over 40 percent of the respondents using them most of the time or sometimes. All the social media platforms were rated less favorably than other sources for ease of finding information, reliability, and importance in decision making. The authors concluded that older adults with hearing loss use various forms of electronic media for seeking hearing health information. They place the most trust on the information obtained from hearing health care professionals. These professionals need to be aware of the quality of information available on the Internet and social media sources in order to direct patients to credible sources.

Happy Fact Friday! Did you know that Aphasia is a language disorder that happens when you have brain damage? Your brain has two halves. Language skills are in the left half of the brain in most people. Damage on that side of your brain may lead to language problems. Damage on the right side of your brain may cause other problems, like poor attention or memory. Fact found at asha.org #aphasia #uwg #uwgslp #slp2b #futureslp #slpeeps #uwgslpeeps