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DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN COMMUNICATION SCIENCES PGR CONFERENCE

Tuesday 1st July 2014

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Psychology Lecture Theatre

Start Name Title

9.30

Dea Nielsen Language and literacy development in young children with English as an Additional Language

9.55

Katharina Salgert Phonological acquisition in Turkish-German bilingual children - first results of a normative study

10.20

Mary Hartshorne Demonstrating change in adolescents’ school performance, language and communication skills following a whole school language programme

10.45 Coffee

11.15

Ramya Maitreyee Effects of menopause and age on word retrieval

11.40

Baharak Baranian Cleft speech characteristics in the speech production of Farsi-speaking children with repaired cleft palate

12.05

Joy Newbold Measuring intelligibility change in children with persisting speech and language difficulties (PSLDs)

12.30 Lunch and posters

2.15

Helen Cameron ‘You got a new pink camera': Collecting everyday family talk for a conversation analysis project

2.40

Helen Jenkins Educational choices and outcomes of young people who stammer

3.05

Rosemary Gravell Perceptions and expectations of recovery and rehabilitation following Acquired Brain Injury

3.30 Tea and prizes

All refreshments will be served in room G09 – right out of the Lecture Theatre then first left

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POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Psychology Department Foyer

12.30 TO 2.15

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Shams Almuzaini

Production of non-clausal functional elements by Arabic speakers with agrammatism

2 Elizabeth Anderson Verbs, argument structure and grammatical constructions: relationships in neurologically intact and impaired speakers

3 Rafizah Badar

Developing and evaluating communication supporting classrooms in Brunei primary schools

4 Andrew Buddery Interactive alignment in aphasia

5 Rachel Hatchard What remains? A constructivist case study of verbs in aphasia

6 Caroline Haw Accessible information guidelines: who needs them?

7 Sajlia Jalil Changes in code-switching patterns in bilingual adults with TBI over a 6-month period

8 Rebekka Niepelt Investigating speech processing abilities in adults who stammer

9 Jo Rees Adaptation of the “Therapy Outcome Measure” (TOM) for use with untreated cleft lip and palate patients in the developing world: Environmental and Cultural issues

10 Azrita Zain Levels of engagement in interaction between children with Autism Spectrum disorders and their mothers

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ABSTRACTS

Production of Non-clausal Functional Elements in Arabic Speakers with Agrammatism

Shams O. Almuzaini soalmuzaini1@sheffield.ac.uk Supervisors: Dr Ruth Herbert, Dr Richard Body and Dr Lamya Alabdulkarim (King Saud University) Agrammatism is a language disorder due to acquired brain damage that affects syntax and leads to difficulty in sentence production and comprehension (Kolk, 2004; Menn & Obler, 1990). The language breakdown in agrammatism has been analysed in order to contribute to reflecting how language is processed in the normal brain. In highly inflectional languages like Arabic, language breakdown is considered to be more revealing about natural language processing; however, very few studies of agrammatism in Arabic have been conducted (e.g Albustanji, 2009; Diouny, 2007; Khwaileh, 2011; Mimouni, 1997; Safi-stagni, 1991, 1992 and 1995). The current study aims to investigate production of non-clausal functional elements (nominal inflections) in Saudi Arabic. It analyses number, gender and definiteness inflections within complex NPs: adjectival NP, construct state NP and non-construct state NP. The study attempts to achieve the following goals: To characterize the production of adjectival Arabic NP in agrammatism by examining noun-adjective agreement; To characterize the production of the construct and the non-construct Arabic NP in agrammatism through looking at nominal inflections; To differentiate between language specific and language universal features of agrammatism; To review the results in light of the current syntactic theories of agrammatism such as the Tree Pruning Hypothesis (Friedmann and Grodzinsky, 1997) as well as the recent syntactic theories of Arabic NP such as the N-raising Hypothesis (Ritter, 1991). A case series approach will be used. Participants must be adult Saudi Arabic monolingual speakers who are diagnosed with aphasia post stroke and who do not have severe dysarthria or learning disabilities. Two types of data will be elicited. Spontaneous speech data and data obtained through specific tests designed for the study. Based on the type of NP structure, four tests will be developed: noun-adjective number agreement test, noun-adjective definiteness agreement test, construct state test and non-construct state test. The study will enrich current linguistic theories of agrammatism such as the Tree Pruning Hypothesis (Friedmann and Grodzinsky, 1997) and the Tree Under-specification Pruning Hypothesis (Burchet & all, 2005). It will also shed light on the conflicting syntactic theories of Arabic NP such as N-raising Hypothesis (Ritter, 1991) and the Phrase Movement Hypothesis (Shlonsky, 2004). References Albustanji, Y. M. (2009). Agrammatism in Jordanian –Arabic Speakers. Dectoral dissertation, The Ohio State University. Burchert, F., Swoboda-Moll, M., & De Bleser, R. (2005). Tense and agreement dissociations in German agrammatic speakers: Underspe-cification vs. hierarchy. Brain and Language, 94, 188–199. Diouny, S. (2007). Tense/agreement in Moroccan Arabic: The Tree-Pruning Hypothesis. SKY Journal of Linguistics, 20, 141-169. Friedmann, N., & Grodzinsky, Y. (1997). Tense and Agreement in Agrammatic Production: Pruning the Syntactic Tree. Brain And Language, 56, 397- 425.

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Khwaileh, T. (2011). Lexical Retrieval and Morpho-syntactic Processing in Healthy Speakers and Speakers with Aphasia: Evidence from Arabic. Doctoral dissertation, The University of Sheffield. Kolk, H. (2004). Agrammatism. In Raymond D. Kent (Ed), The MIT Encyclopedia of Communication Disorders (pp. 231-233). Cambridge: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Menn, L., & Obler, L. (1990). Agrammatic Aphasia: A Cross-language Narrative Source Book., Volumes 1-3. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Mimouni, Z., & Jarema, G. (1997). Agrammatic Aphasia in Arabic. Aphasiology, 11(2), 125-144. Ritter, E. (1991). Two functional categories in noun phrase: evidence from modern Hebrew. Syntax and Semantics, 25, 37-62. Safi-Stagni, S. (1991). Agrammatism in Arabic. In Bernard C. & Mushaira E (Eds), Perspectives on Arabic Linguistics III, (pp. 251-270). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Safi-Stagni, S. (1992). Normal and Pathological Breakdown in Arabic. Doctoral dissertation, Louisiana State University. Safi-Stagni, S. (.1995) morphological structure and lexical processing: evidence from Arabic. In Mushaira E (Eds), Perspectives on Arabic Linguistics VII, (pp. 193-106). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Shlonsky, U. (2004). The form of Semitic NP. Lingua, 114, 1465–1526.

Verbs, argument structure and grammatical constructions: relationships in neurologically intact and impaired speakers

Elizabeth Anderson Supervisors: Dr Ruth Herbert & Prof Patricia Cowell Background. Construction Grammar (Goldberg, 1995) provides a framework for understanding the relationship between verbs and the types of sentences in which they occur. In this view, verbs encode particular events and specify participants in those events. They integrate with argument structure constructions, which are lexically unfilled syntactic forms associated with event-level meaning. To illustrate, the transitive construction is thought to have an abstract meaning of an agent performing an action on an object, and the ditransitive construction has a meaning that encompasses the transfer of an object from an agent to a recipient. The realisation of a sentence results from the integration of a verb and its participant roles with an argument structure construction. The proposed research investigates whether the syntactic form of argument structure constructions influences the processing of verbs. Aim. This research aims to determine whether abstract argument structure constructions facilitate the processing of individual verbs in neurologically intact and impaired speakers. Methods. The initial stages of this research will consist of two phases. Each phase will include adult participants with no current speech impairments and adults with acquired aphasia. A verbal fluency task will elicit verbs that occur in different argument structure constructions. Then a priming study will determine whether sentence primes composed of different constructions facilitate lexical decisions on subsequently presented verbs. Predicted results. The finding of priming of verbs by argument structure constructions would be consistent with the hypothesis that grammatical constructions are associated with event-level semantics, as proposed in the Construction Grammar framework. Alternatively, if argument structure is assumed to be a component of a lemma representation, as two-stage language processing frameworks such as Levelt (2001) and Dell et al. (1997) propose, the finding would be evidence of interaction between semantic-syntactic processing and the processing of word forms. This finding in the context of participants with aphasia would reveal linguistic relationships that could serve as the basis for successful therapeutic intervention.

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References: Dell, G.S., Schwartz, M.F., Martin, N., Saffran, E.M., & Gagnon, D.A. (1997). Lexical access in aphasiac and nonaphasic speakers. Psychological Review, 104 (4), 801-838. Goldberg, A. E. (1995). Constructions: A Construction Grammar Approach to Argument Structure. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Levelt, W.J.M. (2001). Spoken word production: A theory of lexical access. PNAS, 98 (23), 13464-13471.

Developing and evaluating communication supporting classrooms in Brunei primary schools

Siti Rafizah Badar srhajibadar1@sheffield.ac.uk Supervisors: Dr. Judy Clegg and Dr. Sarah Spencer Background: In educational settings, language is a medium of instruction and learning (Martin and Miller, 2003). Studies have identified the strong link between communication skills and academic achievement, particularly in reading and writing development (Bishop and Snowling, 2004; Brice, 2001; Dockrell and Connelly, 2009). Recent years have seen a higher demand for speech and language therapy services in schools, leading to schools and classrooms being more communication friendly (Lindsay, Dockrell, Law, and Roulstone, 2011). These communication supporting classrooms enrich childrens’ language through effective interactions and physical arrangements, important in supporting and identifiying those who require support (Dockrell, Bakopoulou, Law, Spencer, and Lindsay, 2012; Justice, 2004; Lindsay et al., 2011). Since 1994, Brunei implemented the inclusive education policy and made several initiatives to deliver services to children with special needs in mainstream schools. This included the Model Inclusive schools (MIS) project, comprising of additional services to existing selected schools (Ministry of Education, 2008). Consequently, communication supportive schools could be a part of these initiatives. This study aims to: Explore how classrooms in Brunei primary schools support communication skills through the use of the Communication Supporting Classroom Observation tool(CsC) (Dockrell et al., 2012); Investigate if there are differences between classrooms in MIS and non-MIS in supporting communication skills; Discover what factors facilitate and/or are challenges in creating a communication supporting classroom; Investigate the use of the CsC Tool as part of an intervention method; Explore the perceptions of teachers regarding the importance of communication skills within schools and classrooms. Method: Classroom observations using the CsC tool will be completed in six primary schools (3 MIS and 3 non-MIS) in Brunei. From each school, one Pre-school and Year 1 class will be observed giving a total of twelve classroom observations. Focus groups will also be conducted to investigate teachers’ perceptions of the importance of supporting communication skills in schools. The second part will involve an intervention phase through training and collaboration with schools as well as single case studies. The study has the potential to increase understanding of current classroom practices in relation to supporting communication, and inform the development of communication supporting environment in Brunei schools. References Bishop, D. V. M., & Snowling, M. J. (2004). Developmental dyslexia and specific language impairment: same or different? [Electronic version]. Psychological Bulletin, 130(6), 858–86. Brice, A. (2001). Children with communication disorders: update 2001. Retrieved February 03, 2014, from http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/eric/e617.html

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Dockrell, J. E., Bakopoulou, I., Law, J., Spencer, S., & Lindsay, G. (2012). Developing a communication supporting classrooms observation tool. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/219634/DFE-RR247-BCRP8.pdf Dockrell, J. E., & Connelly, V. (2009). The impact of oral language skills on the production of written text. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 2(6), 45–62. Justice, L. M. (2004). Creating Language-Rich Preschool Classroom Environments [Electronic version]. Teaching Exceptional Children, 37(2), 36–44. Lindsay, G., Dockrell, J., Law, J., & Roulstone, S. (2011). Better communication programme : 2nd interim report. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/197189/DFE-RR172.pdf Martin, D., & Miller, C. (2003). Speech and language difficulties in the classroom (2nd ed.). London: David Fulton Publishers Ltd. Ministry of Education. (2008). The development of education: National report. Retrieved from http://www.ibe.unesco.org/National_Reports/ICE_2008/brunei_NR08.pdf

Speech production in Farsi-speaking children with repaired cleft palate Baharak Baranian Bbaranian1@sheffiedl.ac.uk Supervisors: Professor Bill Wells, Dr. Anne Harding-Bell Introduction: Studies have shown that a history of cleft palate often affects speech production. While similar patterns of atypical speech production have been reported across a variety of different, mainly European, languages (Henningsson and Willadsen, 2011), studies on cleft speech production in typologically different, non-European languages, may provide important insights into how truly universal cleft speech characteristics are. Farsi, the national language of Iran, may present a particular and interesting challenge in speech production of individuals with cleft palate, on account of its phonological system. This report presents the results of an on going study, aiming to identify the speech characteristics of Farsi speaking children and to compare these with features reported in cleft palate research for other languages. Method: Speech samples were obtained from 21 Farsi-speaking children aged between 5 and 10, with a repaired cleft palate, and a control group of 5 typically-developing children, also aged between 5 and 10, all resident in Tehran. Audio and video recordings were made of the participants’ speech production in a variety of contexts including single word production and sentence repetition using a Farsi adaptation of the GOS.SP.ASS (Great Ormond Street Speech Assessment: Sell, Harding and Grunwell, 1999). A descriptive research design, which involved perceptual phonetic analysis, using narrow phonetic transcription, was employed. From the preliminary analyses, atypical speech characteristics were divided to those related to the cleft palate, and those which are described as non cleft developmental features. Results: Results indicate that the Farsi-speaking children with cleft palate used a range of features previously identified as cleft speech characteristics for other languages. However, some unusual speech features such as retroflex articulation were noted in the data showing different compensatory strategies in different languages. Some of the identified speech behaviours (e.g., realization of a tap as an approximant) are attributed to the particular phonetic inventory and phonological system of Farsi. Conclusion and Discussion: This study of the speech of Farsi-speaking children with repaired cleft palate indicates that not all characteristics of cleft palate speech are universal. There is evidence of some Farsi specific features. However since the Farsi data does contain many of the cleft-related articulatory and phonological characteristics reported in English and other languages, finding from

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this study supports the proposal to base a Farsi cleft speech assessment on the UK GOSSPASS assessment. References: Henningsson, G., & Willadsen, E. (2011). Cross linguistic perspectives on speech assessment in cleft palate. In S. Howard, and Lohmander, A. (Eds.), Cleft Palate Speech: assessment and Intervention (pp. 167-180). Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Sell, D., Harding, A., & Grunwell, P. (1999). GOS.SP.ASS.'98: an assessment for speech disorders associated with cleft palate and/or velopharyngeal dysfunction (revised). International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 34(1), 17-33.

Interactive alignment in aphasia Andy Buddery Supervisors: Dr Ruth Herbert and Professor Patricia Cowell There is evidence that when people engage in conversation with each other, their language tends to converge both in the words they use and in the structure of the sentences they produce. This phenomenon has been termed alignment, and is thought to enhance mutual understanding in dialogue. While some lexical alignment is strategically directed, and there is a clear strategic advantage to be gained by a speaker targeting language output to their specific dialogue partner, alignment also happens without any conscious effort on the part of speakers. Some researchers consider this non-conscious alignment to be the manifestation of simple priming effects within a conversation, and argue that linguistic priming plays a key role in reducing the cognitive effort associated with the complex task of human conversation. Much work has gone in to linking the results of lexical and structural priming research to alignment in non-impaired speakers, but to date this has not extended to people with aphasia. This research will investigate structural priming in aphasia with a specific focus on its potential role in conversational alignment. It will draw on classic structural priming paradigms, as well as lesser-used confederate-scripted dialogue paradigms, to examine how people with aphasia produce transitive and dative sentences when primed by exposure to these sentence types. The role of the verb in any priming effects will be considered, and the magnitude of priming effects in monologue and dialogue settings will be compared. The research will inform a wider program of study on how people with aphasia and their conversation partners align in dialogue.

'You got a new pink camera': Collecting everyday family talk for a conversation analysis project

Helen Cameron h.m.cameron@sheffield.ac.uk Supervisors: Dr Tom Muskett and Dr Richard Body Background: The primary study of my PhD is focused on examining interactions involving young children with language and communication impairments across institutional and ordinary contexts. Conversation analysis (CA) will be applied to recordings of speech and language therapy sessions and also to recordings of everyday family activities. A small-scale feasibility study was conducted to trial the method of families generating their own video data at home. Methods: Three families with typically developing children aged 2-6 years were provided with video equipment to record naturally-occurring interactions at home over a three-week period. The data

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generated by families were logged and analysed for type, amount, and quality of recordings. Selected recordings were also manually transcribed and examined using CA. Results: Over 3 hours of video data were generated during the recording period. There was wide variability in the duration and amount of recordings across the three families. The majority of data were appropriate for analysis by CA, with a small number of segments being compromised by restricted camera positioning and poor audio capturing of multi-party talk. Preliminary CA of recordings suggests some interesting design features of everyday family interaction, such as how parents elicit talk from young children and how rights to speak are assigned across siblings. Discussion: Analysis of the type of data yielded from families in the feasibility study has shaped the guidelines regarding data collection procedures given to families in the primary study. Findings from the early CA of the recordings have also influenced the initial focus of enquiry in the primary study dataset. Conclusion: The data yielded from the feasibility study suggest that participant produced video is an appropriate and worthwhile method for use in the primary study.

Perceptions and Expectations of Rehabilitation and Recovery Following Acquired Brain Injury

Rosemary Gravell r.gravell@sky.com Supervisors: Prof. Shelagh Brumfitt and Dr Richard Body Background: In the context of a highly specialised rehabilitation service for people with acquired brain injury, it was recognised that clients’ expectations seemed to affect their engagement with rehabilitation. The objectives of the study were (a) to explore the client’s perspective and increase knowledge of the client’s expectations of recovery and rehabilitation, prior to beginning community based rehabilitation; and (b) to develop a theoretical explanation, upon which improvements in service delivery and practice can be based. Method: A qualitative methodology was appropriate, and Grounded Theory was chosen as it facilitates the process of ‘discovery’ or theory generation (Glaser & Strauss 1967). A symbolic interactionist theoretical perspective to grounded theory was adopted (Charmaz 2006). 21 people were interviewed prior to being seen by community rehabilitation services. People with communication impairments were purposefully included. Analysis was cyclical and iterative. Categories were developed, to interpret rather than merely describe or label (Willig 2008). Results: Six categories were identified, which were: Making sense of what has happened; Moving forward; What can I do?; Trusting/doubting others; Hoping-despairing; and Accepting. An explanatory framework was developed, by which to understand the phenomenon. Discussion: The client’s position on the spectrum of hope-despair relates to belief in recovery and in the efficacy of self/rehabilitation services. It is hypothesised that this explains the degree of engagement and influences rehabilitation. A model is proposed, which has implications for therapeutic intervention. Conclusions: Expectations and beliefs at this stage in the rehabilitation pathway influence the degree of engagement with rehabilitation services, and potentially the appropriateness of intervention offered, and outcomes. This study has highlighted areas that influence these beliefs and recommendations are made for rehabilitation services. While the context of qualitative research is critical in interpreting findings, it is felt that there are wide implications both for ABI services and other health areas. References Charmaz K (2006) Constructing grounded Theory : a practical guide through qualitative analysis London : Sage Publishers.

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Glaser B G & Strauss A L (1967) The Discovery of Grounded Theory Chicago : Aldine Willig C (2008) Introducing Qualitative Research in Psychology : adventures in theory and method 2nd edition Maidenhead : OU Press

Demonstrating change in adolescents’ school performance, language and communication skills following a whole school language programme

Mary Hartshorne mhartshorne@ican.org.uk mary.hartshorne@sheffield.ac.uk Supervisors: Dr Judy Clegg, Dr Sarah Spencer Background. The development of speech, language and communication (SLC) continues through school, adolescence and into adulthood . This development underpins cognitive, emotional and social development, which are crucial for learning. However, many pupils in secondary schools have speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), particularly in areas of social deprivation. Method This project aims to evaluate the impact of I CAN Secondary Talk: a whole school language programme, over a three year period. It compares the impact of the programme in two secondary schools in areas of deprivation: one school participating in Secondary Talk, the other not participating. In the intervention school, data has been collected at three time points – two before implementation of the programme and the third after one year. In the comparison school baseline data has been collected. In both schools, a range of pupil assessments has been carried out on groups of nine 13-14 year old pupils, exploring language competence, functional communication and aspects of cognition. School staff identified pupils with varying levels of language. Results. Data analysis is at an early stage. With an initial focus on word learning, the two groups of pupils are compared at baseline in terms of their performance on standardised assessments as well as the strategies they use to approach new words. At this stage, emerging findings are presented. Initial data analysis reflects what is known about the link between language and disadvantage. Both groups of pupils use strategies to learn new words; those with stronger language skills tend to use more useful strategies for working out what words mean. There are indications that a whole school development programme for pupils’ language is more effective for pupils with poor language than those with identified SLCN Discussion/conclusions Measuring the impact the impact of interventions in schools can be challenging, with many variables to compound a rigorous research design. This is especially true when evaluating the whole school approaches which have been highlighted as best practice for children with speech, language and communication needs . A key driver for school leaders is academic performance. This presentation considers ways that outcomes in speech, language and communication can be related to impacts on learning, by looking at how pupils use language skills to self-regulate learning.

Whats remains? A constructivist case study of verbs in aphasia Rachel Hatchard r.hatchard@sheffield.ac.uk Supervisors: Dr Ruth Herbert, Professor Elena Lieven, and Professor Ray Wilkinson Verbs commonly present challenges for people with aphasia (Links et al. 2010). Much research in this area has addressed verbs as single words (Webster & Whitworth 2012) and studies examining

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verbs in wider structures are mostly underpinned by rule-based theory (e.g. Bastiaanse & Thompson 2003). There appear to be no constructivist characterisations of verbs in aphasia. In constructivist theory, verbs are closely linked to the constructions in which they are produced, through, for example, semantic association and frequency effects. Here, language is acquired from the input, beginning with single-word and item-based constructions, before generalisations are made to form more schematic abstractions of these items (Ambridge & Lieven 2011). Accordingly, verbs are acquired in piecemeal fashion; each one developing in its own time-scale rather than full mastery of a verb being achieved outright (Tomasello 1992). Such characterisations in acquisition raise questions about verbs in aphasia: which verbs remain and with what level of abstraction? Also, how might these be influenced by input frequency levels? More frequent items should be more entrenched, rendering them perhaps easier to retrieve and more resilient to loss. This would make them likely candidates for retention and relatively easy access by people with aphasia. This study examines the verbs in a Cinderella narrative by an adult with aphasia (from the PATSy database, Lum et al. 2012). It investigates verb types (lemmas) and tokens, and the constructional combinations these are produced in, focusing on productivity and any link with frequency (in the Spoken British National Corpus, Davies 2004-). Preliminary results indicate that the verbs are indeed piecemeal and mainly limited to a small number of forms and constructional combinations. Also, there are links with frequency at all levels (type, form, combination). These initial findings support constructivist theory, showing how this could offer fresh insight into verbs in aphasia. References Ambridge, B., & Lieven, E.V.M. (2011). Language acquisition: Contrasting theoretical approaches. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Bastiaanse, R., & Thompson, C.K. (2003). Verb and auxiliary movement in agrammatic Broca’s aphasia. Brain and Language 84(2), 286-305. Davies, M. (2004-). BYU-BNC (Based on the British National Corpus from Oxford University Press). http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/ [accessed April 2014]. Links, P., Hurkmans, J., & Bastiaanse, R. (2010). Training verb and sentence production in agrammatic Broca’s aphasia. Aphasiology 24(11), 1303-1325. Lum, C., Cox, R., & Kilgour, J. Universities of Sussex and Edinburgh. PATSy: A database of clinical cases for teaching and research. http://www.patsy.ac.uk [accessed January 2012]. Tomasello, M. (1992). First verbs: A case study of early grammatical development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Webster, J. & Whitworth, A. (2012). Treating verbs in aphasia: Exploring the impact of therapy at the single word and sentence levels. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders 47(6), 619–636.

Developing Accessible Information Guidelines Caroline Haw c.haw@sheffield.ac.uk Supervisors: Dr Ruth Herbert and Professor Shelagh Brumfitt The benefits of information provision to service users are well understood (Forster, Smith & Young, 2012), and national clinical guidelines recommend that stroke services provide accessible information to people with aphasia (NICE 2012). A key aspect of providing appropriate information for people with aphasia is the design of accessible information, and there is a growing evidence base (for example, Rose et al 2011). However, people with aphasia continue to express dissatisfaction with the level of information provided to them (Tomkins et al 2013), suggesting that there are difficulties for staff interpreting the research evidence when producing new information materials.

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At the time of this study, no evidence based published materials to guide the design of accessible information materials were available. This study formed the third phase of a larger study, collaborating with people with aphasia to develop a template for accessible information. Building on findings from the literature and previous phases of the study, this phase aimed to develop guidelines for designing accessible information. Speech and language therapists and voluntary sector staff user-tested a draft version of the guidelines, derived from analysis of Phase 2 Focus Group data. This provides a design template, incorporating the key principles for accessible information, with practical instructions for users. Participants then responded to an on-line survey, providing data for qualitative analysis. The findings confirmed that all staff welcomed practical guidelines for making information accessible. Responses to the survey were analysed for feedback on the completeness and usability of the draft guidelines, which were subsequently finalised and prepared for publication (Herbert et al 2012). This phase of study achieved the aim of developing published guidelines which were usable by both trained and lay staff working with people with aphasia. The impact of the guidelines on the wider population is potentially great, given than they are available on-line, and are now linked with aphasia clinical guidelines internationally. Further research exploring the training requirements of staff using these guidelines is now needed. References: Forster, A., Smith, J., & Young, J. (2012). Information provision for stroke patients and their caregivers. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (11). Herbert, R., Haw, C., Brown, C., Gregory, E., Brumfitt, S. (2012) Accessible Information Guidelines. Making information accessible for people with aphasia. Stroke Association. http://www.stroke.org.uk/resourcesheet/accessible-information-guidelines National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2013) Stroke Rehabilitation: Long-term rehabilitation after stroke 162 London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Rose,Ta, Worrall, L. E.,Hickson, L.M.,Hoffmann, T. C.(2011) Guiding principles for printed education materials: Design preferences of people with aphasia. International journal of speech-language pathology, 14 (1), 11 - 23 Tomkins, B., Siyambalapitiya, S, & Worrall, L. (2013) What do people with aphasia think about their health care? Factors influencing satisfaction and dissatisfaction, Aphasiology, 27:8 972-991

Changes in code-switching patterns in bilingual adults post TBI over a 6-month period

Sajlia Binte Jalil hcp11sb@sheffield.ac.uk Supervised by Dr Richard Body and Dr Ruth Herbert Background: Six months post-TBI, neurological recovery from focal contusions and haemorrhages often correlate with clinical improvements in cognition. In an earlier study, bilingual adults with TBI demonstrated limited repertoire of code-switching function as well as inappropriate code-switching behaviour, compared to neurologically-intact ones. In view of the possible neurological basis (especially in the prefrontal structures) of impaired code-switching behavior in bilingual adults with TBI, a corresponding improvement in code-switching behaviors should be expected six months later.

Research questions: 6 months post-injury, do Malay-English bilingual adults with TBI 1) display a larger repertoire of code-switching function and/or 2) reduce inappropriate code-switching behaviors?

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Method: A Malay-English bilingual adult with TBI contributed to two dyadic conversations (between himself and a bilingual familiar communication partner). The first conversation was collected at less than one month post-injury, and the second at six months post-injury. Conversation analysis was used to ascertain patterns of code-switching, and comparisons between the two conversations were made. Measures of cognitive-communication function (SCATBI, Mt Wilga) were also collected for comparison at both time points.

Results: At six months post-TBI, an increased repertoire of code-switching function was observed. However, the participant remained inflexible towards code-switching behaviours: he did not reciprocate his communication partner’s attempts at code-switching nor his language preference.

Conclusions: Some positive changes in code-switching patterns were evident 6-months post-injury. It remains to be seen if further improvements occur over a longer period.

Educational choices and outcomes of young people who stammer Helen Jenkins Supervisors: Professor Shelagh Brumfitt and Professor Joy Stackhouse Background: It has been widely reported in the literature that the act of stammering can have an adverse effect on a person’s educational performance, with a number of researchers suggesting that children who stutter achieve below average at school. However there is limited empirical data indicating whether there is a difference in educational achievement between young people who stammer and their peers in the current UK education system. Aims:To examine the educational choices and performance of young people who stammer who are either still in education or have recently completed their education. To compare the educational attainment of young people who stammer with pupils in England. To investigate the role of stammering on subject choices and grades achieved. Methodology. Thirty young people aged 15- 25 years old who self-reported stammering were recruited via schools, the British Stammering Association and the National Health Service. Participants completed a questionnaire, comprising closed and open ended questions, which concerned demographic information, speech details, their subject choices, qualifications studied and factors influencing their educational choices. The educational attainment of young people who stammer was compared with statistics reporting pupils’ educational achievement in England from the Department for Education. Results: Participants’ attainment of 5+ GCSE grades A*- C and 5+ GCSE grades A*-C, including English and Maths was found to be comparable with the results for pupils in England. Similarly, the overall percentage of participants achieving at least 2 A levels grades A*-E (or equivalent) was equal to the average for pupils in England. Out of 24 participants aged 18 years and over, almost one-third achieved undergraduate degrees (level 4 qualifications which is above the average for young people in England and Wales. A vast range of subjects were studied or were currently being studied at A level or equivalent. The most popular subject choice for A level was English (24%) followed by Information Technology (20%). The majority of participants stated that their selection of subjects was guided by what they found enjoyable and interesting, but two-thirds of participants’ reported their choice was influenced by their speech difficulty. Almost one-quarter of participants disliked particular subjects, such as English and/or French due to the oral content. One half of the participants reported receiving some support with their academic choices with just one-third of these participants receiving guidance from teachers or careers advisers.

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Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that the educational achievement of young people who stammer is comparable to pupils in England but this study is not able to draw firm conclusions from the data due to the small sample size. The majority of participants acknowledged that stammering played an important role in their choice of subjects studied. A second phase to this study, involving interviews with selected participants from phase one, is currently focusing on a more detailed exploration of the views of young people who stammer in relation to their educational experiences.

Effects of menopause and age on word retrieval Ramya Maitreyee hcp11rm@sheffield.ac.uk

Supervisors: Professor Rosemary Varley1, Dr Sandra Whiteside2, Patricia Cowell2

1Department of Language and Communication, University College London 2Department of Human Communication Sciences, University of Sheffield Background and Objective: Word retrieval difficulties are a common complaint for women in mid and later adulthood. Studies on picture naming and verbal fluency show a decline with increasing age (Brickman et al., 2005; Goral et al., 2007), although, findings on verbal fluency are inconsistent (Sauezeon et al., 2011). Furthermore, an association between hormone changes during menopause and word retrieval has been suggested (Fu et al., 2003, 2006). This study explores the inter-related effects of age and menopause on word retrieval in women. Methods: 78 healthy women were recruited in three age groups, 46-55, 56-65 and 70-79 years. Women in the first group were classified as a function of menopause status (Pre-, Peri-, Post-menopause). A questionnaire (Cowell et al., 2003) was used to gather demographic information and reproductive history. A battery of verbal tasks was designed to assess specific aspects of word retrieval. This report focuses on results of picture naming and verbal fluency (letter and semantic) tasks. Results: A significant age effect was seen on picture naming [F (2, 75) = 3.84, p < 0.05]; the oldest group had the lowest score. On semantic and letter fluency, the three age groups did not vary significantly, but total words produced decreased with increase in age. Women across menopause stages (46-55 years) did not differ on naming or verbal fluency. Discussion & Conclusion: This study replicates previous reports of age effects on picture naming (Goral et al., 2007) and partially replicates those on verbal fluency (Brickman et al., 2005). Lack of menopause effects fits with the lack of consistency in the literature (Fu et al., 2003, 2006). Further analysis is planned to compare women across menopause stages, postmenopausal women across age and effects of reproductive hormone measures on additional tasks of verbal fluency and word retrieval. References Brickman, A. M., Paul, R. H., Cohen, R. A., Williams, L. M., MacGregor, K. L., Jefferson, A.L., Tate, D. F., Gunstad, J. & Gordon, E. (2005). Semantic and phonemic verbal fluency across the adult lifespan: Relationship to EEG theta power. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 20(5), 561–573. Burger, H. G., Dudley, E. M., Robertson, D. M. & Dennerstein, L. (2002). Hormonal changes in the menopause transition. Recent Progress in Hormone Research, 57, 257-75. Cowell, P. E., Ledger, W. L., Wadnerkar, M. B., Skilling, F. M., & Whiteside, S. P. (2011). Hormones and dichotic listening: evidence from the study of menstrual cycle effects. Brain and Cognition, 76(2), 256-62.

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Fuh, J.L.,Wang S.J., Lee, S.J., Lu, S.R., Juang, K.D. (2003). Alterations in cognitive function during the menopausal transition. Journal of American Geriatric Society, 51, 431–432. Fuh, J.L., Wang, S.J., Lee, S.J., Lu, S.R., & Juang, K.D. (2006). A longitudinal study of cognition change during early menopausal transition in a rural community. Maturitas, 53, 447—453. Goral, M., Spiro III, A., Albert, M. L., Obler, L. K. & Connor, L. B. (2007). Change in lexical retrieval skills in adulthood. The Mental Lexicon, 2(2), 215-40. Sauezeon, H., Raboutet, C., Rodrigues, J., Langevin, S., Schelstraete, M. A., Feyereisen, P., Hupet, M., N’Kaoua, B. (2011). Verbal knowledge as a compensation determinant of adult age differences in verbal fluency tasks over time. Journal of Adult Development, 18, 144-54.

Measuring intelligibility change in children with persisting speech and language difficulties (PSLDs)

Elisabeth Joy Newbold (e.j.newbold@shef.ac.uk) Supervisors: Professor Bill Wells, Professor Sara Howard Background The importance of intelligibility, or the ability to make oneself understood to others, is widely recognised as a key goal in intervention in both research and practice (Witt et al., 1997). Intelligibility is multifactorial. It is the product of interactions between the child’s speech production capacity, signal transmission and the speech processing capacity of the listener (Whitehill, 2002). For this reason, intelligibility is a construct which is difficult both to define and measure (Miller, 2013). Intelligibility assessment in practice often consists of estimates of intelligibility, parent reports or rating scales (Miller, 2013). Rating scales and estimates are unreliable and may not be valid methods of monitoring change (Schiavetti, 1992; Whitehill, 2002). Method This group study describes a quantifiable measure of speech change: Percentage of Intelligible Words (PIW). PIW is used to measure listener responses to the speech of children with persisting speech, language and auditory discrimination difficulties (PSLDs). Ten listeners with some experience listening to the speech of children with speech difficulties completed a word recognition task. Listeners responded to the speech of two boys with PSLDs recorded at two points in time: Time 1 (T1) 4+yrs and Time 2 (T2) 6+ yrs. Results Significant differences in intelligibility scores over time are reported for both boys. Inter-rater reliability for the measure shows good levels of agreement between listeners (Kappa coefficient, k, 0.769, p=<0.001). Discussion and Conclusion Discussion will relate to methods of stimuli matching and small group approaches to word identification. Reliable intelligibility measurement is needed in outcome measurement. This is achievable in practice. Objective intelligibility measurement will support evidence-based speech intervention for children speech difficulties who are hard to understand. References Miller, N. (2013). Measuring up to speech intelligibility. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 48 (6), 601-612. Schiavetti, N., in Kent, R.D. (Eds) (1992) Scaling procedures for the measurement of speech intelligibility, Chapter 1. Intelligibility in Speech Disorders. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 11-34. Whitehill, T.L. (2002). Assessing intelligibility in speakers with cleft palate: a critical review of the literature. Cleft Palate-craniofacial journal, 39 (1), 50-58. Witt, P.D., Miller, D.C., Marsh, J.L., Muntz, H.R., Grames, L.M. and Pilgram, T.K. (1997). Plastic and reconstructive surgery, 100 (7), 1655-1663.

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Language and literacy development in young children with English as an Additional Language (EAL).

Dea Nielsen d.nielsen@sheffield.ac.uk Supervisors: Dr Silke Fricke and Professor Joy Stackhouse Considerable research has examined the nature of monolingual children’s preschool literacy development, and oral language skills, alphabetic knowledge, and phonological awareness have been identified as key predictors of children’s later reading and writing skills. Much less is known about the early development of these skills in the growing number of children learning English as an Additional Language (EAL). This study reports the findings of a longitudinal study following children from diverse linguistic backgrounds first recruited at the beginning of nursery (N=38), to the end of their reception year. Children’s gains in oral language skills, letter-sound knowledge, and phonological awareness as measured at two time points will be discussed, along with the predictive significance of the aforementioned pre-literacy skills for word reading and spelling measured in reception. These findings have implications for theories of bilingual literacy development and practical relevance for supporting young EAL children entering school.

Investigating speech processing abilities in adults who stammer Rebekka Niepelt Supervisors: Professor Joy Stackhouse and Dr Silke Fricke Persistent developmental stammering is characterised by primarily non-fluent patterns, such as prolongations, repetitions, and pauses during the speech flow of a speaker. Furthermore, additional individual symptoms can occur such as avoidance of special words. All of these symptoms arise frequently in stammered speech. To date, our knowledge concerning the origins, causes, and manifestation of developmental stammering remains underspecified and different theories exist which try to explain the phenomenon of stammering. Theories consider, amongst other factors, motor speech difficulties and linguistic or phonological problems as explanations for the phenomenon of stammering. Much research has been performed considering children who stammer and different explanatory theories. However, adults with persistent developmental stammering are rarely investigated, especially, related to features which are described as triggers during childhood for the onset of stammering. Multiple approaches have been made to link stammering behaviour to linguistic variability and complexity. One new solution is to approach stammering within a psycholinguistic framework which gives the promise of a more cohesive understanding of stammering. This psycholinguistic framework includes input, lexical presentations, and output. By assessing input and output, a particular aspect about the nature of stammering could be localised. Hence, the aim of this study is to investigate these levels in adults with persistent developmental stammering. In pilot MSc work the author found clear differences in phonological measures between adults who do and adults who do not stammer. This current PhD work aims to explore the differences more systematically and attempts to discover psycholinguistic differences between adults who stammer and their counterparts. Additionally, a test tool which is sensitive to test stammering in adults in a psycholinguistic manner is developed. The test tool will be piloted and evaluated with regard to missing or dispensable tasks. Included tasks are, amongst others, spoonerism performances in different setups (non-words, real words,

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with a time ticker, measuring of reaction time), spelling of non-words, reading of non-words, non-word repetitions (with and without reaction time), and auditory discrimination. Additionally, the recent stage is characterised by confirming the broader research design. Participants with dyslexia are also considered as a second control group. Furthermore, an extra project will be completed, involving the Disability and Dyslexia Support Service of the University, where students with speech difficulties will be identified and also assessed with the developed test tool. Therefore, the PhD project can be divided in three phases; phase 1 is the identification of students with speech difficulties, phase 2 is the general assessment of all participants (including control groups), phase 3 describes case analyses of participants who stammer with regard to individual features such as secondary symptoms.

Adaptation of the “Therapy Outcome Measure” (TOM) for use with untreated cleft lip and palate patients in the developing world:

Environmental and Cultural issues Jo Rees Supervisors: Professor Joy Stackhouse and Dr Tom Muskett Based on the ‘Therapy Outcome Measure’ (TOM), this paper develops an outcome measure which reflects the less tangible psychosocial features affecting individuals with untreated cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) for use in the developing world. Background Owing to limited resources many cases of CLP in the developing world remain untreated. Whilst there is a plethora of research reporting the physical outcomes following treatment of CLP infancy, little attention has been paid to the impact of late intervention for CLP in adulthood. Since policy makers and fund-holders rely on available evidence to direct their limited resources, the limitations of the research in this field are potentially inhibiting the provision of funding for treatment of adults with CLP. In addition, the available research focuses on speech analysis at a phonemic level which fails to acknowledge the psychosocial aspects of untreated CLP such as difficulty with daily communication, social exclusion, nasal regurgitation, emotional anxiety and poor educational and employment potential are only alluded to anecdotally. This raises two issues: Firstly, can an outcome measure be developed which reflects changes in personal communication skills and social functioning following late palate repair rather than focussing the impairment in isolation? Secondly, can the outcome measure be administered successfully without the need for highly trained Speech and language therapists? Method The research was conducted over a three week period in a cleft centre in Karnataka state India. Focus groups and informal interviews were used to collate information regarding aspirational, emotional, functional, educational and financial factors associated with untreated CLP. The participants included 11 individuals who had experience of untreated CLP in adolescence or adulthood along with 16 family members. This information was used to produce an adapted version of the TOM (CP-TOM) for use as a monitoring and benchmarking tool in relation to treatment of CLP in the developing world. The viability of the CP-TOM was then tested by 6 International medical students comparing 7 pre-operative and post-operative hypothetical case scenarios. Results The CP-TOM proved straightforward to use and demonstrated highly significant differences between the pre-operative and post-operative case scenarios (p<0.005). There was good inter-rater percentage reliability of 0.7 in all cases and the Kappa scores were above 0.7 sixty-six percent of the time.

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Conclusion The CP-TOM shows potential as Global tool for measuring physical and psychosocial outcomes for untreated CLP in a research environment. Further exploration is required in order to ascertain whether the CP-TOM can be shown to be accurate, robust and reliable both in different test environments and in the diverse setting of clinical practice

Phonological acquisition in Turkish-German bilingual children: First results of a normative study

Katharina M. Salgert kmsalgert1@sheffield.ac.uk Supervisors: Dr Silke Fricke (University of Sheffield), Professor Joy Stackhouse (University of Sheffield) and Professor Annette Fox-Boyer (European University of Applied Sciences (EUFH) Rostock, D) Background The phonological acquisition in bilingual children differs qualitatively and quantitatively from that in monolinguals (e.g. Fabiano-Smith & Goldstein, 2010). However, when evaluating the speech skills of bilingual children, this necessary data on typical bilingual speech acquisition is only available for some languages (e.g. English-Spanish, Gildersleeve-Neumann et al., 2008) but not for all. The aims of the present study are therefore to fill a gap by collecting such data from typically developing Turkish-German bilingual children and to describe their phonological development. Method Eighty typically developing Turkish-German bilingual children aged 3;0-5;1 years were assessed on their phonological skills with single-word naming tests in both languages. Their phonological error patterns were analysed and compared with data on monolingual children of each language as well as with limited bilingual data from pilot studies. Separate analyses for each age-group as well as correlations with the children’s input situations were carried out. Results Following the analyses three different subgroups emerged within the sample: 1) children who perform within the age-range of monolingual peers, 2) children who show an extraordinary high number of overall occurrences of phonological error patterns as well as error patterns that are atypical for monolingual peers, 3) children who either produce typical phonological processes but to a higher frequency than monolinguals or who exhibit high numbers of one-off errors but no systematic use of any phonological process. Discussion The results indicate a large heterogeneity in bilingual children’s speech skills which has also been reported in previous studies (e.g. Holm, Dodd, Stow, & Pert, 1999). The emergence of several subgroups, however, hypothesises the possible identification of typically and atypically developing children. Conclusion The results of this study not only contribute to our understanding of phonological acquisition in bilingual children, but also shed light on potential markers for identifying speech difficulties in Turkish-German bilingual children. This, however, requires further examination. References Fabiano-Smith, L., & Goldstein, B. A. (2010). Phonological acquisition in bilingual Spanish-English speaking children. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 53(1), 160-178. Gildersleeve-Neumann, C. E., Kester, E. S., Davis, B. L., & Peña, E. D. (2008). English speech sound development in preschool-aged children from bilingual English-Spanish environments. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 39(3), 314-328.

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Holm, A., Dodd, B., Stow, C., & Pert, S. (1999). Identification and differential diagnosis of phonological disorder in bilingual children. Language Testing, 16(3), 271-292.

Responses to bids for engagement in interactions between Malay-speaking children with autism and their mothers: a conversation analysis study

Nor Azrita Mohamed Zain azrita.zain@sheffield.ac.uk Supervisors: Dr Hilary Gardner and Dr Thomas Muskett Joint engagement in an interaction could be considered to be a social accomplishment, as it requires reciprocal contribution between two or more individuals involved in the communicative framework. Children with autism- due to their widely-reported deficits and atypicality in communication skills- are known to have challenges in participating in such a mutual activity, particularly in responding to the bids that proffer engagements (e.g., Gernsbacher, Stevenson, Khandakar, & Goldsmith, 2008; Meindl & Cannella-Malone, 2011). Investigations of joint engagement and the children with autism’s responses to others’ bids for its undertaking are extensive; however, many of them focus on examining some of its elements such as joint attention; and many employ experimental-, or contrived-based approaches (c.f., Schietecatte, Roeyers, & Warreyn, 2012; Vismara & Lyons, 2007; White et al., 2011), from the perspective that these are strictly psychological phenomena. The aforementioned studies’ focuses and designs are substantial and creditable, but they are restricting a comprehensive understanding of their social elements. This present study aimed to explore the designs of responses to bids for joint engagement of Malay-speaking children with autism with limited verbal abilities. In order to allow for the investigation of the responses as they are positioned within the framework of naturally occurring, interpersonal acts, a Conversation Analysis approach (CA [Sacks, Schegloff, & Jefferson, 1974; Sacks, 1995]), which focuses on the sequential organisation of interaction, is applied. The data used in this study was derived from four hours dyadic interaction collected during free play sessions between four Malay-speaking mothers and their children with ASD. The presented data analysis illustrates the variation in multimodal-based turn designs of the children’s responses which they utilise to exhibit acceptance and rejection as reactions to their mother’s engaging bids. The findings of this study adds to understanding of the (dis)abilities of children with autism when partaking in a joint engagement event, and raise questions about whether such issues are uniformly atypical in children with ASD. References Gernsbacher, M. A., Stevenson, J. L., Khandakar, S., & Goldsmith, H. H. (2008). Why Does Joint Attention Look Atypical in Autism? Child Development Perspectives, 2(1), 38–45. doi:10.1111/j.1750-8606.2008.00039.x Meindl, J. N., & Cannella-Malone, H. I. (2011). Initiating and responding to joint attention bids in children with autism: a review of the literature. Research in developmental disabilities, 32(5), 1441–54. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.02.013 Sacks, H. (1995). Lectures on Conversation. Oxford: Cambridge: Blackwell. Sacks, H., Schegloff, E. A. ., & Jefferson, G. (1974). A Simplest Systematics for the Organization of Turn-Taking for Conversation. Linguistic Society of America, 50(4), 696–735. Schietecatte, I., Roeyers, H., & Warreyn, P. (2012). Exploring the nature of joint attention impairments in young children with autism spectrum disorder: associated social and cognitive skills. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(1), 1–12. doi:10.1007/s10803-011-1209-x Vismara, A., & Lyons, G. L. (2007). Using perseverative interests to elicit joint attention behaviors in young children with autism:Theoretical and clinical implications for understanding motivation. Journal of Positive Behaviour Interventions, 9(4), 214–228.

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White, P. J., O’Reilly, M., Streusand, W., Levine, A., Sigafoos, J., Lancioni, G., … Aguilar, J. (2011). Best practices for teaching joint attention: A systematic review of the intervention literature. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 5(4), 1283–1295. doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2011.02.003