News and Events Archive

2009-03-07
Professor Michael Dorman will join us at the next colloquium to give a lecture entitled "Speech is Easy, Music is Hard: Lessons from Cochlear Implants." Be sure to mark your calendar and attend! You could win a $20 giftcard to Sacks!

Date: Wednesday, March 18th, 2009
Time: 12:00 - 1:00pm
Location: Lattie F. Coor Hall, Room L1-84
Flyer:  Dorman Talk

Abstract
In this lecture, I will review why for patients fit with cochlear implants, speech perception is relatively easy and why music recognition is relatively difficult. In addition I will summarize the latest research on bilateral, bimodal cochlear implants, and hearing preservation surgery, i.e., preserving hearing in the ear with an implant.

Prof. Dorman is a renowned expert in speech perception of normal and impaired listeners with cochlear implants. His research interests also include cortical lateralization and neural plasticity. His work on cochlear implants has been continuously funded by the NIH for over 20 years.

ASU is approved by the Continuing Education Board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to provide continuing education activities in speech-language pathology and audiology. This program is offered for 0.1 CEU at Intermediate level in Basic Communication Area. ASHA CE provider approval does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedures.

2009-03-05

Congratulations to Tiffanie Flores, who has been nominated for 'Advisor of the Year' in CLAS.

Tamiko Azuma and Cathy Bacon have been nominated for '2008-2009 College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Teaching Awards.'

Jeanne Wilcox and Bill Yost have each been nominated for different positions in ASHA for next year. Jeanne for 'VP for Academic Affairs in Speech-Language Pathology,' and Bill for 'VP for Science and Research.'

We'll keep everyone posted as to how all of these nominations fare at the next level.

2009-02-23

Summer Program for Early Literacy and Language
June 1 - July 1
Monday - Thursday
Tempe Campus 8:30 - 11:30 or 12:30 -3:30
West Campus 8:15 - 11:30 or 12:15 -3:30

Lunch Bunch 11:30 - 12:30

4- and 5-year-olds

SPELL is a research and educational program designed to boost oral language and early literacy skills through fun and interesting teaching activities. Classes are taught by certified teachers or speech?language pathologists and graduate students.

The program includes:

• 2 hours of classroom time
• 1/2 hour of small group language therapy
• 1/2 hour of word learning play-based research

To qualify children must have age-appropriate thinking skills, be developing typically or have a diagnosed language impairment and speak English as their primary language.

For information and to receive a registration packet, call (480) 965-2373.

Download the  brochure

2009-01-16
Eric Carmichel, M.S., will join us at the next colloquium to give a lecture entitled "Sound Localization with Electronic Hearing Protectors." Be sure to mark your calendar and attend!

Date: Wednesday, January 28th, 2009
Time: 12:00 - 1:00pm
Location: Lattie F. Coor Hall, Room 191
Flyer:  Carmichel Talk

Abstract
Hearing protection devices (HPDs) provide "stereo" sound allowing for sound localization. How well normal-hearing users can localize sounds while wearing 3 different electronic HPDs was investigated by measuring response time. All HPDs were found to affect localization depending on stimuli and location. The HPDs assessed in this study did not preserve localization ability under most stimulus conditions.

Eric L. Carmichel obtained his BS in Physics and MS in Speech and Hearing Science from Univ of Arizona. He was vice president for McCullouch Corp. before founding ELC Audio Engineering. He has invented electro-acoustic devices for various applications. With a newfound interest in cochlear implants, Eric is currently a PhD student at ASU.

ASU is approved by the Continuing Education Board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to provide continuing education activities in speech-language pathology and audiology. This program is offered for 0.1 CEU at Intermediate level in Basic Communication Area. ASHA CE provider approval does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedures.

2008-11-23

Congratulations are in order! The ASU NSSLHA team of Alicia Fleming, Marcy Vance, and Leah Carter and Rene Utianski placed 2nd in the Knowledge Bowl at ASHA. They won $750!

The ASHA Conference was held November 20-22 in Chicago IL.

2008-11-21

Jennifer Carter M.Ed., CCC-SLP, will join us at the next colloquium to give a lecture entitled "VitalStim Therapy for Dysphagia: What it is, what it isnt, and what the research has to say about it." Be sure to mark your calendar and attend, we will have a drawing for a Sacks gift card!

Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Time: 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Lattie F. Coor Hall, Room L1-10

Abstract
While VitalStim Therapy has been gaining increasing use by speech pathologists for the treatment of dysphagia, there continue to be questions by many in the SLP community about exactly what it is. This presentation will explain the basics of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) and how it may be used in dysphagia therapy. The following key notes will be emphasized in the presentation:

• When NMES is appropriate for dysphagia and when it is contraindicated
• The latest research on NMES and dysphagia treatment
• How and why NMES can increase the effectiveness of dysphagia therapy

Jennifer Carter M.Ed., CCC-SLP is a Speech-Language Pathologist with 15 years of experience in evaluation and treatment of dysphagia. She has worked across many medical settings, including acute care, inpatient rehab, and outpatient therapy. She recently treated patients at the nationally recognized rehabilitation center Craig Hospital in Denver. She currently works as a Clinical Specialist for VitalStim Therapy, supporting and educating Speech-Language Pathologists on dysphagia management and implementing modalities, such as NMES and sEMG biofeedback.

ASU is approved by the Continuing Education Board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to provide continuing education activities in speech-language pathology and audiology. This program is offered for 0.1 CEU at Intermediate level in Basic Communication Area. ASHA CE provider approval does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedures.

2008-11-14

Arizona SLPs, Audiologists, and SHS faculty: We hope you will be able to join us for our ASHA Open House.

Date: Friday, November 21, 2008
Time: 7:30 am - 9:30 pm
Location: Hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Ave.
Room: Boulevard A

Download/Print the Invitation.

2008-11-05

Dr. Andrea Pittman, Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science, received a $75,000 Clinical Research Grant from the American Speech Language Hearing (ASHA) Foundation. The special competition was made possible by a large contribution from the ASHA Board of Directors in honor of the Foundation’s 60^th anniversary.  Receiving this grant is a prestigious honor for Dr. Pittman from the major professional organization in speech and hearing science, ASHA. Her two-year project is entitled “Evaluating Advanced Signal Processing in Children with Hearing Loss” and will begin December 2008. Dr. Pittman’s research focuses on hearing and hearing loss in children, especially evaluating hearing loss in terms of the child’s overall cognitive abilities. Her research is often aimed at providing better procedures for fitting hearing aids for children.

2008-10-29

Dr. Christopher Bergevin from the University of Arizona, will join us at the next colloquium to give a lecture entitled "Otoacoustic Emissions in Humans, Birds, Lizards, and Frogs: Evidence for Multiple Generation Mechanisms." Be sure to mark your calendar and attend, we will have a drawing for a Sacks gift card!

Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Time: 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Lattie F. Coor Hall, Room L1-74

Abstract
Non-mammalian ears lack the features crucial for generating otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) in mammals, such as traveling waves and hair-cell motility. This presentation will compare distortion-product and stimulus-frequency OAEs in all four classes of tetrapods. Stimulus-frequency OAE phase-gradient delays are longest in humans but are at least 1 ms in all species. Phase gradients of both emissions for low stimulus levels indicate that all species except frog show evidence for two distinct generation mechanisms analogous to the reflection- and distortion-source mechanisms evident in mammals.

Christopher Bergevin graduated from University of Arizona in 2000 with degrees in mathematics and physics. In 2007, he received his doctoral degree in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is currently a post-doc fellow and instructor in the Dept. of Mathematics at University of Arizona in Tucson. His research includes modeling the auditory periphery with comparative physiology and estimating human cochlear tuning. He is also involved in developing curricula in mathematical biology.

ASU is approved by the Continuing Education Board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to provide continuing education activities in speech-language pathology and audiology. This program is offered for 0.1 CEU at Intermediate level in Basic Communication Area. ASHA CE provider approval does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedures.

2008-10-08

Michael Cevette, Ph.D., and Jan Stepanek, M.D., from the Aerospace Medicine & Vestibular Research Laboratory (AMVRL) at Mayo Clinic Arizona, will join us at the next colloquium to give a lecture entitled "Electrical Stimulation of the Vestibular System 'May We Turn Your World Upside Down?...'"

Please mark your calendar and be sure to attend the seminar.

Date: Wednesday, October 22
Time: Noon - 1:00 pm
Location: Lattie F. Coor Hall, Room L1-74

Abstract
Vestibular illusions using galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) can mimic the illusions that cause spatial disorientation in flight, still one of the leading causes of aircraft accidents. The GVS also provides alterations in balance that mimic vestibular diseases. This simple yet elegant tool has direct applications for enhancing fidelity of flight simulation, for studies of motion sickness, vertigo, and vestibular dysfunctions. This talk will highlight the GVS technique and illustrate it's current applications in aerospace medicine and vestibular research.

ASU is approved by the Continuing Education Board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to provide continuing education activities in speech-language pathology and audiology. This program is offered for 0.1 CEUs Intermediate level, Basic Communication Area. ASHA CE provider approval does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedures.

2008-09-26

The department of Speech and Hearing Science recently received a $200,000 training grant for four years from the U. S. Department of Education to train Doctor of Audiology (AuD) students specializing in pediatric audiology with an emphasis in serving culturally and linguistically diverse children and their families. Dr. Zarin Mehta, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor of Speech and Hearing Science, is the Principal Investigator of the grant. The grant primarily provides tuition and stipend for all 4 years of the AuD program for up to eight qualified AuD students interested in specializing in pediatrics. The grant will allow the department to recruit the very best students into ASU’s AuD program. The department of Speech and Hearing Science has a strong AuD program and a strong set of graduate programs in Speech-Language Pathology and bilingual education. The new grant will enhance these strengths and meet an important need in audiology. Department Chair, William Yost, PhD, stated, “Dr. Mehta has done a remarkable job in securing this AuD training grant. The awarding of the grant indicates the strength of our AuD program and it will allow ASU to have one of the strongest AuD programs in the country. We will also be able to train audiologists to meet a crucial need.”

2008-07-08

Several SHS faculty (Sid Bacon, Chris Brown, Michael Dorman, Julie Liss, Stephanie Spitzer, and William Yost) presented papers or posters at  "Acoustics08Paris," the 2nd joint meeting of the Acoustical Society of America and the European Acoustical Association.

Acoustics08Paris was hosted by the French Acoustical Society and took place in Paris June 29-July 4, 2008. 5000 acoustical scientists from 79 countries attended the meeting making it the largest meeting of its kind ever held. William A. Yost, Chair of SHS, was a co-chair and co-organizer of the meeting representing the Acoustical Society of America.

2008-05-20

DRIVES (Dialogic Reading, Inferencing, Vocabulary Enhancement, and Scaffolded Conversations): A Professional Development Model to Increase Oral Language in Preschool Children 

The DRIVES professional development program is a response to improve academic outcomes of children who live in poverty and children who speak English as a second language. A large number of these children enter Kindergarten behind their peers and often, the gap in achievement increases through their schooling years. Preschool oral language skills have been found to predict reading skills in school-age English–speaking and Spanish-speaking children. Further, native language in English language learners provides a strong foundation for second language acquisition and transfer of oral language and emergent literacy skills. Project DRIVES is a professional development program to provide high quality bilingual oral language and emergent literacy instruction in Head Start classrooms to improve school readiness and academic success. The project will focus on increasing vocabulary, oral language comprehension, and complex language production through scientifically based instructional methods, such as scaffolding conversations, high-level questioning, direct vocabulary and story retelling instruction, dialogic reading, and systematic use of ESL techniques. The program will be developed in year 1 and implemented in years 2 and 3. We expected to increase children outcomes in vocabulary, oral language comprehension, and story telling skills, which have been found to significantly predict academic and reading outcomes.

This project is funded by Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families.

2008-09-23

The Department of Speech & Hearing Science presents its 3rd Annual Workshop in honor of James Case, Ph.D., entitled "Principles of Motor Speech Disorders & Psychogenic Speech Disorders"

Date: Saturday, October 25, 2008
Time: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Location: Coor Hall, ASU Main Campus, Tempe, AZ

Joe Duffy is Head of the Division of Speech Pathology, Mayo Clinic Rochester, and professor in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He is the author of Motor Speech Disorders: Substrates, Differential Diagnosis, and Management. He has presented numerous national and international workshops on the topics of acquired motor speech disorders and psychogenic speech disorders.

At the end of this workshop you will be able to:

• Describe the underlying pathophysiological bases of the major MSD types.
• Identify the salient auditory perceptual characteristics of each of the major MSD types, and the characteristics that best distinguish among them.
• State the localization within the nervous system of each of the major MSD types.
• List and define several psychological conditions that may be associated with psychogenic speech disturbances.
• Recognize the primary clinical features that distinguish neurogenic from psychogenic speech disturbances.
• Discuss the principles and basic techniques for managing psychogenic speech disturbances.

The course will include a hands-on segment led by the instructors, using specialized learning/ demonstration software in a computer lab, and a small-group, problem-based learning session. During the information portions of the course, participants will use a Classroom Response System in which participants can express opinions and respond to questions via remote control linked to the instructors Power-Point slides.

Approved for eight (8) CEUs by AZ Department of Health Services. You will receive a Certificate of Attendance at the end of the seminar.

Download the Brochure and Registration Form

2008-05-14

For a story related to SSLIC go to http://asunews.asu.edu/20080506_spanishscreener

2008-05-14

The Dean's Faculty Fellows Program is for faculty of CLAS who have an interest in learning about academic administration. Fellows work on a project or projects for the college, often projects of their own choosing, while they also learn about academic administration. Dr. Wright will be assisting the college in developing programs to engage undergraduates in research.

2008-04-15

SPELLis a research and educational program designed to boost oral language and early literacy skills through fun and interesting teaching activities. Teachers are experienced, certified teachers or speech-language pathologists and graduate students.

2008-04-14
Sid Bacon, Professor of Speech & Hearing Science and Dean of Natural Sciences at ASU, is the focus of an article published on the ASU website. You can read the article here.

2008-04-14

2007-08-20
Dr. Joseph Stemple from the University of Kentucky will present "Principles of Physiologic Voice Therapy" at the Department of Speech & Hearing Science’s 2nd Annual Workshop in honor of James Case.

Date: Saturday, October 6, 2007
Time: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Location: Coor Hall, Room 199, ASU Main Campus, Tempe, AZ


Professional literature has suggested the use of several voice therapy orientations including hygienic, symptomatic, psychogenic, physiologic, and eclectic. In this very practical presentation, the principles of physiologic voice therapy will be described. Specific management approaches for both hyper and hypofunctional disorders will be taught including Vocal Function Exercises and Resonant Voice Therapy.

At the end of this workshop you will be able to:

• distinguish between the various voice therapy orientations
• understand when to choose various management strategies for specific disorders
• directly apply several physiologic voice therapy techniques in clinical practice

Download the Brochure and Registration Form

2007-04-16
US News & World Report has issued its 2007 rankings for the top 25 careers. Making the list were audiologist and speech-language pathologist.

2007-03-09
SPELL is a research and educational program designed to boost the oral language and early literacy skills of young children through fun and interesting teaching activities. Teachers are certified speech-language pathologists and graduate students from the Department of Speech and Hearing Science at Arizona State University. The program includes:

• 2 hours of classroom time
• 1/2 hour of small group language therapy
• 1/2 hour of word learning play-based research

How children qualify:

• Show age-appropriate development on a nonverbal test of thinking skills
• Be developing typically or have a diagnosed language impairment
• Speak English as their primary language

For more information, download the Brochure

2006-12-22
Professor and current department chair Sid P. Bacon has been appointed interim dean of the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The appointment is part of a reorganization of the ASU academic administration that resulted in new leadership for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. For more information, click here

Associate professor Julie M. Liss will serve as interim chair of the Department of Speech and Hearing Science.

2006-10-20
We would like to invite you to attend the Arizona party at the 2006 ASHA convention in Miami. It will be a great time to meet some of the new faculty and students in the department and to re-connect with some of the "old" ones. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Download the Invitation

2006-10-13
The Department of Speech & Hearing Science presents its 1st Annual Workshop in honor of James Case, Ph.D., entitled "Clinical Management of Functional Voice Disorders"

Date: Saturday, October 7, 2006
Time: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Location: Coor Hall, Room 184, ASU Main Campus, Tempe, AZ


This workshop will address how to evaluate and treat individuals with functional voice dysphonia across the life span. Participants will learn state-of-the art methods in instrumental and non-instrumental assessment of functional dysphonia. Current methods for managing functional dysphonia will be taught incorporating case examples. The speakers will facilitate participant application of the principles of assessment and management using representative clinical case examples.

At the end of this workshop you will be able to:

• Identify common instrumental and noninstrumental methods used to evaluate individuals with a functional voice problem
• Apply methods of evaluation toward determining outcomes of voice treatment
• Determine how to manage functional voice disorders in children and adults

Download the Brochure and Registration Form

2006-10-13
The Department of Speech & Hearing Science presents its 1st Annual Workshop in honor of James Case, Ph.D., entitled "The Dynamics of Compression"

Date: Saturday, October 7, 2006
Time: 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Location: Coor Hall, Room 120, ASU Main Campus, Tempe, AZ


Amplitude compression is an integral part of almost every digital hearing aid; but because compression parameters can be combined in many ways, clinicians may not always know what specific adjustments will result in the desired patient outcome. This workshop will provide information about technical aspects of compression, its effects on speech acoustics, speech recognition and quality and how compression adjustments can be used to address patient complaints . Hands-on sessions will illustrate the effect of setting compression parameters. Learning Outcomes At the end of this seminar you will be able to:

• Define and demonstrate the effect of compression parameters
• Understand how changing compression parameters affects speech recognition & quality
• Suggest possible compression adjustments to address patient complaints

The course will include a hands-on segment led by the instructors, using specialized learning/ demonstration software in a computer lab, and a small-group, problem-based learning session. During the information portions of the course, participants will use a Classroom Response System in which participants can express opinions and respond to questions via remote control linked to the instructors Power-Point slides.

Download the Brochure and Registration Form

2006-10-11
We are please to announce new interdisciplinary Ph.D. training opportunities and fellowships focusing on young children with disabilities.

Participating Degree Programs:

• Division of Curriculum & Instruction: Early Childhood Special Education Focus
• Department of Speech & Hearing Science: Early Childhood & Early Intervention Focus
• School of Family and Human Dynamics: Early Intervention Focus

This   Ph.D. training program addresses the need for interdisciplinary faculty who are equipped to prepare future personnel and conduct research that can contribute to, and guide, scientifically-based practices for families and their young children with disabilities during the early childhood years. In addition to the focus on early childhood, the program content includes an emphasis on the cultural and linguistic diversity (CLD) commonly represented in the Southwest borderland states (e.g., American Indian and Hispanic families, Spanish-speaking families, new immigrant families, and a population associated with movement back and forth across international borders). While common throughout the U.S., these issues are intensified in Southwest border states, such as Arizona, which in turn affords the opportunity for in-depth, field-based research and training experiences to promote an understanding of evidence-based practices for these populations.

A problem-based learning format will be used as a framework for students to obtain a full and rich understanding of key problems in early childhood special education and related services, brainstorm solutions collaboratively with those in the field and with diverse families, and ultimately design and implement an interdisciplinary research project that is focused on elucidating identified educational or service delivery problems. Instructional activities include a focus on problem-based learning, building relationships and learning within the context of such relationships, while also modeling and facilitating reflection as a central strategy for ongoing integration of new knowledge and skills as well as evaluation.

The program design includes a focus on:

• Interdisciplinary research training to identify effective intervention and educational practices in a broad base of early childhood settings
• Cultural and linguistic diversity and the interface with research design and provision of effective intervention and educational services
• Policy research and the roles of policy and advocacy in serving families and children with disabilities;
• Training future researchers and practitioners including early childhood special educators, early interventionists, and speech-language pathologists

APPLICATION DEADLINE: DECEMBER 15, 2006

For more information please contact: mjwilcox@asu.edu or Beth.Swadener@asu.edu

2006-10-11
Lisa S. Davidson, from the Central Institute for the Deaf at Washington University, will join us at the next colloquium to give a lecture entitled "Comparing Speech Perception Abilities of Pediatric Cochlear Implant or Digital Hearing Aid Users" Be sure to mark your calendar and attend!

Date: Wednesday, October 11th, 2006
Time: 11:30 12:30
Location: Lattie F. Coor Hall, Room L1-50
Flyer:   Davidson Talk

Abstract
It is crucial to fit children as soon as possible with the sensory device that will maximize their ability to recognize speech and other sounds that occur from soft to loud levels in everyday life. Some children with severe to profound losses may be able to benefit from the advances in technology offered by DSP hearing aids with WDRC while others may receive more benefit from the cochlear implant.

The aim of this research study (Davidson, in press) was to determine the unaided puretone average (PTA) (.5,1.0,2.0 kHz) above which children will exhibit significantly better speech recognition with a cochlear implant than a digital hearing aid for open-set words presented at soft (50 dB SPL) and raised-loud (70 dB SPL) levels. This issue had been addressed in earlier studies in which speech perception was evaluated only at a raised-to-loud level (70 dB SPL) for children who used hearing aids and cochlear implants that did not provide as much information about sound as recent cochlear implants and DSP with WDRC hearing aids.

Children with PTAs (.5, 1.0, 2.0 kHz) in the severe to profound range, wearing digital hearing aids with wide dynamic range compression or a Nucleus 24 or Clarion cochlear implant system, were evaluated using a speech perception test battery administered at intensity levels representative of raised and soft speech levels. Fifty-two children (age 5- 15 years) participated: 26 with unaided PTAs from 60 to 98 dB HL using digital hearing aids and 26 with pre-implant unaided PTAs from 93 to 120 dB HL using cochlear implants. The Lexical Neighborhood Test (LNT) was analyzed as the major outcome variable. Analyses of the relation between the childrens LNT scores and their Unaided PTA revealed that the Unaided PTA at which children in the cochlear implant group would be expected to score significantly higher than the children in the digital hearing aid group was lowest (88 dB and 96 HL) for the lower signal level (50 dB SPL). The Level effect for both groups is explained by reduced audibility at 50 dB SPL. Assuming the importance of soft speech for incidental language learning and fluent communication, the children using digital hearing aids in this study with PTAs of 92 dB HL and higher would be expected to have significantly higher LNT scores with a cochlear implant.

The results, implications and future directions of this study will be discussed. Case study as well as group data supporting the importance of optimizing both hearing aids and cochlear implants for all speech levels will be discussed.

2006-05-26

Urbano Rios, an immigrant from Mexico, graduated this month from ASU with a degree in speech and hearing science. He says he was motivated by an urgent desire to help his daughter Milagro, who was diagnosed with autism when she was 3 years old. Clockwise from top: Rios poses for a family portrait with his 9-year-old daughter Sarai, his 8-year-old daughter Milagros and his wife, Maria (Mary) Palafox- Rios.   Tom Story Photo

Five years ago, Urbano Rios was working in the fields in Ohio, picking apples, strawberries, green chilies and tomatoes to support his family. He also was going to school at night, to learn electronics. But when his 3-year-old daughter, Milagros, was diagnosed with autism, he knew he had to take a different path.

It broke my heart, he says. I knew I had to help her, but how?

The immigrant from Mexico put down his tools and enrolled in college, though he was still learning English. This month, he graduated from ASU with a degree in speech and hearing science, motivated by an urgent desire to help his daughter.

His family's difficult journey has taken them to Albuquerque, where he began school at the University of New Mexico, then to ASU because he wanted the best program possible. He has been working two jobs, sleeping five hours a night, spending as much time as possible with Milagros, who still does not speak but who is surrounded by love.

In the fall, his family will move to Flagstaff, where Urbano will enter a master's program at Northern Arizona University. He plans to become a certified speech-language pathologist.

My reward will be when she communicates, when she says something clearly, he says. I can tell just what she wants, by watching her eyes. But I will devote myself to her. There are many children who need my help, not just my daughter. I saw them when I was in the fields.

Now 43, Urbano came to the United States when he was 20, working as a car washer and field hand, gaining his legal residency in 1993. After getting married, he and his wife worked in the fields together she would pick, and he would lift the heavy boxes to load them on the trucks. Later, he was a janitor, earning his GED so he could go to a vocational school to learn electronics.

Their daughter Sarai, now 9, was a talkative child. So when Milagros wasn't speaking by the age of 3, they realized something wrong. Now 8 years old, Milagros attends elementary school not far from her sister. Urbano's wife works in a school cafeteria so she can be home with the children after school.

When I first met Urbano in my undergraduate language disorders class, he demonstrated a thirst for knowledge I had never seen before, says Shelley Gray, an ASU assistant professor of speech and hearing science. He wanted to understand every detail I taught, and I later found out why. He and his wife were using every piece of information to help their daughter.

After class one day, he told me that if he could unlock the secret to communicating with his daughter, he could share this knowledge with other families and help them love their children.

Urbano volunteers with special-needs children at his daughters' schools. The children cluster around him, aware that he can read their hearts. He believes God is using him to help Milagros and the others.

Urbano has been an inspiration to students and faculty alike, Gray says. His amazing combination of intelligence, caring and determination has led to this achievement. I have no doubt that many children will benefit from his hard work, but most especially his daughter.

Written by Sarah Auffret

2006-04-13
Dr. Laurence White from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom, will join us at the next colloquium to give a lecture entitled "Why Timing Matters in Talking?" Be sure to mark your calendar and attend! Lunch will be provided.

Date: Friday, April 21st, 2006
Time: Noon - 1:00 pm
Location: Lattie F. Coor Hall, Room 2201


Abstract
Prosodic structure the organization of syllables into words and higher-level constituents influences the duration of speech sounds. Speech rhythm the distribution of stressed and unstressed syllables also affects speech segment duration. In both domains, theories of timing have appealed to notions of isochronous units, suggesting that words and/or stress-delimited units are compressed as more syllables are added to preserve some relative uniformity of duration. Evidences suggest a prosodic timing model in which lengthening occurs at critical positions within speech: specifically, at the edges of constituents and within pitch-accented words. Segments outside these loci of lengthening are not directly subject to any timing process. Within this model, rhythm is an emergent property, with local consequences for segment duration. Hypothesized rhythmic differences between accents and between languages can be measured by metrics that exploit variation in syllable structure, suggesting that the relative salience of stressed and unstressed syllables underpins rhythmic typology. Top-down mediation of timing appears unnecessary.

Dr. Laurence White received his undergraduate degree in Experimental Psychology at Balliol College, Oxford and his master's degree in Computer Speech and Language Processing at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. After completing a Linguistics PhD at the University of Edinburgh on speech timing and its relationship to prosodic structure, he moved to the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Bristol, where he continues his research on speech production and perception. His particular interests are in speech rhythm and speech timing, and in how listeners integrate diverse sources of information in speech to identify the starts and ends of words, both in their native language and in second languages.

2006-03-20
The Tempe Early Reading First Partnership, directed by Speech & Hearing Science professor Shelley Gray, has been awarded the President's Medal for Social Embeddedness. According to President Crow, this recognition is based on the project's demonstrated excellence in identifying a community need or issue and fostering mutually-supportive partnerships with Arizona communities to implement successful solutions.

Abstract
The Tempe Early Reading First Partnership, a collaboration among ASUs Department of Speech and Hearing Science, Maricopa County Head Start, Tempe Elementary School District, the Arizona Literacy and Learning Center, and Tots Unlimited, is working to improve the early literacy skills of young children in our community and to prepare them to enter kindergarten with the necessary language, cognitive, and early reading skills to prevent reading difficulties and to insure school success. Our project goals are (1) developing classroom environments rich oral language and print; (2) providing effective professional development for teachers, administrators, and university students based on scientifically-based reading research; (3) instituting the use of scientifically-based early literacy curricula in the preschool classrooms; (4) implementing early literacy screening to identify children who needed more intensive instruction to become successful in kindergarten; (5) integrating these new program goals into the current preschool programs; and (6) helping to insure that children had a successful transition from preschool to kindergarten. To date children in our project have demonstrated stronger gains than children in control classrooms and we have met our project goals.

2006-03-13
Dr. John Ferraro, from the Department of Hearing and Speech at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, will join us at the next colloquium to give a lecture entitled "New Approaches for Recording the ABR in Newborns." Be sure to mark your calendar and attend!

Date: Friday, March 31st, 2006
Time: 11:00 am - Noon
Location: Lattie F. Coor Hall, Room 186


Note: this is an ASHA CE activity, you can get CEU credit for participating in this colloquium. Please spread the word by forwarding the flyer to our clinical friends in the valley.

Abstract
We have developed an approach for newborns that utilizes a modified, commercially-available electrode to record the auditory brainstem response (ABR) from the ear canal. Data from both normal babies and newborns with hearing loss show that wave I of the ABR, a primary component of the response, is larger and more sensitive when recorded from the ear canal versus the scalp. We also have applied the ear canal approach to record the cochlear microphonic (CM) in newborns, given the reported usefulness in the diagnosis of auditory neuropathy /dysynchrony. Our data indicate that certain precautions must be applied to separate CM from stimulus artifact to avoid false positive results. A discussion of these precautions and other aspects related to ABR and CM in newborns will be presented.

Dr. Ferraro was trained as an electro-physiologist and later became a pioneer in the clinical application of auditory electrical responses, especially the ABR and electro-cochleography (ECochG). As a fellow of both ASHA and AAA, he has been active in setting the standards for the field of auditory evoked potentials and devoted to educating clinical audiologists. He has published a book, many tutorials, and research articles on clinical measurements of auditory function using evoked electrical responses.

At the completion of this activity, the participant should be able to use the ear canal approach to record ABR in newborns, identify the advantages of this technique in the diagnosis of hearing loss in young children, demonstrate ability to separate stimulus artifact from the CM, and Interpret electrical responses with the considerations of neurological disorders, hearing loss, as well as stimulus artifact.

2006-02-01
The Infant Child Research Programs, in collaboration with The Tempe Early Reading First Program, will sponsor a workshop by Dr. Laura Justice, entitled "Emergent Literacy Intervention: What? Why? How?"

Date: Saturday, April 1, 2006
Time: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Location: Physical Sciences Building, A Wing Room H150, ASU Main Campus, Tempe, AZ


Early childhood teachers, speech-language pathologists, and other professionals working with young children understand the importance of supporting emergent literacy achievement in all children but often want more explicit guidance on evidence-based practices in early literacy. In this workshop we will provide critical information about how to help all children succeed in emergent literacy.
At the end of this seminar you will be able to answer the following questions:

• What: What is emergent literacy and how does it develop?
• Why: Why is emergent literacy so important?
• How: How can educators best support children's emergent literacy development? What tools and practices are available to guide us?

Download the Brochure and Registration Form

2006-02-27
Decisions concerning graduate admissions will be made during the first week of March. Thanks to all prospective graduate students for your patience!

2006-02-13
Dr. Brad Story, from the Department of Speech and Hearing Science at the University of Arizona, Tucson, will join us at the next colloquium to give a lecture entitled "Common Modes of Vocal Tract Articulation for Vowels." Please mark your calendar and attend the seminar.

Date: Friday, February 24th, 2006
Time: Noon - 1:00 pm
Location: Lattie F. Coor Hall, Room 2201

Abstract
Unlike most other motor control tasks, the ultimate goal of speech production is acoustic rather than spatial. The shape of the airspace formed by the relative positions of the tongue, lips, velum, and jaw (vocal tract) determines, in large part, the acoustic characteristics of speech. Hence, an essential part of understanding speech production is to determine how speakers systematically control and change the shape of the vocal tract to produce speech sounds that are simultaneously identifiable as common elements of a language, and uniquely representative of the speaker. Some recent data and associated analyses will be presented that suggest there are common modes of vocal tract articulation across speakers, but the underlying (base) shape on which they are superimposed is speaker-specific.

2006-02-04
Prof. Greg Dogil, currently a visiting professor from Stuttgart, Germany, will join us at the next colloquium to give a lecture entitled "Exemplar-Based Speech Representation." Please mark your calendar and attend the seminar.

Date: Friday, February 17th, 2006
Time: 10:40 - 11:30 am
Location: Lattie F. Coor Hall, Room 2201

Abstract
Prof. Dogil will present a model of Incremental Specification of Speech which defines procedures that lead to fully specified representations of speech. The aim is to develop a testable model of speech representation in the framework of Exemplar Theory (Goldinger 1996; Pierrehumbert 2001). The model builds on the hypotheses shared by psychology and experimental phonetics, that exemplars of speech events are not concrete realizations of speech tokens stored in memory, but that the exemplars are mental representations constructed through an internal analysis-by-synthesis process. This process starts from hypothesized lexical entries, takes landmarks and context information as input, and results in fully specified exemplars of the pertinent linguistic unit. He will discuss the implications of the model for language acquisition and (time permitting) language pathology.

2006-02-01
With great sadness we report that Dr. James L. Case died on 31 January 2006 after a long and courageous battle with severe primary pulmonary hypertension. Dr. Case joined the faculty at ASU in 1969. He had a remarkably productive career as a teacher, clinician, administrator, and scholar until he was forced to retire in 2001 due to health reasons. Even in his retirement, Jim continued to contribute to the department and our lives in many important ways. He will be sorely missed.

Upon his retirement, the Department of Speech and Hearing Science recognized Dr. Cases integral contributions by establishing the James Case Speech and Hearing Scholarship. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorial donations be made to the scholarship, which supports graduate students in speech-language pathology and may become an endowed scholarship. Please make your checks payable to the ASU Foundation and send them to the Department of Speech and Hearing Science, PO Box 870102, ASU, Tempe, AZ 85287-0102. On-line donations to the scholarship fund may be made at the The ASU Foundation.