2021 Honors Symposium

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  Dysregulation of the muscle clock during development of cancer cachexia

  Madeline Amos

  INTRODUCTION
  Cancer continues to be one of the leading causes of death across the world. Among many conditions that accompany cancer, cachexia is one that has long been identified as an unfortunate consequence. Cachexia is a skeletal muscle-wasting syndrome that ultimately leads to deterioration in the body’s functional ability and is considered to be irreversible solely by nutritional means. Researchers have yet to identify the precise mechanisms responsible for its development and current treatments remain inadequate.

  PURPOSE
  The purpose of this study was to confirm the dysregulation of Clock gene expression in male and female tumor-bearing mice, whether such effects can be recapitulated in an invitro model of cancer cachexia.

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  Language Abilities of Children who Qualify for Both Speech Therapy and Play Therapy

  Rylee Atkins

  • Interprofessional collaboration in the educational setting is vital to a holistic approach to addressing a child’s individual needs. Despite the benefits of interprofessional practices (IPP), collaboration in the educational setting can be challenging. Some challenges that impede IPP from occurring in the school setting include time constraints and awareness of roles; however, interprofessional practice can be an effective way to set a child up for success (Kerins, 2018). There is substantial evidence that supports the idea of collaboration within services for the well-being of the child (Choi & Pak, 2006; Ellis et al., 2005; Johnson, 2016). Counselors and speech-language pathologists often work with the same students in the educational setting. While there are often language and socialemotional goals that could be integrated into each other's sessions,professionals often do not implement IPP when working with students and are often unaware of the goals and objectives being addressed for students who qualify for both types of services. Currently, there is limited evidence of collaboration occurring with child-centered play therapists and speech-language therapists.
  • Child-centered play therapy (CCPT) services are provided by certified counselors who are registered play therapists (RPTs) and work with children of varying ages. The goal of CCPT is to establish the use of play to help students sort out psychosocial stresses and become the best version of themselves through self-expression and interpersonal connection (“Association for Play Therapy”). A large part of a registered play therapist's practice is child-directed play therapy. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who work with children also use play effectively within the therapeutic setting as they assess, diagnose, and treat many forms of communication difficulties. With the pediatric population, play occurs during the assessment and treatment process for speech sound disorders, language disorders, social communication, voice therapy, fluency, and sometimes feeding and swallowing (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association ([ASHA]).
  • The purpose of this research inquiry is to determine if behaviors that are assessed for eligibility for counseling services are also present for students who qualify for speech language therapy services.

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  Bimodal and Bilingual: Language Characteristics of ASL and English Users in Deaf Education

  Caitlin Bumpass

  Background:
  • Understanding how language develops in children who are learning two languages can provide a better understanding of language development in general.
  • There is an abundant amount of research regarding language skills of children who are deaf or hard of hearing (d/hh); however, it is unclear if researchers are using a similar definition when describing the characteristics of bimodal/bilingualism.
  • Bimodal bilingualism is the use of both an oral language and a sign language, which in the U.S. often includes the ability to perceive and produce both American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken and/or written English.
  
  Purpose:
  • The purpose of this study was to examine if there is a consistent operational definition of bimodal bilingualism, specifically English and ASL within scholarly journals related to the field of Deaf Education.

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  The Diffusion of Augmentative and Alternative Communication: A Qualitative Application of Everett Rogers’s Theory of Diffusion to AAC Refusal and Abandonment Literature

  Foster Ellis

  INTRODUCTION
  • Empirical evidence demonstrates benefits of AAC communication for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
  • However, trends of refusal and abandonment of AAC systems by these populations have been documented
  • Diffusion of Innovations by Everett Rogers introduces a framework conceptualizing why some innovations encounter uptake while others suffer abandonment or refusal
  • The framework includes four factors that are cited as contributing to uptake: the innovation, communication channels, time, and the social system
  • This study examines the characteristics important to the innovation factor in order to provide data specific to the innovation of AAC systems
  • These characteristics include relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, observability, and re-invention
  
  RESEARCH QUESTIONS
  • What is the current literature on AAC abandonment and refusal?
  • How do the addressed factors of refusal/abandonment in the literature correlate to Rogers’s Diffusion of Innovation?

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  Analysis of social skills in children with autism and asperger’s through child and parent responses to SSIS and BRIEF-SR T testing

  Kailey Fender

  This study provides an in-depth analysis of the results from the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS) and Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function - Self Report Version (BRIEF-SR T) tests taken by twenty-eight children and their parents through self-reporting the children's social behaviors.

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  A replication study of occupational therapists’ use and opinions of apps in therapy for the state of Arkansas

  Paige Francis

  BACKGROUND
  • mHealth applications are increasingly utilized within healthcare practice (Baig et al., 2015).
  • It is imperative that app development targets needs within occupational therapy
  
  PURPOSE
  • To recognize what aspects of apps Arkansan occupational therapists use and what they hope to see improve, to inform future app development.

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  AAC Intervention in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: The Experts’ Perspective

  Elizabeth Fulton

  INTRODUCTION
  • There is a lack of research on augmentative and alternative communication in low- and middle income (LAMI) countries. Without research, people in LAMI countries with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are left without effective services.
  • Currently, there are high levels of disparities in speech intervention for individuals with IDD in LAMI countries.
  
  RESEARCH QUESTIONS
  • What do you see as the most pressing disparities limiting communication outcomes for individuals with IDD who require AAC in LAMI countries?
  • What do you see as the largest barriers precluding LAMI countries from addressing those disparities?
  • What do you see as the most promising intervention innovations or approaches to improving AAC intervention for individuals with DD in LAMI countries?
  • What role(s), if any, can those outside of LAMI play in increasing outcomes for people who require AAC within LAMI countries?
  • What do you see as the most promising future research directions for increasing the knowledge required for improving outcomes for those who require AAC in LAMI countries?

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  The effect of screen time/technology on children with hearing loss

  Alexa Goodwin

  Introduction
  The use of technology is often promoted as an impactful educational tool, but research often fails to link to these positive outcomes. Negative impacts of “screen addiction” on children whose brains are still developing is an oftenexpressed concern. This is due to excessive screen exposure correlating with increases in disorders such as depression, ADHD, anxiety, and aggression. However, some consider technology use to be valuable for social skills and connection. This study explores the correlation of screen exposure on the executive functioning and social skills of children with hearing loss between the ages 8-12. Executive functioning includes mental skills utilized in learning and development such as impulse/emotional control, working memory, prioritizing, and task organization. These are crucial to understanding positive behavior and achieving goals. Social skills are the ability to communicate with others verbally and non-verbally. These skills provide the foundations for academic and life success. Research has shown that even mild hearing impairments can influence cognitive and social-emotional development. Previous studies have exhibited that adolescence with hearing impairment were shown to have lower levels of well-being (tested by degree of loneliness and self-esteem) than their hearing counterparts as well as having more difficulty with personal and social relationships. This research seeks to determine how screen time impacts executive functioning and social skills in children with hearing loss.
  
  Objective
  • Define the correlation between technology exposure, executive function, and social skills in children with hearing loss
  • Compare the impact of technology on children with hearing loss to typically developing children

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  Prevailing Theories of Over-Imitation

  Christa Griffith

  Imitation is a naturally occurring process of human development where individuals can learn different skills and behaviors by mimicking those around them. Imitation plays a vital role in the development of cognitive and social communication behaviors such as language and joint attention. Although imitation appears to have a clear positive utilization there are instances where its utility is reduced. Over-imitation is the process of an individual imitating actions even when those actions are not causally relevant to the objective to the task. Whiten et al. (2016) said that “the occurrence of overimitation in the real world, maximizes the power of the human capacity to obtain all the practical and conventional skills that are foundational to human culture” (p.12). Over-imitation is only one way to build culture and not the most efficient. This review aimed to investigate what influences us to employ this method in social interactions.

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  How Music Shapes Our Identities and why it Matters: Case studies of professional musicians

  Annabelle Linker

  Brain research has demonstrated that music uniquely contributes to neural functioning, but little is known about how losing the ability to produce music, which may be inherent to personal identity for professional singers,impacts quality of life. The results of this study may provide insight for enhancing the use of music as a therapeutic tool that bridges identity and quality of life. Findings are discussed in relation to claims that awareness of personal identity in speech-language interventions can contribute to patient centered discussions about quality of life. Thisstudy explored identity and music in the lives of five well-known vocal music professionals of the same generation using case study methodology.

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  The Effects of Chemotherapeutic Agents on Cognitive Function: A Literature Review

  Corinne Menz

  Chemotherapy is commonly the first-line treatment for various types of cancers. However, adverse effects resulting from treatment can negatively impact the patient’s quality of life while receiving chemotherapy as well as once the therapy course has been completed. The most commonly experienced effect is chemotherapy related cognitive impairment (CRCI) and is often referred to as “chemobrain”. This review attempts to explore the potential causes of cognitive decline, effects of chemotherapy treatment, and subjective patient reports. Relevant research was compiled in order to understand CRCI and its implications for the care of cancer patients.

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  Noise Exposure and Hearing Protection in Marching Band Students

  Emily Myers

  Musicians, marching band students in particular, are at risk for Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NlHL) as they are frequently exposed to sound levels ranging from 85-114dB (Dinakaran, & Rejoythadathil, 20 I 8; Jansen et al., 2008; Libbin, 2008). It is recolillilended that those exposed to loud sounds wear ear protection regularly (Audiological Services for Musicians and Music Industry Personell, 2019.; Loud Noise Dangers, n.d.). Musicians are often reluctant to wear hearing protection for various reasons (Jin et al., 2013). Standard earplugs are typically offered to marching band members.
  
  The purpose of this study was to determine how many band members use hearing protection, their concerns about its' use, and whether the type of protection used, standard or custom, impacted wearing time.

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  Reflections on Labor and Delivery Internship

  Olivia Ozier

  Introduction
  • This research was inspired by clinical experience as a nurse intern on a labor and delivery unit.
  • Breastfeeding is extremely beneficial for the health of both mothers and babies. Despite this fact, not enough mothers are breastfeeding.
  
  Purpose
  The purpose of this literature review was to determine if the attitude and knowledge hospital staff has about breastfeeding influences how successful mothers are in initiating and continuing breastfeeding.

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  The effect of physical activity on stress in university students, faculty, and staff and how the COVID-19 pandemic affected these variables

  Zachary Parisi

  INTRODUCTION
  • Physical activity has been shown in both college aged and broader aged sample sizes as providing health benefits in different areas from mental functioning to increasing VO2 max.
  • Changes in DASS-21 made it difficult to have a large enough sample size
  • Students who meet the recommendations for vigorous physical activity were less likely to report poor mental health and perceived stress when compared to other students who did not meet those recommendations.
  • Within 10 days of COVID-19 being declared a pandemic, there was a 5.5% decrease in mean steps, and within 30 days there was a 27.3% decrease in mean steps.
  
  OBJECTIVES
  • Examine how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected physical activity, sleep and mental health in university students, faculty and staff and to examine the relationship between these variables.

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  The effects of interventions on the physical and mental health of undergraduate engineering students in North America

  Jillian Prince

  Background
  • Stress-induced mental illnesses are common in many undergraduate engineering students
  • These can include anxiety, depression, lack of motivation, poor self-regulation, and poor sleeping habits
  • Ailments such as these result in decreased retention, lower grades, less cognitive understanding of material, and poor physical and mental health
  
  Purpose
  To investigate the effects of interventions on the physical and mental health of undergraduate engineering students in North America to determine what interventions are most successful.

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  A Qualitative Case Study: Exploring the Application of Physiological Measures in Prelinguistic AAC Intervention

  Chloe Putnam

  Prelinguistic communication is defined as that which comes before linguistic development and consists of nonverbal means of communication, such as gestures, eye gaze, vocalizations, and expressions (Franco, Davis, & Davis, 2013). In typical development, prelinguistic communication is evident in infants during the beginning stages of communication, before language emerges. However, some individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) with communication limitations continue to use prelinguistic communication as a primary mode of communication later in life. The goal of completing this research is to explore the potential promise of the novel approach of applying physiological measures to AAC intervention for prelinguistic communicators.
  
  The purpose of this project is to investigate the primary forms of prelinguistic communication used among families with individuals with PIMD and how taking physiological measurements might improve one’s AAC intervention.

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  Multi-theory Model (MTM) as a Predictor of Mental Health-related Treatment Seeking Behavior: The Use of Telehealth during COVID-19

  Dallion Richards

  The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened psychological distress, particularly in high-risk, college student populations, and required prioritization of telehealth-based care. Help-seeking is critical for harm reduction but understanding the rapid shift to telehealth services is further obscured by significant perceived and definite barriers to utilization. Although tele-mental health services improve access to care and are perceived positively by college students, a prevalence of untreated mental health disorders remains. The objective of this study was to identify psycho-social and behavioral correlates of telehealth-based, psychological help-seeking among college students and investigate the efficacy of the Multi-theory Model of health behavior change (MTM) (Figure. 1) in predicting initiation and sustenance of tele-mental health treatment seeking behavior.

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  Using Decision Trees to Classify Factors that Predict Health Insurance Status among Sexual Minority Women

  Kayla Simon

  Background
  • Social determinants of health (SODH) are factors that influence an individual's health status.
  • SODH inequalities often negatively impact health status.
  • LGBTQ+ individuals are more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to be unemployed and uninsured in early adulthood (Charlton, Gordon, Reisner, 2018).
  
  Purpose
  The purpose of this project is to build a machine learning model that predicts insurance status based on social determinants of health selected as input variables

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  Defining Bimodal Bilingualism within the Field of Speech-Language Pathology

  Jaycie Strunk

  BACKGROUND
  • Speech-language pathologists work with a variety of individuals that each uniquely have their own journey in learning and using language for communication. Many times, professionals are working with those with hearing loss, who are diverse in their use of communication.
  • 14.9% of children in between the ages of 6-19 years suffer from hearing loss (Niskar, 1998). This is a large group of individuals that speech-language pathologists serve, each with different goals and needs.
  • According to the CDC, around 90% of children born with a congenital hearing loss are born to parents who are not deaf, which leaves a variety of options for communication and language learning. It is important to mention that identifying as one who is deaf and participating in the Deaf can mean two different things to an individual or family. The Deaf community identifies as those are deaf and communicate with a signed language (Humphries, T., & Humphries, J., 2011).
  
  PURPOSE
  The purpose of this study is to explore how literature from the field of speech language pathology defines bimodal bilingualism in the context of research.

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  Facilitating transition: moving beyond high school as a member of the autism spectrum community

  Cameron Sturgeon, Anna Krizman, and Brittany Tran

  This research seeks to investigate the transition process of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) from high school to post graduation life from the perspective of the transitioning youths’ caregivers. Data has been collected through an online survey, providing qualitative research, of parents’ perception of their children’s transition processes. This research is an important insight on how to better help individuals with ASD gradually navigate new school and lifestyle changes. On this poster you will find an introduction, list of material, methodology, results, discussion, conclusion, direction of future research, references, and acknowledgements.

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  Perspectives of Caregivers on Early Onset Dementia: An investigation of the role of attachment and shifts in identity

  Claire Wood

  Early onset dementia (EOD), diagnosed earlier than 65, is an incurable, neurogenic disease that impacts every aspect of individual and family life as it progresses through three stages. The scope of caregiving broadens from initially helping with the instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and progressing to assistance with essential activities of daily living (ADL) as dementia deepens. The physical demands of caregiving and emotional demands of caring about a loved one who is losing themselves are challenges that impact quality of life. Understanding the role that identity preservation plays as dementia deepens becomes a quality-of-life priority for caregivers and partners with dementia (PWD).
  
  The goal of this qualitative study was to investigate changes in caregiver perceptions of themselves in the caregiving process and how their quality of life and that of the affected partner shifted in this process.

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  Loss and Attainment of Identity for Individuals Experiencing Early-Onset Dementia

  Benjamin Wright

  Dementia is a progressive neurogenic disease impacting individuals younger than 65 years old who often are working, raising families, and contributing to society. Individuals experiencing early-onset dementia (EOD) gradually lose selfperception, and others including family may no longer perceive them as the people they once were. How can caregivers and therapists protect and preserve a sense of identity that will contribute to quality of life? Narrative research claims storytelling stitches together fragments of life and is a tool for understanding oneself and negotiating this with others. Understanding the impact of narrative shifts that reflect changing identity and personhood could facilitate person centered interventions designed to maximize quality of life along the dementia continuum.
  
  This study aimed to map how personal and socially attributed identity shifted as everyday life changed over the dementia continuum. The goal was to determine if common narrative and life story themes marked key indicators of perceptions of self, others and everyday life roles.