This applied dissertation was designed to analyze the effect Melodic Based Communication Therapy has on minimally verbal children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, particularly tact responses and their generalization in the natural environment. MBCT is a replicable protocol for pairing melodies with target words to elicit speech in children…

Dialogue is central to the collaborative processes of inquiry-based approaches. In this methodological article on Interactional Ethnography (IE), we outline the guiding principles of IE as a logic of inquiry for studying the talk and actions of learners and their mentors in inquiry-based learning. Through a telling case of facilitation processes…

This study aimed at investigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic period on the language development of preschool children according to the opinions of teachers. A qualitative case study design was adopted, with data obtained from preschool teachers (N=21) working in independent kindergartens, kindergartens within primary schools, and private…

Unexpected twists and turns on the PhD journey can be directly related to the research itself, while others are related to the experience of the journey. For me, the most unexpected aspects were related to my health and saw me transition from writing and typing to dictating to the computer. This autoethnographic article is based on the lived…

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display variable verbal cognitive profiles despite a historical requirement for a language delay in autistic disorder. This study compared the Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) to the newly created ancillary index score, the Verbal Expanded Crystallized Index (VECI) of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for…

Background: Use of numerical and spatial language, also known as math talk, is critical to the development of foundational number and spatial skills in early childhood. However, caregivers and children of low socioeconomic status (SES) tend to use less math talk than their higher-SES peers. Objective: The current efficacy study tested the…

Instructive feedback (IF) involves incorporating additional acquisition targets into skill-acquisition programs. A recent study by Frampton and Shillingsburg (2020) found that IF led to emergent verbal operants with two elementary-aged children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study replicated Frampton and Shillingsburg…

Virtual Reality (VR) offers language learners a valuable environment for practicing language skills and other aspects essential for language development, interaction, and negotiation of meaning. For example, speaking practice in VR using avatars can reduce speaking anxiety and increase users' sense of agency. Social spaces in VR present…

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a patient-reported outcome measure for gender incongruence specific to voice and communication parameters, including pitch, intonation, resonance, loudness, speech smoothness, speech clarity, word choice, facial expression, gesture, and posture. Method: The Utah Gender Presentation…

Constructive interactions and knowledge integration activities are methods commonly used for learning; however, establishing successful coordination becomes a hurdle in computer-mediated collaborations. The development of systems to facilitate communication activities in such situations has been attempted, but models are still required for…

This pilot study examined the feasibility of using worked examples as a mechanism to improve verbal explanations of fractions concepts among Grade 5 students with mathematics difficulties in a small-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) before scaling up to a large-scale RCT. Students (N = 49) were randomly assigned to a business-as-usual (BAU)…

Many autistic children require support to meet their learning needs. Given the heterogeneity within the autism spectrum it is plausible that different types of support might be better suited to different children. However, knowledge on what interventions work best for which children is limited. We examined the outcomes of autistic preschool-aged…

Purpose: Pitch variations (tone productions) have been reported as a measure to differentiate Cantonese-speaking children with and without childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). This study aims to examine fundamental frequency (F0) changes within syllables and the effects of syllable structure, lexical status, and syllable positions on F0 in…

This descriptive study focuses on using voice activity detection (VAD) algorithms to extract student speech data in order to better understand the collaboration of small group work and the impact of teaching assistant (TA) interventions in undergraduate engineering discussion sections. Audio data were recorded from individual students wearing…

Teachers play a key role in communicating with parents to support student learning. One of the more challenging aspects of this role for teachers is having a difficult conversation with a parent about their child. Difficult conversations, when needed, are best accomplished face-to-face incorporating effective communication skills to promote a…