فصلنامه آسیب شناسی گفتار و زبان
سال یکم شماره 1 (پاییز 1392)

Perception and expression of word categories is a cognitive linguistic skill which develops gradually. Regarding the children with specific language impairment (SLI)، they are more vulnerable in some linguistic areas; it was hypothesized that the perception and production of category labels such as their semantic skill could be influenced. The purpose of this study was to compare categorization system between SLI school-aged children with those of normal peers. This cross-sectional analytic study consisted of 16 SLI and 16 normal children from first to third grade of school. The subject and control groups sampled in easy access and randomized consequently. SLI children were screened based on more than twelve (12) scores discrepancies between their verbal and non-verbal performance with the primacy of nonverbal score over verbal score on WISC-R. Linguistic behaviors of the two groups were assessed by using number of different words and mean length of utterance in terms of morphemes. Finally، the categorization task with fourteen (14) high frequency nouns from seven (7) categories conducted and their behavioral data compared statistically by t-test. SLI children demonstrated significant difference in word definition by labeling of specific categories compared to normal peers (P=0. 001). Two groups were not showing a significantly differerance in other ways of naming categories، although the pattern of their responses was different. Regarding the significant reduced ability of SLI children in category expression، it was suggested that the specific category expression could be used as a diagnostic indicator and as an intervention measure in SLI children.

Laryngeal characteristics could be used as a method of description of hyperfunctional voice disorders. Visual description can be used as a scale to analyze effects of behavioral treatments like voice-based laryngeal manual therapy on hyperfunctional voice disorders. This study aimed at reporting laryngeal characteristics in patients with hyperfunctional voice disorders before and after of voice-based laryngeal manual therapy. 20 adult participants with hyperfunctional voice disorders selected to assess laryngeal characteristics before and after treatment. The participant’s laryngeal characteristics assessed by stroboscopy were analyzed by 2 examiners before and after of 15 treatment sessions. The correlation between examiners was analyzed using spearman correlation coefficient, and changes before and after treatment were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed rank test. Stroboscopic results revealed increasing in glottal closing quotient, improving in glottal closure pattern, decreasing in anteroposterior supraglottal constriction, decreasing in lateral glottal constriction, smoothening of the right and left true vocal folds edges and increasing both vocal folds mucosal waves (001 /0>p) There is a significant difference between laryngeal characteristics before and after treatment. Patients with lesions on the vocal folds benefits more than other groups.

Internal evaluation process assists higher education systems to examine the extent of their achievement of educational and research goals and missions. This study aimed at internal evaluation of speech therapy department of university of social welfare and rehabilitation sciences. This cross-sectional descriptive-analytic research employed expert panel approach to determine areas and criteria of internal evaluation. Then some questionnaires were developed based on indices of each criterion. The Participants at the study numbered in 106, consisted of faculty members, head of department, BSc, MSc and PhD students, and graduates during the years of 1385-1390 who were selected based on ease of access. Mean scores of each criterion and the related areas were calculated and were changed into desirability levels. Mean score for total of eight areas of internal evaluation was 1.78(SD=0.28) which is considered relatively desirable. Least desirable level was that of educational resources (mean= 1.42, SD= 0.28) and the best desirable level belonged to management and organization area (mean= 2.26, SD= 0.61). Speech therapy department internal evaluation provided information on how much each educational domain has distance to the desirable state. On the basis of the information, although most of the domains had relatively desirable state, there is a long way to promote quality of education specially with improving of the more disadvantage domains identified as less desirable state.