This tutorial offers speech-language pathologists (SLPs) an opportunity to consider the theoretical constructs of language acquisition theory and the multifactorial determinants that can impinge on the language acquisition process for children with complex communication needs. The system of constraints observed through the lens of optimality…

This two-part study looks at disrespectful talk and behavior in tween's television programming (study 1) and its relationship to disrespectful talk and behavior by young viewers (study 2). First, a content analysis was conducted to examine the amount of disrespectful talk and disrespectful behavior in the top programs that children aged 6-12…

Language is a tool of communication. Communication is a process of conveying messages. Language changes dynamically, as new words can be created. Communication is considered static, as its basic steps remain unchanged. But the basics of communication do not change. However, new words enter the dictionary/vocabulary language almost daily.…

The asymmetric information management (AIM) technique enhances verbal lie-detection by encouraging truth tellers (but not liars) to be forthcoming with information. We examined the AIM technique's utility for correctly distinguishing genuine and fabricated statements reported during a virtual interview. Truth tellers (n = 85) honestly reported…

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…

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…

Naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions are an empirically supported intervention approach for young autistic children. Despite the prevalence of disruptive behaviors among autistic children, most manualized caregiver-mediated naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions include limited formal guidance on when and how to manage…

The COVID-19 global pandemic highlighted the dire need for institutional leaders to implement robust crisis communication strategies. Institutions risk damaging their reputation and relationships with constituents if their communication falters during a crisis. The purpose of this holistic single case study was to explore the appearance of the…

Purpose: The current study examined the predictive role of gestures and gesture-speech combinations on later spoken language outcomes in minimally verbal (MV) autistic children enrolled in a blended naturalistic developmental/behavioral intervention (Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement, and Regulation [JASPER] + Enhanced Milieu Teaching…

Background: There are many children with neurodisability who are unable to rely on speech to communicate and so use a range of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) methods and strategies to get their message across. Current instruments designed to measure the outcomes of speech and language therapy interventions lack specific attention…

Background: Children with Tourette syndrome (TS) have historically experienced problems in academic and social settings, yet their language and communication abilities have not been extensively researched. Aims: This scoping review maps the literature on the oral language and social communication abilities of children with TS in order to describe…

We examined the use of filled pauses in conversations between homogeneous pairs of autistic and non-autistic adults. A corpus of semi-spontaneous speech was used to analyse the rate, lexical type (nasal "uhm" or non-nasal "uh"), and prosodic realisation (rising, level or falling) of filled pauses. We used Bayesian modelling for…

Purpose: Social media sites provide autistic youth a familiar space to interact that is devoid of many of the challenges that accompany face-to-face interactions. As such, it is important to determine whether the linguistic profiles observed during online interactions are consistent with face-to-face interactions. This preliminary study took a…

This conceptual paper deals with ways in which gesture or embodied utterances create deictic expressions (i.e., deixis) that are relevant to second language teaching and learning. While many gesture types have been found to be material carriers of meaning (McNeill, 1992; Vygotsky, 1986), deictics have the ability and function to create new…