November 1, 2011 Issue

Audiology

Improving Hearing Aid Function in Noisy Situations
by Tamara Stender
Helping people with hearing loss clearly understand what others are saying over background noise remains a hot topic in audiology.

Audiology in Brief: November 1, 2011
MRI Magnet May Cause Vertigo; Brain Retraining Is New Tinnitus Treatment; Visual Habituation for Assessing Speech Perception

Columns

From the President: Our Role in Effective Patient-Provider Communication
by Paul Rao
Communication breakdowns among patients, their family members, and health care staff contribute to such serious problems as medical errors, inadequate pain relief, extended hospital stays, increased costs, and patient anguish and disorientation.

Features

The Professions in China: An ASHA Virtual Library
China- and Chinese speakers-related CSD research and practice during the past five years

The China Gap for Speech-Language Services
by Marlene Salas-Provance
An experience treating children with cleft palate opened one SLP's eyes to the country's huge need for communications professionals.

The Cantonese-English Bilingual Project
by Pui-Fong Kan
A study is tracking the language development of preschoolers who speak Cantonese at home, and learn English as preschoolers.

Speech-Language Pathology in China: Challenges and Opportunities
by Dianne Meyer
The People's Republic of China urgently needs an estimated quarter-million graduate-level SLPs, yet daunting challenges stand in the way of developing graduate-level training programs.

¿QUÉ PASA?: "What's Happening" in Overcoming Barriers to Serving Bilingual Children?
by Rosa Abreu, Terry Adriatico & AnnMarie DePierro
In a recent survey of audiologists, proposed solutions included language cards, mobile apps, and better education.

New Parameters Set for Craniosynostotis Treatment
by Sally Peterson-Falzone
Recommendations call for involvement in habilitation starting before a baby is born.

It Takes Two: Improving Assessment Accuracy in Bilingual Children
by Elizabeth Peña & Lisa Bedore
Researchers have developed a combined, bilingual approach that may help clinicians assess the language skills of bilingual children.

Cultural Competence: How Qualified Are You?
by Irene Torres, Barbara Rodríguez & Kay Payne
Three members share their "aha" moments when they learned how much they didn't know.

Cultural Competence in Treatment of Adults with Cognitive and Language Disorders
by Joan Payne
The growth in mature adult populations of people of color in the United States provides tremendous incentive for speech-language professionals to develop culturally sensitive policies and service delivery.

Building Vocabulary with Online Tools
by Judith Kuster
Vocabulary building is valuable not only for second-language learners, but also for many clients we serve from young (e.g., children with developmental delays and language disorders) to old (e.g., stroke survivors who are relearning language skills) and every age between. It is also valuable for professionals and students in communication sciences and disorders programs!

Aphasia Assessment in Chinese Speakers
by Anthony Pak-Hin Kong
A limited number of culturally sensitive tools is available for testing this U.S. population.

2011 Awards of Excellence
ASHA is proud to present the recipients of the association's 2011 Awards of Excellence.

News

Web Resources Outline State Regulations
Find policies for support personnel, hearing aid dispensers, and school-based clinicians.

Twenty-Four Students Receive Research Travel Awards
To highlight the research activities of student scientists and encourage research careers in communication sciences and disorders, ASHA offers the Student Research Travel Award. The awards go to the student who is the first author on the top-rated research presentation in each of the 24 Convention topic areas.

Students Selected for Leadership Program
Thirty-two students will participate in the 2011 class of the Minority Student Leadership Program (MSLP) at the ASHA convention in San Diego Nov. 15–20.

News in Brief: November 1, 2011
New Website Offers Education Data on States; Drug for Down Syndrome?; Early Infant Activity Shapes Later Preferences

Mentoring Pairs Receive Travel Awards
Five emerging scientists and a mentor of their choosing have received travel awards to attend ASHA's 21st annual Research Symposium, which will be held at the 2011 ASHA Convention in San Diego.

Communication and Culture: Research Trends
Grammatical Errors Predict Stuttering; No Increased Risk of Langauge Problems for Bilingual Children; Language Outcomes of Children Adopted Internationally

Classroom Noise Rules Go to Congress
by Neil Snyder
Despite the anticipated lack of congressional action, ASHA continues to advocate for reduced noise pollution and improved acoustics in schools.

Budget Proposals Include Medicare Cuts
by Ingrida Lusis
Congress may raise cost-sharing and cut reimbursement to reduce the budget deficit.

People

In the Limelight: Childhood Chore Results in Speech-Language Career
by Kellie Rowden-Racette
There's little doubt SLP Carmen Vega-Barachowitz ascended to a leadership position at one of the country's leading hospitals through hard work and dedication. But she says she actually owes her start in the profession to her younger sister.

First Person on the Last Page: Today I Saved a Life
by Megan Urban
A team of SLPs work to facilitate a patient's communication ended up saving his life.