Pandemic Effects on Speech Therapy

How has the pandemic affected Oklahomans in speech therapy? 

Several OSU CDIS faculty have teamed up to investigate. Dr. Sabiha Parveen interviewed speech-language pathologists (SLPs) from around Oklahoma. Clinic Supervisor Sherri Norton interviewed clients and their families in the OSU clinic. Dr. John Tetnowski interviewed and video-recorded people who stutter as they read passages and tell stories while wearing a mask or not. I contributed methodological expertise on interview design and remote recording techniques.

Presentations

(*student authors)

• Parveen, S., *Stidham, D., Norton, S., Freeman, V., Tetnowski, J.  (2021, Nov). How has COVID-19 impacted different population groups in Oklahoma-based rural communities? American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), Washington, DC/Online. [abstract]
• Tetnowski, J., Parveen, S., Freeman, V., Norton, S., & *Martinelli, M. (2021, Nov). The impact of wearing a mask on stuttering behaviors and self-perceptions. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), Washington, DC/Online. [abstract]
• Parveen, S., Norton, S., Freeman, V., Tetnowski, J. (2021, Oct). Effects of COVID-19 on different population groups in Oklahoma. Oklahoma Speech-Language-Hearing Association (OSHA), Online. 
• Tetnowski, J., Parveen, S., Freeman, V., Norton, S. & *Martinelli, M. (2021, May).  The impact of a pandemic on people with communication disorders: Preliminary findings on masks and services.  Presented by J. Tetnowski, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Special Interest Group (ASHA SIG) on Fluency and Fluency Disorders, Online.

People & Related work

Collaborators:

• Sabiha Parveen: lead researcher, SLP/client interview study
• John Tetnowski: lead researcher, stuttering/masks study
• Sherri Norton: lead SLP, client interviews at OSU clinic

Students:

• Micol Martinelli: doctoral research assistant, stuttering/masks study
• Zack Ormsby (Dr. Tetnowski's lab): master's thesis student, stuttering/masks study
• Danae Stidham (Dr. Parveen's lab): undergrad research assistant, SLP/client interviews
• Bayleigh Miller (Dr. Parveen's lab): undergrad research assistant, SLP/client interviews

​​​Related techniques:

• Remote Recording

Student Corner

Data and materials:

• Video-recorded interviews of SLPs, clients, and families about how life during the pandemic affected their disorder and speech therapy, including experiences with teletherapy.
• Video-recorded sessions with adults who stutter as they read a passage and chat with and without a mask. Some include additional interview questions about life during the pandemic and effects of wearing a mask on stuttering in real life. 
• Transcriptions of interviews; fluency markings; notes and responses written by interviewers.
• Participant demographics.
• Interview scripts, read passages, consent forms, IRB forms, fluency marking protocol, etc.

Project ideas:

• Thematic analysis: summarize themes in responses to selected questions.
• Intelligibility or listener impressions of people who stutter, with vs without a mask -- play audio and/or video for naive listeners, have them write what they hear (intelligibility) or give first impressions of the speakers.
• Ask Dr. Parveen or Dr. Tetnowski for ideas and access to data/materials.