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Purpose: Barriers to implementing evidence-based practices occur at various levels. Stakeholder input is required to identify challenges specific to clinical practice settings, client populations, and service delivery approaches. The purpose of this project was to solicit feedback from stakeholders on the telepractice service delivery and implementation strategies proposed for a future study of enhanced milieu teaching (EMT) in rural counties.Method: A Community Engagement Studio was conducted with 11 caregivers of children with language delays living in rural counties. Caregivers and the researchers discussed early intervention service delivery for children with language delays in rural Oregon and the proposed telepractice EMT procedures. Researchers gathered feedback on three intervention components: session frequency and schedule, implementation strategies to encourage caregivers��� use of EMT, and performance feedback techniques to teach caregivers.Results: Findings from the Community Engagement Studio led to four primary modifications to the telepractice EMT study protocol. The principal investigator increased available days and times for intervention sessions and added text-message reminders for parents. A survey was also added for caregivers to identify their preferences for additional implementation strategies (e.g., tip sheets, checklist, e-mailed session summaries) and graphic representations of performance feedback (e.g., bar graph, radial graph, mountain climber infographic).Conclusion: Community Engagement Studios are a promising method for increasing community engagement in clinical research and soliciting stakeholder feedback on evidence-based intervention adaptations.Supplemental Material S1. Community Engagement Studio fidelity checklist. Supplemental Material S2. Community/Patient Engagement Studio facilitation guide. Quinn, E. D., Cotter, K., Kurin, K., & Brown, K. (2022). Conducting a Community Engagement Studio to adapt enhanced milieu teaching. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-21-00100Publisher Note: This article is part of the Forum: Clinicians and Researchers Navigating Implementation Science in CSD.

The advent of COVID-19 has disrupted all facets of human lives. As of September 2020, there is no effective viral therapy for the disease, thus necessitating research efforts toward providing solutions to the diverse areas where the pandemic has wreaked havoc. As a way of reducing the spread of the disease, the South African government declared COVID-19 a national disaster and implemented nationwide lockdowns with several regulations. Nevertheless, the success of such synergized efforts primarily depends on the people���s attitudes and perceptions toward the multifaceted management of the pandemic. Therefore, this current study aims to discover what topical issues relating to the pandemic are being discussed by the populace and what impacts these issues have on compliance with regulations, including how they can aid in the implementation of the measures put in place by the government, as we analyze discussions relating to COVID-19 using data harvested from Twitter ��� social media and opinion mining platform. The Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) algorithm was applied for the extraction of noteworthy topics. From the experiments conducted, it was observed that alcohol sale and consumption, staying home, daily statistics tracing, police brutality, 5G and vaccines conspiracy theories were among the topics discussed and around which attitudes and perceptions were formed by the citizens. The findings also revealed people���s resistance to measures that affect their economic activities, and their unwillingness to take tests or vaccines as a result of fake news and conspiracy theories. These findings can assist the government and policymakers in redirecting their efforts by addressing the citizens��� concerns and reactions to the instituted measures toward an anticipated overall success.

Purpose: Research has demonstrated that formal training is essential for professionals to learn key word signing. Yet, the particular didactic strategies have not been studied. Therefore, this study compared the effectiveness of verbal and video feedback in a key word signing training for future direct support staff.Method: Forty-nine future direct support staff were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 key word signing training programs: modeling and verbal feedback (classical method [CM]), additional video feedback (+ViF), and additional video feedback and photo reminder (+ViF/R). Signing accuracy and training acceptability were measured 1 week after and 7 months after training.Results: Participants from the +ViF/R program achieved significantly higher signing accuracy compared with the CM group. Acceptability ratings did not differ between any of the groups.Conclusion: Results suggest that at an equal time investment, the programs containing more training components were more effective. Research on the effect of rehearsal on signing maintenance is warranted.

A literature review covering both the social construct model and medical model of disability followed by an argument of the importance of leisure and social activities, especially the arts, for people with disabilities. Concluding quantitative and qualitative research through focus groups and surveys, the project ends with a guide to implementing accessibility and inclusion efforts when planning online arts events.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to gather the perspectives and lived experiences of 10 adults who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and participate in active recreation. Active recreational participation includes individual sports such as adaptive skiing, surfing, and cycling, as well as unified team sports such as soccer, bocce, and basketball.Method: This research involved a qualitative study with two separate asynchronous online focus groups each conducted over a 6-week span. The focus groups included literate individuals who use AAC and engage in active recreational pursuits across the United States. One focus group included five individuals with acquired conditions, and the other group included five individuals with developmental disabilities. Results: Thematic analysis of the data from both focus groups revealed five primary themes with corresponding subthemes: barriers (intrinsic and extrinsic), supports (intrinsic and extrinsic), benefits (intrinsic and extrinsic), communication (methods), and recommendations for communication partners and people who use AAC.Conclusions: This study provides important information to individuals who use AAC and their communication partners about the benefits of active recreation and the supports needed to make these experiences successful. As a result of this study, speech-language pathologists, related professionals, and caregivers will gain a better understanding of how they can support recreational participation for people who use AAC with a specific focus on enhancing communication and expanding social networks.Supplemental Material S1. Demographic questionnaire: Specific questions that were included in the initial Qualtrics survey distributed to all potential participants for both focus groups.Supplemental Material S2. Primary topics and discussion questions: Types of topics and questions introduced by the moderator of the focus groups. The same topics and questions were used as a guide for both focus groups.Supplemental Material S3. Number of thought units across both focus groups: Number of thought units across the five primary themes for both the developmental and acquired focus groups. Total thought units are also included for each primary theme.Supplemental Material S4. Operational definitions across the five primary themes: Content specific to each primary theme. The operational definitions were used for the purpose of defining themes and conducting interrater reliability tasks.Supplemental Material S5. Examples of programs that offer active recreation for people who use AAC: Online contact information for five adaptive sport programs based in the United States that provide individual and team recreational opportunities for people with disabilities.Hajjar, D. J., & McCarthy, J. W. (2022). Individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication and participate in active recreation: Perspectives from adults with developmental disabilities and acquired conditions. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-21-00179

There is no doubt that streaming content services add great value to the internet ecosystem but how the investment to enable these services and the arising revenue should be split is a persistent dilemma (Stocker & Knieps 2021). The purpose of this paper is to investigate, in a discrete model, the effect on the broadband market when an over-the-top subscription content product is introduced. Does it necessarily increase or decrease profitability of the broadband product when it (a) boosts the utility of broadband but (b) imposes additional costs to deliver the broadband service? The short answer is – it depends. We introduce a model with a small number of consumers to show how the outcomes depend on the structure of the consumer valuations. The different scenarios that we choose to illustrate this, demonstrate that in many cases the broadband and content providers can jointly benefit from coordination on how the content product is priced. This coordination might involve a financial consideration, of course. This is in contrast with the case where the broadband provider attempts to unilaterally reprice its product to reflect the increased cost of delivering the content product – which is not always possible

Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review was to identify, appraise, and critically synthesize the latest available evidence on the effects of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)-based interventions on communication skills in children aged between 6 and 10 years with mixed diagnoses.Method: MEDLINE (OVID), PsycINFO (EBSCO), ERIC (ProQuest), SCIELO (WOS), Teacher Reference Center (EBSCO), and Education Database (ProQuest) were searched. The studies were independently selected by two reviewers for the purposes of the review. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed, and characteristics and results of the studies were extracted.Results: This review included 14 studies from a total of 1,204 found through an electronic search. The AAC interventions studied were effective at improving various outcomes in children with mixed diagnoses. Interventions that focused on narrative skills were the most common type. When considering the quality of the studies, the independence of assessors, data analysis, replication, and generalization of interventions were the weaker areas.Conclusions: Interventions analyzed in this review improve communication skills, including phonological awareness, vocabulary, requesting, and developing narrative skills in children aged between 6 and 10 years with mixed diagnoses. The results of one study also indicate that the acquisition of skills using an AAC method is superior when the child prefers the method.Supplemental Material S1. Electronic search strategies.Supplemental Material S2. Quality criteria definitions.Supplemental Material S3. Characteristics of the interventions.Langarika-Rocafort, A., Mondragon, N. I., & Etxebarrieta, G. R. (2021). A systematic review of research on augmentative and alternative communication interventions for children aged 6–10 in the last decade. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_LSHSS-20-00005

Purpose: To determine the effects of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention using a speech-generating device (SGD) on acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of multistep requesting and generic small talk in three children with severe autism spectrum disorder (ASD) between the ages of 7 and 13 years.Method: A multiple-baseline design across participants combined with a posttreatment multiple-generalization-probe design was used to assess acquisition, generalization, and maintenance of target communicative behaviors with the experimenter and the participants’ familiar communication partners (FCPs). Intervention was composed of systematic instruction in the use of an SGD using least-to-most prompting, constant time delay, error correction, and reinforcement.Results: Visual analysis established a strong functional relationship between the independent variable and the two dependent variables (i.e., requesting preferred activities, engaging in generic small talk) for all three participants. Effect size indicator analyses corroborated these findings, indicating strong effects for performing multistep requesting and medium effects for engaging in generic small talk. All participants were able to generalize the acquired communicative behaviors to request new and untrained snacks and activities and engage in generic small talk with FCPs who were not part of the training. Maintenance of acquired communicative behaviors was demonstrated 3 weeks post completion of intervention.Conclusion: This study provides preliminary evidence that AAC intervention using an SGD and incorporating least-to-most prompting, constant time delay, error correction, and reinforcement is effective in terms of multistep requesting and generic small talk behaviors in children with severe ASD.Supplemental Material S1. Procedural reliability: Intervention. Supplemental Material S2. Procedural reliability: Generalization.Supplemental Material S3. Treatment integrity checklist.Chavers, T. N., Morris, M., Schlosser, R. W., & Koul, R. (2021). Effects of a systematic augmentative and alternative communication intervention using a speech-generating device on multistep requesting and generic small talk for children with severe autism spectrum disorder. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00353

Submission no.38; Submission to the Inquiry into Anti-Vilification Protections, Parliament of Victoria

This paper examines the transactional features on the popular mobile social media app Snapchat to describe how mobile social media act as an interface between culture and commerce. In particular, we examine Snapchat���s extensive Augmented Reality (AR) features which its parent company, Snap, Inc., has been developing and investing in heavily since 2014. Snapchat Lenses, an in-app feature which layers graphics and designs over real-world objects when viewed through a smartphone���s camera, are the most popular and visible of these AR experiences. While Lenses are often associated with features that augment users��� faces in their photos by overlaying graphics through facial tracking, other AR features on Snapchat can identify and interact with object and environments. These Lenses power a feature called ���Snapchat Scan��� which, as we detail, makes it easier to incorporate e-commerce opportunities into the app, particularly since Snap initiated a partnership with online retail giant Amazon in 2018. For example, using Snapchat Scan, users can point their smartphone camera at any object or barcode and the app, using Amazon���s ���machine vision tech���, will identify the item and, if available, both layer product information and pricing over the object and allow the user to purchase it from Amazon���all without leaving the Snapchat app. Incorporating Bratton���s (2014) conceptualisation of the ���app as interface��� as a framework, we argue that Snapchat Lenses ultimately make it possible to turn any environment or, crucially, any social interaction into a advertising or sales opportunity in a way that relies less on the ���performative authenticity��� of social media influencers (SMIs) popular on apps such as Instagram and more on the ���native��� authenticity of the user���s environmental and interpersonal interactions. We situate this interface analysis within a larger political economic context, informed by industry data and corporate communications, to demonstrate how mobile social media platforms such as Snapchat play a unique role in monetizing personal data and context awareness through their development of ���transactional affordances���, a term we develop to understand new features that allow users to connect to economic exchange. We conclude by arguing that the contextual commerce these phenomena entail constitute the basis for a broader ���transactional culture��� in which digital social media and related content will increasingly come with a ���buy now��� feature.

Purpose: In today’s digital world, text messaging is one of the most widely used ways that people stay connected. Although it is reported that people with aphasia experience difficulties with texting, little information is available about how they actually do text. This study reports texting behaviors, such as the number and type of messages sent and contacts individuals with aphasia have. The relationships between texting behaviors and aphasia severity, including writing impairments, and social connectedness are explored.Method: Twenty participants were sampled from an ongoing randomized clinical trial investigating an electronic writing treatment for aphasia (Clinical Trials Identifier: NCT03773419). Participants provided consent for researchers to view and analyze texts sent and received over a 7-day period immediately prior to the assessment. Participants’ text messages were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded.Results: Over the 7-day period, the number of contacts with whom participants texted ranged from one to 18. The mean number of text messages exchanged was 40.3 (SD = 48.24), with participants sending an average of 15.4 (SD = 23.45) texts and receiving an average of 24.9 (SD = 29.44) texts. Participants varied in the types of texts sent; some had a larger proportion of initiated texts, while others drafted more responses, either simple or elaborative in nature. There was no correlation between the total number of texting exchanges and the Western Aphasia Battery–Revised Aphasia Quotient (rs = .13, p = . 29) or the Western Aphasia Battery–Revised Writing subtest (rs = .05, p = .42). There was also no correlation between the total number of texting exchanges and scores on measures of social connectedness.Conclusions: Texting behaviors of individuals with aphasia are widely variable. Demographics, severity of aphasia and writing, and social connectedness may not predict texting behaviors. Therefore, it is clinically important to explore the unique texting abilities and preferences of each individual to meet their communication and social participation goals.Supplemental Material S1. Technology survey. Supplemental Material S2. Western Aphasia Battery–Revised Writing scores.Kinsey, L. E., Lee, J. B., Larkin, E. M., & Cherney, L. R. (2021). Texting behaviors of individuals with chronic aphasia: A descriptive study. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00287Publisher Note: This article is part of the Special Issue: Select Papers From the 50th Clinical Aphasiology Conference.

Purpose: Access to speech-language therapy services for children with communication difficulties is limited in vulnerable countries within the Majority world, such as Small Island Developing States. The use of information and communication technology (ICT) has been identified as a possible solution to provide equitable access to services in Minority world countries. This study explored ICT-related conditions in remote schools of the Maldives, a Small Island Developing State, in order to identify potential service delivery approaches.Method: A mixed methods approach was used, involving (a) an online survey of 107 teachers, (b) observational data from four schools, (c) interviews with 31 teachers and the four principals of participating schools, and (d) 13 relevant online documents. Content analysis was used to analyze and integrate data from all sources.Results: Teachers’ access to ICT devices and fixed broadband Internet varied across schools. The government had limited funds to provide adequate fixed broadband Internet for them. However, favorable prospects were also discovered, including high access to 4G mobile broadband Internet in islands, high levels of confidence among teachers to use ICT, a variety of ICT uses currently employed by teachers, and the presence of financial aid for students with special education needs.Conclusions: The findings of the study support the potential for using mobile broadband Internet, available ICT devices, and teachers as agents of service delivery in remote schools to enhance speech-language therapy service delivery in the Maldives. The creation of relevant digital educational content for teachers could further support children with communication difficulties in the country.Supplemental Material S1. Teachers survey: sections related to this study. Supplemental Material S2. Education and ICT milestones and actions in the Maldives.Zahir, M. Z., Miles, A., Hand, L., & Ward, E. C. (2021). Information and communication technology in schools: Its contribution to equitable speech-language therapy services in an underserved small island developing state. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_LSHSS-20-00100

No description supplied

SPARC 2021 Poster No. 22Social media provides two-way communications and interaction for both brands and customers, and this generates value through relationship marketing. 3.6 billion people were using social media in 2020 globally and this is increasing especially in the realm of sports, consisting of 52.6 % of sports fans accessing online sports content via devices. Compared to other industries, sports fans are more inclined to connect to their favourite brands and this makes sport a unique industry for service-dominant logic (SDL) research. SDL means brands and customers are co-creators of value in both direct and indirect interactions. Relationship marketing through the lens of SDL affects the value of customers, created with the brands by the total co-creation process of all elements. The purpose of this poster is to expand upon the work of “the role of social media in the co-creation of value in relationship marketing: a multi-domain study”. The study will therefore identify and categorise contribution and findings matched to SDL criteria and suggest opportunities for future research from the literature focusing on fans relationships. The role of fans has been increasingly emphasised both in sports marketing and academia; therefore, this will have both academic and practical value to investigate the effective implementation of social media as a relationship marketing tools with SDL perspectives. It also aims to emphasise the role of customers for social media and relationship marketing, contributing fans’ perspectives in sports to customer-dominant logic theory and the lens of fans for sports practitioners.

Purpose: This study aimed to outline the changing forms of speech-language pathology practices, for both clinical services, as well as the profession’s education and practicum training in the time of COVID-19 at the European University Cyprus (EUC). This study also aimed to document the steps taken to continue service delivery safely and effectively for both the EUC’s Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic’s clients and the speech-language therapy students completing their practicum.Method: The steps for the access to and continuity of speech-language therapy services and education/training are outlined chronologically, throughout the different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic status in the country. The rise of telepractice, telesupervision, and distance learning, adapted as solutions to the obstacles caused by the pandemic, are explained in detail, while the benefits and limitations are discussed at each step. The professional development that had to take place before this rise is also described.Conclusions: The utilization of online/telecommunication technology for education, practical training, and speech-language pathologist service delivery during the time of COVID-19 in Cyprus is here to stay and will probably affect the future of the profession’s clinical practice, and consequently, training programs in Cyprus in the years to come. It is uncertain if the effects of such adaptations can generalize in other populations or countries, especially where regulations and policies are already in place, or where the technological foundation is not similar. Through the benefits and limitations presented, conclusions are drawn for the future applications of telepractice, telesupervision, and distance learning post–COVID-19. Suggestions are made for the possible areas of future research, concerning clinical practice and clinical practicum training, as well as for the need to define regulations and establish these types of services in the country.Supplemental Material S1. Results/descriptive statistics. Supplemental Material S2. Translation of comments from Greek to English from Margarita Kilili-Lesta.Voniati, L., Kilili-Lesta, M., & Christopoulou, M. C. (2021). Speech-language therapy clinical services, student education, and practical training in the time of COVID-19: The rise of telepractice, telesupervision, and distance learning in Cyprus. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_PERSP-21-00022

This paper focuses on contributing in the line “revaluation of the teacher”, mainly to achieve the reducing administrative work objective.

Purpose: We aimed to describe the current practices of speech-language pathologists regarding the creation and implementation of home practice programs for persons with poststroke aphasia.Method: Survey participants were American Speech-Language-Hearing Association–certified speech-language pathologists, had 30% of their caseload include persons with aphasia, and had recently created at least two home programs for persons with aphasia. Respondents completed a web-based survey on home program creation, training, technology, and methods for tracking adherence with closed and open-ended questions.Results: We analyzed 80 complete surveys. Most of the participants (n = 56) created home programs for greater than 75% of their caseload. Common interventions in home programs addressed functional practice and spoken expression. Participants describe instructional techniques including building skill practice in daily routines and guided practice. Applications of technology and formal mechanisms to monitor adherence were less frequently reported. Various factors were identified as facilitators and barriers to home program creation with environmental support from others and client factors (i.e., motivation, impairments) most evident.Conclusions: This study provides insight into speech-language pathologists’ home program creation and implementation. Results can be used to consider mechanisms to improve use of and adherence to home programs to further support recovery.Supplemental Material S1. Copy of survey.Supplemental Material S2. Example codebook for open-ended question on facilitators.Supplemental Material S3. Example codebook for open-ended question on barriers.Donoso Brown, E. V., Wallace, S. E., & Liu, Q. (2021). Speech-language pathologists’ practice patterns when designing home practice programs for persons with aphasia: A survey. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00372

A thesis submitted in total fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Education, College of Arts, Social Sciences and Commerce, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.

Black Game Studies introduces the work of game makers from the African diaspora through academic scholarship, personal narratives and a catalog of works. It aims to provide a foundation from which researchers, designers, developers, game historians and others can draw an understanding of patterns, present practice, and a potential afro-future. Its works to make more visible, through aggregation and showcase, the creative contributions of Black game makers. It is an effort to meet the need to diversify the game-making community by not only highlighting the work of Black people, but in creating an enduring archive of such work.

Purpose: A comprehensive aural rehabilitation (AR) program incorporates sensory management, perceptual training, counseling, and instruction. However, the process of designing and implementing such a program is inconsistent across clinical sites, and additional information regarding the use of teleaudiology to implement AR services is needed. The purpose of this clinical focus article is to describe the process of creating and implementing a comprehensive teleaudiology AR program for older adults who use cochlear implants (CIs) at the University of South Alabama (USA) Speech & Hearing Center.Conclusions: A comprehensive teleaudiology AR program may be successfully designed and implemented for older adult populations. Information provided in this clinical focus article may serve as a guide or example for other trained health care professionals looking to create an in-person or telehealth AR program for older adults who use CIs.Supplemental Material S1. Sample AR program plan.Supplemental Material S2. Sample picture list for training environmental sounds. Supplemental Material S3. Sample song list for music training.Mosley, C. L. (2021). Designing and implementing a comprehensive telehealth aural rehabilitation program for adult cochlear implant recipients. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_PERSP-21-00082

Purpose: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has led to sudden, widespread use of telepractice, including providing services to children who use aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). This exploratory study examined speech-language pathologists��� (SLPs) experiences using telepractice to provide services to children and youth aged 3���21 years who used aided AAC during the earlier months of the pandemic (May���June 2020).Method: Three hundred thirty-one SLPs responded to an online survey. Closed- and open-ended survey items were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively and mixed at the point of interpretation to understand the experiences of SLPs related to the use of telepractice with children who use aided AAC, including how they perceived effectiveness.Results: Most SLPs were using telepractice to provide both direct and consultation/coaching services to children who used aided AAC. There was fairly wide variation in perceptions of effectiveness of both types of services, but SLPs were more likely to rate consultation/coaching services as being more effective than direct services. SLPs identified factors impacting effectiveness across five dimensions: broader factors, practice-based factors (i.e., technology, the type of services), the child, parents and family members, and professionals. School-based SLPs perceived telepractice as being less effective than non���school-based SLPs.Conclusions: The use of telepractice during the COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded quite differently for different SLPs and the children who use aided AAC that they serve. Although AAC telepractice offers promise for the future, particularly for partnering with families, further research is needed to know how to overcome challenges experienced by SLPs.Supplemental Material S1. Coded factors impacting the perceived effectiveness of AAC telepractice, with descriptions and example quoted survey responses.Biggs, E. E., Therrien, M. C. S., Douglas, S. N., & Snodgrass, M. R. (2021). Augmentative and alternative communication telepractice during the COVID-19 pandemic: A national survey of speech-language pathologists. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-21-00036

This study examined the relationship between the amount of social media usage in adolescence and excessive reassurance seeking behavior and social comparison/feedback seeking behavior in early adulthood by those classified as Generation Z (those born between 1996 to 2010). Participants were classified according to when they first began using social media in order to make these comparisons. A total of 96 students, between the age of 19 to 25, completed self-report questionnaires on their social media usage during adolescence and their current social media usage. They also completed questionnaires regarding their excessive reassurance seeking and social comparison/feedback seeking behaviors. Consistent with the hypotheses, positive correlations were found between the amount of social media usage in adolescence and excessive reassurance seeking and social comparison/feedback seeking behavior in early adulthood. Those who started using social media before 6th grade or in middle school scored significantly higher on excessive reassurance seeking and social comparison/feedback seeking measures compared to those who started using social media in high school. Overall, the study provides the novel insight into the possible retrospective effects of social media use in adolescence

Purpose: Visual scene displays (VSDs) can support augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) success for children and adults with complex communication needs. Static VSDs incorporate contextual photographs that include meaningful events, places, and people. Although the processing of VSDs has been studied, their power as a medium to effectively convey meaning may benefit from the perspective of individuals who regularly engage in visual storytelling. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perspectives of individuals with expertise in photographic and/or artistic composition regarding factors contributing to VSD complexity and how to limit the time and effort required to apply principles of photographic composition. Method: Semistructured interviews were completed with 13 participants with expertise in photographic and/or artistic composition.Results: Four main themes were noted, including (a) factors increasing photographic image complexity and decreasing cohesion, (b) how complexity impacts the viewer, (c) composition strategies to decrease photographic image complexity and increase cohesion, and (d) strategies to support the quick application of composition strategies in a just-in-time setting. Findings both support and extend existing research regarding best practice for VSD design.Conclusions: Findings provide an initial framework for understanding photographic image complexity and how it differs from drawn AAC symbols. Furthermore, findings outline a toolbox of composition principles that may help limit VSD complexity, along with providing recommendations for AAC development to support the quick application of compositional principles to limit burdens associated with capturing photographic images.Supplemental Material S1. Semistructured interview guide.Supplemental Material S2. Codebook. Pitt, K. M., & McCarthy, J. W. (2021). What’s in a photograph? The perspectives of composition experts on factors impacting visual scene display complexity for augmentative and alternative communication and strategies for improving visual communication. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00350

A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Research Centre for Data Analytics and Cognition, La Trobe Business School, College of Arts, Social Sciences and Commerce, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.

ToDIGRA is a quarterly, international, open access, refereed, multidisciplinary journal dedicated to research on and practice in all aspects of games. ToDiGRA captures the wide variety of research within the game studies community combining, for example, humane science with sociology, technology with design, and empirics with theory.This Special Issue of ToDiGRA comprises works that were presented at the workshop ���Teaching Games: Pedagogical Approaches���, which took place at DiGRA 2019 in Tokyo. The papers presented were elaborated into articles for this issue.

Purpose: Telehealth services experienced exponential growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. This survey examined the resulting evolution in the technology, connectivity, implementation of services, and attitudes of pediatric speech-language pathology clinicians using synchronous videoconferencing. Method: The Telehealth Services: Pediatric Provider Survey participants were 259 speech-language clinicians in a variety of employment settings from across the country and abroad. Analyses identified telehealth barriers eliminated and those that persisted during the pandemic, advantages, and disadvantages of remote delivery of evaluation and treatment services, the most common telehealth technology used by clinicians and their clients to access care, and clinicians��� predictions about the optimization and future of telehealth.Results: Elimination of regulatory and insurance hurdles allowed children from varying socioeconomic backgrounds living in rural, suburban, and urban areas access to telehealth. Telehealth technology shifted from computers with external hardware and specialized software to commercially available equipment, such as handheld portable devices with built-in audiovisual components and publicly available videoconferencing platforms. However, connectivity of these devices continued to be problematic, and lack of technology prevented some children from accessing care. Judgments about the appropriateness and effectiveness of evaluations and treatments varied based on the age and communication disorder of a child. Although some participants expressed uncertainty about the effectiveness of telehealth compared with in-person care, telehealth was widely recognized as a viable delivery method.Conclusions: Although clinicians reported many advantages of telehealth, some barriers identified reported prior to COVID-19 still persist. Clinicians anticipate that new developments have the potential to continue improving telehealth service delivery, bolstering the viability of telehealth long after the COVID-19 pandemic is gone.Supplemental Material S1. Telehealth Services: Pediatric Provider Survey. Campbell, D. R., & Goldstein, H. (2021). Evolution of telehealth technology, evaluations, and therapy: Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric speech-language pathology services. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-21-00069

Purpose: Social interaction poses many challenges for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and complex communication needs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of video visual scene displays (video VSDs) on communication during interactions between adolescents with ASD and peer partners.Method: This study used an across-participant multiple-baseline single-case experimental design. Four adolescents with ASD and complex communication needs were taught to use video VSDs, presented on a tablet-based app, during social interactions with peer partners in a high school setting. The video VSDs used during the interactions were selected (and programmed with vocabulary) based on the interests of the adolescent with ASD and their peer partner.Results: Following the introduction of the video VSD intervention, all four adolescents with ASD demonstrated an increase in communicative turns compared to baseline (Tau-U = 1.0, 95% CI [0.56, 1]), and all four increased in modes of communication used. Increased use of speech also was observed for the three participants who made use of speech prior to the intervention. All participants with ASD (and their peer partners) expressed an interest in continued use of the video VSD app to support social interaction.Conclusion: The use of video VSDs may be a viable option to increase the participation and communication of adolescents with ASD during social interactions with peer partners.Supplemental Material S1. Participant communication.Table S1. Participant social validity.Table S2. Peer Social Validity Questionnaire and Responses: Five-item questionnaire during baseline. Table S3. Peer Social Validity Questionnaire and Responses: Five-item questionnaire during intervention.Table S4. Peer Social Validity Questionnaire and Responses.Table S5. Peer Social Validity Responses (open response items).Table S6. Staff Social Validity Questionnaire and Responses.Table S7. Staff Social Validity Responses (open response items).Babb, S., McNaughton, D., Light, D., & Caron, J. (2021). “Two friends spending time together”: The impact of video visual scene displays on peer social interaction for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_LSHSS-21-00016

Work stoppages have had a recent upsurge in the American educational sector. Since 2018, teachers across the country have participated in record-breaking labor strikes using innovative communication technologies to skirt more traditional, offline organizing spaces in order to keep their organizing communication private and/or secret. This dissertation presents two studies that address the organizing communication done behind virtual closed doors as well as the public-facing strike communication intentionally meant for relevant stakeholders. In addition to this distinction between intended audiences, I also consider how differing legal contexts may influence the communication possibilities for teachers participating in a strike. Specifically, right-to-work (RTW) laws serve as a legal backdrop in both studies to examine how state-level policy helps or hinders workers organizing in the public sector by comparing one strike in a RTW state to another strike in a state without RTW laws. The internal organizing communication was done in private Facebook groups for both teachers groups. I used the two spectra from the Collective Action Space theoretical framework (Flanagin et al., 2006) to plot the internal organizing communication according to the posts and comments in each Facebook group. The RTW teachers��� internal organizing communication is near the personal and institutional ends of the mode of interaction and mode of engagement spectra, respectively. This placement indicates that the RTW teachers valued and utilized deliberative engagement in their channels of communication while also exhibiting communication patterns more indicative of top-down, hierarchical power structures. The unionized teachers��� internal organizing communication is closer to the impersonal and entrepreneurial ends of the mode of interaction and mode of engagement spectra, respectively. This combination of placements on the two spectra indicate that the unionized teachers valued equitable channels of communication while devaluing conversation and back-and-forth deliberation. The external organizing communication was observed and analyzed on Twitter. Building largely on network agenda-building theory (Guo & McCombs, 2011a, 2011b; Guo, 2012), I employed semantic saturation as a class of semantic network analyses to compare and contrast the public communication about each strike from each legal context. These techniques involve capturing the language structure used by various group to discuss the strike and analyzing and comparing how much of one group���s messaging ends up in another group���s messaging (Wiemer & Scacco, 2018; Wiemer et al., 2021). In general, the teachers in the RTW legal context were more effective at getting their messaging into the local press���s reporting about the strike. The teachers in both contexts also appeared to be communicating toward different audiences when specifically talking about one of their strike demands and that difference was also reflected in the local press���s reporting on each strike. Overall, this dissertation extends collective action and media effects theories by analyzing two strike events in two very different legal contexts that both used the same communication technology to organize their respective strikes. The findings presented here have important implications for organizing communication, interest group politics, and the role of local news media in labor actions.

Purpose: Children with cochlear implants (CIs) are more likely to struggle with spoken language than their age-matched peers with normal hearing (NH), and new language processing literature suggests that these challenges may be linked to delays in spoken word recognition. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether children with CIs use language knowledge via semantic prediction to facilitate recognition of upcoming words and help compensate for uncertainties in the acoustic signal.Method: Five- to 10-year-old children with CIs heard sentences with an informative verb (draws) or a neutral verb (gets) preceding a target word (picture). The target referent was presented on a screen, along with a phonologically similar competitor (pickle). Children’s eye gaze was recorded to quantify efficiency of access of the target word and suppression of phonological competition. Performance was compared to both an age-matched group and vocabulary-matched group of children with NH.Results: Children with CIs, like their peers with NH, demonstrated use of informative verbs to look more quickly to the target word and look less to the phonological competitor. However, children with CIs demonstrated less efficient use of semantic cues relative to their peers with NH, even when matched for vocabulary ability.Conclusions: Children with CIs use semantic prediction to facilitate spoken word recognition but do so to a lesser extent than children with NH. Children with CIs experience challenges in predictive spoken language processing above and beyond limitations from delayed vocabulary development. Children with CIs with better vocabulary ability demonstrate more efficient use of lexical-semantic cues. Clinical interventions focusing on building knowledge of words and their associations may support efficiency of spoken language processing for children with CIs.Supplemental Material S1. Detailed information regarding stimuli.Blomquist, C., Newman, R. S., Huang, Y. T., & Edwards, J. (2021). Children with cochlear implants use semantic prediction to facilitate spoken word recognition. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_JSLHR-20-00319

Purpose: To examine the experiences of people with ALS (pALS) and their communication partners (cALS) regarding receiving speech-generating device (SGD) evaluation and treatment via telepractice.Method: Eight pALS along with a primary cALS participated in telepractice SGD evaluation and treatment with an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) specialist and representatives from multiple SGD vendors. Participants were interviewed postevaluation and post-SGD training to examine their experiences. Mixed methods data were collected through Likert scale responses and qualitative interviews.Results: Telepractice SGD evaluation and training were feasible and resulted in all pALS receiving SGDs they were able to use to communicate. In both Likert rating items and qualitative interviews, participants rated the telepractice experience very highly in terms of giving them access to AAC services via an AAC specialist that they would not have otherwise been able to access, and doing so in a format that was possible given their limitations in mobility, endurance, and caregiver availability. Suggestions for improving the telepractice experience were provided.Conclusions: Telepractice should be considered as an option to provide vital SGD services to patients who are geographically remote, mobility impaired, unable to leave their home, experience fatigue with travel, or otherwise would not have access to these specialized services. Telepractice allows patients to preserve their time and energy for the assessment and treatment sessions, resulting in perhaps deeper and more frequent engagement in evaluation and training. Telepractice could serve as an alternative to outpatient, in-person evaluations, or be utilized in conjunction with in-person appointments.Supplemental Material S1. Pre-evaluation questionnaire.Supplemental Material S2. Postevaluation open-ended interview questions. Supplemental Material S3. Posttraining open-ended interview questions.Roman, A. Baylor, C., Johnson, L., & Barton, M. (2021). Expanding availability of speech-generating device evaluation and treatment to people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (pALS) through telepractice: Perspectives of pALS and communication partners. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00334

Purpose: The aims of this research study were to describe the perspectives of clinicians and researchers regarding the effectiveness of visual scene displays (VSDs) as communication supports in order to inform the translation of research to clinical practice.Method: An online survey was completed by 298 clinicians and nine VSD researchers. Participants rated the effectiveness of VSDs in supporting a variety of communication functions and their strength of agreement regarding statements of VSD utility.Results: Regardless of population served, clinicians and researchers rated VSDs as effective at supporting a range of communication functions. Participants also tended to agree with statements of VSD utility.Conclusions: The current study highlights the perceptions of clinicians and researchers regarding the uses and benefits of VSDs for adults and children with complex communication needs and provides an initial measure of the current translation of research to clinical practice. Results indicate that VSDs can be used to support a variety of communication functions and utilities; however, further work is necessary to explore additional communication functions and delineate similarities and differences of VSD uses for differing populations.Supplemental Material S1. Survey of SLP clinicians and VSD researchers. Thistle, J., & Thiessen, A. (2021). Effectiveness and utility of visual scene displays as communication supports for adults and children with complex communication needs: Perspectives of clinicians and researchers. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00229

This book takes an extensive look at the many different types of users and cultures that comprise the popular social media platform Tumblr. Though it does not receive nearly as much attention as other social media such as Twitter or Facebook, Tumblr and its users have been hugely influential in creating and shifting popular culture, especially progressive youth culture, with the New York Times referring to 2014 as the dawning of the “age of Tumblr activism.” Perfect for those unfamiliar with the platform as well as those who grew up on it, this volume contains essays and artwork that span many different topics: fandom; platform structure and design; race, gender and sexuality, including queer and trans identities; aesthetics; disability and mental health; and social media privacy and ethics. An entire generation of young people that is now beginning to influence mass culture and politics came of age on Tumblr, and this volume is an indispensable guide to the many ways this platform works.

This original research was presented at the 2020 Royal Geography Society - Institute of British Geographers Digital Geographies Research Group Symposium (virtual) on July 1st. Video games provide players an opportunity to explore fantasy worlds, virtual representations of real landscapes, and alternative realities to escape from, and enhance, our daily lives. The 2016 release of Hitman and the 2018 release of Hitman 2 offers players the opportunity to explore in-depth maps of places across the world, including Mumbai (India), Miami (USA), Hokkaido (Japan), Colombia, Paris (France), and Italy. These maps are heavily researched by the game developers, who take great care to closely mimic the real geographical areas on which their maps are based. While the player has objectives they can meet to “win” the mission, they are not required to complete the objectives and can, instead, explore the maps freely. Characteristics of these maps, including NPC (non-player character) dialogue, scenery, clothing, and architecture, all represent data sources which give insight into understanding the geographical area being represented in these missions. In this 5 minute digital short, I describe how I conceptualize the maps in Hitman and Hitman 2 as data in which we can extract information about the geographical areas being represented. For those who cannot travel to places like Mumbai, Colombia, and Hokkaido, playing these games may offer a chance for the player to gain a better familiarity with these geographical areas from a distance and in a digital capacity. I also offer a caveat for using these maps as data for better understanding a place in lieu of actually visiting there, as these games may perpetuate certain harmful stereotypes about geographical areas. This record includes the slide deck (in PDF format) and associated script (in PDF format) used during the presentation. The recorded presentation can be seen at the following link at 37:36: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2258&v=_5Q5z7ydIDM&feature=emb_logo

Poster summarising key points from Screencasts in Media Studies project.

This dissertation examines gay/queer individuals’ use of Grindr in Johannesburg, South Africa, as a set of practices geared towards self-representation and identity formation on the platform. The research is concerned with understanding whether these constructed virtual identities conform to, or depart from, the platform’s transnational gay identity, which foregrounds eroticism, self-commodification, (hyper)masculinity and visibility. For the African continent generally, and South Africa in particular, this remains an understudied area of research. Study into this space is particularly important given the growing reach of internet technologies. Grindr was selected as a site of study on virtual gay/queer culture, given its pervasive reach and its capacity to suggest trends within the community – holding significant consequence for online self-presentation. The research applies semiotic analysis to user profiles located within the City of Johannesburg, a major metropolitan city in South Africa. Added onto the analysis is user observations drawn from interviews of past and present users of the platform; this was with a view of gaining additional insight into the profile construction process from a user perspective.

An infographic explaining how teachers can create screencasts to support the learning of their students.

Objectives: There has been a substantial increase in people with health conditions seeking health-related information online. The aim of this study was to examine the media usage by older adults with hearing loss.Method: The study used a cross-sectional survey design. A total of 556 older adults with hearing loss (Hearing Tracker website users) completed the survey that was focused on (a) demographic information, (b) general electronic media usage, (c) sources of hearing health information, and (d) social media use for hearing health information. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests.Results: When seeking hearing health care information, the majority of the participants turned to the Internet (54%) followed by health professionals (34%) as the first response to their symptoms. Both sources were also rated as the easiest means of obtaining hearing health information. The information from health care providers was rated as more reliable and important for decision making than that from the Internet. Facebook and YouTube were the most frequently used social media platforms with over 40% of the respondents using them “most of the time” or “sometimes.” All the social media platforms were rated less favorably than other sources for ease of finding information, reliability, and importance in decision making.Conclusion: Older adults with hearing loss use various forms of electronic media for seeking hearing health information. They place the most trust on the information obtained from hearing health care professionals. These professionals need to be aware of the quality of information available on the Internet and social media sources in order to direct patients to credible sources.Supplemental Material S1. Electronic media usage survey. Manchaiah, V., Bellon-Harn, M. L., Kelly-Campbell, R. J., Beukes, E. W., Bailey, A., & Pyykkő, I. (2020). Media use by older adults with hearing loss: An exploratory survey. American Journal of Audiology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_AJA-19-00039

Purpose: To ensure long-term adoption and use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technologies, they must be designed to support children to participate within everyday activities and routines that are prioritized by families. The aim of this study was to gain parent perspectives on how AAC technologies were integrated into everyday life.Method: Nine parents of children with cerebral palsy who used AAC technologies participated in semistructured interviews to provide their perspectives on how AAC technologies were integrated into the functional contexts of everyday life.Results: Five major themes emerged from the discussions: (a) integrating AAC into life, (b) AAC technologies, (c) child needs and skills, (d) parent responsibilities and priorities, and (e) AAC process and decision making. Children were able to use AAC technologies within a variety of everyday contexts with various partners; however, challenges included access to technologies within care routines and outdoor activities as well as partners who lacked knowledge regarding operational competencies and effective interaction strategies. To integrate AAC technologies into life, parents prioritized technology features including ease of programming, improved physical design, features to enhance efficiency and ease of access, and availability of multiple functions and features (e.g., games and leisure activities, environmental controls).Conclusion: AAC manufacturers and mainstream technology developers should work to ensure that technologies are responsive to the supports, limitations, and ideal features identified by parents. Future research should seek input from a larger group of stakeholders and use longitudinal methods to examine perceptions of AAC technologies over time.Supplemental Material S1. Semi-structured interview guide. Supplemental Material S2. Codebook. Supplemental Material S3. Bracketing statement. O'Neill, T., & Wilkinson, K. M. (2020). Preliminary investigation of the perspectives of parents of children with cerebral palsy on the supports, challenges, and realities of integrating augmentative and alternative communication into everyday life. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_AJSLP-19-00103

July 17, 2019, Jadavpur UniversityDigital society and mental health have a complex relationship globally. India hosts approximately 462 million internet users (Statista, 2017), making the world’s second-largest consumer nation immediately after China. On the other hand, according to India Today (2018), “[T], the average suicide rate in India is 10.9 for every lakh people and the majority of people who commit suicide are below 44 years of age”. WHO report (2016) confirms India to be the most depressed country in the world. The last census (2011) report of the India government mentions 73% literacy rate. Ian Jack (Guardian, 2018) claimed in an article that India is home to 600 million young people, under the age of 25. All of these statistics certainly direct us to rethink on the future potential of India’s human and social capital and the inevitable global impact. Although there are reports that evidence the impact of social media on young adults, still there is a dearth of empirical research into how the young adults (18-35years), particularly students at the university level, experience and engage with social media. This work in progress paper examines some of the preliminary findings from the data collection that started in July 2019, although, the initial project started in February 2019. Based on the initial findings from the data collected through ethnographic focus group interviews with 60 postgraduate students, the project (phase I) proposes to expand the investigation on how digital society is perceived by young adults in India and proposes to investigate the impact of digital media, particularly social media, on mental health.

February, 23, 2019 Keynote on Digital media and societyMEHCON 2019 conference on Reporting mental health in media: ‘words matter’, Bangalore, India

Purpose: Hyperacusis is a disorder characterized by reduced sound tolerance leading to ear pain, emotional distress, and reduced quality of life. Many people with hyperacusis turn to the Internet for information and support from online communities to discuss their condition. The purpose of this study was to assess the content and quality of hyperacusis information presented online.Method: The three most used Internet search engines were used to identify relevant websites using the single search term hyperacusis. Fifteen websites were selected for analysis. Details of the purpose, audience, and content of each website were extracted using a bespoke data extraction form. The quality of the information on each website was rated using the validated DISCERN questionnaire.Results: There was a wide disparity in the quality and content of hyperacusis information across websites. The website Hyperacusis Focus achieved the highest overall DISCERN score. Hyperacusis Focus and U.K. National Health Service websites were the most comprehensive online resources for health care professionals and patients, respectively. Wikipedia was judged useful for both health care professionals and patients. In general, hyperacusis-related information was accurate. However, no single website provided a complete account of hyperacusis, and some were judged to be selective in the information they provided.Conclusions: The Internet provides an important source of information for those who have hyperacusis and those who care for them. Revisions to the websites reviewed here are needed for each to provide a complete account of hyperacusis.Supplemental Material S1. Data extraction form.Supplemental Material S2. Detailed information about the 15 included websites. Supplemental Material S3. Signs and symptoms of hyperacusis.Supplemental Material S4. Onset/causes.Supplemental Material S5. Associated conditions.Supplemental Material S6. Treatments for hyperacusis.Supplemental Material S7. DISCERN scores.Smith, S. N., Smallwood, E., Sereda, M., Adams, B., & Hoare, D. J. (2020). The content and quality of information about hyperacusis presented online. American Journal of Audiology, 29(3S), 623-630. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_AJA-19-00074Publisher Note: This article is part of the Special Issue: 4th International Meeting on Internet and Audiology.

This study uses Incivility Spirals and Uses and Gratifications frameworks to explore how people discuss scientific topics on the social media site Reddit. Specifically, the goals of this project were to develop a new typology of online messages, examine how different factors influence online discourse, and determine whether uses and gratifications vary between Subreddits. The dataset consisted of comments on the top ten posts of 2019 from r/EverythingScience and r/Science. These Subreddits were examined because, although they both focus on science, they differ in terms of group rules and moderator style. Human coders and the text analysis software Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count were used to evaluate the comments on a series of dichotomous and continuous variables. These variables were used in a two-step cluster analysis to identify message typologies. Results indicate that there were three types of messages in the dataset: Polite Participation, Emotional Interrogation, and On Topic Information. Further analysis demonstrated that group norms and the first comment in a conversation impact the quality of discourse that takes place. Conversations on r/Science (the more strict Subreddit) that begin with an On Topic Information comment are more likely to be extremely deliberative, while conversation on r/EverythingScience that begin with an Emotional Interrogation comment are more likely to result in incivility spirals. Results also suggest differences in gratifications between Subreddits, with Redditors using r/Science for productive discussion and r/EverythingScience for heated debate. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed, along with avenues for future research.

Purpose: Children with complex medical needs often require extensive hospitalizations in the first years of life. Many of these children also experience complex communication needs and use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies to interact with health care staff. Unfortunately, suboptimal communication experiences have been reported among these children, their families, and hospital staff; however, no studies have described the patterns of interactions beyond measures of self-report. The purpose of this study was to describe child–parent–provider interaction patterns that occurred in an inpatient unit.Method: Observational techniques were used to systematically describe the interactions of a 28-month-old child with complex communication needs, her parents, and 26 health care providers on an inpatient rehabilitation unit over 10 days.Results: Results indicated that substantial variability in the child’s routine occurred across days and providers. Interactions were generally short and occurred for only a small proportion of the child’s waking hours. The child and her mother actively communicated to varying degrees across sessions, yet health care providers often dominated interactions. The child used multiple modes of communication in each interaction; however, no aided AAC systems were used despite availability.Conclusions: Training is urgently required to equip health care providers to (a) incorporate the use of aided AAC strategies during inpatient interactions and (b) increase the active participation of both children with complex communication needs and their parents during these interactions.Supplemental Material S1. Codebook of child–parent–provider locations and activities. Supplemental Material S2. Operational definitions of intentional child communicative behaviors. Gormley, J., & Light, J. (2020). Child–parent–provider interactions of a child with complex communication needs in an inpatient rehabilitation facility: A pilot study. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_AJSLP-20-00031

A series of 7 transcripts of a participant to a research project into digital media. File extensions by participant pseudonym. Dataset relevant to the article:Kelleher, W., 2020, Digital media, the body and agencyin a South African education institution from the perspective of narrative research, The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa 16(1), https://doi.org/10.4102/td.v16i1.859.

The purpose of this study is to explore the phenomena of fete (party) brands from the Trinidad Carnival and the experience it sells to customers, and, in turn, the trends around these brands as they are being exported into other markets. It does so through case study research, investigating the event brand Soca Brainwash and its expansion into 6 markets. Interviews were conducted with attendees chosen from all markets, as well as with the owner and creator of the event brand. The social media presence of the brand was also analysed as a key factor to the experience selling. The findings show that this event brand experience is multidimensional, incorporating digital media to highlight the great experiences of patrons in videos as well as pictures. It also shows how its physical environment allows patrons to engage and connect with the brand. Additionally, Soca Brainwash creates a space where persons can find and reinforce their identity through their participation. Despite this, it still faces challenges as it pertains to being modern and innovative but still upholding traditional aspects of carnival, and to help develop other carnival markets while still trying to keep its home market of Trinidad its most prized position. Further research on the subject ought to include investigation into the economic earnings of the event and other influences that would determine it being sustainable in the future, as well as entering newer markets.Permission has been granted by the copyright holders to make the images in this dissertation available.

The research podcast on the children stories in times of corona Facebook platform. The channel is targeted at South Asian diaspora globally. This research initiative explores how community creates and understands media; and aims to develop culturally sensitive community resilience model transferable globally.April 22, 2020

This dissertation extends our knowledge of digital affordances in communicating complex scientific information by building and testing a climate change adaptation website for the Colombian coffee sector, www.climaycafe.com. This project offers both a practical component (scholarship of engagement) and theoretical component (extension of our understanding of the objective/subjective nature of affordances). Practically, it seeks to create a collaborative and tailored science communication solution for improved information access to support climate change adaptation. Theoretically, it extends our understanding of affordances in a digital environment through a qualitative assessment, specifically how occupational identity influences the subjective nature of affordances. Data is gathered through an iterative qualitative assessment of users’ interpretation of the perceived affordances on the website. The results demonstrate that occupational identity has an influence on perceived digital affordances, particularly influenced by (1) Perceived Social Status of Occupation, (2) Perception of Value Based on Occupational Demands, (3) Occupational Influence on Perceived Reliability and (4) Usability Preferences Based on Occupation. We additionally found that as creators we can set general goals for digital tools and achieve general success in obtaining them, but ultimately the users will dictate their needs within this broader framework. Lastly, there is a self-identified need for more practical knowledge and information access for coffee farmers in these regions of Colombia around climate change adaptation.

This paper explores the co-creation of location-based urban game to document emotionally-charged narratives of gender-based violence (GBV) experienced by marginalised women. The paper explores the impact of games not just as a tool of catharsis and healing for the ‘game designers’ i.e. marginalised women but also as that of advocacy for GBV for the game players. Two consecutive prototypes will be created: one developed by the paper’s authors and the other co-created with marginalised Indian women using a methodology of ethnographic action research. The games are built using open source digital tools such as Twine and social media platforms. This will result in developing a placemaking toolkit in collaboration with marginalised groups as a new form of community advocacy and urban activism.

Data management plan for the understanding requirements study of the ENACT project. The aim is to understand participants’ digital and linguistic competencies, as well as their cultural activities of interest. The findings will inform both the design of the web app and the organisation and running of the co-production workshops.In line with our ethical duty to protect the participants, which involves vulnerable groups (migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers), we are not able to share any data with researchers outside the project group. A report of our findings is available on the project website: https://enacteuropa.com

This study examined the level of trust of information on social media. Specifically, I investigated the factors of performance expectancy with information-seeking motives that appear to influence the level of trust of information on various social network sites. This study utilized the following theoretical models: elaboration likelihood model (ELM), the uses and gratifications theory (UGT), the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model (UTAUT), the consumption value theory (CVT), and the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) Model to build a conceptual research framework for an exploratory study. The research investigated the extent to which information quality and source credibility influence the level of trust of information by visitors to the social network sites. The inductive content analysis on 189 respondents’ responses carefully addressed the proposed research questions and then further developed a comprehensive framework. The findings of this study contribute to the current research stream on information quality, fake news, and IT adoption as they relate to social media.