Faculty of Humanities
School of Social Sciences
Department of Communication Pathology
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
Conventional hearing screening in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) and well-baby nurseries cannot provide comprehensive coverage in developing countries where a large proportion of infants are born at home. In his studies Dr De Wet Swanepoel investigated the feasibility of using a novel setting in the form of maternal and child health clinics as platform for conducting widespread infant hearing screening in developing South African communities. Despite prevailing barriers the clinics proved to be suitable platforms for widespread infant hearing screening programmes. The theoretical and empirical implications emerging from the research were compiled and presented in the form of a novel service delivery model for infant hearing screening at maternal and child health clinics in South Africa.
Contact person: Mr DCD Swanepoel.
The training of performance singing in a multilingual, multicultural educational context presents unique problems and requires innovative teaching strategies. In a joint research project by the Department Communication Pathology and the Department of Vocal Art at the Tshwane University of Technology the viability of computer-aided training for singing students in higher education were studied. The outcomes suggested that the training was successful and that the students as well as the lecturer who participated in the study were extremely positive about this alternative approach.
Contact person: Ms E Groenewald.
Infants and young children orphaned by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and those with pediatric HIV/AIDS are the most vulnerable population requiring Early Communication Intervention (ECI). The uniqueness and constraints of the South African context necessitate adaptation of the traditional ECI model to meet their needs. Ongoing research has addressed the early communication development, feeding behaviours and communication interaction patterns of these children, and the perceptions, practices and training of caregivers regarding communication stimulation in care centres. Research findings have provided the underpinnings for the development of a contextually relevant model of ECI for young children affected by HIV/AIDS and their families.
Contact person: Prof B Louw.
Due to the prevalence of risk factors such as HIV/AIDS and poverty, infants and young children in South Africa are at risk for developing communication disorders. There is, therefore, a greater need for early interventionists to focus on the prevention of communication disorders, which is crucial to the promotion, optimal functioning and wellness in early development. Research was conducted in three phases to identify the needs of parents and professionals, develop and validate a prevention tool. The findings resulted in a video Peek-A-Boo - I'm Talking to You. The results indicated that the tool accurately reflected the needs and preferences of a specific community, that it was valid in terms of content and judged to be practical and empowering. The potential benefits of caregiver education programmes on communication development were highlighted. The process and product were viewed to be underpinnings for the future development of similar tools within other South African communities. The video as a prevention tool provides the various interventionists with practical guidelines and strategies as well as the opportunity to participate in primary prevention initiatives and to redefine the roles regarding this important, yet neglected professional function in the South African context to the benefit of future generations.
Contact person: Prof B Louw.
The Four-Level Model of Speech Sensorimotor Control was first published in 1997 in a book edited by MR McNeil from the University of Pittsburgh. The book entitled Clinical management of sensorimotor speech disorders was published by Thieme Medical Publishers in New York. The Four-Level Model has been described by leaders in the field as "possibly the most detailed and comprehensive attempt to explain impairments in the speech production process, relating subcomponents to underlying neural structures, diagnosis of motor speech disorders, and principled development of treatment strategies for such disorders. It provides a series of testable hypotheses for examining the nature of apraxia of speech and, thus, for developing treatment goals" (Ballard, Granier & Robin, 2000 in Aphasiology, volume 14, 969-995). During 2004 this theoretical model was further developed and submitted for publication as lead chapter in the second edition of the book edited by McNeil.
Contact person: Prof A van der Merwe.
The Voice Use Reduction (VUR) Program describes a structured behaviour modification approach to the reduction of voice use by clients with voice disorders. This programme was developed and applied to clients that received voice treatment in the Speech, Voice and Hearing Clinic of the Department of Communication Pathology. Students from the University who received treatment for vocal fold nodules, took part in a study to determine the value of the VUR Program. The results of this study indicated that all of the participants found the VUR Program to be an important part of their voice treatment. They all reported that they learnt to manage the amount of voice use. The VUR Program was published during 2004 in the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology.
Contact person: Prof A van der Merwe.
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