Getting ready for Neiva, Colombia and Quito, Ecuador
Author: Cate
Distinguished Senior Lecturer in the program of Speech-Language Pathology at Teachers College Columbia U.
Construct Validity of the PLS-5
Alexandra Gibson and Elana Winters presented this poster at ASHA’s convention in Chicago in November 2013. Alexandra and Elana created this poster based on work they did in the Assessment and Evaluation course at Teachers College Columbia Uniersity. This course is required as part of the master’s SLP program there.
In that course the students must analyze the most widely used standardized tests to identify disorder/disability for children and adolescents. They analyze the tests’ validity, reliability, and significant biases among other factors. The information for the analysis is primarily from the test itself—generally the interpretive and technical manuals and the other information provided to anyone who purchases the test. That material is analyzed in light of the standards of the field, including the work of Dollaghan, Vance and Plante, Restrepo, and going back to even McCauley and Swisher‘s work of 1984. In the class students find and incorporate into their analysis any research on current or older versions of the test. Another part of the task is to analyze the significant biases including cultural and linguistic biases and biases related to socio-economic background.
ASHA 2013 Biases in the PLS-5
With several recent graduates of the Teachers College Columbia University speech-language pathology program, we put together a poster analyzing the biases in the PLS-5. We looked at how much were based on prior knowledge including vocabulary/labeling, exposure to books, exposure to mainstream American middle-class school-oriented cultures, and the dialect of Standard American English. It was pretty shocking with only 5% of the Auditory Comprehension section and 37% of the Expressive Section qualifying as essentially non-biased. The PLS-5-Spanish reveals similiar biases.
The authors are Corey Baker, MS, CF-SLP , Danielle Bonanni, MS, CF-SLP, Tiffany Chang, MS, CF-SLP, Lauren Miller, MS, CF-SLP, Catherine Crowley, JD,, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
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Colombia 2013 Cleft speech and feeding course Healing the Children
We were invited to bring the speech component to the 20th anniversay of the Healing the Children surgical mission in Neiva, Colombia. With our colleagues, Dr. David Hoffman (medical director) and Dr. Sidney Eisig and a team of 70 surgeons, orthodontists, pediatricians, nurses, and medical records we were together June 5 to 12, 2013. We gathered a team of Miriam Baigorri, Jayne Miranda, Jessica Baquero, and students Theresa Donohue, Carla Montoya, and Kirea Crowley from Teachers College Columbia University. We invited 16 Colombian-based SLPs (fonoaudiologists) to join us in a cleft palate speech and feeding 5-day intensive course. We had a great group of Colombian SLPs. I knew that the Colombian programs were strong because I have met many who were students in the Bilingual Extension Institute. Read More
Cleft palate at Komfo Anoyke Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana
After a brief, but thorough cleft palate lesson last night, we dove in head first and spent the morning at the weekly cleft palate clinic at Komfo Anokye hospital in Kumasi run by Dr. Peter Donkor. Patients travel from all over Ghana to come and see Dr. Donkor for cleft palate repair. Cleft palates are caused by a malformation of the palate during embryological development and, depending on the extent of the cleft, they can impact infant feeding as well as later speech development. Even after cleft palate repair, it is difficult without training to relearn how to say certain sounds, which are impossible to make when there is a cleft in the palate. As speech pathologists, our job is to work with mothers to guide and train them in proper feeding techniques for infants born with cleft palates. We also work with children and even adults who have had cleft palate repair to train them on proper production of many speech sounds.
Visit To Strivright Auditory Oral School of New York
I recently visited the Strivright Auditory Oral School of New York. The school was founded by Pnina Bravmann, CCC-SLP/A. Pnina Bravmann is an inspired and inspiring director and visionary for the auditory oral approach. What you hear in this school are the voices of children and the teachers talking, learning, singing, and listening. Michele Bornfeld, CCC-SLP, and the teachers, SLPs, OTs, PTs, teaching assistants, music, art, and literacy teachers (yes!) implement exemplary curriculum and strategies to develop the auditory and oral skills of the lucky children who attend. The school begins with early intervention and goes through preschool. There are many integrated classes. They think about the future and have a well-established collaboration with NYCDOE. Although all I did was visit, in watching the quality of the work done there, I felt proud of my profession.
Lynda Campbell Memorial Lecture at St. Louis University in Missouri
I was honored to speak at the 2013 Lynda Campbell Memorial Lecture at St. Louis, MO. My talk was “International Service that Really Serves.” It was the first time that I had done a full day on my international work. I used the videos from Ghana, Bolivia, Guatemala, and South Africa, but I also brought in the TEDtalks and other pieces that made me think deeper and continue to question myself to make sure the work is beneficial, sustainable, and capacity building. I was so impressed by the faculty there, the past presenters, and the people who came. Special thanks to Dr. Travis Threats, Pat Miller, and Danille Deitz, for making it happen. Thanks especially to Dr. Threats who can give up his day job as Professor and Chair to become a professional photographer. He took some amazing photos.
Ghana 2013: Professional Development Retreat
We had an incredible three-day professional development retreat in Ghana when we were there in January 2013. There were 50 special education unit school teachers of students with intellectual disabilities, 10 general education teachers, 8 dignitaries from the Division of Special Education in Ghana’s Ministry of Education, and the 27 of us in the Teachers College Columbia University speech-language pathology program. It is three minutes long. I hope you enjoy it!
