Papers by Shelley Brundage
Journal of Fluency Disorders, 2013
Cancer Research, 2016
The integration of patient advocate input into biomedical research grant proposals is a relativel... more The integration of patient advocate input into biomedical research grant proposals is a relatively new phenomenon and represents a paradigm shift for basic, translational and clinical researchers seeking funding for their proposed studies. In 2011, the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center (LCCC) at Georgetown University (GU) established the Georgetown Breast Cancer Advocates (GBCA) to facilitate collaboration between researchers and advocates. The mission of GBCA is to ensure research is patient-centered, innovative, evidence-based, and accessible. Working with researchers and clinicians at GU-LCCC early in proposal development, the members of the GBCA evaluate the feasibility of research, emphasizing the need for bench-to-bedside studies, the importance of quality of life, health care disparities and a reduction in breast cancer mortality. This integrated and early approach has resulted in GU-LCCC researchers being awarded a PCORI Grant, a DOD Idea Expansion Award, and a prestigiou...
Journal of Communication Disorders, 2021
Numerous research studies indicate that stuttering is associated with increased risk for social a... more Numerous research studies indicate that stuttering is associated with increased risk for social anxiety disorder (SAD). Interpretation bias is one of four cognitive biases thought to maintain symptoms associated with SAD. Interpretation bias occurs when one evaluates social situations as more negative than they actually are. The purpose of this study was to investigate if adults who do and do not stutter interpret positive, ambiguous, mildly negative, and profoundly negative social situations similarly, or-if like individuals with SAD-adults who stutter exhibit negative interpretation biases. Forty-eight adults who stutter and 42 age-and gender-matched adults who do not stutter participated. Participants completed the Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) and were assigned to one of four groups: adults who stutter with high FNE (AWS-High), adults who stutter with low FNE (AWS-Low), adults who do not stutter with high FNE (AWNS-High), and adults who do not stutter with low FNE (AWNS-Low). All participants completed the trait scale of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Interpretation and Judgmental Questionnaire (IJQ). The IJQ contains descriptions of four types of social situations: positive, mildly negative, profoundly negative, and ambiguous. Within each situation type there are five different scenarios, for a total of 20 scenarios across the four situation types. Participants provided written responses to these 20 social scenarios. Qualitative analyses were used to understand how members of each group interpreted the different social scenarios. Thematic analysis revealed that each group responded in similar ways to each of the social scenarios, regardless of the type of situation. Adults who do and do not stutter with low and high FNE agreed on many themes related to the 20 social scenarios, and they agreed across all four types of social situations. Somewhat surprisingly, the theme "stuttering" was mentioned infrequently by the adults who stutter. Results suggested that adults who do and do not stutter with low and high FNE interpret social situations similarly, and that no group demonstrated a negative interpretation bias consistent with what is observed in adults with SAD. The interpretations provided by each group were appropriate to the specific scenarios being evaluated.
Team Performance Management: An International Journal
Purpose This study aims to investigate individual motivations for participating in collaborative ... more Purpose This study aims to investigate individual motivations for participating in collaborative health knowledge producing teams (KPTs), as well as satisfaction gained by participation in science teams. The authors focus on understanding motivators across team types, levels of engagement and alignment within and across teams and need satisfaction in a total of six science teams. Areas of strong congruence and divergence of motivating factors can be aligned across (i) learning and professional growth satisfaction, (ii) respect, collegiality and enjoyment satisfaction and (iii) accomplishment and discovery satisfaction. Levels of satisfaction are hierarchically mapped showing their relation to more external and communal foci to motivations that seek satisfaction of individual needs. Design/methodology/approach This mixed method comparative study uses data from the motivation assessment for team readiness integration and collaboration (MATRICx) tool and themes generated from semi-stru...
Topics in Language Disorders
Purpose Although commonly defined as a speech disorder, stuttering interacts with the language pr... more Purpose Although commonly defined as a speech disorder, stuttering interacts with the language production system in important ways. Our purpose is to summarize research findings on linguistic variables that influence stuttering assessment and treatment. Method and Results Numerous topics are summarized. First, we review research that has examined linguistic features that increase stuttering frequency and influence where it occurs. Second, we tackle the question of whether or not persons who stutter exhibit subtle language differences or deficits. Next, we explore language factors that appear to influence recovery from early stuttering in children. The final topic discusses the unique challenges inherent in differentially diagnosing stuttering in bilingual children. Clinical implications for each topic are discussed. Discussion The article concludes with a discussion of the unique differences in the integration of language and speech demands by people who stutter, when compared to people who are typically fluent, and their clinical ramifications.
Perspectives on Fluency and Fluency Disorders, 2009
Merriam-Webster defines collaboration as the ability “to work jointly with others or together, es... more Merriam-Webster defines collaboration as the ability “to work jointly with others or together, especially in an intellectual endeavor” (Merriam-Webster, 2009). This article describes methods for establishing collaborations and suggests some possible mechanisms to fund collaborative research with small businesses. We briefly describe the processes involved after funding is awarded. The article ends with a list of important variables for successful collaboration.
Journal of fluency disorders, 2006
The purpose of this study was to compare judgments of stuttering made by students and clinicians ... more The purpose of this study was to compare judgments of stuttering made by students and clinicians with previously available judgments made by highly experienced judges in stuttering.
Journal of Fluency Disorders, 1989
This article addresses the relationship between three different indices of utterance length (mean... more This article addresses the relationship between three different indices of utterance length (mean length of utterance in morphemes, syllables, and words) and the frequency of stuttering in children's speech. Spontaneous speech samples from eight stuttering children were analyzed, and correlations between length-of-utterance measures and stuttering frequency were computed. While all increases in utterance length are significantly well correlated with fluency breakdown, increasing the length of short utterances in word increments is more likely to impair fluency of output than is increasing utterance length by adding syllables or morphemes. Additionally, there is little correlation between the percentage of words dysfluent in a spontaneous sample and either percent morphemes or syllables dysfluent. We conclude that measurement of, or manipulation of, utterance length in words is a cruder gauge of fluency ability than are morphemic or syllabic length of utterance.
Contemporary Issues in Communication Science and Disorders, 2010
This study investigated the construct, criterion, and social validity of the Proficiency in Oral ... more This study investigated the construct, criterion, and social validity of the Proficiency in Oral English Communication Screening (POEC-S; Sikorski, 2005b), which is an assessment that is used with accented English speakers. Validity of this assessment has not previously been established despite its frequent use in clinical practice. Method: Speech samples and scores from the POEC-S and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL; Educational Testing Service, n.d.) were collected from 28 nonnative English speakers. Twenty unskilled listeners (undergraduate students) and 20 skilled listeners (speechlanguage pathologists) listened to the speech samples and rated each speaker on speech parameters of overall accent, articulation, intonation, naturalness, and estimated intelligibility using perceptual rating scales. Results: The speakers' POEC-S total and subtest scores correlated with the skilled listeners' perceptual ratings of accent and, to a lesser extent, the speakers' TOEFL scores; both results suggest the presence of construct validity. Criterion validity was demonstrated by significant correlations between the POEC-S scores and all components of our working definition of accent. Unskilled and skilled listener ratings also correlated with speakers' POEC-S scores, verifying its social validity. Conclusion: These results support the validity of the POEC-S to assess foreign accented speakers with high TOEFL scores.
Topics in Language Disorders, 2007
Stuttering characteristics, assessment, and treatment principles present challenges to assessment... more Stuttering characteristics, assessment, and treatment principles present challenges to assessment and treatment that can be addressed with virtual reality (VR) technology. This article describes how VR can be used to assist clinicians in meeting some of these challenges with adults who stutter. A review of current VR research at the Stuttering Research Laboratory at George Washington University is presented, including discussion of studies with participants who do and do not stutter. Our research suggests that affective, behavioral, and cognitive aspects of stuttering occur in similar ways in virtual and real environments, making VR a potentially useful tool for systematic and controlled assessment and treatment of stuttering. The final section addresses possible future research endeavors using VR with persons who stutter.
Journal of Fluency Disorders, 2006
This paper seeks to demonstrate the possibility of manipulating the frequency of stuttering using... more This paper seeks to demonstrate the possibility of manipulating the frequency of stuttering using virtual reality environments (VREs). If stuttering manifests itself in VREs similarly to the way it manifests itself in real world interactions, then VREs can provide a controlled, safe, and confidential method for treatment practice and generalization. Though many researchers and clinicians recognize the need for generalization activities in the treatment of stuttering, achieving generalization in a clinical setting poses challenges to client confidentiality, safety, and the efficient use of a professionals' time. Virtual reality (VR) technology may allow professionals the opportunity to enhance and assess treatment generalization while protecting the safety and confidentiality of their clients. In this study, we developed a VR job interview environment which allowed experimental control over communication style and gender of interviewers. In this first trial, persons who stutter (PWS) experienced both challenging and supportive VR job interview conditions. The percentage of stuttered syllables was calculated for both interviews for each participant. Self-reported ratings of communication apprehension and confidence were also obtained, and were not significantly correlated with stuttering severity. Results indicated that interviewer communication style affected the amount of stuttering produced by participants, with more stuttering observed during challenging virtual interviews. Additionally, the amount of stuttering observed during the VR job interviews was significantly, positively correlated with the amount of stuttering observed during an interview with the investigator prior to VR exposure. Participants' subjective reports of the VR experience indicate reactions similar to those they report experiencing in the real world. Possible implications for the use of VR in the assessment and treatment of stuttering are discussed.
American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
Purpose This project sought to develop consensus guidelines for clinically meaningful, comprehens... more Purpose This project sought to develop consensus guidelines for clinically meaningful, comprehensive assessment procedures for people who stutter across the lifespan. Method Twelve expert clinicians and researchers who have written extensively about stuttering provided detailed descriptions of the type of data that they routinely collect during diagnostic evaluations of preschool children, school-age children, adolescents, and adults who stutter. Iterative content analysis, with repeated input from the respondents, was used to identify core areas that reflect common domains that these experts judge to be important for evaluating stuttering for varying age groups. Results Six core areas were identified as common components of a comprehensive evaluation of stuttering and people who stutter. These areas should be included to varying degrees depending upon the age and needs of the client or family. The core areas include the following: (a) stuttering-related background information; (b) ...
American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the typical disfluency rates at 30 months old in... more Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the typical disfluency rates at 30 months old in a large group of simultaneous bilingual children and also investigate the relationships between disfluency rates and linguistic complexity (mean length of utterance in words [MLU-W]), vocabulary diversity (VocD), and speaking rate (utterances per unit time). Method Fifty-three typically developing children who had been exposed to Spanish and English from birth participated in this descriptive study. The average percent input at home was 46% in English and 54% in Spanish. Outside the home, the children averaged 9 hr of exposure per week in each language. Spontaneous speech samples in both languages were obtained during play sessions between the children and a parent. Results Nonparametric tests revealed a significant difference in typical disfluency rates across languages, with more children being disfluent in English and with a larger range of disfluency rates in English. The effect siz...
Teaching and learning in medicine
Phenomenon: Systems thinking is the cornerstone of systems-based practice (SBP) and a core compet... more Phenomenon: Systems thinking is the cornerstone of systems-based practice (SBP) and a core competency in medicine and health sciences. Literature regarding how to teach or apply systems thinking in practice is limited. This study aimed to understand how educators in medicine, physical therapy, physician assistant, nursing, and speech-language pathology education programs teach and assess systems thinking and SBP. Twenty-six educators from seven different degree programs across the five professions were interviewed and program descriptions and relevant course syllabi were reviewed. Qualitative analysis was iterative and incorporated inductive and deductive methods as well as a constant comparison of units of data to identify patterns and themes. Six themes were identified: 1) participants described systems thinking as ranging across four major levels of healthcare (i.e., patient, care team, organization, and external environment); 2) participants associated systems thinking with a wi...
American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
Persons who stutter (PWS) and those with social anxiety disorder may exhibit fear of negative eva... more Persons who stutter (PWS) and those with social anxiety disorder may exhibit fear of negative evaluation (FNE) and anxiety in social situations. However, the information processing biases that perpetuate these characteristics have had limited investigation. This study investigated judgment bias in social situations. Participants included 50 adults who stutter and 45 age- and gender-matched fluent persons who do not stutter (PWNS), who made up the control group. Participants completed the Interpretation and Judgmental Questionnaire (Voncken, Bögels, & deVries, 2003), and threat scores were calculated. There were no significant differences between PWS and PWNS in social threat or nonsocial threat scores. When the PWS group was divided on the basis of FNE and compared with PWNS participants without heightened anxiety (n = 35), the PWS with high FNE had significantly higher total social threat scores than the PWS with low FNE. The three groups did not differ in threat ratings for ambiguous or profoundly negative social situations. Judgment bias in PWS is mediated by the magnitude of FNE present; not all PWS exhibit judgment bias for social situations. Treatment implications include the need for psychosocial support addressing the negative impacts on quality of life and restrictions on social engagement that stuttering may cause in some individuals.
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Papers by Shelley Brundage