Speech-language pathologists' professional stress level and factors affecting it in the Republic of Serbia.

BACKGROUND: In the Republic of Serbia, to our knowledge, there has been no research dedicated to the professional stress faced by speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Since speech therapy belongs to the helping professions, SLPs might experience professional stress. OBJECTIVE: To examine the levels of professional stress in SLPs concerning sociodemographic characteristics and terms of the workplace. METHODS: The research was conducted online, using a questionnaire designed to determine professional stress in speech-language pathologists - Speech-Language Pathologist Stress Inventory. The voluntary sample consisted of 185 employed SLPs from the Republic of Serbia. The stress level was observed concerning marital status, years of working experience, age, educational degree, caseload size, job sector, job setting, type of patients' diagnosis, and type of service which SLPs provide. RESULTS: The results showed that SLPs experience mild to moderate levels of professional stress and that there is a statistically significant difference in the stress level concerning years of working experience, age, job sector, and job setting. Applying Generalized Linear Mixed Model revealed that two-way interaction (Years of working experience * Marital status) and three-way interaction (Age * Job Setting * Type of patients' diagnosis) dominated on the model. CONCLUSION: Since it is noted that SLPs are experiencing mild to moderate levels of professional stress, it is important to emphasize the need for adaptation of existing work terms as well as to provide additional support to speech therapists in order to improve their mental health.

Importance of Early Intervention in Reducing Autistic Symptoms and Speech-Language Deficits in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The intervention focused on starting treatment at an early age to develop the child's full potential, which is known as early intervention. Given that autistic symptoms and language deficits occur at an early age and affect other areas of development in children with autistic spectrum disorder, we wanted to examine if early intervention is more effective in the reduction in autistic symptoms and language deficits in children aged 36−47 months old when compared to children 48−60 months old. The sample consisted of 29 children diagnosed with ASD who were admitted for integrative therapy. All participants were divided into two groups based on age: G1: 36−47 months old children, and G2: 48−60 months old children. To estimate the presence of autistic symptoms, we used the GARS-3, and for the assessment of speech−language abilities, we used the subscale Estimated Speech and Language Development (ESLD). Our results regarding the effect of the group on the difference in the scores at two time points showed that there was a statistically significant effect of the group on the reduction in autistic symptoms (p < 0.05) but no effect of the group on the differences in speech−language abilities between the two time points (p > 0.05). Our study highlights the importance of emphasizing the exact age when using the terms "early intervention" and "early development" in future studies and practice because it is necessary to determine and establish guidelines about which particular ages are crucial for starting treatment in certain developmental aspects.

Multidisciplinary speech and language therapy approach in a child with multiple disabilities including blindness due to retinopathy of prematurity: a case study with a one year follow-up.

Aim: This study aims to show speech and language, sensory-motor, and emotional progress after one year of therapy according to the needs of and resources for a child with multiple disabilities and blindness due to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).Methods: A 45-month-old boy was examined by a multidisciplinary team and assessed using the Sensory Profile 2, The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale II, The Communication Matrix, and The Scale for Evaluation of Psychophysiological Abilities of Children Aged 0-7. After a year of daily individually adopted speech and language therapy followed by supplementary therapeutics method, based on a multidisciplinary approach, the child was reassessed using the same battery of tests.Results: The obtained results might indicate the importance of factors such as a multidisciplinary approach, individualization, communication pathways, therapist's characteristics, and trust when working with children with multiple disabilities.Conclusion: Taking into account all the features of multiple disabilities during the treatment course, continuous monitoring, modification, and adaptation of applied therapy method proved successful in this case.

Production and perception of distortion in word-initial friction duration.

UNLABELLED: The purpose of the present study was to investigate (a) the distortion in production of word-initial friction duration in fricative //, and (b) the perceptual discrimination between typical (normal) and atypical (prolonged or lengthened) friction duration. In the first experiment 80 school aged children pronounced word /uma/, 40 of them have had typical friction duration, 15 shortened and 25 lengthened duration of //, and all of them did not have any distortion in segment /uma/. Measurement and analysis of duration of both segments // and /uma/ were performed after segmentation of speech stimuli /uma/. In second experiment friction duration of // has been synthesized in 17-step continuum from 135ms to 311ms in equal steps of 11ms, friction duration of 223ms has accepted as average typical value, and segment /uma/ was unchanged. Six speech-language pathologists (SLPs) listened to the synthesized stimuli /uma/ and performed perception task -distortion contrast in two sessions. They discriminated the shortened and lengthened duration in comparison to typical duration of fricative // and results were interpreted by identification functions. The results of the first experiment indicate that distortion in production of friction duration of // does not affects duration of the other segment /uma/ in word /uma/, and that these two durations are non-correlated. In perception of distortion in friction duration SLPs show high inter-listeners agreement and their identification functions showed very good discrimination in typical/atypical friction duration. LEARNING OUTCOMES: Readers will be able to: (1) understand the nature of distortion in friction duration in terms of (a) the problems in control of articulators and (b) the fact that it is an inherent feature independent to phonetic environment; (2) become familiar with the identification functions in discrimination of typical/atypical articulation of an acoustic cue; and (3) understand the difference between phonetic contrast and distortion contrast in speech perception.