Hannah

Edwards
1/23/19

Using Mullins Library to Find Articles


Part A:


Part B:

CDIS 4133: Introduction to Aural Rehabilitation
Instructor: Dr. Lisa Bowers
Part C:

Theses/Dissertation One:

1. Who is author? Jessica Post

2. What is the name of the theses/dissertation? A Qualitative Study of the
Effects of the University of Arkansas Autism Support Program

3. What is the year of the theses/dissertation? 2016

4. What institution did the author go to? University of Arkansas

5. What was the purpose of the study? The purpose of this study is to
determine how participating students perceive the helpfulness of the
University of Arkansas Autism Support Program in the following areas:
reducing college- related stress, facilitating academic success, facilitating
social success, and preparing individuals for the independent adult world.
In short, the study sought to determine the effects of the University of
Arkansas Autism support Program on participating undergraduate
students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is my hope that this
information will be beneficial to any individual who has a connection to
 autism in academia (i.e. students with autism spectrum disorders, autism
support program employees, peers, professors, researchers, family
members, etc.).

6. What was the conclusion of the study? Though research regarding autism
is not uncommon, studies on college- level autism support programs are
scarce, and more qualitative data is needed to assess existing programs.
Despite its limitations, the current study showed positive implications for
helpfulness of the University of Arkansas autism support program in
reducing college-related stress, facilitating academic and social success,
and preparing participating individuals for independent adult roles.

7. Why would this particular study be important in your field? For
Communication Disorders, specifically speech language pathology, one of
the greatest components is providing the support needed for clients. This
article focuses on students with Autism Spectrum Disorder who are going
into college life, and it is important to my field because clients who have
AS (Autism Spectrum Disorder) need the resources necessary for a reliable
support program when transitioning into college. There are academic and
social needs that must be present for clients who have AS. Any university
should offer programs and accommodations for students with AS, and as a
Speech Therapist it is important to research the optimal program specific
to the client.

8. Pretend that you want to do a similar study to this one. What would you do
different? Why? Researching and gathering data from the student’s
perception of the Autism support program by a written and oral
questionnaire though I would stop there. I would mainly focus the how
rather than the what on the effectiveness of this support program. I would
conduct a study that researches how we could improve the program
rather than collecting data on current participants in the program. I would
do this study differently because this particular study is well written and
conducted though it offers limitations because of factors such as: a small
sample size, not every participant is active in the support program, and
there are numerous students in the program that chose not to participant
in the two part questionnaire whose perceptions were not recorded in the
data. I would want to focus on how we could make the social needs and
competence of the support program more approachable for the students. I
have full confidence that the university provides classroom and academic
accommodations, yet lack in the social needs. I would want to create
events, find ways to acquire more home- like environments, and meet each
individual where they are at so they not only have academic support but
also a sense of family and friends while they are in college.

Theses/Dissertation Two:

1. Who is the professor that you have taken a class with? or a professor that
you are currently taking a class with? Dr. Rachel Glade

2. What year did he/she write their dissertation? 2016

3. What is the name of the dissertation? Perceived Role of Recipients of
Cochlear Implants and Their Spouses in Auditory Rehabilitation

4. What institution did the professor go to when he/she published their
dissertation? University of Arkansas, this dissertation was approved for
the recommendation to the Graduate Council.

5. Skip to the end of the dissertation. What was the conclusion of the study?
This phenomenological study utilized a grounded theory approach to
data analysis to allow for the development of a theory regarding the
perceived roles of recipients of cochlear implants and their spouses in
auditory rehabilitation. The experiences shared by the participants were
examined and constantly compared throughout data analysis which led
to axial codes for the perceived role(s) of recipients of cochlear implants
to be identified as spousal support, group support, auditory rehabilitation
experience, and improved social interactions. Axial codes for the
perceived role(s) of spouses of recipients of cochlear implants in
auditory rehabilitation were discovered to be pre-operational
experiences, positive mentality, actions, and persistent support. This
study is one of the first of its kind to examine the use of auditory
rehabilitation with individuals who utilize cochlear implants.
Additionally, this study highlighted the importance of involving the
spouse of the recipient of the cochlear implant in the auditory
rehabilitation process. The axial codes were further compared and
analyzed to develop selective/category codes to contribute to the overall
theory of this research being improved quality of life. The selective
codes identified were support, auditory rehabilitation, process, which
were all identified as contributing to improved quality of life for the
recipient of the cochlear implant as well as their spouse. The
implications of this study are far reaching for rehabilitation counselors,
professionals who work with individuals with hearing loss, and policy
makers. This study has shown that a holistic and collaborative approach
to working with individual with hearing loss and their families may
improve the quality of life of these individuals and could subsequently
improve the quality of service as well as speed of case closures for
rehabilitation counselors. Rehabilitation counselors and health care
providers should be aware of the impact hearing loss can have on the
quality of life not only of the individual with hearing loss, but also their
spouse or frequent communication partners. Capella (2003) noted that “a
substantially higher percentage of persons with hearing loss were
accepted for [vocational rehabilitation] services compared to persons
with other disabilities” (p. 43). However, Capella (2003) went on to note
that the “percent of consumers with hearing loss closed successfully by
[vocational rehabilitation] VR consistently decreased during a recent 10-
year period.” Possible ways to combat this trend include a collaborative
 approach including referrals to audiologists for audiological
management as well as referrals to speech-language pathologists or
audiologists for auditory rehabilitation. Additionally, this study provided
evidence of the importance of involving spouses in the rehabilitation
process, this should also be considered and utilized by rehabilitation
counselors. Future research is needed to determine why there has been a
decrease in the number of successfully closed cases for individuals with
hearing loss who receive vocational rehabilitation counseling. A holistic,
inter-disciplinary approach to providing treatment for individuals with
hearing loss is necessary to provide an environment where the individual
with hearing loss is set up to improve their quality of life and gain
successful and competitive employment.