CASL Doctoral Students

Doctoral Research topic: Promoting connection through improving hearing care in care homes for older adults. Research suggests the number of older adult care home residents living with hearing loss is vastly underestimated and untreated. Residents living with hearing loss could be supported more effectively to improve quality of life.

Doctoral Research methodological approaches: Mixed-methods, multi-stage design. Includes secondary data analysis, questionnaire, focus groups and hearing assessments.

Keywords: Hearing care, care homes, older adults, regulation of services, presbycusis, agre-related hearing loss

Supervisors: Professor Janet Beck, Dr Jo White, Dr Christine Johnson

Doctoral Research topic: This research focuses on how we classify children’s speech sound disorders using data from ultrasound tongue imaging and electropalatography. This findings will support Speech and Language Therapists in the analysis and treatment of unresolved speech sound errors.

Doctoral Research methodological approaches: Quantitative analysis of speech sound errors, using measurement tongue position and contact in imaging techniques and description of error patterns

Keywords: Speech and Language Therapy, Speech Sound Disorders, Motor Speech Disorders, Speech Sound Classification, Ultrasound Tongue Imaging, Electropalatography

Supervisors: Dr Sara Wood, Professor James Scobbie, (External Advisor: Dr Joanne Cleland at Strathclyde University)

Doctoral Research topic: Acoustic Markers in Hypokinetic Dysarthria Associated with Parkinson’s Disease. Although there appears to be a pooling effort to find acoustic markers for differential diagnosis, studies often focus on only one dimension of features or are unable to generalise results because of individual variation. This study aims to identify acoustic markers in speech that are unique to hypokinetic dysarthria associated with Parkinson’s disease and are present across two time points in one year and can reflect disease progression.

Doctoral Research methodological approaches: Using online collection of speech data to conduct acoustic analysis and compare speech of participants from two time points to find speech markers. These will be tested for statistical significance against a control group.

Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; hypokinetic dysarthria; acoustic markers; online data collection

Supervisors: Dr. Joan Ma, Dr. Robin Lickley

Doctoral Research topic: Presentation of ASD in early years settings.

Doctoral Research methodological approaches: Systematic literature review. Item response theory

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ASD diagnostic measures, ASD surveillance

Supervisors: Prof Janet Beck and Prof Jackie Waterfield