Communication Sciences and Disorders

There are many different types of AAC that range from using no technology to requiring dedicated devices that help people communicate. Individuals with complex communication needs use AAC to communicate when natural speech is insufficient to meet their needs. Research in this area includes training speech-language pathologists and other providers how to work with these individuals to identify optimal systems to support independent communication.

Dysphagia may lead to serious medical conditions such as dehydration or pneumonia. Diet modifications, such as thickened liquids, compensate for poor musculature control or changes in the natural protective mechanisms of the body that make it difficult to swallow beverages like water or coffee. Studies have examined the use of thickened liquids, including tools for measuring beverage thickness and service delivery (e.g., staff training).

Developmental language disorders influence how children learn language and make it harder for children to build successful relationships, learn new concepts, and communicate with caregivers such as parents, teachers, and healthcare providers. Research in this area is related to helping children develop new skills and more optimally participate in a wide variety of activities and routines.

Stuttering research addresses underlying mechanisms of speech and language planning to determine the role they play in the onset and maintenance of stuttering in children and adults. These mechanisms can be difficult to measure directly because they are processes that are deeply embedded within the language planning system and are difficult to differentiate from influences of the speech-motor system. Research utilizes eye tracking, a relatively novel methodology in the field of stuttering, to investigate and differentiate these mechanisms.

This area focuses on strategies to increase public awareness and promote knowledge about TBI (https://tbioptions.k-state.edu/).

Voice research focuses on functional, auditory-perceptual, acoustic, and physiological characteristics of voice following treatment, as well as the voice use and voice characteristics of student clinicians. An additional interest area deals with abdominal breathing, a strategy used to manage breathing problems resulting from abnormal behavior of the vocal folds

David Rehfeld conducts research on how people learn in the field of communication sciences and disorders, including children with developmental language disorders. He investigates how children acquire language for use in educational and other environments, including their development of early reading skills. He also investigates how undergraduate and graduate students learn to provide services to children with developmental language disorders and those with complex communication needs. His work has been published in Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, Teaching and Learning in Communication Disorders, and other peer-reviewed journals and he frequently presents at the international and national levels.

Jane Mertz Garcia focuses on topics that relate to medical speech-language pathology. A common consequence of dysphagia (impaired swallowing) is chronic difficulty swallowing liquid and food consistencies, which may lead to serious medical conditions such as dehydration, malnutrition and pneumonia. Diet modifications, such as thickened liquids, compensate for poor musculature control or changes in the natural protective mechanisms of the body that make it difficult to swallow beverages like water, coffee, or juice. Study results inform clinical practices about the use of thickened liquids, including factors that impact viscosity (thickness), flavor and texture characteristics, and service delivery (e.g., staff training). Publications appear in journals such as Dysphagia, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, and the American Journal of Nursing. Garcia's scholarship also contributes to the well-being of people who experience traumatic brain injury (TBI), including development of an health education program to increase awareness of TBI and the importance of community.

Kristin Pelczarski conducts research in the field of stuttering. Her research investigates some of the underlying mechanisms of speech and language planning to determine the role they play in the onset and maintenance of stuttering in children and adults. These mechanisms can be difficult to measure directly because they are processes that are deeply embedded within the language planning system and are difficult to differentiate from influences of the speech-motor system. Her current research utilizes eye tracking, a relatively novel methodology in the field of stuttering, to investigate and differentiate these mechanisms.

Dr. Pelczarski's work has been published in the Journal of Fluency Disorders, and she has presented her research findings at state (Pennsylvania Speech and Hearing Association conference), national (American Speech-Language Hearing Association annual conference), and international (International Fluency Association Congress of Fluency Disorders) levels. She has also co-authored a number of book chapters on the clinical treatment of children and adults who stutter.