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DOCTOR’S CORNERHow Speech-LanguagePathologists Can Aid inEarly Identification ofAutism Spectrum DisorderEarly identificationof autism spectrumdisorder (ASD)remains a critical areaof research as timelyaccess to appropriate,ASD-specific earlyintervention can leadto significant gains across developmentaldomains. The first step in accurate earlyidentification of ASD involves routinedevelopmental surveillance or universalscreening of all children to identify thoseat risk for atypical development, followedby autism-specific screening. Currently,most research related to universaland ASD-specific screening involvespediatricians as first-line screeners, perthe formal recommendation for universalscreening for ASD provided by theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)in 2006. Despite the AAP guidelinesfor surveillance and screening for ASD,a minority of pediatricians performroutine developmental and ASD-specificscreenings, with approximately 18 percentfollowing the specific AAP guidelines.This low rate of universal screening forASD at well-check visits suggests thatother health care professionals, includingspeech-language pathologists (SLPs)working with young children with ASD,should not assume universal screenings forASD are being conducted by pediatriciansand should therefore take more of anactive role in screening for ASD.According to the American SpeechLanguage-Hearing Association (ASHA),SLPs play an important role in allaspects of assessment and treatmentfor ASD including screening rid 8589935303§ion Roles and Responsibilities). For example,SLPs working with families of youngchildren can educate and advocate forbroadband and ASD-specific screenings tobe conducted by their local pediatriciansat well-child visits. SLPs can also directlyconduct developmental and ASD-specificscreenings using valid tools with strongpsychometrics (see Zwaigenbaum etal., 2015 for review of screening tools).One of the most widely used tools is theModified Checklist for Autism in ToddlersRevised with Follow-Up (M-CHAT-R/F).The M-CHAT-R/F is appropriate forchildren 16-30 months of age, has 20yes/no questions for parents to answer,requires minimal training, and takesapproximately five minutes to complete.The scoring algorithm yields three riskranges (low-, medium-, and high-risk). Itis recommended that children with scoresin the medium-risk range receive thefollow-up interview, which typically takesless than 10 minutes to complete, andchildren with scores in the high-risk rangebe directly referred for developmentalassessment. The M-CHAT-R/F is availablefor free download https://www.m-chat.org/ references/mchatdotorg.pdf.As noted by the authors of theM-CHAT-R/F, the tool was designed todetect as many cases of ASD as possibleto maximize sensitivity. Therefore, it canyield a high false positive rate. While theuse of the follow-up interview decreasesthe rate of false positives, it does noteliminate them. In general, false positiveson a screener may lead to unnecessarywork for clinicians and practitionersconducting follow-up assessments and/or possible upset and anxiety for theparents. However, many of the childrenwho screen at risk on the M-CHAT-R/Fand are not diagnosed with ASD areat high risk for other developmentaldisorders or delays suggesting thatfurther evaluation is warranted.WSU ELSON S. FLOYD COLLEGE OF MEDICINE SPEECH AND HEARING SCIENCESIn contrast, recent studies havesuggested that the use of the M-CHAT-R/Fcan also yield a high rate of falsenegatives. For example, a large systematicfollow-up of children who were notidentified as at-risk on the M-CHAT-R/F(mean age 20.16 months, range 16-30months) in primary care and specialty caresites found a high rate of false negatives.Specifically, only 40 percent of childrenwho received a diagnosis of ASD wereidentified at-risk on the M-CHAT-R/F,suggesting that a large proportion ofchildren were missed by the screener.Taken together, the rate of false positiveand false negative cases reported acrossstudies suggest that clinicians shouldnot use a screener alone to confirm orrule out risk or concern for ASD in youngchildren. SLPs should interpret the resultsof the screener in conjunction with theirclinical judgment (e.g., are they seeingred flags?), additional parental report(e.g., are the parents concerned abouttheir child’s development?), and otherrisk factors (e.g., are they a sibling of achild diagnosed with ASD?). Throughscreening for ASD, SLPs can help closethe gap between when clinical signs ofASD are present, when stable diagnosescan be made (i.e., between 18 and 24months of age), and the current averageage of diagnosis (i.e., between 4-6 yearsold). Because access to appropriate,ASD-specialized early intervention services(i.e., under age 3) has been associatedwith dramatic gains in social, languageand behavioral functioning, this gapbetween our capability to diagnose earlyand the actual age of diagnosis limitsthe opportunity for many children withASD to achieve these dramatic gains.To view the full list of references forthis feature, visit swineford.Lauren Swineford, Ph.D., CCC-SLPAssistant Professor,Speech and Hearing Sciences

ianeDechertwhojoined theDepartment as ClinicCoordinator for the UniversityHearing and Speech Clinic,operated jointly by the EWUDepartment of CommunicationSciences and Disorders and theWSU Department of Speechand Hearing Sciences.WelcomeKelseyMeyer whojoined theDepartmentas sorKarenSimpsonwasappointedDirectorof Off-Site Clinical Programsfor the Department of Speechand Hearing Sciences and thecooperative WSU/EWU UniversityPrograms in CommunicationDisorders (UPCD).Congratulationsto Dr. MarkVanDam onhis tenure andpromotionto associateprofessor.BEST WISHES IN RETIREMENTCongratulations and bestwishes to Leslie Powerand Ella Inglebret whoboth retired in May!Clinical ProfessorLeslie Power retiresafter 28 years withthe Departmentof Speech andHearing Sciences.Leslie mostrecently served asdirector of off-site clinical programs forthe cooperative WSU-EWU UniversityPrograms in Communication Disordersgraduate program. In that capacity, shecoordinated all aspects of off-site clinicalrotations, placing students in local offcampus clinical practica and in capstoneclinical internships across the region.These community-based clinical rotationsprovide students with the majority of theirclinical clock hours required for nationalcertification and licensure. Throughouther tenure, she successfully navigated anincreasingly complex regulatory environment and contractual arrangements toensure students’ successful experiences.Leslie’s success was due in no small partto her attention to relationship buildingand networking. A former presidentof the Washington Speech-LanguageHearing Association, Leslie Power is awell-known and highly regarded leaderacross the state and the region.Leslie Power has been a superbprogram manager and educator, and anesteemed member of the Department’ssenior leadership. While we will missLeslie’s exceptional contributions andcollegial presence, we are delightedthat she will now have more time tospend with her family, including her twoyoung grandchildren. All the best toLeslie and family in the years to come.Dr. Ella Inglebretretires after 29 yearswith the Departmentof Speech and HearingSciences. She joinedthe department in 1989as project coordinatorof the federally fundedprofessional preparation program for NativeAmericans seeking careers in speech-languagepathology and audiology, and was appointedto a faculty position in the department in 2002.As a professor, she continued her outreachto Native American communities and accelerated her research on factors associated withNative American student success in highereducation, promoted culturally-responsivespeech-language assessment and intervention, and fostered early language and literacyin multicultural populations. Her scholarshipand outreach have had a considerable positive impact on Native American communities,and has influenced policymakers on majorstate and federal legislation. Inglebret and herco-authors received a Recognition of Leadershipaward for their two-volume book HonoringTribal Legacies: An Epic Journey of Healing fromthe National Park Service, the Lewis and ClarkTrust, Inc., and KANEKO (a nonprofit culturalorganization that encourages the processof creativity and how it impacts our lives).Dr. Inglebret was elected to the WSUPresident’s Teaching Academy in 2014, and shereceived the WSU Spokane Faculty ExcellenceAward in 2017. A Fellow of the AmericanSpeech-Language-Hearing Association(ASHA), she remained actively engaged withASHA’s Native American Caucus. Perhapsher most enduring contribution on behalf ofstudents was her pivotal role in establishingthe J. Richard Franks Scholarship for NativeAmerican Students in Speech and HearingSciences, which provides financial supportfor the recruitment and retention of Nativestudents for whom she has advocated sopassionately over the course of her career.We will miss Dr. Inglebret. However, we lookforward to following the writings, outreach,and advocacy she plans to continue in retirement. We wish Ella and her family the best.WAVELENGTH SPRING 20175

WSU LEADING THE WAYEach year, the Speech andHearing Sciences facultystrives to lead our fieldwith exceptional research,clinical innovation, serviceand outreach. In 20172018, faculty published 13refereed and two invitedarticles, and presented 19refereed papers and 20invited papers, posters,seminars and workshops.In addition, they engagedin extensive outreach tolocal, state, national andinternational communities.Clinical AssistantProfessor DanaAlgeo served as thespeech-languagepathology meetingcoordinator forSpokane PublicSchools andfacilitated autism diagnostics for theUniversity Hearing and Speech Clinic.UndergraduateAcademicCoordinatorAnna Brown wasawarded the 2018WSU SpokaneAdministrativeProfessional EmployeeExcellence Award in recognition of heroutstanding student advising, mentoringand support, as well as her contributionsto the scholarship of advising.Professor GailChermakco-authored severalarticles in the Journalof the AmericanAcademy of Audiologyand the InternationalJournal of Audiologyfocused on recognizing and minimizingconfounds in the differential diagnosisof central auditory processing disorder.Chermak and colleagues delivereda three-hour featured session at theAmerican Academy of Audiology meeting.Clinical AssociateProfessor ChristianeDechert developeda new preschool foryoung children withsevere speech sounddisorders in theUniversity Hearingand Speech Clinic.6WSU ELSON S. FLOYD COLLEGE OF MEDICINE SPEECH AND HEARING SCIENCESAssociate ProfessorElla Inglebretserved on the ASHANative AmericanCaucus LeadershipCouncil andco-authored a paperwith Clinical ProfessorAmy Meredith reporting socioeconomicstatus in pediatric language researchpublished in the American Journalof Speech-Language Pathology.Assistant ProfessorGeorgina Lynchco-authored apaper with AssistantProfessor MarkVanDam onpupillary responseand phenotypein autism spectrum disorder publishedin Autism Research. Lynch collaboratedwith clinical faculty to develop a clinicalservices plan for individuals with autism inthe University Hearing and Speech Clinic.Clinical ProfessorAmy Meredith’sASHA conventionposter reporting theeffects of incomeon accessibilityto cleft lip andpalate services ininland Washington was designated aMeritorious Poster Submission, judgedby the convention program committeeto show extraordinary, exceptional,and innovative work. Meredith alsocoordinated and participated in theSpokane County Maxillofacial ReviewBoard monthly meetings in the UniversityHearing and Speech Clinic and providedworkshops across the country and Canadaon the assessment and managementof childhood apraxia of speech.

Professor NancyPotter completedtesting of 360children in a4.5-hour/childprotocol for aninterprofessional,inter-institutionalresearch study of Duarte galactosemiafunded by the Patient-CenteredOutcomes Research Institute. Herdata set will provide comparativedata for a number of planned studiesacross the country and in Canada.Clinical AssociateProfessor KarenSimpson wasappointed theDirector of Off-SiteClinical Programsin August 2017.NATIVE AMERICAN SCHOLARSHIPREACHES ENDOWMENT LEVELA scholarship for Native Americanstudents in Washington StateUniversity’s Speech and HearingSciences program has reached theendowment level and will create alasting legacy for its namesake—thelate J. Richard Franks, Ph.D., aformer professor and leader in thedepartment.Franks saw that Native Americanswere vastly under-represented inthe field and took action to changethat. He secured U.S. Departmentof Education funding in the 1980swhich established the foundation forWSU’s Native American professionalpreparation program in speechlanguage pathology and audiology.Over a 25-year period, Franks wasactively involved in the department’sefforts to recruit and graduateNative American students with bothbachelor’s and master’s degrees.Department Chair Gail Chermakcalled Franks a visionary.“Many of our Native Americanalumni have returned to serve theircommunities and have assumedprofessional leadership roles thanksto Dr. Franks,” Chermak said. “Weall owe Dick Franks a huge debt ofgratitude as we see the impact andcontribution of his former students,as well as current and future NativeAmericans who might not haveconsidered attending WSU had wenot established a reputation forsupporting Native American studentsto success.”To make a contribution, pleasecontact Nancy Fike at nancy.fike@wsu.edu or 509-358-7616.Assistant ProfessorLauren Swinefordcoauthored apaper on prefrontalhemodynamics intoddlers publishedin Frontiers inScience. Swinefordprovided several ADOS-2 clinicaltraining sessions for school districts andmedical centers across the country.Assistant ProfessorMark VanDamreceived theChancellor’s Awardfor Leadership andEngagement andwas appointedto the ASHAeditorial board.WAVELENGTH SPRING 20177

TRUE STORIESRobert WeeksM.A. ‘85My story begins with my graduation with my master’s degree in 1985. Iremember the snowy day my wife (Judy,WSU ‘85) and I left Pullman and movedto Vancouver, Wash., to start my firstjob with the Evergreen School District. Iwas particularly anxious to get my careergoing, as our first child was due in thenext month and I needed income.While I enjoyed my time working asa speech-language pathologist (SLP)in the schools, I always wanted to be inthe medical arena and, in 1987, jumpedat the chance to take a position withKaiser Permanente, a large health careorganization of 35 hospitals and morethan 500 medical offices located in severalstates across the country. I took a job inPortland, Ore., working in both inpatientand ambulatory care settings. My caseloadwas wonderfully varied and challenging.I joked often about how the job wasnever boring as each day I would movethrough a schedule seeing a 90-year-oldstroke patient one hour, followed by athree-year-old cleft palate patient the nexthour, and ending the day with back-toback adult voice disorder patients, withalmost every other possible diagnosis inbetween. I also was fortunate to work withthe Developmental Assessment Clinic atKaiser for several years. This group wasstaffed by providers from genetics, childpsychiatry, social work, physical therapy,occupational therapy and pediatrics.Our work focused on diagnosis andtreatment planning for populations withrare diseases and genetic disorders. Thiswas my most fulfilling role as an SLP andI loved the camaraderie of the multidisciplinary staff.After 18 years, I began to realize thatwhile my degree presented me with skillsets that could transfer to non-clinical8work in the health care arena, I neededmore business knowledge. I enrolled inthe health care administration certificateprogram at WSU Vancouver, once againreceiving a top-notch education from ourwonderful alma mater. After completingthe program, I applied and was chosenfor Kaiser Permanente’s mentoringprogram. I received excellent mentoringand coaching from executives in humanresources and organizational development, which led to a job offer within theorganizational development departmentat the Portland corporate office. I spentthe next seven years doing what we SLPsdo best, helping people communicateand function at their best. Of course, Iwas not practicing in a clinical setting, butrather consulting and coaching leaderson their communication skills, emotionalintelligence and leadership presence.My 18 years of experience as a clinicianin the organization gave me credibilityand allowed me to speak to physicians,managers and front-line caregivers.Eventually, my career led me to becomethe director of learning and organizationaldevelopment for the Kaiser Permanenteregion in Hawaii. We immensely enjoyedliving in Waikiki. In 2009, I elected to takea corporate office consultant role travelingbetween all eight Kaiser regions so thatmy wife could further her career with aposition in Jacksonville, Fla, where wenow reside. In 2016, I left the medicalworld and accepted a job with TheAdecco Group, a global staffing company.I am currently functioning as a performance consultant, providing leadershipcoaching, training and talent management/pipeline development consultation.It’s strange to be out of the medical arena,which was my first love, but I believe thechallenge of learning a new industry isgood for me and I love that I work for acompany that puts people to work sothey can provide for themselves and theirfamilies.WSU ELSON S. FLOYD COLLEGE OF MEDICINE SPEECH AND HEARING SCIENCESI am continually fascinated by howmuch I have used my master’s degreein speech and hearing sciences as aleadership development consultant andexecutive coach over the course of mycareer. Possessing an understanding ofhow our brains take in information andthe complex neurological processesrequired to communicate has uniquelyqualified me to help executivescommunicate effectively, learn to useemotional intelligence, and deliver trueleadership presence. To borrow termsfrom my old days, “pragmatics andsemantics” do in fact have a significantplace in corporate America. While I wouldnever try to tempt our alumni to leavethe incredibly fulfilling and importantcareers of speech pathology or audiology,I do want to encourage other alumnito remember that the education youpossess and the experiences provided bythe Department of Speech and HearingS

(EWU), Paiten Fish (EWU), Rachel Roberts (WSU), Shannon Carrothers (WSU), and Kathleen Vandervert (EWU). WSU/EWU NSSLHA EARNS GOLD CHAPTER HONORS . Coliseum in Pullman to receive my B.A. in Speech and Hearing Sciences (May '04), I honestly could not have predicted the journey I was about to begin toward becoming a clinical researcher and .