Effects of Simulated Therapeutic Horse-Riding on Speech Therapy in Adult Brain Injury

Effects of Simulated Therapeutic Horse-Riding on Speech Therapy in Adult Brain Injury Callie Terrell, Clare Kuhlmann, Kat Delgado, Donna C. Powell, Paul T. Fillmore, Ph.D., Kathy Whipple, Ph.D.

This study investigated the effects of simulated therapeutic horse-riding on speech therapy in adults who had sustained brain injuries. Therapeutic horse riding has been used effectively in many patient populations (e.g. autism, PTSD, and brain injury), but its mechanisms remain somewhat poorly understood. In the current work, we tested a novel form of this therapy (a mechanical horse), to assess its impact as a supplement to traditional speech therapy. Five participants completed the study (2 female, mean age=67.8), and brain injuries included stroke (CVA), traumatic brain injury (TBI), craniotomy/tumor removal, and mild dementia. Speech and language symptoms included aphasia, apraxia, and dysarthria, among others. Each patient was assessed both before and after therapy using standard speech-language and cognitive tests, and a resting-state EEG exam. We used a single-subject, multiplebaseline design, in which patients waited to begin riding until baseline sessions were complete. Treatment sessions were conducted twice a week for approximately nine weeks. During each treatment session, patients completed a standardized object-naming test while riding the mechanical horse, followed by individualized speech therapy after dismount. We focused on naming accuracy and speed of response as within-session measures of progress, as well as on overall changes in pre-post assessments. Data analyses are ongoing, but preliminary results suggest meaningful changes in speech, language and cognitive function following therapy for some but not all patients. We will discuss these results in the overall context of speech therapy following brain injury, and the potential of hippotherapy to improve the outcomes of traditional methods.

Binaural Frequency Discrimination: Implication for Bimodal and Electric Acoustic Stimulation Users

Sophie Suri, Yang-Soo Yoon, Ph.D.

Ability to resolve different frequency components is critical for speech perception in noise. In this study, we compared the ability of normal-hearing listeners to discriminate tones when the stimuli were presented in dichotic and sequential manner across ears. Results showed that binaural frequency discrimination thresholds became worse as target frequencies increased both in dichotic and sequential listening. However, dichotic listening requires larger frequency differences across ears than the sequential listening.