| 1. |
- Almgren Bäck, Gunilla, et al.
(författare)
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Dyslexic students' experiences in using assistive technology to support written language skills : a five-year follow-up
- 2024
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Ingår i: Disability and Rehabilitation. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 1748-3107 .- 1748-3115. ; 19:4, s. 1217-1227
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PurposeThis study presents several accounts of user experiences with assistive technology (AT). Although previous studies on dyslexic students reported promising results from using audiobooks, text-to-speech (TTS), and speech-to-text (STT), qualitative research is relatively sparse and short-term, and little is known about adolescents’ long-term experiences of using AT in schools. Therefore, this five-year follow-up study aimed to describe dyslexic students’ experiences of AT.Materials and methodsNine students with dyslexia were interviewed using a semi-structured framework and a descriptive pattern-based thematic analysis. The students had previously participated in an AT intervention in Sweden.ResultsThree main themes are reported: Contextual factors: facilitators or barriers; Emotional responses in the learning environment; Developing meaningful strategies. The results align with previous research findings that audiobooks are beneficial throughout the school years, while STT is of mixed utility. TTS was mainly used in learning to decode texts. Continued AT use is discussed thematically, concretising experiences connected to schools’ multilevel support.ConclusionsThis study can contribute to the development of AT academic practices enriched by users’ views. The findings reveal factors enabling or hindering students’ continued AT usage. Contextual factors in schools concern organisational elements rather than AT accessibility. Students’ emotional responses (using AT in the classroom) are influenced by dyslexia self-acceptance and AT attitudes. Students’ understanding of how and why to use AT may limit the development of meaningful strategies. Implications and suggested further research are provided to improve dyslexic students’ AT experiences and success in school.
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| 2. |
- Almgren Bäck, Gunilla, et al.
(författare)
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Enhancing Middle-School Students’ Textual Expression : The Complementary Role of Speech-to-Text Technology
- 2024
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Ingår i: Reading & Writing Quarterly. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 1057-3569 .- 1521-0693. ; , s. 1-16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Literature on the impact of speech-to-text (STT) technology on text production is limited, with a predominant focus on students with learning disabilities. The widespread availability of STT suggests its potential integration into regular teaching practices; however, this remains understudied. The present study explored two conditions of narrative text production—STT and keyboarding—using a counterbalanced within-group design to measure text productivity, vocabulary, and sentence construction. Eighty-one middle-school students (Grades 4 and 5), typically from regular classrooms, participated in the study. The results revealed that students produced longer texts and in less time with STT than with keyboarding, and they used more diverse vocabulary. Sentence structures revealed an increase in punctuation and sentence length with STT. The text-based measurements were positively correlated; for instance, if students produced longer texts using the keyboard, they did so similarly with STT. In conclusion, young students can benefit from STT as a complement to traditional transcription, developing their narrative textual expression and reflective skills in knowledge acquisition. The implications of these results are discussed.
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| 3. |
- Almgren Bäck, Gunilla
(författare)
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Förebygga, överbrygga, utveckla : Tal-till-text och dess potential att främja elevers textproduktion i grundskolan
- 2024
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Förmåga att formulera sig i text har betydelse för måluppfyllelse i skolan och elevers framtida delaktighet i samhället. Skrivande och läsning är integrerade processer, där läsning kan förbättra textens sammanhang och tydlighet. En betydande andel elever möter dock utmaningar i grundskolan på grund av läs- och skrivsvårigheter eller dyslexi. Emellertid är assisterande teknik (AT) tillgänglig i exempelvis ordbehandlingsprogram och kan stödja elevers textproduktion. Tal-till-text innebär diktering av skriftspråk, medan talsyntes möjliggör lyssning på text. Denna avhandling inom psykologi undersökte effekten av AT på elevers textproduktion. Avhandlingen fokuserade också på strategier för introduktion av tal-till-text, elevers erfarenheter av AT, samt teknikens potentiella kompletterande roll i skolors undervisning i textproduktion.Avhandlingens fyra studier omfattar 202 elever, huvudsakligen i åldrarna 9–12 år. Studierna I-III inkluderade elever med läs- och skrivsvårigheter eller dyslexi, medan studie IV inkluderade elever med varierade läs- och skrivfärdigheter. Studie I, en randomiserad kontrollerad studie, undersökte främst effekten av en AT-intervention på läsförmåga och förmåga att lyssna på text. En uppföljning, studie II, genomfördes fem år senare. Denna studie bestod av en kvalitativ tematisk analys av intervjuer med ett urval av deltagarna från Studie I. Syftet var att beskriva deras erfarenheter av AT i skolan. Studie III tillämpade en multiple-baseline single-case-design för att undersöka effekterna av en praxisbaserad AT-intervention på textproduktion, inklusive elevers hantering av tekniken. I Studie IV, en repeated-measures group-design, jämfördes tal-till-text med tangentbordsskrivning.Resultaten visar att tal-till-text kan stödja textproduktion hos elever med läs- och skrivsvårigheter eller dyslexi. Individuella variationer i utfallet kräver anpassat stöd. För mellanstadieelever indikerar resultaten fördelar såsom förbättrad textlängd, korrekthet och skriftspråklig variation. Talsyntes kan underlätta effektiv granskning och redigering av text. Elevernas erfarenheterav AT belyser både möjligheter och utmaningar i skolan. Dessa erfarenheter inkluderar skolans stöd, elevernas perspektiv på AT och dyslexi, samt deras användning av AT under skolgången.Taligenkänningsfel och optimal användning av AT i skolmiljön behöver adresseras för att förebygga svårigheter i dess tillämpning. Detta tillvägagångssätt underlättar användningen av tal-till-text i syfte att överbrygga hinder och stimulera elevers utveckling i textproduktion.Resultaten diskuteras mot bakgrund av kognitiv teori för textproduktion samt AT-teori, med praktiska implikationer för skolan och framtida forskning.
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| 4. |
- Almgren Bäck, Gunilla, et al.
(författare)
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Speech-to-text intervention to support text production among students with writing difficulties : a single-case study in nordic countries
- 2024
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Ingår i: Disability and Rehabilitation. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1748-3107 .- 1748-3115.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Studies report that speech-to-text applications (STT) may support students with writing difficulties in text production. However, existing research is sparse, shows mixed results, and lacks information on STT interventions and their applicability in schools. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether a systematic and intensive assistive technology intervention focusing on STT can improve text production. A modified multiple-baseline across-subject design was used involving eight middle school students, four Norwegian and four Swedish. Their STT-produced narrative texts were collected during and after the intervention and the productivity, accuracy, and text quality were analysed. Keyboarding was the baseline control condition. The results demonstrated that seven of the eight students increased text productivity and that the proportion of word-level accuracy was maintained or improved. The use of punctuation progressed in participants with poor baseline skills. Most students’ STT-produced texts had at least a similar ratio of meaningfulness and text quality as keyboarding. However, the magnitude of the changes and development patterns varied, with three students showing the most notable impacts. In conclusion, this study’s intervention seemed beneficial in initially instructing STT, and the progress monitoring guided individually adapted future interventions such as balancing productivity and formal language aspects. Removing the spelling barrier with STT provided an opportunity for students to improve their higher-order skills, such as vocabulary diversity and overall text quality. Furthermore, visible progress, such as the ability to produce longer texts, might motivate continued STT usage. However, such development may not always be immediate.
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| 5. |
- Bergström, Emma, et al.
(författare)
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An interactive shared Reading intervention designed for preverbal infants : A feasibility study exploring early language and cognitive development
- 2024
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Ingår i: Child Language Teaching and Therapy. - : Sage Publications. - 0265-6590 .- 1477-0865.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Creating an environment suitable for language acquisition through shared reading significantly contributes to improving a child's language development and parent–child relationship. Reading in an interactive way, such as dialogic reading, is favorable. Nevertheless, dialogic reading is designed for children above the age of two and shared reading is recommended to start during the child's first year. The present study aimed to explore the feasibility of an interactive shared reading intervention, inspired by dialogic reading, where the reading techniques were designed to complement infants’ preverbal developmental level. The study further intended to explore its preliminary effect on infants’ cognitive and language development. Eleven parent–infant dyads participated, bi-monthly, in four in-depth intervention sessions where the shared reading techniques were modeled. Between sessions, parents and infants engaged in shared reading using these techniques. Post-intervention interviews served to reflect the feasibility of the intervention. Infant cognitive and language assessments were conducted pre- and post-intervention using BAYLEY-III and CSBS DP ITC. Favorable results regarding feasibility and infant language development were found, however, for cognitive development the results were non-significant. We discuss clinical considerations and the scope for conducting future studies.
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| 6. |
- Björn, Marianne, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring an intervention's impact on everyday school activities
- 2021
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Ingår i: Support for Learning. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0268-2141 .- 1467-9604. ; 36:1, s. 5-19
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The focus of this paper is on a group of pupils with reading and writing difficulties who have been participating in an intervention study using assistive technology. That intervention study contained supervised training sessions with reading and writing tasks using an iPad with special supportive applications. The current study is a qualitative investigation of whether there has been any transfer from the intervention, to the pupils' everyday school activities. Interviews with pupils and their teachers and observations during classroom lectures have been used to collect data. The results show that the pupils were positive to the assistive technology (the applications on the iPads), they found the apps easy to learn how to use and they appreciated the benefits they could give. Even so, only a few of the pupils had found use for and continued to use the tools after the intervention period finished. Possible reasons are that when the novelty wore off, students reverted to their usual study habits and that older students with many teachers and different classrooms were less able to adapt to using the apps. To improve transfer, it is suggested to introduce assistive technology earlier to students, in the younger grades, before study habits have been formed and to inform teachers about the use of AT in the classroom, including what is available and how it can benefit students.
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| 7. |
- Bratt, Anna S., 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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An exploration of group-based compassion-focused therapy for adolescents and their parents
- 2020
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 2245-8875. ; 8, s. 38-47
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The long-term negative consequences of mental health problems during adolescence highlight the need for effective treatments. Compassion-focused therapy (CVO aims to help individuals to enhance their ability to support and care for themselves and to alleviate shame and self-stigmatization. Objective: This non-randomized controlled trial examined the effectiveness of group-based CFT on perceived stress and the extent of self-compassion in a clinical sample of adolescents receiving psychiatric care for complex mental health difficulties and their parents. Method: The participants were 43 adolescents (ages 14-17; 83.7 % female) under treatment at a child and adolescent psychiatric outpatient clinic in Sweden and their parents (n = 77; 61 % female). The adolescents volunteered for group-based CFT (n = 19); if they did not want to participate, they were asked to join the control group receiving treatment as usual (TAU, n = 24). The CFT parents were given the same treatment as their children in parallel parent groups. The participants completed questionnaires measuring self-compassion and perceived stress before and after treatment. Paired samples t-tests and independent samples t-tests assessed the within-group and between-group differences via change scores. Results: The fathers scored highest on self-compassion and had less perceived stress at both times than the adolescents or mothers. There were no significant differences between the CFT and TAU groups in self-compassion or perceived stress at either time, and the effect sizes were small (g 0.25). The TAU mother group was the only group with a significantly changed mean self-compassion score post-treatment. Conclusions: Some patients seem to benefit from group-based CFT in ways similar to the benefits of specialized therapeutic approaches. Further research into the utility of CFT for adolescents with MH problems and their parents, as well as the longterm clinical effects of CFT for this group is needed.
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| 8. |
- Bratt, Anna S., 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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Finding confidence and inner trust as a parent : experiences of group-based compassion-focused therapy for the parents of adolescents with mental health problems
- 2019
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Ingår i: International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 1748-2623 .- 1748-2631. ; 14:1, s. 1-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) can alleviate the stress and challenges faced by the parents of adolescents with mental health (MH) problems. Although CFT interventions have shown promising results, few studies have examined its effectiveness in adolescent psychiatric settings. Therefore, this study examined the participant experiences of group-based CFT for the parents of adolescents with MH problems.Methods: The reflective lifeworld research (RLR) approach was used to conduct in-depth interviews with eleven parents, focusing on participant experiences of group-based CFT. Meaning-oriented data analysis was undertaken.Results: The essential meaning of the phenomenon of participating in group-based CFT was understood as finding confidence and inner trust as a parent, characterized by an understanding of one’s own needs, which provided parents with the confidence to support their children. The phenomenon is further explicated with its three constituents: (a) taking care of oneself and one’s child; (b) being open and sharing experiences; and (c) acceptance and hope for the future.Conclusions: The CFT intervention enabled parents to find their agency and strengthened their relationships with their children. The findings underscore the need to acknowledge the supportive role parents play in the recovery of children who receive psychiatric care.
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| 9. |
- Bratt, Anna S., 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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Gaining the courage to see and accept oneself: Group-based compassion-focussed therapy as experienced by adolescent girls
- 2020
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Ingår i: Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry. - : SAGE Publications. - 1359-1045 .- 1461-7021.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Shame and self-stigmatisation are common in adolescents with mental health problems, and can hinder their recovery. Compassion-focussed therapy (CFT) help people address challenging experiences and emotions with courage, wisdom, and care. However, no previous studies have examined whether CFT is helpful for adolescents with mental health problems. The present study aimed to describe lived experiences regarding group-based CFT based on the perspectives of a sample of adolescent girls who were recruited from a child and adolescent psychiatric outpatient clinic in Sweden. In-depth interviews were conducted with six girls, aged 15 to 17, using a reflective lifeworld research approach. The results showed that participating in group-based CFT meansgaining the courage to see and accept oneself through meeting with peers who are experiencing similar difficulties. When sharing experiences in a group, new perspectives and an acknowledgement that mental and emotional struggle are normal arise, and a sense of inner peace and belonging emerges. Instead of hiding from society, it is possible to participate in everyday life, ask for help, and asserting oneself. CFT can provide a promising method for empowering young people with mental health problems, helping them feel connected with others, and fostering in them the strength to show their true personalities.
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| 10. |
- Carlsson, Roger, et al.
(författare)
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Linking aberrant pauses during object naming to letter and word decoding speed in elderly with attention complaints
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nordic Psychology. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 1901-2276 .- 1904-0016. ; 75:3, s. 213-226
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Attention deficit and reading difficulty are often comorbid in neuropsychiatric disorders of childhood and adolescence. Although recent research has shown how these two domains may interact in children, knowledge about such interaction in elderly is lacking. The present study tested whether this association is also present in healthy elderly with undiagnosed attention problems. Thirty-two subjects (65+ years) with life-long complaints of attention and with a Mini Mental (MMSE) cutoff of 27 points were tested with MapCog Spectra (MCS), with a word recognition test (Word Chains test) and CANTAB subtests of attention. All tests were presented on a tablet, except for the Word Chains test. The participants mean MMSE score was 29 points and their mean age was 71.5 years. Strong correlations were seen between the Word Chains test and the MCS, suggesting that a high number of aberrantly long pauses during serial naming was associated with fewer identifications of letters, words and sentences. The number of aberrant pauses was also associated with slower Reaction Time and a lower score on the Attention Shifting task of the CANTAB. The results were not associated with either gender or general intelligence. This study shows that attention is linked to decoding speed irrespective of intelligence and gender. We therefore suggest that a clinical assessment of attention deficit should also include an assessment of decoding ability, and vice versa, as these cognitive functions are strongly interdependent.
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