Component Parts Working Together Philosophically, Dr. Hooks believes that the complexity of language problems emerges as one probes for answers from the bottom down—that is, probing backwards for a solution—at the likely source of the problem. As such, effective diagnosis and treatment become clearer with the recognition of a multidimensional process. Therefore, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Dr. Hooks has developed and practiced a holistic approach that he has termed AMASS. The acronym is functional and descriptive, insofar that an individual who has experienced a delay or loss of selected language skills may need to gather and store new skills for effective communication. However, typical speech therapy has not included visual and auditory speech perception and integrated treatment with functional myofunctional oral motor planning. As such, there are five components to AMASS diagnosis and intervention that may include varying emphases of (1) Auditory perception and associated skills, (2) Motor development and synergistic coordination for tactile feedback and coherence (lips, tongue, soft palate, buccal cheeks, jaw, and breathing mechanism), (3) Academic enrichment (reading, mathematics, written language expression, science, and pattern recognition), (4) Self-esteem to address psycho-social components of overall well-being. (5) Social-emotional learning—that is to facilitate the understanding strategies and skills, which promote respectful relationships and management of their own emotions. OtoLing has been structured with a hypothesis-driven approach to investigate individual communication problems with evidence-based solutions. The foundational elements for the design have been derived from interactions among auditory, somatosensory (tactile sense), and visual processes. An integrative approach has been essential to certain diagnoses that may not appear directly related to certain problems—for apraxia and interactions among visual, auditory, and motor systems. Additionally, evaluations have been guided by empirical brain and neural circuits from empirical research. Accordingly, insight has been gained from a neuroscience perspective. Connectionist modeling and ecological schools of thought have proposed that mental events such as language should be considered in holistic terms rather than discrete brain processes (Morris, 1998 and Smolensky, 1988). Taken together, analyses have been written to characterize strengths, needs, rationale, and recommended strategies for immediate and long-term concerns regarding component parts working together. Theory, Preparation, and Practice Several theories have prevailed and remained relevant over many decades—for example, Dr. Albert Einstein’s Special Relativity Theory (1905). Principles within this theory remain relevant today, and provide a foundation across the sciences and in everyday life. In a similar manner, selected diagnostic strategies and clinical impressions have been supported by several established theories including the Filter Theory of Auditory Attention (Broadbent, 1958), the Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky, 1978), The Motor Theory of Speech Perception (Liberman & Mattingly, 1985), and the Ecological Model of Child Development (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). Selected theories have been applicable to pediatric and/or adult cases. At the same time, the classic language model (Geschwind, 1979; Geschwind & Behand, 1982) has provided an incomplete explanation. Accordingly, Tremblay & Dick (2016) reported that modern and updated neuroscience techniques have shown connectivity among several systems (i.e., visual, auditory, somatosensory, and motor systems). Tract tracing, electrophysiology, and other research techniques have shown that specific neurons (nerve cells) appear to form circuits related to silent reading and auditory images (Bertolotti et al., 2012). This means that some aspects of auditory language processing may also be influenced by linguistic, visual, and oral motor constraints. In another vein, timing cues have been exceedingly important for the processing of language (Berry, 1969 and Broadbent, 1958), and more recently, consistent with synchronous neural coding (Sejnowski & Delbruck, 2012). In this context, it has become clear that current trends have been supported by established theoretical constructs that allow us to solve problems related to the processing of spoken language. To the extent that recent research has emerged to “bridge” time-honored theories to modern techniques, a need for holistic thought has been essential to treating complex neural problems. References Berry, M. F. (1969). Language disorders of children: The bases and diagnoses. NY: Appleton Century Crofts. Bertolotti,M. P., Kujala, J., Vidal, J. R., Carlos M. H., Ossandon, T., Bertrand, O., Minotti, L. Kahane, P., Jerbi, K., and Lachaux, J. (2012). How silent is silent reading? Intracerebral evidence for top-down activation of temporal voice areas during reading. Journal of Neuroscience 32(49) 17554-17562. Broadbent, D. E. (1958). Perception and communication. London: Pergamon. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979).The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Geschwind, N. (1979). Specializations of the brain. Scientific American (pp. 189-199). Geschwind, N. and Behan, P. (1982). Left-handedness: Associations with immune disease, migraine, and developmental learning disorder. Proceedings of the National of Sciences of the United States of America, 79, 5097-5100. Liberman, A. M. and Mattingly, I. G. (1985). The motor theory of speech perception revised. Cognition. 21(1) 1-36. Morris, P. A. (1998). The ecology of developmental processes In W. Damon & R.M. Lerner (Eds), Handbook of Child Psychology: Vol 1: Theoretical Models of Human Development (pp. 993- 1028). New York: Wiley. Sejnowski, T. and Delbruck, T. (2012). The language of the brain. Scientific American (4) 307 54-59. Smolensky, P. (1988). On the proper treatment of connectionism. Behavioral & Brain Sciences, 11(1), 1-74. Tremblay, P. & Dick, S. T. (2016). Broca and Wernicke are dead, or moving past the classic model of language neurobiology. Brain and Language 162, 60-71. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Inspired To Attain A High Standard “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone...” John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States of America Rice University 12 September 1962

Auditory and Speech-Language Services

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

Component Parts Working Together

Philosophically, Dr. Hooks believes that the complexity of language problems emerges as one probes for answers from the bottom down—that is, probing backwards for a solution—at the likely source of the problem. As such, effective diagnosis and treatment become clearer with the recognition of a multidimensional process. Therefore, the whole is greaterthan the sum of its parts.

Dr. Hooks has developed and practiced a holistic approach that he has termed AMASS. The acronym is functional and descriptive, insofar that an individual who has experienced a delay or loss of selected language skills may need to gather and store new skills for effective communication. However, typical speech therapy has not included visual and auditory speech perception and integrated treatment with functional myofunctional oral motor planning.

As such, there are five components to AMASS diagnosis and intervention that may include varying emphases of (1) Auditory perception and associated skills, (2) Motor development and synergistic coordination for tactile feedback and coherence (lips, tongue, soft palate, buccal cheeks, jaw, and breathing mechanism), (3) Academic enrichment (reading, mathematics, written language expression, science, and pattern recognition), (4) Self-esteem to address psycho-social components of overall well-being. (5) Social-emotional learning—that is to facilitate the understanding strategies and skills, which promote respectful relationships and management of their own emotions.

OtoLing has been structured with a hypothesis-driven approach to investigate individual communication problems with evidence-based solutions. The foundational elements for the design have been derived from interactions among auditory, somatosensory (tactile sense), and visual processes. An integrative approach has been essential to certain diagnoses that may not appear directly related to certain problems—for apraxia and interactions among visual, auditory, and motor systems.

Additionally, evaluations have been guided by empirical brain and neural circuits from empirical research. Accordingly, insight has been gained from a neuroscience perspective. Connectionist modeling and ecological schools of thought have proposed that mental events such as language should be considered in holistic terms rather than discrete brain processes (Morris, 1998 and Smolensky, 1988).

Taken together, analyses have been written to characterize strengths, needs, rationale, and recommended strategies for immediate and long-term concerns regarding component parts working together.

Theory, Preparation, and Practice

Several theories have prevailed and remained relevant over many decades—for example, Dr. Albert Einstein’s Special Relativity Theory (1905). Principles within this theory remain relevant today, and provide a foundation across the sciences and in everyday life.

In a similar manner, selected diagnostic strategies and clinical impressions have been supported by several established theories including the Filter Theory of Auditory Attention (Broadbent, 1958), the

Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky, 1978), The Motor Theory of Speech Perception

(Liberman & Mattingly, 1985), and the Ecological Model of Child Development (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). Selected theories have been applicable to pediatric and/or adult cases.

At the same time, the classic language model (Geschwind, 1979; Geschwind & Behand, 1982) has provided an incomplete explanation. Accordingly, Tremblay & Dick (2016) reported that modern and updated neuroscience techniques have shown connectivity among several systems (i.e., visual, auditory, somatosensory, and motor systems). Tract tracing, electrophysiology, and other research techniques have shown that specific neurons (nerve cells) appear to form circuits related to silent reading and auditory images (Bertolotti et al., 2012). This means that some aspects of auditory language processing may also be influenced by linguistic, visual, and oral motor constraints.

In another vein, timing cues have been exceedingly important for the processing of language (Berry, 1969 and Broadbent, 1958), and more recently, consistent with synchronous neural coding (Sejnowski & Delbruck, 2012). In this context, it has become clear that current trends have been supported by established theoretical constructs that allow us to solve problems related to the processing of spoken language.

To the extent that recent research has emerged to “bridge” time-honored theories to modern techniques, a need for holistic thought has been essential to treating complex neural problems.

References

Berry, M. F. (1969). Language disorders of children: The bases and diagnoses. NY: Appleton

Century Crofts.

Bertolotti,M. P., Kujala, J., Vidal, J. R., Carlos M. H., Ossandon, T., Bertrand, O., Minotti, L. Kahane, P.,

Jerbi, K., and Lachaux, J. (2012). How silent is silent reading? Intracerebral evidence for top-down

activation of temporal voice areas during reading. Journal of Neuroscience 32(49) 17554-17562.

Broadbent, D. E. (1958). Perception and communication. London: Pergamon.

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979).The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design.

Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Geschwind, N. (1979). Specializations of the brain. Scientific American (pp. 189-199).

Geschwind, N. and Behan, P. (1982). Left-handedness: Associations with immune disease, migraine, and

developmental learning disorder. Proceedings of the National of Sciences of the United States of

America, 79, 5097-5100.

Liberman, A. M. and Mattingly, I. G. (1985). The motor theory of speech perception revised. Cognition. 21(1)

1-36.

Morris, P. A. (1998). The ecology of developmental processes In W. Damon & R.M. Lerner (Eds),

Handbook of Child Psychology: Vol 1: Theoretical Models of Human Development (pp. 993- 1028). New

York: Wiley.

Sejnowski, T. and Delbruck, T. (2012). The language of the brain. Scientific American (4) 307

54-59.

Smolensky, P. (1988). On the proper treatment of connectionism. Behavioral & Brain Sciences, 11(1), 1-74.

Tremblay, P. & Dick, S. T. (2016). Broca and Wernicke are dead, or moving past the classic model of

language neurobiology. Brain and Language 162, 60-71.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA:

Harvard University Press.

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Inspired To Attain A High Standard

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone...”

John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States of America

Rice University 12 September 1962

Robert B. Laughlin, Ph.D.

1998 Nobel Laureate in Physics