Improvements to the FluCalc program

[Nan Bernstein Ratner]

We are pleased to announce that the newest version of CLAN for Mac, PC and Unix (available at Talkbank.org) now has an option to compute fluency profiles based on either syllables or words. This option is currently available only for English, but we are working to accommodate the 10 other languages for which we support a grammar. FluCalc will continue to run on a word-level basis until we can improve those language utilities. 

CLAN can also now identify monosyllabic whole word repetitions, critical to many assessment paradigms for early stuttering, and a necessary component of the Ambrose & Yairi weighted SLD formula. The formula has been revised to reflect Ambrose and Yairi's original computations whether FluCalc is run in syllable or word mode. This should permit easier use of the score when evaluating if a child fits profile criteria for stuttering.

Both the Clinician's Guide to CLAN and the full CLAN manual have also been revised to show these changes in FluCalc.

An article outlining many of FluencyBank's background, aims and resources is in press at the Journal of Fluency Disorders. https://ac.els-cdn.com/S0094730X17300931/1-s2.0-S0094730X17300931-main.pdf?_tid=91bf8f6f-1c70-4e98-9b93-a9992cf109d9&acdnat=1524259461_9ce883af5a0be97a78a092599098344d

If this link does not work for you, and you would like a copy, please feel free to write either me or Brian MacWhinney (ma...@cmu.edu) privately (please do not respond to all on the list). Please note that the new syllable-based computational component was not yet developed when the article was accepted; we are working with JFD to correct the proof or issue an Erratum.

As always, we welcome suggestions for FluencyBank resources, whether for teaching or research. We are also available to provide a Skype tutorial to you or your working group to assist you in learning how to use FluencyBank tools to improve your clinical, research or teaching. Please also feel free to pass this information on to any of your colleagues who are working in fluency.

Happy weekend to all,

Cordially,

Nan and Brian

Nan Bernstein Ratner, F-, H-ASHA, F-AAAS, ABCLD

Professor

Hearing and Speech Sciences

University of Maryland

0100 Lefrak Hall

College Park, MD 20742

nra...@umd.edu, 301-405-4217

Co-director: FluencyBank (www.fluency.talkbank.org);  http://languagefluency.umd.edu/  

ADVANCE Professor, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences

Director, University of Maryland Autism Research Consortium (UMARC), www.autism.umd.edu

Faculty, Language Science (languagescience.umd..edu), Neuroscience & Cognitive Neuroscience (NACS, nacs.umd.edu), Developmental Science Field Committee

http://hesp.umd.edu/facultyprofile/bernstein%20ratner/nan

My PubMed Bibliography