Contemporary Research in Disability and Rehabilitation

This issue contains two articles. In the first article, Motivators and Factors for Career Decision-Making in Speech Language Pathology Students, Dr. Ruth Crutchfield and colleagues present original research on the motivators and factors contributing to the career decision-making process of 106 graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in a Communication Sciences and Disorders (COMD) program.   Survey results via descriptive statistics indicated that most COMD students were motivated to resolve difficult situations, help others, and to view situations holistically. Interestingly, findings indicate that the majority of students preferred and were motivated to learn more efficiently with visual and hands-on training. In addition, student organizations were found to play an important role in motivating students to explore their chosen career path.

In the second article, Embodiment in Early Development: Exploring the Relationships between Sensorimotor Skills, Gesture, and Language, Dr. Jessica Stewart and colleagues report findings from a study they conducted examining the relationship between sensorimotor abilities, gesture, and language in a sample of 54 infants and toddlers with typical developmental histories ages 9 to 15 months. Researchers administered the Mullen’s Scale of Early Learning (MSEL), as well as obtained and coded two gesture samples from each participant. Sensorimotor skills were found related to gesture and expressive language, but not to receptive language. Regression analysis also revealed that visual reception was most highly related to gesture, whereas gross motor skills were found most highly related to expressive language. As these skills play a key role in typical language development, these findings could assist researchers and clinicians in future clinical decision making.