Assessing the Believability of Standardized Patients Trained to Portray Communication Disorders.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the believability of standardized patients portraying individuals with communication disorders as part of a larger study in which standardized patients help train medical and allied health students about communication disorders.

Method: Two women portrayed persons with aphasia, and 2 men depicted persons with dysarthria associated with Parkinson's disease. Two stakeholder groups rated believability.

Employer Reactions to Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia: Exploring the Influence of Symptom Severity and Disclosure of Diagnosis During a Simulated Telephone Interview.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of symptom severity and disclosure of adductor spasmodic dysphonia (ADSD) on the perceptions of human resource personnel members (HRPs) during a simulated phone interview.

Method: One female speaker with ADSD was recorded reading an interview script at two time points: (a) pre-BOTOX injection (severe), and (b) post-BOTOX injection (mild). Thirty-two HRPs evaluated the recording in one of the two conditions via a qualitative structured interview.