Education
- Ph.D., Speech-Language Pathology, Indiana University, 1995
- M.A., Speech-Language Pathology, Indiana University, 1990
- B.A., Linguistics, University of Iowa
Publications
- Balthazar, C. H. (2003). Getting started with your single subject study: A guide for speech-language pathologists. University Park, IL: Author.
- Balthazar, C. H. (2003). Preparing a professional presentation. University Park, IL: Author.
- Balthazar, C. H. (2003). The word length effect in children with language impairment. Journal of Communication Disorders, 36, 487-505.
- Balthazar, C. (2003, July). Common problems with standardized tests – and how to cope with them. Perspectives on School-Based Issues, 4 (2) 17-18.
- Balthazar, C. H. (2003, August). Common problems with standardized tests – and how to cope with them. ishail.org: The Newsletter of the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 28 (6), 10-11.
- Balthazar, C. H. & Scott, C. (2007). Syntax-morphology. In: A. G. Kamhi, J. J. Masterson, & K. Apel (Eds.), Clinical Decision Making in Developmental Language Disorders. Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing.
- Gillam, R., and Balthazar, C. (2003). Evidence-based practice and evaluating diagnostic procedures: An example. ishail.org: The Newsletter of the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 28 (5), 14-15.
- Hanson, C. A. (1995). An examination of the word-length effect in children with specific language impairment. Doctoral dissertation. Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.
- Hanson, C. (1990). Metalinguistic skills in normal and linguistically impaired preschoolers. Unpublished thesis. Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.
Honors
- Faculty Excellence Award, Governors State University, 2007
- Advancing Academic Research Careers Award, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association 2004
- Professional Development Award, Governors State University 2003
- Professional Development Award, Governors State University 1995
- Full Scholarship, Indiana University 8-87 to 7-93
Presentations
- Balthazar, C. H. (2005). How to read a test manual: Selective, purposeful evaluation for applicability, clinical validity, and psychometric quality. Invited lecture, Rush University, Chicago, IL.
- Balthazar, C. H. (2005, February). Evidence for subtypes of childhood language disorders.
Presented at the 45th Annual Convention of the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Rosemont, IL. - Balthazar, C. H. (2004, November). Classification accuracy of 31 articulation and language tests
for children. Poster presented at the Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Philadelphia, PA. - Balthazar, C. H. (2003). The role of the speech-language pathologist in educating students with severe and profound disabilities. Northern Illinois University, Naperville, IL.
- Balthazar, C. H. (2003, February). Good speech and language tests for children. Presented at the 43rd Annual Convention of the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Arlington Heights, IL.
- Balthazar, C. H. (2003, October). Good speech and language tests for children. Invited presentation to the 2003 Annual Convention of the Iowa Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Des Moines, IA.
- Balthazar, C. H. (2003, December). Evidence based practice and evaluating diagnostic procedures. Northern Illinois University, Naperville, IL.
- Balthazar, C. H. (2002). Special populations. Northern Illinois University, Naperville, IL.
- Balthazar, C. H. (1999). Working with special populations. Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL.
- Balthazar, C. H. (1997). Intervention for autism and PDD. Invited lecture for Cheney Public School District, Cheney, WA.
- Balthazar, C. H. (1997). Treatment of language and learning disorders: Tallal's computer-based approach to treating temporal processing deficits. Invited lecture sponsored by University Programs in Communication Disorders, the Washington Speech and Hearing Association, and St. Luke's Rehabilitation Institute, Spokane, WA.
- Balthazar, C. H. (1995, May). The word-length effect on short-term recall of normally-developing children. Presented at the annual Symposium for Research in Child Language Disorders, Madison, WI.
- Balthazar, C. H. (1994, November). Short-term memory effects in language-impaired children. Presented at the annual convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, New Orleans, LA.
- Balthazar, C. H. & Kempster, G. (1994). Demystifying facilitated communication: Using treatment controversies to teach critical thinking. Presentation, Governors State University, University Park, IL.
- Fazio, B., Naremore, R., Connell, P., and Hanson, C. (1992, November). Redefining specific language impairment. Presented at the annual convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, San Antonio, TX.
- Hanson, C. (1991). Augmentative and alternative communication. Lecture sponsored by the Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization, Palatine, IL.
- Hanson, C. (1991). Child language development. Lecture sponsored by the Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization, Palatine, IL.
- Hanson, C. (1991, April). Metalinguistic skills in preschoolers. Presented at the annual convention of the Indiana Speech and Hearing Association, Indianapolis, IN.
- Hanson, C., and Elbert, M. (1990, November). Theory and practice in current phonological remediation. Presented at the 1990 Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, St. Louis, MO.
- Hanson, C. (1990). Augmentative and alternative communication. Teacher seminar at Samuel Kirk School, Palatine, IL.
- Hanson, C. (1989, April). Case study of misarticulated vowels. Presented at the annual convention of the Indiana Speech and Hearing Association, Nashville, IN.
- Lubinsky, J. & Balthazar, C. (2005, November). Student self-assessment and follow-up to facilitate meeting certification learning outcomes. Poster presentation at the convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, San Diego, CA.
- Shapiro, H. A., and Balthazar, C.H. (2004, February). A study of treatment effectiveness for two children learning reading skills. Presented at the 44th Annual Convention of the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Arlington Heights, IL.
- Stawarz, E. and Balthazar, C. H. (2003, November). Generalization of PECS requests across items and phases. Poster presentation at the 2003 ASHA Convention, Chicago, IL.
Research
- School-age language disorders and syntactic intervention
- Application of single-subject experimental designs to clinical research
Service
- Vice-President for Professional Relations, Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association 9-06
- Editor, Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association Newsletter 2-02 to present
- Chair, Publications Committee, Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association Newsletter 2-02 to present
- Reviewer, Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 11-03 to present
- Co-Chair, College of Health Professions Academic Affairs Committee, Governors State University 8-03 to present
- Volunteer, Alumni Phonathon, Governors State University 4-03
- Judge, Chicago Public Schools Student Science Fair Special Awards (ISHA) 3-03
- Session Chair, ISHA Convention 2-03
- Member, College of Health Professions Academic Affairs Committee, Governors State UniversityAY 2002-2003
- Member, Speech-Language Pathology Content Advisory Committee Illinois State Board of education and National Evaluation Systems, Inc. 12-02
- Co-Chair, College of Health Professions Recognition Banquet Committee, Governors State University 2002-present
- Member, Communication Disorders Program Curriculum Committee, Governors State UniversityAY 2001-2002
- Member, Communication Disorders Program Strategic Planning Committee, Governors State University AY 2001-2002
- Member, Health Fair Feasibility Committee, Governors State University AY 2001-2002
- Member, College of Health Professions Recognition Banquet Committee, Governors State University AY 2001-2002
- Faculty Advisor, National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association, EWU Chapter 8-95 to 8-97
- Representative, Eastern Washington University Faculty Organization 8-95 to 8-97
- Founding Member, Chair, Spokane Area Support Group for Parents of Children with Autism/PDD 1997
- Faculty Mentor, Governors State University Minority Student Mentoring Program AY 1994-1995
- Member, Image Policy Committee, Governors State University AY 1994-1995
- Representative, Governors State University Faculty Organization AY 1994-1995
- Session Chair, Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association 11-94
Professional Memberships
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
- Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association
- ASHA Special Interest Division 1: Language and Learning
- ASHA Special Interest Division 10: Issues in Higher Education
Current Projects
Building Sentence Complexity: An intervention study for school-age children with oral and written language disorders- November, 2009–December, 2010
- PIs: Catherine Balthazar (GSU) and Cheryl Scott (RUMC)
- This research is funded by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation through its Clinical Research Grant program.
Helping Students with Language Disorders Learn More Complex Language SkillsStudents with language impairments and learning disabilities account for more than 60% of all students served under IDEA Part B in schools. Reduced levels of comprehension and production of complex sentences is well documented in the population of older children and adolescents with primary language impairment, as is the impact of oral language deficits on later literacy outcomes. Students with a documented language or learning disability, ages 10 to 16, may be eligible for inclusion in the study if they have normal hearing, can read, and have difficulty in any of the following areas: - Reading comprehension
- Writing
- Following verbal instructions
- Verbal expression
Our early work suggests that, given our treatment program, students have improved their ability to identify, create, and understand complex sentences, and in some cases, more general measures of language and reading have also improved: Building Complex Sentences Poster Presentation Building Complex Sentences: An Intervention Feasibility Study for School-Age Children with Oral and Written Language Disorders The investigations described below involve treatment for specific higher-level language skills in older school-age students, addressing the scarcity of controlled research in this area. Building Sentence Complexity: An intervention study for school-age children with oral and written language disordersA diminished ability to comprehend and produce complex (multi-clausal) sentences is a core feature of language impairment in older children and adolescents. Complex sentences are also prominent in all forms of school (academic) language and a lack of fluency with these types of sentences can impact listening and reading comprehension as well as speaking and writing productivity and accuracy. In spite of the central role of complex sentences in language impairment and higher-level spoken and written language, intervention studies are scarce. The Building Sentence Complexity project will measure the effect of key treatment procedures for improving comprehension and production of complex sentences. Ten children with primary language impairment will be taught three types of complex sentences through an intervention approach that incorporates both explicit and implicit teaching strategies and targets increased fluency in comprehending and producing complex sentences. On-site speech-language pathologists trained by the project investigators will deliver the treatment. Performance on broad-based language assessments will be compared pre- and post-treatment, and performance on specific structures being taught will be assessed periodically. Specific aims include: - Documenting the size and scope of the treatment effects (e.g., whether treatment effects are seen in written as well as spoken modalities).
- Exploring relationships between treatment effects and sentence complexity subtype (adverbial, relative, and object complement types of multi-clausal sentences).
- Exploring relationships between treatment effects and language/learning parameters of participants.
- Examining sustainability of treatment effects over time.
Status as of July 2010Actively recruiting speech-language pathologists and participants aged 10-16 for Fall 2010 treatment. Contact c-balthazar@govst.edu for information.
Building Complex Language: Effects of Treatment and Dosage on the Comprehension and Production of Complex Sentences in Oral and Written Modalities for School-Age Students with Language Impairments- July, 2010–June, 2013
- PIs: Catherine Balthazar (GSU) and Cheryl Scott (RUMC)
- This research is funded by NIDCD Grant #1R15011165-01.
The Building Complex Language project will examine outcomes of a treatment intervention designed to increase functional use of complex (multi-clausal) sentences in school-age students with primary language impairments that impact literacy and academic achievement. Specific objectives are to: - Document effect size and scope across modalities and measurements.
- Document the effect of treatment intensity (dosage).
- Examine the relationship between specific language targets and outcomes.
- Describe relationships between treatment outcomes and participant variables.
Ten participants per year over three years will complete the treatment, randomly assigned to one of two levels of treatment intensity. This study targets school-age students with a Speech-Language Impairment and/or a Specific Learning Disability between the ages of 10 and 14 who are receiving services from a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) for one or more higher-level language behaviors. It is expected that participants will demonstrate higher levels of fluency with complex sentences compared with pretreatment baseline levels and that treatment effects will be reflected in several modalities and in naturalistic language contexts. Status as of July 2010Actively recruiting speech-language pathologists and participants aged 10-14 for AY 2010–2011 treatment. Contact c-balthazar@govst.edu for information.
Related Publications and Presentations- Scott, C.M., and Balthazar, C.H. (in press). The grammar of information: Challenges for older students with language impairments. Topics in Language Disorders.
- Balthazar, C. H. (2010, April). Brown’s stages and beyond: Grammatical intervention for children with or at-risk for language and language-related learning disabilities. Invited presentation for Therapy Care, Incorporated inservice for speech-language pathologists, Warrenville, IL.
- Balthazar, C. H. (2010, January). Improving academic language skills: Grammar for middle and
high school students. Invited presentation for Chicago Public Schools continuing education inservice for speech-language professionals. - Building complex sentences: An intervention feasibility study for school-age children with oral and written language disorders. Poster presented at the Symposium for Research in Child Language Disorders, Madison, WI.
- Scott, C. M., and Balthazar, C.H. (2008, November). Building sentence complexity: Evidence-based approaches with school-age children and adolescents. Presented at the Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Chicago, IL.
- Scott, C. M., and Balthazar, C.H. (2009, June). Building complex sentences: An intervention feasibility study for school-age children with oral and written language disorders. Poster presented at the Symposium for Research in Child Language Disorders, Madison, WI.
- Balthazar, C. H., and Scott, C. (2007). Intervention for Syntax and Morphology. In Kamhi, A. G., Masterson, J. J., and Apel, K. (Eds.) Clinical Decision Making in Developmental Language Disorders. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
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