Faculty: Tyson Harmon

Tyson Harmon

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Title

Assistant Professor

Department:

ComD

Contact Information

Office: 127 TLRB

Phone: 801-422-1251

Email: nope@Tyson_Harmon@byu.edumsn.com

Website: aphasia.byu.edu

Brief Biography

Tyson Harmon, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Disorders at Brigham Young University. He is also a certified clinician who has worked in both school and hospital settings. Dr. Harmon specializes in the assessment and treatment of adult neurological communication disorders.

Teaching Interests

Introduction to Communication Disorders

Aphasia

Fluency Disorders

Research Interests

Aphasia

Acquired Apraxia of Speech

Effects of cognitive and social demands on communication including the intersection of attention, emotion, and language

Selected Publications

Effects of an interdisciplinary communication partner training program on student learning

Authors: Lin, Mei-Ling; Harmon, Tyson Gordon; Scronce, Gabrielle; Jacks, Adam
Publication Date: 2022

Publication Type: Journal Article, Academic Journal
Publication Journal: Journal of Allied Health
Volume: 51
Issue: 2
Abstract: click to view

Effects of positive and negative emotion on picture naming for people with mild to moderate aphasia: A preliminary investigation

Authors: Harmon, Tyson Gordon; Nielsen, Courtney; Loveridge, Coninne; Williams, Camille
Publication Date: 2022

Publication Type: Journal Article, Academic Journal
Publication Journal: Journal of Speech-Language and Hearing Research
Volume: 64
Issue: 3
Abstract: click to view

Spoken discourse assessment and analysis in aphasia: An international survey of current practices

Authors: Stark, Brielle; Dutta, Manaswita ; Murray, Laura; Bryant, Lucy; Fromm, Davida; Harmon, Tyson Gordon; Ramage, Amy; Roberts, Angela
Publication Date: 2021

Publication Type: Journal Article, Academic Journal
Publication Journal: Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research
Publisher: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Volume: 64
Issue: 11
URL: https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_JSLHR-20-00708
Abstract: click to view

Effects of Background Noise on Speech and Language in Young Adults

Authors: Harmon, Tyson Gordon; Dromey, Christopher David; Nelson, Brenna; Chapman, Kacy
Publication Date: 2021

Publication Type: Journal Article, Academic Journal
Publication Journal: Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research
Publisher: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Volume: 64
Issue: 4
Abstract: click to view

Everyday communication challenges in aphasia: Descriptions of experiences and coping strategies

Authors: Harmon, Tyson Gordon
Publication Date: 2020

Publication Type: Journal Article, Academic Journal
Publication Journal: Aphasiology
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Volume: 34
Issue: 10
Abstract: click to view

Background: Everyday communication often occurs in situations that pose high attentional and social demands. People with aphasia have reported perceiving greater challenge communicating in these situations, but more specific information about these challenges could help clinicians and researchers work toward more meaningful intervention outcomes and increased life participation.
Aims: To explore the everyday communication experiences of people with aphasia based on their own perspectives and to identify how they report coping with everyday communication challenges.
Method: Twenty-one participants with mild or moderate aphasia completed semi-structured interviews that immediately followed the experimental arm of a larger project. Interview questions solicited descriptions and examples of communication experiences from participants’ everyday life that related to the situations they experienced during the experiment (retelling stories to responsive and unresponsive communication partners and while completing a concurrent tone discrimination task). Interviews were recorded, transcribed orthographically, then coded using thematic analysis.
Results: Qualitative analysis revealed two themes related to participants’ communication experiences (i.e., relationships, environmental distractions) and one theme relating to their reactions to challenging everyday communication experiences (i.e., coping). They perceived that they were influenced by their communication partners and the physical environment in which communication took place. Two thirds of participants described implementing behavioral and/or cognitive strategies to cope with everyday communication challenges.
Conclusions: Everyday communication is often challenging for people with aphasia when they feel unsupported by communication partners (even close family members and friends), are exposed to background noise, or are performing a concurrent task. One way that participants coped with challenging communication situations was to regulate their thoughts, attitudes, or beliefs. Future research is needed to understand how to appropriately focus on cognitive strategies in aphasia therapy to improve generalization and social participation.

How responsiveness from a communication partner affects story retell in aphasia: Quantitative and qualitative findings.

Authors: Harmon, Tyson; Jacks, Adam; Haley, Katarina; Bailliard, Antoinne
Publication Date: 2020

Publication Type: Journal Article, Academic Journal
Publication Journal: American Journal of Speech Language Pathology
Publisher: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Volume: 29
Issue: 1
Abstract: click to view

Supporting confidence and participation for people with aphasia through student interaction: A descriptive study on the effects of an interdisciplinary campus program

Authors: Harmon, Tyson; Lin, Mei; Scronce, Gabrielle; Jacks, Adam
Publication Date: 2019

Publication Type: Journal Article, Academic Journal
Publication Journal: Journal of Allied Health
Publisher: Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions
Volume: 48
Issue: 4
Abstract: click to view

Speech fluency in acquired apraxia of speech during narrative discourse: Group comparisons and dual task effects

Authors: Harmon, Tyson; Jacks, Adam; Haley, Katarina
Publication Date: 2019

Publication Type: Journal Article, Academic Journal
Publication Journal: American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
Publisher: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Volume: 28
Issue: 2S
Abstract: click to view

Dual task effects on story retell for participants with moderate, mild, or no aphasia: Quantitative and qualitative findings

Authors: Harmon, Tyson ; Jacks, Adam; Haley, Katarina; Balliard, Antoinne
Publication Date: 2019

Publication Type: Journal Article, Academic Journal
Publication Journal: Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research
Publisher: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Volume: 62
Issue: 6
Abstract: click to view

Life activity choices by people with aphasia: repeated interviews and proxy agreement

Authors: Haley, Katarina; Womack, Jennifer; Harmon, Tyson; McCulloch, Karen; Faldowski, Richard
Publication Date: 2018

Publication Type: Journal Article, Academic Journal
Publication Journal: Aphasiology
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Volume: 33
Issue: 6
ISSN: 02687038
URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/02687038.2018.1506087
Abstract: click to view

Proactive social validation of methods and procedures used for training speech production in aphasia

Authors: Harmon, Tyson; Hardy, Lucy; Haley, Katarina
Publication Date: 2018

Publication Type: Journal Article, Academic Journal
Publication Journal: Aphasiology
Volume: 32
Issue: 8
ISSN: 02687038
URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/02687038.2017.1385051
Abstract: click to view

Recovering with acquired apraxia of speech: The first 2 years

Authors: Haley, Katarina; Shafer, Jennifer; Harmon, Tyson; Jacks, Adam
Publication Date: 2016

Publication Type: Journal Article, Academic Journal
Publication Journal: American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
Volume: 25
Issue: 4
ISSN: 10580360
URL: https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2016_AJSLP-15-0143

Listener perceptions of simulated fluent speech in nonfluent aphasia

Authors: Harmon, Tyson; Jacks, Adam; Haley, Katarina; Faldowski, Richard
Publication Date: 2016

Publication Type: Journal Article, Academic Journal
Publication Journal: Aphasiology
Volume: 30
Issue: 8
ISSN: 02687038
URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02687038.2015.1077925?journalCode=paph20

Visual analog rating of mood by people with aphasia

Authors: Haley, Katarina; Womack, Jennifer; Harmon, Tyson; Williams, Sharon
Publication Date: 2015

Publication Type: Journal Article, Academic Journal
Publication Journal: Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation
Volume: 22
Issue: 4
ISSN: 10749357
URL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26258449

Effects of cognitive and social demands on linguistic production for people with moderate, mild, or no aphasia.

Authors: Harmon, Tyson Gordon; McDonald, Emily; Steele, Kyle

Publication Type: Journal Article, Academic Journal
Publication Journal: Aphasiology
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Abstract: click to view

Background: Most everyday communication occurs in situations where cognitive and social demands are present. These types of situations may compound language deficits for people with aphasia (PWA). An understanding of the language interference that may occur from cognitive and social demands is an important precursor for assessment and intervention that addresses everyday communication situations.
Aims: To determine how cognitively and socially demanding con-ditions affect micro- and macrolinguistic production for people with moderate, mild, or no aphasia during narrative discourse and to compare effects among groups.
Method: Thirty participants with mild (n = 9), moderate (n = 9), or no (n = 12) aphasia completed story-retell tasks in three separate conditions: baseline, unresponsive partner, and dual-task. The stor-ies and conditions were pseudorandomly presented for each parti-cipant. A secondary analysis investigated lexical, morphosyntactic, and macrolinguistic production.
Results: As expected, when compared with baseline, the dual-task condition interfered more with language production than the unre-sponsive partner condition for all participant groups. Interference on distinct aspects of language production for each participant group, however, was not anticipated. This interference was char-acterized by significant dual-task costs on (a) macrolinguistic pro-duction for participants with moderate aphasia, (b) word productivity and lexical diversity for participants with mild aphasia, and (c) lexical-phonological errors for participants with no aphasia. When compared with baseline, the unresponsive partner led to numerical interference on the same measure and group combina-tions as the dual-task, but these changes were not statistically significant.
Conclusions: Cognitive and social demands have different effects on language depending on the presence and severity of aphasia with cognitive demands impacting discourse-level structures for participants with moderate aphasia, lexical-level structures for par-ticipants with mild aphasia, and lexical-phonological errors for participants with no aphasia. Future research should identify how these demands could be integrated with assessment and treatment for PWA to help improve everyday communication participation.

Physiological arousal, attentiveness, emotion, and word retrieval in aphasia: Effects and relationships

Authors: Harmon, Tyson Gordon; Johnson, Angie; Ward, Vivian; Nissen, Shawn

Publication Type: Journal Article, Academic Journal
Publication Journal: American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
Publisher: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Telling Stories in Noise: The Impact of Background Noises on Spoken Language for People with Aphasia

Authors: Nelson, Brenna; Harmon, Tyson Gordon; Dromey, Christopher; Clawson, Kirsten

Publication Type: Journal Article, Academic Journal
Publication Journal: American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
Publisher: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association