Smoking is a serious public health problem, as smoking and passive exposure to tobacco smoke are important risk factors for global morbidity and mortality. It also negatively affects the structure and functionality of the sensory-motor-oral system, disrupting key functions such as breathing, phonation, chewing and swallowing. Therefore, the aim of this research is to investigate the influence of cigarette consumption on olfactory function and compensatory muscle movements during the oral phase of swallowing. 80 respondents participated in the research (40 smokers and 40 respondents who did not consume tobacco products). The research procedure included examination and analysis of the subject's olfactory ability in the form of recognition of presented smells. The compensatory movements of the lip muscles - musculus mentalis and musculus orbicularis oris - were evaluated. The research results showed that smokers have a weak ability of olfactory perception compared to non-smokers, which implies the occurrence of muscle compensation during swallowing.

The aim of this research was to examine the current state of speech therapy work in the context of bilingualism in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a special emphasis on diagnostic techniques, assessment measures for bilingual speakers, and the preparedness of speech therapists for such assessments. The research was conducted through a survey entitled "The State of Speech Therapy Practice in the Context of Bilingualism in Bosnia and Herzegovina", which was answered by 61 speech therapists from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The results show that speech therapists most often rely on interviews with family members to collect information about the language abilities of bilingual individuals, while informal assessment of both languages is the dominant assessment measure. The most common problem in working with bilingual speakers is the lack of developmental norms and standardized assessment measures for other languages. The results obtained indicate the need for further professional development of speech therapists, as well as the necessity of improving diagnostic approaches and treatments in order to characterize speech therapy practice in this specific context.Keywords:bilingualism, diagnostic techniques, professional readiness, speech therapists.

Social communication plays a crucial role in children’s social, emotional, and academic functioning, while difficulties in this domain may result in long-term developmental consequences. Increasing attention in contemporary research has been directed toward the role of biological risk factors in the development of social communication disorder, particularly those present during the prenatal, perinatal, and early postnatal periods. The study initially included 200 primary school students of both sexes, within which participants with social communication disorder were identified and constituted the experimental group. The aim of this study was to determine the presence and frequency of biological risk factors in children with social communication disorder, to examine differences between children with and without social communication disorder in relation to selected biological indicators, and to explore their association with the occurrence of the disorder. The research was conducted on a sample of 60 primary school students aged 7 to 11 years, including 30 children with social communication disorder and 30 children without the disorder. The criterion for forming the experimental and control groups was performance on a standardized test for the assessment of social communication. Data on biological risk factors were collected using a specially designed questionnaire completed by parents, encompassing prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal variables. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods, with the level of statistical significance set at p < 0.05. The results showed that social communication disorder was statistically significantly more prevalent among boys. Children with social communication disorder were more frequently bornprematurely, had lower Apgar scores, deviations in birth weight, shorter duration of breastfeeding, and a higher frequency of prenatal complications and maternal medication use during pregnancy. No statistically significant differences between groups werefound with regard to mode of delivery, postnatal hospitalization, or the presence of diagnosed illnesses. The obtained findings confirm the significant role of biological risk factors in the development of social communication disorder and highlight the need for early identification of children exposed to biological risks, as well as the planning of timely and targeted early intervention.Key words: social communication disorder; biological risk factors; prenatal and perinatal factors; children; early development

The “burnout” syndrome is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It is also referred to as a disease of themodern age. It most commonly occurs after an individual experiences emotional exhaustion and an inability to meet constant demands, leading to a loss of interest and motivation in their work. The profession of a speech and language therapist is considereda helping profession that can lead to burnout syndrome. The main aim of this research was to examine the level of professional burnout in speech and language therapy practice. The sample consisted of 69 speech and language therapists of both genders, employed in various institutions. The results showed that 31 therapists (44.8%) exhibited varying degrees of professional burnout, ranging from mild burnout to burnout requiring professional assistance, while 38 therapists (55.1%) showed no signs of professional burnout. No statistically significant difference in the level of professional burnout was found in relation to the gender of the therapists, but a statistically significant difference was found in relation to the age of the therapists. The results indicated that there is no difference in the level of professional burnout in relation to years of service, nor a statistically significant correlation between the level of professional burnout and the type of institution where the therapists are employed, working hours during the week, or the number of treatments conducted during the working day. Taking care of the mental health of speech and language therapists is a very important factor that contributes to the quality and efficiency of conducting speech and language prevention, assessment, diagnostics, and treatment. Keywords:burnout syndrome, speech and language therapists, speech and language therapy practice, mental health.

The objective of this research was to investigate impulsivity among children with dyslexia and comorbid dyslexia/ADHD. Children with these disorders, along with a non-ADHD/dyslexia sample, completed a self-report on impulsivity. Additionally, a specific impulsivity scale was completed by the children's parents and teachers. The analysis revealed a main effect for groups, indicating that children with dyslexia and comorbid dyslexia/ADHD reported more symptoms of impulsivity than normally achieving children. Furthermore, differences were identified between children with dyslexia and those in the comorbid dyslexia/ADHD group. Specifically, children with comorbid dyslexia/ADHD exhibited more impulsive behavior than children with dyslexia alone. Notably, there was a high level of consensus in ratingsof impulsivity between children and their teachers and parents.Keywords:dyslexia, ADHD, impulsivity

Introduction. A newly discovered SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes an infectious disease called Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread around the world. Objectives. The study aims to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on speech-language pathologists (SLPs) clinical service delivery. Accordingly, this study aims to determine which modifications were used in the provision of speech-language pathology (SLP) services and which procedures were used by SLPs in their clinical practice in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) during the third pandemic wave. The second aim of the study was to analyze how many SLPs from B&H used telepractice and what are the barriers to performing this type of work. Methods. The study included 107 SLPs, who voluntarily joined the survey, after sending the questionnaire directly to the e-mail or placing the questionnaire in online SLPs groups. The survey comprised questions to assess participants' demographics, personal protective equipment, procedures, provision of telepractice, and barriers and limitations to telepractice implementation. Results. Results showed that 93.4% of SLPs reported they use measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic. Only 28% of SLPs used telepractice in their work, which is a very low rate. The majority of SLPs (59.2%) reported that they did not receive the appropriate education about using telepractice. Conclusion. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a change in service delivery by SLPs requiring them to modify their work or to provide services through telepractice.

The main objective of the study was to determine the developmental abilities of preschool children before and after six months of speech therapy treatment, and to examine the impact of the time of initiation of speech therapy treatment on the developmental abilities of children. The sample consisted of 35 children (20 male children and 15 female children), and all respondents reported early intervention due to speech and language difficulties. The age of the respondents ranged from 25 to 60 months. After conducting interviews with parents, taking anamnestic data, professional speech therapy diagnosticobservational procedure and determining speech-language disorders, the children underwent speech therapy treatment. After six months, a final assessment was made and the results showed statistically significant progress in all variables describing developmental abilities in children. The predictor “Time of treatment initiation” also had a statistically significant impact on all tested variables of developmental abilities of preschool children. The results showed that speech therapy treatment enables significant progress in all developmental areas in children, i.e. that progress in one development area follows the development of other areas.

The main aim of the research was to determine the development of grammar and the use of grammatically complex sentences in stuttering and non-stuttering children, and to determine whether there are differences in the above abilities between these two groups of respondents. The sample of respondents consisted of a total of 64 children aged 56-83 months. Respondents are divided into two groups. The experimental group consisted of 32 stuttering children, of whom 19 were male and 13 female. The control group consisted of 32 children who did not stutter, and who compared with age and gender, were equal with the respondents of the experimental group. The research was conducted in preschools and elementary schools in the area of the Tuzla and Una-Sana Cantons in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The results of the study showed that stuttering children show statistically lower abilities during repetition of sentences, as well as recognition, understanding and use of common morphological forms. However, it is important to point out that children who stutter, regardless of significantly lower results than their fluent speaking peers, have shown above-average grammatical abilities. Also, the results showed that both children who stutter and children who do not stutter in their spontaneous speech use complex sentences.

The main goal of this research was to examine the influence of the educational level and employment of parents on the development of phonological awareness of pupils of first and second primary school grades. The sample of respondents consisted of a total of 70 students whose age ranged from 78 months to 104 months. Observing respondents in relation to gender, 37 were male and 33 were female. The research was conducted in primary schools in the municipalities of Travnik and Novi Travnik in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The obtained results showed that the level of parents' education and the employment of parents influence the development of the phonological awareness of pupils of the first and second grades of primary schools. Namely, phonological awareness was more developed with pupils whose parents were employed and had a higher education level. The obtained results point to the need for professionals to pay more attention to the phonological development of children coming from families of low socioeconomic status. It is very important to timely identify students with difficulties in the development of phonological awareness with the aim of organizing and providing adequate professional assistance. If the student has difficulty in the field of phonological awareness, in that case the mentioned difficulties may also have a negative effect on the learning skills in other areas.