International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders最新文献

{"title":"Evaluating the effect of a non-linguistic cognitive intervention on functional communication in global aphasia: A case series study.","authors":"Sharon Adjei-Nicol, Carol Sacchett, Suzanne Beeke","doi":"10.1111/1460-6984.13155","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.13155","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Global aphasia is a severe communication disorder affecting all language modalities, commonly caused by stroke. Evidence as to whether the functional communication of people with global aphasia (PwGA) can improve after speech and language therapy (SLT) is limited and conflicting. This is partly because cognition, which is relevant to participation in therapy and implicated in successful functional communication, can be severely impaired in global aphasia. Cognitive treatments that aim to improve functional communication for people with aphasia do exist, but few have been trialled with PwGA and no studies have robustly demonstrated gains.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>This study aimed to explore the effect of a novel non-linguistic cognitive intervention on the functional communication skills of PwGA.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A non-linguistic intervention, developed to target cognitive skills underpinning functional communication, was delivered to six participants three times weekly for up to 6 weeks (depending on the rate of progression through the intervention programme). All participants met the criteria for global aphasia following screening with the Western Aphasia Battery Bedside Record Form. A multiple baseline case series design was employed to investigate changes in functional communication using the American Speech and Hearing Association Functional Assessment of Communication (ASHA-FACS). Secondary outcome measures were auditory comprehension and informal tests of non-verbal cognition. Statistical analyses of change after intervention were performed using the Wilcoxon signed-ranks test and weighted statistics.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Participants completed the intervention programme in an average of nine sessions. Four out of six participants made statistically significant gains in functional communication as measured by communication independence (amount of assistance or prompting required) on the ASHA-FACS. Five of six participants made statistically significant gains in non-verbal semantics, two in non-verbal reasoning and two in auditory comprehension.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings provide preliminary evidence that a non-linguistic cognitive intervention delivered with a dose replicable in clinical practice can improve functional communication and non-verbal cognition in some PwGA. This finding contrasts with much existing evidence suggesting that improvements in global aphasia can be achieved only after intensive or prolonged input over many years.</p><p><strong>What this paper adds: </strong>What is already known on the subject People with global aphasia (PwGA) have the potential to make impairment level gains after intensive or prolonged speech and language therapy (SLT). However, evidence of functional communication gains is limited. Cognition plays an important role in functional communication, particularly the ability to switch to alternative means of communication ","PeriodicalId":49182,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders","volume":"60 1","pages":"e13155"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142966668","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Do you like my voice? Stakeholder perspectives about the acceptability of synthetic child voices in three South African languages.","authors":"Camryn Claire Terblanche, Michelle Pascoe, Michal Harty","doi":"10.1111/1460-6984.13152","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1460-6984.13152","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>There is a global need for synthetic speech development in multiple languages and dialects, as many children who cannot communicate using their natural voice struggle to find synthetic voices on high-technology devices that match their age, social and linguistic background.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To document multiple stakeholders' perspectives surrounding the quality, acceptability and utility of newly created synthetic speech in three under-resourced South African languages, namely South African English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa.</p><p><strong>Methods & procedures: </strong>A mixed methods research design was selected. After the creation of naturalistic synthetic child speech which matched the vocal identity of three children with expressive communication difficulties, those three children answered questions about the quality, acceptability and utility of the synthetic voices using a pictographic three-point scale. A total of 11 adults who are known to the children participated in subjective quality assessments in the form of mean opinion scores, intelligibility tests and focus group discussions.</p><p><strong>Outcomes & results: </strong>Despite the synthetic adult voices appearing more natural, stakeholders were accepting of all the synthetic voices. Although personalization of the voices is important, intelligibility is prioritized and standard dialects are often preferred. When communication partners have adequate training and are willing to model and support children in all environments, children with expressive communication difficulties thrive, but when augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) use is inconsistent, there is reduced vocabulary development and poor system transitioning, and AAC abandonment is greater.</p><p><strong>Conclusions & implications: </strong>This research suggests that stakeholders from low- and middle-income countries are interested in the development of synthetic voices in their home languages. Our research highlights that children would prefer to incorporate these voices on their high-tech devices, and adults would prefer them for their children, learners and/or clients' devices, rather than using British or US English voices.</p><p><strong>What this paper adds: </strong>What is already known on this subject Caregivers, service providers, peers and other communication partners play a substantial role in a child AAC user's early communicative success, and their acceptance of AAC ultimately influences the effectiveness of the intervention. When communication partners advocate and support the inclusion of specific speech-generating devices, AAC applications, and suitable synthetic voices, children are more willing to consistently utilize the technology. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge As literature focusing on stakeholder perspectives from low- and middle-income countries is less common than research from high-income countries, and often lacks input from mu","PeriodicalId":49182,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders","volume":"60 1","pages":"e13152"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11724391/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142966605","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment and management of late radiation-associated dysphagia after treatment for head and neck cancer: A scoping review and survey of UK speech and language therapists.","authors":"Diane Sellstrom, Catherine Haighton, Tracy Finch, James O'Hara, Joanne M Patterson","doi":"10.1111/1460-6984.13154","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1460-6984.13154","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Late side effects of head and neck cancer treatment commonly affect swallowing function. Late radiation-associated dysphagia (late-RAD) often presents years post-treatment when patients have been discharged from their multidisciplinary team. Timely symptom management may provide important physical and emotional support, potentially reducing the overall healthcare burden. Speech and language therapists (SLTs) are key in the assessment and management of dysphagia but there is no current guidance in the late-RAD setting.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>The primary objective was to establish how late-RAD is assessed in both existing literature and by UK SLT. The study also aimed to explore UK SLT approaches to management.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A dual methodology approach was taken. A scoping review (SR) of PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science and Embase databases was conducted between November and December 2022. Eligibility criteria included studies reporting dysphagia outcomes >2 years post-treatment with narrative data synthesis. Also, a survey of SLTs working in the United Kingdom was conducted between November 2023 and February 2024. Respondents were questioned about their current pathways and service provision for patients with late-RAD.</p><p><strong>Main contribution: </strong>The SR included 39 studies. Dysphagia was assessed using three different toxicity grades; five patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and five clinical assessments. Five studies were multidimensional in their approach to data collection, whilst nine used PROMs alone and four used a toxicity grade alone. The survey received 56 responses. Only six respondents reported an existing late effect clinic (all tumour sites) in their region. A wide range of measures were used to assess dysphagia including 12 different PROMs. Instrumental assessments were used by most (98% Videofluoroscopy; 82% Fibreoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing). Rehabilitation was offered by 86% and this was intensive in 34%. Late-RAD patient information was routinely provided by 35 respondents and usually within 1 year of treatment completion.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>A wide range of assessment methods and outcome measures were used to report dysphagia in existing literature but often in a unidimensional approach. In the United Kingdom, SLTs also use a variety of assessment tools and regularly offer intensive rehabilitation. Without consensus on how we measure late-RAD, synthesising evidence to guide service provision is challenging.</p><p><strong>What this paper adds: </strong>What is already known on the subject Late-RAD significantly affects swallowing function, often necessitating enteral feeding which in turn impacts emotional and health-related quality of life. There is no existing guidance on optimum pathways, assessment methods or effective treatment options. What this paper adds to existing knowledge This study highlights the lack of cons","PeriodicalId":49182,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders","volume":"60 1","pages":"e13154"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142923760","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Profiling Communication Ability in Dementia: Validation of a new cognitive-communication assessment tool.","authors":"Suzanna Dooley, Tammy Hopper, Rachael Doyle, Orla Gilheaney, Margaret Walshe","doi":"10.1111/1460-6984.13153","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1460-6984.13153","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Individuals with dementia have communication limitations resulting from cognitive impairments that define the syndrome. Whereas there are numerous cognitive assessments for individuals with dementia, there are far fewer communication assessments. The Profiling Communication Ability in Dementia (P-CAD) was developed to address this gap.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>The purpose of this study was to examine the concurrent validity, longitudinal validity and inter- and intra-rater reliability of the P-CAD in a population of people with dementia and their communication partners.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>The P-CAD was administered to 122 people with dementia and their communication partners in Ireland (n = 100) and Canada (n = 22), over a 12-month period. To establish concurrent validity of the P-CAD, scores were compared to scores obtained from existing standardized instruments including the Functional Linguistic Communication Inventory (FLCI), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-2) and Global Deterioration Scale (GDS). Inter-rater reliability and responsiveness (longitudinal validity) were analysed using data from a subgroup of participants.</p><p><strong>Outcomes & results: </strong>Overall P-CAD test scores were significantly correlated with FLCI (n = 122; r = 0.875; p < 0.001) and MMSE-2 total scores (n = 122; r = 0.857; p < 0.001). Levels of communication support categories on the P-CAD correlated with GDS rankings (n = 122; rho = -0.539; p < 0.001) and MMSE-2 total scores (n = 122; rho = 0.680, p < 0.001). Inter-rater reliability tested for 20 participants in the Irish sample revealed high levels of agreement between raters in scoring the GDS (n = 20; ICC = 0.969, p < 0.001), MMSE-2 (n = 20; ICC = 0.997, p < 0.001), FLCI (n = 20; ICC = 0.999, p < 0.001) and P-CAD (n = 20; ICC = 0.981, p < 0.001). To establish longitudinal validity to examine if the P-CAD was responsive to changes in cognitive-communication function over time, 12 participants in the Irish sample repeated all tests 3 months after the initial testing. No statistically significant differences in test scores were found for the 12 participants who completed follow-up measures at this time point in any of the three scales. It was not possible to determine sufficient responsiveness as correlations between the change in P-CAD scores over 3 months were insignificant for both the change in MMSE-2 scores (rho = -0.130, p = 0.704) and the FLCI scores (rho = 0.221, p = 0.513).</p><p><strong>Conclusions & implications: </strong>In this study, P-CAD has demonstrated good concurrent validity and inter-rater reliability in samples collected in two countries with English-speaking participants. The P-CAD is appropriate for use to evaluate communication abilities of people with dementia, including during conversational interactions with caregivers.</p><p><strong>What this paper adds: </strong>What is already known on the subject Dementia alters the communica","PeriodicalId":49182,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders","volume":"60 1","pages":"e13153"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11684355/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142906920","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of an inpatient aphasia-friendly choir for people with post-stroke communication impairment from the perspective of the multidisciplinary team: An exploratory study.","authors":"Esther Goodhew, Robert Mayr, Katie Earing, Abdul Seckam","doi":"10.1111/1460-6984.13143","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.13143","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>There is a growing body of evidence showing the value of community singing-based rehabilitation on psychosocial well-being and communication for people with post-stroke communication impairment (PSCI). However, there has been little consideration of the potential value an inpatient aphasia-friendly choir may have through the perspective of the stroke multidisciplinary team (MDT).</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To explore the experiences and views of the MDT on the role an established inpatient aphasia-friendly choir, at a stroke rehabilitation centre in South Wales, UK, may play in the rehabilitation of people with PSCI.</p><p><strong>Methods & procedures: </strong>Eight participants were recruited from the stroke rehabilitation centre's MDT. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and the verbatim transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis according to Braun and Clark's work of 2006.</p><p><strong>Outcomes & results: </strong>Four main themes were identified: (1) breaking down social isolation barriers; (2) patient voice and patient choice; (3) collective well-being and engagement; and (4) the therapeutic benefits across the MDT. The experiences and perceptions overlap, highlighting the wide-reaching therapeutic benefits of singing collaboratively.</p><p><strong>Conclusions & implications: </strong>This research enables us to discover more about how the inpatient aphasia-friendly choir may enhance an individual's well-being, communication and confidence, and their overall rehabilitation from the MDT's perspective. By increasing our understanding of which aspects of the aphasia-friendly choir are most valued, future choir sessions can be better tailored to patients' needs. Additionally, the findings presented here could be taken forward and included in future speech and language therapy interventions, leading to increased patient ownership, not only of the choir but also of their other therapy goals.</p><p><strong>What this paper adds: </strong>What is already known on this subject Previous research suggests positive implications for therapeutic collaborative singing on psychosocial well-being and communication for people with PSCI. There has been little consideration of the potential value an inpatient aphasia-friendly choir may have through the lens of the stroke MDT. The aim of this research was to explore the experiences and views of the MDT on the role an established inpatient aphasia-friendly choir may play in the rehabilitation of people with PSCI. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge This research highlights the benefits of an inpatient aphasia-friendly choir for an individual's well-being, communication and confidence. An increased understanding enables future choir sessions to be better tailored to patients' needs. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Participating in the choir was felt to offer an increased opportunity for functional therapy goals in an in","PeriodicalId":49182,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders","volume":"60 1","pages":"e13143"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143014820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gesture screening in young infants: Highly sensitive to risk factors for communication delay.","authors":"Katie Alcock, Kerstin Meints, Caroline Rowland","doi":"10.1111/1460-6984.13150","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1460-6984.13150","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Children's early language and communication skills are efficiently measured using parent report, for example, communicative development inventories (CDIs). These have scalable potential to determine risk of later language delay, and associations between delay and risk factors such as prematurity and poverty. However, there may be measurement difficulties in parent reports, including anomalous directions of association between child age/socioeconomic status and reported language. Findings vary on whether parents may report older infants as having smaller vocabularies than younger infants, for example.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We analysed data from the UK Communicative Development Inventory (Words and Gestures); UK-CDI (W&G) to determine whether anomalous associations would be replicated in this population, and/or with gesture. In total 1204 families of children aged 8-18 months (598 girls, matched to UK population for income, parental education and ethnicity as far as possible) completed Vocabulary and Gesture scales of the UK-CDI (W&G).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall scores on the Gesture scale showed more significant relationships with biological risk factors including prematurity than did Vocabulary scores. Gesture also showed more straightforward relationships with social risk factors including income. Relationships between vocabulary and social risk factors were less straightforward; some at-risk groups reported higher vocabulary scores than other groups.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>We conclude that vocabulary report may be less accurate than gesture for this age. Parents have greater knowledge of language than gesture milestones, hence may report expectations for vocabulary, not observed vocabulary. We also conclude that gesture should be included in early language scales partly because of its greater, more straightforward association with many risk factors for language delay.</p><p><strong>What this paper adds: </strong>What is already known on the subject We already know that it is possible to measure children's early communicative skills using parent-completed inventories (Communicative Development Inventories, CDIs) and that some aspects of early communication can predict which children are likely to go on to have long-lasting communicative development difficulties. We also know that most uses of CDIs include only vocabulary, not early gesture. In addition, child-related and family-related variables such as prematurity, family history of language disorder and socioeconomic status may be related to communication development. What this paper adds to existing knowledge We looked at a large sample (N = approx. 1200) of families representative of the UK population with an infant aged 8 through 18 months and asked them about their infant's comprehension and production vocabulary as well as their early gesture skills. Gesture was more closely related to possible risk factors for communica","PeriodicalId":49182,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders","volume":"60 1","pages":"e13150"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11749137/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143014816","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction to 'Perspectives on goal setting: Video-reflexive ethnography with speech-language therapists and clients'.","authors":"","doi":"10.1111/1460-6984.70001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.70001","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49182,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders","volume":"60 1","pages":"e70001"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143048449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rethinking speech sound disorder (SSD) in non-syndromic cleft lip and palate: The importance of recognizing phonological and language difficulties.","authors":"Stephanie van Eeden, Cristina McKean, Helen Stringer","doi":"10.1111/1460-6984.13151","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1460-6984.13151","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Children born with cleft palate ± lip (CP ± L) are at risk of speech sound disorder (SSD). Up to 40% continue to have SSD at age 5-6 years. These difficulties are typically described as articulatory in nature and often include cleft speech characteristics (CSC) hypothesized to result from structural differences. In non-CP ± L SSD comorbidity with language difficulties is often reported. There is growing evidence of concomitant language difficulties in children with CP ± L and of a higher prevalence of developmental speech errors in children compared with non-CP ± L peers. The impact of underlying phonological and language skills on speech production in children with CP ± L is poorly understood.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To investigate language outcomes in children with CP ± L and the relationship to speech production, by answering the following research questions: (1) Does the profile of language skills in children with CP ± L differ from normative samples? (2) Do children with CP ± L and SSD have poorer language skills than those with typically developing speech? (3) Is there an association between language skills and speech profile in children with CP ± L at age 5-8 years?</p><p><strong>Methods & procedures: </strong>In this prospective cross-sectional, observational study, 95 participants were recruited from regional cleft lip and palate services in the UK. They were aged 5;0-7;11 with non-syndromic CP ± L. Those with a syndromic diagnosis, global learning disability, sensorineural hearing loss and first language other than English were excluded. Assessments of speech (Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology-DEAP) and language (Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-5th UK edition-CELF) were completed. Language outcomes were analysed and compared with normative samples and according to speech error analysis.</p><p><strong>Outcomes & results: </strong>Average language scores were within the expected range. For those presenting with SSD, language scores were significantly lower than those with typically developing speech. Analysis of speech errors showed four distinct speech profiles: typical speech, CSC only, developmental speech characteristics (DSC), and combined CSC + DSC. Language scores were lower for participants with DSC (±CSC). A significant association was found between the presence of CSC + DSC and expressive language outcomes (odds ratio (OR) = 10.82; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.42, 48.32, p = 0.002).</p><p><strong>Conclusions & implications: </strong>An association between language skills and speech production was observed. The distribution of speech errors in children with CP ± L varied with a high level of DSC as well as CSC. Those with CSC + DSC had significantly lower language scores than those with typically developing speech or CSC only. Speech and language therapists working with this caseload should be alerted to potential ongoing phonological and language difficultie","PeriodicalId":49182,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders","volume":"60 1","pages":"e13151"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11739847/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143014818","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Staff perceptions and experiences of using Key Word Signing with children with Down syndrome and their peers in the first year of mainstream primary education.","authors":"Norma O'Leary, Caoimhe Lyons, Pauline Frizelle","doi":"10.1111/1460-6984.13149","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1460-6984.13149","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Key Word Signing (KWS) is one system that can be used to support the communication needs of children with Down syndrome (DS) who attend mainstream school. The success of KWS in schools is mediated by staff experiences and perceptions of KWS. The current study is one of the first to explore KWS use in mainstream schools.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To explore the perceptions and experiences of teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) with reported varying levels of experience, using KWS with children with DS and their peers in the first year of mainstream primary school. Secondly, we aimed to explore how those perceptions and experiences evolved throughout the year.</p><p><strong>Methods & procedures: </strong>Five mainstream schools were recruited where children with DS attended. A speech and language therapy (SLT) researcher taught 25 key word signs to the relevant class in each school at four time points across the year. Five teachers and eight SNAs from participating schools engaged in a series of semi-structured interviews to explore their perceptions/experiences of using KWS (Lámh) over the course of the year. Longitudinal data were analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis.</p><p><strong>Outcomes & results: </strong>Four categories were generated from the data: Challenges, Facilitators, Benefits, and Incorporation into the whole school environment. Findings suggest that the supported introduction of KWS in school by an SLT researcher can assist inclusive educational practices; facilitate children's comprehension and expression; reduce frustration in children with DS; and facilitate interaction with peers. Results also indicate an increasingly positive attitude among teachers and SNAs towards KWS as the year progressed. Teachers reported the absence of a pedagogical framework as an obstacle to the integration of KWS into the curriculum, while SNAs highlighted inconsistent access to funded entry-level training.</p><p><strong>Conclusions & implications: </strong>Overall, using KWS was a positive experience that supported communication in children with DS in mainstream school. However, future training should embed knowledge on key facilitators and consider how challenges can be addressed to maximize the potential of all children with communication needs attending mainstream primary school.</p><p><strong>What this paper adds: </strong>What is already known on the subject It is well established that the use of KWS is beneficial in supporting the language and communication needs of children with DS. It is also accepted that if KWS is to be effective as a system of communication, the system needs to be understood and used by the communicative partners of those who rely on it. However, many staff in mainstream schools (with children with DS in attendance) have had limited exposure to KWS, little to no experience of using KWS and limited support available to help them create a signing environment. What","PeriodicalId":49182,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders","volume":"60 1","pages":"e13149"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11664463/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142878014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Turkish validity and reliability of Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III","authors":"Mümüne Merve Parlak, Özlem Bizpınar Munis, Ayşen Köse, Cansu Yıldırım, Cemil Arcan Ülker","doi":"10.1111/1460-6984.13147","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1460-6984.13147","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III) was developed as a screening tool for cognitive disorders. Many countries have proven the cultural adaptation, reliability and validity of ACE-III.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Aims</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To make cultural adaptations of ACE-III for the Turkish population and to examine its validity and reliability.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods & Procedures</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>First, ACE-III was translated and adapted into Turkish (ACE-III-TR), then its validity and reliability were examined. The study included 234 people: 93 with dementia (78 Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 15 frontotemporal dementia (FTD)), 46 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 95 healthy. Two blinded speech and language therapists rated the ACE-III-TR simultaneously for interrater validity. The same practitioner retested the same participants 2 weeks later for test–retest reliability. The construct validity of the culturally adapted test was assessed by analysing subsection correlations with the ACE-III-TR total score. The association between the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) total score, relevant subsections and ACE-III-TR total score was examined for criterion validity. Intergroup differences for healthy, MCI and dementia were studied for ACE-III-TR subsections and total score, and cut-off scores were calculated for total score with sensitivity and specificity in differential diagnosis.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results & Outcomes</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Attention, memory and ACE-III-TR total scores showed a statistically significant difference between the three groups of dementia, MCI and healthy (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Statistically significant positive correlations ranging from 0.571 to 0.929 were found between ACE-III-TR subsections and total scores (<i>p</i> < 0.05). A highly significant positive correlation was found between MMSE total score and ACE-III-TR total score (<i>r</i> = 0.870). Between the second and first measurements, positive, moderately significant correlations were found for all subsections and ACE-III-TR total (ICC = 0.508–0.784, <i>r</i> = 0.477–0.646). A high level of agreement was found between two raters for all ACE-III-TR subsections and the ACE-III-TR total score (alpha = 0.9296–0.99995). The total ACE-III-TR cut-off score was 79.5 for healthy and MCI and 69.5 for MCI and mild stage dementia.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions & Implications</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study found that ACE-III-TR is a sensitive and specific screening test for the diagnosis of MCI and dementia t","PeriodicalId":49182,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders","volume":"60 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142856016","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}