International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders最新文献

{"title":"Reliability and Concurrent Validity of the Likert-Type Stuttering Severity Scale and the Visual Analog Scale in Turkish-Speaking Adults Who Stutter.","authors":"Ayşe İlayda Mutlu, İlkem Uçal","doi":"10.1111/1460-6984.70325","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1460-6984.70325","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study examined the test-retest and inter-rater reliability of non-clinician severity judgments using two brief rating tools-the 11-point Severity Scale (SEV) and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS)-and evaluated their concurrent validity with clinician-rated Stuttering Severity Instrument-4-Turkish version (SSI-4-TR) scores.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>This observational cross-sectional study used speech samples from 15 adults who stutter as stimulus materials. Recordings were evaluated by two speech-language therapists (SLTs) and two independent groups of non-clinician raters (n = 26 per group). SLTs assessed stuttering severity using the SSI-4-TR. One non-clinician group rated severity using a VAS, whereas the other used SEV. All ratings were completed online across three sessions. To examine temporal stability, 30% of the samples were re-rated after a one-week interval.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Both tools demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability, with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.997 for the VAS and 0.987 for the SEV. Inter-rater reliability was moderate, with ICC values of 0.656 for the VAS and 0.573 for the SEV. Both scales showed strong positive correlations with SSI-4-TR scores, with correlation coefficients of 0.835 for the VAS and .814 for the SEV (p < 0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings indicate that the VAS and SEV demonstrated high test-retest reliability and moderate inter-rater reliability and showed strong associations with SSI-4-TR scores, supporting the use of brief perceptual rating scales as practical screening instruments in large-scale and time-limited clinical and research settings where rapid and resource-efficient assessment is required.</p><p><strong>What this paper adds: </strong>What is already known on this subject Perceptual severity ratings are widely used to estimate stuttering severity in both clinical and research contexts. Likert-type scales have demonstrated acceptable reliability when applied by trained listeners, whereas the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) has shown strong psychometric performance in several perceptual domains such as voice and resonance assessment. However, empirical evidence regarding the reliability and validity of a single-item VAS for evaluating stuttering severity remains limited. In addition, it is not yet clear whether trained non-clinician raters can apply brief perceptual severity scales consistently, particularly when ratings are compared with standardized clinical measures such as the SSI-4. What this study adds to the existing knowledge This study provides novel psychometric evidence comparing an 11-point Likert-type severity scale (SEV) and a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for rating stuttering severity using trained non-clinician raters. Both tools demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability, moderate inter-rater reliability, and strong concurrent validity with clinician-rated SSI-4-TR scores. The findings exte","PeriodicalId":49182,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders","volume":"61 5","pages":"e70325"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13528866/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148867359","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":"Voice Quality in Individuals With Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.","authors":"Vanessa Medina, Andrea Baldi de Freitas, Luiz Carlos Rusilo, Jean Carlo Gorinchteyn, Zuleica Antônia Camargo","doi":"10.1111/1460-6984.70309","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1460-6984.70309","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Speech and voice disorders are frequently observed in individuals with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). However, the literature lacks detailed descriptions of how perceptual and acoustic characteristics manifest in the voice quality profiles of this population.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To characterize the voice quality profile of older adults living with AIDS by describing the relationship between perceptual and acoustic voice measures.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The research group (RG) comprised 20 individuals with AIDS, aged 50-60 years, all presenting with lipodystrophy, metabolic conditions including dyslipidemia, and 2-9 years of antiretroviral therapy. The control group (CG) comprised 9 age-matched individuals with metabolic conditions, including dyslipidemia, but without AIDS or antiretroviral therapy. The corpus included semi-spontaneous speech samples and repetitions of three key sentences designed for the perceptual evaluation of voice quality settings (VQS) across the vocal tract, muscular tension, and phonatory domains. For the acoustic analysis, data were processed using a script in the Praat software, which automatically extracted measures of fundamental frequency (f0), intensity, spectral slope, and the long-term average spectrum (LTAS). A preliminary statistical analysis was performed to establish the basis for presenting the results. Among the sociophonetic factors examined, gender emerged as the most influential variable and was included in the multivariate statistical approach.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results indicated a significant prevalence of vocal tract VQS in the RG, including a retracted and lowered tongue body, pharyngeal constriction, and vocal tract hyperfunction, demonstrating strong discriminative power for classifying RG (98.7%) and CG (98.3%) samples. Acoustic measures showed a lower correlation factor (R<sup>2</sup>: 36.5%) for distinguishing the RG (77.4%) and CG (77.5%) samples. Regarding the relationship between acoustic measures and perceived voice qualities, f0 (particularly for females), LTAS (especially for males), and spectral slope were found to be relevant.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Vocal tract and tension VQS, together with correlated spectral measures, were relevant in the RG. These findings may reflect the combined functional consequences of long-term antiretroviral therapy, opportunistic diseases, lipodystrophy, and associated metabolic alterations. The results highlight the need for further studies to support the future development of preventive, monitoring, and rehabilitative speech-language pathology strategies during the long-term follow-up of individuals living with AIDS.</p><p><strong>What this paper adds: </strong>What is already known on this subject Research suggests a high prevalence of speech and voice disorders among patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). However, the relationship between perceived ","PeriodicalId":49182,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders","volume":"61 5","pages":"e70309"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13536515/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148876389","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":"Effectiveness of Caregiver-Mediated Spoken Language Interventions for Children Under Five at Risk of Developmental Language Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.","authors":"Victoria Johnstone-Cooke, Marion Rutherford, Ainuska Sheripkanova, Rachel Hutcheson, Ann Hodson","doi":"10.1111/1460-6984.70304","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1460-6984.70304","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Caregiver-mediated interventions are commonly used by Speech and Language Therapists to support early language development. Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is associated with reduced quality of life throughout the lifespan. Understanding factors that predict intervention success is essential for developing appropriate, cost-effective therapy provision for the approximately 12% of preschool children who present with early markers for Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effectiveness of caregiver-mediated spoken language interventions for under-fives at risk of DLD, and factors influencing intervention effectiveness.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines was conducted. Five electronic databases were searched to identify experimental studies comparing caregiver-mediated spoken language interventions to control conditions in under-fives presenting with risk factors for DLD. Risk factors included prematurity, socioeconomic factors, caregiver language development concerns, and formal or informal language screening or assessment scores. Twenty-six experimental studies with 1407 child participants were included in qualitative synthesis. Meta-analysis was performed on nine Randomised Controlled Trials involving 947 children.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Effectiveness was examined for outcomes including child language gains, child wellbeing, inclusion and attainment. Meta-analysis indicated a significant effect of caregiver-mediated spoken language interventions on language outcomes compared to treatment-as-usual, non-language intervention or waitlist control conditions. Non-language outcomes were evaluated via qualitative synthesis. Interventions significantly improved language development trajectories for under-fives presenting with risk factors or early markers for DLD.</p><p><strong>Conclusion and implications: </strong>This review contributes to the growing evidence base demonstrating that caregiver-mediated interventions can positively impact language development and wellbeing outcomes for children under five at risk of DLD. These findings support the implementation of caregiver-mediated environmental language interventions in clinical practice to maximise accessibility and cost-effectiveness while delivering optimal outcomes for vulnerable populations.</p><p><strong>What this paper adds: </strong>What is already known on this subject Previous research on caregiver-mediated spoken language interventions has highlighted gaps in the evidence regarding the impact of risk factors, demographic characteristics, dosage and intervention components on child language outcomes. Developmental Language Disorder has relatively high population prevalence, estimated at 7%. Prevalence is associated with risk factors including low household socioeconomic status (SES), prematurity and late language emergence. In contrast t","PeriodicalId":49182,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders","volume":"61 5","pages":"e70304"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13496101/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148800480","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 Family History of Developmental Stuttering: A Scoping Review.","authors":"Yuto Sato, Mizuki Aoki, Shoko Miyamoto, Daichi Iimura","doi":"10.1111/1460-6984.70323","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1460-6984.70323","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>A positive family history is a significant risk factor for developmental stuttering. However, the reported rates of positive family histories are inconsistent across studies, making it difficult to synthesise the findings.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>This scoping review aimed to systematically map the literature on family histories of stuttering to clarify the reported stuttering proportions and identify methodological trends and gaps.</p><p><strong>Method & procedures: </strong>We conducted a literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycINFO on 4 February 2025. Two authors independently screened the records in two stages: first by title and abstract, and then by full text.</p><p><strong>Outcomes & results: </strong>We reviewed 19 studies that reported family histories of participants with developmental stuttering. Basic study characteristics such as sample size and country were extracted, and descriptive statistics, including family history rates, were calculated for quantitative data. A key finding was the wide variability in the reported proportion of individuals with a positive family history, ranging from 20.0% to 90.9%. This variability was strongly associated with inconsistencies in methodology, including the scope of relatives considered, the definition of stuttering within the family, and data collection methods.</p><p><strong>Conclusions & implications: </strong>This review found that methodological variability appeared to be the primary factor contributing to the wide variation in reported rates in the research on family histories of stuttering. The findings suggest the need for rigorous research approaches to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of this phenomenon.</p><p><strong>What this paper adds: </strong>What is already known on this subject A positive family history is widely recognized as a major risk factor for developmental stuttering, and genetic evidence suggests a strong heritable component. However, reported proportions of individuals with a family history of stuttering vary substantially across studies, making it difficult to synthesize the evidence and interpret findings consistently. What this study adds to the existing knowledge This scoping review systematically mapped 19 studies and revealed that reported rates of positive family history range widely from 20.0% to 90.9%. The review identifies key sources of methodological variability as primary contributors to this inconsistency. These findings highlight the need for greater clarification when defining and assessing family history in stuttering research. What are the potential clinical implications of this study? Clinicians and researchers may benefit from using clearer criteria and consistent reporting frameworks, which could support more accurate risk evaluation and better integration of genetic, epidemiological, and clinical evidence.</p>","PeriodicalId":49182,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders","volume":"61 5","pages":"e70323"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13528779/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148867428","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":"Exploring the Laryngectomy Pathway Experience-a Mixed-Method, Patient Journey Mapping Study of Two US Health Centres.","authors":"Laurie Wennerholm, Clare L Burns, Elizabeth C Ward, Jasmine Foley, J K Rasamny, Craig Berzofsky, Gina Palma","doi":"10.1111/1460-6984.70326","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1460-6984.70326","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;Consensus guidelines advocate multidisciplinary care to optimise recovery following laryngectomy. However, limited evidence exists regarding the nature of the patient recovery journey or their experience accessing rehabilitation services.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aims: &lt;/strong&gt;This study examined the services accessed by, and experiences of, individuals with a laryngectomy (IWL) in the first 12 months post-surgery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods and procedures: &lt;/strong&gt;Patient journey mapping methodology was used to explore the healthcare journey and patient experience of 12 IWL across the first 12 months of rehabilitation. Demographics and detailed service data were collated from medical records and later reviewed for accuracy with each participant. Individual interviews were used to explore issues that influenced care experiences, and participants also provided experiential ratings relating to the emotional impact of each appointment (positive/negative/neutral) and the reason for the rating. Journeys were explored collectively as a group, then 3 detailed patient journeys are presented highlighting similarities and differences in participant experiences.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Outcomes and results: &lt;/strong&gt;Participants attended a median (Mdn) of 7 medical visits (range = 4-14), 12 allied health visits (range = 4-45), saw 13 different professionals (range = 6-22), and travelled to 6 locations (range = 2-6) for healthcare. Factors adding to the complexity of the health care journeys included preparation for surgery, nature of surgery (primary versus salvage), access to trained specialists throughout phases of care, coordinating between services, travel and funding for consumables. Despite issues, participants largely rated experiences as positive (Mdn = 77; range = 37%-100% positive). Participant perspectives on issues impacting their healthcare journey formed 6 themes: (1) Preparation for laryngectomy surgery, (2) Recovery post-surgery (3) Access to skilled and coordinated services, (4) Approach of healthcare staff, (5) Communication difficulties impacting healthcare, and (6) Accessing laryngectomy resources and costs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions and implications: &lt;/strong&gt;Following laryngectomy, a wide range of multidisciplinary services are accessed to support recovery and rehabilitation. Examining patient experiences through journey mapping has highlighted challenges that can influence the care pathway. Addressing issues that impact service access and patient experience will assist in enhancing laryngectomy care pathways and improve the patient experience.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What this paper adds: &lt;/strong&gt;What is already known on the subject Current care pathways advocate specialist, multidisciplinary care for optimal recovery for individuals with a laryngectomy (IWL). Although existing laryngectomy guidelines specify that a range of specialist services are required, and detail what those services should entail, what this actually looks like an","PeriodicalId":49182,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders","volume":"61 5","pages":"e70326"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13537336/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148882258","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":"Investigating the Effects of Adding Explicit Teaching and/or Signing to Story-Based Vocabulary Intervention for School-Aged Children With (Developmental) Language Disorder.","authors":"Lucy Hughes, Cécile Larralde, Hilary Nicoll, Nataša Marić, Caroline Burke, Susan Ebbels","doi":"10.1111/1460-6984.70317","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1460-6984.70317","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;Children with language disorders, including developmental language disorder (DLD), experience challenges with word learning. Common components of vocabulary interventions include presenting target words in a story, providing explicit teaching and using sign/gesture alongside speech. However, previous studies have not investigated the relative contribution of these components, in isolation or combination.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aim: &lt;/strong&gt;To measure the effects of adding explicit teaching and/or augmentative signing to a story-based vocabulary intervention.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;Eighteen participants, aged 7;09-15;02 years, took part in our within-participant design study. All had a language disorder; 14 with DLD, and four with an associated biomedical condition. They were taught 48 real verbs and adjectives, randomly assigned to one of four conditions, over an 8-week intervention period. In the reference condition, participants watched videos of a speech and language therapist (SLT) reading a story where target words were presented incidentally, four at a time. In the first experimental condition, the delivering SLT added explicit teaching to the reference intervention. This included: providing definitions, modelling words in sentences, requesting retrieval and employing a cueing hierarchy. The second experimental condition added augmentative signing to the reference intervention, whereby the SLT in the video signed the target words as they appeared in the story. The final experimental condition added both explicit teaching and signing. In all conditions, frequency of word presentations was controlled. Word sets were counterbalanced to minimise confounds. Outcome measures assessed vocabulary knowledge and use with: (1) a word definition task and (2) sentence generation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;Participants showed stronger progress in all experimental conditions, compared to the reference condition. Bayesian models showed that adding both explicit teaching and augmentative signing in combination to the reference intervention did not lead to greater progress than adding just one of these components. Neither participants' age nor language ability were associated with intervention progress.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Discussion: &lt;/strong&gt;Our results indicate that adding either explicit teaching or augmentative signing to story-based vocabulary intervention is similarly advantageous. Adding both does not confer additional advantage. Larger-scale studies are needed to explore differences between participants and experimental conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions/implications: &lt;/strong&gt;Our study highlights the importance of evaluating systematically the contribution of potential active ingredients within interventions. In particular, analysing how they work together and separately is important, as adding more ingredients does not necessarily improve effectiveness. Our results inform vocabulary teaching, indicating that sta","PeriodicalId":49182,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders","volume":"61 5","pages":"e70317"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13528867/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148867335","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":"Phonological Awareness and Nonword Repetition in Children With and Without Speech Sound Disorders: A Comparative Analysis","authors":"Özlem Icoz,&nbsp;Esra Özcebe","doi":"10.1111/1460-6984.70318","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.70318","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Objective&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;This study aimed to compare phonological awareness and verbal working memory skills, as measured by a nonword repetition task, in children with speech sound disorders (SSD) and typically developing peers. It also examined the relationship between these two cognitive-linguistic abilities within each group.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Methods&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;The study included 30 children aged 4 to 6 years diagnosed with SSD and 30 age-matched typically developing children. Participants were recruited from a clinical population and their typically developing siblings or relatives. Participants completed phonological awareness test and nonword repetition task. Group comparisons and correlation analyses were conducted to assess performance differences and interrelations between skills.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Results&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Children with SSD demonstrated significantly lower performance in both phonological awareness tasks and nonword repetition compared to the control group. Within-group correlation analyses revealed a significant relationship between verbal working memory and word awareness in the SSD group, whereas in the control group, verbal working memory was significantly correlated with rhyme awareness.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Conclusion&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;The findings suggest that children with SSD experience not only speech production difficulties but also weaknesses in phonological awareness and verbal working memory. The nature of the associations between these abilities appears to differ between children with and without SSD, highlighting the need for comprehensive, multidimensional assessment and intervention approaches that target both speech and underlying cognitive-linguistic processes.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;div&gt;&lt;i&gt;What is already known on this subject&lt;/i&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;ul&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;li&gt;Children with speech sound disorders (SSD) frequently demonstrate difficulties in phonological awareness and nonword repetition, both of which are associated with later language and literacy outcomes. Although these relationships have been widely investigated, many studies have included children with co-occurring language impairments or have focused on English-speaking populations. Consequently, the relationship between phonological awareness and verbal working memory in preschool children with isolated SSD remains insufficientl","PeriodicalId":49182,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders","volume":"61 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1460-6984.70318","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148784400","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":"Building Knowledge and Confidence: Student Speech Pathologists' Perspectives on Learning About Cognitive-Communication Disorders and the Potential of Implementing Convers-ABI-lity on Placement","authors":"Ashna Nadan,&nbsp;Petra Avramović,&nbsp;Leanne Togher,&nbsp;Annie Chan,&nbsp;Rachael Rietdijk","doi":"10.1111/1460-6984.70312","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1460-6984.70312","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Background&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Cognitive-communication disorders (CCDs) are common after acquired brain injury (ABI). People with CCD experience communication breakdowns, significantly impacting long-term social, familial, and vocational outcomes. Convers-ABI-lity, a web-based communication partner training intervention, was co-designed with key stakeholders, including people with ABI, their family members, speech pathologists, and other allied health professionals, to address communication breakdowns in everyday interactions. Implementing convers-ABI-lity in student speech pathology clinics may develop student skills and confidence when working with ABI clients, increase access to interventions, improve service delivery, and improve cost efficiency. However, students were not involved in the co-design of convers-ABI-lity, and limited research exists about students’ understanding of CCD or how to treat this population.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Aims&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;To explore student speech pathologists’ perspectives on their learning of CCD and first impressions of convers-ABI-lity as an overall programme, to understand how to support students using the intervention on future placements.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Methods and Procedures&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Ten undergraduate and postgraduate Speech Pathology students from the University of Sydney who were at intermediate or entry-level clinical level participated in semi-structured, in-person qualitative interviews. Interviews focused on three key areas: knowledge and perceptions of CCD, a concurrent think-aloud protocol as students interacted with the convers-ABI-lity programme, and overall feedback on the intervention. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Outcome and Results&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Three themes were identified: (1) Varied learning experiences contribute to different understandings of CCD, ultimately impacting students’ clinical confidence; (2) ‘The actual program makes sense, I just don't think it really helps me figure out what I would do’; (3) Students need support to not feel ‘thrown into’ a clinical placement.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Conclusions and Implications&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;These findings highlight the need for greater clinical and academic support for students when implementing a CCD intervention. The implementation of digital health features and the structure of convers-ABI-lity, may effectively support student learning, however adaptations such","PeriodicalId":49182,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders","volume":"61 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1460-6984.70312","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148765429","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":"Using Systemic Functional Linguistics in the Clinical Management of Neurogenic Communication Disorders: An Introduction and Worked Example","authors":"Brent Archer,&nbsp;Marion C. Leaman,&nbsp;Ryan S. Husak,&nbsp;Christa Akers,&nbsp;Rimke Groenewold,&nbsp;Louise Keegan,&nbsp;Zaneta Mok,&nbsp;Liz Spencer,&nbsp;Eleanor Gulick","doi":"10.1111/1460-6984.70310","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1460-6984.70310","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Background&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;The ability to converse with others enables us to participate in everyday life. People with neurogenic communication disorders (NCDs), such as aphasia or traumatic brain injury (TBI), often experience difficulties engaging in conversation. While Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) has been used to analyze conversations involving people with NCDs, its application to clinical assessment and intervention remains limited.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Aims&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;The primary aim of this paper is to make the case for Systemic Functional Linguistics as a clinically useful framework for understanding, assessing, and supporting conversation in people with neurogenic communication disorders.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Method&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;We provide an overview of SFL and introduce an SFL-based framework, Discourse Structure Analysis. We review previous SFL-based studies of adult communication disorders and also describe the USeFuL Project, a multinational collaboration focused on developing SFL-based clinical tools. Finally, we present a worked clinical example illustrating how DSA can support detailed analysis of conversations involving people with and without aphasia.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Main Contributions&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;SFL-based frameworks can be used systematically to guide clinical decision-making when providing services to people with neurogenic communication disorders. By enabling detailed, coded analyzes of naturalistic conversations, these approaches reveal patterns of participation that are often missed in standard assessments. Moreover, SFL can inform the development of meaningful, measurable therapy goals and the development of individualized care plans.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Conclusions&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;SFL offers a powerful, context-sensitive framework for analyzing and supporting communication in people with NCDs. By applying SFL in clinical contexts, clinicians can build more precise, functional, and person-centered interventions that enhance real-world communication.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;div&gt;&lt;i&gt;What is already known on this subject&lt;/i&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;ul&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;li&gt;Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) is a theory of communication which examines how language users make choices to convey meaning in specif","PeriodicalId":49182,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders","volume":"61 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1460-6984.70310","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148765442","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":"Efficacy of rTMS in Post-Stroke Bilingual Aphasia: A Single Case Experimental Design","authors":"Ioanna-Prodromia Siklafidou,&nbsp;Sophie Arheix-Parras,&nbsp;Solene Hameau,&nbsp;Grégoire Python,&nbsp;Bertrand Glize","doi":"10.1111/1460-6984.70311","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.70311","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Background&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;The application of non-invasive brain stimulation in the rehabilitation of bilingual individuals with aphasia following a stroke is understudied. Recent studies show benefits of anodal cerebellar transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in bilinguals, while in monolinguals, repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) targeting the motor cortex of the lips seems to be effective in aphasia recovery.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Objective&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;We aimed to investigate the effects of inhibitory continuous theta burst rTMS stimulation targeting the right motor cortex of the lips during picture naming task in the second language of a French-English post-stroke bilingual individual.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Methods&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;We enrolled a single bilingual (PR) exhibiting chronic post-stroke aphasia in both her second language (L2), and first language (L1). In the present study PR engaged in naming tasks three times a week for six weeks, including 2-week baseline, 2-week intervention and 2-week follow-up.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Results&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;The results demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in naming accuracy in the second language of the patient, as evidenced by visual analysis in both cognate and non-cognate words, as well as, overall language accuracy. Visual analysis revealed a positive improvement in all variables, with the greatest improvements observed in phonology, overall accuracy, and pathological language switching.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Conclusion&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;The stimulation of the motor cortex of the lips resulted in an improvement in naming accuracy in both the first and second language of the participant, despite the possible varying language recovery after stroke. This suggests the possible existence of shared representations of language in the brain, which is likely due to the similarities between the languages. Further studies are required to confirm the efficacy of non-invasive brain stimulation in bilingual individuals with aphasia for deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms influencing these outcomes.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;div&gt;&lt;i&gt;What is already known on this subject&lt;/i&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;ul&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;li&gt;The application of non-invasive brain stimulation in bilinguals with post-stroke aphasia is understudied. Studies have indicated that the cortical organization of each language in bilingual in","PeriodicalId":49182,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders","volume":"61 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148754041","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}