Background: People with aphasia are vulnerable recipients of healthcare. The nature of the communicative environment and the communication disability can adversely impact access to timely and quality healthcare. Student healthcare professionals are often underprepared to interact successfully with people with aphasia and may benefit from…

Background: The Communicative Participation Item Bank (CPIB) is a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) designed to measure the extent of interference, or difficulty, experienced by adults with communication disorders participating in their day-to-day communication activities. To date, there is limited evidence regarding sensitivity of the CPIB…

Background: Adults with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) frequently experience cognitive, emotional, physical and communication deficits that require long-term rehabilitation and community support. Although access to rehabilitation services is linked to positive outcomes, there can be barriers to accessing community rehabilitation related to system…

Background: Cognitive communication disorder (CCD) following traumatic brain injury (TBI) is well documented and these communication problems impede successful re-integration into community living. While there is growing evidence for intervention to both detect and treat the impact of these deficits across the rehabilitation continuum, there are…

Background: Meaningful, varied, joyful conversation is an important therapy target for adults with language or cognitive-communication disorders following acquired brain injury (ABI). However, the complexity of daily communication is often reduced to component parts within intervention programmes, with mixed evidence of generalization to everyday…

Background: Rehabilitation for cognitive-communication impairments following brain injury can be complex given the heterogenous nature of impairments post injury. Project-based intervention has the potential to improve communication skills and create a meaningful real-life context where individuals collaborate to develop a concrete product, which…

Background: Dysarthria, aphasia and executive processes have been examined for their role in producing impaired communicative competence post traumatic brain injury (TBI). Less understood is the role of emotional dysregulation, that is, apathy and disinhibition, and social cognition, that is, reading and interpreting social cues. Methods &…

Background: Speech and language therapists (SLTs) share a collective goal of ensuring that adults with cognitive-communication disorders (CCD) due to acquired brain injuries (ABI) attain their highest possible level of participation and satisfaction in family, community, social, work and academic communications through evidence-based…

Background: There is a growing body of literature that indicates positive outcomes of group treatment approaches to intervention for communication difficulties in chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI). The published research to date examines face-to-face group intervention. Aim: This study draws on one of these approaches, 'Improving Natural Social…

Background: There is a lack of evidence relating to cognitive-communication difficulties following traumatic brain injury (TBI) sustained in older adulthood. A prominent area in which post-TBI cognitive-communication difficulties manifest is at the level of social communication. An investigation of social communication focusing on comparison of…

Background: Social media is increasingly used by young people, including those with communication disability. To date, though, little is known about how speech-language therapists (SLTs) support the social media use of young people with communication disability. Aims: To explore what services SLTs provide to facilitate the social media use of…

Background: Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) describes a group of language-led dementias. PPAs are complex, diverse and difficult to diagnose, and therefore conventional models of aphasia and dementia treatment do not meet their needs. The research evidence on intervention for PPA is developing, but to date there are only a few case studies…

Background: Communication difficulties are common in people with dementia, and often present from an early stage. However, direct treatment options for people with dementia that positively influence their daily communication are scarce. Aims: To evaluate the potential impact and feasibility of a personalized logopaedic intervention. Methods &…

Purpose: Communicative participation poses a challenge in meetings between healthcare professionals (HCPs) and people with aphasia (PwA). How communication is affected by aphasia in group meetings, where several healthcare professionals participate together with the patient, is largely unexplored. The aim of this study was to investigate…

Background: Right hemisphere communication disorders are neither consistently labelled nor adequately defined. Labels associated with right hemisphere brain damage (RHD) are broad and fail to capture the essence of communication challenges needed for stroke-related service provisions. Determination of rehabilitation needs and best-practice…