Abstract:Many healthcare professionals receive little to no training in communicating with individuals with aphasia, which can negatively affect patient participation and quality of care. Communication partner training (CPT), including Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia (SCA), has demonstrated benefits, but many established training models rely on multi-component or resource-intensive formats. This study examined whether future healthcare professionals could acquire knowledge of aphasia and supported communication strategies through a brief, facilitated group training using the SCA eLearning module with special permission from the Aphasia Institute. Sixty-seven students, primarily from graduate physician associate and undergraduate nursing programs, participated in an interprofessional education event. Knowledge, strategy recall, and confidence were measured before and after training using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design. The Aphasia Attitudes, Strategies, and Knowledge (AASK) survey served as the outcome measure. Participants demonstrated statistically significant pretest-to-posttest improvements in aphasia knowledge, supported communication strategy recall, and self-reported confidence in their preparedness to communicate with individuals with communication barriers. Between-group analyses did not detect statistically significant differences between physician associate and nursing students. These findings provide preliminary support for brief, facilitated, group-based delivery of the SCA eLearning module as a feasible and scalable approach to foundational CPT for future healthcare professionals.
Abstract:Low-grade gliomas (LGGs) may affect language functions and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), particularly when located in brain areas essential for language. The present study investigates linguistic performance and HRQoL in patients with prefrontal cortex (PFC) and motor-sensory cortex LGGs. Data from 15 patients who underwent a standardized preoperative assessment, including linguistic and HRQoL measures, were analyzed and compared with healthy controls and published norms. Self-reported physical and communication functioning were relatively preserved in both tumor groups, whereas psychosocial well-being was notably reduced, particularly in the PFC group. Linguistic performance in both groups was generally lower than that of controls, with the PFC group showing selective vulnerabilities in semantic processing, most consistently in the time-limited semantic odd-image out task. Correlations within the PFC group indicated links between semantic processing, naming, and perceived communication functioning. These findings reveal subtle yet functionally and clinically meaningful difficulties that may not be evident in routine examinations, suggesting a need to assess both language and quality of life, including time-limited measures, in patients with LGGs.
Abstract:Questions are an important component of social communication. Autistic children experience difficulties in social communication, and question asking is a common target of services. We know little about how context shapes question asking in autistic children. The current study quantifies the frequency (rate per minute), form (wh-, yes/no, intonation), and function (information-seeking, directive, initiation/maintenance) of questions produced by autistic children (n = 15; mean age = 5.6 years) in two social contexts: a semi-structured activity (the "tablet task") and unstructured play (a naturalistic play session). Autistic children asked slightly more questions in the play session (M =1.35 questions/minute) than in the tablet task (M = 0.81 questions/minute), but there was no significant difference between conditions (effect size = 0.36). For question form, children asked wh-questions at similar rates across contexts, but they asked significantly more yes/no and intonation questions in the play session (effect sizes = 0.01, 0.62, 0.85, respectively). Finally, in function, children's use of information-seeking questions was similar across contexts, but they used significantly more directive and initiation/maintenance questions in the play session (effect sizes = 0.008, 0.82, 0.80, respectively). These findings offer important considerations for the assessment of question asking in autistic children.
Objective:This study explored how graduate clinicians developed relational competencies while facilitating the My Story Project, an evidence-based narrative intervention in which clinicians support people with aphasia to co-construct personal life stories. Methods:Using reflexive thematic analysis, focus group data from 11 graduate students in speech-language pathology who served as story coaches were analyzed. Each coach facilitated weekly virtual story co-construction sessions with one person with aphasia during a clinical practicum. Coaches received training in the relationship between narrative and identity, and person-centered principles, including the PULSE framework. Focus groups explored their experiences. Results:Four interconnected themes characterized coaches' development: Opening Space for Stories (embracing uncertainty, creating safe environments), Discovering Their Story (seeing beyond diagnosis, recognizing the whole person), Holding Space for Emotion (remaining present during emotional vulnerability), and Building Story Partnerships (co-constructing authentic relationships). Themes captured both the relational competencies coaches developed and how they emerged through authentic relationships with people with aphasia. Conclusion:Relational competencies essential for person-centered aphasia rehabilitation-including building therapeutic alliances, addressing psychosocial needs, and supporting identity work-develop through experiential learning within therapeutic relationships rather than through didactic instruction alone. Clinical training programs should prioritize direct practice opportunities through authentic relationships with people with aphasia.
Background:Early childhood teachers are key professionals supporting children's oral language development. Understanding teachers' perspectives and practices is crucial for developing appropriate support. This study investigated New Zealand kindergarten teachers' evidence-based beliefs and knowledge about oral language, their self-reported practices, and perceived facilitators of oral language in their centers. Method:This mixed-methods study used a nationwide online survey with open-text and Likert scale questions. Responses from 146 teachers were analyzed using descriptive statistics, hierarchical regression, and thematic analysis. Results:Teachers' beliefs and knowledge generally aligned with the evidence base, except regarding the link between early vocabulary and later school achievement. They reported frequent use of evidence-based practices, though some were underutilized. In statistical models, only beliefs and knowledge, not experience or professional development, showed a modest association with practices. Teachers wanted more support for children's oral language, including improved environments and greater access to professional knowledge. Conclusion:Translating oral language beliefs and knowledge into practice in busy early childhood centers is influenced by multiple factors that policy makers and professional development designers should take into account. These findings align with research indicating that training that targets professional cognition is needed to achieve sustained practice change.
