Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

Understanding The Relationship Between Age-Related Hearing Loss And Alzheimer's Disease: A Narrative Review, Hadeel Y. Tarawneh, Dona M. P. Jayakody, Hamid R. Sohrabi, Ralph N. Martins, Wilhelmina H.A.M. Mulders

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Evidence suggests that hearing loss (HL), even at mild levels, increases the long-term risk of cognitive decline and incident dementia. Hearing loss is one of the modifiable risk factors for dementia, with approximately 4 million of the 50 million cases of dementia worldwide possibly attributed to untreated HL. This paper describes four possible mechanisms that have been suggested for the relationship between age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is the most common form of dementia. The first mechanism suggests mitochondrial dysfunction and altered signal pathways due to aging as a possible link between ARHL and AD. The …

Results Of The Compare Trial Of Constraint-Induced Or Multimodality Aphasia Therapy Compared With Usual Care In Chronic Post-Stroke Aphasia, Miranda L. Rose, Lyndsey Nickels, David Copland, Leanne Togher, Erin Godecke, Marcus Meinzer, Tapan Rai, Dominique A. Cadilhac, Joosup Kim, Melanie Hurley, Abby Foster, Marcella Carragher, Cassie Wilcox, John E. Pierce, Gillian Steel

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background:

While meta-analyses confirm treatment for chronic post-stroke aphasia is effective, a lack of comparative evidence for different interventions limits prescription accuracy. We investigated whether Constraint-Induced Aphasia Therapy Plus (CIAT-plus) and/or Multimodality Aphasia Therapy (M-MAT) provided greater therapeutic benefit compared with usual community care and were differentially effective according to baseline aphasia severity.

Methods:

We conducted a three-arm, multicentre, parallel group, open-label, blinded endpoint, phase III, randomised-controlled trial. We stratified eligible participants by baseline aphasia on the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised Aphasia Quotient (WAB-R-AQ). Groups of three participants were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to 30 hours of CIAT-Plus or M-MAT or to …

Differential Effects Of Speech And Language Therapy And Rtms In Chronic Versus Subacute Post-Stroke Aphasia: Results Of The Northstar-Ca Trial, Anna Zumbansen, Heike Kneifel, Latifa Lazzouni, Anja Ophey, Sandra E. Black, Joyce L. Chen, Dylan Edwards, Thomas Funck, Alexander Erich Hartmann, Wolf Dieter Heiss, Franziska Hildesheim, Sylvain Lanthier, Paul Lespérance, George Mochizuki, Caroline Paquette, Elizabet Rochon, Ilona Rubi-Fessen, Jennie Valles, Susan Wortman-Jutt, Alexander Thiel

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background & objective: Contralesional 1-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the right pars triangularis combined with speech-language therapy (SLT) has shown positive results on the recovery of naming in subacute (5–45 days) post-stroke aphasia. NORTHSTAR-CA is an extension of the previously reported NORTHSTAR trial to chronic aphasia (>6 months post-stroke) designed to compare the effectiveness of the same rTMS protocol in both phases. Methods: Sixty-seven patients with left middle cerebral artery infarcts (28 chronic, 39 subacute) were recruited (01-2014 to 07-2019) and randomized to receive rTMS (N = 34) or sham stimulation (N = 33) with SLT for …

Comparison Of Auditory Steady-State Responses With Conventional Audiometry In Older Adults, Hadeel Y. Tarawneh, Hamid R. Sohrabi, Wilhelmina H. A. M. Mulders, Ralph N. Martins, Dona M. P. Jayakody

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Behavioral measures, such as pure-tone audiometry (PTA), are commonly used to determine hearing thresholds, however, PTA does not always provide reliable hearing information in difficult to test individuals. Therefore, objective measures of hearing sensitivity that require little-to-no active participation from an individual are needed to facilitate the detection and treatment of hearing loss in difficult to test people. Investigation of the reliability of the auditory steady-state response (ASSR) for measuring hearing thresholds in older adults is limited. This study aimed to investigate if ASSR can be a reliable, objective measure of frequency specific hearing thresholds in older adults. Hearing thresholds …

An Aphasia Research Agenda – A Consensus Statement From The Collaboration Of Aphasia Trialists, Myzoon Ali, Efstathia Soroli, Luis M. T. Jesus, Madeline Cruice, Jytte Isaksen, Evy Visch-Brink, Kleanthes K. Grohmann, C. Jagoe, Tarja Kukkonen, Spyridoula Varlokosta, Carlos Hernandez-Sacristan, Vicente Rosell-Clari, Rebecca Palmer, Silvia Martinez-Ferreiro, Erin Godecke, Sarah J. Wallace, Ruth Mcmenamin, David Copland, Caterina Breitenstein, Audrey Bowen, Ann-Charlotte Laska, Katerina Hilari, Marian C. Brady

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Coordination of international aphasia research would minimise duplication of effort, support synergistic international activities across languages and multidisciplinary perspectives, and promote high-quality conduct and reporting of aphasia research, thereby increasing the relevance, transparency, and implementation of findings. The Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists (CATs) sought to develop an aphasia research agenda to direct future research activities, based on priorities shared by people with aphasia, family members, and healthcare professionals. Our established international research network spanning 33 countries contributed to this activity. Research literature reporting the priorities of stakeholders was reviewed and synthesized (phase 1). Representatives from Working Groups on Aphasia Assessment …

Patients’ Experiences Of A Communication Enhanced Environment Model On An Acute/Slow Stream Rehabilitation And A Rehabilitation Ward Following Stroke: A Qualitative Description Approach, Sarah D'Souza, Deborah J. Hersh, Erin Godecke, Natalie Ciccone, Heidi Janssen, Elizabeth Armstrong

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

Patients in hospital following stroke express a desire to continue therapy tasks outside of treatment activities. However, they commonly describe experiences of boredom and inactivity. An enriched environment aims to provide opportunities for physical, cognitive and social activity and informed the development of a Communication Enhanced Environment (CEE) model to promote patient engagement in language activities.

Purpose

Explore patient perceptions of a CEE model, and barriers and facilitators to engagement in the model.

Methods

A qualitative description study from a larger project that implemented a CEE model into acute and rehabilitation private hospital wards in Western Australia. Semi-structured interviews …

Creating A Novel Approach To Discourse Treatment Through Coproduction With People With Aphasia And Speech And Language Therapists, M. Cruice, S. Aujla, J. Bannister, N. Botting, M. Boyle, N. Charles, V. Dhaliwal, S. Grobler, Deborah Hersh, J. Marshall, S. Morris, M. Pritchard, L. Scarth, R. Talbot, L. Dipper

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background:

Although spoken discourse is an outcome prioritised by all stakeholders in aphasia rehabilitation, assessment and treatment of discourse are not routine clinical practice. The small evidence base, varied clinical expertise, multiple barriers in the workplace, and challenges for clients in understanding their altered language abilities all contribute to this situation. These factors need serious consideration when developing a new treatment. Involving intended stakeholders as partners in the development process is recommended. This assists with future implementation by ensuring assessment and treatment are practical, feasible, and acceptable to those who will deliver and undertake it.

Aims:

This paper reports on …

Speaking Of Online Learning: Alternative Practice-Based Learning Experiences For Speech Pathologists In Australia, Ghana And Hong Kong, Jemma Skeat, Josephine Ohenewa Bampoe, Susan Booth, Emily Brogan, Maya Conway, Rachel Davenport, Simone Howells, Peggy Kan, Michelle Krahe, Sally Hewat, Abigail Lewis, Alex Little, Joanne Walters, Gwendalyn Webb, Nikki Worthington

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Speech Pathology programs usually send students to workplaces to learn clinical skills necessary for practice. During COVID-19, programs needed to respond quickly to ensure that students continued to gain the necessary experiences and skills required to progress through their program and graduate as clinicians, while simultaneously complying with COVID-19 requirements. Case studies from seven different universities in Australia, Ghana and Hong Kong described the diverse ways in which placements were adapted to be COVID-safe, taking into account local needs. Some practices which had been included in placement education prior to the pandemic, such as telepractice and simulation-based learning, were extended …