Journal Reviews
Hot off the press: new clinically relevant research methodologies for speech and language therapy
Interpretive Description (ID) is a qualitative research framework developed to address the limitations in other qualitative methods that are not epistemologically able to take applied fields, such as clinical professions, into consideration. This framework, often described as a method, has...
Swallowing their words: translating and adapting swallowing questionnaires to other languages
Dysphagia (swallowing difficulties) is increasingly relevant given the ageing population. Yet measuring or assessing dysphagia is challenging and often costly when exploring instrumental examination. The aim of this study was to translate and validate a patient-reported swallow questionnaire; the Sydney...
Say what you don’t mean: cognitive difficulties in Parkinson’s can worsen intelligibility
Hypokinetic dysarthria, seen in 70–90% of people with Parkinson’s, causes reduced range of movement during speech production, reduced volume, rate, pitch and intelligibility. This study aimed to explore the role of higher cognitive function in speech production by asking 20...
Talk your brain well: discourse training to fortify your cognitive functioning and protect against dementia
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can be described as a transitional stage prior to a diagnosis of dementia. Approximately 15% of people with amnestic MCI (where memory is the leading symptom) develop dementia. Nonpharmacological interventions, specifically cognitive training, has shown some...
Swallowing the risk: managing dysphagia in aged care
The risk of dysphagia increases with age and the prevalence of dysphagia in aged care facilities is 41–52%. Dysphagia increases the risk of aspiration, asphyxiation, malnutrition, pneumonia and ultimately death. Modifying food and fluids, by providing mashed or pureed foods...
Invest in parents: motivation is key
Home practice is a key component in promoting generalisation of what is learned in speech and language therapy sessions to the real world. Yet time constraints, stress, ambivalence toward practice and increased care demands when a child has a disability...
Demonstrating unobservable effects of therapy through PROMS: a review
Ultimately, healthcare should meet the needs of the people it is designed for. One way of measuring this is using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMS). These tools capture the patient’s perspective and have been described as demonstrating the unobservable effects of...
In the context of the person with aphasia participating in life
Approaches to assessment and treatment for people with aphasia have traditionally taken a syndrome or deficit-based view. It’s only in the last few decades that a more functional approach to aphasia has been recognised, namely the need to couch both...
Remote living: can we learn anything about telehealth use during the pandemic in Australia?
Healthcare services in Australia have been using telehealth to reach remote areas for many years prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. It is estimated that 10% of the Australian population have no access to primary healthcare within a 60-minute drive. This...
Four lessons: the development of speech and language therapy research for people with dementia care
Dementia has been described as the biggest expanded caseload for speech and language therapists. Everyone with dementia experiences communication difficulties. The late Prof Audrey Holland revolutionised the work of speech-language pathologists in this field through four key lessons. Lesson 1:...
Effect of swallowing exercises following free flap for oral cancer reconstruction
This paper from Beijing looked at 68 patients, 34 in a control group and 34 in an intervention group. Oral exercise training was performed by a specialist swallowing nurse in the intervention group. They found that personalised oral exercises had...
Lonely, so lonely
The pandemic has evidenced the negative mental and physical health outcomes that are associated with isolation and loneliness. This study was undertaken in Australia, where one quarter of the population live alone. Giving our ageing population worldwide, the number of...
