Articles from the final issue of Speech & Language Therapy in Practice, Winter 2011
Applying choices and possibilities
Reeves, D. (Winter 2011)
Bringing a range of experts together to create the working resource MyChoicePad
The increasing prevalence of tablet computers and mobile phones has led to an explosion in applications to support people with a variety of communication needs in the clinic, at home, in school or out and about. Speech and language therapist Dot Reeves, an advocate for both the Makaton Language Programme and assistive technology, shares her experience of working with an entrepreneur, a software developer, The Makaton Charity and a host of users and their communication partners to create the MyChoicePad resource.
A practical focus
Morrison, T. & Smuts, E. (Winter 2011)
A multidisciplinary refresher course for special needs assistants
Trish Morrison and Eugenie Smuts want to ensure pupils with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties receive the safest and most appropriate help at school lunchtimes. They consider what lessons they can learn from a project to develop and evaluate a multidisciplinary refresher course for special needs assistants.
Whose goal is it anyway? Part 4: Getting the wording right
Simpson, S. & Sparkes, C. (Winter 2011)
The last of a four part series considers the final stage of the goal setting process
Sam Simpson and Cathy Sparkes conclude their series by considering the skills, frameworks and pitfalls involved when writing goals. They also reflect on service developments resulting from training in client-centred goal negotiation, and the thoughts of some clients on the role they believe goal negotiation has played in their rehabilitation.
Boundary issues 7: Drawing the line
Nicoll, A. (Winter 2011)
Boundary issues: ethical dimensions of publishing and promotion
With speech and language therapists increasingly operating in commercial environments, editor Avril Nicoll shares some of ethical decisions that come with involvement in publishing and promotion.
The broad or narrow way?
Windsor, F. (Winter 2011)
Students’ use of broad and narrow transcription on placement
While recent studies highlight the value of narrow transcription in relation to unintelligible speech, linguistic diversity and capturing gradual change, anecdotal evidence suggests that speech and language therapists favour broad impressionistic over narrow phonetic transcription in everyday clinical practice. Fay Windsor explores this through an online survey of 50 speech and language therapy students and semi-structured interviews with two pairs of them. She concludes by discussing the implications of what appears to be a theory-practice gap.
In Brief:
1) Apraxia of speech diagnosis – opening the can of worms
Jon Hunt argues that we need to be clearer in differential diagnosis of phonological and articulatory difficulties underlying what we refer to as apraxia of speech.
2) Research centre on the web
Wendy Best, Suzanne Beeke, Caroline Newton & Rachel Rees invite you to make use of the Centre for Speech and Language Intervention Research website for event information, making new contacts and accessing evidence based resources.
3) An encounter with Animal Assisted Therapy
As converts to Animal Assisted Therapy, Tim Grover and Sallie Bollans believe George Eliot got it right when she said, “Animals are such agreeable friends – they ask no questions, they pass not criticisms”.
Journal club 6: single subject designs
Reid, J. (Winter 2011)
The sixth and final article in our series to take the mystery out of critical appraisal looks at articles based on single subject designs.
Jennifer Reid’s series aims to help readers access the speech and language therapy literature, assess its credibility and decide how to act upon their findings. The content is based on the critical appraisal education format which has evolved in Fife and is delivered through a series of small group journal clubs. This article discusses the benefits and limitations of single subject designs versus group designs, and how to tell whether a report is based on a group design or single subject designs involving a number of participants. It also explains the value of using a critical appraisal tool not just for peer-reviewed journal articles involving experimental single subject designs but for case report articles in magazines such as Speech & Language Therapy in Practice or the Bulletin of the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists. An 11 question critical appraisal framework accompanies this article, to be used in addition to general questions about a study covered in previous Journal Club articles. You can access the original SCED Scale on which the questions are based here.
Here’s one I made earlier…
Roberts, A. (Winter 2011)
Our series of low cost, flexible and fun therapy suggestions for groups
End of course recap cards; Here are many Avril made earlier; And finally.
Winning ways: Transition time
Middlemiss, J. (Winter 2011)
The meaning and opportunities of life’s transitions
From 2003 to 2010, Life Coach Jo Middlemiss generously wrote over 20 articles for the popular ‘Winning Ways’ in Speech & Language Therapy in Practice. As the magazine comes to a close, Jo reflects on the series and on the meaning and opportunities of life’s transitions.
How I offer impairment therapy (1): Re-animating intervention
Cohen-Mimran, R. (Winter 2011)
Animation Therapy to improve narrative
Animation Therapy is a hybrid of skill based and naturalistic activities aimed at improving narrative in older children (8-16 years) with language impairment. Having developed and piloted it over the past two years, Ravit Cohen-Mimran describes the stages of the intervention, the importance of family involvement, and its use with an 11 year old client.
How I offer impairment therapy (2): From idealism to realism, step by step
Mortley, J. & Palmer, P. (Winter 2011)
Impairment based computer treatment for people with chronic aphasia
Evidence shows that impairment based treatment for people with chronic aphasia can make a difference, that clients still report motivation to improve several years after their stroke, and that computer software can enable clients to practise language based exercises at a high intensity. With the help of Simon and his wife Lesley, Jane Mortley and Rebecca Palmer chart the effectiveness, time efficiency and everyday reality of implementing the StepByStep program.
My Top Resources
Phillips, J., Read, J. & Bell, H. (Winter 2011)
Speech and language therapy students vote for their most indispensable clinical resources
Manchester Metropolitan University provides an on-site clinic resource centre for students to borrow and create materials for clinical placement. The ten top resources listed here are a the result of a ballot of students which ran for two months.
New dimensions
Avril Nicoll reports on the take home messages from the Child Language Seminar 2011 in Newcastle.
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