Contributions of Conversation Analysis to the study of traumatic brain injury: a single case report

A persistência de dificuldades no processo de comunicação em sujeitos acometidos por um traumatismo craneo-encefálico requer a utilização de instrumentos de avaliação, sensíveis às alterações lingüístico-cognitivas apresentadas, que possam facilitar a reintegração desses indivíduos na sociedade. O presente estudo de caso investiga as contribuições da Análise Conversacional, na avaliação das habilidades funcionais de um jovem de 27 anos, acometido por um traumatismo craneo-encefálico grave. Analisa uma interação conversacional espontânea por meio do estudo do mecanismo colaborativo da tomada de turno, do gerenciamento do tópico e das reformulações, comparando os resultados com testes formais de linguagem. Discute as contribuições dessa abordagem ao processo de reabilitação fonoaudiológica. Enquanto os testes formais não indicaram alterações de linguagem, a Análise Conversacional permitiu, ao analisar a seqüência de turnos e as reações mútuas dos interlocutores, identificar problemas comunicativos e verificar como os interlocutores lidavam com os mesmos. A Análise Conversacional mostrou-se sensível às alterações lingüístico-cognitivas apresentadas pelo traumatismo craneo-encefálico, fornecendo elementos concretos para, no processo de reabilitação, abordar, de forma organizada, o discurso mais utilizado no cotidiano.The persistence of communication impairments in individuals who sustained a traumatic brain injury requires the use of sensitive tools to evaluate the linguistic-cognitive problems they present, aiming at their reintegration in society. This single case study investigates the contributions of Conversation Analysis to the evaluation of the pragmatic abilities of a 27 year-old man who sustained a severe traumatic brain injury. It analyses a spontaneous conversational interaction through the study of the collaborative mechanism of turn-taking, topic management and repairs, comparing the results of this analysis with formal language tests. It discusses the contributions of this approach to develop intervention. While formal tests did not indicate the presence of language difficulties, the Conversation Analysis allowed, through the analysis of the sequence of turns and of the mutual reactions of both the interlocutors, the identification of communicative problems and the observation of how the speakers dealt with them. The results of this study revealed that Conversation Analysis is a sensitive approach to capture the linguistic-cognitive deficits caused by traumatic brain injury, providing concrete elements to be used in therapy in order to emphasize, in an organized way, the kind of discourse most used in daily life

Functional communication assessment: the healthy elderly

Functional communication is the ability to receive or convey a message, regardless of the mode to communicate effectively and independently in a given environment. The Functional Communication Assessment Scale for Adults (ASHA-facs) is an instrument to evaluate the individual’s basic ability to communicate in an ecological context, considering proper modifications, adaptations and time needed for communication. It can be used to complement traditional language assessment, to plan caregiver orientation, to aid clinical decision-making and to register disease stabilization or treatment progress. This study characterizes the functional communication of the healthy elderly through the ASHA-facs scale. Sixty-six healthy elderly individuals were assessed trough their caregivers (family members). The scale consists of 43 items divided into four domains: 21 items on social communication; 7 items on communication of basic needs; 10 items on reading, writing and numerical concepts; 5 items on daily planning. The scale provides quantitative information in a 7-point scale (with score 7 for the individual who does not need help to perform the activity and score 1 when there is need of maximum help). The ASHA-facs results showed that healthy elderly individuals have better performances in social communication and basic needs. It suggests that elderly individuals compensate possible gaps in hearing comprehension and/or oral expression, which occur during cognitive function decline experienced along the normal aging process. The daily planning domain score showed difficulties in the executive functions of planning and organization. Additionally, there was an important correlation between functional communication and educational background.O Questionário de Habilidades Funcionais de Comunicação (ASHA-Facs) é um instrumento básico de avaliação das habilidades comunicativas no ambiente natural do indivíduo, considerando compensações, adaptações e tempo necessário para a comunicação. Pode ser usado como complemento das avaliações tradicionais de linguagem para planejar orientações ao cuidador, ajudar ao clínico nas decisões e registrar estabilização de doenças ou progresso de quadros patológicos. Este artigo caracteriza o perfil comunicativo funcional do idoso saudável a partir do questionário ASHA-Facs. Sessenta e seis idosos saudáveis foram avaliados por meio de seus cuidadores (familiares). O questionário é composto de 43 itens divididos em quatro domínios: 21 itens sobre comunicação social, 7 itens de comunicação de necessidades básicas, 10 itens de leitura, escrita e conceitos numéricos e 5 itens de planejamento diário. O questionário fornece informações quantitativas em uma escala de sete pontos (sendo pontuação 7 para o indivíduo que não necessita de ajuda para realizar a atividade e pontuação 1 se houver necessidade de ajuda máxima). O desempenho dos idosos no ASHA-Facs mostrou que os idosos saudáveis atuam melhor em Comunicação Social e Necessidades Básicas. Isto sugere que os idosos compensam possíveis falhas na compreensão auditiva/expressão oral que possam ocorrer durante o declínio da função cognitiva que acontece no processo de envelhecimento normal. O desempenho no domínio de planejamento diário mostrou dificuldades nas funções executivas de planejamento e organização. Ainda, houve uma importante correlação entre a comunicação funcional e a escolaridade

Tongue forces and handgrip strength in normal individuals: association with swallowing

OBJECTIVES: To describe and correlate tongue force and grip strength measures and to verify the association of these measures with water swallowing in different age groups. METHOD: Tongue force was evaluated using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument and grip strength using the Hand Grip in 90 normal individuals, who were divided into three groups: young (18-39 years old), adult (40-59 years old) and elderly (above 60 years old) individuals. The time and number of swallows required for the continuous ingestion of 200 ml of water were also measured. RESULTS: A reduction in tongue force and grip strength, as well as an increase in the time required to drink 200 ml of water, were observed with increasing participant age. There was no difference in the number of swallows among the three groups. A correlation was observed between reductions in tongue force and grip strength in the groups of young and elderly individuals. CONCLUSION: There were differences in the measures of tongue force in young, adult and elderly individuals. Greater variations within these differences were observed when repeated movements were performed; in addition, a decrease in strength was associated with an increase in age. The decrease in tongue force among the elderly was offset by the increase in time needed to swallow the liquid. There was an association between the measures of tongue force and grip strength in the different age groups. The results of this study can be applied clinically and may act as a basis for guidelines in healthy or vulnerable elderly populations

The influence of educational status on motor performance and learning: a literature review

Many studies have shown the impact of the educational status on cognitive and motor control. However, few studies in the area of Physical Therapy and Motor Behavior consider the educational status of the subjects. This study aimed to describe evidences about the influence of the educational status on motor behavior (and its repercussions on physiotherapeutic assessment) and on motor learning (and its repercussions on physiotherapeutic treatment). We included in this review national and international studies from 1998 to 2013 from SciELO, MEDLINE and LILACS databases. We used the keywords: educational status, schooling level, motor control, motor behavior, motor performance, and motor learning. Sixty studies were located and 28 were selected, because they followed the inclusion criteria: (1) to investigate the effect of education on motor performance; (2) be available in Portuguese or English; and (3) be available in Brazil. The review showed that the educational status of patients must be considered by the physiotherapists in experimental and clinical practice, because many studies have shown its influence on assessment and treatment of young and older adults.Muchos estudios han demostrado el impacto de la educación en las habilidades cognitivas y motoras. Sin embargo, muy pocos estudios en el campo de la Terapia Física y Comportamiento Motor consideran la escolarización en la muestra. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo describir la evidencia sobre la influencia de la educación en el comportamiento motor (y sus efectos sobre la evaluación de terapia física) y aprendizaje motor (y sus repercusiones en la fisioterapia). Un sondeo 1998-2013 buscó revistas nacionales e internacionales en las bases de datos SciELO, MEDLINE y LILACS, utilizando las palabras clave: educación, nivel de educación, control de motores, el comportamiento del motor, el rendimiento del motor y de aprendizaje motor. Se localizaron 60 estudios. De éstos, 28 fueron seleccionados porque cumplen con los criterios de inclusión: (1) investigar el efecto de la educación sobre el rendimiento del motor; (2) estar en Portugués o Inglés; y (3) estará disponible en Brasil. La revisión mostró que la educación de los pacientes debe ser considerada por los fisioterapeutas en situaciones experimentales y clínicos, ya que varios estudios han demostrado su influencia en la evaluación y el tratamiento de jóvenes y ancianosMuitos estudos têm mostrado o impacto da escolaridade na cognição e motricidade. Porém, ainda poucos estudos na área de Fisioterapia e Comportamento Motor consideram a escolaridade da amostra. Este trabalho visou descrever evidências sobre a influência da escolaridade no comportamento motor (e suas repercussões na avaliação fisioterapêutica) e na aprendizagem motora (e suas repercussões no tratamento fisioterapêutico). Um levantamento de 1998 a 2013 buscou periódicos nacionais e internacionais nas bases de dados SciELO, MEDLINE e LILACS, com os descritores: escolaridade, nível educacional, controle motor, comportamento motor, desempenho motor e aprendizagem motora. Foram localizados 60 estudos. Desses, 28 foram selecionados por atenderem aos critérios de inclusão: (1) investigar o efeito da escolaridade sobre o desempenho motor; (2) estar em português ou inglês; e (3) estar disponível no Brasil. A revisão mostrou que a escolaridade dos pacientes deve ser considerada pelos fisioterapeutas em situações experimentais e clínicas, pois diversos estudos mostraram sua influência na avaliação e no tratamento de jovens e idosos

Processamento léxico-semântico no paradigma de priming semântico em pacientes afásicos

There is evidence that the explicit lexical-semantic processing deficits which characterize aphasia may be observed in the absence of implicit semantic impairment. The aim of this article was to critically review the international literature on lexical-semantic processing in aphasia, as tested through the semantic priming paradigm. Specifically, this review focused on aphasia and lexical-semantic processing, the methodological strengths and weaknesses of the semantic paradigms used, and recent evidence from neuroimaging studies on lexical-semantic processing. Furthermore, evidence on dissociations between implicit and explicit lexical-semantic processing reported in the literature will be discussed and interpreted by referring to functional neuroimaging evidence from healthy populations. There is evidence that semantic priming effects can be found both in fluent and in non-fluent aphasias, and that these effects are related to an extensive network which includes the temporal lobe, the pre-frontal cortex, the left frontal gyrus, the left temporal gyrus and the cingulated cortex