A COVID-19 Informed Benchmark Portfolio of Teaching for SLPA 988: Dementia

The focus of this peer review of teaching portfolio was SLPA 988: Dementia. The course is offered in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders within the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This is an elective course at the graduate level which has a primary target of students in the master’s degree program in speech-language pathology. It is an advanced 900 level course and comes after students have completed at least one semester of clinical work with patients. My goal was to better understand how to improve the course as it transitions from a 1-credit hour 5-week mini session to a 2-credit hour 15-week session. Initially, I had planned to develop and assess reflection as a major component of change. However, the COVID-19 pandemic required a shift in teaching strategy and the focus became on what students would find most valuable as online teaching tools. The results indicated a shift in what students initially believed would be most useful to them in online learning at the start of the mini session compared to the end of the session. Future changes to the course assessments are discussed. This benchmark portfolio is a reflection on my course goals, teaching methods, and student learning outcomes

Improving the Interprofessional Relationship Between Nurses and Speech-Language Pathologists: A Pilot Study

The research presented in this thesis explores the impact of interprofessional education on undergraduate nursing and speech-language pathology students with an overall goal of improving the interprofessional relationship between the two fields. Utilizing quantitative and qualitative methods in the form of a pre-test, educational materials, live guided observation, and post-tests, the researchers found an increase in the nursing students ’ ability to identify the role of the speech-language pathologist in a medical setting (knowledge). There was also an increase in the speech-language pathology students’ ability to understand how and when to communicate with nurses in a medical setting (knowledge)

Revisiting the Role of Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Aphasia Rehabilitation

Purpose — The purpose of this article is to revisit the role of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in post stroke aphasia rehabilitation. The authors’ intent is to provide a viewpoint that expands the use of AAC in post stroke aphasia rehabilitation. Specifically, we seek to clarify the role of AAC in restorative and participation approaches to aphasia rehabilitation while also considering the role of AAC in a comprehensive treatment plan. The authors support their viewpoint with citations from both the historic and contemporary literature on aphasia rehabilitation. Conclusions — A thought-provoking viewpoint on the role of AAC in post stroke aphasia rehabilitation is proposed. More specifically, the versatility of AAC strategies is reviewed, with an emphasis on how AAC can be used to empower people with aphasia to fully participate and engage in life activities with increased independence. Moreover, we argue that AAC can be viewed as a dual-purpose tool that can simultaneously serve to drive inter-systemic reorganization resulting in some improved language performance—and perhaps restoration of language function—while offering a communication alternative during inevitable anomic events

The perspectives of augmentative and alternative communication experts on the clinical integration of non-invasive brain-computer interfaces

As brain-computer interface for augmentative and alternative communication access (BCI-AAC) development continues to consider avenues for translation into the clinical setting, the perspectives of clinician experts in AAC should be considered. Therefore, 11 USA-based speech-language pathologists who are experts in AAC completed a semistructured interview along with Likert scale measures to assess their perspectives on BCI-AAC. The interviews and scales explored the potential impact of BCI-AAC, along with barriers and solutions to BCI-AAC implementation. Speech-language pathologists estimated that 1.5% to 50% of their caseload may benefit from BCI-AAC across various settings. Further, identified barriers and solutions included (a) BCI-AAC implementation and support, (b) funding and access, (c) applicability and literacy skills, (d) assessment and training in supporting outcomes, and (e) motivation and customization. Results reinforce and extend existing directions for BCI-AAC translation such as user-centered assessment, stakeholder support, and populations who may benefit from intervention, such as children

Supporting Narrative Retells for People with Aphasia using AAC: Photographs or Line Drawings? Text or No Text?

People with aphasia (PWAs) have demonstrated the ability to learn augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices that employ traditional grid layouts to enhance their communication; however, the process is typically lengthy and yields limited generalization (Fox & Fried-Oken, 2001; Koul & Harding, 1998). In response, researchers have begun to investigate the use of visual scene displays (VSDs) to support the communication interactions of PWAs by capitalizing on their relatively intact episodic memory (Beukelman, Dietz, McKelvey, Hux, & Weissling, in press; Dietz, Beukelman, & McKelvey, 2006a; Dietz, McKelvey, Beukelman, Weissling, & Hux, 2006b; McKelvey, Dietz, Hux, Weissling, & Beukelman, 2007). High-technology VSDs may include various combinations of photographs, text boxes and speak buttons (see Figure 1); however, the specific elements of VSDs that best support the communication of PWAs is unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to compare the impact of personally relevant (PR) photographs and line drawings (LDs) as well as the presence of text on four AAC interfaces, on the communication of PWAs during a personal narrative retell task

Supporting Narrative Retells for People with Aphasia using AAC: Photographs or Line Drawings? Text or No Text?

People with aphasia (PWAs) have demonstrated the ability to learn augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices that employ traditional grid layouts to enhance their communication; however, the process is typically lengthy and yields limited generalization (Fox & Fried-Oken, 2001; Koul & Harding, 1998). In response, researchers have begun to investigate the use of visual scene displays (VSDs) to support the communication interactions of PWAs by capitalizing on their relatively intact episodic memory (Beukelman, Dietz, McKelvey, Hux, & Weissling, in press; Dietz, Beukelman, & McKelvey, 2006a; Dietz, McKelvey, Beukelman, Weissling, & Hux, 2006b; McKelvey, Dietz, Hux, Weissling, & Beukelman, 2007). High-technology VSDs may include various combinations of photographs, text boxes and speak buttons (see Figure 1); however, the specific elements of VSDs that best support the communication of PWAs is unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to compare the impact of personally relevant (PR) photographs and line drawings (LDs) as well as the presence of text on four AAC interfaces, on the communication of PWAs during a personal narrative retell task

Supporting Narrative Retells for People With Aphasia Using Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Photographs or Line Drawings? Text or No Text?

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine how the interface design of an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device influences the communication behaviors of people with aphasia during a narrative retell task. Method: A case-series design was used. Four narratives were created on an AAC device with combinations of personally relevant (PR) photographs, line drawings (LDs), and text for each participant. The narrative retells were analyzed to describe the expressive modality units (EMUs) used, trouble sources experienced, and whether trouble sources were repaired. The researchers also explored the participants’ perceived helpfulness of the interface features. Results: The participants primarily used spoken EMUs to retell their narratives. They relied on PR photographs more frequently than LDs; however, they reported both picture types to be equally helpful. Text was frequently used and reported as helpful by all 4 people with aphasia. Participants experienced similar rates of trouble sources across conditions; however, they displayed unique trends for successful repairs of trouble sources. onclusion: For narrative retells, LDs may serve as an effective visual support when PR photographs are unavailable. Individual assessment is necessary to determine the optimum combination of supports in AAC systems for people with aphasia

A Qualitative Study of an Interprofessional Collaborative Practicum Cohort

Interprofessional education (IPE) occurs “when students from two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes” (WHO, 2010). While IPE with a healthcare focus has been around for years, literature regarding IPE in the school setting involving speech-language pathology (SLP) and special education (SPED) is sparse. Online database searches using the key words “interprofessional education,” “interprofessional collaboration,” “special education,” and “speech-language pathology” yield only a few studies. • In the Special Education and Communication Disorders department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, aninterprofessional practicum experience was developed to address the need for more research and to teach collaboration to future school-based professionals

Improving the Interprofessional Relationship between Nurses and Speech-Langauge Pathologists - Expansion of a Project

The research presented on this poster explored the impact of extraprofessional education on undergraduate nursing and speech-language pathology students with an overall goal of improving the interprofessional relationship between the two fields. Utilizing quantitative and qualitative methods in the form of a pre-test, educational materials, live guided observation, and post-tests, the researchers found an increase in the nursing students ability to identify the role of the speech-language pathologist in a medical setting. There was also an increase in the speech-language pathology student’s ability to understand how and when to communicate with nurses in a medical setting

Using visual scene displays to create a shared communication space for a person with aphasia

Background: Low-tech visual scene displays (VSDs) combine contextually rich pictures and written text to support the communication of people with aphasia. VSDs create a shared communication space in which a person with aphasia and a communication partner co-construct messages. Aims: The researchers examined the effect of low-tech VSDs on the content and quality of communicative interactions between a person with aphasia and unfamiliar communication partners. Methods & Procedures: One person with aphasia and nine unfamiliar communication partners engaged in short, one-on-one conversations about a specified topic in one of three conditions: shared-VSDs, non-shared-VSDs, and no-VSDs. Data included discourse analysis scores reflecting the conceptual complexity of utterances, content unit analyses of information communication partners gathered from the interaction, and Likert-scale responses from the person with aphasia about his perception of communicative ease and effectiveness. Outcomes & Results: Comparisons made across conditions revealed: (a) the most conversational turns occurred in the shared-VSDs condition; (b) communication partners produced utterances with higher conceptual complexity in the shared-VSDs condition; (c) the person with aphasia conveyed the greatest number of content units in the shared- VSDs condition; and (d) the person with aphasia perceived that information transfer, ease of conversational interaction, and partner understanding were best in the shared-VSDs condition. Conclusions: These findings suggest that low-tech VSDs have an impact on the manner and extent to which a person with aphasia and a communication partner contribute to conversational interactions involving information transfe