Background: Engagement is recognized as an important factor in aphasia treatment response and outcomes, yet gaps remain in our understanding of engagement and practices that promote engagement from the client perspective. Aims: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how clients with aphasia experience engagement during their…

Purposes: Investigating the contribution of each component of the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) to the aphasia quotient (AQ) helps better understand the mechanisms of change in the AQ. Previous studies on patients with English-speaking aphasia have shown that spontaneous speech contributes the most to the AQ. However, the same conclusion may not…

Communication is fundamental to the human condition but is impaired in life-altering ways for more than 2.4 million individuals with aphasia in the United States. Individuals with aphasia identify discourse-level communication (i.e. language in use) as a high priority for treatment. The central premise of most aphasia treatments is that restoring…

Background: It is assumed that language impairments post-stroke do not show much improvement after the phase of spontaneous recovery, especially in the chronic stage. Several studies have reported language recovery and factors influencing it in the acute stages of stroke. There is limited literature focusing on language recovery in the chronic…

Purpose: Speech and language pathologists (SLP) are frequently consulted for guidance on the management of oral solid medications. However, the extent to which SLPs consider solid medication intake during swallowing examination remains unclear. The present study endeavoured to find out whether and how SLPs assess patients' ability to swallow solid…

Background: Current published guidelines suggest that speech and language therapists (SLTs) should be part of stroke teams, but their involvement and roles according to country income are unknown. Aims: This review aims to (1) investigate the level of involvement of SLTs in acute stroke management, rehabilitation, and long-term care, and (2)…

Background: There is a growing body of evidence showing the value of community singing-based rehabilitation on psychosocial well-being and communication for people with post-stroke communication impairment (PSCI). However, there has been little consideration of the potential value an inpatient aphasia-friendly choir may have through the…

Background: Based on stakeholder conversations, speech and language therapists have anecdotally observed cases of dysphagia with suspected laryngeal hypersensitivity. These presentations have been coined as 'muscle tension dysphagia' often with concurrent laryngeal sensitivity symptoms. However, the role of laryngeal hypersensitivity in dysphagia…

Background: Although existing studies have shown that both repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and music therapy have advantages in the treatment of non-fluent aphasia, the efficacy of the combination of these two methods remains to be investigated. Aims: To investigate the clinical efficacy of low-frequency rTMS combined with…

Background: Discourse analysis has recently received much attention in the aphasia literature. Even if post-stroke language recovery occurs throughout the longitudinal continuum of recovery, very few studies have documented discourse changes from the hyperacute to the chronic phases of recovery. Aims: To document a multilevel analysis of discourse…

Background: The communicative effectiveness of persons with aphasia (PWA) has been assessed through a range of functional communication measures. However, variability in interpretations of what is covered by the term "functional communication" may have resulted in challenges to the implementation of appropriate and consistent…

Background: Caregivers of a person with aphasia (PWA) often lack knowledge about aphasia and have difficulty acting as effective conversation partners, feeling excluded and passive. Promoting the interlocutor's proficiency in the ability to support the PWA in a conversation is essential for improving patient-caregiver relationships. Aims: This…

Background: Dysphagia affects over half of adults after stroke. Dysphagia rehabilitation aims to improve swallowing and reduce negative outcomes for these adults. However, significant variability exists in dysphagia rehabilitation. Research is needed to explore the underlying clinician-specific and workplace factors that contribute to variability…

Background: People with post-stroke aphasia (PWA) are more likely to experience serious mood disorders compared with those without. Emotional regulation may be important for influencing life participation after stroke. Understanding emotional regulation in the context of aphasia is important for promoting personally defined recovery, psychological…

Background: Patients with schizophrenia present with both cognitive impairment as well as language difficulties. There are similarities in the language output of patients with schizophrenia and patients with aphasia, thus a differential diagnosis of patients who present with a question of dual diagnoses can be a clinical challenge. This case…