Journal Reviews
The nice therapist effect: does the therapeutic relationship matter?
Quality of relationships is considered a core component of all speech and language therapy work, yet there is little agreement of what constitutes a therapeutic relationship. This study describes a scoping review to map existing evidence that has investigated this...
Disrupting assumptions: how to teach queer concepts to speech and language therapists
Policy requiring speech and language therapy courses in America to include multicultural content in their courses was only formally introduced in 1994. Yet sexual orientation was still considered a controversial topic at this time, and it was only in the...
Foretelling: post-stroke recovery of dysphagia is predicted by cognition
Around two thirds of people in the acute phase of stroke recovery will experience dysphagia. Up to six months following a stroke this may be present in 13-18% of cases. The degree of cognitive impairment seems to be associated with...
Justice for all: role of registered intermediaries
The United Nations’ Agenda for Sustainable Development 2015 advocates equal access to justice for all. In recognition of this, a number of countries have introduced a new professional role; a registered intermediary in England, Wales and NI. The registered intermediary...
The case of the women and the words: intensive therapy can help many years post stroke
Aphasia, a language impairment impacting on a person’s ability to speak, understand, read and write, is most commonly caused by a stroke. Speech and language therapists are trained to work with people with aphasia, often aiming for restitution and rehabilitation...
Sing it, say it, sort it: singing for Parkinson’s disease
Parkinson’s disease (PD) occurs in 1% of the population aged over 60. Changes in voice and speech are among the earliest and most prevalent symptoms of PD; reduced vocal intensity, monopitch, monoloudness, breathy and hoarse voice quality, imprecise articulation, vocal...
Does speech and language therapy provide value for money?
Within the NHS (and outside it), managers, commissioners and consumers will consider value for money as a key component in making a decision about whether to pay for speech and language therapy (or any other service for that matter). Yet...
Nothing about us without us: a how-to guide
Participatory design is an approach that is built around collaboration with users through a process of coproduction, design and creation. Most interventions are designed with the expert clinician researcher as the starting point, who looks at theory, evidence and their...
Do they talk the talk and walk the walk: self-rating measures versus reality
The aim of speech and language therapy interventions is to impact communication skills in everyday interactions. In order to measure this, rating scales (both self-rating and consultee-rating) are commonly employed in clinical practice settings. Many rating scales have been shown...
Take a breath between mouthfuls
Pulse oximetry provides a measure of the percentage of oxygen in the blood. The usual range of readings on pulse oximetry is 97-99%. Older people may have lower pulse oximetry readings than younger people, and young women have higher readings...
Doing it for yourself: self-management in speech and language therapy
People with stroke aphasia are traditionally discharged from speech and language therapy when they have plateaued; meaning they are making no further progress in language recovery. This service model has been problematic, leading to people being discharged when they are...
Training people with Parkinson’s disease and their partners to have better conversations
Parkinson’s disease is predominantly considered a motor disorder, impacting speech, particularly voice volume, amongst other physical functions. Language and cognitive difficulties, such as difficulties in word finding and social pragmatics are also a key feature of Parkinson’s disease. Given the...
