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*NOW RECRUITING*: Communication recovery patterns after right hemisphere stroke
Overview: This project will focus on recovery of communication with a focus on use and understanding of emotional tone of voice (prosody) after right hemisphere stroke.
Why it Matters: Changes to communication can negatively impact individuals’ participation in their lives, resulting in reduced social support (e.g., Hewetson et al., 2021) and contributing to actual or perceived isolation from family, friends, and the community. Additionally, many speech therapists report wanting increased support for apragmatism management (e.g., Love et al., 2022; Ramsey & Blake, 2020). By identifying common patterns of apragmatism features and how they recover after right hemisphere stroke (e.g., Sheppard et al., 2022), we aim to contribute assessment and treatment recommendations for speech-language pathologists.
ILAMP: Investigating Language Awareness among Medical Professionals
Overview: We are conducting an online survey among practicing medical professionals to understand their awareness and referral practices to speech therapy services for patients with post-stroke communication changes. By collecting responses from medical professionals across several fields, we aim to identify gaps in referral practices for stroke patients in need of speech and language therapy services.
Why it Matters: Two-thirds of individuals may experience communication changes following a right hemisphere stroke (Hewetson et al., 2017). These communication changes, termed apragmatism (Minga et al., 2023), can affect people’s roles in the community or at home, their independence, and their relationships with important people in their lives (e.g., Blonder et al., 2012; Hewetson et al., 2021). However, many of these patients go without needed rehabilitation services for these communication challenges due to a lack of referral as some frontline medical professionals do not identify many apragmatism features as often as speech-language pathologists do (Blake et al., 2003). By identifying gaps in post-stroke care, we hope to pave the way for improved identification, referral, and subsequent access to speech-language services for individuals with post-stroke communication impairments.