Current practices regarding discourse analysis and treatment following non-aphasic brain injury

A qualitative study

Authors

  • Katherine McComas Maddy University of Kentucky
  • Dana M. Howell Eastern Kentucky University
  • Gilson J. Capilouto University of Kentucky

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jircd.v7i1.25519

Keywords:

discourse impairments, traumatic brain injury, stroke, speech language pathologists

Abstract

Discourse production deficits are a common feature of non-aphasic brain injury (NABI). However, little is known about current practices of speech-language pathologists in the assessment and treatment of discourse production deficits following NABI. A phenomenological approach of inquiry was used to examine the experiences of speech-language pathologists in the assessment and treatment of individuals with NABI, with a particular focus on discourse production deficits. Nine speech-language pathologists participated in semi-structured individual interviews. Participants identified common discourse production deficits and hypothesized about the impact on a person’s quality of life. However, external influences negatively impacted participants’ practice regarding discourse assessment and treatment. External influences included time constraints, lack of standardized data, and the lack of formalized education regarding discourse assessment and treatment. These findings suggest that there is a discrepancy between speech-language pathologists’ values and their actual clinical practice related to the analysis and implementation of treatment for discourse production deficits.

Author Biographies

  • Katherine McComas Maddy, University of Kentucky

    Katherine Maddy is a certified speech -language pathologist and doctoral candidate in the Rehabilitation Sciences interdisciplinary Ph.D. program at the University of Kentucky. Prior to enrolling in the doctoral program, she worked as a speech-language pathologist on the Stroke Program at Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital in Lexington, KY. Currently, Maddy is completing a clinical doctoral fellowship at the University of Kentucky Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and provides clinical services to the Chandler Medical Center and the Communication Disorders Clinic. She is a member of the Needs Assessment of Persons with Stroke (NAPS) research group, which is part of the larger Kentucky Appalachian Rural Rehabilitation Network (KARRN). The NAPS team has published about the barriers and needs of individuals with stroke reintegrating into their Appalachian communities. Findings from these studies have led to the development of a Stroke Support Group in the rural Appalachian area of Eastern Kentucky. Maddy has experience with both qualitative and quantitative methodologies and her current line of research centers on the contribution of selective attention abilities on the maintenance of global coherence in the discourse of individuals with right hemisphere stroke. She has presented locally, nationally, and internationally on cognitive-communication disorders following stroke and brain injury and is a guest lecturer both at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY and Marshall University in Huntington, WV.

  • Dana M. Howell, Eastern Kentucky University

    Dana M. Howell is an occupational therapist with a BS in Occupational Therapy from Colorado State University, a Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) from Creighton University, and a PhD in Adult Education from the University of Idaho. Dr Howell has provided occupational therapy services in adult rehabilitation in a variety of settings including inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing facilities, work hardening, and home health. Currently she is a Professor at Eastern Kentucky University where she teaches in four programs: the Bachelor of Occupational Science program, the Master of Occupational Therapy program, the post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy program, and the Doctor of Rehabilitation Sciences program, which is an interprofessional, collaborative doctoral program between University of Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky University. Dr Howell’s research interests include interprofessional practice and education, qualitative research, physical rehabilitation, and quality of life.

  • Gilson J. Capilouto, University of Kentucky

    Gilson Capilouto is a professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Kentucky. Dr Capilouto has been a practicing speech-language pathologist for over 30 years. Early in her career, she owned and operated a private practice in Charleston, SC with a particular emphasis on individuals with language disorders. In 1994, she was recruited into academia and assisted in the establishment of the Communication Sciences and Disorders graduate program at the Medical University of South Carolina. Currently, she teaches in the undergraduate and graduate Communication Sciences and Disorders programs at UK and also teachers in UK’s interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Sciences doctoral program. Her current research interests include the contribution of memory and attention to micro- and macro-linguistic processes. Dr Capilouto served as the PI on a subcontract for two funded NIH projects investigating cognitive influences on discourse processing across the life span (R01 AG029476; 1R03AG042892). She is well published in the area of adult discourse processing and has lectured and presented extensively in the areas of adult language sampling and language sample analyses.

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Published

2016-01-08

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Maddy, K., Howell, D., & Capilouto, G. (2016). Current practices regarding discourse analysis and treatment following non-aphasic brain injury: A qualitative study. Journal of Interactional Research in Communication Disorders, 6(2), 211-236. https://doi.org/10.1558/jircd.v7i1.25519