This study used a dual-task interference paradigm to test the hypothesis that different subcomponents of working memory differentially contribute to performance on letter fluency and category fluency tasks. College students (N = 96) performed each type of verbal fluency task in isolation and concurrently with I of 3 secondary tasks. The secondary tasks were chosen for their putative involvement in different working memory subcomponents. Two subsystems of working memory, the phonological loop and the visuospatial sketchpad, were identified as important contributors to fluency performance, especially to performance on letter fluency and category fluency tasks, respectively. Moreover, the results also suggest that the executive function, mental set shifting, may be deployed to perform both letter fluency and category fluency tasks.

Cognitive flexibility is often impaired in persons with neurogenic communication and cognition disorders. There is, however, little information to guide clinicians in assessing and treating this aspect of executive functioning. The purpose of this article is to provide a framework for clinicians who evaluate and treat persons with impaired cognitive flexibility. It (1) identifies basic definitions of flexibility, (2) discusses tests frequently used to assess flexibility, (3) provides a profile of characteristic patterns of inflexibility that persons with different communication and cognition disorders exhibit, and (4) discusses treatment options.

Background: Conversation is one of the most important forms of human communication.The way in which one participates in conversation is necessarily impacted by aphasia. Recent changes in delivery of rehabilitation services place greater emphasis on functional outcome and this, in turn, has been a catalyst for the development of rehabilitation approaches that focus on conversation. However, an important missing element in studies of the efficacy of such approaches is a method for evaluating success in conversation. Aims: The object of this study was to develop an ecologically valid and reliable measure of transactional success in conversation. Methods & Procedures:The procedures for measuring transactional success in conversation described in this study utilizes standardized procedures while simulating natural conversations as much as possible. It provides a method for measuring what has been understood/exchanged when the conversation concludes, and affords an external reference against which the accuracy of this information can be judged. Data for this study were gathered from 14 people with aphasia of moderate severity each of whom engaged in 4 semistructured conversations with unfamiliar partners.Outcomes & Results: The method of measuring transactional success in conversation described in this study was shown to have good validity and reliability. Conclusions: Transactional success in conversation is clearly a unique construct that is not predicted by traditional aphasia assessment. The method for measuring transactional success in conversation developed in this investigation provides a much-needed means for clinicians to evaluate the efficacy of conversation therapy. Furthermore, combining this new measure with Conversation Analysis (CA) offers a potentially powerful tool to identify those conversational behaviors that contribute to successful transfer of ideas. Such information could then be used to inform the design of treatment programs that seek to improve conversational success for people with aphasia.Conversation is one of the most important forms of communication in daily living, for it is through conversational interactions that we show our knowledge and capabilities as well as establish and maintain interpersonal connections (Kagan, 1995). When an individual experiences language processing difficulties, such as those seen with aphasia, conversation is necessarily impacted. Despite the obvious importance in terms of functional outcome, conversational abilities are not assessed by traditional tests of aphasia impairment. Furthermore, this dimension of communication is not captured by functional measures commonly used in clinical settings such as the Communication Activities in Daily Living-Second Edition (CADL-2) (Holland, Frattali, & Fromm, 1999).Recognition of the importance of conversational success in achieving positive outcomes for people with aphasia is undoubtedly responsible for the recent surge of research on this

Telepractice is a rapidly growing means of providing remote speech-language pathology and audiology services to clients. The primary advantage of telepractice in speech-language therapy is that it improves the accessibility of services. Improved accessibility is important in serving not only clients in rural areas, but also those who are unable to visit the clinic because of physical disability. Telepractice may also make it easier for clients to engage in more intense therapy schedules, because the burdens associated with traveling to and from the clinic are removed. For these reasons, we suggested graduate students in speech-language pathology gain experience in telepractice delivery of services. This article describes our experience training graduate students in the use of telepractice delivery of speech-language therapy. Three different treatment protocols were used with nine different clients. In addition, important issues related to the use of telepractice are identified.

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