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Coordination of international aphasia research would minimise duplication of effort, support synergistic international activities across languages and multidisciplinary perspectives, and promote high-quality conduct and reporting of aphasia research, thereby increasing the relevance, transparency, and implementation of findings. The Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists (CATs) sought to develop an aphasia research agenda to direct future research activities, based on priorities shared by people with aphasia, family members, and healthcare professionals. Our established international research network spanning 33 countries contributed to this activity. Research literature reporting the priorities of stakeholders was reviewed and synthesized (phase 1). Representatives from Working Groups on Aphasia Assessment & Outcomes, Prognosis & Predictors of Recovery, Effectiveness of Interventions, and Societal Impact & Reintegration participated in a two-day research agenda-setting meeting. The CATs expert panel refined research objectives and identified constituent components of research and methodological developments required to address these research components. The objectives and research components were grouped into overarching themes (phase 2). The resultant list was then circulated to more than 180 CATs members for review, revision, and approval. Consensus on the final aphasia research agenda and roadmap was reached by CATs executive committee (phase 3). The expert panel identified five overarching research themes: (i) evidence-based interventions for people with aphasia, (ii) effective interventions to support those communicating with people with aphasia, (iii) cross-linguistic assessment and core outcomes for aphasia research, (iv) predictors of language recovery, and (v) clinical implementation of research findings. Within these broad themes, 30 research objectives and 91 individual aphasia research components were identified and sequentially ordered. This agenda builds on research priorities identified by people with aphasia and their families, and includes priorities of healthcare professionals and researchers, and will support the rehabilitation and recovery of people with aphasia. Our internationally relevant research agenda promotes rigor in methodology, considers international applicability, synergistic activities, and sharing of resources and expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: International investigations of public awareness of aphasia indicate low levels of awareness and knowledge. Many studies identify the media as a powerful mechanism for increasing public awareness of health conditions. Media coverage of aphasia is lacking compared to other health conditions. To date, no research has investigated media coverage of aphasia in Ireland. Aims: To investigate the written coverage of aphasia and/or dysphasia in the Irish print media. Methods and Procedures: The Lexis Nexis database was searched between January 2013–2020 inclusive and all articles with the term "aphasia" and/or "dysphasia" in the headline and/or body of the text were retrieved. Retrieved articles were reviewed by both authors. Included articles were categorised independently using content analysis and the descriptors of aphasia in print media. The principles of thematic analysis supported the identification of themes across the data. Outcomes and Results: A total of 34 articles were identified; 16 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Descriptions of aphasia varied across the data with "word only provided" (n =0); "definition provided" (n =8); "content provided" (n =8). The articles (n =16) featured a range of content about aphasia including: Lived experiences (n =6); Definitions (n =5); Information (n =3); Communication training (n =2). Four themes emerged from the data including (1) Language Impairment, (2) Support Structures, (3) Recovery Pathway, and 4) Impacts on Family. Conclusions: Information about aphasia in Irish print media is sparse. The accuracy and quality of coverage are inconsistent which may be contributing to the limited levels of public awareness and knowledge of aphasia in Ireland. Accurate and increased media coverage has the potential to improve public awareness and knowledge and promote the inclusion of people living with aphasia in Irish society. A co-designed and targeted media aphasia awareness campaign is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research investigating public awareness of aphasia internationally shows limited awareness and knowledge. This is concerning because the literature suggests that awareness of aphasia contributes to the health, community participation and psychosocial wellbeing of people with aphasia and their families. Increased awareness promotes inclusion and influences investment in research and resources. To date there is no previous data relating to public awareness and knowledge of aphasia in Ireland. This study reports on the public awareness and knowledge of aphasia in the West of Ireland. To investigate the levels of public awareness and knowledge of aphasia in the West of Ireland. This quantitative study used a standardised survey questionnaire to collect data about aphasia awareness and knowledge via face-to-face interviews in urban and rural locations in the West of Ireland. Using convenience sampling, participants (N = 600) were recruited. Information related to participants' (1) age, gender and occupation; (2) sources of aphasia awareness and (3) awareness of other neurogenic conditions was collected and statistically analysed. Findings indicate that 19.7% of participants had awareness of aphasia which is higher than many previous studies; however, only 5.5% had knowledge of aphasia which is lower than previous research in the field. Gender and occupation significantly influenced levels of awareness and knowledge. The majority of participants identified the media and work as the main sources of aphasia information. Aphasia awareness was significantly lower than awareness of other conditions including dyslexia, stuttering/stammering and stroke. Public awareness and knowledge of aphasia in the West of Ireland are low. This limited public understanding of aphasia may influence the involvement of people with aphasia and their families in Irish communities and the accessibility of services. Further research to determine public awareness and knowledge of aphasia in Ireland is warranted. This information will contribute to the development of a targeted, national co-designed campaign to increase levels of public awareness and knowledge of aphasia in Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An important goal of people living with aphasia, aphasia organizations and professionals who work with aphasia is increased awareness of aphasia by the public. However, surveys of the public awareness of aphasia around the world and over time suggest that public knowledge of aphasia is poor. Aims: The aim of this article is to examine the literature on aphasia awareness and aphasia awareness campaigns, and to propose a strategic research agenda to move awareness building forward. Main Contribution: Aphasia awareness campaigns appear to have had minimal impact on knowledge of aphasia by the general public. Potential problems with aphasia awareness building were identified including a lack of a unified and compelling message across awareness campaigns, lack of coordination across organizations and campaigns, tendency to target audiences already familiar with aphasia, failure to base campaigns on theory and research from disciplines such as marketing, health promotion and communication research, failure to involve people with aphasia, their families and health-care professionals in the co-design of campaigns and no evidence that the impact of campaigns has been evaluated. Conclusions: A strategic research agenda is needed in order to increase the effectiveness, co-design, and co-evaluation of aphasia awareness campaigns worldwide. The authors propose an international effort and comprehensive research agenda to address aphasia awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of children speaking more than one language as well as the number of languages spoken in Ireland has increased significantly posing a problem for timely identification of children with language disorder. The current study aims to profile performance of monolingual and multilingual children on language processing tasks: non-word repetition (NWR) and sentence repetition (SR). We used: (1) Crosslinguistic (CL) and English Language-Specific (LS) NWR and (2) SR in English, Polish and Russian. Children's socioeconomic status, language emergence, the age of exposure (AoE) to English and the percentage of English spoken at home were recorded. The study included 88 children age 5–8 attending a school in a disadvantaged area. CL and LS NWR yielded similar distribution of scores for monolinguals and multilinguals. The tasks identified small number of children who performed significantly lower than the mean while there were no significant differences between the groups. In English SR, monolinguals significantly outperformed multilinguals. Comparison of SR in English and Polish/Russian indicated that some children showed balanced performance in both of their languages while others showed marked differences performing better in either Polish/Russian or English depending on their AoE to English and percentage of English spoken at home. The pilot study suggests that CL-NWR is a promising screening tool for identifying monolingual and multilingual children with language disorder while SR provides more detailed information on children's language performance relative to their language exposure. SR task is recommended to be used only if comparable tasks are available in all of children's languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is growing interest in interventions that promote positive outcomes and well-being for people with aphasia (PWA) and their families, but provision is inconsistent. An asset-based approach, based on the theory of salutogenesis, focuses on what makes you well rather than ill. This approach has been used successfully across a variety of research fields, including health and social care research and practice, and has the potential to provide coherent strategies to support people living successfully with aphasia. Aim: To explore the relevance and potential of an asset-based approach to promoting and sustaining well-being for PWA and their families, across contexts and cultures. Methods & procedures: Exploratory case studies were carried out in the United Kingdom (UK), Norway, Israel, Ireland, and Denmark in a variety of settings. Following an interpretative paradigm, we used qualitative methods including: interviews; appreciative inquiry; group discussions; and participatory action research. 95 PWA and 25 family members were asked to identify assets within themselves and their communities that promote, sustain and maintain well-being, by responding to: "What makes you feel good/well/healthy?" Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Outcomes & results: An asset-based approach proved to be a powerful means for PWA and family members to explore what helps them live well with aphasia. Key themes were identified: (1) personal journey; (2) helping others; (3) connecting to self; (4) connecting to others; (5) recreation; and (6) personal attributes. Self-identification of assets, within the person and their community, and connections to these, helped PWA and their family members to maintain well-being, overcome barriers and regain confidence. Using this approach, focusing on the person's recognition, activation and mobilisation of assets, could enhance the person's understanding and restore meaning around the stroke and onset of aphasia. Conclusion: This novel exploratory research demonstrates the relevance and potential across diverse cultural contexts of taking an asset-based approach to promoting and sustaining well-being for PWA and their families. Focusing on maintaining connections to these assets and developing meaning around the event, could prevent some of the negative sequela of stroke. The "patient–professional" relationship must transform into a collaborative partnership, with time and flexibility needed to introduce this approach. Further research should examine how service providers and PWA could develop and operationalise an asset-based approach in clinical and community settings and identify if there is an optimum timing for introducing this approach along the stroke pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vocal load related to heavy voice use in particular professions increases the risk of occupational voice disorders. Research on professional voice use has primarily focused on educators, singers, and call-centre advisors. This paper describes the daily experiences of professional soccer managers' occupational voice use through qualitative methods. Four global themes were identified: 1) voice uses, 2) factors affecting voice change, 3) impact of voice use, and 4) the importance of voice in soccer management. All describe the nature of soccer managers' vocal demands. Risk factors for voice disorders include intense and prolonged voice use in environments with adverse acoustic properties for speakers and poor phonation methods. Research on vocal behaviours and early prevention programmes for this population group is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]