The dementia syndrome is characterized by cognitive and behavioral deficits that affect daily life functioning, including communication. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) will see increased numbers of adults with dementia in the coming years, as the incidence and prevalence of diseases that cause dementia continue to grow. In this article, the authors provide an update on the syndrome of dementia and its most common cause, Alzheimer's disease. A framework for interventions is provided, along with a discussion of research evidence for specific treatment techniques. The article concludes with case studies of person-centered assessment and intervention for individuals with mild and moderate dementia severity.

Purpose: Development of valid and reliable outcome tools to document social approaches to aphasia therapy and to determine best practice is imperative. The aim of this study is to determine whether the Conversational Interaction Coding Form (CICF; Pimentel & Algeo, 2009) can be applied reliably to the natural conversation of individuals with aphasia in a group setting. Method: Eleven graduate students participated in this study. During a 90-minute training session, participants reviewed and practiced coding with the CICF. Then participants independently completed the CICF using video recordings of individuals with non-fluent and fluent aphasia participating in an aphasia group. Interobserver reliability was computed using matrices representative of the point-to-point agreement or disagreement between each participant's coding and the authors' coding for each measure. Interobserver reliability was defined as 80% or better agreement for each measure. Results: On the whole, the CICF was not applied reliably to the natural conversation of individuals with aphasia in a group setting. Conclusion: In an extensive review of the turns that had high disagreement across participants, the poor reliability was attributed to inadequate rules and definitions and inexperienced coders. Further research is needed to improve the reliability of this potentially useful clinical tool.

Introduction: Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a common cause of social cognition deficits and psychosocial challenges in adolescents. A group intervention program was designed to support teens with chronic ABI. Method: Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted to examine participants' self-knowledge and satisfaction with the program. Results: Results revealed that participants and parents valued increased self-knowledge and an understanding of brain injuries, the focus on friendships and individual strengths, and feelings of togetherness and not being judged. Discussion: Support for strength-based, project-oriented, group intervention programs for adolescents with ABI and directions for future research are discussed.

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of asking open-ended episodic memory questions versus open-ended semantic memory questions on the conversational discourse of individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: Four females diagnosed with probable AD participated in the study. A within-subjects experimental design was employed to assess the effects of the different question types on participants’ spoken language. Transcripts were analyzed using specific discourse measures used in previous research involving individuals with AD. Results: Participants in this study produced more meaningful and relevant statements, as measured by ratios of on-topic utterances, when responding to the semantic memory questions as compared to episodic memory questions. Participants made few negative comments overall; however, more negative self-evaluative statements were made in the episodic memory condition. When considered in conjunction with previous research, the results support the use of multiple question types in conversation with individuals with mild and moderate AD. However, communication partners should limit their use of open-ended questions that primarily tax episodic memory.

Abstract Purpose : This article describes the rationale and outcome of an international meeting held to explore evidence related to social approaches to aphasia intervention. Method : A think tank and conference took place in Toronto, Canada, in September 2007 with the purpose of mobilizing a process of collaboration to document and collect evidence related to social approaches to aphasia. Using a framework called “Living with Aphasia: Framework for Outcome Measurement” (A-FROM), meeting participants worked to identify evidence available in the literature related to social approaches, identify gaps in evidence, and establish a plan to move forward in the process of establishing a comprehensive evidence base. Results : A preliminary summary of evidence was defined according to A-FROM domains, and weaknesses and gaps were identified. Concrete directions for the future were set forth as action plans. Conclusions: This report on the outcomes of the international think tank serves as an invitation to those interested in furthering the evidence for social approaches to aphasia to become involved in a collaborative process of evaluating and collecting evidence.