JCPSLP VOL 15 No 1 March 2013

Computer-assisted assessment and intervention

From the editors Anna O’Callaghan and Jane McCormack

Contents

1 From the editors 2 Using computer-based therapy as an adjunct to standard anomia therapy – Emma Finch, Kathy Clark and Anne J. Hill 7 Growth in expressive grammar following intervention for 3- to 4-year-old preschoolers with SLI – Karla N. Washington and Genese Warr-Leeper 13 The effectiveness of a computer- supported intervention targeting orthographic processing and phonological recoding for children with impaired word identification: A preliminary study – Toni Seiler, Suze Leitão and Mara Blosfelds 19 Children’s naming as a function of neighbourhood density – Skott E. Freedman 25 Reliability of the Focus on the Outcomes of Communication Under Six (FOCUS©) – Karla N. Washington, Bruce Oddson, Bernadette Robertson, Peter Rosenbaum and Nancy Thomas-Stonell 32 Assessment of complex sentences in children with language impairment: Six key suggestions from the literature – Gillian Steel, Miranda Rose and Patricia Eadie 36 Webwords 45: Apps for speech- language pathology intervention – Caroline Bowen 38 Top 10 resources: iPad and iPhone apps for voice – Alison Winkworth 40 What’s the evidence? The use of iPods ® or iPads ® to support communication intervention for children with ASD – Dean Sutherland 43 Peer review: (December 2011 – November 2012) 44 Digital possibilities and ethical

T his issue of the Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology focuses on “Computer assisted assessment and intervention”. As such, it showcases developments in speech-language pathology (SLP) research and clinical practice in response to the technological advances of recent years. Finch, Clark and Hill explored whether the use of tablet computers had the potential to increase the intensity of therapy for adults with aphasia. In their pilot trial, Finch and colleagues described the improvements made by two participants in naming items as a result of the intervention, and reported different benefits and challenges to engaging with technology for treatment. Other contributors examined the use of computer programs for intervention with children. Washington and Warr-Leeper examined the effectiveness of a computer-based intervention targeting expressive grammar in preschool children with specific language impairment. They found children who participated in the intervention demonstrated greater improvements in grammatical complexity and morpheme use, compared to children who received no intervention. Similarly, Seiler, Leitão and Blosfelds evaluated the effectiveness of a computer-based program for addressing orthographic processing in three children with word identification difficulties. Preliminary findings were positive and have encouraged the authors to conduct further research with a larger sample of children. Within this issue of JCPSLP , regular columns also focus on technology in practice. In her “Webwords” column, Bowen introduced apps for use in speech-language pathology intervention and highlighted the importance of evaluating these apps, particularly in terms of the evidence available to support their use. As one example of the proliferation of apps available for clinical practice, Winkworth provided a description of her “Top 10” iPad and iPhone apps suitable for the treatment of clients with voice disorders. She has used these clinically with success but warns of the need to exercise caution when choosing and using apps, given the lack of external evidence for many. Sutherland contributed the “What’s the evidence?” column, reviewing the evidence that exists to support communication interventions using mobile devices for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Again, he emphasised the limited research currently available showing the effectiveness of mobile technologies for children with ASD. Given the great consumer interest in such technologies, research into the effectiveness of these apps would be timely. The world of information technology is certainly advancing and expanding at a rapid rate. We, as speech pathologists, are readily embracing the innovations this technology offers us, but we are wary of the need to apply them with caution. Other papers in this issue explore a range of other interesting clinical topics. Freedman explored the impact of semantic and phonological neighbourhood density on preschool children’s naming accuracy. Washington, Oddson, Robertson, Rosenbaum, and Thomas- Stonell described the test-retest and inter-rater reliability of a new clinical outcome measure, based on the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health – Children and Youth. Steel, Rose and Eadie developed a clinical tutorial to provide speech-language pathologists with six key considerations when assessing complex sentences in children with language impairment. We have enjoyed reading all of the contributions to this issue of JCPSLP and hope that you do as well. We hope you are encouraged to explore alternative modes of undertaking assessment and intervention within your research and clinical practice and to consider sharing the results in future issues of JCPSLP !

considerations: Speech-language pathologists and the web – Grant Meredith, Sally Firmin and Lindy McAllister

48 Resource reviews 50 Around the journals

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JCPSLP Volume 15, Number 1 2013

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