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Speak Out
February 2017
www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.auEach year, SPA
awards funding for selected research projects
in three categories – clinician, higher degree by research and
entry level. The applications cover a wide range of topic areas,
and use varying research designs. The funded projects in the
2016 clinician and higher degree by research categories are
briefly described below. Details of the successful projects in these
categories, together with the successful entry-level projects will
be provided in a future issue of
Speak Out
. SPA also manages
research grants in the Nadia Verrall and Queensland Review
Board Legacy categories.
Clinician
Patients’ perspectives on what makes a better care
experience when undergoing treatment for oropharyngeal
dysphagia secondary to head and neck cancer
Katherine Lethbridge, Victoria
Current research states that head and neck cancer has a major
impact on quality of life yet there is a paucity of patient-generated
information that can guide clinicians to provide services that
improve the quality of life. Ensuring patients have the best
possible experience in their care is essential. This qualitative
study will investigate patient-generated solutions on how best to
provide care to patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia associated
with head and neck cancer. In-depth interviews will be used to
collect data from patients with head and neck cancer at the end
of their treatment, providing a retrospective insight into their care.
Interviews will focus on their patient experience, what worked
well, and what they would improve or change. Although data
will be collected only at Epworth Healthcare, the results will be
disseminated and therefore provide information for all head and
neck cancer care providers to establish better care practices.
Improving our understanding of response to school-based
intervention for primary and high school students with
language disorders attending a specialist school
Shaun Ziegenfusz, Queensland
The importance of language and literacy intervention for students
with language disorders has been well established. However,
there is surprisingly little empirical evidence to guide our clinical
practice. The current project involves a specialist school that
caters specifically for students with language disorder. The
objectives of this study are: a) to evaluate the educational and
therapeutic outcomes of a multidisciplinary school-based program
for 85 students with language disorder from prep to year 12,
after one year of intervention; b) to determine which student
characteristics (e.g., receptive / expressive language, motor,
cognition, adaptive behaviour) may be related to progress. All
students routinely complete a battery of assessments on intake
with follow-up assessments throughout the school year. Parental
permission will be sought to include their child’s de-identified
assessment data. The project will measure progress over one
school year, taking the characteristics of students attending the
school into consideration through the use of repeated measures
analysis of covariance. Practices utilised to support students
with language disorder will also be investigated to consider their
effectiveness within a real-world setting.
Higher degree by research
Voice therapy for muscle tension voice disorders: Contents
and processes
Clare Eastwood, NSW
Voice therapy is recommended for the treatment of muscle
tension voice disorders (MTVD), a group of voice disorders
resulting from laryngeal dysfunction. While voice therapy is
associated with positive outcomes, research has primarily focused
on examining whether or not therapy works rather than describing
and defining the actual content and processes of voice therapy.
Consequently, little is known about what voice therapy consists
of or which components are responsible for positive therapeutic
change. This research will explore the complexities of voice
therapy by unpacking the content and interactions that occur
between speech pathologists and their clients with MTVD. It will
involve collection of observational and interview data. Therapy
sessions will be video recorded. Sessions will be analysed using
a range of published tools. Individual semi-structured interviews
will be conducted between clinicians and a researcher. These
interviews will be audio recorded and relate directly to the video
recorded therapy sessions. Interview data will be transcribed and
analysed using qualitative methods of analysis including grounded
theory.
Technology-enabled self-management in chronic aphasia:
When, how and what works
Leana O’Byrne, Queensland
Empowering people with aphasia to self-manage the life-changing
impact of chronic communication difficulties may open new
doorways for recovery and living successfully with aphasia.
Currently, little is known about the views of people with aphasia,
their communication partners and speech pathologists about self-
management in aphasia. Furthermore, the potential of technology
in enabling self-management is also not well understood.
This project encompasses two studies which will use semi-
structured interviews to explore the perceptions and experiences
of key stakeholders to inform the development of a modular,
technology-enabled self-management pathway for individuals with
aphasia. Key stakeholders are individuals with aphasia and their
communication partners (Study 1), as well as speech-language
pathologists (Study 2). The second study will employ mixed
methods, incorporating a national survey following the interviews.
Cori Williams
Senior Advisor Evidence Based Practice and Research
2016 research grants: Funded projects
Association
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