ROLES OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGSITS IN APHASIA …

ROLES OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGSITS IN APHASIA THERAPY AND REHABILITATION AS REPORTED BY PRACTICING SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS

by Meredith Wooley

A thesis submitted to the faculty of The University of Mississippi in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College.

Oxford May 2014

Approved by __________________________________

Advisor: Dr. Robin Edge

__________________________________ Reader: Mr. Bradley Crowe

__________________________________ Reader: Dr. Carolyn Higdon

? 2014 Meredith Wooley ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I offer my sincere appreciation and gratitude to my thesis advisor, Dr. Robin Edge for all the time she has dedicated to me, and the effort she has put into this project. Without her instruction, this thesis would not have been possible. She has challenged me through this process and I am grateful for the knowledge that I have gained through it all. I am also thankful for the love and support of my family and friends who continually encouraged

me and pushed me to the finish.

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ABSTRACT MEREDITH WOOLEY: Roles of Speech-Language Pathologists in Aphasia Therapy

and Rehabilitation as Reported by Practicing Speech-Language Pathologists (Under the direction of Dr. Robin Edge)

This thesis examined the roles of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) within aphasia therapy and rehabilitation. Research compiled in the literature review explained the disorder of aphasia, and the roles of SLPs when working with people who have aphaisa, as outlined in the ASHA policy document Roles of Speech-Language Pathologists in The Identification, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Individuals with Cognitive-Communication Disorders: Position Statement (2005b). This study investigated ASHA-certified, masters-level SLPs' preparedness to work with aphasia patients, as well as their familiarity of their roles and resonsibilities in aphasia therapy and rehabilitation, and their awareness of the possible forms of treatment for aphasia. An electronic survey was developed to investigate these three research questions and was emailed to 519 SLPs across the United States. One-hundred five (105) surveys were completed. The survey responses indicated that SLPs felt prepared to participate in aphasia rehabilitation upon receiving their CCC-SLP, and were also familiar with a majority of the roles and responsibilities of SLPs in aphasia rehabilitation. A majority of the SLPs surveyed were not aware of the broad range of treatment programs available for patients with aphasia. Further research is needed to investigate the possible correlation between graduate-level education in aphasia and participants' familiarity with the topic of aphasia.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................1 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................6 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................38 CHAPTER IV: RESULTS.................................................................................................48 CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION............................................................................................65 LIST OF REFERENCES...................................................................................................74 APPENDIX A: LETTER TO PARTICIPANTS ...............................................................88 APPENDIX B: IRB APPROVAL LETTER .....................................................................90 APPENDIX C: SURVEY ..................................................................................................91

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