Speech-language pathology services for people with aphasia: A survey of current practice in Australia

Abstract

Currently, there is limited information on the nature and extent of speech-language pathology services in Australia for people with aphasia. This article reports on a survey to investigate speech-language pathology practice in Australia. An aim of the research was to identify and describe current practice in relation to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Furthermore, the frequency, duration and types of services for people with aphasia, including the clinical approaches to intervention, are reported in the context of national clinical guidelines and evidence-based practice. Survey results from 70 respondents revealed that the provision of intensive speech-language pathology intervention for people with aphasia is most common in the inpatient rehabilitation setting. Individual therapy is provided more than any other type of intervention across the continuum of care. The majority of clinicians reported a functional approach to intervention for aphasia; however, the use of impairment-based assessments was predominantly recorded. The widespread use of the Australian Therapy Outcome Measures (AusTOMs), was an indication that the ICF framework informs outcome measurement in aphasia.

Keywords:

• Australian speech-language pathology
• aphasia services
• WHO ICF
• aphasia assessment
• aphasia intervention
• outcome measurement