Voice for All - 2014

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/10377

Papers presented at the country’s first-ever international Conference on Speech Language Therapy, Audiology and Disability organized by the Department of Disability Studies in 2014

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A Comparison of errors in languages spoken by Sinhala-English bilinguals with post-stroke Aphasia
(Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, 2014) Dharmarathna, I.; Atapattu-Bakmeewewa, A.D.S.
Bilinguals are defined as those who use two languages in daily communication. Aphasia as an acquired language disorder virtually affects all languages of the bilingual speaker, often in varying degrees. The Clinical picture of the bilingual aphasic is of great interest to researchers, as the bilingual population of the world continues to increase. Many studies have focused on the language recovery patterns and comparison of language errors in bilingual aphasia in overseas contexts. As a multi- ethnic country, bilingualism continues to grow in Sri Lanka. The knowledge of multiple languages has led to the functional elaboration of all languages known especially in Sinhala-English bilinguals. Yet, there is a severe dearth of bilingual aphasic literature in the Sri Lankan Speech & Language Therapy context. This descriptive cross-sectional study analyzed the language errors in twelve (n=12) Sinhala- English bilinguals with aphasia post stroke in order to determine the more preserved language. It also discussed the determination of language preference of the participants for Speech & Language Therapy (SLT). A language assessment was administered to elicit the required language samples in Sinhala and English including four major linguistic components; discourse/spontaneous speech, confrontational naming, repetition and translation. The test stimuli were adapted from Western Aphasia Battery (Kertesz, 1982) for English and Pre-AphSL (2012) for Sinhala. Data were used to compare and analyze the errors across the two languages. The results showed no significant difference between Sinhala and English language performances. Neologisms, paraphasias, circumlocutions and perseverations were observed in both languages. The study results revealed a significant effect of age at onset on word finding difficulties. Other variables indicated notable trends, yet failed to demonstrate statistical significance.
‘Giving Voice’: The Effectiveness of an experiential workshop to increase the knowledge and use of alternative augmentative communication (AAC) devices among teachers
(Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, 2014) Bandara, M.M.M.K.; Subajini, A.A.N.; Kitnasamy, G.; Udugama, K.L.L.G.; Dharmarathna, I.; Hettiarachchi, S.
Many children/ adults who use AAC need to develop the ability to socialize, answer yes/no questions, respond to a wide variety of questions, offer and request for assistance, and express views, feelings and attitudes (Glennen & DeCoste, 1998). Children/ adults who require access to AAC may be at risk of reduced social opportunities, isolation, psycho-social issues and poor quality of life (Hamm & Mirenda, 2006). There is a need to address conceptual explanations of ‘communication’, ‘disability’ and ‘AAC’ and the over-reliance on speech therapy sessions within teacher-caregiver training to create communication opportunities for AAC users. This study was assessed the effectiveness of an experiential training workshop on AAC for teachers. The workshop was offered to 20 teachers from a Special School and 10 teachers from a Special Centre and it covered the right to communicate, modes of communication and communication devices available at present in the country and. Participants’ interaction with children using AAC devices was observed within the classroom before and after the workshop and their knowledge and use of AAC measured through a questionnaire pre- and post-workshop. The results indicated a significant increase in awareness of the concept of AAC, the right to communicate and different modes and AAC devices available at present. There was also an increase in the interaction of participants with children using AAC devices in the classroom immediately following the workshop. The key qualitative finding is a clearer understanding of the right to communicate using any means available. Post-workshop follow-up is required to ascertain whether the knowledge and skills gained from the workshop are carried over into practice with time.