Foreword

We are pleased to bring you the second issue of volume 45 of Seminars in Speech and Language. The current issue is preceded by a special issue on Intersectionality in Aphasia Services for Ethnosocially Diverse Adult Populations, co–guest-edited by Jose G. Centeno, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, and Jacqueline Laures-Gore, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, who proposed this exciting and impactful topic and curated a diverse selection of manuscripts to include. Titles and authors of invited submissions included in this special issue are as follows.

• Understanding and Addressing the Individualized Emotional Impact of Aphasia: A Framework for Speech-Language Pathologists, by Tyson Harmon (https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/pdf/10.1055/s-0043-1776418.pdf).

• Religiosity, Spirituality, Healthcare, and Aphasia Rehabilitation, by Jacqueline Laures-Gore and Hannah Griffey (https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/pdf/10.1055/s-0043-1776308.pdf).

• The Intersectionality of Climate Change and Post-Stroke Aphasia, by Roby Greenwald, Jacqueline Laures-Gore, and Leticia Nogueira (https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/pdf/10.1055/s-0043-1777858.pdf).

• Intersectionality and Its Relevance in the Context of Aboriginal People with Brain Injury in Australia, by Elizabeth Armstrong, Kerri Colegate, Lenny Papertalk, Stuart Crowe, Meaghan McAllister, Deborah Hersh, Natalie Ciccone, Erin Godecke, Judith Katzenellenbogen, and Juli Coffin (https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/pdf/10.1055/s-0043-1776755.pdf).

• A Call for Transformative Intersectional LPAA Intervention for Equity and Social Justice in Ethnosocially Diverse Post-Stroke Aphasia Services, by Jose Centeno (https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/pdf/10.1055/s-0043-1777131.pdf).

• The Intersection of Social Determinants of Health and Post-Stroke Aphasia Outcomes: A Need for Intersectional Analysis, by Elizabeth Evans, Molly Jacobs, and Charles Ellis (https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/pdf/10.1055/s-0043-1774783.pdf).

We thank the guest editors and authors for their contribution and encourage you, our readership, to check out that issue.

This current issue includes two pediatric-focused articles, one is a research article and the other is a clinical seminar. In the research article, “Effect of Phonological Awareness Focused Interventions on Phonological Errors and Phonemic Awareness in Young School-Age Children,” Jewel E. Alvis, Klaire M. Brumbaugh, and Serine R. Tambyraja report a single-case research design that assesses this topic in the context of school practice (Alvis et al., 2024). Oftentimes, it can be challenging to translate current research into practice, and in this article, the authors do just that by adapting an intervention to support phonological and phonemic awareness that aligns with school-based practice.

The clinical seminar, “Addressing Parental Gatekeeping in Early Intervention Services: Engaging All Caregivers,” is authored by Daniel and Jane Puhlman (2024), an interdisciplinary husband and wife team that includes a family and marriage counselor and a speech-language pathologist. This clinical seminar provides a tutorial about parental gatekeeping and how this might impact early intervention speech-language pathology services. The article provides definitions for terms related to parental gatekeeping and offers case studies to illustrate how the challenges of parental gatekeepers might be addressed by speech-language pathologists, including when to refer to other professionals in related disciplines.

This issue also includes two adult-focused articles, one clinical seminar case study and one qualitative research article. In the clinical case study titled “Intensive Voice Treatment following Botulinum Neurotoxin Injection for a Speaker with Abductor Laryngeal Dystonia: An Exploratory Case Study,” authors Mindy Schnell and Dianne Slavin (2024) describe the application of an intensive treatment typically used to address hypophonia in people with Parkinson's disease to address pervasive breathiness experienced by a woman with abductor laryngeal dystonia (sometimes referred to as abductor spasmodic dysphonia). The results were compelling and maintained post-treatment. Notably, the authors describe modifications to the intensive protocol to better support individuals with involuntary and intermittent vocal fold opening.

The second adult-focused article, “‘Good,’ ‘Hopeless,’ and ‘Alright’: People with Aphasia Expressing Their Opinions on Their Rehabilitation” by Sue Sherratt (2024), uses qualitative methodology to explore the perspectives of individuals with aphasia on their rehabilitation. Dr. Sherratt conducted interviews with 50 people with aphasia to learn more about their emotions during treatment. The findings of this study have direct and significant clinical implications, making it a must-read for clinicians treating individuals with aphasia.

We are excited to share this issue with our readership and hope it demonstrates our commitment to publishing high-quality, clinically impactful research. Happy reading!

Publication History

Article published online:
21 March 2024

• References

• Alvis, J. E., Brumbaugh, K. M., & Tambyraja, S. R. (2024). Effect of phonological awareness focused interventions on phonological errors and phonemic awareness in young school-age children. Seminars in Speech and Language, 45(2):101–120
• Puhlman, D. J., & Puhlman, J. (2024). Addressing parental gatekeeping in early intervention services: engaging all caregivers. Seminars in Speech and Language, 45(2):121–136
• Schnell, M., & Slavin, D. (2024). Intensive voice treatment following botulinum neurotoxin injection for a speaker with abductor laryngeal dystonia: an exploratory case study. Seminars in Speech and Language, 45(2):137–151
• Sherratt, S. (2024). "Good," "hopeless," and "alright": people with aphasia expressing their opinions on their rehabilitation. Seminars in Speech and Language, 45(2):152–166