Speech-language pathologists' views on visual discourse elicitation materials for cognitive communication disorder...

Area of Science:

• Speech-language pathology
• Neurorehabilitation
• Discourse analysis

Background:

• Speech-language pathology (SLP) practice involves eliciting spoken discourse post-traumatic brain injury (TBI).
• Existing research details monologic tasks and visual stimuli for discourse sampling.
• SLP preferences for these elicitation materials remain uninvestigated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey Australian SLPs on their use and views of visual discourse elicitation stimuli for TBI.
• To assess the clinical utility and acceptability of current stimuli.
• To gather SLP perspectives on future discourse elicitation task development.

Main Methods:

• A survey of Australian SLPs working with adults with cognitive-communication disorder post-TBI.
• Inquiry into SLP use of and preferences for visual imagery in discourse elicitation.
• Analysis of survey responses using descriptive statistics and qualitative insights.

Main Results:

• "The Cookie Theft" picture was the most frequently used visual stimulus.
• Familiarity, sample generation, and accessibility were reasons for its use.
• No strong preferences were reported; existing materials were generally found unsatisfactory.

Conclusions:

• This study offers insights into SLP views on visual discourse elicitation stimuli post-TBI.
• Findings highlight a need for improved discourse elicitation resources.
• This research informs future development of discourse analysis tools for TBI recovery.