The Brainy Speech Therapist Podcast

Jan and Helen discuss their experiences of working with dysarthria and apraxia of speech. Share your experiences and tips for therapy via X @BrainySLT and Instagram @brainyspeechtherapists.

Jan and Helen discuss a journal article that focused on how accurate SLTs are at rating the severity of dysarthria. We discuss the article content and have a debate about the usefulness of such ratings. You can read the article at:

In this episode, speech and language therapist Monika Wright talks about how she approaches working with people with motor speech (and voice) difficulties influenced by her previous professional career as an actor.

In this episode, Helen speaks with Julie Samuel from Dyscover Aphasia, a charity based in Surrey. We chat through the range of services they offer, with more details on their website www.dyscover.org.uk. If you have any comments or suggestions, do let us know via our social media. Instagram @brainyspeechtherapists X @BrainySLT

We chat with Colin Lyall, founder of the charity Say Aphasia. Check out their website for information and resources at www.sayaphasia.org They are part of the Aphasia Alliance, another excellent resource: www.aphasiaalliance.org

Jan and Helen are back with another journal article discussion. This time, we talk through a study that explored the potential use of medication and intensive therapy in treating Wernicke's aphasia. Do share your thoughts and experiences of this form of aphasia.

Jan and Helen discuss their experiences of managing eating, drinking, and swallowing changes in their brain injury caseload. We also chat about guidance available in managing EDAR- eating and drinking with acknowledged risk.

Jan and Helen discuss a recent article focused on identifying factors significant in predicting aspiration pneumonia. The article by Ball, Meteyard and Powell can be accessed at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00405-023-08153-z (institution login required). We also discuss the relevance of the paper in light of RCSLT's position paper on the use of thickened fluids. Listen to the authors of the position paper discuss it in detail here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5q183zJ8iXMbx3jI9LDVnf

Matt Barker talks with Jan McIntosh-Brown about his life with a brain injury.

Jan and Helen discuss an article exploring communication partner training for healthcare staff in a subacute setting. Read the full article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02699052.2022.2158224

Jan and Helen discuss the topic of prolonged disorders of consciousness. We talk about how this diagnosis can be made, the role of speech and language therapy, and supporting families. Resources: RCP guidelines https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/guidelines-policy/prolonged-disorders-consciousness-following-sudden-onset-brain-injury-national-clinical-guidelines SLT guidelines https://www.rhn.org.uk/content/uploads/2016/04/SLT-DOC-guidelines-RCSLT-version-Jan-2020.pdf RHN PDoC Toolkit https://www.rhn.org.uk/research/putney-prolonged-disorder-of-consciousness-toolkit/ RHN open lecture on Biozoon https://youtu.be/cVRpzGYCHNc?si=fQcK85hwcu_aZ1mC

In this episode hosted by Jan McIntosh-Brown we hear Guido Corvi talking about his injury and his life beyond this.

Helen speaks to Richard about his reasons for becoming a Speech and Language Therapist, and his work on Project Relate. This is an Android app for individuals with non-standard Speech. More information can be found at https://sites.research.google/relate/ Richard can be found on Twitter @speedoftrust27

In this episode, Jan and Helen discuss sexual capacity after brain injury with Dr McIntosh, a Clinical Neuropsychologist. Please note this episode includes the use of explicit language. If you wish to contact Dr McIntosh, her email is catriona@yorkshireneuropsychology.com, or follow her on Twitter @Catrionamcinto1. Further reading: www.bild.org.uk Access the Sex and Brain Injury conference via www.abisolutions.org.uk Get in touch with us and let us know what you think of this topic via Twitter @BrainySLT or Instagram @brainyspeechtherapists

Helen speaks to Jan and Carly to mark Aphasia Awareness Month. Jan had a stroke which resulted in aphasia, and her daughter Carly now works for The Stroke Association. Follow them on social media: Twitter @carlystroke Instagram a_life_after_stroke and Facebook A Life After Stroke. Check out The Stroke Association site for great information https://www.stroke.org.uk/what-is-aphasia. Watch the documentary When the Words Away Went https://www.stroke.org.uk/when-the-words-away-went

Julie and Raymond share their journey with Jan McIntosh-Brown. Julie had a brain injury in 2020 as a result of an aneurysm and she lives with aphasia.

Jan and Helen are joined by Dr Aazh, an audiologist with expertise in hyperacusis, tinnitus, and misophonia. Information about his practice can be accessed at https://hashirtinnitusclinic.com/ If you would like more information about his tinnitus masterclass go to https://tinnitustherapy.org.uk/ Dr Aazh has resources he discusses with us: questionnaires are at https://tinnitustherapy.org.uk/assessment-tools/ with information on the research at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9788912/ Dr Aazh's book, Living Well With Tinnitus can be purchased online https://amzn.eu/d/0ZRcUWP If you have comments about the episode, do contact us via Twitter @BrainySLT or Instagram @brainyspeechtherapists

Mr Douglas Gentleman talks with us about his reflections on his time working with people with brain injuries and changes within the field.

In this episode we speak to Dr Giles Yeates, a Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist. Dr Yeates works with couples and families following brain injury, is a researcher at Oxford Brookes University, and integrates his expertise as a T'ai Chi and kung-fu master to rehabilitation. Resources: UKABIF https://ukabif.org.uk/ AnchorPoint https://ukabif.org.uk/page/AnchorPoint Article on the therapeutic alliance and social cognition: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362696714_ASSOCIATIONS_BETWEEN_THERAPEUTIC_WORKING_ALLIANCE_AND_SOCIAL_COGNITION_IN_NEURO-_REHABILITATION_ASOCIACIONES_ENTRE_LA_ALIANZA_TERAPEUTICA_DE_TRABAJO_Y_LA_COGNICION_SOCIAL_EN_LA_NEURO-_REHABILITACION Conferences mentioned: International brain injury association Dublin. https://www.internationalbrain.org/meetings-and-events/ibia-world-congress Ahead Together Conference https://www.rwkgoodman.com/events/ahead-together-conference-2023/ Neuropsychological Rehabilitation Special Interest Group hybrid conference https://www.mersevents.com/20th-nr-sig-wfnr Different Strokes YouTube channel. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFbV9vPwChQY-u8FlPPC021xfg0dOphkg

Tonight we hear from Duran Hunt, a motivational speaker and survivor of a traumatic brain injury. He speaks about his journey and his desire to help others. He is joined by his speech and language therapist Matthew Nakonesky. If you would be keen to have Duran come and speak at any of your events, please contact Matthew matthew@speechtherapynortheast.co.uk, website: www.speechtherapynortheast.co.uk And here is the link to the video we discussed https://youtu.be/328J0E8vq9g

In the final episode of season 2, Jan and Helen speak to Dr Sara de Ramos about Rehab Mantras, a concept recently introduced across The Disabilities Trust. Sara mentions the Research Digest that the Trust produces, to read more head to https://www.thedtgroup.org/research/research-digest?page=1

In this episode Saskia Whitford and Lucy Beckett, 3rd year speech and language therapy students at Strathclyde University share their reflections of their recent placement working with people with brain injuries.

We speak to Dr Lesley Scobbie about her work on goal setting in therapy. To read more about Lesley's work and get in touch with her, head to her research profile at https://researchonline.gcu.ac.uk/en/persons/lesley-scobbie The specific paper mentioned on making goal setting accessible for people with aphasia can be accessed here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09638288.2022.2085331 As always, connect with Helen and Jan via Twitter @BrainySLT or Instagram @brainyspeechtherapists.

Helen, Jan and Fiona talk with music therapy student Johnny Barr about music therapy and about Fiona's personal experiences.

Professor Jenny Kitzinger is the Co-Director of the Coma and Disorders of Consciousness Research Centre, and Director of Research: Impact and Engagement at Cardiff University's School of Journalism, Media and Culture. In conversation with Helen, she discusses the role of SLT in disorders of consciousness, media representation of brain injury, and the importance of having a conversation with loved ones about our wishes in the event we can't advocate for ourselves. Jenny can be found on Twitter @JennyKitzinger, and the training site we mention is at https://cdoctraining.org.uk. Further reading mentioned: Guidelines for SLT working with adults in a Disorder of Consciousness : https://www.rhn.org.uk/content/uploads/2016/04/SLT-DOC-guidelines-RCSLT-version-Jan-2020.pdf and the RCP Guidelines: https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/guidelines-policy/prolonged-disorders-consciousness-following-sudden-onset-brain-injury-national-clinical-guidelines Also look at the Healthtalk site section on family experiences of vegetative and minimally conscious states: https://healthtalk.org/family-experiences-vegetative-and-minimally-conscious-states/overview

This episode features Stephen Rowat talking about his life before and now with a brain injury.

Jan and Helen discuss the wide range of assessments they use with their caseloads. Here's where to access many mentioned: Brisbane evidence-based language https://brisbanetest.org/ Quick Aphasia Battery https://aphasialab.org/qab/ Aphasia Impact Questionnaire https://www.aiq-21.net/ TASIT-UK https://www.assbi.com.au/Sys/Store/Products/39998 Cognitive-Communication Checklist for Acquired Brain Injury https://brainandcommunication.ca/cccabi/

June 2022 is Aphasia Awareness Month, so Jan and Helen took this as a cue to chat about aphasia, how speech and language therapists identify areas of difficulty, ways to support a person with aphasia, and a couple of key intervention strategies. There's lots of further resources to access: Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland https://www.chss.org.uk The Stroke Association https://www.stroke.org.uk Better Conversations with Aphasia https://extendstore.ucl.ac.uk/product?catalog=UCLXBCA Aphasia Access https://www.aphasiaaccess.org https://tactustherapy.com/mor-multiple-oral-rereading-how-to/ https://honeycombspeechtherapy.com/script-training/ Communication access UK https://communication-access.co.uk/ Some interesting training opportunities too: UCL Aphasia Symp May 2022 https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ion/events/2022/may/cnr-aphasia-symposiumqueen-square Webinar: The Neurobiology of Language Recovery in Stroke-Aphasia, https://asha.figshare.com/articles/presentation/2018_ASHA_Research_Symposium_Cynthia_K_Thompson_Recovery_of_Sentence_Processing_in_Aphasia/10257587?file=18535703 Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Program: training days Oct 2022 Applying ICAP approach to your Clinical Practice ICAPcourse@gmail.com

Dr Nicholas Behn from City, University of London joins Jan and Helen for a conversation about cognitive communication and project based interventions. We cover lots of ideas in this episode, if you'd like to learn more about running projects, Nick is starting an online course in June: https://www.city.ac.uk/prospective-students/courses/city-health/social-communication-after-brain-injury Examples of project work carried out previously can be seen on YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCL_KmMcSwrsl_HdwTddc0pA

Jan and Helen are joined by Pauline Downie. Pauline speaks about her varied role as a manager, the challenges of being in a leadership role during Covid-19, and the need to bring greater diversity to the profession. Information on the leadership skills course mentioned is here: https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/18217/leadership-and-management-programmes NHS Lanarkshire's Children and Young People SLT service have a YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/channel/UCCvScgXmOB1gRbYJ3CFJ3xA The SLTea Time podcast is on YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCRp9XAEGrUJ8QsgoQA1lTnw Communication Access information is at https://communication-access.co.uk/ Lastly, there are many links on YouTube to hear Michael West speak about compassionate leadership, this gives some basics to begin to understand the concept: https://youtu.be/RrPmMwg9X8s

Jan and Helen are joined by Louise Steer, a Speech and Language Therapist who is developing a group programme focused on helping families understand communication difficulties. Louise presented on this programme at the 2021 RCSLT Conference, which can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp4ZnU__G_g&feature=emb_imp_woyt

Jan speaks to Helen about her experience of using Social Stories with those who have had a brain injury. For more information head to https://carolgraysocialstories.com/ As always, comments and suggestions are welcome via Twitter @BrainySLT and Instagram @brainyspeechtherapists.

Welcome to the second series of The Brainy Speech Therapist Podcast. In this episode, Jan and Helen discuss cognition and how it effects communication. We talk about the Model of Cognitive-Communication Competence by Sheila Macdonald, more information can be found in her paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29064304/ If you are keen to undertake specific training in this area, head to courses.brainandcommunication.ca We also chat through a couple of case studies to illustrate how difficulties might present and impact on the individual and their communication partners. Information on registering for the International Cognitive-Communication Disorders Conference can be found at https://www.chapman.edu/crean/academic-programs/graduate-programs/ms-communication-sciences-and-disorders/international-cognitive-communication-disorders-conference.aspx As always, comments and suggestions are welcome via Twitter @BrainySLT and Instagram @brainyspeechtherapists.

Featuring a conversation between Alan, a survivor of a brain injury, and Megan, a speech and language therapist. They talk about the role of speech and language therapy, diversity in the profession, and misconceptions of rehabilitation. Huge thanks to them both for taking the time to chat.

Jan and Helen are joined by Vicky Mayer, Clinical Lead for SLT at the Astley Ainslie Hospital in Edinburgh. We focused our chat on the recent Cognitive Communication Disorders Symposium, which took place online.  You'll hear us reference various researchers and assessment tools, to check them out for yourself we've included all the links: On Twitter: Dr Melissa Brunner @LissBEE_CPSP Professor Leanne Togher @LeanneTogher Dr Rachel Rietdijk @RachaelReedake Dr Nicholas Behn @NicholasBehn Simon Grobler @simongrobler Claire Farrington-Douglas @clairefarring20 CCCABI  http://www.ccdpublishing.com/cccabi.aspx The Social Brain Toolkit https://abi-communication-lab.sydney.edu.au/having-better-conversations-after-brain-injury-the-social-brain-toolkit-project/ Information about the FAVRES http://www.ccdpublishing.com/favres.aspx  Brisbane Language Test: https://brisbanetest.org/ A link to more information on OARS https://positivepsychology.com/motivational-interviewing-exercises/ A couple of research papers are mentioned in the episode. Pragmatic Rating Scale: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31246099/ Sheila McDonald's paper on the Model of Cognitive-Communication Competence: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29064304/ 

This is an episode led by Lucie McIntosh, who we spoke to in episode ten. She takes us through an iRest meditation, so aside from our pre-recorded jingles there is no other talking. Perfect for trying out meditation!

Jan and Helen are joined by Fiona, who spoke about her journey of recovery from brain injury in the last episode. The three of us speak with Lucie McIntosh, who explains a form of meditation called iRest. This is the first of two episodes on this subject, with the second being a stand alone iRest session. More information can be found at www.irest.org and at https://vimeo.com/integrativerestoration.

In this episode, Jan and Helen are delighted to be joined by two people with lived experience of brain injury. Fiona and Alan take us through their journeys since their brain injuries, how they are doing now, and what they hope for the future. As always, we thank you for listening and welcome you to share your thoughts on Twitter @BrainySLT and Instagram @brainyspeechtherapists.

In this episode Jan and Helen speak to Amy and Alex, Speech and Language Therapists in NHS Tayside. We chat about the highs and lows of working with the brain injury caseload, how we as therapists can support one another, and the thinking behind Words of the Week. If you've not signed up to Words of the Week, information can be found here: https://www.nhstayside.scot.nhs.uk/OurServicesA-Z/AdultAcquiredSpeechandLanguageTherapy/PROD_314107/index.htm We'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback on the podcast, find us on social media via @BrainySLT on Twitter and @brainyspeechtherapists on Instagram. 

In this episode we talk to Anne, who's husband had a traumatic brain injury. We talk about their journey of recovery and rehabilitation together, how she processed what happened, and what helped her. For more on this subject, we recommend the book Family Experience of Brain Injury: Surviving, Coping and Adjusting; by Jo Clark-Wilson and Mark Holloway. Available from all good bookshops.

In episode 6, Jan and Helen collaborate with Sian Riley from Red Pepper Nutrition to discuss how speech and language therapists and dietitians work with people recovering from head injuries. Sian can be contacted via her website www.redpeppernutrition.com, and is on Twitter @RedPepperNutri, her podcast is called the Red Pepper Nutrition podcast. Communication Access training is mentioned, more information can be found at https://communication-access.co.uk/ Get in touch with Jan and Helen via Twitter @BrainySLT or Instagram @brainyspeechtherapists. 

In this episode, we speak to Jane Johnson, Speech and Language Therapist, on the subject of Positive Behaviour Support. Jane highlights some resources for more information- PBS Alliance webinars: https://www.bild.org.uk/resources/?fwp_resource_type=webinar Restraint Reduction Network: https://restraintreductionnetwork.org/ The Facebook group for UK therapists interested in PBS can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/465347221060448/about Jane herself can be reached via janejohnsonslt@yahoo.co.uk Helen and Jan also reference webinars with Gary LaVigna Ph.D, watch them here: http://iaba.com/jargonfree.html?fbclid=IwAR1IrHMACtb0EH_EKo8sSikbkGRPcu3Zy9xpWxhFe9PcreZ_IgVersVSTDA

Welcome to the second part of our chat with Dr Brian O'Neill. For full show notes and links, please see the description from Part 1

Welcome to episode 3! This is the first of two parts in which we talk to Dr Brian O'Neill about research design. There were some technical issues with the recording, so we hope you will stick with the episode despite these. Couple of factchecks for both episodes - Brian mentions Robyn Tate, who is based at the University of Sydney, and also mentions heading to the NIHR site, which can be found at www.nihr.ac.uk. Lastly, Jan mentions resource sharing via Aphasia Access, which can be found at https://www.aphasiaaccess.org/resource-exchange/

In this second episode of the Brainy Speech Therapists Podcast, hosts Jan McIntosh-Brown and Helen Maclean are joined by SLT, University Lecturer, and researcher Lynn Grayson. Lynn has recently published her first paper resulting from her research into the needs of communication partners following a traumatic brain injury: https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12555. Follow us on Twitter @BrainySLT or Instagram @brainyspeechtherapists. We also mention Headway, a brain injury charity in the UK, their helpline number is 0808 800 2244. Episode edited by Kenyah McIntosh-Brown.

Welcome to the first episode of the Brainy Speech Therapist podcast. We're Helen and Jan, and in this episode we talk a bit about ourselves and the ethos of the podcast. We also talk about the impact of a brain injury on executive functions and what this means for the festive season. See our Twitter page @BrainySLT or Instagram @brainyspeechtherapists for the executive function diagram referenced in the episode. We also mention the Headway Helpline, the number is 0808 800 2244. Episode edited by Kenyah McIntosh-Brown.