Master Class Knowledge Exchange Speaker Series – Season 22
An online series distinguished by its focus on aphasia and real-life participation. The webinars provide an opportunity for practicing clinicians to hear from a prestigious group of international aphasia researchers. Webinars will be available Live and Archive (Recorded).
specific products or clinical procedures.
Please refer to each course description for instructional level and ASHA CEUs
Date/Time:
LIVE: March 24, 2025 – 5pm to 6pm ET | ARCHIVE: March 25 – April 8, 2025
ASHA CEUs: 0.1 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate level)
Webinar Description
Communication Partner Training (CPT) is effective in improving communication of both familiar and unfamiliar partners of people with aphasia, but measuring and sustaining practice change can be challenging. Implementation science approaches can be applied to CPT efforts to understand the evidence-practice gap and how to address implementation barriers.
Meet the Presenter
Dr. Kirstine Shrubsole is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow at the Queensland Aphasia Research Centre. Kirstine has a research focus on improving implementation of evidence into practice in speech pathology and multidisciplinary teams, with a special interest in stroke and aphasia services.
Learning Outcomes
- Describe barriers to CPT with familiar and unfamiliar partners of people with aphasia
- Explain how principles of implementation science can be used to improve CPT practices
- Identify steps and resources to develop an implementation plan from improving and/or maintaining CPT in practice
Agenda
- 5:00pm – 5:10pm: Introduction and background to implementation science
- 5:10pm – 5:25pm: Current practice, evidence-practice gaps, and barriers and enablers to CPT
- 5:25pm – 5:40pm: Examples and lessons learned in applying implementation science to CPT practice
- 5:40pm – 5:50pm: Practical implementation steps to enhance CPT within clinical services
- 5:50pm – 6:00pm: Questions and answer session
Disclosures
Financial: Kirstine Shrubsole is employed full-time as a Research Fellow at The University
Non-Financial: No non-financial relationships relevant to Communication Partner Training.
Date/Time:
LIVE: April 14, 2025 – 12:00pm to 1:00pm ET | ARCHIVE: April 15 – April 29, 2025
ASHA CEUs: 0.1 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate level)
Webinar Description
Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) describes a group of language led dementias associated with Alzheimer’s and Frontotemporal dementia. Dr. Volkmer will share methods of “R.A.I.S.E”-ing people up through the speech and language assessment process, identifying personally relevant intervention goals, and communication partner training using the Better Conversations with PPA intervention method.
Meet the Presenter
Dr Anna Volkmer is a senior research fellow at University College London and a consultant speech and language therapist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London. Dr Volkmer specialises in working with people with PPA and their families, developing interventions and influence best practice. She leads the International SLT/P PPA network which aims to influence clinical practice in this area.
Learning Outcomes
• Identify the best practice principles when working with people with PPA
• Describe a range of approaches to get to know people with PPA
• Develop knowledge of a range of evidence-based interventions for PPA
Agenda
- 12:00pm – 12:10pm: Introduction and overview of PPA
- 12:10am – 12:20pm: What do people want from speech and language therapy?
- 12:20pm – 12:30pm: Best practice principles and assessment
- 12:30pm – 12:45pm: Better Conversations- communication partner training for PPA
- 12:45pm – 1:00pm: Question and answer session
Disclosures
Financial: None
Non-Financial: None
Date/Time:
LIVE: May 12, 2025 10:00am – 11:00am ET | ARCHIVE: May 13 – May 27, 2025
ASHA CEUs: 0.1 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate level)
Webinar Description
This webinar will cover: the potential contribution of virtual reality (VR) in aphasia intervention; past uses of VR in aphasia as identified in a systematic review; an introduction to EVA Park; past and current EVA Park projects; delivering group social support in EVA Park, project design, and outcomes.
Meet the Presenters
Jane Marshall is a research speech and language therapist. She has investigated: language processing in aphasia, jargon aphasia, aphasia in Deaf users of sign language, therapy and uses of technology.
Niamh Devane is a speech and language therapist and clinical researcher at City St Georges University in London, UK. Within a collaborative team spanning language and communication science and human-computer interaction design, Niamh has been working on clinical research that harnesses technology for good, notably the EVA Park virtual world for aphasia rehabilitation.
Learning Outcomes
- Define the context for the unique contributions and limitations of virtual technologies for aphasia rehabilitation.
- Describe how a virtual word was designed and applied for group social support in aphasia
- Identify the outcome measure instruments most appropriate for social support interventions.
Agenda
- 10:00am – 10:15am: The potential of VR in aphasia; past uses of VR; introduction to EVA Park; past and current EVA Park projects
- 10:15am – 10:30am: Group social support in EVA Park, project design and therapy description
- 10:30am – 10:45am: Findings from the group project and discussion
- 10:45am – 11:00am: Questions and Discussion
Disclosures
Financial: Niamh Devane receives a salary from City St Georges, University of London.
Non-Financial: Jane Marshall is a Trustee of The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia. She holds an honorary professorial appointment with City and St George’s, University of London.
Date/Time:
LIVE June 16, 2025 – 12:00pm to 1:00pm ET | ARCHIVE: June 17 – July 1, 2025
ASHA CEUs: 0.1 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate level)
Webinar Description
This presentation discusses gestures and their functions as part of the complexities of everyday conversations in aphasia. Clinical implications of research findings including developing gesture analysis protocols and using gestures as treatment outcome measures will be discussed.
Meet the Presenter
Suma Devanga, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an Assistant Professor within the Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences at RUSH University Medical Center. She directs the Aphasia Research Lab where her research includes designing novel aphasia treatment studies, expanding the research on clinical outcome measures including discourse analysis methodologies and patient-reported outcome measures.
Learning Outcomes
- Describe the role of gestures in conversations among individuals with aphasia
- List 2-3 clinically relevant gestural treatment outcome measures
- Describe a method for analyzing gestures within aphasia treatments
Agenda
- 12:00pm – 12:10pm: Understanding conversations and their distributed nature
- 12:10pm – 12:20pm: Overview of gestures and their functions
- 12:20pm – 12:30pm: Developing gestures analysis protocols: Research examples
- 12:30pm – 12:40pm: Measuring treatment outcomes using gestures: Research examples
- 12:40pm – 12:45pm: Summary and Takeaway points
- 12:45pm – 1:00pm: Questions and Answer session
Disclosures
Financial: Suma Devanga is a salaried employee of RUSH University Medical Center.
Non-Financial: None
Satisfactory completion of each webinar will require (to qualify for ASHA CEU credits*):
- Attendance of the webinar in full (either live or recorded)
- Completing the webinar evaluation survey which includes self-assessment and intent to change
*You will be required to complete an intent to earn ASHA credits at the end of each webinar
Registration Details
FEES:
Individual Registration (4 Webinars Series): $120 CAD
Group Rate for 12 Participants (4 Webinars Series): $250 CAD
Group Rate for 30 Participants (4 Webinars Series): $350 CAD
*Aphasia Institute is committed to providing universal access to all of our educational offerings. Please contact us at training@aphasia.ca or call us at 416-226-3636 if you require any accommodations.
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