Joining Forces on TBI Treatment

Abstract

You have accessThe ASHA LeaderASHA News1 Jul 2012Joining Forces on TBI Treatment Diane Paul Diane Paul Google Scholar More articles by this author https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.AN8.17082012.np SectionsAbout ToolsAdd to favorites ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In A 24-year alliance between ASHA and the American Psychological Association encourages and supports collaborative evaluation and treatment of people with traumatic brain injury. ASHA and the American Psychological Association (APA) continue with their joint effort to bolster collaborative evaluation and treatment of people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) by speech-language pathologists and clinical neuropsychologists serving on interdisciplinary rehabilitation teams. The associations first joined forces on this mission in 1988, with the formation of the Joint Committee on Interprofessional Relations Between the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and Division 40 (Clinical Neuropsychology) of APA. The joint committee strives to improve quality of service (ASHA, 2003) through increased collaboration. Undergirding the committee’s efforts is the recognition that TBI is a major public health problem among children, adolescents, and adults as a result of transportation accidents, falls, violence, and blast injuries. Multiple disciplines contribute to the assessment and treatment of people with cognitive communicative disorders resulting from TBI and to the expanding knowledge base of neuropsychology (the scientific study of the relationship between brain function and behavior). Cooperation and mutual respect among professionals is critical to facilitate optimal patient care (ASHA, 1990). This joint committee directly supports ASHA’s strategic objective to expand strategic relationships by working to strengthen collaborative relationships between SLPs and neuropsychologists and to influence academic programs to educate students about collaboration between the professions. The joint committee’s website provides resources about topics of mutual interest to communication disorders professionals and neuropsychologists, including perceived roles and collaborative practices, referral, evaluating and treating communication and cognitive disorders, and interdisciplinary perspectives on memory assessment and executive functioning. The joint committee recently completed articles on executive functioning (A ssessment of Executive Functioning in Brain Injury: An Integrative Neuropsychological Perspective) and pragmatics (Development and Assessment of Pragmatic Communication Ability: Implications for Rehabilitation Outcomes). Current projects focus on cognitive rehabilitation practices: Survey and summarize SLP and neuropsychologist roles in cognitive rehabilitation. Review research on technology or “brain games” used by clients outside of direct rehabilitation services. Prepare case studies highlighting successful speech-language pathology, neuropsychology, and client/family collaborations. ASHA’s representatives to the joint committee are Julie Hengst (ASHA chair), Mary Kennedy, Jean Neils Strunjas, and Diane Paul (ex officio). Division 40 representatives are Allison Clark and Kathleen Kortte. Sources American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (1990). Interdisciplinary Approaches to Brain Damage [Position Statement]. Available from www.asha.org/policy. Google Scholar American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2003). Rehabilitation of Children and Adults With Cognitive-Communication Disorders After Brain Injury [Technical Report]. Available from www.asha.org/policy. Google Scholar Joint Committee on Interprofessional Relations Between the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and Division 40 (Clinical Neuropsychology) of the American Psychological Association. (2007). Structure and Function of an Interdisciplinary Team for Persons With Acquired Brain Injury. Available from www.asha.org/policy. Google Scholar Author Notes Diane Paul, director of clinical issues in SLP, can be reached at [email protected]. Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Additional Resources FiguresSourcesRelatedDetails Volume 17Issue 8July 2012 Get Permissions Add to your Mendeley library History Published in print: Jul 1, 2012 Metrics Current downloads: 352 Topicsasha-topicsleader_do_tagasha-article-typesleader-topicsCopyright & Permissions© 2012 American Speech-Language-Hearing AssociationLoading ...