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Effective support of student teachers is critical to the teaching profession. This research involved student teachers and those who support student teachers on a new two-year Postgraduate teaching course. Using a range of data collection, including creative methods such as the use of artefacts, participants' interpretations of effective mentoring were explored. It is reported that it is important that mentors volunteer for, and proactively engage in their mentoring role. Also, that sufficient time is allocated to undertake mentoring responsibilities, which include frequent mentor meetings and professional learning. Key aspects identified for effective mentoring include the importance of a trusting relationship between the student teacher and mentor; nurturing student teacher self-reflection and ensuring that student teachers observe a range of teaching styles. The implications of the findings include the improvement and development of support materials for the programme's mentors along with sharing effective mentoring practice case studies, that showcase effective approaches in different school contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Author(s): L. J. Worrall [1]; C. Hong [2]; M. Vuckovic [1]; W. Deng [3]; J. R. C. Bergeron [1]; D. D Majewski [1]; R. K. Huang [2]; T. Spreter [1]; [...]

This paper describes the results of a preliminary study of the heavy mineral (HM) potential of the northwest coast of Cape York Peninsula in far north Queensland that was funded by the Queensland Government's Future Resources ProgramIndustry Priorities Initiative. The study found that the northwest coast may have the potential to host world-class HM deposits. All the essential ingredients in a HM mineral system are present: fertile source rocks, effective transport mechanisms and abundant potential trap sites, particularly along the well-preserved Pleistocene coast. The source rocks are Proterozoic metamorphic and Paleozoic granitic rocks of the Coen Inlier and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks of the Laura and Carpentaria basins, all of which crop out along the spine of the Peninsula. These rocks were exposed in the early Cenozoic and were vigorously eroded by seasonally active rivers throughout the Quaternary. Most of these rivers are currently carrying HM, and the zircon content in river sediments in the region is comparatively high. It is speculated that in the late Pleistocene HM delivered by rivers to the northwest coast were transported predominantly in a southwesterly direction, and trapped in the swash zone of prograding beaches. It is further speculated that at this time the coastline was deeply embayed with cliffs and headlands formed in bauxite, and that structural trap sites formed on the northeastern side of prominent headlands. Pleistocene coastal sediments were partially reworked by Holocene coastal processes, and HM liberated by these processes may have been captured by prograding Holocene beach ridges. These Holocene beach ridges are not as extensive as the Pleistocene beach ridges but are more prominent, partly because they are less well vegetated. The Holocene coastline was probably more regular than the Pleistocene coastline, with fewer headlands to create structural traps. The modern coastline is relatively starved of river sediment because the Holocene and Pleistocene coastal sediments act as barriers to river flow. It is recommended that ongoing exploration for HM in the region should focus on potential trap sites on the Pleistocene coast and that two sites, Vrilya Point and Jackson River, where structural traps may have been formed by coastal promontories, should be priority targets. It is also noted that if the exploration of Cape York Peninsula for HM deposits is to be effective, further research needs to be carried out into the geomorphological evolution of the west coast and, in particular, the role of cyclones in forming HM deposits in tropical climates. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: The goals of people with aphasia should guide service delivery. Services are increasingly influenced by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) (WHO, 2001), but little is yet known about whether the goals of people with aphasia span the full spectrum of the ICF. Aims: The purpose of this study was to describe the goals of people with aphasia and to code the goals according to the ICF. Methods & Procedures: A qualitative descriptive research approach was used involving semi-structured in-depth interviews with 50 participants with aphasia post-stroke. Interviews were videotaped and transcribed verbatim and then analysed using qualitative content analysis. The goals of a 30% consecutive subsample were then coded using the ICF. Outcomes & Results: Nine broad categories of goals were identified. Participants with aphasia wanted to return to their pre-stroke life and to communicate not only their basic needs but also their opinions. They also wanted information about aphasia, stroke, and available services; more speech therapy; greater autonomy; and dignity and respect. They identified the importance of engagement in social, leisure, and work activities as well as regaining their physical health. Interestingly, their goals included wanting to help others. Goals could be linked to all ICF components within the ICF, with the majority linked to Activities and Participation, followed by Environmental Factors, Body Functions and Structures, and Personal Factors. Conclusions: People with aphasia in this study were able to articulate a wide range of goals post-stroke that encompassed all of the ICF components but had a particular focus on the Activity and Participation components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous research into metaphoric expression has suggested that metaphor offers a window into intra-individual conceptions as well as into socio-cultural understandings of illness and recovery. This study explored how people with aphasia, their family members, and their speech-language pathologists described their experiences of rehabilitation through the linguistic resource of metaphor. Aims: This study aimed to compare the perspectives of five people with aphasia, five of their family members, and their eight treating speech-language pathologists by analysing the way they used the linguistic resource of metaphor to describe their experience of aphasia therapy. Methods & Procedures: Interviews with five people with aphasia, five of their family members, and their eight speech-language pathologists were recorded, transcribed, and coded for metaphoric expressions and concepts. Outcomes & Results: Quantitatively across all participants, the metaphorical concepts of JOURNEY, BATTLE, and PRODUCT were the most frequently used metaphoric concepts expressed by the participants. Qualitatively within sets of participants, differences in the patterns of use of metaphoric concepts indicated important contrasts in the way they viewed their experiences. Conclusions: The frequent use of JOURNEY metaphor accorded with previous research into recovery, while the identification of BATTLE and PRODUCT metaphor was suggested to point to critical sites reflecting social disempowerment. Attention to the use of metaphoric expression may offer clinicians a window into how others involved in the collaborative therapy process are constructing their experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A life-coaching and positive psychology approach to aphasia has recently been advocated by Audrey Holland, to whom this issue is dedicated. Aims: This paper reviews our recent research which informs the three basic assumptions behind a life-coaching approach to aphasia: (1) learning to live successfully with aphasia takes time; (2) aphasia is a family problem; and (3) the goal is to help people with aphasia fit it into their lives. Methods & Procedures: We assimilate results from three independent qualitative data sets: (1) a project that sought the perspective of 50 people with aphasia, their families, and their treating speech-language pathologist about their goals over time; (2) a project that seeks the views of 25 people with aphasia, their family, and speech-language pathologists about what it means to live successfully with aphasia; and (3) a qualitative structured interview on quality of life with 30 people with aphasia. Outcomes & Results: The three basic assumptions of the life-coaching approach to aphasia are supported and extended by the data. Participants with aphasia in our studies report how their goals change over time to reflect how they are learning to live with aphasia, but the journey is different for each person. The stories from families elucidate how aphasia is indeed a family concern and requires family involvement. Finally, not only did participants in our studies fit aphasia into their lives, but they also fitted it into a new lifestyle after their stroke. Conclusions: The assumptions behind the life-coaching approach are well supported by the narratives of people living with aphasia. Even if the life-coaching approach is not adopted wholeheartedly by the profession, the principles of positive psychology and the life goal perspective appear highly relevant to living successfully with aphasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is an increasing need in speech and language therapy for clinicians to provide intervention in the context of the broader life-quality issues for people with aphasia. However, there is no descriptive research that is explicitly focused on quality of life (QoL) from the perspectives of older people with aphasia. Aims: The current study explores how older people with chronic aphasia who are living in the community describe their QoL in terms of what contributes to and detracts from the quality in their current and future lives. The study is descriptive in nature, and the purpose is to conceptualise the factors that influence QoL. Methods & Procedures: A total of 30 older participants (16 women, 14 men) with mild to moderate aphasic impairment took part. All participants had adequate communication skills to participate, demonstrating reliable yes/no response and moderate auditory comprehension ability. Participants were interviewed in their own homes using six brief, unprompted, open questions about QoL, in a structured interview. The first five questions were drawn from previous gerontological research (Farquhar, 1995), and a sixth question specifically targeting communication was added. Content analysis was used, identifying discrete units of data and then coding these into concepts and factors. Additional demographic information was collected, and participants' mood on day of interviewing was assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale (Sheikh & Yesavage, 1986). Outcomes & Results: Activities, verbal communication, people, and body functioning were the core factors in QoL for these participants, and they described how these factors both contributed quality in life and detracted from life quality. Other factors that influenced QoL included stroke, mobility, positive personal outlook, in/dependence, home, and health. While the findings are limited by the lack of probing of participants' responses, the study does present preliminary evidence for what is important in QoL to older people with aphasia. Conclusions: Quality of life for older people with predominantly mild to moderate chronic aphasia who are living in the community is multifactorial in nature. Some factors lie within the remit of speech and language therapy, some lie beyond the professional role, but all are relevant for consideration in rehabilitation and community practice. Further qualitative research is implicated to better understand QoL with aphasia, using in-depth interviewing with a broader range of people with aphasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. Third-party disability is defined as the disability of family members due to the health condition of their significant other and was identified as a direction for future development by the World Health Organization in 2001. The aim of this article is to identify the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) domains and categories that describe third-party disability of spouses of older people with hearing impairment. Method. Ten spouses of older people with hearing impairment participated in individual semi-structured in-depth interviews. Themes identified by participants were linked according to ICF instructions to deliver a set of ICF category codes relevant to the study of third-party disability in spouses of older people with hearing impairment. Results. A total of 18 themes and 50 sub-themes emerged from analysis of the interviews. The majority of these themes were able to be linked to the ICF, with the majority linking to codes in the activities and participation component. A number of contextual factors also emerged in the interviews that impacted on the spouses' third-party disability. Difficulties arose when attempting to link themes to the body function component. Conclusions. The ICF appears to be a useful tool in describing the effects of hearing impairment on the significant other; however, further research is necessary to clarify the applicability of some codes to third-party disability, especially the relevance of body functions to third-party disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. This article presents a descriptive research study that investigated the issues discussed in rehabilitation case conferences, with specific reference to patients with acquired communication disabilities of neurological origin. Method. A series of six routine rehabilitation case conferences of between 1 and 2 h, involving between 10 and 14 health professionals, were observed by a researcher who took detailed field notes. These data were analysed using a combination of apriori coding categories based on the International Classification of Functioning - WHO, 2001, and content and thematic analyses. Results. The rank order of frequency of contribution by each discipline reflected both distinct ('disciplinary') and overlapping ('interdisciplinary') areas of professional areas of expertise and responsibility. Although the speech pathologist was often alone in discussing communication goals, there was much interdisciplinary discussion for clients with impaired communication and/or cognitive capacity, and the presence of communication disability was associated with more conflict in the discussion. Conclusions. The findings of this research locate critical challenges in rehabilitation case conferences for interprofessional interaction, particularly in the team's shared responsibility for representing the 'voice' of inpatients with communication disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of hearing impairment on the person with the impairment and on their significant others are pervasive and affect the quality of life for all involved. The effect of hearing impairment on significant others is known as a third-party disability. This study aimed to develop and psychometrically test a scale to measure the third-party disability experienced by spouses of older people with hearing impairment. The Significant Other Scale for Hearing Disability (SOS-HEAR) was based on results of a previous qualitative study investigating the effect of hearing impairment on a spouse's everyday life. Psychometric testing with 100 spouses was conducted using item analysis, Cronbach's alpha, factor analysis, and test-retest reliability. Principal components analysis identified six key underlying factors. A combined set of 27 items was found to be reliable (alpha=0.94), with weighted kappa for items ranging from fair to very good. The SOS-HEAR is a brief, easy to administer instrument that has evidence of reliability and validity. The SOS-HEAR could serve as a means of identifying spouses of older people with hearing impairment in need of intervention, directed towards either the couple or the spouse alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conceptual models of carcinogenesis typically consist of an evolutionary sequence of heritable changes in genes controlling proliferation, apoptosis, and senescence. We propose that these steps are necessary but not sufficient to produce invasive breast cancer because intraductal tumour growth is also constrained by hypoxia and acidosis that develop as cells proliferate into the lumen and away from the underlying vessels. This requires evolution of glycolytic and acid-resistant phenotypes that, we hypothesise, is critical for emergence of invasive cancer. Mathematical models demonstrate severe hypoxia and acidosis in regions of intraductal tumours more than 100 microm from the basement membrane. Subsequent evolution of glycolytic and acid-resistant phenotypes leads to invasive proliferation. Multicellular spheroids recapitulating ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) microenvironmental conditions demonstrate upregulated glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) as adaptation to hypoxia followed by growth into normoxic regions in qualitative agreement with model predictions. Clinical specimens of DCIS exhibit periluminal distribution of GLUT-1 and Na(+)/H(+) exchanger (NHE) indicating transcriptional activation by hypoxia and clusters of the same phenotype in the peripheral, presumably normoxic regions similar to the pattern predicted by the models and observed in spheroids. Upregulated GLUT-1 and NHE-1 were observed in microinvasive foci and adjacent intraductal cells. Adaptation to hypoxia and acidosis may represent key events in transition from in situ to invasive cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Discrimination on the basis of disability is prohibited in many countries and therefore research on communication accessibility for people with aphasia has become a priority.Aims: The aim of this paper is to summarise and discuss the results of a series of research studies, carried out in one Centre, into accessibility issues for people with aphasia, focusing on the accessibility of community environments and the accessibility of information.Main Contribution: When asked about the accessibility of the community generally, people with aphasia reported both physical and societal barriers and facilitators, as well as barriers and facilitators related to other people. Many people with aphasia still do not receive written health information about aphasia and, when they do, the information is often written at a level too high for them to read. In terms of the accessibility of written information on websites about aphasia, high-quality websites may not be easily accessible to people with aphasia. For accessible websites to be delivered, the involvement of people with aphasia is paramount.Conclusions: There are three common themes emerging from this series of research studies. First, accessibility is an important and often emotive issue for people with aphasia. Second, people with aphasia are marginalised by a communicatively inaccessible society. Third, there is considerable diversity among people with aphasia about their perceptions of the barriers and facilitators to communication in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background : Developing the knowledge base on the impact of aphasia on people's social lives has become increasingly important in recent times to further our understanding of the broad consequences of communication disability and thus provide appropriate services. Past research clearly indicates that relationships and social activities with family members and others undergo change with the onset of aphasia in an individual, however more evidence of a quantitative nature would be beneficial. Aims : The current research furthers our knowledge by quantifying chronically aphasic older people's regular social contacts and social activities, and places them in context by comparing them with healthy older people of similar age and education. Methods & Procedures : A total of 30 aphasic participants aged 57 to 88 years, and 71 non-aphasic controls aged 62 to 98 years were interviewed by a speech and language therapist using self-report measures of Social Network Analysis (Antonucci & Akiyama, 1987) and Social Activities Checklist (Cruice, 2001, in Worrall & Hickson, 2003). Demographic information was also collected. Descriptive statistics are presented and independent samples t tests were used to examine differences between the groups. Outcomes & Results : Participants with primarily mild to moderate aphasic impairment reported a considerable range of social contacts (5-51) and social activities (8-18). Many significant differences were evident between the two groups' social contacts and activities. On average, aphasic participants had nine fewer social contacts (mainly 'friend' relationships) and three fewer social activities (mainly 'leisure' activities) than their non-aphasic peers. The majority of controls were satisfied with their social activities, whereas the majority of aphasic participants were not and wanted to be doing more. There were some general similarities between the groups, in terms of range of social contacts, overall pattern of social relationships, and core social activities. Conclusions : Older people with chronic aphasia had significantly fewer social contacts and social activities than their peers. People with aphasia expressed a desire to increase the social activity of their lives. Given the importance of leisure activity and relationships with friends as well as family for positive well-being, speech and language therapists may direct their rehabilitation efforts towards two areas: (1) conversational partner programmes training friends to maintain these relationships; and (2) encouraging and supporting aphasic clients in leisure activities of their choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accessibility is often constructed in terms of physical accessibility. There has been little research into how the environment can accommodate the communicative limitations of people with aphasia. Communication accessibility for people with aphasia is conceptualised in this paper within the World Health Organisation's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The focus of accessibility is considered in terms of the relationship between the environment and the person with the disability.Aims: This paper synthesises the results of three studies that examine the effectiveness of aphasia-friendly written material.Main Contribution: The first study (Rose, Worrall, & McKenna, 2003) found that aphasia-friendly formatting of written health information improves comprehension by people with aphasia, but not everyone prefers aphasia-friendly formatting. Brennan, Worrall, and McKenna (in press) found that the aphasia-friendly strategy of augmenting text with pictures, particularly ClipArt and Internet images, may be distracting rather than helpful. Finally, Egan, Worrall, and Oxenham (2004) found that the use of an aphasia-friendly written training manual was instrumental in assisting people with aphasia to learn the Internet.Conclusion: Aphasia-friendly formatting appears to improve the accessibility of written material for people with aphasia. Caution is needed when considering the use of illustrations, particularly ClipArt and Internet images, when creating aphasia-friendly materials. A research, practice, and policy agenda for introducing aphasia-friendly formatting is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary objective : To test whether people with cognitive-linguistic impairments following traumatic brain injury could learn to use the Internet using specialized training materials. Research design : Pre – post test design. Methods and procedures : Seven participants were each matched with a volunteer tutor. Basic Internet skills were taught over six lessons using a tutor ’ s manual and a student manual. Instructions used simple text and graphics based on Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5. Students underwent Internet skills assessments and interviews pre- and post-training. Tutors completed a post-training questionnaire. Main outcomes and results : Six of seven participants reached moderate-to-high degrees of independence. Literacy impairment was an expected training barrier ; however, cognitive impairments affecting concentration, memory and motivation were more significant. Conclusions : Findings suggest that people with cognitive-linguistic impairments can learn Internet skills using specialized training materials. Participants and their carers also reported positive outcomes beyond the acquisition of Internet skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: Written health education materials can only be effective if they can be read, understood, and remembered by patients. The purpose of this article was to review the literature about features that should be incorporated into written health education materials to maximize their effectiveness, identify where there is consensus and debate about which features should be incorporated, and develop recommendations that health professionals can use when reviewing their existing materials and designing new materials. METHOD: Literature review of published research and education articles. RESULTS: There is a large number of features that need to be considered when designing written health education materials so that they are suitable for the target audience and effective. Although there is consensus about the majority of features that should be included, further research is needed to explore the contribution of certain features, such as illustrations, to the effectiveness of written materials and the effect of well-designed written materials on patient outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Health professionals need to provide their patients with written health education materials that are patient-orientated and designed according to the best practice principles in written health education material design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary objective: To establish a process whereby assessment of functional communication reflects the authentic communication of the target population. The major functional communication assessments available from the USA may not be as relevant to those who reside elsewhere, nor assessments developed primarily for persons who have had a stroke as relevant for traumatic brain injury rehabilitation. Research design: The investigation used the Nominal Group Technique to elicit free opinion and support individuals who have compromised communication ability. A survey mailed out sampled a larger number of stakeholders to test out differences among groups. Methods and procedures: Five stakeholder groups generated items and the survey determined relative 'importance'. The stakeholder groups in both studies comprised individuals with traumatic brain injury and their families, health professionals, third-party payers, employers, and Maori, the indigenous population of New Zealand. Main outcomes and results: There was no statistically significant difference found between groups for 19 of the 31 items. Only half of the items explicitly appear on a well-known USA functional communication assessment. Conclusions: The present study has implications for whether functional communication assessments are valid across cultures and the type of impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a response by T. T. Threats and L. Worrall on the comments to the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) coding system and to their article, "Classifying Communication Disability Using the ICF." Relevance of Chris Ireland's poem about the barriers that exist for people with aphasia; Need for health professionals to collaborate with their client before deciding not to code the ICF.

Health classification schemes not only affect funding of speech-language pathology services but the terminology used in the classification affects the way the profession communicates externally to its stakeholders and internally within the profession. This paper describes the classification scheme of the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). While the conceptual framework of the ICF has been established within the profession, the detailed classification scheme is becoming increasingly important to speech-language pathologists. The implementation of the classification worldwide presents many opportunities for speech-language pathologists. Details of the ICF, however, continue to be "work in progress," particularly in areas highly relevant to speech-language pathology such as the differentiation of the Activity and Participation components and their qualifiers. This uncertainty, together with other limitations, needs to be acknowledged by the profession. A research agenda is proposed that aims to place the speech- language pathology profession firmly at the forefront of ICF developments, so that the full scope of the profession's work is suitably acknowledged in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]