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The aim of the present study was to investigate the five different components of self-perception (academic competence, social acceptance, athletic competence, physical appearance and school behavior), and to identify the dimensions that affect self-esteem in children with Childhood onset Fluency Disorder (CoFD). The study sample consisted of thirty children with CoFD and, as controls, thirty children without CoFD, aged from 9 to 11;7 years old. The following instruments were used: (1) the Greek version of Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC), (2) the "Children's Phonetic and Phonological development assessment" and, (3) a demographic characteristics form. Results revealed that while children with CoFD did report lower perceived academic competence than did those of the control group, and their academic competence self-perception shaped both their self-esteem and their school behavior self-perception. Moreover, academic competence self-perception was found to mediate in the relationship between CoFD, self-esteem and school behavior self-perception. Perceived academic competence in children with CoFD is linked to self-esteem and perceived school behavior, and this may impact on their relationships, emotional health and overall well-being. Health professionals should become able to estimate coexisting psychological difficulties and negative behaviors of parents or teachers that may affect the children's self-esteem. Furthermore, they should be able to suggest targeted psychological interventions for children and parents, while in the same frame teachers need to be properly trained about the management of stuttering in the classroom. The role of the speech therapist in the school context for in-service provision of information is therefore considered to be of paramount importance.

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a disorder which affects not only speech-motor planning but also language ability more broadly. The present study attempts to explore the morphosyntactic, socio-cognitive, and prosody comprehension skills of children with CAS. Twenty preschool children with CAS and 20 typically developing children listened to a story, while viewing a wordless PowerPoint, picture presentation on a computer screen. Then, they were instructed to retell the story. Each participant listened to two stories, one with "lively" and one with "flat" prosody. The results revealed poor socio-cognitive abilities which were also evident in the use of verb-complement clauses, and poor prosody comprehension skills in the group with CAS. These findings affirm that morphosyntactic deficits are not the core characteristic of CAS, and suggest a connection between the production and comprehension of prosody, and between prosodic and (socio)-cognitive skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to adapt and validate the Speech Pathology-Specific Questionnaire for Persons with Multiple Sclerosis (SMS) into the Greek language. The study sample consisted of 124 people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) and 50 healthy controls (HCs). All PwMS underwent cognitive assessment using the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS). Both PwMS and HCs completed the SMS, the Eating Assessment tool (EAT-10), the Voice Handicap Index (VHI), and the Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 (SAQOL-39). Significant difference was found between PwMS and HCs for the EAT-10, SAQOL-39, the total SMS, and the SMS subscales. Discriminant validity analyses revealed a statistically significant difference between PwMS and HCs for the total and subscales SMS. Convergent validity analyses between the total SMS and the SMS subscales, and scores on the BICAMS, EAT-10, SAQOL-39, and VHI in PwMS were significantly correlated, with exception of the SMS Speech/Voice with the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) and the Greek Verbal Learning Test-II (GVLT-II). Scores on the EAT-10, SAQOL-39, and VHI in PwMS were also correlated with the total SMS and the SMS subscales in PwMS, HCs, and the total sample. Construct validity analyses revealed that the total SMS and the SMS subscales were significantly correlated with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and years of education, while no associations were found with regards to age, MS subtype (relapsing-remitting MS [RRMS] vs progressive MS [PMS]), disease duration, or sex. The internal consistency of all items was excellent in PwMS and the total sample (Cronbach's alpha was >0.7 after deletion of one item), with the exception of two items, which still fell within the acceptable range (>0.6) for PwMS and the total sample. The Greek version of the SMS is a reliable and valid patient-reported outcome measure to assess speech-language and swallowing pathology related symptoms in PwMS, and can be used for research and clinical purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe recent coronavirus emergency raised the question of whether telerehabilitation could be as effective as conventional face-to-face intervention. The aim of the present study was to compared language and cognitive training delivered to patients from a distance, through telecommunication systems, for the same intervention conducted on a face-to-face mode in patients with multi domain amnestic MCI (md-aMCI). To this end, 30 patients diagnosed with md-aMCI took part in the present study. The participants divided into two groups; one group received conventional face-to-face training and the other group received Telerehabilitation training. Both groups received language training using paper and pencil tasks and cognitive training using the Rehacom software. The training lasted 15 weeks and was delivered twice a week, for 60 minutes per session. The conventional face-to-face mode had a significant impact on cognitive (delayed and working memory, processing speed, executive function, and attention) and language domains (naming, word recognition, and semantic fluency). The telerehabilitation method had a beneficial impact on delayed memory, naming, and semantic fluency. The results of our study provide evidence that both telerehabilitation and face-to-face language and cognitive training seem to have a positive impact in patients with md-aMCI, with face-to-face training improving more domains than telerehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Previous studies have reported that widely used tests for aphasia identification are unable to detect the subtle language deficits of left hemisphere brain damaged (LHBD) individuals. Similarly, the language disorders of individuals with right hemisphere brain damage (RHBD) usually remain undetected, due to the lack of any specialized test for the evaluation of their language processing skills. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the language deficits of 80 individuals suffering from the effects of either a LHBD or RHBD stroke, who were diagnosed as having no aphasia or language deficits based on the application of Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination. Their language abilities were examined with the use of the Adults’ Language Abilities Test, which explores morpho-syntactic and semantic phenomena of the Greek language in both the comprehension and production modalities. Results revealed that both groups of stroke survivors performed significantly worse compared to the group of healthy participants. Thus, it appears that the latent aphasia of LHBD and the language deficits of RHBD patients are likely to remain undetected and that patients are at risk of not receiving appropriate treatment if their language abilities are not evaluated by an effective and efficient battery of language tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy and feasibility of a telerehabilitation program in multi-domain amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (md-aMCI). The study sample consisted of 30 patients with md-aMCI and aged 60–80 years. Methods The participants were randomly divided into two groups. The Training Group (TG), which received cognitive training by using the RehaCom software as well as paper-pencil language training and the Control Group (CG) which received standard clinical care (e.g. psychotherapy or/and physiotherapy). Duration of the telerehabilitation intervention was 15 weeks (twice a week for 60 min/session). Results Our results revealed that the neuropsychological performance of the TG group after the telerehabilitation intervention improved on a statistically significant level on the domains of delayed and working memory, confrontation naming, verbal fluency, and global cognition. Comparison between the TG and CG revealed a significant impact of the telerehabilitation program on the domains of memory (delay and working) and language (naming and verbal fluency) as well as global cognition performance. Conclusion The findings of the study are promising in that the telerehabilitation intervention appears to be a useful method in improving or stabilizing cognitive decline in md-aMCI individuals and was a particularly effective alternative approach during the period of the pandemic lockdown. Specifically, the beneficial impact of the telerehabilitation intervention on episodic memory (which is one of the first domains to show impairment in md-aMCI patients) provides us with hope and evidence that these types of interventions may be applied with similar success using face-to-face interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The present study reviewed published evidence on the effectiveness of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) on the cognitive performance of patients with Traumatic brain injury (TBI). Method A systematic search of the PubMed and Google Scholar databases was carried out. Randomized Controlled Studies published before March 2020 were included. Methodological evaluation was performed based on the Risk of Bias Cochrane tool. A total of 10 placebo-controlled studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were involved in the qualitative analysis, two assessing NIBS combined with cognitive training (CT) and eight evaluating NIBS alone. Results All but one retrieved article were appraised as of high-risk of bias (one paper was assessed as of unclear-risk owing to considerable underreporting). With the potential exception of attention, our findings were not indicative of a superior efficacy of NIBS-CT to CT alone, regarding the improvement of any of the rest assessed cognitive deficits. Executive function, processing speed, attention, working, and visuospatial memory were only occasionally found to benefit from NIBS alone compared to sham therapy (only one study reported relevant benefits per neuropsychological outcome). Verbal memory and verbal fluency (phonemic-semantic) were consistently found not to benefit from NIBS. Depression measures were the only outcomes associated with a beneficial effect of NIBS in more than one article. Conclusion Our findings did not provide sufficient high-quality evidence to support the exclusive use of NIBS or combined NIBS-CT to improve any impaired cognitive function in TBI patients. Owing to the suboptimum methodological quality of published studies, additional research is of potential value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to explore the effects of computer-based multidomain cognitive training program on Greek patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Forty-six patients with MCI were randomly divided into two groups; (a) the training group, which received a computer-based multidomain cognitive training program with the use of the RehaCom software and (b) the control group, which underwent standard-clinical care. The duration of the computer-based training program was 15 weeks, administered twice a week for approximately one hour per session. Analysis of the baseline versus endpoint performance of each group demonstrated that in the control group delayed memory and executive function had deteriorated over the observation period of 15 weeks, while improvement was observed in the training group's performance on delayed memory, word recognition, Boston Naming Test (BNT), Clock Drawing Test (CDT), Semantic Fluency (SF), Trail Making Test-A (TMT-A) and Trail Making Test-B (TMT-B). Comparison between the two groups presented asignificant effect of the intervention for most cognitive domains. These findings are promising for the development of training methods designed to delay cognitive decline in patients with MCI, which is considered to be the prodromal stage of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:The last two decades have afforded a small but steady rise in the number of studies exposing language dysfunctions in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), the most common form of multiple sclerosis however, not much is known about word class naming deficits in this group of individuals. Aim:To explore whether individuals with RRMS show word class naming deficits favouring either nouns or verbs, and if verb accuracy is affected by semantic and phonological verb type. Method:A total of 31 adults with RRMS were compared to 28 demographically matched healthy controls on noun and verb production using the Greek Object and Action Test (GOAT), a picture-based assessment developed for this purpose. Different semantic categories of verbs were investigated such as conceptually/semantically “heavy” verbs (i.e., instrumental verbs, e.g., “sweeping”) compared to conceptually/semantically “weaker” verbs (i.e., non-instrumental verbs (NIVs), e.g., “sleeping”) and instrumental verbs that were phonologically related to a noun (i.e., name-related instrumental verbs, e.g., “mopping”). Outcome & results:Verbs were significantly more difficult to retrieve than nouns for the RRMS group on production tasks compared to the demographic and intelligence matched healthy participants. Moreover, there was a significant difference between instrumental and NIV production with instrumental verbs more difficult to retrieve than NIVs. In regard to phonological relatedness, non-name-related instrumental verbs were significantly more difficult to retrieve than name-related instrumental verbs. Multiple regression analyses conducted as a separate model for verbs and nouns indicated that performance on the GOAT could not be explained by any of the predictor variables (demographic, clinical, or neurocognitive performance). Conclusion:Based on the results, the grammatical distinction for Greek verbs and nouns seems to be preserved in this group of individuals with RRMS. The naming deficit is probably in the connection between the semantic lexicon and the phonological lexicon. In the case of verbs, the magnitude of the difficulty was larger because of the effects of word frequency on verb retrieval. Overall, poor performance on verb and noun naming may be a marker of incipient cognitive decline, and typical cognitive-linguistic testing is not sensitive or specific enough to capture this phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: The aim of the present study was to validate the Communication and Language Assessment questionnaire for persons with Multiple Sclerosis (CLAMS) into the Greek language., Method: 106 Persons with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS) and 51 healthy controls (HCs) participated in this study. We evaluated patients' cognitive abilities with the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS). All PwMS completed the CLAMS and three additional questionnaires (Speech Pathology-Specific Questionnaire for persons with Multiple Sclerosis, SMS; Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39, SAQOL-39; the Beck Depression Inventory Fast Screen, BDI-FS), and all HCs filled in the CLAMS., Results: The internal consistency of the CLAMS was excellent (a = 0.933) for the PwMS and a significant difference was found between PwMS and HCs for the total CLAMS score. Statistical analyses showed a significant positive correlation between the CLAMS and the other questionnaires (SMS, BDI, and SAQOL-39) and a statistically significant negative correlation between the CLAMS and the three subtests of the BICAMS (Symbol Digit Modalities Test, Greek Verbal Learning Test-II, and Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised). There was no correlation between the CLAMS and participants' age, disease duration, and disease type., Conclusion: The Greek version of the CLAMS is a valid self-reported questionnaire for the evaluation of language and communication symptoms in PwMS., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Objective: The present study reviewed published evidence on the effectiveness of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) on the cognitive performance of patients with Traumatic brain injury (TBI)., Method: A systematic search of the PubMed and Google Scholar databases was carried out. Randomized Controlled Studies published before March 2020 were included. Methodological evaluation was performed based on the Risk of Bias Cochrane tool. A total of 10 placebo-controlled studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were involved in the qualitative analysis, two assessing NIBS combined with cognitive training (CT) and eight evaluating NIBS alone., Results: All but one retrieved article were appraised as of high-risk of bias (one paper was assessed as of unclear-risk owing to considerable underreporting). With the potential exception of attention, our findings were not indicative of a superior efficacy of NIBS-CT to CT alone, regarding the improvement of any of the rest assessed cognitive deficits. Executive function, processing speed, attention, working, and visuospatial memory were only occasionally found to benefit from NIBS alone compared to sham therapy (only one study reported relevant benefits per neuropsychological outcome). Verbal memory and verbal fluency (phonemic-semantic) were consistently found not to benefit from NIBS. Depression measures were the only outcomes associated with a beneficial effect of NIBS in more than one article., Conclusion: Our findings did not provide sufficient high-quality evidence to support the exclusive use of NIBS or combined NIBS-CT to improve any impaired cognitive function in TBI patients. Owing to the suboptimum methodological quality of published studies, additional research is of potential value., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)