There are many choices for cognitive-communication content to add to our toolbox in the world of speech pathology. Nice Speech Lady has created a collection of the most helpful sites toward the objective of improving access and competence in approaches/perspectives for evidence-based treatment for cognitive-communication evaluation and treatment.
These links have been organized as follows: free resources, pay-per-resource options (some may have free materials on occasion), membership/subscription services, podcasts, CEUs and webinars. Please see each information regarding the current cost at links due to the vacillating nature of prices and specials.
Free resources specific to cognitive-communication skills
- EatSpeakThink.com’s “Write Better Cognitive Goals With 54 Daily Activities.” SLPs can improve goal-writing by identifying real-life skills and activities to improve upon in cognitive-communication treatment. Also, a two-page checklist to provide to patients to identify specific problem/goal areas is available. There are also other cognitive-linguistic resources available on this site.
- ASHA’s “Cognitive-Communication Referral Guidelines for Adults” page. List topics include: “Most Common Etiologies,” “Potential Consequences/Impact of Communication Impairment Can Include,” “Behaviors that should trigger an SLP referral (including areas in “difficulty functioning independently,” as well as areas in “difficulty managing home or maintaining a job or business”).
- “Money Management Screener – Adult Cognitive Therapy” Location: Teachers-Pay-Teachers. Author: Emily T SLP. This document is a tool that can be used to evaluate stroke or traumatic brain injury patients. This is a simple, two-page resource that is free to download. Description: “This money management screener progresses in difficulty from simple money counting to bill paying and check writing.” Emily T SLP also has other resources for a purchase fee.
- EatSpeakThink’s “18 Free Cognitive Assessment Tools,” a listing with links to various assessments, tests and screeners to further delve into the evaluation piece of cognitive-linguistic functioning.
- “Traumatic Brain Injury: A Guide for Caregivers of Service Members and Veterans.“ This 155-book is a helpful resource for families but also provides a lot of useful information for all persons involved in the recovery process of patients with TBIs.
- FreshSLP forms: “Strategies to Help Navigate Solutions,” “Internal Memory Strategies,” “External Memory Strategies,” and “Pay Attention” — which are available when signing up for the free resources at FreshSLP, here.
Pay-per-resource options (some may have free materials on occasion) specific to cognitive-communication skills
- “Optimizing Cognitive Rehabilitation: Effective Instructional Methods, Illustrated Edition,” Lyn S. Turkstra, PhD, CCC-SLP, BC-ANCDS, F-ASHA. This book guides the SLP on how to transition into functional treatment with step-by-step procedures, including detailed content on compensatory strategy memory aides to meta-cognitive strategy instructions.
- MedicalSLP’s Functional Speech Therapy Materials Bundle includes over 350 pages of real-world, functional cognitive-communication tasks.
- “The Neuroscience of Memory: Seven Skills to Optimize Your Brain Power, Improve Memory, and Stay Sharp at Any Age,” a book by Sherrie D. All, PhD. The focus is on citing research and strategies in order to advance brain and memory function in person with and without current deficits.
- “Dementia Handouts Bundle for Adult Speech Therapy.” Source: Teachers-Pay-Teachers. Author: In Unison Speech Therapy. This cognitive bundle includes the following areas: a dementia communication techniques handout, a dementia script training handout, a family education on dementia handout and a dementia mealtime strategies handout.
- MedicalSLP’s Cognitive Communication Assessment. The focus of this informal, non-standardized assessment is determining the functional status of patients in a medical setting, and at establishing functional goals. Included in the bundle are digital copies of: a patient intake form, a record form, and a stimulus booklet.
- “Person-Centered Memory and Communication Interventions for Dementia: A Case Study Approach, 1st Edition,” written by
- “Deductive Reasoning Exercises for Attention and Executive Functions: Real-Life Problem Solving, 1st Edition,” written by Carrie B. Cole, CCC-SLP. This book, which can be purchased on Amazon, contains more than sixty individual exercises with four levels of difficulty for both teens and adults, focusing on addressing deficits by identifying insights into real life situations for targeting specific skills as identified by clinicians. Also, it contains home programs and opportunities for practicing compensatory strategies. In addition, it allows for clinicians to create individualization options through open-ended exercises and facilitates ideas for group exercises. With purchase, access PDF version of the book is available.
- Honeycomb Speech Therapy. Blending evidence and relevance in focusing on function, there is a digital activity studio for activities and ideas for therapy. Also included are: treatment strategies, education handouts, real-life activities, assessment considerations, etc.
- The Medical SLP Collective — a subscription-based process of obtaining information that includes resources, CEUs, access to a closed-fb group for private/discreet discussion and peer/professor-reviewed resources, a benefit. Many med SLP topics beyond cognitive-linguistic functioning/treatment are covered.
- The Informed SLP. A subscription service, this website scours the research for you to provide easily available information to apply today to clinical practice based on your population of service. Monthly reports of summaries of the newest research is produced and at your fingertips on all speech pathology topics, including cognitive-communication involvement.
- FreshSLP. A site that has some free content and podcasts available, but also has a membership component. The focus is to “empower SLPs at the intersection of graduate school at a great career.” There are handouts, courses and a mentorship option — all on medical SLP topics, including cognitive-communication.
- Therapy Insights. A membership service that provides information on a variety of topics, there is a section of various handouts and resources on dementia and CVA diagnoses. There are options to access the clinical resource library, as well as the article snapshots library, or both.
Podcasts specific to cognitive-communication skills
- Dementia Research
- FOXCast SLP: Dementia & the Capacity for Learning: a Speech-Language Pathology Perspective
- Dementia Matters
- The MDTea Podcast: “Episode 1.4 Communication in Cognitive Impairment”
- Speech Uncensored: “Episode 11: How Neuroplasticity Influences Treatment With Lauren Ball, MS, CCC-SLP”
- Academy of Neurological Disorders and Communication Disorders and Sciences Podcast: “Episode 18 – A Conversation with Peter Meulenbroek: ANCDS Writing Group for Traumatic Brain Injury”
- Dementia Caregiver
- Speech Uncensored: “Episode 24: Assessing Functional Needs in the Adult Neurologic Population with Sarah Baar, MS, CCC-SLP”
CEUs specific to cognitive-communication skills
- “What’sNext?” Competency Program. This CEU program, offered by Gwen Griffin, CCC-SLP via Northern Speech Services, is an evidence-based treatment program for persons with mild to moderate cognitive involvements. The focus of treatment utilizes caregiver or family participation. It is a two-hour online course and there are resources available for the assessment and treatment components of the program, and facilitates greater independence in six vital living skills.
- “Best Practices for Treating Patients with Cognitive Linguistic Impairments.” HomeCEU offers this course; presented by Amber Heape, ClinScD, CCC-SLP, CDP. The focus of the course is on assessment, as well as then performing functional therapy tasks guided by evidence-based practice to perform functional therapy tasks. Also part of the course is how to and document most effectively. It is a 4-hour online course.
- “Therapists Rehabilitation Strategies for Dementia Patients.” The presenter of this course is Anysia Ensslen-Boggs, Ed.D., M.S., CCC-SLP, and can be accessed at SUMMIT Professional Education. This course is six hours in length (online) and has components of differences between MCI and dementia, assessment, developing an treatment plan that is evidence-based, as well as associated treatment approaches, as well as and practical implementation ideas for caregiver/family education.
- “How to Practice Person-Centered Care for People with Dementia in Nursing Homes.” Offered on the platform at the website for the Academy of Neurological Sciences and Disorders, Natalie Douglas, Ph.D., CCC-SLP presents on the topics of: case studies to highlight evidence-based practice techniques and approaches to “manage communication and life participation for a person with dementia.” Also, elements of practice to support training in informal and formal are partners are detailed. The aim is to “support quality of life and communication.” The cost is included in an annual membership to ANSC, or a fee can be paid for this specific course.
- “The Speech-Language Pathologist’s Role in Collegiate Athletic Concussion Management: Looking Back and Pushing Forward.” Offered on the platform at the website for the Academy of Neurological Sciences and Disorders, Kelly Knollman-Porter, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, details case examples of SLPs on a collegiate athletic concussion management time, as well as describes “improvements in the management of sport-induced concussion over the past 2 decades along with suggestions for future research and direction.” As with the above course, the cost is included in an annual membership to ANSC, or a fee can be paid for just this singular course.
- “Maximizing Outcomes in Patients with Cognitive Impairments” on SpeechtherapyPD.com, as presented by Robert Winningham, PhD. The focus of the two-day course is to increase efficacy in treatment and participants will receive practical ideas, tools, as well as strategies to immediately utilize in their clinical settings.
Webinars specific to cognitive-communication skills
- “Practical Cognitive Strategies For Brain Injury Survivors,” by Joanne Hein, M.S., CCC-SLP and Herb Hein, MMSc, CCC-SLP, 10-17-20.
- “Cognitive and Linguistic Assessment for SLPs and OTs,” by Pearson Instruments. Presenters: Anne-Marie Kimbell, Ph.D., MSEd., Shelley Hughes, OTR and Tina Eichstadt, MS CCC-SLP.
- A listing of Luria Neuroscience Institute webinars on executive function in frontal lobes/executive dysfunction in brain disorders/dementias, entitled “Webinar Series About the Brain and the Mind,” each recorded in 2020.
- “Webinar: The Speech-Language Pathologist’s Role in FTD Care,” on The Association for Frontotemperal Dementia website, presented by Becky Kayum, M.S., CCC-SLP
- University of Pittsburgh Department of Rehabilitation and Technology: “Cognitive Assistive Technology: Who and How?” Presented by Kimberly Eichhorn, MS, CCC, SLP-ATP.
- “Cognitive Rehabilitation 101.” Presenter: Anne-Marie Kimbell, Ph.D.
Wilson Nice, SLP, is the owner of Nice Speech Lady, a platform for medical SLPs to acquire immediate digital access to practical speech pathology clinical resources. Nice produces new, no-cost content for speech pathologists around the world. This includes home programs, session materials, handouts, and more.
She blogs on the Nice Speech Lady platform and also has a Youtube channel, where she interviews prominent professionals in the field of speech pathology and related areas. Nice works as a medical SLP in New Mexico and enjoys swimming, dancing, her faith communities and spending time with her family.
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