Trends and challenges in assessing bilingual Aphasia: A scoping review for speech-language pathology practice

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Newman, Franziska
Favis, Elyssa
Mellahn, Kathleen
Siyambalapitiya, Samantha
Kim, Esther
Dash, Tanya
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2024
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Calgary, Canada

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Background: As the global bilingual population continues to grow, speech-language pathologists are increasingly providing services to culturally and linguistically diverse clients with aphasia. Aphasia, an acquired communication disorder that impacts the ability to express and comprehend language, occurs in approximately one-third of strokes. Assessing communication in bilingual adults with aphasia is particularly complex due to a lack of research involving bilinguals and limited clinical resources for bilingual language assessment. Indeed, locating culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment tools and practice guidelines presents a key challenge for clinicians working with bilingual clients. Improving aphasia assessment procedures requires identifying available assessment tools and practices that evaluate language functioning in bilingual speakers. Methods: A scoping review was conducted based on Arksey & O’Malley’s (2005) and Levac et al.’s (2010) frameworks to identify tools and processes for assessing language in bilingual speakers with aphasia. Scopus, Medline, LLBA, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Embase were searched to identify articles from the past 20 years that included information related to bilingual aphasia assessment. Articles were then screened by two independent reviewers and relevant data was extracted to gather information about the assessment procedures used in these studies. Results: 139 articles were identified. These articles included experimental studies, validation studies, and clinical practice guidelines. 27 studies assessed participants’ language functioning using both informal and formal methods, and 88 studies conducted assessment in all participants’ languages. A total of 58 unique formal language assessments were identified, and 28 studies provided an operational definition of bilingualism. Conclusion: Clinicians are using a combination of formal and informal methods to create a comprehensive language profile for bilingual clients in all their spoken languages; however, there is a lack of standardized assessment practices for bilingual adults with aphasia. While formal assessment tools are available in various languages and many are still in development, it is unclear if these tools are appropriate for culturally diverse populations. Accurate identification and diagnosis of aphasia is integral for delivering effective services to bilingual clients. A comprehensive assessment approach that is both culturally and linguistically appropriate is therefore crucial for evaluating bilingual language abilities and providing equitable services for bilingual and culturally diverse people with aphasia. By identifying existing assessment tools and processes, we offer clinicians and researchers a critical starting point for developing practice guidelines and culturally relevant assessment tools that accurately reflect clients’ language abilities post-stroke.

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International Journal of Stroke

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Canadian Stroke Congress, 28-29 November 2024, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

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19

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4_suppl

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Newman, F; Favis, E; Mellahn, K; Siyambalapitiya, S; Kim, E; Dash, T, Trends and challenges in assessing bilingual Aphasia: A scoping review for speech-language pathology practice, International Journal of Stroke, 2024, 19 (4_suppl), pp. 23-23