ACQ Vol 13 no 2 2011

2. establish the nature, extent, and rate of change in language skills over time. The choice of assessments to use in progressive aphasia is driven by many of the same considerations as in non- progressive aphasia: assessments need to be sensitive to change and reliable enough that differences in performance will reflect real underlying changes in functioning. However, we also noted that there are additional considerations in the assessment of progressive aphasia. The first assessment may need to be more comprehensive than for non-progressive, post-stroke aphasia, in order to facilitate tracking of change and plan for the future. In addition, when interpreting the results of treatment, a successful outcome may not be restricted to improvement in treated stimuli or skills, but instead may be reflected in stability or slowed decline. Hence, assessment of the effects of treatment must include design factors to enable detection of such outcomes. In sum, appropriate assessment of progressive aphasia is vital. It is only through this assessment that we can identify with confidence the person’s current strengths and weaknesses in language function. Identification of these patterns will enable the individual with progressive aphasia to make informed choices for the future, and with careful tracking of changes in language function over time, enable revision of these choices and strategies as required to facilitate optimal outcomes. Finally, the importance of regular in-depth interviews with the person with progressive aphasia and their communication partners cannot be overemphasised. Only by taking the time to listen can we ensure truly collaborative goal-setting and tracking of change across all facets of life that are affected by progressive aphasia. References Baines, S., Saxby, K., & Ehlert, K. (1987). Reality orientation and reminiscence therapy. A controlled cross-over study of elderly confused people. British Journal of Psychiatry , 151 , 222–231. Byng, S., Kay, J., Edmundson, A., & Scott, C. (1990). Aphasia tests reconsidered. Aphasiology , 4 , 67–91. Croot, K. (2009). Progressive language impairments: Definitions, diagnoses and prognoses. Aphasiology , 23 , 302–326. Croot, K., Taylor, C., & Nickels, L. (2011). What’s the evidence? Treatment of progressive aphasia. ACQuiring Knowledge in Speech, Language and Hearing , 13 (1), 37–40. Dunn, L. M., & Dunn , D. M. (2006). Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (4th ed.). Toronto, Ontario: Pearson Canada Assessment. Goodglass, H., Kaplan, E., & Barresi, B. (2001). Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (3rd ed). Austin, TX: Pro- Ed. Gorno-Tempini, M. L., Brambati, S. M., Ginex, V., Ogar, J., Dronkers, N. F., Marcone, A., & Miller, B. L. (2008). The logopenic/ phonological variant of primary progressive aphasia. Neurology , 71 , 1227–1234. Gorno-Tempini, M. L., Dronkers, N. F., Rankin, K. P., Ogar, J. M., Phrengrasamy, L., Rosen, H. J., & Miller, B. L. (2004). Cognition and anatomy in three variants of primary progressive aphasia. Annals of Neurology , 55 , 335–346. Gorno-Tempini, M. L., Hillis, A. E., Weintraub, S., Kertesz, A., Mendez, M. Cappa, S. F., & Grossman, M.

(2011). Classification of primary progressive aphasia and its variants. Neurology , 76 , 1–9. Howard, D., & Hatfield, F.M. (1987). Aphasia therapy: Historical and contemporary issues . London: Lawrence Erlbaum. Howard, D., Best, W., & Nickels, L. (2011). Optimising the design of intervention studies: critiques and ways forward. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation . Article under revision, 7 December 2010. Kaplan, E., Goodglass, H., & Weintraub, S. (1983). The Boston Naming Test . Philadelphia, PA: Lea & Febiger. Kay, J., Lesser, R., & Coltheart, M. (1992). Psycholinguistic assessments of language processing in aphasia . London: Lawrence Erlbaum. Kertesz, A. (2006). Western Aphasia Battery-Revised . Austin, TX: Pro-Ed. McNeil, M. R., & Duffy, J. R. (2001). Primary progressive aphasia. In R. Chapey (Ed.), Language intervention strategies in adult aphasia (4th ed., pp. 472–486). Baltimore: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. Mesulam, M., Wieneke, C., Rogalski, E., Cobia, D., Thompson, C., & Weintraub, S. (2009). Quantitative template for subtyping primary progressive aphasia. Archives of Neurology , 66 , 1545–1551. Nickels, L. A. (2002). Therapy for naming disorders: Revisiting, revising and reviewing. Aphasiology , 16 , 935–980. Nickels, L. A. (2005). Tried, tested and trusted? Language assessment for rehabilitation. In P. W. Halligan & D. T. Wade (Eds), The effectiveness of rehabilitation for cognitive deficits . (pp. 169–184). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Nickels, L. (2008). The hypothesis testing approach to the assessment of language. In B. Stemmer and H. A. Whitaker (Eds.), Handbook of the neuroscience of language . (pp. 13 – 22). Oxford, UK: Elsevier Ltd. Nickels, L. A., & Croot, K. (Eds.). (2009). Progressive language impairment: Intervention and management . Hove, UK: Psychology Press. Perdices, M., & Tate, R. (2009). Single-subject designs as a tool for evidence-based clinical practice: Are they unrecognised and undervalued? Neuropsychological Rehabilitation , 19 , 904–927. Rapp, B., & Glucroft, B. (2009). The benefits and protective effects of behavioural treatment for dysgraphia in a case of primary progressive aphasia. Aphasiology , 23 , 236–265. Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. (2005a). Clinical guidelines . Oxford, UK: Speechmark. Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. (2005b). Speech and language therapy provision for people with dementia. Retrieved 25 January 2007, from www.rcslt. org/resources/publications/dementia_paper.pdf Sacchett, C., & Marshall, J. (1992). Functional assessment of communication: Implications for the rehabilitation of aphasic people: Reply to Carol Frattali. Aphasiology , 6 , 95–100. Sapolsky, D., Bakkour, A., Negreira, A., Nalipinski, P., Weintraub, S., Mesulam, M.-M., Caplan D.,... & Dickerson, B. C. (2010). Cortical neuroanatomic correlates of symptom severity in primary progressive aphasia. Neurology , 75 , 358–366.

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