Background: Intelligibility and comprehensibility in speech disorders can be assessed both perceptually and instrumentally, but a lack of consensus exists regarding the terminology and related speech measures in both the clinical and scientific fields. Aims: To draw up a more consensual definition of intelligibility and comprehensibility and to…

Background: There is minimal research and no formal written guidance for speech and language therapists (SLTs) managing children eating and drinking with acknowledged risks (EDAR). Many SLTs lack confidence due to the complexity of these cases medically, ethically and emotionally. Guidance is recommended to aid paediatric EDAR management. Aims: To…

Background: Evidence-based practice involves the synthesis of multiple forms of evidence to inform clinical decision-making and treatment evaluation. Practice- and patient-based evidence are two forms of evidence that are under-represented in the stuttering literature. The collection of such knowledge is essential to support the design and…

Background: Non-standardized assessment tools are preferred when assessing communication of individuals with developmental disabilities. Currently, there are limited tools available for assessing this population. Informant report tools such as the Pragmatics Profile (PP) of Everyday Communication Skills are beneficial in gathering a representative…

Background: In 2016/17, the CATALISE Consortium published the results of a multinational and multidisciplinary Delphi consensus study, representing agreement among professionals about the definition and process of identification of children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) (Bishop et al., 2016, 2017). The extent to which the current…

Background: Research regarding speech and language therapy (SLT) for patients in prolonged disorders of consciousness (PDOC) is very limited. The Royal College of Physicians' (RCP) PDOC guideline provides recommendations regarding best practice, but does not give detail about many aspects of assessment and management. As a result, SLTs have little…

Background: Atypical speech and language development is one of the most common developmental difficulties in young children. However, which clinical signs characterize atypical speech-language development at what age is not clear. Aim: To achieve a national and valid consensus on clinical signs and red flags (i.e. most urgent clinical signs) for…

Background: Dysphagia has been an increasing area of practice for speech and language therapists (SLTs) for over 20 years, and throughout that period there has been debate about how practical skills in dysphagia can best be developed. The implementation of the new Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) framework was considered…

A recent project entitled CATALISE used the Delphi method to reach a consensus on terminology for unexplained language problems in children. "Developmental language disorder" (DLD) was the term agreed by a panel of 57 experts. Here I reflect on points of difficulty that arose when attempting to reach a consensus, using qualitative…

Background: The Comprehensive International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Set for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a comprehensive framework to structure the information obtained in multidisciplinary clinical settings according to the biopsychosocial perspective of the International Classification of Functioning,…

Background: Worldwide speech-language therapy (SLT) students are educated in evidence-based practice (EBP). For students to use EBP in their future day-to-day clinical practice, they must value EBP as positive and must feel confident in using it. For curricula developers it is therefore important to know the impact their teaching has on these…