Development of the Aboriginal Communication Assessment After Brain Injury (ACAABI): A screening tool for identifying acquired communication disorders in Aboriginal Australians

• Published in: International journal of speech language pathology 2017-06, Vol.19 (3), p.297-308
• Main Authors: Armstrong, Elizabeth M, Ciccone, Natalie, Hersh, Deborah, Katzenellebogen, Judith, Coffin, Juli, Thompson, Sandra, Flicker, Leon, Hayward, Colleen, Woods, Deborah, McAllister, Meaghan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aboriginal Australians; acquired communication disorder; Australia; Biomedical Research - methods; Brain damage; Brain Injuries - diagnosis; Brain Injuries - ethnology; Brain Injuries - psychology; Cognition; Communication; Communication disorders; Communication Disorders - diagnosis; Communication Disorders - ethnology; Communication Disorders - psychology; Cultural Characteristics; Emotions; Focus Groups; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Language disorders; Medical screening; Native peoples; Predictive Value of Tests; Reproducibility of Results; Research Design; screening tool; Social Behavior; Speech-Language Pathology - methods; Stakeholder Participation; Stroke; Surveys and Questionnaires; Traumatic brain injury
• ISSN: 1754-9507; 1754-9515; 1754-9515
• DOI: 10.1080/17549507.2017.1290136

Purpose: Acquired communication disorders (ACD), following stroke and traumatic brain injury, may not be correctly identified in Aboriginal Australians due to a lack of linguistically and culturally appropriate assessment tools. Within this paper we explore key issues that were considered in the development of the Aboriginal Communication Assessment After Brain Injury (ACAABI) - a screening tool designed to assess the presence of ACD in Aboriginal populations. Method: A literature review and consultation with key stakeholders were undertaken to explore directions needed to develop a new tool, based on existing tools and recommendations for future developments. Result: The literature searches revealed no existing screening tool for ACD in these populations, but identified tools in the areas of cognition and social-emotional wellbeing. Articles retrieved described details of the content and style of these tools, with recommendations for the development and administration of a new tool. The findings from the interview and focus group views were consistent with the approach recommended in the literature. Conclusions: There is a need for a screening tool for ACD to be developed but any tool must be informed by knowledge of Aboriginal language, culture and community input in order to be acceptable and valid.