Collaborative turn-construction practices of people with primary progressive aphasia and their family conversation partners

Authors

  • Anna Volkmer University College London
  • Shreeya Mistry University College London
  • Daniella Thompson University College London
  • Jason D. Warren University College London
  • Suzanne Beeke University College London

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jircd.25504

Keywords:

primary progressive aphasia, turn construction, dementia, collaboration

Abstract

Background: Primary progressive aphasia describes a group of three rare language-led dementias: semantic, logopenic, and non-fluent. The small number of conversation analysis studies to date suggest that repair and turn-construction practices in primary progressive aphasia are similar to those seen in post-stroke aphasia. This study investigates the collaborative aspect of these practices between people with primary progressive aphasia and their conversation partners.

Method: Conversation analysis was used to investigate collaboration in repair and turn-construction practices in 10-minute video recordings of natural conversation collected from two dyads, one with logopenic and one with mixed primary progressive aphasia.

Results: This study demonstrates that people with primary progressive aphasia have a range of practices available to construct their turns, and that their conversation partners collaborate to co-construct talk.

Discussion: Findings demonstrate that collaboration can support interaction or lead to further interactional trouble. Collaborative practices are important targets for speech and language therapy interventions.

Author Biographies

  • Anna Volkmer, University College London

    Anna Volkmer, PhD, is a senior researcher at UCL. Her research focuses on developing interventions for people with dementia and their families, using CA, mixed methods, and other qualitative methods to better understand and meet the needs of people with dementia. She is lead author of Better Conversations with PPA, a training intervention soon to be available for SLTs working with people with PPA. She also leads the speech and language therapy service within the Cognitive Disorders Clinic at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.

  • Shreeya Mistry, University College London

    Shreeya Mistry is a newly qualified SLT who became interested in working on the Better Conversations with PPA projects while completing her MSc at UCL. She now works with adults with acquired neurological conditions.

  • Daniella Thompson, University College London

    Daniella Thompson is a qualified SLT. She is currently working as a pediatric SLT, supporting children and young people with a variety of speech, language, and communication needs.

  • Jason D. Warren, University College London

    Jason D. Warren is a clinical cognitive neurologist and leads the Brain Behaviour Group at the Dementia Research Centre. His work uses complex sound as a paradigm to understand disordered information processing in neurodegenerative disease. He is currently Professor of Neurology at UCL, and jointly runs the specialist Cognitive Disorders Clinic at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. Special interests include the progressive aphasias, auditory and emotional cognition in dementia, neurology of music in dementia, and functional imaging of neurodegenerative diseases.

  • Suzanne Beeke, University College London

    Suzanne Beeke, PhD, is an associate professor at UCL. She trained as an SLT, and her research focuses on understanding the impact of language, communication, and cognitive disorders on the everyday conversations of adults with acquired neurological conditions talking to family, friends, and health and social care professionals. She leads the Better Conversations Lab, using CA to understand communication difficulties and needs, and to underpin interventions. She is lead author of Better Conversations with Aphasia, a free online training resource and therapy program available at https://extendstore.ucl.ac.uk.

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Published

2023-10-25

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 3 (2023)

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Articles

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© Equinox Publishing Ltd.

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How to Cite

Volkmer, A., Mistry, S., Thompson, D., Warren, J. D., & Beeke, S. (2023). Collaborative turn-construction practices of people with primary progressive aphasia and their family conversation partners. Journal of Interactional Research in Communication Disorders, 14(3), 456-485. https://doi.org/10.1558/jircd.25504