UCL DIVISION OF PSYCHOLOGY AND LANGUAGE SCIENCES

Interaction between people with progressive neurological conditions and significant others; the use of AAC systems by adults in conversation; the application of Conversation Analysis in the study of progressive dysarthria and AAC. You can see Steven talking about his work on conversation and intelligibility problems at a recent Therapy Ideas Live event.

• Centre for Applied Interaction Research (CAIR).

• Exploring interactions between telephone advice-line callers and specialist nurses: a Parkinson’s UK advice-line pilot study (2011-2012)

• Understanding the impact of progressive neurological speech disorders on interaction (2009-2012)
  

• Leonard Cheshire Disability communication project evaluation (2006-2009).

• Keeping Pace with Technology (KPT) (2004-2007)

• HCSCRS03 Applied Research, Policy and Practice

Steven is an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders.  The official journal of the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists.

Developing best practice guidelines for AAC intervention in Motor-Neurone Disease (MND): In partnership with the UK Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA)
There are currently no accessible guidelines for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)management for people with MND that draw on UK clinical expert consensus and the available evidence base. With increasing public awareness and experience of high technology systems there are growing pressures on clinicians and the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) to identify, fund and support high technology equipment. As a result there is a need to be explicit about how best to support the AAC process and to ensure that an individual’s communication needs, and those of significant others, are met irrespective of the technologies available. Steven Bloch is currently chairing group of expert clinicians who will be producing a set of clear and functional best practice AAC intervention guidelines for generalist clinicians working with people with MND. These guidelines will be available on the MNDA website from the Summer 2012.