Research
The position of Deparment of Communication Disorders and professional speech and language therapy societies on the use of alternative methods in speech and language therapy
In recent years in Slovakia, we have recorded an increase in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures used in children and adults with impaired communication skills, which are based on scientifically unverified or insufficiently verified assumptions, theories and practices, and which are in direct contradiction to the scientific, professional nature and correct practice of the current speech therapy. Therefore, these alternative procedures or means cannot be considered as effective speech therapy means or lege artis procedures. From a professional point of view, they cannot be recommended or applied to clients and patients as if they were proven procedures or means for the diagnosis and therapy of impaired communication skills or specific learning disorders. Such procedures include INPP, JIAS, Benaudira, bilateral integration, sensory integration, One Brain, Arrowsmith, New Speech and others.
The risks associated with the possible use of these procedures or means, especially the consequences resulting from the neglect or delayed provision of the necessary speech therapy care, are the responsibility of the persons who perform, promote or use these intervention procedures. At the same time, persons using unverified diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are subject to the control system of the department in which they perform their activities, i.e. the Health Care Supervision Office and the State School Inspectorate. Persons who provide such services outside the department of health, education and work, social affairs and family are outside the guaranteed control system and expertise, respectively. the professional level of care provided by these persons is questionable.
The Department of Communication Disorders of PdF UK and professional speech and language therapy societies have an obligation to uphold and promote scientifically verified and critically evaluated knowledge, as well as professional attitudes in relation to alternative methods in speech therapy. These knowledge and attitudes need to be implemented (as in medicine) also in the professional activities of undergraduate, specialization and continuous education of speech therapists, as well as in their personal professional development. At the same time, the department of Communication Disorders and professional speech and language therapy societies have an irreplaceable role and obligation to participate in correct, professional cooperation with mass communication media workers and in truthful and comprehensible information or education of patients, their loved ones, as well as the general public.
Department of Communication Disorders PdF UK in Bratislava
Slovak association of speech and language therapists
Union of clinical speech and language therapists
Chamber of school speech and language therapists
Student scientific and artistic activity (ŠVOUČ)
The ŠVOUČ coordinator for speech and language therapy students is prof. Cséfalvay.
contact: csefalvay@fedu.uniba.sk
Application for the competition
Topics for the students of speech and language pathology for AY 2023-24
ŠVOUČ topics for speech therapy students for the academic year 2022-23:
- Dr. Zubáková: Performance in the Silent Word Reading Test among 18- to 26-year-old adults
ŠVOUČ topics for speech therapy students for the academic year 2021-22:
- dr. Zubáková: Analysis of performance in the Silent Word Reading Test in young adults.
- Doc. Kapalková: Does the creative writing of a schoolboy mirror the speech of a child?
- Prof. Cséfalvay: Assessment of depression in patients with aphasia
ŠVOUČ topics for speech therapy students at acad. year 2020-21:
- Maneuvers and postural changes in the therapy of swallowing disorders occupied - continuation from 2019/20 (Dr. Frajková)
- Language skills in visually impaired children - theoretical thesis (Dr. Zubáková)
- Proposal for a manual of English-Slovak professional terminology for speech therapists - excellent knowledge of the English language and a completed professional foreign language course are required (Prof. Cséfalvay)
Grants and projects
Information about the latest grants and scientific projects can be found on the department's staff pages.
Grants and projects since 2012
Prof. PaedDr. Zsolt Cséfalvay, PhD.
Grant APVV (2016-2019): Impaired communication ability in Parkinson's disease. - Principal investigator.
Grant APVV (2012-2015): Cognitive-communication deficits in mild cognitive impairment and dementia patients. - Principal investigator.
Grant VEGA (2018-2020): Analysis of spontaneous speech production in the Slovak language in the intact adult population and its use in speech and language therapy practice. - a member of the research team.
Grant VEGA (2016-18): Assessment of speech intelligibility in children and adults. - Principal investigator.
Grant VEGA (2012-2014): Language-specific deficits in patients with brain damage. - Principal investigator.
Doc. Mgr. Svetlana Kapalková, PhD.
APVV 20-0126: "Vocabulary as an indicator of the developmental language level of monolingual and bilingual children in preschool age" solution period: 1.7. 2021 - 30.6.2025, Principal investigator.
APVV: "Comprehension reading - development using an innovative methodology - its creation and verification by a randomized controlled study. APVV - 0410-11 years of implementation : 1.7.2012 - 31.12.2015 Budget: EUR 161 883. Responsible researcher, Principal investigator.
Enhancing Children's Oral Language Skills Across Europe and Beyond - A Collaboration Focusing on Interventions for Children with Difficulties Learning Their First Language COST Action IS1406, (Principal investigator: Prof. James Law, Newcastle University) years of implementation 2015 - 2018. A member of the researcher team. Web: https://research.ncl.ac.uk/echo/abouttheproject/
Bilingual assessment of child lexical knowledge: a new method for Polish, Czech, Slovak, and Hungarian. Years of solution 1/2015 - 3/2016. A member of the research team.
Visegrad Fund grant IVF 21420015 (Responsible researcher: Prof. Ewa Haman, Warsaw University of Technology.
Doc. PaedDr. Jana Marková, PhD.
VEGA 1/0122/22 Contexts of verbal communication and language processes of the subdominant cerebral hemisphere. - Principal investigator.
VEGA 1/0214/18 Analysis of spontaneous speech production in the Slovak language in the intact adult population and its use in speech therapy practice. - Principal investigator.
VEGA 1/0352/16 Assessment of speech intelligibility in children and adults. - a member of the research team.
APVV 15-0155 Impaired communication ability in Parkinson's disease. – a member of the research team.
VEGA 1/0376/16 Identification of criteria for risk development of language skills in preschool-age - verifying the validity of classifications of impaired speech development and creating a diagnostic tool. - a member of the research team.
PhDr. Dana Buntová, PhD.
VEGA 1/0263/22 Identification of Speech Sounds Disorder as prevention of dyslexia for preschool children. – principal investigator.
Mgr. art. Mgr. Martina Zubáková Peregrinová, PhD.
Test of Silent Word Reading as a screening measure to detect the risk of dyslexia (2021 – 2023) – principal investigator.
Mgr. Monika Janíková (rod. Nemcová)
Grant UK 186/2019 Design of a picture elicitation test for the assessment of narrative abilities in preschool-aged children
Grant UK 191/2020 Investigation of the narrative abilities in preschool-aged children
based on picture sequence
Grant UK/367/2021 Investigation of the comprehension of narratives in bilingual children using face-to-face and online method
Mgr. Viktória Čiernik-Kevická, PhD.
UK/68/2018 Effect of elicitation method on spontaneous speech and it´s assessment
UK/29/2019 Discourse analysis in neurogenic comunication disorders
UK/53/2020 Discourse in healthy adults and neurogenic communication disorders
The older foreign grants and projects:
LPP Erazmus Academic Networs: Network for Tunning Stardards and Quality of Educational Programs for Speech and Language Therapist in Europe. The coordinator in Slovakia: prof. Cséfalvay, PhD. (2010-2013). http://www.netques.eu Newsletter - Netques 2013
Grant Marie Curie: International research of literacy - ELDEL The coordinator in Slovakia: doc. Marína Mikulajová, PhD. (2008-2011)
Cost action IS0804. Specific language impairment in multilingual society. : Mgr. S. Kapalková, PhD. (2010-2012)
Cost action - project 33. Cross-linguistic stages of child linguistic performance. Co-worker: Mgr. S. Kapalková, PhD. (2010-2012)
The Slovak grants
Grant APVV 15-0155 (2016-2019): Communication deficits in Parkinson´s disease. The main co-worker: prof. Zs. Cséfalvay
Grant APVV: Cognitive-communication deficits in patients with mild cognitive impairment and dementia. (2012-2015). The main co-worker: prof. Zs. Cséfalvay
Grant APVV: The heard text comprehension (2012-2015). The main co-worker: dr. S. Kapalková
Grant VEGA: Language-specific deficits in patients with brain damage.(2012-2014). The main co-worker: prof. Zs. Cséfalay
Grant VEGA: Identification of factors influencing the sentence comprehension in Slovak language in healthy children and adult population. (2012-2014). The main co-worker: doc. J. Marková