WFNR Special Interest Group on Speech & Communication (Aphasia) Reportage at Abu Dhabi DR. APOORVA PAURANIK PROFESSOR OF NEUROLOGY MGM MEDICAL COLLEGE INDORE (M.P.) INDIA

WFNR Special interest Group on Speech & Communication (Aphasia) Reportage at Abu Dhabi We are grateful to the Executive office bearers of WFNR to permit creation of SIG on Speech and Communication Disorders (Aphasia) during the last world conference at Istanbul, Turkey in 2014.

Our group, like other SIGs is suited to play many additional roles beyond the ones carried over by other national and international associations dedicated to aphasia. We have twin contrasting and complimentary philosophies- “Think global and act local”. “Think local and act global”

The Special Interest Group on Speech has potential to become communication conduit to other professionals engaged in neuro-rehabilitation. We will contribute for education and training, particularly in underserved regions and developing countries through flying faculty. Many of us have volunteered for it.

We must work for transfer of technology through ensuring easy and inexpensive access to software & hardware which are otherwise protected by Intellectual Property Rights. We contribute to the newsletter of WFNR.

We have submitted a proposal to organize a symposium on ‘International perspectives on the assessment and management of Aphasia’ Chair: Prof. Pam Enderby, Presenters: 1. Dr. Apoorva Pauranik 2. Dr. Marian Brady. The objectives of symposium are- o Approaches to identifying aphasia – International experiences o Evidence-based interventions--- Summary of the updated Cochrane review

We have established links with- 1.Aphasia SIG of the International Association of Logopaedia and Phoniatrics (which has formal links with the WHO and the special interest group on aphasia). 2. International organization ‘Aphasia United’ which has been developing minimum standards-- and shares information. It was developed to drive change by uniting the global aphasia community through a strategic plan in shared vision. We have been able to put members of the WFNR SIG in contact with members of similar other organizations and share information.

It is important that we share links and knowledge between [a] the many and various International Aphasia centered groups-- which are usually populated by people who are entrenched in that world— with those [b] who are interested in /contribute to aphasia management more generally amongst their many other duties e.g. neurologists, generalist speech and language therapists, general physicians, etc.--- We think we need to communicate messages more broadly if they are to have impact

We would like to see WFNR SIG on Speech communication to focus on something different than the other international aphasia groups, taking advantages of the strengths of the WFNR.

We will urge and encourage National chapters of WFNR to reach out to associations of Speech Language Pathologists and Clinical Psychologists in their country and put in place a highly visible sustained drive for membership of WFNR. For the same purpose we are distributing brochures and posters to all teaching and nonteaching institutions where professionals in Clinical Psychology and Speech and Language Pathology are being trained and are working.

Appendix Why SLPs and Clinical Psychologists should become member of WFNR Brochure + Poster Proposal for Symposium on aphasia at Philadelphia Current membership list Our report at Istanbul